The World of Grandpa Don
A work in progress - complete but not finished |
What's New In the world of Grandpa Don On this page I have recorded what I found significant during the past week as well as my thoughts about those events and other reflections. I started doing this before the practice became popular on the internet This is my diary, written a little each day and published weekly. At times I may seem to pontificate on a subject that comes to mind during the week. I do not intend it as a demand or even a suggestion that everyone should think or act as I do. It is rather, intended to let you know what goes on in my mind ... how I am motivated to live as I do.
If The World of Grandpa Don
appeals to you, |
Week Ending Friday May 9 2008 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Last Friday afternoon, during a sunny period the followed the morning thunderstorm I ventured out to restock my provisions for the week. Then after feeding my little friend, we went out to the gazebo to commune with nature for a while. Mikey has been having trouble with his legs recently. He does not jump up on any chairs any more and is also reluctant to climb stairs, although he does do that. He sat in the gazebo and watched a squirrel pass by not 15' away without any attempt to chase it. Being a tad too breezy for reading, we returned to the house and I scanned the last few pages from the book of my father's writings, then created pages for them here in the World of Grandpa Don. The last page he authored to be published here is The Lure of the Far Away . Undated but most likely written after he has settled down this poem follows the relentless theme of The Return and Slippin'. Al Copeland remembers the open spaces of Arizona and the wonders of Hawaii. He also dreams of places he has never been ... ever more to see. But from further wonderings he did abstain, settling down with Sue and fathering their 5 children. That brings us to what I call the appendix of the book which includes The 17th Cavalry and Schofield Barracks. Marilyn Copeland researched and authored these pages to provide us with a picture of the times as well as provide a background for the writings of our father.. Thank you Marilyn. The book that she gave us also included his service records which will not appear on line. In addition to his service with the 17th Cavalry, He enlisted in the Ohio National Guard in the early 30's. I suspect that this may have been due to the tough job market of the great depression. ... Supposition! In any case, these additions conclude the "My Father Wrote" section of of The World of Grandpa Don. It is my hope that after I reach the point when I can no longer maintain this web site, (That time will come.) some member of my family will maintain it for those who follow so they may know their roots. I do make an occasional CD backup and maybe a copy can be made for a time capsule stored away with the family photos and dusted off for viewing in the future. I can imagine a teen in the year 2075 viewing all this and wondering how we survived under such primitive conditions. That assumes, of course, that he will have a device that can read the ancient and cumbersome CD since at that time in the future billions of megabytes will no doubt be stored on a device the size of a dime.
Saturday Anne Marie arrived about noon and had a cup of coffee while I had a brat & cheese sandwich. We put the extra leaf in the dinning room table and dressed it in the big table cloth. She brought the extra folding chairs and we set them up. She then prepared silverware wrapped in dinner napkins and placed them in a basket. My supply of wine was checked and found to be sufficient. She must have thought there is going to be a party! With all that done, she was off to her house to get ready for her company's annual post-tax-season dinner party. When Anne Marie left, the temperature had started to drop and a light rain was in the air. I settled into the living room to allocate some time with Eckhart Tolle, good company for a day such as that. This chapter of A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. speaks of complainers and the need for attention as well as those who try to draw attention to themselves with rebellious and even criminal behavior. Anything at all to say, "Pay attention to me ... I am somebody." But what really caught my eye was similar to what I had written two years ago as part of The Secret of Life . Tolle says, "Don't seek happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom from unhappiness is attainable now, by facing what is rather making up stories about it. Unhappiness covers up your natural state of well-being and inner peace, the source of true happiness." Wow, will I ever have an original idea? Probably not and it would be presumptive of me to think I can. But, think about it ... if you seek happiness you are telling yourself that it is something that is lacking in you, or you wouldn't need to look for it, and so you will never find it since happiness comes from within. That is not where we look for it, constantly looking for the things or person who will satisfy our unquenchable need. My weekly newsletter from Kim Komando arrived and I was attracted by an ad for Optimized_2 from PC Pitstop. I went to the website and opted for the "free" scan. Please note that I would never ... ever ... do this using an email link or a pop-up ad. It is a sure invitation for trouble. However, I trust Kim Komando, her advice and tips as well as the products she recommends. The scan went relatively quickly and pointed out a myriad of things that needed to be adjusted, fixed or removed to make my computer run faster and improve my internet connection. But of course, to have the program do all this for me required the purchase of the one year licence. I said yes and filled in all the appropriate information using my Discover card utility which generates a one-time number good for only this transaction. It was rejected! Bummer. I tried again and got the same result. I used my Visa card ... no luck ... rejected, and then my actual Discover card ... Rejected. At this point I sent them an email explaining what was happening and asking for guidance. In a few minutes a reply was received ... they were having server problems. ... please be patient. I replied, asking to be notified when the problem was resolved and I went on with my life. I had settled down for dinner and the phone rang ... "Private" ... I usually would not have taken the call but ... what the hell ... Hello! It was a call from PC Pitstop ... 'Sorry I was having a problem'. It is fixed and they sent an email but wanted me to know that after I used the link in the email, then clicked on "Buy for $29.95" I would get a 20% discount. I thanked the kind gentleman and after dinner and watching the evening news the purchase was consummated, I had the unlock key and in short order I was optimized, or rather my computer was. The necessary re-boot was noticeably faster and opening this and a couple other programs was speedier as well. If you think you would like to try this "Optimizer" let me know. I have a link which I can give you which will get you a 10% discount. ... only for Friends of Grandpa Don (and millions of others).
Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, a bit cool but by the time I went to church at 10:30 a dress jacket did me fine. Returning home, I took my coffee out to the gazebo but the breeze wafting through was a mite cool so I retreated to the sunny patio. Before I had gone to church there was a crew next door opening their pool. After church the kids were cleaning up their patio and surrounding area. I asked if we would be swimming in the afternoon but was told that the water needed to be revitalized. Shucks ... I had plans. Back in the house I had a lite lunch then opened packages of candy, distributing dishes around the house. I was ready. Anne Marie and Marc were the first to arrive. It took several trips to the car to bring in all the food. There were also two hanging baskets of flowers that went right out to the Sheppard's hooks along side the patio. as well as a Clamitis plant in a pot which will be put in the ground in a few days. The rest of the Albano family soon followed. Anthony brought a friend, Tim, who had flown up from Florida and will travel with him to the Detroit area for spring training in a few days. Dominic and Sarah added to the group. My big brother Jim with his wife Peggy were welcomed and moved their stuff into the guest room. They were a bit later than expected having made a wrong turn and needing to take local streets back to the right expressway in Indiana, getting further delayed by a train in the process. But ... they were here! Dan, Karen and the girls joined the group. They brought more food and a couple potted plants which took their place at the patio. Shortly, Tom, Diane and Kelly arrived with a huge potted Black Eyed Susan and what else? ... More food! Tom had the kitchen duty and prepared some appetizers. Caitlin soon completed the congregation and the party was in full swing. There were people scattered all over the house and patio which was now bathed in 700 sunshine. Hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, soft drinks, wine and more substantial libations abounded as did myriad conversations. A couple hours sped past like a spring breeze and soon we were invited to a serious feast of Anne Marie's BBQ ribs, the fried chicken brought by Dan & Family, Cole slaw, salads, Jell-O and more. After all were filled to overflowing, canola and cookies were presented and ... what is this? ... a gigantic cake with candles ... "Happy 77th Birthday Grandpa". Birthday cards were received as well as a shirt from Tom & Diane, a set of DVD's of the entire John Adams TV series, copied by my big brother, and from Dominick and Sarah, a statue of St Francis to grace the garden. After dinner the group began to thin, first to leave being the young men and then the girls, all now blessed with the mobility of cars. Later there was a major dispersal of leftover food and the family was almost gone. Anne Marie was the last to leave with Marc after insuring the the cleanup was done. Peggy, Jim and I were left to chat quietly while watching the end of a ball game on TV. Then Jim went upstairs and Peggy and I watched the evening news before following his lead.
It was a glorious day! After a great night's sleep Jim, Peggy and I went to Ashford House for a leisurely breakfast and then they left for Cleveland. My extended time of reflection and thanks was enjoyed on the patio surrounded by flowers. Jim and Peggy had a chance to go through the book of my father's writings and enjoy first hand Marilyn's artistry. I learned a little more of my big brother's early life. Monday morning was a time of reflection and joyful thought. After several pieces of cold chicken for lunch I took my annual May 5th shower and went to see the foot doctor. My feet well pampered, the rest of the afternoon was invested in some good reading in the gazebo. It just doesn't get any better than this.
