Rich's Random Thoughts

RICH'S RANDOM THOUGHTS

By Rich Briggs
The Weekly Recorder
April 25, 2008

*I don’t know about the rest of the populace, but I am so glad this primary election is over. I am tired about how these candidates are going to solve all of our problems on their first day in office (no, this is not possible, but I am making a point). Ever since I was old enough to understand these election races and what these candidates were talking about, I have heard the same thing year after year after year. They promise us the world, yet they can’t deliver a single promise because the rest of Washington D.C. won’t let them. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on, no one is going to change anything until the atmosphere in Washington D.C. changes, and that is not going to happen. We won’t have to listen to any more drivel, or watch any more advertisements, until the fall. Thank goodness for satellite television.

*I have found myself doing a lot of reminiscing lately as several parts of my childhood are starting to fade into memory. Granted, even at my relatively young age, I have seen a lot in my short time on this earth. As I stated some time ago in another column, my family did not have money (meaning that it was not at a premium). We had what we needed, which makes me appreciate a lot more what I have today and I try to take care of those things as best I can. Television was, and is, our primary source of entertainment. So I grew up with the old actors, actresses, and entertainers of yesteryear. Now, they are all almost gone.

The most recent death was that of Charlton Heston. I remember watching him when I was a child in the move Planet of the Apes. Of course, most remember him from, among others, The Ten Commandments. I remember the Rat Pack of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. Most notably, the first three. Now, they are all gone. I mentioned Evel Knievel a few weeks ago. The football team I grew up with in the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are now in their 50s and even early 60s. However, I know I am not the only one who hits a certain point in their lives and looks back at what they grew up with and what helped influence and shape their formative years.

I believe it is just a natural progression of life. Those things that we grew up with stick with us for the long term because they are the things that we remember most. I still think about riding my bike, playing in my sandbox, and playing with my toy cars and trucks when I was growing up. Summer used to be the best time of the year because of how much time I used to spend outside. Now, it is just another reason to have to get more things done around the house. Such are the trappings of adulthood.

No one stays young, chronologically, forever. But it is the frame of mind with which we must always adhere to. If you think young, you’ll feel young, and you’ll stay young. If you want to feel old, you’ll be old. I am a firm believer that your state of mind affects you mentally and physically. Granted, the body changes over time. But if you do things that help you feel better about yourself, you will be better in the long term. Here is to remembering the past and preparing for the future. To quote a phrase “Those were some damn good times.”

*It was inevitable. A week ago, I fired up my weed whacker and my lawn mower for the first time this season. It had to happen at some point and my lawn was more than in need of a good cutting. Sooner or later, I had to give into the Grass Gods. Surprisingly, the grass cutting did not take nearly as long as I thought it would, despite the fact the grass was pretty thick, as it always is at the beginning of spring.

Where I ran into issues was with the weed whacking. I have a gas powered model as well as an electric trimmer. The electric trimmer is my back up in case I flood the gas trimmer, or if my line runs out, which is what happened last week. I made the mistake of thinking I had more than I actually did. I should have checked the spool before getting started. Well, I ran out about halfway through my trimming. Thankfully, I had the electric trimmer as backup. I had entertained thoughts in the past of getting rid of it and I am glad I didn’t.

The only real problem is dragging out an extension cord to plug in the electric and dragging the cord around the yard. It slows down the process and I am all about getting the grass cut in as little time as necessary. Mind you, I have a small yard, but that isn’t the point. The bulk of my yard is in the western sunlight, which means if I mow my yard from 3:00 p.m. on, the heat from the sun beats down on me and wears me out. However, I have no choice in the matter sometimes. The faster I start, the faster I can finish.

*Spring cleaning has also reared its ugly head. That necessary evil started for me a couple of weeks ago. I had to wipe down my walls, which isn’t so bad considering I have most of these chores down to a science. It is just the idea that they needed done. That only took me about an hour or more, which doesn’t seem that long. I always give myself extra time in case I need it.

Last weekend I cleaned our windows. Most of our windows were installed when our house was (re)sided in the late 1970s. Being 30 years old means age has taken its toll. Some parts of these windows can no longer be maintained because of age and bad weather. Still, they needed done and that was about two hours and fifteen minutes of my time last Saturday morning. We have windows in a sun porch that are a dream to clean. They can all be done in a matter of minutes. Again, not that this is a bad job – just a necessary evil. It needs done and it won’t get done by itself.

I have a couple of more chores on the list that I will need to get accomplished, but they should not be that big a deal. They just need time, and some good weather, to get done. While spring brings a smile to the faces of most people, it also brings with it the necessary task of cleaning up after a hard winter. However, once the work is finished, it leaves the house looking and feeling better. We all face this nasty task, but it sure feels good when it’s done. Here is hoping your spring cleaning is proceeding accordingly.

*It’s amazing how good our region feels when one of our sports teams is doing well. Granted, the lengthy layoff the Penguins faced after sweeping the Ottawa Senators could affect them short term, I have no doubt this team is going to do some severe damage as these playoffs continue.

It is said that a sports team does not do much to affect the area in which it plays. I strongly disagree. Look at how this area felt after the Steelers won the Super Bowl two years ago. A whole generation had gone without seeing a Super Bowl championship. Now, the Penguins are threatening to win a Stanley Cup and an entire generation has gone without seeing that happening. These are good times in the Pittsburgh region these days (sans the Pirates) and it leaves one with a good feeling knowing that some of the best players in the world are wearing the black and gold sweaters. As this column goes to press, it was learned that the Penguins would face the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs. I like this matchup.

If you aren’t a sports fan, I respect that. However, do not rain on the parade of those of us who love sports and admire those who play their respective games. It is our outlet. If you are a bandwagon fan, do not chastise me when the team does fall on bad times, unless it the aforementioned Pirates, who can’t get out of their own way anymore.

Enjoy this playoff run by the Penguins. If they win it all, you will understand what the celebration will be all about, and why!