Posted by
William D. Dannenmaier on Saturday, November 21, 2009 9:05:49 AM
Watching the second football game Sunday, I ate half of a watermelon. I don’t recommend this to anyone, unless they want to get up every hour the night following to visit the universal family room.
Conversations with my bride are often interesting. For example, the other day I brought a bunch of grapes into the room to eat while I was reading. Before starting, I received a telephone call from a friend who wanted me on his talk show. It was pleasant talking to him, until I noticed the last of my grapes disappearing – Sheila was sitting next to me. I brought in some more and, as she reached, pointed out that they were my grapes. “I’ll trade you some chocolate for some grapes,” she said. I asked where she had chocolate. She replied, “I don’t, but you do in your drawer.” “In other words,” I responded, “you will trade me my chocolate for my grapes.” “Yes.” Then she looked at me and said, “Isn’t it a good thing we didn’t know each other too well before we got married?’’
Stephen keeps exotic tropical fish. Part of their diet includes worms he digs from the garden or, being short of garden worms, some he purchases at the store for his fishing trips. He told me that there is an interesting difference between the two groups of worms, despite the fact that they look exactly alike – to him. He reports that when he drops a garden worm in the aquarium, the fish go after it immediately, but when he drops in one he has purchased the fish ignore it, only casually going after it once it is lying on the bottom of the aquarium. Isn’t it interesting? We haven’t the foggiest idea of why.
AustinPeayStateUniversity announced a display of art work by former students. Each person was permitted to submit three works and a university panel would decide which of them should be displayed. All three of Sheila’s entrées were accepted for display. One won a ribbon. The Art Department Chair told her that another one received very favorable comment and invited her to display her work at a permanent display room they were opening downtown. Sheila said I shouldn’t talk about this because she doesn’t approve of bragging, but I’m doing the bragging. When Sheila was debating whether she should continue painting or not earlier this year, I told her that her problem was her strict background had taught her nothing she did was “good enough.” That I thought her work was excellent – except for a lack of female nudes. To prove me wrong, she resumed painting. The ribbon and compliments prove me right again. I usually am, as I have always told my children, who should listen to me more carefully.
One has to admire the city of Dickson. Authorities across the nation are warning people to stay away from crowds. Schools are being closed and shoppers are wearing masks to avoid contamination with the killer swine flu. But not Dickson. Dickson held its 34th annual charity fundraiser “Christmas in the County” arts and crafts festival Saturday at the DicksonHigh School. Accepting quiet but firm pressure from my bride, I attended along with her. I can’t remember a more crowded event. The halls were lined with tiny cubicles for artists to display their work: charcoal drawings, oil paintings, stained glass, wood carvings, jewelry, needlework – you name it, it was there along with the creators. To walk down the hallways was an adventure, the cubicles, artists and admirers filled all but a narrow lane while those trying to walk along stood in lines as in a mess hall except that the lines were moving in two directions. Thus, while bumping into the person in front trying to go west, you had to shove past the other person in front trying to go east. The dining room and the gymnasium were equally bad, with narrow pathways between cubicles lining the walls and positioned in rows created where students ate lunches and played basketball during the day. Yep, no fear of swine flu or any other contagious disease in Dickson. Dickson has courage. I wondered if the event was sponsored by the medical association.
A lady from church announced with pride that her daughter and son-in-law were expecting a second child after the great difficulty they had in securing the first. As an addendum she commented that the first was now crawling and standing. There were numerous responses to her announcement. All of the women said, “How wonderful!” ALL of the men responded, “Knock her down, once that baby starts walking it only gets worse.” So much for no sex differences.