To anyone who may read this I say "thank you" for my readership is basically 0 and that's ok, especially since it's taken me so long to update my space. It's December in Northwest Ohio and that means snow and cold and we have both as the shoppers rush home with their treasures. Two favorite antidotes for some of the locals are: (1) Yukon Jack, "The Black Sheep of Canadian Liquors" whose label plainly states "Yukon Jack is a taste born of hoary nights, when lonely men struggled to keep their fires lit and cabins warm. Boldly flavorful, yet surprising smooth,there is no spirit like Yukon Jack". (More on this to follow) (2) A trip to sunny Florida for golf and relaxation. (this also will be expounded upon).
Yukon Jack when taken internally in liberal amounts can definitely light a fire in your midsection and thus allow a fellow to keep his cabin warm ,even if his cabin is only in his mind. As for the "hoary nights", I figure this must be the Canadian way of misspelling a certain word and really refers to the great Canadian tradition of conjuring up imaginary "shapely-adorables" to share a "mind cabin" ( "shapely adorables" being a phrase often used by one of my favorite authors, Dan Jenkins, who I must credit here or risk possible libel charges on my next application to coach a college football team or become a CEO of some major world corporation). The gender and genus of these "adorables" is left to the mind of the imbiber and I've been told these Canadians can take a very wide and extremely liberal interpretation of this phrase, a thought that you, dear reader, may ponder on your own time.
Florida, ahhh, that hurricane-ridden, warm-weather haven for many of us who are becoming more and more despondent at the thoughts of cold, snow and freezing rain/ice. (although I'm told there are some true sickos who actually like this stuff for purposes such as skiing, sledding, skating and Yukon Jack and his so-called "hoars"). Florida supports (and also robs) the U.S. and it's own economy by having hurricanes rip through it every year thereby insuring that millions and even billions of our dollars get super-sucked into the gaping pocket and wallets of scam-artists, corrupt politicians and local officials, contractors, salesmen, zoning commissioners, permit-givers and falsifiers, roofers, building material suppliers and manufacturers, alligator and snake getter-ridder-ofers, and a cast of thousands. However, each year the hurricanes manage to spare some part of the "Sunshine State" and leave us northerners a place to fly to and indulge in our usual summer-like activities. So away I went for a week of shorts, golf, drink and good felowship with the aforementioned and now-infamous Sprout. For four days I played the best golf of this season ( and of recent seasons ) with 75,76,81,and 73, the 75 included a 2 under par on one nine and the 73 included a 1 under par on another nine. The weather was gorgeous and the company grand, the dread upon take-off from Orlando heading back to Detroit was pervasive and thick, a sensory wall of fun-deprivation and thoughts of the pain-in-the-backside (this blog is somewhat suitable for those aver age 5) return to old winter survival routines. I'm now 9 days back and already hoping to return to the sunny south asap. So what if the dollar-suckers roam freely there, at least they're wearing summertime garb,though some of the dreaded "blue-hairs"-and you know who they/you are!!-make garish attire seem commonplace and driving the highways and byways an honest and justifiable reason for various forms of "road rage". But, they've got their smirks firmly in place-'cause it's warm and golf/drinking/partying is the routine, not a dream for us in the realm of salt trucks and multi-car pileups.
On a final note, thanks go out to my son, Nathan, whose Open Skate with Nate blog has a splendid treatise on the Miller Family Reunion and also lists my comment. It is a must-read piece for all.
Today I write a more serious story. As a volunteer at The American Red Cross I can speak from experience of the tremendous outpouring of support and donations of many kinds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This huge storm has devastated the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and has impacted all regions of this country in ways to numerous to list. Today, as I was moving comfort supplies for loading, I held the elevator door for a mom and dad and their young daughter, probably 7 to 9 years old. She held in her hand a coffee can with a home-made label around it. Her parents were praising her and telling her how proud they were of her when I asked her if she had just made a donation. She smiled a huge,rediant smile and the gap between her front teeth and her freckles added to the tremendous pride and joy in her sparkling blue eyes. She said "yes" and then her mom said "tell him how you did it. She smiled at me and said " I had a lemonade stand and I just donated $276". I complimented her and thanked her for her help and her smile and pride filled the elevator. As they exited I could still hear her parents telling her how proud they were, and I had a moment of real personal reflection on my 4 kids. I'm as proud a father as you can find and I love my children deeply. I know their character and spirit. They are entering the world and hoping to make their mark on it, one of which they can be proud. It's a good feeling to know that there are still children following mine that teach us all about helping, caring, selflessly giving and not expecting something in return. I will remember that girl and her smile for a long time.