Seven at Secular Singers

Yesterday, Secular Singers was held at my house. There were seven of us there: Steve N. and his wife and daughter, Marilyn C., Bea McC., and J and myself. We began with watching a video on playing the recorder. We used our new laptop computer to view the videos. The videos we watched were on YouTube. We learned how to play "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This is just a beginning. We intend to play recorders each time we get together (for the foreseeable future).

Then we moved to the piano and went through our songbook -- a looseleaf binder in which I have collected freethought songs from wherever I could find them. Most people stayed for four hours, but a lot of that time was spent in conversation.

Another indexing job is coming

I finished the indexing job I have been working on, and now have another one coming. The page proofs for it should arrive next Tuesday. It is a longer book than the one I just finished. The catalog says it is 552 pages, but part of that is non-indexable material, such as bibliography. The book is on mestizo shamanism.

We spent the evening yesterday at Nick's house watching the grandkids while Nick and Jen went out for dinner and a live show in Bixby. It was late when they came back to their house (after 11 PM). They had a good time.

Today I have some friends coming over for Secular Singers. I still have some preparation to do yet. I have the recorders to pass out. I need to locate the YouTube video I watched recently on how to play a recorder. I think we will watch that to learn how to play the instrument. The recorders I bought are cheap. I got them at the dollar store.

Dinner at Marilyn's

Today I put together a list of needed corrections to the manuscript of the book I am indexing. There were 20 of them. Then I e-mailed it to the author and the production editor at the press.

That afternoon, I went to the TCC Fitness Center and walked. I came home, took a shower and watched the NBC Nightly News.

Marilyn had invited us over to her house in Tulsa for dinner. We had chicken salad on a tomato. Following the meal, we started talking about poetry. Marilyn had a couple of volumes of poetry by Billy Collins, a former poet laureate of the U.S. He is one of my favorite poets. Marilyn asked me to read a poem I have read before -- once to the HAT group and once to the congregation at Restoration. The title of the poem is "Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes" (available online).

When I got home, I checked my e-mail and had a few responses to an e-mail link (sent to me by a friend) which I had forwarded. The link is to a YouTube video. The title of the video is "Why Don't Bees Go To Heaven?" Check it out; you might like it.

Close to finishing the index

I'm down to the point where I keep making small changes in my index. I will probably send in it tomorrow.

This morning I took the '08 Saturn to the dealership for an oil change. So far, we have not had any problems with the car. We now have about 15,000 miles on it. After the oil change was done I went to the nearby Big Lots store to see if they had any recorders (musical instruments). They did not, so next I went to Wal-Mart. I did not find any there either. Then I went to Dollar Tree. I found several there. I bought five recorders. These are the cheap type -- all plastic. I am going to give each member of Secular Singers a recorder and see if we can form a consort. Each recorder is a different color; therefore, I might call our recorder consort "The Colorful Consort." We might pick up some new members -- folks who are uncomfortable with singing in front of others.

Then we went to the TCC Fitness Center for our usual walking exercise. We came home, and I cooked hamburgers out on the grill.

At 7:00 pm, we went to Zarrow Library for the Liberal Action Network. I was pleased that we had an attendance of six. I wrote a letter to my representative in the state house. I will mail it tomorrow.

Ponca City trip being planned

Saturday night was Movie Night at the Bradleys. There were six of us there, at the beginning. When Bob learned that the movie to be shown was one he had recently seen, he opted out, leaving just five of us. Today, I got up in time to go to church. The usual crowd was there. After talking with Edna, I think Gail and I might be doing the special music in a couple of weeks.

Marilyn called tonight and invited us over for dinner in a couple of days.

I changed the venue for Secular Singers to my house. Gail has an obligation on the 11th and will not be able to attend.

I am concerned about the situation in Ponca City. The organizer for the Atheists Meetup there felt forced to resign after a 16-year old girl wrote a letter to the paper saying that "Satan was trying to take over the city" (I'm paraphrasing here) because of the Ponca City Atheist Meetup meeting at a certain local restaurant. The restaurant owner is, or was, the organizer for the Meetup. He resigned a few days ago. We talked about this situation at Movie Night and decided to travel to Ponca City and eat at this restaurant. It's the least we can do to support the owner in these tough economic times.

The worker at the fireworks display who was injured had non-life threatening injuries. The next night there was a mishap at the Tulsa fireworks display, which disappointed thousands. In North Carolina, five people were killed in a fireworks accident there. And then somewhere else, a bridge collapsed holding people watching fireworks go off. It was not a good year for fireworks.

Accident Mars Fireworks Display

Tonight we went to the annual fireworks display held at River City Park. The show was preceded by a concert of local talent. There was a southern gospel quartet singing songs both patriotic and religious. After the musical presentation, the fireworks started. The rockets would go "Whoosh," ascend up a hundred feet or so, and then go "Boom," showering the sky with colored lights. The show had gone on for 10 minutes or so, when one of the rockets did not go "Whoosh," but it did go "Boom." There had been a ground level premature explosion of one of the rockets. For the next ten minutes there was silence.

Suddenly a voice comes over the PA system saying there had been an accident, urging the crowd not to block the roadway leading in to the park. Soon a fire truck and an ambulance appear and head toward the area where the fireworks had been set off. The voice returns on the PA saying there would be a delay of about seven or eight minutes and then the fireworks would resume. We waited for at least a half hour with nothing happening, except the ambulance left. We walked back to where we had parked the car, got in, and drove to Nick's house. We gave Ayla back to her parents. Nick and Jen had been with us at the park, but they left a little while before we did.

I guess I will learn tomorrow the fate of the worker setting off the fireworks.

Grocery shopping

This morning we went grocery shopping. The tally came to $235.53. That should do us for a couple of weeks (add to that, of course, eating out a few times).

I finally got the index down to the right length. I will go over it again to check for errors. I found one error yesterday in a subentry for "Indians (by tribe)." There is a tribe known as "Blackfeet." There is also a particular Indian by the name of "Blackfoot." I spotted the two together in the list of subentries. "Blackfoot" is not a tribe, so I removed it from the subentries.

This index has a lot of Indian names in it...names such as Potawatomie and Tecumseh.

July Activites

July 2009
Activities of Interest to Freethinkers

Sat., July 4, 7:00 PM
Movie Night at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th

Tues., July 7, 7:00 PM
Liberal Action Network, Zarrow Library, 2224 W. 51st St.

Sat., July 11, 2:00 PM
Secular Singers, Venue TBA

Sun., July 12, 1:00 PM
Humanist Study Group, Bradley House, 6705 E. 54th St.

Wed., July 15, 12:45 PM
ALGAE Luncheon, White River Fish Mkt., 1708 N. Sheridan

Sat., July 18 9:00 AM
Riverside Loop Walk, Pedestrian Bridge, 31st and Riverside Dr.

Sat., July 18, 7:00 PM
TAM Mid-Month Social, La Hacienda, 4518 S. Peoria

Sun., July 19, 1:15 PM
Humanist July Meeting, Hardesty Library, 8316 E. 93rd

Sat., July 25, 11:30 AM
Food & Fellowship, Rib Crib, 5025 S. Sheridan

Sun., July 26, 1:00 PM
Tulsa Atheists Meetup, Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center

To print out this schedule on a calendar page, click here:
http://humanism.meetup.com/201/calendar/

--------------------------------
Questions? Contact Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.

At the Fitness Center

At 9 o'clock I listened to Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac on NPR. Shortly afterward, I went to TCC and walked three miles and did 60 reps on the abs machine set at 110 lbs. J went to Jennifer's and got Luke and brought him back here.

While walking I listened to a CD of Scarlatti Sonatas on my MP3 player. When I got back home, I recorded the three miles I walked in my exercise record book. For the year, I am up to 210 miles walked.

Indexing progress

Yesterday, I reached the last page of the book I'm indexing. Then I started on the final editing. The maximum size for the index is eight pages; my index is ten pages long. I will need the whittle it down.

I went back through the book and got the index down to just under nine pages. I will go back through it again today and reduce it more.

Walking and Subway

We went walking this morning at TCC. We did three miles and then I used the abs machine. On the way back home, we stopped by Subway and got a $5 footlong and brought it home and ate it.

We will go soon to Keystone and change the stamp for the last half of the year.

Mayor reads to children

I got up this morning and did some more mark up on the index I'm working on.

Yesterday, we went to Pratt Library where we heard the Mayor of Sand Springs read a few books to some children of this comunity. The event was not well-attended. There were only five or six kids there. Ayla was helpful in providing interaction with the speaker. You can't keep Ayla quiet.

Today, I need to go to Keystone State Park (about 10 miles to the west) and change the rubber stamp. At the middle of the year, the "+" is removed from the stamp, and then the walk can be walked again a second time.

Turnpike accident near Miami

I read the article in today's Tulsa World about the accident near Miami. That is a stretch of roadway we travel over many times during the year. We have to feel lucky that we were not there yesterday afternoon. The death toll was nine. Traffic was backed up for 14 miles. I have seen some heavy traffic on that interstate at times. Maybe it is time to consider expanding the road from four to six lanes.

Volkswalking at Promenade Mall

Not much to write about today. I got up early this morning and resumed work on my index. I took a break around noon and fixed myself a barbecue sandwich and some potato salad. After I had consumed that, I went back to work indexing. Around 1:30 pm, J and I went to Promenade Mall and did the volkswalk there. It is three laps on the upper level and three laps on the lower level.

It was a hot day today – a good day for an inside walk in an air conditioned building. I think this was walk number 227 for me.

I recently finished compiling a database of my sheet music. I made two print outs; one by composer, the other by song title. As of now, I have the sheet music for 1,928 songs.

Good advice

I found the following while surfing the net:

Life is short,
Break the rules,
Forgive quickly,
Kiss slowly,
Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you smile.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here we should dance.

Indexing work

Today Gail and I had our weekly piano duet practice. We played “Castle House Rag” several times thinking it would probably be the next special music selection we would play at Restoration Church. I told Gail that last Sunday the special music was played from a CD. She cringed. She said that we needed to volunteer to play again, and that since the 4th of July is coming up, we might consider playing “You’re a Grand Old Flag” by Cohen. We practiced the piece a few times. We will have next Monday to refine it some more.

