The World of Grandpa Don  

  This from Mary Moskal:

Monday morning I had faxed in my request for a draw on the line of credit that came with my Reverse Mortgage to cover the cost of my new windows plus a little more to cover some landscape upgrades. I also sent an email accepting Murphy's bid on the project. I was surprised Tuesday morning by a call from one of the Murphy people and then a visit from him to take final measurement so the replacement windows could be ordered. That was quick!  An email also arrived from Mac's Lawnstyle with a quote on the landscape improvements. I was pleased with his suggestions and the cost is within the amount anticipated. He gave me several options in regard to plantings and I will need to look at them on line and decide which to select.

On Wednesday morning the blinking of my bedside clock announced that there had been a power outage during the night. I had to turn on the radio to discover it was 7:45. I got dressed and came downstairs. My guests were all still snug in their beds. I made coffee and enjoyed a cup on the patio. John was the first one down but it was 9:30 before we were off to Luums, a traditional American breakfast house. I got them back to my house and they were on their way to another Chicago adventure by about 10:30.

Their Chicago adventures first took them to the Art Institute on Michigan Ave. Dan Ialacci is a budding artist, constantly drawing something. From there they went to Navy Pier. Their visit there included the architectural boat tour on the Chicago river which they found pleasant and informative. While at the Pier, they took the ride on the big Ferris Wheel and visited many other attractions. At the end of their day they were having dinner at an outdoor restaurant on the pier when the heavens opened and they were drenched. They arrived back at Grandpa Don's Bed & Breakfast well after 8 PM still wet but happy to have enjoyed their escapade.

Meanwhile, at home, I had whiled away the day, one which was very pleasant until about 5 in the afternoon. There was violent thunder and lightning with strong wing gusts along with torrential rains. A nearby apartment building was set on fire by the lightning. The storms swept through my area on their way toward the center of the city.

Thursday morning Mikey and I went downstairs about 8. At about 9, John came down and found me with my coffee in the living room. There were intermittent light showers and John and I had a chance to talk. I was startled by the phone about 9:20. Nobody calls that early. It was Touch of Class! I forgot about Mikey's standing appointment and was soon off to deliver him for his bi-weekly grooming. I returned to find my guests ready and packed to leave. We drove two cars to Ashford House and had our farewell breakfast. They were on their way back to Cleveland at 11:10, about an hour later than planned.

It was a delightful time with wonderful family. Each time I meet with members of my Cleveland families I gain a little more insight into them and how life was, and is, for them, my siblings, and my parents. Having them here requires little effort on my part and I love it. Sometimes I wonder why I have this house for just me and Mikey but it serves well as Grandpa Don's Bed & Breakfast, ... even though my guests need to go to a restaurant for breakfast. For me, that not only is easier, but it is a treat. However, when people are here I eat too well. Now I need to get back into the routine of my real world.

People keep sending wonderful stories as well as completely erroneous stories. The problem is that even some of the wonderful ones can be erroneous. There were two in a row on Thursday. One was to let everyone know that the ACLU was suing to have the crosses removed from military cemeteries in the US. One immediately thinks that this is something the ACLU would do and we pass it on. To emphasize their point they showed a photo of rows of crosses in a cemetery. The originator of the email used a photo from a French cemetery which demonstrates their lack of intelligence to begin with. The ACLU never has and, they have stated, they never will object to crosses on graves in any cemetery. The purpose of the email is simply to discredit the ACLU and they use lies to do it. To my way of thinking, using lies to make a point, discredits the cause, no matter how noble the cause. That kind of email is not using the internet responsibly. The other email was trying to make the point that you should never judge a book by its cover. Good point and a lesson we should all learn. However, the originator took well known people and described them in a way and in a situation that was totally fabricated. To anyone who knew the truth of it, the story had no credibility. What does that do for the point they were trying to make ... It destroyed it! That is not using the internet responsibly.

