CANDY APPLE RED

That's the color of my car. Ever since I was a teen, that's the color of car I wanted.

But this one is the first I ever had. It was also the first I ever purchased from the show room floor.

I've now fulfilled two of my automotive dreams. I only have one more left. Owning a convertible.

It wouldn't have to be candy apple red. Or shown off in a a showroom.

It wouldn't even have to be a hard top. A ragtop would be fine with me. Actually, if I count my Dad's 1958 Lincoln Continental convertible, I guess my car wishes are complete.

It was black and there's still something pretty special about a clean black car.

And as far as accessories, I have a navigator system which I'm not fond of, a back up camera which I love. A tape deck, CD player, 2 FM stations/ 1 AM with lots of ranges and speaker options. My seats are heated. In fact, right now as my car sits in a neighbor's driveway because of road repairs right in front of our driveway, I'll just bet it's on. So I'm good there, too.

It's kinda disheartening when you have reached a goal and there's nothing else to shoot for. But then there's the alternative of having to drive a 1970 Mercury Montego that I had to roll in at late as 1977 because of lack of funds. I had a lot to shoot for back then.

VITAMIN D FOR THE FEET

Of course the feet are the hardest part to get tanned. That's what these quadruplets are concentrating on in this picture I took on the Arizona State campus last Spring. They were just off the steps of...Ok enough.

Vitamin D, in a new study, helps ward off Alsheimers. That's good news for a guy like me. I just hope you can store it, and I'll be set for life.

In that same report (certainly not the same study) coffee is now once again good for the body, and it, too, helps with Alshiemers. That's not quite as good as tanning for me, but I do drink some nearly every morning.

Apple juice was the third good thing to have. There, I'm dead in the water. Apple cider, once a year. Apple juice, less than once a decade.

But I figure I don't want to remember everything anyhow and being the optimist I am, I'm planning on my not drinking apple juice to take out some of the bad memories I have. If it just took away some of the memories of the flus I've had. (I never pluralized flu before, but what else would it be). Both cold and stomach flus. (I kinda like it); in Greek it was spelled flooze which meant real bad sick that you'd get over. A common place to get it was at The Acropolis. If it was, indeed, the stomach flu, then you got if from the Acrapolis. Enough.

Exercise and being mentally active also fought off the disease. But the one thing I'd suggest leaving off is the juice. Unless you sadistically want to recall pain in your growing and living. I used to remember when I broke my ankle...

HOW COULD THERE BE MUCH DEMAND

For a Siamese mannequin? Isn't that just a bad idea?

While I'm at it, isn't it time to get politically correct and call them co-joined twins? What does Siam have to do with it? I'm sure that's not the only place where that happens. Besides when I hear Siam I think of do-do-do-do-do da-do-do-do-da-do-do-do from The King and I.

Another thing. I keep seeing Buicks on the road. New ones. I thought they quit making them a few years ago. TV news, remember the days when you could trust them to give you the news without politicizing, paid homage to the last Buick rolling off the assembly line in Michigan. Not that it upsets me; in fact, anything (well almost) that puts Americans back to work is good for me.

I blame it all on George, too. I think every President should. I mean, George Washington who started this country and couldn't create jobs either. Since this President blames the last, despite his call for unbelievable debt that far exceeds W's, then why shouldn't W blame Willie who could blame 41, who could blame...G. Washington?

Did I digress? Again? It's the heat. We have yet to have a September day that hasn't reached at least 100. "Fall is in the air," a friend told us last night after our Small Group. When my wife got into the car, she agreed. "Yeah, I nearly fell over from the heat Thursday morning at The TPC Golf course. At 8:20 AM." It's been brutal. So if BO can blame W years after his admin, this I can blame the heat this month for my not quite staying on the subject. Or I could say I have ADHD.

Attention Deficit Heat Disorder.

But I still think a co-joined twin mannequin is just not feasible.

SEEPY TIME WE CALL IT

When the eyes simply go. For me that is happening me earlier and earlier. I figure if the Lord gives me another 25 years, I'll meet my going to sleep with my waking up from sleep.

But I can just look at this picture and yearn for the bed. What a great full bodied yawn. Covering one is just not the same. Adding some vocals to it helps also.

"I'm the tiredest man on the face of the earth," an old coach friend told me one day in the Teachers' Lounge. Sometimes I feel that way when when I'm really trying to stay awake. Like in a movie. Or watching tv. Or reading. Or...well you get the idea. I can literally fall asleep anywhere at the drop of the proverbial hat.

I don't like to nap either. Well, that's not right. I love a power nap. Daily. Two or three times, I'm afraid. From 2 minutes to 20. Maybe if I just took one good 30 minute nap daily, a siesta, then I'd be ok. Then I could make it through the day.

I have lots more to talk about napping. But as you can guess, I have my jammy's on. I usually change, if I change out of cotton shorts and a tank top--I've been known to wear them all day, just after supper. So I'll be ready.

And I'm ready. All I need now is a cold pillow with just a sheet on me. I'll soon kick a leg out from the covers, feel the breeze from the ceiling fan, lightly turning blades, and I'm out. In one minute tops.

YOU CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT A STATUE



Especially one where a guy is riding or sitting on a horse. I suppose there are statues of women on horses but I haven't seen any.



Although the picture was taken before my time, I did see this statue in Vienna, Austria, this Summer. Don't ask me who it is, but I know one definite about him.



He was wounded in battle. So, Inquisitive Reader(s) ask how I came up with that notion.



There seems to be a rule of thumb among sculptors. At least sculptors who depict war heroes on horseback. If the horse has one foot raised, it means the rider was wounded in the war. If the horse has two feet raised, the rider was killed in the war. If the horses feet are not raised, the rider was not injured or killed.

And if the horse has all four feet in the air, the sculptor was an idiot. Well, maybe not the last part, but the other parts are true. Just a bit of useful information to be called upon the next time you see a statue with a horseman.

THE RESEARCH I DO FOR YOU

I'm saying I should receive college credit for it. Who else would go to these lengths just to keep you informed? Just to share not morsels, not tidbits, but actually stirring conversation pieces. Ice breakers. Well, the answer is I.

Pictured on your left, taken in 1861, is Custer's Last Sit. Everybody knows about his Last Stand. I wonder has there ever been an ice cream place called Custard's Last Stand? If not, there should be.

But here he is sitting with his dog who seems to know to look at the camera. The General, with more things on his mind, has chosen a rather pensive pose. Even with a distraught mouth drawn.

The dog, whose name was Bandit, (oh, wait a minute: that was my dog's name). The dog, whose name escapes me after all the hours of research I did to find this picture, seems to be waiting for the Gen. to throw his hat again so he could fetch it.

Or, he just has a feeling that old Custer may not be sitting here anymore, so this is a significant closure that they are having. Dogs are like that. They know stuff. Cats too.

We had a few cats in our MTV days and a nice woods next to our house where when the cats decided to die, they'd just go there and not bother me. I like that about cats. We could learn from them. What's up with finality anyhow?

Maybe that's what the General was pondering at His Last Sit.

But there you have it. Just ask someone if they've ever seen the photo. It's a good start to a conversation. Then ask them if they knew the name of Custer's dog. And if he had any cats.