After piano practice, J and I took Ayla to Braum’s were she got an ice cream cone. It was actually a soft frozen yogurt cone, but she enjoyed it tremendously. I ordered a No. 5 – a grilled chicken sandwich and a Dr. Pepper. Ayla said she would eat after the library program, which was about origami.

We were in Springfield last Thursday and Friday. While there I received a phone call from Elise at UNM Press. She needed an indexer to index a book. I told her I would do it. I later got an email from her saying the book would be delayed by about three weeks. This morning I got a phone call from a former employee of UNM Press, now working at another publisher. She asked me if I would be available to do some indexing for her. I said yes. Then I got another e-mail from Elise saying she had a book ready to go as soon as she had an index for it. I told her I would do it. The page proofs were shipped today or will be tomorrow. So soon I’m liable to be covered up with work. So much for retirement, huh?

But I love doing indexing work. I find it is a lot like solving a puzzle. Once you get the index completed, though, there is nowhere to check your “answers.” Perhaps, that is why you never really know when the index is done. You could make refinements on it forever. It is probably somewhat like a sculptor making a statue. Take a little bit off the left elbow; take some more off the right knee, etc. You’re never sure when to stop with the final editing process.

I was going to brush up on my Russian language skills (I checked a bunch of books out of the Tulsa Library for that purpose), but with the opportunity to do indexing, Russian will have to wait.

The latest from SS

Here it is Sunday in Sand Springs. I went to church this morning. Before I left, my friend Patrick sent me an e-mail saying he needed a ride to church. I drove over to Tulsa and picked him up. From there we drove to Greenwood and Oklahoma Streets where the church is located. Again there were very few people -- maybe twelve. But we are a tight-knit group. Barbara F. was there. This was her last service for the summer. She always goes to Michigan in the summers. Since there was no HAT meeting this afternoon, after dropping off Patrick at his house, I came on back home.

After leaving the air conditioner off for a couple hours (Saturday), when we turned it back on it seemed to be working okay. I think it was just frozen up.

Air conditioner troubles

We came back from Springfield yesterday from a short two-day trip. We had turned off the AC while we were away. We turned it back on, but the house never cooled off. The problem seems to be in the blower. I can hear it blowing, but no air is coming up through the registers. I checked the outside unit and found ice had formed on the condenser unit. It is thawing now, but I suspect the problem goes beyond a frozen condenser unit.

New restaurant in town

We have a new restaurant in town. It is located in what used to be Lee's Diner. We haven't been there yet. The setting is most plain, but I hear the food is really good. I'll check it out and report back later.

No HAT meeting Sunday, June 21

I learned today around 2 pm that Randy has canceled the HAT meeting scheduled for June 21. The reason for the change is that Randy has a Summer Solstice celebration planned at his house for June 20, a Saturday. We are all invited to come to the Summer Solstice celebration.

Two dinner meetings

The morning got started with a trip to the TCC Fitness Center where I walked three miles. I did a few reps on the abs machine, also. I came home and mowed the front yard, took a shower, and then it was on to the White River Fish Market. On the way we stopped at Barbara's apartment and gave her a ride to White River.

The traffic on North Sheridan was down to one lane in places due to road construction. We went back another way. There were four of us there: Barbara, Larry, J and myself. The placed was packed. You would have thought they were giving away fish dinners. I had a bowl of red beans and rice. J had the same, except she had a cup inside of a bowl. The man in front of me in line ordered over a hundred dollars in food. He had included lobster tails in his order.

Afterwards, we came home, and I took a nap. At 7 pm we arrived at The Brook in Brookside for the June Mid-Month Social of Tulsa Atheists Meetup. The Brook used to be a movie theater. There were 15 people there for this social gathering. There are always new people to be met at these gatherings. Tonight the guy sitting on my left was a former Christian who had worked at Christian radio station KXOJ. I asked him what caused the change in his life. He said he kept asking questions which others could not satisfactorily answer. The coup de grace was reading the Bible -- not just the cherry-picked verses you hear over and over, but all of it, even the gory parts of the Old Testament. That led to his de-conversion.

Bill talked about his recent experience at the annual convention of the American Humanist Association. He met some interesting people at the convention, one of whom said he would be willing to pay the costs for having a billboard erected in Tulsa with a FFRF message on it.

Grocery shopping

We arose early this morning and went to the TCC Fitness Center where I walked three miles. A couple of days ago I changed the music on my MP3. Today I listened to the Labeque sisters (a piano duo) play several pieces. We were back home shortly after nine o’clock. As we were driving home, my cell phone rang. It was Gail, who said she might be few minutes late for our weekly duet practice. She was on an animal rescue mission. We got back home and ate a bowl of cereal. Gail arrived around 10:15, and we played mostly ragtime duets until 11:45, at which time we had to leave to pick up Ayla at her house.

Once we had Ayla, she opted for McDonald’s as her place of choice for lunch. She played in the children’s play area, just as Luke had earlier. Then it was time to go to the library for the story hour. The library was packed today for the performance by a magician. Every parking space was filled. I had to park in a space that was not marked for parking. Yet I did not block any other cars.

We came home following the magic performance. I printed on a piece of paper the words “I would like to see Single Payer National Health Insurance”. The words “Single Payer” are in 72 pt. type. All other words are in 16 pt. type. There is a place for the sender to write his/her name and address. I took the paper to a local copy shop and had 30 copies made. (There are two forms on each sheet.) I was going to have them printed on card stock, but the copy shop said the card stock costs a quarter a sheet. I used regular paper instead.

We did our weekly grocery shopping tonight. It came to $274.30. We were several days overdue on the grocery shopping. We have plenty of food now.

Today's events

I awoke this morning to the sound of thunder. While I was taking a shower, J was taking Ayla back to her parents. Joy called and said she was reluctant to get out in the stormy weather. Joy was to sing the special music at the service this morning. I offered to give Joy a ride. I called Barbara and told her I could provide a ride for her to church, also. When J got back, she ate a bowl of oatmeal and we headed for University Towers, where Barbara lives. From there we went to Joy’s house near All Souls Church.

We arrived at Church of the Restoration a little after 11:00 am. Considering the weather, I was surprised to see 15 people were there. We proceeded through the order of service. When we came to the sermon, I took the pulpit and read a 20-minute sermon by Michael Schuler. After the service was over, Barbara and Joy went with me to Randy’s house for the Humanist Discussion Group. We are beginning the study of a book written by Michael S. Gazzanica titled Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique. Glenn V. gave the opening remarks about the book.

Following the discussion, Joy and I sat down at the piano for some impromptu boogie woogie (I played secondo; Joy played primo). Soon J arrived (she had driven back to Sand Springs to spend time with our grandchildren). We took first Joy back to her house and then Barbara to her apartment.

Volkswalking in Sand Springs

We began this morning with a volkswalk in Sand Springs. While on the walk we found two geocaches. In the afternoon, I went to Gail's house for Secular Singers. You should be able to find a photo taken there elsewhere on this blog.

Tomorrow I am scheduled to read a sermon to the congregation at Church of the Restoration.

Secular Singers today

Above is a photo of myself (left), Gail S. (center), and Marilyn C. (right). We spent two hours today singing songs we like and having a good time. I accompanied on the piano. Gail's husband, Glenn, took the picture. Gail is also my piano duet partner. (Click on picture to enlarge.)

All talk and no action

I was talking to my Dad yesterday, and he mentioned that ever since I posted the spirograph on my blog (May 23, I think it was) he has had trouble bringing up my blog on his computer. As soon as he would bring up my blog, his computer would boot him off AOL. I deleted the spirograph and then everything was OK. So I am left wondering if others experienced trouble due to the spirograph. How about some feedback from my regular readers – Marti in Tecumseh, John in Tupelo, and the mystery reader in Cordova, Tennessee?

Since J has your e-mail address blocked, Marti, I will not be able to receive anything from you. But how about you other two? Did the spirograph cause you any difficulties?

Today we took Luke to the kids’ program at Pratt Library. There were some 25 to 30 kids in the room along with at least one parent for each kid. The room was pretty well filled up. Luke is four years old now. He managed to sit through 30 minutes of the program and then became restless. He wanted to leave, so I took him to another part of the library where I read him a book. I checked out a couple of books that caught my eye: 1000 Keyboard Tips published by Mel Bay and Draw Manga by Bruce Lewis. The Keyboard Tips book looks useful. Unfortunately, a previous patron was such a heavy smoker that the book reeks of stale tobacco. The book sells for just under twenty dollars. Perhaps I can buy a copy. The other book is an instructional book on how to draw in the manga style – a style that originated in Japan.

After the program was over, we all went to McDonald’s near the Keystone Expressway. There were a lot of people there today. We got our usual fare, and Luke played in the maze of slides and passageways. We let Luke play for about a half hour, but he is never ready to leave the place. We finally pulled him away from the place and then took him back home.

When we got back home, we worked on the shutters and finished getting them in place. Today’s job was easier than yesterday’s, due to screwing into wood instead of brick.

Next we went to TCC and walked 3.5 miles. I also did 100 reps on the abs machine set at 65 lbs.

When we got home, we watched the NBC Nightly News. Following that, I left for the Zarrow Library where we were to have a working meeting, writing letters to our political representative on behalf of liberal causes. Only one other person showed up, Keith. He did not write a letter. I was the only letter writer. I wrote a letter to our two senators in Washington advocating a single-payer health care system. There is great opposition to single-payer from vested interests in the insurance industry. Wouldn’t it be nice to just bypass the vested interest of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries and do what is right for the American people?

What should I make of the low attendance tonight? The most we have ever had come to a meeting of the Liberal Action Network is four. Are we liberals all talk and no action? That is probably so.

Drumming suspended

I just back from Joe Price's house where we had drumming this evening. They have decided to suspend drumming until August. Again, I was the only participant, except for Joe and Lou.