I do not disagree with the points either of these emails were trying to make. We should not judge people by their appearance but by their character and we need to get to know them for that. And ... The ACLU, I believe, does more harm than good and in defending the rights of a few, it often goes contrary to my rights and privileges. However it is counterproductive to lie to make a point. It can, and often does, turn around and bite you in your best aspects. Maybe I think too much. But I will try to use the internet responsibly as a Knight of the Order of St Isidore of Seville. I may be all alone on my horse, leading a charge with no army behind me but I must in all conscience, stay true to the noble cause. But, I must add a further disclaimer to the effect that I intend in no way to disparage those who sent the emails to me. We all fall into the trap of wanting to accept and promote the "Too god to be true" and "Yes this must be true because it fits my perception of things". If nothing else, shrug off my comments with a smile and say. ...there goes Grandpa Don in the footsteps of Don Quixote, tilting at windmills in his imaginary world of chivalry and knighthood. It does no great harm to humor me and I am happy in my world. Undeniably this is a fact. I certainly can not reform the entire internet but in my deluded state, I will no doubt continue my quest either to mine or its demise. We both know which shall come first. But, ... that is not in my reality. Don Quixote regained his sanity but lost his happiness. I do not intend to loose my happiness and will persevere in my quest.

By the way, I fully realize that the people who send me these things do not originate them and I do not hold the senders libel for the veracity of them. To the senders I just say, Thanks for sending grist for the mill. .

I was wrong (again). I thought the two old analog TVs in my spare bedrooms would be useless after the change to all digital signals. My son Tom said that because I had them connected to my cable, they would still work. I did not understand how that could be so I doubted. But then I forgot about it. The day before the Ialacci family arrived I tried one of them and sure enough it did not work. On Wednesday, I apologized to John that the TVs in their rooms didn't work. He told me that they do work. They needed to fiddle with them for a while to have them pick up the stations but they did indeed function just fine. They did not get all the channels but they had been watching the news and weather after going to bed. I doubted because I didn't understand and I need to keep reminding myself that all through life I didn't understand everything I knew to be true. Sorry I doubted you Tom. I need to work on my faith. This is not just a lesson to be learned regarding analog and digital TV.

Often we do not understand other people. I am not just talking about language but the fact that they have had different educations, different life experiences, and come from different places with customs which are strange to us. That doesn't make them wrong any more than it makes us right. That just makes us different and there is nothing wrong with that. We would be in big trouble if we were all alike. I believe that inbreeding of thoughts and ideas are just as destructive as genetic inbreeding. We need the mix as it improves the mind, the breed, and humanity in general. We need to bring a variety of grist to the mill as it improves the taste and texture of the bread. We learn from each other's diversity and profit from their diverse tallents as they contribute to life.

The worse thing that we can do is to take a difference of opinion as a personal affront. Just because a person, in being different, does not agree with our views, he is not attacking us, or casting aspersions on our beliefs. He is only professing his view of things. Viva La Difference. In the rare case when were are actually being attacked, I try to treat it as if there is no attack but a mere difference of opinion. (It blows the attackers mind in the frustration of his failure to get me upset.) 

For a long period of time Anne and I would play a game of chess every evening after dinner. It got to the point where I would win more often than not. We had to stop playing because Anne took the continuing losses as an affront to her inelegance. I could have let her win but I would have considered that an even greater affront to her intelligence. I wish there had been a solution to the problem because we both enjoyed the game. Maybe Anne took it too seriously ... or maybe I did.

I don't know if Carl Jung was talking about faith in God, faith in our fellow human beings, or faith in ourselves. Maybe all three. All three are needed. I think that having faith in ourselves is probably the most difficult. But all three can be developed and improved. I think that is called Wisdom and it can come with age and experience. Of course it has been said the age and wisdom sometimes come alone. For me, the blossoming of faith, I'll call it the trinity of faith ... God, humanity, myself, ... occurred in earnest about 25 years ago. Before that there were hints of it but I was floundering in logic, trying to find explanation, proof and absolute understanding, before I could trust. Now I know that I will never have proof and absolute understanding of everything, or almost anything, within this lifetime. Perhaps this is why there is so much unhappiness in this world. ... lack of faith. All I know is that I can wait until I get to Heaven for absolute understanding of everything, or anything, and I am very happy now. I also realize that when I get to Heaven I may not care to understand everything because to do so is no longer of any importance to me. ... come to think of it, is it that important now? ...

Grandpa Don Plefka

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Free JavaScripts provided by The JavaScript Source	Anne wanted everyone to be 'Nice'. This button was in one of her dresser  drawers I cleaned out in August of 2004