Time Marches On!

 April 15th. I'm not talking about tax day. I'm talking about the 15th birthday of our youngest grand child, Nicholas.  It's just one more reminder of how quickly time passes-as though I need more reminders.  Every time I get out of bed I'm reminded of how old I'm getting.  But as I'm often told, it beats the alternative!

Happy birthday, Nick. 

A Brief History

 On my March 22 blog I posted the epilogue of the second volume of my book, A Brief History.  At about the same time I ordered three hard copies from Storyworth.  They recently arrived.  I have one copy. My son took one for himself and his family and my daughter and two grand daughters want the third.  If there's anyone else interested in reading it I'll lend them my copy.  If they actually want one for themselves I can order one for them.  I find that unlikely but you never know.  

 Here's my contact information: george.stockwell@gmail.com

Here's a picture of the finished product.  Remember, if you're interested in writing a book of your own, here's a link to the website to check out.  http://storyworth.com

 

Hello April

 About the Month of April

Did you know?

 

April was the second month in an early Roman calendar, but became the fourth when the ancient Romans

• started using January as the first month.
• April is named for the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite.
• The name for the month of April originally came for Aprilis which means to open.
• Small animals that hibernate are usually coming out of their burrows in April. The birds fly back northward and settle down to have their families. The bees and butterflies begin to gather nectar from the first flowers of the season.
• In some parts of the world, it is planting time, while in other parts, it is the harvest season.
• April is Humor Month, so laugh it up!
• The birthstone for April is the diamond.
• The zodiac signs are Aries (March 21 – April 19) and Taurus (April 20-May 20).
• The birth flowers for the month of April are the sweet pea and the daisy.

Historical moments in the month of April

• America’s first astronauts were announced by NASA on April 9, 1959.
• The first Webster Dictionary was copyrighted by Noah Webster on April 14, 1828.
• The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912.
• The Revolutionary War in America began on April 19, 1775.
• The United States Library of Congress was established April 24, 1800.
• Our first President George Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789.
• The Civil War started April 12^th, 1861and ended April 6^th, 1865.

Special Days in the month of April

• The first day of April is April Fools Day, when children and grown-ups play jokes on one another.
• April 22 is Earth Day.
• April 2 is Light It Up Blue for Autism Day and the whole month is Autism Awareness Month.
• Arbor Day is a day for planting trees, and it is observed on various April days.
• The Jewish festival of Pescah, or Passover, is celebrated early in April.
• Easter is almost always in April, and, with it comes other Christian celebrations such as Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday.
• April is also the month of the Thai New Year in Thailand and the Khmer New Year in Cambodia.

April is also host to some famous birthdays

• Marvin Gaye, April 2, 1939
• Jane Goodall, April 3, 1934
• Jackie Chan, April 7, 1954
• Dolores Huerta, April 10, 1930
• Emma Watson, April 15, 1990
• Leonardo da Vinci, April 15, 1452
• Charlie Chaplin, April 16, 1889
• Jack Nicholson, April 22, 1937
• William Shakespeare, April 23, 1564

 

A Brief History; Volume Two

Volume Two of A Brief History is now finished.  Here is the epilogue.  If you would like to read Volume Two-or Volume One for that matter-contact me and we'll work something out.  My email is george.stockwell@gmail.com or if you have my phone number, give me a call. 

 

Epilogue

Well, here we are.  Volume II, Chapter 50 and one year later.  This adventure called Storyworth has been quite an experience. It started with a gift subscription from my son and daughter-in-law over two years ago.  Every week for a year I received a prompt that became the basis for a story.  Fifty two stories later I received a hard covered book. That was Volume I.  I then picked it up from there by signing up for another year. Thus we have Volume II. This epilogue forms the last chapter.

 

Actually there really isn’t all that much to say at this point.  I’ve written a total of 100 stories about various aspects of my life.  I’ve covered just about everything ranging from my childhood to the present-just a couple of weeks past my 81^st birthday.    Many of the stories were from prompts that Storyworth sent each week but there were other times when I rejected their prompt and made up one of my own. 