Earlier this day, I went to see my neurosurgeon for my yearly checkup. Everything seemed to be OK.

This morning we did some work on the house. A hailstorm damaged the faux shutters on our house a few years ago. We took down the shutters on the front bedroon, since they had holes in them from being hit by hail stones. We are just now getting around to replacing those shutters. We are also replacing the shutters to the living room. The porch covering protected them from the hail, but we are replacing them anyway.

Calendar for June

I realized I had forgotten to post the activities planned for freethinkers for June. So here it is:

June 2009
Activities of Interest to Freethinkers

Sat., June 6, 7:00 PM
Movie Night at Marilyn’s, 4817 S. Maplewood

Thurs., June 11, 7:00 PM
Liberal Action Network, Zarrow Library, 2224 W. 51st St.

Sat., June 13, 2 PM
Secular Singers, Storey House, 4630 S. Victor

Sun., June 14, 1:00 PM
Humanist Study Group, Bradley House, 6705 E. 54th St.

Wed., June 17, 12:30 PM
ALGAE Luncheon, White River Fish Mkt., 1708 N. Sheridan

Wed., June 17, 7:00 PM
TAM Mid-Month Social, The Brook, 3401 S. Peoria

Sat., June 20, 4:00 PM
Humanist Solstice Party, Bradley House, 6705 E. 54th

Sun., June 21, 1:15 PM
Humanist June Meeting, Hardesty Library, 8316 E. 93rd

Sat., June 27, 11:30 AM
Food & Fellowship, Lanna Thai, 7227 S. Memorial

Sun., June 28, 1:00 PM
Tulsa Atheists Meetup, Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center
--------------------------------

The same information can be seen in a monthly calendar format at
http://humanism.meetup.com/201/calendar/

Questions? Contact Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.

"Jefferson Davis" spoke tonight

Tonight we went to the fifth and final Chautauqua performance. The speaker was "Jefferson Davis." Now that I am retired, I have time to take in a lot more activities. This year we managed to attend all five of the performances.

Next year's Chautauqua is supposed to also be from the same time period -- the Civil War era. I did not hear who would be the subject of the characterizations. There was no musical performance before the speaker took the podium tonight. We took Ayla, my granddaughter, with us tonight. I don't think she got a lot out of the performance.

Earlier this day we did some yard work in the back yard. I mowed the grass in both the front and back yards. Today, for the first time, I used the bag attachment to our new lawn mower. I am surprised how fast the bag filled up. The worst aspect of the bag is the fact that clippings tend to blow up toward your face. Some of the clippings are very fine and have a tendency to get into your eyes. I finally took the bag off and cut the final few strips in the coventional way -- side discharge.

It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty delta day

Tonight I attended the second session of Chautauqua. The performer, Dr. Michael Hughes, gave a speech as John Ross, a Cherokee Indian Patriot. Prior to the speaker, a band performed.

I need to make a correction to something I wrote previously. I wrote that one of the figures being impersonated was Abraham Lincoln. Actually Lincoln was not on the program, titled “Lincoln’s Legacy of Equality: Voices on the Fringe.” There are five figures on this year’s program: Harriet Tubman, John Ross, Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglas, and Jefferson Davis. Tomorrow night “Walt Whitman” will speak.

Today, we went to Braum’s for breakfast. From there we went to WalMart and bought some stain with which to stain a replacement cabinet door in a bathroom. Next we went to the fitness center, paid the fee for the summer session, and then did our walk. In the afternoon, I took a nap and then watched the news on NBC. Then we left for downtown Tulsa and attended the Chautauqua performance. After returning home, I searched the internet for a sermon by a UU minister. My church has asked me to read a sermon sometime this summer.

Chautuaqua in Tulsa

It is now Tuesday morning. Soon we will leave for an undisclosed location for a few hours. Once we get back maybe I can say a few words about the experience.

Yesterday, Gail came over and we played piano duets for about two hours. We don't have a gig scheduled at this time. However, talking with Rosemary at church, she said they are looking for more people to participate in the Sunday morning service, now that Gerald is off for the summer. One thing I could do is read a sermon by another Unitarian minister. Sermons are found online at the UUA website. So I might do that.

Today is the beginning of Chautauqua in Tulsa. At Chautauqua, a scholar takes on the role of someone from history and perfroms as if he were that person. We have been to several in the past. It runs for five days, Tuesday thru Saturday. The figures being portrayed this year come from the period around the Civil War. There is Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Harriet Tubman, and two others I don't recall just now. Performances are held on the campus of OSU Tulsa, not far from the Church of the Restoration.

Our day in Bartlesville

We spent yesterday in Bartlesville. We left the house around 10:30 am and drove straight to B’ville. We saw the Washington Park Mall on the right as we drove in. The GNC store (registration point for B‘ville volkswalks) is located in the mall. I asked the man at the counter for the walking materials, which he handed to me. I then went to a bench just outside the store and filled out the necessary forms, stamping my books while I was there. (Saves having to return afterwards.) In addition to the Event Book, I stamped my books for American Authors and Literary Landmarks, Riverwalk America, and Railroad Heritage.

Next we went around the corner (inside the mall) to a Subway restaurant and split a $5 footlong Black Forest Ham sandwich. Having registered for the downtown Bartlesville City Walk, we got back into the car and drove to a parking area near the downtown. We started out on the walk, seeing many historic buildings along the way, including the skyscraper designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, known as Price Tower. We had toured the building before, so we just passed it by today. Across the street was the Civic Center which can hold 1,800 people. This building is the main venue for OkMozart, an annual festival held June which runs for 10 days. I would like to go back to B’ville and take in some concerts. In addition to the ticketed concerts, there are several that are free.

Walking along the streets of B’ville, we came upon the city museum. It is located on the fifth floor of one of the buildings in downtown B’ville. For a city museum, it was quite good. After finishing the walk, we returned to the car, which was parked near the art museum.

We now turned our attention to geocaching. I had pre-loaded the coordinates for five caches in my GPS receiver while in Sand Springs. When I turned on the GPS unit, it said the nearest cache was only a couple hundred feet away. I found it hidden in a wall behind a loose brick. The next cache took us downtown again. It was in a small magnetic container attached to a wrought iron fence. Once again, I signed the log (Orbi Toe is my geocaching name) and placed it back where I found it.

The next cache took us to Memorial Bridge, so named because it lists the names of the area citizens who died in WWI. My GPS indicated that the cache was off north of the bridge, which meant it was down below. Fortunately, there was a path leading down to the riverside (Caney River). We walked down to the path running along the bank of the river to where my GPS indicated the cache was hidden.

We had looked around for about 15 minutes, when I spotted it. It was a micro cache – a green aluminum tube about an inch and a half long, about the thickness of a pencil, perhaps a bit larger. It was clipped to a fence. I unscrewed the tube. Inside was a log which was rolled up. We unrolled the log and signed it. Getting it rolled back to fit inside the tube was another story. Believe me, there was no room to spare. I was starting to think I was going to have to remove one the pages of the log to get it to fit back inside the tube.

Somehow, we got it back inside the tube. Just then I felt something land on my right shoulder. I thought it might be a grasshopper and reached up to brush it off. I asked J if she saw a bug on me. She said a bird had made a deposit on my shoulder. Sure enough, when I looked at my hand I saw remnants of undigested berries. I had been crapped on. Score one for the birds.

It was a good thing I had another shirt with me. I changed when we got back to the car, parked maybe a hundred feet away. We went to Dink’s Bar-Be-Cue not far from the cache. I went to the washroom and scrubbed my hands, returned to the table and ordered a pork barbecue sandwich with okra and potato salad.

We decided to skip the cache out at the airport (west side of town) and went instead to a cache titled “In the shadow of a sphere.” This cache is located at the golf course. There is an observation tower there build out of, what looks like, scrap metal. At the top sits a large metal sphere made of, maybe, rebar. It is, perhaps, a hundred feet high and enclosed in a cage, of sorts.

We looked and looked, but never found the cache. Could it be lost (geocachers use the term “muggled” for caches that are discovered by non-cachers and then plundered)? Perhaps it was there but we did not see it. The coords led me to a single tree just north of the tower. The ground around the tree was newly mown. The tree itself was fairly simple. When I got back home, I activated a feature on the cache page which will send to me any logs added to the cache. So if others fail to find the cache, I should know soon.

Cache results for the day: 3 finds and 1 did not find, which brings my total number of finds to 199. Volkswalking total: 225.

We headed home and made it back in time to watch NOW with David Brancaccio and then Bill Moyers Journal.

Recent events

On Sunday, Gail and I played a piano duet at Church of the Restoration. We played “Rialto Ripples” by George Gershwin. Following the service, I went to the Agora Coffee House for the May meeting of the Tulsa Atheists Meetup. There were about 15 at that meeting. At church, there were about a dozen. Of course, TAM is run by volunteers, but COR has a paid staff of (1) the minister, (2) the pianist, and (3) an office assistant.

The TAM meeting was interesting in that we have a couple of “irons in the fire” at this time. We are seeking to have an “In Reason We Trust” license plate approved. Also, we are working with FFRF to erect a billboard with the words “Imagine No Religion” printed on it.

Today, Gail came over for two hours of piano duet playing. I think every piece we worked on was a ragtime piece. I really enjoy ragtime piano music. I often will listen to ragtime on “You Tube” by just typing the word “ragtime” in the search box. There is plenty of it there.

This afternoon, I went to Randy’s for a HAT board meeting. Results of that meeting will be posted on the Humanist Association of Tulsa blog tomorrow. Following the board meeting, we went over to Marilyn’s house and helped her move a few items of furniture (including two large bookcases). I am going to turn over to Marilyn the freethought library soon. We have four boxes of books (which belong to HAT and TAM) that right now are still in boxes due to my being overrun by books in my house. Some are double shelved.

Later this evening, we went over to Nick’s house while Nick and Jen went out. Putting the kids to bed was no easy task, but eventually Luke (my charge) fell asleep (after I read to him five books). Once he was asleep, I read several articles from the current issue of Church & State magazine.

