My dear wife, Carrie, and I cleaned the porch this past weekend. I am sitting in the very spot I had a close encounter with a loose piece of lightning that penetrated my right bicep, made the metal fork I was holding flash like an old time flashbulb, and caused me to loose feeling in my side for a few minutes. There is some bad weather heading this way. When I get the feeling it is time to go in I will.
Yes. I have been struck by lightning. I have had a very interesting life. I was struck by lightning, my babysitter killed over on me when I was five, and I once sat on a bench with Karl Malone in a football locker room and asked him if he ever played basketball? Karl would probably have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being asked that question on the campus where he earned the nickname “The Mailman” in the big gym not far from where we were sitting.
My brother-in-law, Stevarino is watching the Pacers play an NBA playoff game right now. He told me some of the home crowd against the visiting Pacers were being unkind. They were throwing verbiage around aimed at a Pacers player and it was not nice. I do hope the Pacers win. I think they are playing Toronto.
The older I get the more I think about my childhood when I see an NBA game on television. There was a time when I could stay up really late at night. On the weekends local television showed “The Late Show”…a movie would play. I was always a sucker for romantic films. I saw “Mahogany” on the late movie and enjoyed it as a kid. The Alan Alda…and I can’t remember the female co-star’s name….movie “Same Time Next Year” would show up on the late movie and I would watch every frame. I remember watching the Anthony Hopkins pic “Magic” about the ventriloquist/dummy that comes to life. That scared the crap out of me.
On Friday nights…..oh my….it is starting to rain out here….CBS would put on a late NBA game. West coast games…ones you never saw when you watched regional action on Sunday afternoons. Most of time we got the Sixers or the Celtics on Sundays. They were good. I’m talking 1977,1978. Portland Trailblazers, Seattle Supersoncis, LA Lakers. Days of Bill Walton, Jack Sikma…good times. Downtown Freddie Brown was throwing in long shots for Seattle. These are the guys you could see on Friday night.
Thunder? I think I hear it. Chocolate Thunder! Now that was Darryl Dawkins.
Opps. That is just about my cue. Something wicked this way comes.
In addition to the weather, the pollen count could get me. I will need an allergy shot tomorrow.
Know this…it is good to be out on the porch again writing these words. See you out here again soon.
We’ll….speak the rights.
Danny Johnson