Ninety (90 Years !

                            Mom and Dad shortly before his death

            Were they living still, tomorrow (July 1) would be mom and dad's 90th wedding anniversary.  Like many young couples during the Great Depression, they opted to elope rather than have a traditional ceremony. So, with friends they went secretly to South Carolina; no doubt with some trepidation, when dad went to visit his new father-in-law, he asked, "Should I run?"  Whereupon, the reply, "I think that you have run enough already". 

   They were well matched although greatly different in temperament and 'style'. Mom tended to be direct, plain spoken and often opinionated.  She loved her family---immediate and extended ---and expressed it  largely in non-verbal actions. My mom could cook! Dad filled the 'encourager' role and was hardly passive in his relationships. He was forever grateful to the woman he called 'Mamma' who had taken him as an infant when his biological mother abandoned him and his father was for a time unable to care for him. 

   Coming of age during the economic hardships of the 1930's, they both were hardworkers and over time rose from 'blue collar' to solid 'middle class'. Dad moved from mill operative, to employee at two dry cleaning companies, to owning a dry-cleaning business with a brother-in-law, and retiring as an agent of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.  While they were not high school graduates (Mom acquired her GED and LPN when her sons became adults), they both possessed an abundant endowment of 'Wisdom'.  My brothers and I were probably college graduates before we knew we had options because of their frequent refrains "When you go to college . . ." and "We want you to have opportunities that we  didn't have."

    On two previous occasions, on the evening prior to a neighbor's anniversary party, the husband's each had a fatal heart attack.  So as their 50th anniversary approached, Mom and Dad told us that there was to be no formal party or reception for them.  Instead, all of us spent several leisurely days on the  Outer Banks of North Carolina. Good choice. . . he lived almost another ten years.

  An online dictionary defines legacy as "giving something that will be valued and treasured by those who survive after your death".  Using that definition, my brothers and our families have been bequeathed a rich legacy.

      Satchel

 

" Oh, Deer ! What can the Matter Be ?"

 

   How are they are 'counted' ?  One wildlife agency guesstimates that currently 1.1 million deer live in our state.  Judging by the decimation wrought on our flowers and other vegetation this year, a high percentage of those live close by.  In years past, we have steadily added to our daylily varieties and have delighted in the many colors.  Not this year.  This view of one 'harvested' plant 

        (look  closely for places buds have been eaten)

contrasts with these view  from past years:   

           

                 

       There have been 'challenging' times in previous years; however, grazing has been more intense in 2023.  I can tell you lots of deterrents that don't :

  .a granular substance placed around plants that are designed to make the deer scram.

  . small pieces of  a well known hand soap place at intervals

   .coffee grounds

   .aromatic plants such as lavender and thyme

   .lots of marigolds

   .most recently, ultrasonic sensors that emit sounds and flashing lights

   .a neighbor indicated that the presence of her indoor dogs and their barking have not always been effective.

   Up until recently high fencing has not been thought a realistic option given the size of the lawn.  Today, we are considering a high fence (8 feet seems to be minimal, given a deer's capacity for jumping great heights) for next year.

   In addition to destruction to vegetation, deer are a huge threat for vehicular traffic. Last summer, a deer jumped into the street one block from our house and totaled an approaching  vehicle.  One of my brothers remarked once that he had killed more deer with his pickup truck that year than most hunters.

  What have you found effective in deterring Bambi ?

   

Satchel

  

                    

White bucks and Blue Suede Shoes

           "It's an exercise in nostalgia" my friend Jay and I decided this morning. He was wearing lookalikes for Blue Suede Shoes (think Carl Perkins and  Elvis) and I had my White Bucks (think Pat Boone--- if you  are old enough). While  some distance from my age, Jay did remember Pat Boone. For me, their origins lie deeply embedded in the 1950's.  It was during that time that  a new Easter clothing outfit likely included new 'white bucks'.  

   Revived by the 'Ivy League look' of that era, the style continues to  provide a versatile footwear option. Many of my contemporaries considered them an integral part of the late-Spring and Summer male wardrobe.  They still blend well  with  casual and semi-'dress-up' attire.

  Pat Boone and white bucks almost became synonymous in the "50's", so much so that he was sometimes referred to as "The Kid in the White Bucks".  My friend Larry told of being at a wedding reception in the  early 1980's when an elderly, slightly inebriated lady, whom he did not know approached him and asked "Have you seen my husband? He's wearing white buck shoes".  To which Larry, himself slightly into the sauce, replied, "Lady, I haven't seen anyone in white bucks since Pat Boone."

 

   For anyone ultra fashion conscious, I found an article on the internet with 'do's and don'ts' of wearing your bucks, such as  'don't wear with shorts; wear with socks ; do not wear them to evening formal occasions, etc.'.  I think that they are simply a 'fun shoe' with a nod to nostalgia.

   In the recesses of memory , I recall having a pair of Blue Suedes shoes and I think that I wore those with my drastically 'pegged' slacks.  (What are 'pegged' pants ? The cuff is so severely reduced in size that one reputedly had to remove the foot prior to getting them on,)

   And, by the way, if care is not taken to maintain the white luster,  bucks can  almost be mistaken for blue suede  shoes.

     Satchel