Single-payer healthcare coverage

I just finished watching my favorite television program, Bill Moyers Journal. Tonight the subject was health insurance. The system I would prefer is called single-payer. What is blocking single-payer? It is the health insurance industry, which is an albtross around the neck of our health care professionals. If we could just bypass the entrenched interests of this industry, an unnecessary middleman, health care could be delivered for much less money than it is at this time.

I will be writing to my representatives in the Congress urging them to consider the single-payer system of health care delivery.

TIA Panel Discussion

We returned home this afternoon in time to catch the evening news. We had three days of mail in mailbox. We usually have the post office hold our mail when we are away, but this time we just left without going by the post office.

Among the items in the mail was a post card from the Tulsa Interfaith Alliance. It announced a meeting at All Souls Unitarian Church for that Thursday evening. The title of the program was "Sacred Ceremonies/Secular Ceremonies." The panelists were lawyer Greg Bledsoe, Tulsa mayor's assistant Dierdre Dexter, Tulsa school board member Matthew Livingood, All Souls minister Marlin Lavanhar, and lawyer Michael King. The panel was moderated by former Channel 6 news anchor and All Souls member Clayton Vaughn. The event lasted an hour and a half. I saw some of my friends at the event. The discussion was informative. It dealt largely with a ceremony held to dedicate the new BOk building in downtown Tulsa a few months ago.

Gail is supposed to be here in the morning for another practice session. We will be playing the special music at Church of the Restoration on Sunday.

Going home

We might be going home today. We had planned on leaving yesterday, but we found out Mother has an appointment with another doctor today. We took her to one doctor on Tuesday; we took my Dad to a doctor on Wednesday; we take my Mother to another doctor today. We will be going home this afternoon as things stand now.

Once I get home, I will update this blog further.

Volkswalking and geocaching (May 2009)

Both hands of the clock on the wall are now to the right of the 12 at the top. It is now early Sunday morning. J and Ayla are both sleeping in the front bedroom.

I will try to recount events from the past few days. We left Springfield on Thursday morning around 10 am driving west. When we got to Joplin we took the northbound exit on to Rangeline. As soon as we left Joplin we were in Webb City. We drove to the Kum & Go store at the intersection of Madison and a major east-west thoroughfare, whose name I can’t recall at this time. At the Kum & Go store we registered for the 5K walk. We had to then drive to the start point which was about a mile away.

We parked at the Chamber of Commerce building. Our closest geocache, a virtual cache, was right where we were. A virtual cache has no hidden aspects; rather you gather information and send it by e-mail to the cache owner. There were six questions, the answers to which could be found by looking around.

The next nearest cache, according to my GPS receiver, was just a little over a tenth of a mile away. We walked to it using my receiver, which told me the distance to the cache and the direction to walk toward. The receiver has a digital arrow which points toward the cache. This cache is located at the foot of a statue of praying hands. When you get within a tenth of a mile to the cache, the receiver goes from miles to feet. It jumps from .10 miles to 500 and something feet. The closer you get to the cache, the smaller the number of feet remaining to get to the cache. If you are walking away from the cache, you will know because the reading of the distance to the cache will start increasing.

This cache was at the base of the statue inside a gap in the foundation. There were many gaps such as the one I searched in, but since I was so close to zero on my reading, I started searching at that point. It was in the second spot I searched. I carefully climbed down from the statue. I had to traverse a bit of terrain where there were no sidewalks, just bare ground on a slope.

The third cache was at some distance away. Since we were close to the start point of the volkswalk, we began the walk. The walk took us thru the city of Webb City, past some stately old home, and around a rock quarry filled with water. The distance walked was 3.1 miles (or 5K).

I did not realize it at the time, but I got a sunburn while on the walk. The burn is mostly on my neck and the back of my legs. (I was wearing shorts at the time.) When we finished the walk, we headed to the area where the third and final cache for the day was hidden. It was located not far from the Joplin Regional Airport.

The clue for this cache was “I never promised you a rose garden.” When I got to the area where my GPS receiver led me, I noticed some rose bushes. These bushes had some mean-looking thorns on them. I did not want to bloody my hand trying to find a cache, so I peered carefully into the bushes at ground zero. Seeing nothing, I looked around at nearby objects. Eventually, I saw something reflect in some tall grass next to the rose bush. I reached my hand in the grass and came up with a tin canister. I had found the cache! It was my 194th find.

Although there are plenty of caches in the Tulsa area, I like to seek caches when I am away from home. Later on this summer, we are going to visit the Lovelaces (my sister-in-law) near Troy, Missouri. I hope to be able to go to Springfield, Illinois and hunt for caches there. My main reason for wanting to go to Springfield, IL is to see the presidential museum and library recently built for Abraham Lincoln.

Today, we went on another YRE volkswalk. This walk starts at the YMCA near LaFortune Park. As we were finishing up the walk, we spotted Nick, Jen, Ayla, and Luke. They had just registered for the walk. This walk goes thru a residential neighborhood in the area. This walk was number 224 for me. I need only one more walk, and I will have completed the book.

I have viewed lectures 1 and 2 in a series of lectures by Jeanette Norden published by The Teaching Company. The series is titled “Understanding the Brain.” It is fascinating stuff. I checked out the DVDs from the Tulsa Library.

Dad is doing much better

It's now Tuesday, May 12. Last Sunday, Gail and I played two duets in the church service at Church of the Restoration. We did pretty well, but at one point we got separated, bumbled along, and then got back together.

Our Monday practice has been postponed to Friday since we were on the road a good deal of Monday.

We took Dad to his new doctor this morning. His new doctor seems more optimistic than his former doctor. Dad just might pull out of this illness. Dad is up walking around, talking to everyone, etc. He has lost several pounds, and is down to somewhere around 170 now. I need to lose some pounds myself.

This afternoon, I took Mother to the bank. Then we went to the car wash and drove Dad's Park Avenue through the wash. After that we went to a nearby KFC and got some chicken and took it home for lunch.

This afternoon, we are going to go to a grocery store and stock up on groceries for my parents.

Ayla has a recital

Today was the second Saturday of the month. Usually we have secular singers on this day of the month; however, I canceled secular singers because my granddaughter had a piano recital scheduled this afternoon at 1 pm. Ayla was the youngest of the group.

Following the recital we went to TCC to walk, but we discovered that TCC was closed. Instead we went to the Sand Springs Community Center. When we arrived we soon realized that the walking track was closed for painting. We walked anyway – not on the track, but around the building. We walked for 40 minutes.

Luke and Ayla spent the afternoon at our house. Nick and Jen went out somewhere for dinner.

This evening we watched a movie on DVD. It was “Seven Pounds” starring Will Smith. The character played by Smith makes the ultimate sacrifice. The ending was bittersweet.

A visit to the Jenks' Aquarium

Last evening we went to the Aquarium in Jenks. The purpose for the visit was a dinner that J attends. The dinner was held in the aquarium after it closed. There were a few speeches and a few awards were given. The dinner consisted of chicken, pork roast, green beans, new potatoes, rolls, and dessert of chocolate cake. Tea was served as the beverage.

Following the meal we had the aquarium to ourselves. My favorite displays were the sharks and the beavers. We had Ayla with us. She was well-behaved for the occasion. Luke did not go. We often refer to Luke as Lukie. His mother calls him Lukie-Pooh.

Today Gail came over and we practiced our duets for an hour and a half. We play at Restoration this coming Sunday.

Afterwards, I went to the TCC Fitness Center and walked two miles. It was cool inside on the walking oval. You could feel the humidity once you got outside.

Change of plans

We were going to go to Springfield Wednesday. My father had an appointment with his new doctor for Thursday afternoon. We were going to drive him there. He got a call from the office of his new doctor saying the appointment was being changed to next Tuesday. So we changed plans and stayed here.

We went to TCC and did our usual exercise. Then we came home and went later to Wal-Mart and bought a few things.

Then we had supper and watched the news and then went to bed.

This morning, we piddled around the house. After an afternoon nap, I went to the TCC Fitness Center to walk. I have finished reading the book by David Jeremiah and will return it to the library this afternoon.

Haircut, etc.

Yesterday I noticed my head was getting a bit shaggy. I went to Roary D’s for a haircut. When I arrived, my son, Nick, was in the chair getting his hair cut. So I followed Nick. Roary said we both get the same kind of haircut.

Later, we went to Stage where we bought two presents for my Mother for Mother’s Day. We got a perfume set and a gown.

Then we went down to Family Dollar where I noticed a keyboard for a child. The size of the keys was smaller than the standard size. Since Luke has a birthday coming up soon, we bought the keyboard for him.

For myself, I bought another shelf to place CDs on. I am up to 223 in the number of CDs in my database, and I have another dozen or so to add to that number.

In the evening, I went to Joe Price’s house for drumming. Only Joe and his wife Lou were there. We played drums for an hour and a half. From there I returned home.

Blood drive

This morning Gail came over and we practices the two duet pieces that we will be playing this Sunday at church. We also played several other ragtime pieces, as well. It was a good practice, but Gail suggested we should have another practice session before Sunday. We are going to try to get together either Friday or Saturday to practice again our two pieces for the service.

This afternoon, I made a trip to the Pratt Library to return some overdue books. I turned in my books and paid my fine. As I was leaving, I noticed the church sign for St. Andrews Lutheran Church across the way. They were having a blood drive. St. Andrews is the location where I used to give blood. I realized I had not made a donation since last fall (then at TCC), so I went inside and donated a unit of blood.

I was going to go walking at TCC, but I was running late from the blood donation. I returned home instead. Later that evening Nick came over and we played the duets I will be playing this Sunday. Nick is an excellent piano player, much better than I. He also played a couple of pieces I had printed from the web site mentioned in the post from yesterday.

It is late, so I will have to put off my explanation for why I lost my belief in God until another day.

