June Is Gone?!

We've been away in the Northeast.  My, how time flies when you're having fun!
So much to write about; so little time left after leisure and family activities.  (Incomplete sentences work here.)  I hope you too are enjoying your summer.

Memorial Thoughts

5:55am Awoke with phone alarm (too early for a holiday?) ... thoughts about Uncle Robert Russell, a hero in my youth (to this day), visiting our  home in his awesome U.S. Air Force uniform (later flew in the Vietnam War) ... a memorable appearance at the height of action in Orville's Air Force (not Wright) and "missions" I "flew" (Avenues) ...  Years later, the Army ROTC in high school and U of U ...
Dad's WWII service as handsome Lt. Cannon, Renegotiation Officer, Quartermaster Corps, U.S. Army; and Arza's service as a productive farmer supporting the war effort ... our close friend, Hayle Buchanan, who was in the Battle of the Bulge (1944) as an army radio operator in Europe ...
Grandfather Russell's WWI service (Mother's Together book has the photo of dignified "Lt. George Oscar Russell, U.S. Army Intelligence Corps, 1918, before the 11 November armistice) ...
... and others in my life who served valiantly to preserve our freedom.
My gratitude goes to all veterans and their families ... God bless our military troops currently serving ... thank you for your sacrifices.

[Quick clue about my attempted writing style:]
"Stream of consciousness may refer to: Ostensibly unedited, spontaneous ..."
-- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

And thanks to the Boy Scouts and leaders for getting up early and setting up flags in our neighborhood.  God bless America!

CNBC / Mark Haines

"Mark Haines (April 19, 1946 – May 24, 2011) was the former host of the CNBC shows Squawk Box and Squawk on the Street (which airs from 9-11am ET). ...  On May 25, 2011, Mark Haines' wife Cindy reported that Mr. Haines passed away at home on the evening of May 24, 2011.  He left behind his wife, a son and a daughter."  
-- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Haines

I am one of the many common people who have never made a lot of money on the stock market, but nevertheless have had the good fortune of being educated, enlightened, energized, and entertained by our beloved leader, Mark Haines.  I will seriously miss him every weekday morning, but cheerfully treasure memories of his great humor, honesty, and unique personality.  I envy those on the other side, who must be blessed by his presence there, at the top of his game and livelier than ever. 

I happened to be watching CNBC on the morning of 9/11 when the towers were hit, and could not leave the news for days afterward.  In contrast, I was watching Erin Burnett's last session with Mark recently, and shed tears then as well.  For me, since 1997, it's been an unforgettable ride.  Thank you, Mark Haines, and everyone at CNBC.  May the family feel comfort and the love of Mark’s admiring associates.

The Thirteenth

Early this morning I tried to do a quick post for Friday ...  (You know the date.)
This is what came up (I've never seen before):
"Blogger is unavailable right now. We apologize for this interruption in service."
Now that Blogger is back to normal (lucky for me), I want to share an excerpt from an interesting blog post that Google found for me.  I credit The Washington Post and Elizabeth for her good work:

"Friday the 13th phobias, and the five strangest fears you never knew existed"
By Elizabeth Flock         Posted at 9:22 AM ET, 5/13/2011
"Today’s date will send cold shivers of fear down the spines of those suffering from Friggatriskaidekaphobia. (Also known as Paraskevidekatriaphobia)  It’s a mouthful for a simple phobia: fear of Friday the 13th.
The names of conditions in which a sufferer is plagued by a persistent, irrational fear are usually derived from Greek words and not the easiest to get your mouth around. Don’t believe us? Try to pronounce the word for the fear of long words:
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.  ..."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/friday-the-13th-phobias-and-the-five-strangest-fears-you-never-knew-existed/2011/05/13/AFJdaO2G_blog.html

"You know, it's me"

This one has to be like really fast food for my 10-minute break.  I just couldn't wait to vent my feelings about a couple of things, so I don't lose sleep tonight.

To radio and TV interviewers' questions, I frequently hear answers that begin with, "You know, ...".  Whenever I hear that, I automatically respond, as if I were the person asking the question, "No, I don't know -- that's why I asked!"  So much for "talking heads".  (Yes, I recognize incomplete sentences.)

The gentlemanly "Hey, ... it's me" ad on TV this morning reminded me of my longing for the good old days (50 years ago?) when proper English grammar was important and acceptable -- even in advertising.  And so much for that.  I guess "this is us" now.  (Ouch -- it still hurts, nevertheless.)

Resurrection

Yesterday was remarkable.  Our second son and his wife were away to adopt another daughter.  Our first son, his son, our first daughter and her husband were helping our third son move to SLC.  Meanwhile, my wife and I took our grandchildren to a private Easter egg hunt.  It was fun and wisely organized for Saturday, helping Easter Sunday be more special.

More often than I would admit, I have looked up the spelling of resurrection, just to be sure (mostly before word processors with spell-check).  It’s convenient to know how to spell, and heavenly to know that it’s true.

George Q. Cannon (11 Jan 1827 – 12 Apr 1901) wrote:  “Concerning the resurrection of the dead, the word of the Lord is very clear and definite.  It leaves no room to doubt that through the redemption of the Son of God, all the children of men will be resurrected.  …  The deeds of men, whether good or evil, cannot prevent the resurrection of their bodies.  …”  -- Gospel Truth, page 32, compiled by Jerreld Newquist, c. 1957

Yes, there is life after death, and families can be forever.  I know that Jesus Christ lives, and is the Savior of the world.  I will be eternally grateful for His sacrifice.

Earth Day Recalled

To honor this cool Earth Day, I have the furnace turned down, lights off, and the shutters open for warm sunshine.   I try to conserve words and time by avoiding verbosity.  These tidbits (M-W Dictionary: choice morsels) from my 20^th-Century files will help me recycle and preserve memories of Earth Day:

The BSA merit badge book ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, 1983 revision, explains on page 5:  “It is the space age and all that goes with it that have made an understanding of ecology very important to us all.”  The Careers chapter on page 61 (incorrectly as 63 in Contents) advises, “Before deciding … you should ask yourself three things:  Do I really like science?  Do I like the outdoors?  Do I like people?”  The careers list includes agronomists, plant morphologists & pathologists, horticulturists, forestry technicians, entomologists, geneticists, oceanographers, and fishery aides.

On the 1991 survey conducted by the Earth Day Utah Recycling Subcommittee,
I noted, “Many people don’t understand ‘waste to energy plants’.“  (Maybe hyphenation would’ve helped.)

Earth Day Fair was held at Trolley Square in SLC, April 19-21, 1991.  A contest for
K-12 students was entitled “Previously Loved Materials”.

Earth Day Fair 1992 was at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City.

“K.O.P.E. Kronical” by Hawthorne Elementary students (Kids Organized to Protect our Environment)

In 2007, KeyBank ran an ad:  “Win $5,000. And save a tree. Enroll in Online Statements …”

Google did a cool logo, and some local news stations talked about Earth Day this morning -- nice token recognitions of a huge need to “protect her!” (child’s paper drawing anonymously posted on our garage door last April 22nd – worth filing and sharing, I thought at the time.)