 

All in all I covered things like my early life, my kids and grandkids, my teaching career, my political and religious views, my days in the army, my family growing up and the one my wife and I created and  a variety of odds and ends that I’ll not list here since you may have already read them if not in Volume One then in this book. 

 

I was offered an opportunity to subscribe for yet another year’s worth of stories but I honestly don’t think I can come up with anything fresh.  After a while things would get repetitive so I will end it here.  On the other hand if you wanted to keep current on what’s going on in my head just check in on my blog spot from time to time.  It can be found at http://gstockwell.blogspot.com.

 

This whole adventure served two purposes.  My first objective was to entertain those of my family and friends who wanted to read it and my second objective was strictly personal in the sense that this was a journey I wanted to take for myself.  I found myself being forced to reflect on things I hadn’t really thought about before or at least for a long time ago.  

 

Thanks to my wife who read all these pieces and offered suggestions and corrections where my memory failed me.  Thanks, too, to my children and grandchildren who offered suggestions for stories and who told me what they would like to read.  Now it’s time to find another activity.  

 

 

 

 

  

A Night At the Hospital

 In the slightly over 81 years that I've been around I've been hospitalized overnight just three times.  The first time was when I was 13 and it was to get my tonsils out.  The second time was in 2008.  I was in the hospital 4 days following kidney surgery.  The third time was this past Thursday-1 day ago.  

I had gone to my kidney doctor Thursday afternoon to discuss lab work.  In the course of his exam he noted a swelling of my right leg.  He was very concerned that I may have a blood clot so he sent me to the hospital right from his office.  I got to the emergency room at about 4:30.  By the time I actually got in to see someone and get examined and various tests evaluated it was 10 P.M. at which time it was determined that I had cellulitis.  Cellulitis is a bacterial skin infection that if caught early enough can be treated by oral antibiotics.   In my case my entire right leg was infected so they decided to admit me and give me a strong dose of antibiotics.  

I was not thrilled at the idea of being hospitalized to say the least.  My last experience in the hospital was not a happy one.  The nurses were nice enough but I found a lot to be lacking.  For example there were many times when I laid there in need of getting my dressings changed because the old ones were sopping wet and getting all over the sheets.  Also, when I did ask the nurses for medications I should have gotten they would tell me they'd check on it and that would be the last I'd hear of it.  There were other things too but you get the idea.

I am happy to report that this time around most things went much more smoothly.  I had a great nurse and assistant nurse  who checked on me frequently and generally followed up on things.  The only issue I had was confusion over what medications I was taking.  I gave my list of daily medications to practically every person who examined me and yet when it came time for me to take them they couldn't quite get it straight.  I never got my daily meds on Thursday.  I did however get most of them Friday morning.  I say most of them because there was one in particular I didn't get at all. No one could explain why.  So that's an area they need to work on.  But all in all this time around went much better than my last experience.  

Nevertheless, with any luck at all, that will be the last time I need to spend the night or nights in a hospital.

Hello March

About the Month of March

March is the 3rd month of the year and has 31 days.
Full Moon-March 25th
Season (Northern Hemisphere): Spring

Holidays

Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Birthday)
Saint Patrick's Day
Pi Day
Daylight Saving Day
Women's History Month
National Nutrition Month
American Red Cross Month
Fire Prevention Month

Symbols of March

• Birthstone: aquamarine and bloodstone
• Flower: daffodil
• Zodiac signs: Pisces and Aries

History:

The name March comes from the Roman god of war, Mars. For many years, March, being the start of spring, was also the start of the New Year. Much of Europe used March as the start of the year. Britain used March 25th as the beginning of the New Year until 1752.

Interesting Facts about March

• It is the first month of Spring which begins between March 19-21.
• In the Southern Hemisphere, March is the same as September in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Each year March and June end on the same day of the week.
• It is the time of year when animals start to wake up from hibernation.
• March Madness is a basketball tournament played by the NCAA.
• Easter is sometimes celebrated in March.
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End of the road

For those of you who have been following my web site, georgeswebpage.com, your next visit there will see the notice I have posted below.  It is self explanatory so I won't elaborate further only to say this blog spot that you're reading now will remain active so I look forward to your visits.  