Music by Joseph F. Lamb

It is now Sunday. This morning I went to church at Church of the Restoration, as is my usual practice on Sunday mornings. Reverend Davis will be taking the summer off starting in June. That is not an unusual practice in the UU denomination. However, in this instance, church finances played a large part in the decision. We will be on our own until September. I have attended this church regularly for almost three years now but have never officially joined. I’m not sure I want to get involved in the politics of this church. I don’t wish to see this church fail, either. I have been a regular financial contributor, but I give only $30 a month. If I become a member, will they expect more?

Rev. Davis’s absence over the summer raises some questions in my mind: Will the disaffected members who walked away return for the summer? What will they do come September?

Next Sunday, Gail and I are on the program. We will provide the special music. We will be playing two ragtime piano duets: “Champagne Rag” by Joseph F. Lamb and “Palm Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin. The following link will direct you to sheet music by Lamb: www.ragtimepiano.ca/rags/lamb.htm.

This is copyright free sheet music. I have printed out a couple of songs which I am going to try out after I finish with this posting to my blog. The big three of ragtime music are Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph F. Lamb.

I want to acknowledge receiving an article (via J) from Galen. I read the article but am not yet persuaded to return to the fold. Also, I read the seven possible reasons one might quit believing in a God. Reason number eight was not listed. I will explain it here sometime later. Thanks to both of you for your concern for my "soul."

I expect to finish reading by book by David Jeremiah soon. Then I will start the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Who can tell me the location of the Bert Ferguson Park?

A Visit to Silver Dollar City

On Wednesday, we visited Silver Dollar City. All day long it looked as if it might rain, but we received only sprinkles.

There are more parking lots there than the last time I visited SDC. Obviously, the place has expanded. Our main reason for visiting SDC was to see the Chinese Acrobats. We had seen TV commercials featuring them. We got in line around 10:30 for the 11:00 show. When we got near the entrance, someone came out and said the show was filled up. The next show would be at 2:30 pm.

We drifted down to a place where food was being served and looked over the faire. We decided to try the Chicken Speidini at the Italian booth. It tasted great. We are going to try to find the recipe and fix it here. We decided to go back to the Opera House, where the Chinese Acrobats were performing and wait for the next show. On the way there I stopped at a food booth and bought a bowl of berries and cream.

Back at the opera house we had a long wait for the 2:30 show. Anyway, once we got in, we had our choice of seats. The show consisted of five or six acts, each introduced by a short video shown on a screen. The acrobats were quite impressive. They performed flawlessly.

Next we went to the area where the Peruvians were performing. They did singing and dancing. There show was also a half hour long. Once it let out, I bought a small panpipe from the performers.

Dad improves

We are home again. We left for Springfield Tuesday morning and returned to Sand Springs today, Friday afternoon.

My father is doing a lot better. He felt that the medicine he was taking was doing him more harm than good. So he adjusted it downward and began to feel a lot better. Whereas previously he would stay in bed all day with the exception of one hour, now he gets up many more times and stays up longer. Even though he is receiving hospice care, he is not ready to cash in his chips just yet.

One thing he has done for the better is to change doctors. His former doctor just gave up on him, we all feel. He made an appointment with a different doctor for next Thursday.

He asked a hospice nurse if she know what was wrong with him, and she said congestive heart failure. I’m no doctor, but it seems as if the trouble he had when he was in the hospital has cleared up. He is still weak, but he is much improved over the way he was when the ambulance brought him home. He has his appetite back and engages other in conversation.

On Wednesday, we took a trip to Silver Dollar City. I will write about that later. Soon we will be leaving for the Crescent Café, not far from here, for their all-you-can-eat catfish dinner.

Restoration, Agorra, and Playaways

This morning I arrived at Church of the Restoration about ten minutes before the service was due to start. Mary asked me if I would like to play a little on the piano prior to the service. I sat at the piano and played some chord sequences and improvised a melody line. A few minutes later the church pianist arrived. I told her I had warmed up the piano for her and moved over to the church seating area.

Gerald’s sermon this morning was on the environment (Earth Day was last Wednesday), more specifically, environmental racism. As an example, he told of hearing the garbage trucks when he was a little boy going to the landfill. He pointed out that the landfills always seem to be located near economically depressed areas.

Once the service was over, I had to scoot. I needed to be at the Tulsa Atheists Meetup by 1:00 pm. I got on Greenwood Ave. and drove to where I could get on the IDL. The IDL took me to highway 75. From 75 I got on I-44, and then on to the Agorra Coffee House in the Fontana Center. Before reaching the Agorra, I went thru a drive-thru at Wendy’s and got a crispy chicken sandwich and a Dr. Pepper.

At the Agorra, there were about 15 people there for the meeting. (That’s better than the 10 people who came to the Restoration service at 11:00 am.) The two main topics of discussion today were the effort to get a license plate with the words “In Reason We Trust” available for those who would like to have such a plate, and the announcement of a gathering at Whiteside Park to celebrate the “National Day of Reason,” coming up on May 7. (Due to a prior commitment, I will have to miss this gathering.)

My weekend activities have kept me from reading the two books I have going at this time – the book by David Jeremiah and the book on music theory. I also, last Friday, checked out from the library a new gizmo called a playaway. It is about the size of a credit card, but four to six times as thick. A book is recorded on the battery-powered device. You plug in your own earphones and listen to the book. The playaway I checked out contains the book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie. The container says it runs for 5 hours.

It's time to get reading.

Around town

We began the day by going to the Crescent Café for breakfast. They have the best breakfast around and it is reasonably priced. When I got home, I phoned Barbara to make sure she would be ready to go to Food and Fellowship at the usual time. We hold our Food and Fellowships at 11:30 a.m. on the fourth Saturday of each month. Barbara always rides with us to the F&Fs. There was some question if we would be in town at this time, due to my father’s illness.

We picked up Barbara (who is now 83 years old and has quit driving due to her health) and went to La Hacienda on Peoria for our noontime meal. There were twelve of us at the gathering. The food was very good.

Afterwards, Marilyn invited Barbara and the two of us over to see her new house. The house is vacant, the furniture not having been moved in yet. Marilyn is presently living in an apartment.

I drove by Whiteside Park which is in the area. The park may possibly be the location of a National Day of Reason observance on May 7. We drove around scouting out the area. As we left, Barbara asked to be driven by her old home in the area. We drove past her old house in which she lived many years ago. On the way to her apartment, Barbara asked to be driven through Woodward Park in order to see the flowers. We did so and then delivered Barbara back to her apartment.

In the evening, we went over to Nick’s house and brought Ayla back with us. Ayla usually spends Saturday night with us and goes with J to the Methodist church on Sunday mornings.

Events of the day

This morning Gail came over and we played duets for almost two hours. We have been asked to play again at Church of the Restoration. I asked Gail when she would be available to play again and she said May 10 or May 24. We will probably play ragtime duets again as we did last time. We have been working on two ragtime duets: ”Champagne Rag” by Joseph F. Lamb and “Palm Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin. Those will probably be the selections we use.

I was exhausted following our practice, so I took a nap in the afternoon. When I got up, we went to TCC West to walk for an hour. I figure I walked three miles, bringing my total for the year up to 142 miles.

I enjoyed two good homecooked meals today. For lunch we had BLT sandwiches; for dinner we had barbecue with potato salad. Strawberries topped off the meal.

Changes at work

Today we went grocery shopping. We had Luke with us. It was an outing for him. It took about two hours to do all the shopping. We got home around noon and ate a sandwich for lunch.

Then I took a brief nap and went out to the yard office where I used to work. Carol (superintendent’s secretary) was at her desk and I talked to her for a while. It seems the downturn in the economy has hit the railroad hard, as it has many other businesses. There are only three clerks remaining in Tulsa (and the state of Oklahoma). When I came to Tulsa in 1986 there were some 55 clerks working here for the railroad.

My wife is in bed and wants me to go to bed, too. I guess I had better stop writing for now.

Poetry reading

We are back home in Sand Springs now. We went by the Tulsa Airport and dropped off Vicki, who caught a flight back to Houston. Dad is still weak. It is a struggle for him to talk on the phone.

Since the post office was closed, we came on home. Monday morning we picked up our mail and then went to Lowe’s where we bought a new lawn mower. Our other mower had given up the ghost. With no positive results from more than a hundred pulls on the engine, we decided to go to Lowe’s a get a new one.

Sunday morning, I went to Church of the Restoration. It was a Sunday for a lay lead service. It was Poetry Sunday. Several members read a poem. I read (former poet laureate) Billy Collins’ poem “Taking Off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes.” Afterwards at the HAT meeting I read “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver.

Our new mower is a Troy. It came with a bag and is self-propelled. It started the first time I pulled on the cord. What a relief! I cut the front yard that evening.

Today, Gail was scheduled to come over for piano practice. She had been on a bird observation outing in Woodward and got back in late Monday night. We postponed the practice until Thursday morning.

Today we worked in the yard. I mowed the back yard then came in and took nap.

Volkswalking in Springfield

Yesterday we went to the Signal store on E. Battlefield and registered for the YRE in Springfield. Then we drove to the start point located at Sequoita Park on Lone Pine. The volkswalk was a 5 K walk. We walked down the path leading to Springfield Nature Center. The 10 K option takes you into the Nature Center, but since we were doing the 5 K option, we turned around at that point and returned to where we had parked the car.

Catching up on events

We returned to Sand Springs on Friday, stopping by the post office to pick up our mail. We had a bunch of it. Then we went by the library and pick up our materials there. I had a movie which had come in plus a book, What In the World Is Going On? by David Jeremiah. If I comment on this book my comments will be posted on the web site "GoodReads.com."

This morning, Easter Sunday, I went to my church just north of downtown Tulsa. There were at least a dozen people there. Rev. Davis gave a sermon.

Afterwards, I went to the home of Randy Bradley for the monthly Humanist Study Group meeting. There were eight people present for that meeting.

When I arrived home, Luke and Ayla were here. At 4:30 we took them home to their parents. We came home and watched the NBC Nightly News. Then we went to China Star for dinner.

