Cue John Fogerty! Lookin’ Out My Back Porch!
Just got home from Illinois I wish!
About this time of year for the last I don’t know how many, my dear wife, Carrie, and I usually head down the road for a little R and R. No five papers with my name on them waiting at the bottom of the hill at The Country Store in the Berkshires.
Last year’s last haul of papers the morning we left. Boston Globe, Boston Herald, New York Times, New York Daily News, and the Berkshire (Pittsfield) Eagle were waiting on me every morning. I miss them.
For self-preservation purposes, we have not gone too far down the road in a while. The last time we went anywhere over night was to Bloomington in February to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
We did spend the night in Illinois after Christmas on our way back from visiting with relatives in Mississippi. Haven’t crossed the state line too many times since then. Strange days indeed.
Went back and forth with an old friend yesterday via text message. I still call him Mulllcat. I have not seen Tim Mullins in longer than I can remember. He’s one of those. If you have a few of those in your life, consider yourself fortunate. When we go back and forth via text or an all elusive phone call, it is just like we spoke at length the day before. Wish I could explain. Even more delighted that I cannot. Our conversations usually ruminate from our shared joy of music. He took me to see George Thorogood at Coyotes in Louisville back in December of 1993. Seems the ceiling in the place was like twelve feet high. We were leaning on the stage. My hearing recovered by the next March when I saw The Moody Blues a couple times that month.
I took Mullcat to see The Moodies a few times. We sure had a good time wherever we went.
I wish I had the motivation to get more writing done. I have had great intentions. I put a nice tune together on the guitar a couple of days ago but just could not find the right words. Oh I had some to go along. But we are in a point in history when you want to get it right. Mistakes are going to be blown up more than ever and there is a critic, for better or worse, around every corner. I am trying to be realistic here, not cynical.
I think about the Greg Walker’s of the world and I say a prayer for all of them. Greg is the superintendent of Paoli Community Schools. He and all school superintendents are in a spot as we move forward with what to do as far as opening schools back up in August. Surveys go out. Dialogue flies back and forth. Prayers are sent up. You just want to do the right thing at the end of day. It does not matter who gets the credit. It is the unwarranted blame that bothers me. Leadership and competence certainly come with a price. I am thankful for strong leaders.
As I said, I wish I had the motivation to do more writing these days. I think back at when I turned 50 in 2018 and I wrote a post a day for the fifty days leading up to my birthday. That is just too much ambition for me right now.
I hope and pray you and yours are doing well right now. It is tough. But we still need to find a way to…speak the rights.
Danny Johnson