Good Morning All & Happy Sunday!
Don’t you just love “March Madness?” Even though you may not be a huge basketball fan, you gotta love the storybook endings to some of the tournament games, like the one last night when little known “Abilene Christian” knocked off Texas in the first round. A #14 seed beating a #3 seed…quite an accomplishment! Their win also goes to show that free throws can win games. Abilene Christian made their free throws when they counted and “the rest is history.” And how about those ZAGS!!! They looked mighty impressive against Norfolk State…now it’s on to the second round against Oklahoma. Hopefully, the ZAGS will be able to run their “full-court offense’…when they get to running, they are hard to stop! And congrats to our own Eastern Washington Eagles, as they gave Kansas a run for their money. The Groves brothers from Spokane are the real deal! We’re also rooting for those Oregon State Beavers, as they won their first round game and now play Oklahoma State today. GO BEAVERS!!!
Happy Birthday to my junior high and high school friend, Mike, from Puyallup, who celebrates his 66th birthday today (if my math is correct!); and to Spokane church friend and husband, father & firefighter extraordinaire, Ben, who celebrates his 40th birthday today! Here’s to both of you on your special day of celebration! And happy birthday to our friend, Larry in Wisconsin, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow, March 22nd!
Happy Birthday wishes also go to actor Matthew Broderick of “Glory” movie fame, who is 59 today; to songwriter Chip Taylor of “Wild Thing” song fame, who turns 81 today; to singer/musician Rose Stone of “Sly and the Family Stone” fame, who is 76 today; to actor Timothy Dalton, who turns 75 today; and to actor Gary Oldman of “Bridge of Spies” fame, who is 63 today. Here’s to all of you!
We were given a delightful book entitled “The Boy, the mole, the fox and the horse” the other day from our dear friends the Bakers. It’s written by Charlie Mackesy and it’s truly marvelous. It’s one of those books that is easy to read and you want to come back and read it again…and again…and again. It uplifts you so much and the story is terrific. As the author writes in the introduction…”Their (the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse) adventures happen in Springtime where one moment snow is falling and the sun shines the next, which is also a little bit like life—it can turn on a sixpence…” “When I was making the book I often wondered, who on earth am I to be doing this? But as the horse says: “the truth is everyone is winging it.” “So I say spread your wings and follow your dreams—this book is one of mine. I hope you enjoy it and much love to you.” Do yourself a favor and go out and get this book…I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Do you wonder like I do what in the heck is going on at the U.S.-Mexican border? What a chaotic mess! The situation down there doesn’t exactly instill a lot of confidence in our country’s leadership. Couldn’t some common sense be applied in this situation and properly secure the border so that there is an orderly way in which to process people’s petitions to enter our country legally? Under the current situation, it’s hard to know who’s coming across and what is their intent…for good, for bad. Also, it’s heartbreaking to see so many unaccompanied children coming across the border. The new administration seems ill-prepared to deal with this crisis…a crisis that didn’t need to happen when we changed presidents. We really need to focus resources on taking care of those who are already in our country and making sure that those who enter are country do it the right way. Our country is truly a beacon of liberty for the whole world and, speaking as someone whose family came to America from England (the other part of my family were already here…part of the Cherokee Nation), we should welcome others who wish to pursue the American dream. We just have to do it in a reasonable manner and ensure that criminals and others who wish to do us harm are not allowed to come across illegally. What do you think?
I came across another one of my 1964 “Outer Limits” collectible cards…this one is entitled “Hunting New Victims” (Card #14) and features The Monster From Venus. Here’s an excerpt from the narrative on the back of the card:
“The Monster From Venus races through the woods, hunting animals for food. Then the creature seeks warmth in a house, for despite a summer heat-wave, Earth is still too cold for a Venusian. He sneaks into a private home to get some warmth. But he is found frozen to death the next day. Ironically, he has been killed by the chilling air from an air conditioner—which had been turned on to relieve the inhabitants from a stifling heat-wave.”
I can remember as a young boy in Olympia WA being scared to death whenever “The Outer Limits” T.V. program would come on once a week in the evening…pretty spooky to say the least! The writers and producers of that show had quite the imaginations, for sure!
Here’s the fact for the day:
Hamburgers got their name from Hamburg, Germany.
Here’s the word definition for the day:
“Ethos”: A mid 19th century Latin word meaning “The characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.”
Here’s the thought for the day:
“Friendship, then, like the other natural loves, is unable to save itself. In reality, because it is spiritual and therefore faces a subtler enemy, it must, even more wholeheartedly than they, invoke the divine protection if it hopes to remain sweet. For consider how narrow its true path is. It must not become what the people call a “mutual admiration society”; yet it if is not full of mutual admiration, of Appreciative love, it is not Friendship at all.”
—C.S. Lewis, “The Four Loves,” as quoted in “C.S. Lewis’ Little Book Of Wisdom” (2018)
Here’s to a great Sunday and lots of love & good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)