More new music

Yesterday, my cousin Vicki and I went out to Braum's for lunch while J stayed here with Dad. After lunch, we stopped at a music store about a block from where my parents live. I have a weakness for new sheet music. Vicki and I went in the store and began looking at the sheet music. Vicki bought a volume of country hits in "fake book" style. There are 700 songs in the collection. I bought a book containing pieces by Brahms, Elgar, Greig, Handel, Mozart and Purcell.

Dad is doing much better

I am glad to report that my Dad is doing much better. I want to thank all those who have expressed good wishes for Dad, from Tecumseh to Tupelo.

Phone service change

We recently dropped our home telephone service. I can still be reached using my cell phone number: 918-798-3629

New piano duet music

While in Springfield, Missouri recently, I went to Hoover Music Store and bought some new piano duets. Below is a list of the new music I bought.

Jazz, Rags, & Blues for Two by Martha Mier. The pieces found in this book are:
Downtown Blues
Easy Street Blues
I'll Wait for You
Louisiana Strut
Pepperoni Rag
Renaissance Rag

Favorite Piano Duets edited by Carole Flatau. The pieces in this book are:
Blue Boogie by John W. Schaum
Let's Polka by Maryanne Nagy
Mazurka by Jon George
Nice 'n Easy Blues by Condit R. Adkinson
Pineapple Polka by Hazel Martin
Rag-Weed Rag by Dick Averre
Tango Jubilate by David Karp

Romantic Piano Duets edited by Weekley and Arganbright. Included are:
Venetian Boat Song by Mendelssohn
Song Without Words by Mendelssohn
Nocturne by John Field
Bagatelle by Dvorak

Rialto Ripples by Gershwin

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach

Dad has a good day

Dad had a good day today. His friend from church, Tom, came by for a visit. I learned a few days ago that Tom has a labyrinth on his property up near Buffalo. I always walk a labyrinth whenever I find one. My cousin Vicki from Houston arrived today. She flew from Houston to Tulsa. She then rented a car and drove to Springfield. I drove out to the airport to pick her up after she turned in the car and drove her back to my folks apartment.

On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at Hoover Music Co. near the downtown area, and we went in and I bought a few new pieces of piano duet music.

Dad is doing worse

Today Dad was not doing as well as he was yesterday. He is due to come home tomorrow, probably by ambulance.

I may be away from posting on this site for a few days.

Dad has a good day

I spent a good part of the day in my father's hospital room. I was surprised to see him doing very well. He had read the newspaper and was sitting up watching television. Prior to today his TV set had been off and he had been prone on his bed. He seemed to be in good spirits. We were pleasantly surprised at his "recovery." Of course, this does not mean he is well. Maybe there is more hope for him than we thought.

He is due to come home on Monday. We had been thinking he would need an ambulance to get him home, but after seeing him today we are starting to think he may be able to ride in a car.

I just hope that tomorrow brings another good day.

Update on my father

Today my father was taken down to the second floor where medical personnel tapped his left lung and drew off a quart (plus a little more) of fluid. Then he was returned to his room. He ate little throughout the day.

I took my Mother to the bank so she could add a few items to the safe deposit box.

My Dad did not say much during the day. Periodically medical personnel would come into his room and take his vital signs.

Dad is supposed to come home next Monday. We will have assistance from St. John Hospice for his remaining days.

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In other news, I believe I forgot to mention that last Sunday we attended the service at First Unitarian Church. We were members of that church back in the early eighties. Very few of the current members were members when we were members.

Status of my father

It came as a surprise to us when we heard Dad's doctor say they have done all they can for him. He is supposed to come home next Monday to hospice care. We were told he might have six months to live, or he could die tomorrow.

Dad has been very weak since we put him in the hospital back on the 16th, if I remember the date correctly. His doctor says his condition is terminal. I believe the term he used for his prognosis was "guarded." He had his left lung "tapped" to drain fluid a few days ago. The right lung was given the same treatment today.

There is a person at the hospital whose job it is to make sure that patients who are terminal are aware of their condition. She came by yesterday to talk to us. We spoke with her for a half hour during which Dad cried. Dad is a Christian, and as such believes he will be going to heaven following his death. He must have been crying about the prospect of being separated from my Mother for a period of a few months or years. They have been together for 63 years now.

Dad lies in bed all day, and while he can speak, his voice is weak. His mind is still sharp though. Some of Dad's loyal friends from his church drop by to visit him.

He is receiving excellent care at the hospital. The staff is most compassionate, showing concern for my mother who is also age 86.

Listened to prez

This evening I heard President Obama's news conference. Actually I just heard his opening statement. I had to leave when they got to the questions.

I did not walk this evening, althought I thought about it. Walking in the hallway is getting old. I need to move outdoors and walk there.

Later I played the electronic keyboard. I began by playing some songs from a jazz fakebook which has over 600 songs. The songs in that book are all reduced in size from the standard size. They are shrunk about 50%. That makes it a bit more difficult to read chord designations. Also, I did not have my piano glasses with me. I eventually gave up and just played some boogie woogie which I can play without music. I like to improvise based on a certain chord progression.

About Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time

Below is a quote about Marcus Borg's Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time:

All Christianity is, to some extent, idolatrous. Christian worship is a response to a worshiper's image of Jesus, and all images of Jesus fall short of his reality--in the same way that all biographies and portraits fail to depict a whole person. In Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, New Testament scholar Marcus Borg attempts to understand how popular images of Jesus connect Christians to their savior and isolate them from him. Borg writes about his own evolving ideas of who Jesus was, considers the scholarly and popular religious evolution of Jesus' public image, and investigates with special care the effects of Historical Jesus research on contemporary images of Jesus. Meeting Jesus Again is written in an affable, gracious, and unflinchingly honest voice. Borg's description of his own faith particularly exemplifies these qualities, and gives the reader a simultaneously safe and unsettling new perspective on the peasant from Galilee: "[T]he central issue of the Christian life is not believing in God or believing in the Bible," he writes. "Rather, the Christian life is about entering into a relationship with that to which the Christian tradition points, which may be spoken of as God, the risen, living Christ, or the Spirit. And a Christian is one who lives out his or her relationship to God within the framework of the Christian tradition." --Michael Joseph Gross

When bad things happen to good people

I recently read a sermon by my friend Galen Greenwalt of Riverside, California. Galen and I worked at Glorieta, New Mexico the summer of 1966 at a Southern Baptist retreat center. Galen is a good man, having devoted his life to living out the gospel in his community. He has lived among and ministered to "the least of these," as the Bible might put it.

I'm sure it came as a shock to him when he suffered a heart attack a few weeks ago. Here was a man doing God's work. If God has to visit a heart attack on someone, why one of his most devoted servants?

This was the subject of Galen's sermon. Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer?

I would offer my own explanation for God's refusal to intervene.

There is no God available to intervene. This lets God off the hook. No need to question why a nonexistent deity fails to act to do the right thing.

I know this explanation will not sit well with Galen. I wish I had the opportunity to read and discuss with Galen some books from my library. I would be willing to do the same with him and his library.

Library program, back pain, and hospitals

I did not mention the books I have read in the TCCL reading program currently underway. They are:
* The World in Six Songs by Daniel Levitin
* Freethinkers by Susan Jacoby
* The Age of Unreason by Susan Jacoby
* An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore
* Meeting Jesus Again For The First Time by Marcus Borg
* Me of Little Faith by Lewis Black (still reading)

I have been free of back pain since the surgery I had in January 2007. However, it came back last night. Following a shower, I attempted to put on my underwear while standing up. I have done this many times. It's no great feat, but I am 61 years old now. I guess I felt like I had something to prove to the world. After getting the last leg in my briefs, I landed solidly on the floor standing up. I immediately felt the pain of old. Right away, I went to bed.

When I got up next morning, the pain was still there. We drove to the hospital to visit my Dad. Across the street is a Walgreen's. I walked over there and bought a bottle of Aleve. I went back to my car and got a bottle of water out of the trunk and took one pill. Soon the pill took effect. Later on I went back to my parents' apartment and took a nap. I also called the office of my neurosurgeon (he did the back operation). They told me he was out and would not be back until Monday. (This story is to be continued.)

My Dad is holding up as well as can be expected for a man 86 years old. His doctor said he will probably have to go into transitional care after being released from the hospital.

About Henry Binkley

About a week ago we arrived in Springfield to visit my father who was in St. John's Hospital. At that time he shared a room with another man: Henry Binkley of Bois d'Arc, Mo. Of the two men, my father looked the worst. Henry was up moving round, while my father was lying prone in his bed. Henry was in good spirits and wanted to go walking out in the hallway. He was talkative, and from looking at him you could not tell he had a medical problem. Henry told us he was suffering from congestive heart failure. It had been recommended to him that he go into hospice.

Shortly before we left the hospital that evening, Henry asked me to tie the strings at the back of his hospital gown. I did so, and that was the last I saw of him. He died that night in his bed next my father.

When he expired, he set off a monitering device of some kind, and the nurse came rushing into the room. She went to my father and check his vitals. My father said he felt all right. Then they checked on Henry and found him dead.

Dinner and a new book

Last night J and I ate our dinner at TGI Friday. It was late when we got to the restaurant. By the time we got out, it was 9:20. We went over to the Border's Bookstore not far away. I needed to get another book.

I am taking part in a library reading program whereby if you read six books by March 27, the library will give you a book tote. I brought a couple of books with me, which I have completed reading. So I needed another book, preferably a short one. I looked over the books at Borders and bought Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus J. Borg. I have read a few pages of this book and am liking it. The book is only 137 pages long. I will have more to say about this book in future postings. I will plan to post some quotes from this book. It is that good.

More on our trip to Norman

The last time I posted here, I was in a hurry. Now I would like to give a few more details on our trip to see Richard Dawkins.

We started the day by my driving to QuikTrip to add some air to the tires. Then I went to Braum's and got two sausage and egg biscuits and took them home for breakfast.

We rendezvoused at Randy and Dawn's house at 1 pm. There were five of us. The Bradleys made the trip in their small convertible. In our car there was myself, J., and Marilyn. When we got to Chandler, we got off the turnpike and went south to Shawnee. From there we went west to the OKC area. We took I-240 to Moore. Our motel was just a mile off the interstate highway.