Stop watching this space! Why are you wasting your time sitting there watching this space? When it happens, it will happen and I will let you know about it Instead, concentrate on being productive with your time and using the present time to live your life to the fullest. And ... that is what I am doing. I slept in on Tuesday, had a leisurely breakfast of pancakes after which I retreated to the Gazebo where I spent a good part of the day. It was a perfect day, reaching 800 and sunny, perfect for celebrating my (official) birthday. I did take a couple breaks in the house and with Mother's Day on my mind, the Mother's Day page of the World of Grandpa Don was updated. I made a small change to My Annual Mother's Day Wishes and added some thoughts for 2008. I also made some changes to Legacy of an adopted child , an old page containing thoughts that link my birthday to Mother's Day. An attempt was made to do some planting. Actually I was successful in planting the small Clamitis with a temporary trellis. I will get a good trellis later this week. I also started to plant the Black Eyed Susans ... there are actually two plants of different varieties in the pot. This required a much larger hole and was too much for me. Anne Marie had said she would come and plant it in the evening and I was trying to show off my green thumb. Foiled again! Tom called on his way home from work and when he heard that Anne Marie was going to come over to put the plant in the ground, he diverted to my house. Tom arrived about 7:00 and Anne Marie shortly thereafter. He finished the job in short order and after watering the plants, we retired to the house to enjoy a birthday treat that Anne Marie had picked up at the Cold Stone Ice-Cream store. Wow ... a second but much more intimate birthday party.
It rained Tuesday night and all of Wednesday morning, perfect for the newly planted climbers. I settled into the living room after breakfast for my usual ritual and was soon taken by a nap. Falling into a deep sleep I dreamed that I enrolled in a big university. In my dream, I was awakened to attend class. My room had no windows and opened to a large common area where students were scattering off to class. I went off as well but did not know where to go. After wandering through hallways for a while I realized that I had been at the school for some time but had no books, never attended a class, and never got any grades. Did they know I was there? I should see a councilor ... but where to find one. Taking a turn, I found myself in a boiler room ... no, that wasn't right. From there I found myself in a lunch room but could not find the place to get in line for food. At that point, Mikey woke me and I found myself in my living room, safe, but not sure I was sound. It was nice of Mother Nature to give me several good days for my birthday but after the rain we are expecting cooler (seasonal) days and more rain on the way. I would have given up my good days for a better Mother's Day. They deserve it. But the cool wet Wednesday did give me some time to work of parish projects. There was the weekly newsletter to get out (email) and I had to prepare an item for the printed weekly bulletin. They will give each of the parish boards the front page of the bulletin for one month to spotlight some of their ministries. The WebMinistry will be the first to be presented in the first week in June. I sent the page to Sr Gael for approval with copies to the team members but got a message that the one to Sr Gael could not be delivered, Then I remembered that the parish had been having trouble with their email service and a change would need to be made which would cause it to be down. The parish web site would need to be down as well so I checked and sure enough it was not available. Assuming it would be back on line later, I checked several time to no avail. Wednesday evening Joe Beaulieu came by and we spent a little time getting acquainted. This young man is a member of the St. Julie Young Adults group and is interested in helping out with the parish web site. He will start by posting parish activities on the TribLocal web site ( http://www.triblocal.com/index.html ). He would also like to keep the Young Adults pages up to date but at this time lacks the necessary software to accomplish that task. In any case we welcome Joe to the Web Ministry Team. Thursday morning I checked the parish web site again and it was still off line and so, arriving at the parish for Bible Study, I checked with the receptionist. BIG Problems! It had something to do with SBC and they expected it to be off line until next Monday! At Bible Study, Sr Gael could only shake her head and roll her eyes. Sometimes that is all one can do about a situation. We were introduced to Wisdom ... The Book of Wisdom, that is. The introduction video was fascinating and the next five weeks promise to be interesting. From the parish, I took a short ride to the Home Depot store and found a trellis panel to match the ones I purchased last year. I took it home and planted it right behind the Clamitis after removing the temporary one, I then used a couple loose tie-wraps to hold the stems in place. I couldn't wait to get out of the cold breeze but it all looks great.
A special newsletter (email) was dispatched to the parish "Include-Me"
members to let them know about the email and web site problem.
It has been a busy week ... full of people ... full of love. I continue
to learn of my big brother and his family including, of course, our
mother.
On the left there is Florence Lucile Lossner (Lucie Cecora)("Tootsie")
who gave me life. On the right is Sylvia Mildred Simousek (Sylv Plefka)
who taught me how to live it. I was blest with two mothers and am
grateful for them both. I pray that through the grace of the Holy Spirit
and the infinite love of God they are with him and each other in
Paradise this day. My hope is to meet with them again some day and share
some (((HUGS))..
The opportunity that
God sends does not wake up him who is asleep. Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers and to Women
with child. Life does not go on without you. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grandpa Don Plefka
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Anne
wanted everyone to be 'Nice'. This button was in one of her dresser drawers I cleaned out in August of 2004
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Free JavaScripts provided |