AT LEAST IT'S NOT STRAWBERRIES

My allergy, that is. Although in June and early July when Ranier cherries are available in AZ, I know my limitations, but it still hurts not to be able to eat my fill.

Strawberries, though are available year round. Plus a recent study pointed out how they are healthy for us, too. Especially on a big bowl of ice cream. Homemade vanilla, naturally. Well, at least the first part is true. But when added to ice cream or dipped in chocolate, even the darkest of dark chocolate, well the good for us is out the window.

But I've always loved strawberries. I think part of it has to do with the sight appeal. They just look good. Perfectly shaped, little dimples, beautiful cardinal red color, with a little twisty stem pull off. They shout Summer and sunshine and out-of-doors to me. They seem to be the sexiest fruit, too, but don't ask me why. Just maybe because the media shows men feeding women strawberries in bed. At least I think I've seen that a few times in movies. If not, well I should have.

Picking them and filling those little baskets broke my back even when in my 20's. But I loved to do it. The reward was cheap, fresh berries, and a sense of accomplishment that I was almost co-owner in the growth process.

When, rarely, our strawberries started to go bad, my mom would squish them, add sugar, and pour over the vanilla ice cream I referred to earlier. A different but also great taste.

I guess had I been allergic to strawberries instead of cherries, I'd have walked around with swollen eyes. At least during the Summer months.

THE SEVENTIES WEREN'T ALL BAD

In fact, over lunch this morning (well, it was a few minutes before noon and I want to be exact), my wife and I were waxing over our Chevy Vega and the good times we had in that car. Tooling around town (that's what we called it then), taking a trip over Spring Break to Florida when our son was one. We also took one of his grandmothers with us. Drive-In movies with him in a totally unsafe car seat called a pumpkin or punkin' in SoIL, but remember it was the '70's thankfully before Jimmy Carter. Remember the '70's weren't all good either.

But one thing that was really good, that has no respect today in any literary circles was the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It should at least be a childrens' classic.

It has a great story about individualism tucked into a story about self-improvement and goal setting. It's about being different. And rising above the crowd. What's wrong with that?

If you haven't thought about JLS, then you haven't been near an ocean lately, or you haven't read the book. A former fellow teacher and dept. head recently asked me to join some kind of organization that pushes for certain books to be included as classics.

Yep. I'm pulling for Seagull. It's been disrespected too long.

FUN THAT'S SICKENING

You know you've done it. We all have. Eaten too much and gotten sick.

But the best sick is the sweet sick where too much cotton candy, too much fudge, too much taffy causes that illness. Which may have gotten your mom to reach for the pink stuff when you were little.

Did you know that in some people, Pepto Bismal causes their tongues to turn black? Yep. I once had a high school student who panicked when she saw her black tongue. She displayed it to me who put her worries at ease. How'd I know? Well, we have some weird allergies in our family.

Besides my wife's allergy to iodine and shellfish. When I was a frosh in high school and was freed from the cafeteria restraints that my parents put on me first semester, I ate at little snack shops (I don't know what they were called: the only time they were opened were during school hours) around the campus. After my burger and fries, maybe a pork tenderloin instead of the burger but always the fries, I'd top off the meal with a pack of cherry Charms. I could eat them in some classes after lunch and sure enough, I'd polish off a full pack before school was out.

Until one day when my eyelids started to swell, almost to the point of swollen shut. It was determined that I had a wild cherry allergy. There are still some artificial stuff that causes me problems including too many cake iced cookies.

Both our children are allergic to blue dye. Our daughter's has gotten worse as she's grown older; our son's better. Blue dye--as in blue jeans, as in blue clothes of any kind,as in blue paper. And when she comes into contact with it, her eyes don't swell, but her hands itch like crazy, and it's time to find some benedryl.

Those are not the fun kinda ways to get sick. But an overload of ice cream on a hot, hot day, or way too many hot dogs at a ball game. Now you're talking about stomach sick fun.

I'M NOT WAITING

to hear our President give his re-election speech tonight. Though I think he began his Re-elect Me Tour in Tucson at the memorial service.

What I mean is I'm going to give the Sate of the Union As I See It prior to his address.

As a nation, we have declined dramatically. We suffer from a bad case of Hedonism. We have excessive pride in ourselves to the point that we are no longer a Judeo-Christian nation.

We don't need God. Or so we have thought. Or so we have lived. We do whatever feels right at the moment. We reject the principles our nation was founded on. We embrace other cultures' ways at the extent of abandoning our own.

Until we leaders, we people of these United States fall on our knees, confess our inability to do anything on our own. Until we as a nation recognize and worship God and seek His will for our country. Until we recognize the truth that He is the Creator, that He wants a personal relationship with us, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross for our salvation and that He rose after three days. Until we do turn from our ways, then the state of our nation will continue to decline.

Thank you. And if we do these things as a country then God will certainly bless us like we have never seen.

THE IDOL IS BACK





Maybe because we watched the shows last week with a friend who was staying at our house. Maybe because of the new judges. Maybe because of the new talent which has to be better than last year. Whatever it is, American Idol seems a lot better this year.

I think it's probably the new judges. Jennifer is such an improvement over Paula. There's no reason to include Ellen who offered very little. DeGarmo was ok, but she seemed more intent on pleasing or bashing Simon. Simon was great for the most part, but familiarity does breed some contempt at times, and it was time to pull the plug on him. Randy, also apparently intimidated by Simon, seems much more at ease this season.

Steven Tyler is really good. There is absolutely no telling what facial contortion he might conjure up. There is no way to predict what his responses might be. In short, he will say anything at any time. While I've never been a bleep fan (I mean I'm glad they're bleeped--I wish movies would do the same at the theatre--but why would you say something you knew would be bleeped because you know the camera's on you)? Is that cool? Not to me, but as usual, I've digressed. Overlooking that aspect of the Aerosmith guy, I think he's a great judge.

Back to JLo. She really seems sincere. Not just because she claims to get goosebumps and cries real tears once in awhile, but her expression is one who is interested in every contestant. She seems soft hearted, and even appears to dislike laughing at the really goofy ones who deserve it. C'mon. It's hard for me to feel sorry for any of them who can't carry the proverbial bucket containing even one note on key. They know, so what are they doin'? But she seems genuine.

The talent also is better. Thank goodness no Bosocks yet, though one crazy girl did advance for some reason. So far I like the nerdy high school guy who sang Queen and the twin who ended the Thursday night show. But there are other good ones, too, of course.

Tune in. There's not too much else on these days. Including Ryan Seacrest. Well, he's on, but toned down and without trying to spar with Simon, he, too is improved.