We checked in to the motel and then went to the campus just a few mile to the south. As we arrived near MsCasland Field House (site of the speech), we saw a large crowd gathered in front. As we approached, we recognized Bob N. waiting in front. We spoke to Bob, but Randy was hungry, so we made a bee-line to the student union. Once inside the union, we noticed that most of the restaurants were closed. However, there was one still open. We got some food there and ate it.

When we got back to McCasland Field House, we went past the security check point and entered the building. Inside were a group of people selling t-shirts. We noticed several people wearing black t-shirts with a bright red "A" on the front. The "A" stood for "Atheist." The Dawkins web site (RichardDawkins.net) has these shirts for sale.

The place was at 95% capacity as the program started. We had expected to see some protestors in front, but there were none. the only protest took place inside the field house during the Q&A session following the speech. Security came and escorted the protestor away.

Following the speech (I would give more details, but it was difficult to hear. We were more than a half-court away from the podium. Dawkins, from that distance, was unrecognizable as himself), Randy was again hungry (Randy eats a lot but he is not heavy. He burns up the calories in a hurry. He runs marathons.).

We walkd across the campus to a area were a lot of student go in the evening. We saw an Italan Pizza place and went in there for a late-night snack. The proprietor seated us in a separate area from most of the students. This was sort of a private area, which suited us fine. The proprietor asked us if the music was OK (It was Frank Sinatra singing), and we said it was fine. We ordered from the menu. I ordered Baked Halibut, but the waiter said they were out of the halibut, so I ordered the salmon. We soon had our food and ate it. After we had completed eating, we headed back to the campus. I led the way, but the others were not in a hurry. When I turned around to say something to the group, they were a long way behind me. The group had stopped to look at an historic building.

We got back to the car and drove to the motel in Moore. The motel was cheap ($44.10) and I was afraid it would be a dump. But the motel turned out to not be bad. There was a group of kids staying there who made some noise and the soda machine took my money but gave us no drinks, but after I went to sleep I heard no more from the noisy kids.

Brief summary of recent events

Friday. Traveled to Norman and heard Richard Dawkins speak. Spent night in motel in Moore.

Saturday. Found geocache near motel in Moore. Drove to Old School Bagel Shop in north Oklahoma City where had breakfast with Bob N., Randy and Dawn B., Marilyn C., and J. While there received a call from Paula telling me that Dad was back in the hospital. Left immediately for Sand Springs.

More later.

Scans looked great

I began this day by going to Braum’s and getting two sausage and egg biscuits and a gallon of orange juice. I brought the items home and we had breakfast.

I was at Dr. Uy’s office by 11:00 am for my appointment. The scans came out great. I will not have to go back for more scans for a year.

At 2 pm Gail came over and we played piano until about 3:45 pm. We played mostly ragtime pieces. Then I went to the TCC Fitness Center and did my three-mile walk for the day. I came home and then watched the evening news on TV.

I received an e-mail from my friend Galen out in California. He had heart bypass surgery, but has been released and is home now.

Scans at SJMC

Yesterday, J. and I went to the Performing Arts Center and saw The Pajama Game. I got a call from a friend who said he had two tickets for the show. He had to stay home due his wife having a back problem.

I needed to stop at the Brookside Library anyway to make a room reservation. His son-in-law works about a mile north of the library. So I made the reservation at the library (Saturday the 28th, 2:00 pm for the FFRF group) and went by and picked up the tickets.

Although not every seat was taken, I would say the auditorium was at 95% capacity. The song “Hernando’s Hideaway” is one of the best known songs in the musical.

Today I had scans at St. John Medical Center. I had both CT and MRI scans. While there I passed Dr. Rapacki in the hall. Dr. Rapacki is the surgeon who operated on my brain.

Once we got back home we made a trip to the library. I had a book that was a week overdue. I turned it in and paid my 35-cent fine.

Recent activity

On Saturday we had our February Food & Fellowship gathering at The Rice Bowl Café on Sheridan Rd. This was the first time for many of us to eat at this café.

We discovered they have a pretty good deal on lunch. You can get two entrees plus your drink for $5.75. I think we should return to this place more often.

The next day was Sunday. I went to Church of the Restoration, as is my usual practice. We had a lay led service, with Barbara Frey speaking on the Harlem Renaissance. One of the chief poets of the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes. I read his poem “Harlem Sweeties” to the congregation. It is one of my favorites by Hughes.

This morning the phone rang around 9:00 am. It was Gail. She said she was not feeling well this morning so we cancelled our duet practice. We went to the TCC West Fitness Center where I did 120 reps at 65 lbs. on the abs machine. I then walked three miles. I rested a couple minutes and then did 20 reps at 110 lbs. on the abs machine.

We came home and Gail called around 1 pm to offer us two tickets to some kind of a ragtime concert for this evening in downtown Tulsa. J. declined the offer as we already had plans for Nick to come over with his children for supper.

Nick, Ayla, and Luke came over around 5 pm and had dinner with us. Jennifer was at the Methodist church taking a class of some kind.

Activities Calendar for March

March 2009
Activities of Interest to Freethinkers

Fri., Mar. 6, 1:00pm
Dawkins Expedition to OU. Leave from the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th St.

Sun., Mar. 8, 1:00 pm
Humanist Study Group at Randy’s, 6705 E. 54th.

Tues., Mar. 10, 7:00 pm
Liberal Action Network at Zarrow Library.

Sat., Mar. 14, 2:00 pm
Secular Singers at Gail’s house, 4630 S. Victor.

Sun., Mar. 15, 1:00 pm
Humanist Meeting at Hardesty Library. Brian Hill will show a 45-minute DVD of the actual Frost/Nixon dialogue.

Wed., Mar. 18, 12:30 pm
ALGAE at White River Fish Market, 1708 N. Sheridan.

Wed., Mar. 18, 7:00 pm
Atheists Meetup Mid-Month Social Gathering. Venue: The Local Table, 4329 S. Peoria.

Sun., Mar. 22, 1:00 pm
Tulsa Atheists Meetup at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center.

Sat., Mar. 28, 11:30 am
Food & Fellowship at Te Kei’s, 1616 S. Utica.

Sat. Mar. 28, 2:00 pm
FFRF Tulsa, Brookside Library


Questions? Call Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.

Events of the day

Today we kept Luke. We took him with us as we did our grocery shopping. In the afternoon, I walked at TCC and did 100 reps on the abs machine set at 65 lbs.

Luke is getting better about going out in the public. He used to not have much patience if things did not go his way. He seems more "civilized" now.

Another trip to Springfield

We got a call from my niece, Becky, who lives in Republic, Monday, informing us that my father was back in the hospital. So we packed the car that evening and got on the road at 5:30 am Tuesday morning. We arrived at St. John around 9:30 (after making a couple of stops on the way). Dad was better by then, and when he talked with his doctor, the doctor said he could go home later on that day.

J. and I had a list of things to buy for my mother and father, so we went shopping at Wal-Mart. After we finished at Wal-Mart, we stopped at Fazoli’s (Italian) and got a couple of fast food items. Next we went by Walgreens to pick up medicine for my Dad. We went back by the apartment and ate our lunch. My parents called saying that Dad was ready to go home. I parked my car, and drove Dad’s car to the hospital. I dropped J. off at the front entrance, and drove over to the West Patient pick up point. After about a half hour of delay, Dad appeared in a wheelchair.

Dad appeared none the worse for this latest ordeal in the hospital. We have certainly seen a lot of the road between Sand Springs and Springfield as of late. Dad was doing so well that we decided to head home this afternoon. Before I left I sat down at the electronic keyboard and played several songs found in a large Fake book of hymns.

Running errands

I ran some errands today around noon. Our library is temporarily closed (for one week) for some kind of maintenance. I had to go to the north side of the river and use the library there. I had three books to return. While I was there, I took a look at the music books. I found a few that interested me and checked them out. That library is called the Charles Page Library. The library on the south side of the river is called the Pratt Library. They are part of a 25-library countywide system.

Additional stops I made today included two banks, Morrow-Gill Lumber Company (to buy a bolt to repair a shower chair), and the post office.

I read for a while today. I am currently reading Freethinkers by Susan Jacoby. The library system is trying to encourage people to use the libraries by sponsoring something called “2009 Adult Winter Reading Program.” For the patrons who read six books by March 27, they will receive a book tote. I have read one book since the program started. It is titled The World in Six Songs. As soon as I finish Freethinkers, I will add it to my list. I am also reading The Age of American Unreason, also by Susan Jacoby.

Music

While I was in Springfield last week, I picked up some more piano duet music. I bought “Jazz Prelude” by William Gillock, “Buckeye Blues & Boogie” by David Karp, and two books: “Piano for Two” arranged by Carol Matz and “Celebrated Piano Duets” by Robert D. Vandall.

“Piano for Two” contains Grieg’s “Anitra’s Dance,” Joplin’s “The Cascades,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Song of India,” Gounod’s “The Marionette’s Funeral March,” Ward’s “America The Beautiful,” and “Fandango” by Carol Matz.

“Celebrated Piano Duets” contains arrangements of “The Water Is Wide,” “Shadow Dance,” “Moonlit Evening,” ”Marche Macabre”, ”Irish Air,” “Holiday Waltz,” and “Birch Tree Rag.”

Today Gail and I played at Church of the Restoration. There were about 20 people in attendance. We played two waltzes by Scott Joplin: “Harmony Club Waltz” and “Binks’ Waltz.” It worked out very well with February being Black History Month. Gail and I will get together for our next practice on Friday.

Rev. Davis used as the text of his sermon the story of Shadrack, Meshak, and Abednego. At one point in the sermon, Rev. Davis said “Shadrack, Meshak, and a Bad Negro.” I think only Rev. Davis, a black man, could get away with saying that.

In the afternoon, I attended the Tulsa Atheist Meetup February meeting. We had one of the smallest gatherings we have ever had: about 10 people.

