I HAD TO TAKE THE GARBAGE OUT THAT DAY

I just noticed that my title is iambic pentameter. If you don't remember, that means 5 unaccented syllables followed by 5 accented syllables. A guy named Shakespeare used it an awful lot.

But when I saw this picture, I thought of last Monday, garbage day. Actually I think last Monday was Presidents Day, so I mean no disrespect to most of our US Prezs, but Monday is the day in our 'hood when we set out the accumulation of one week's garbage for the city to pick up.

The waste management people have been coming early so I had to rush to get the refuse to the curb. (I'm planning on using the word rubbish next.) I hadn't shaved.

So what? Why do I need to shave to take out the rubbish? Well, my daily routine was messed up. I usually shave before that time. So I decided not to shave, a rarity for a usually clean cut twice a day shaver. That's not quite true. Mid-morning I ran an electric over my white/gray stubble. Like most guys with heavy beards, it didn't do much but knock a few whiskers down.

"Did you shave today?" a surprised wife of mine asked on our daily afternoon walk.

I confessed.

That night in my Bible Study Fellowship, I itched. More than twice, I recall rubbing my hand over the stubble (is there a synonym for that word) and wondered why our son and a lot of his generation don't shave twice a day. They like to shave about every three days and have the look of the model pictured.

Maybe if my beard were still dark. But my attempt to look like Brett Favre failed. Plus it hurt a lot when I shaved it off the next morning.