introduction

Ah the Grassy Knoll

Welcome to the initial ramblins. Much thought has gone into how to get started.

First off: Don't let the "pissed off" in the heading fool you. Not going to be just concentrating on those topics that whip me into a puckered up frenzy (plenty though they are and may be). However, many items of joy, happiness and wonderment will be addressed and enjoyed. But it's likely that a pissed off venting may pop up as an aside.

Second: What exactly is the "grassy knoll"? It's only a location (and hell no, it ain't got anything to do with JFK in any way.) and a fine one at that. A place for much thought and contemplation, a place where solitude is welcome (rarely, if ever, are cell phones welcome but that's another blog subject). But it's also a spot where friends and family can gather and enjoy the view and each other's company.

Most of the time, if not all of the time, visits to the gassy knoll are accompanied with a beverage of choice. Mine is that fine Tennessee whiskey, Jack Daniel's. The ramblins seem to come much more freely. At any rate...... Oh, and a fine cigar certainly adds to the thought process. My cousin's husband presented a concept cigar for the intial post, and I'll be enjoying that shortly.

Now, the first topic. Should it be cell phone use in the restroom, politicians, airlines, dumbass left lane drivers, lying politicians, people who leave grocery carts in the parking lots, junk mail, the education system, (did I mention politicians?) service people who don't show up and don't have the common decency to call. The list can go on and on, hence the heading "pissed off".

But no, the opening topic is family. My sisters and their husbands were here over the weekend, and we had a blast. My children, their spouses and their children will be here in Sept, a time for which I really looking forward. I'm truly blessed with a fabulous family. My only disappointment is that my parents, neice and nephews (let's hear it for bro-han time) couldn't be here.

Ok, now for the pissed off part. For all you people who aren't taking care of your family, particularly and especially children, and I don't mean just physically, you shoud be beat. That's not to imply that there aren't circumstances where a really bad situation results in a complete separation. Sorry it got to that point but it has and now time to move along. It's a 2-way street, like all other relationships; and when it gets to the 1-way road, time to move on. The one responsible for that 1 -way direction is the one who should be beat; and if it's you that caused it, tough. You're the one who should be beat.

The one precious resource we have is children, and we should be doing all we can to protect (not coddle), educate and prepare them for the world ahead. It's tough out there and not always fair; but we, as parents and adults (and acting as parents and adults), should govern ourselves accordingly.

Enough for the first outing. So in the immortal words of an advertisor of TV wrestling show in the, well it was a long, long time ago "If you don't know diamonds, know your jeweler; and if Harold says "it's so", it's so."

So long and stay tuned