A week in Springfield

Last Sunday morning, shortly after J. left for church and as I was preparing to leave the house for my church, the phone rang. It was my sister who lives in Springfield. She said that an ambulance had just taken Dad to St. John’s Hospital. She said Mother had the cell phone with her and to call her on it. I tried calling her but could get no answer. (I later learned she left the house without it.) I called J. on her cell at the Methodist church and told her what was happening. She did not stay for the Sunday morning service, but came home immediately after Sunday school.

She started packing for a week as soon as she got home. Meanwhile, I delivered a sheet cake to the HAT meeting which started at 1 PM. The sheet cake was in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. I arrived at the library meeting room just as the library opened. I told those who were there that I had a family emergency and would be traveling to Springfield. Although Gail was at the HAT meeting, I sent her an e-mail later postponing our weekly practice session. (We are scheduled to play the special music tomorrow at Church of the Restoration.)

When I got back home, J. had finished packing, so we hit the road. Darkness fell as we passed through Joplin. There was less then an hour of visiting time remaining for the day by the time we arrived at the hospital. We got the key to the apartment from my mother and stayed there for the night. For the next five days we spent the daylight hours with my father in his hospital room and slept at my parents’ apartment. My mother spent all her time with my father in his hospital room.

What had happened to my father was this: Possibly as a result of the gall bladder surgery he had on Jan. 28, blood clots formed just above his left knee cap (on the back side of the leg). The clots (or a portion of them) broke away and traveled to near his lungs. When they lodged there, they caused him pain. He called for an ambulance on Sunday morning.

It was an ultrasound examination that revealed the blood clots. His heartbeat fluctuated much during his first hours in the hospital. Medicine stabilized the heart rate. Blood thinners dissolved the blood clot. The use of blood thinners was complicated by treatment for a prior condition known as AAA.

Dad came home on Friday around noon. We spent the night with them and left early next morning.

We arrived back in Sand Springs in time for me to attend the Progressive Revival 2009 being held at the Congregational Church. First to speak was Robin Meyers (author of Why the Christian Right is Wrong) of OKC. He talked about the state legislature and what bills to expect to come forth from this legislative body now that the Republicans are in control.

I was glad to read on Marti’s blog that Galen is continuing to recover from heart surgery. We met again after being separated by four decades of time. Galen is the kind of Christian you wish every Christian could be.

Valentine's Day

Around noon, my wife and I (she doesn’t like for me to refer to her by name in this blog) went to the Fitness Center at TCC West for some exercise. I did a hundred reps on the abdominals machine and then walked for an hour around the elevated circular track overlooking the basketball court.

Later on we watched NOW with David Brancaccio. Due to the fundraising on OETA, Bill Moyers Journal was replaced by some program the folks at OETA thought their viewers would probably prefer. Fortunately, the Moyers program can be viewed in its entirety on the Internet.

Yesterday, while moving the 6-foot bookcase (around midnight) in the living room to another spot in the living room, I bumped it into the light fixture and broke the light fixture. I think we moved everything in the living room (except the piano) to another location. So maybe tomorrow we can look for a replacement for the broken fixture.

The need to rearrange the living room came about by the gift of a TV from my son. My son bought a new 52” TV. It’s a flat screen LED type TV. The TV we got from my son (his former TV) was of a greater depth than the one it is replacing. At first we tried moving the entertainment center out further from the wall. The space between the wall and the entertainment center (with exposed wires) was such that my wife said “Let’s try moving it to the other said of the room.” But in order to do that the dresser in that position had to be moved. So everything got moved around, save the piano.

This morning we went back to the fitness center for the sixth time this week. They are closed on Sunday. I did 120 reps at the 50 lb. setting on the abs machine. After that I walked for an hour.

We came home and showered, and then my wife said we should go to The Crescent Café if their Valentine’s Day special had started. I called and was informed that the Valentine’s Day special had started at 11:00 am. So we drove over to the Crescent and told the waitress that we wanted the Valentine’s Day special. She said it didn’t start until 5:00 pm that day. Since we were there, we ordered lunch.

In the afternoon, I attended Secular Singers at Gail’s house. There were four of us there: Randy, Bea, Gail, and myself. We made music for about two hours. Gail was on an animal rescue mission when we arrived, but she arrived after about 15 minutes. Gail is a certified wildlife animal rescue specialist. She gets called out frequently on such missions. Her husband, Glenn, met us at the door and entertained us with the Beatles’ “When I’m 64” on his guitar. Toward the end of the session we sang "California Dreaming." We thought about The Mamas and The Papas, and since we are all beyond the mid-fifties in age, we thought back to the 60s.

That evening we went back to The Crescent and ate the Valentine’s Day special, which was steak and shrimp, baked potato, salad, roll, beverage, topped off with a brownie with ice cream and whipped topping.

Afterwards we drove by Nick’s and got Ayla and took her home with us.

I'm back

Last Thursday I sent a link to a sermon by Marlin Lavanhar of All Souls Unitarian Church to an old friend now living in Oklahoma. The sermon is actually in three parts, and I e-mailed part one to my friend. When my wife discovered what I had done, she imposed a restriction (except for notifying people of upcoming meetings) on my use of the Internet for one week. I tried to cover my tracks, but the Systems Administrator is such a computer whiz that she soon discovered what I had done. The week is now up, and I am now back. The links to the sermon are here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJv8HcK0awY&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2CgZWq2XvU&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIpXirbzz-0&feature=channel

Last Saturday was Movie Night at the Bradleys. I cannot now remember the title of the movie or what it was about. We did have seven people there. Jan and myself and Barbara F., Dawn and Randy B., Marilyn C., and Larry R.

I am continuing to go to the Fitness Center at TCC West and walk. Last week I managed to get in 16 miles of walking. So far this week I have walked 12 miles. I also have been using one of the exercise machines there. At first it made my abdominal muscles sore, but I am getting used to it now. Today I did 100 reps using the 35 lb. weight.

Yesterday, I read on Marti’s blog that a friend of mine from Riverside, California (Marti’s brother) was facing heart surgery. That surgery was supposed to take place today. We are wishing the best for him. Yesterday I bought a get well card and mailed it to his church (where he is pastor) on Pyrite St.

I went to church last Sunday. There were just ten or twelve of us there. Our minister spoke. I would say something about what he said, but I can’t recall any of it now. (Bad memory, again)

On Tuesday, the Liberal Action Network met at Zarrow Library. We were sititng at a table in the east part of the library, until Marilyn suggested we move to a separate study room off the main area. We did so, and were able to enter into a free and open discussion. There were just four of us there. We wrote to Rep. Benge regarding House Bill 1001, known as the Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act. Next month when we get together again we are going to read the letters we wrote (I made a photocopy of mine), and any responses we have received.

Last evening, Jan and I went by Barbara’s apartment and gave her a ride to a place by the Tulsa University campus called The Collective. They sell sandwiches and drinks. We watched about two hours of National Geographic videos about the Galapagos Islands. Two hours were all we could take of the videos. I don't like to sit and watch videos for a long time.

Events of the day

I have two Saturns. The older one is a 1996 model. One day recently I noticed the dashboard light for the radiator came on. It would flash on and then go off. It did this repeatedly, so I raised the hood to check it out. I noticed the reservoir tank was very low.

When I was in Springfield last week we bought a gallon of antifreeze to use as replacement for the missing coolant. I added a 10 oz. bottle of water to the reservoir tank; then I filled the water bottle up with coolant and dumped that in the reservoir also. The flashing light on the dash quit flashing. I was hoping that solved the problem.

A few days later the flashing light on the dash reappeared. Well, I needed to get an oil change, so when I took the car in to Same Day Auto Repair for the oil change, I told them about the coolant leak. They hooked the car up to a machine which adds pressure to the coolant system and found the problem.

While they were doing that, I was at my radiologist having a test done as a preliminary to scans I will have soon. The nurse drew blood which will be analyzed by a lab to see if my body is able to get rid of a dye which will be used when I have the scans.

I was at the fitness center at TCC walking on the elevated track when the phone call came from Same Day telling me my car was ready to be picked up. I had to have a new radiator to replace the old one which had a leak. The charge came to $673 for the repair job. I did not know whether to sink that much money into a car which is thirteen years old. However, our other Saturn is a 2008 model and I did not want to get another new car so soon, so I had the ‘96 repaired.

I put the repair charge on my Discover Card and made sure the car was secure and drove home where Jan was waiting on the cable guy to show up to run a new line to the other side of our living room. Our son Nick recently got a 52” LED screen TV and gave his old TV to us. We took it since it has a larger screen than the TV we were presently using, plus it was not as old.

After the cable guy left, I drove Jan over to Same Day (on the north side of the river) where she got into the driver’s seat of the new Saturn and I drove the old Saturn home.

Church is holding on

We returned home from Springfield last Friday afternoon. While there I finished reading The World in Six Songs by Daniel J. Levitin. We made two stops on the way back. First, we stopped at Casey’s General Store just south of Joplin to get a drink and use the rest rooms. Next, we stopped at the McDonald’s over the turnpike near Vinita for a snack. When we got back to Sand Springs, we stopped by the post office and picked up our mail.

We were amazed at how well my father did in surgery. He was at the hospital early Wednesday morning for the surgery and by 11:00 am was ready to go home. It was almost like having outpatient surgery.

When we got him back to his apartment, he spent the rest of the day in bed sleeping. He was up the next morning talking like he normally does.

I went to church this morning for the 11:00 am service. It was another lay led service with Bill Ashley as the speaker. Bill spoke on Sheffield, MA during the times of the Revolution and immediately after. Bill is originally from that area. The finance committee has determined that there will be enough money to continue on for another year.

Following the service, I was asked if Gail and I could play the special music once again. I phoned Gail to see if she would be available next week to play, but Gail will be out of town driving her mother-in-law back to Texas. We decided to play on Sunday, February 22. I told Edna, who schedules the music, that we would play two waltzes by Scott Joplin. Gail and I have moved our practice to Thursday for the coming week.