Thank you for your loyalty to my web site. Much of what you saw there will be transferred to this web site but not all of it.  Many of the pictures on my web site have been there a very long time so it's time to retire them and replace them with others. 

See you soon. 

Story 46: What would you want to be famous for?

As promised here's another example of the kinds of questions I'm sent by Storyworth.  I almost rejected this one but decided I'd give it a whirl.  I hope you like it. I'm almost done with Volume II of the book.  I have 4 more stories to go to total 50.

Story 46:  What would you want to be famous for?

 

Interesting question this week. Quite frankly I am not in the least bit interested in being famous-or infamous-for anything.  I’m just not comfortable in the limelight. So why did I decide to take this question? Well, as Andy Warhol is said to have quoted, everyone gets 15 minutes of fame so if that’s the case I might as well choose what it’s going to be for, right?

 

I have no athletic skills so I wouldn’t be a famous sports figure.  I can’t sing or act so that’s out.  I’m certainly not a politician so you’ll never be reading or hearing about a Senator or President Stockwell.  Even if I could wiggle my nose and presto I was one of those things, I still wouldn’t want it.  I guess when all is said and done the one thing I’d most want to be famous for is my philanthropy.  Someone like Andrew Carnegie or Warren Buffett or Bill Gates. I would like to be known for using my vast fortune to make the world a better place for others.

 

There is no shortage of ways to spend millions upon millions of dollars for the betterment of humanity.  I would start right here in the United States.  Think about it. Just in the area of health care alone you could wipe out a fortune.  There are so many people who can’t afford the care they need in spite of the government’s insistence that there is a safety net in place to care for those who can’t afford effective health insurance.  Think about the many times you hear about someone who needs a certain medicine or an operation but can’t afford them so they go without.

 

So that’s where I would start.  The only thing is I wouldn’t want my fortune to be the result of harmful acts.  For example when Alfred Nobel invented dynamite it was intended to be for use in the mining industry but it wasn’t long before others figured out you could also use it to make weapons.  And then there are those who used ruthless business practices to the detriment of others to amass their fortunes but later decided to use their money for good causes.  I need my fortune to be the result of intelligent investing or something like that. 

 

So there you have it-philanthropy.  Just remember to spell my name correctly when they put the monument of me next to the Lincoln Memorial.   

                             

Hello, February

 February is the 2nd month of the year and has 28 or 29 days. The 29th day is every 4 years during leap year.

Season (Northern Hemisphere): Winter
Full moon-Feb 24th

Holidays

Chinese New Year
National Freedom Day
Groundhog Day
Valentine's Day
President's Day
Mardi Gras
Ash Wednesday
Black History Month
American Heart Month
Chocolate Lover's Month
National Bird Feeding Month
National Dental Month

Symbols of February:

• Birthstone: Amethyst
• Flower: Primrose
• Zodiac signs: Aquarius and Pisces

History:

February was added to the Roman calendar in 713 BC. The length of the month changed over time and, at one time, it had as few as 23 days. When Julius Caesar remade the Roman calendar, the month was assigned 28 days during normal years and 29 days during leap years which occurred every four years.

Interesting Facts about February

• It is the shortest month of the year.
• The Welsh call February "y mis bach" which means "little month".
• It is the third month of winter.
• In the Southern Hemisphere February is a summer month the equivalent of August.
• The month is named for the Latin word februum which means purification.
• Together with January, it was the last of the months added to the Roman calendar.
• The largest American sporting event of the year, the Super Bowl, is held in February.
• The Saxon term for the month, Sol-monath, means "cake month". This is because they offered cakes to the gods during this month.

 

Story 45: Coming up

I just finished story number 44 of Volume Two.  Tomorrow morning (Monday, Jan. 22, 2024) I will receive the question for story number 45 of my book.  I probably won't like the question or I will probably have received it when I did Volume One of my book so I've chosen a new question.  Here it is: Story 45: What's your idea of a perfect day?

I have 5 stories/questions/chapters to go at which time I'll begin the time consuming process of editing all 50.  I usually edit them as I go along but I often miss something so I need to do it again.

At this point you're probably wondering what in the world I'm talking about.  Well, let me explain.  Two years ago my son and daughter-in-law got me a Christmas gift in the form of a subscription to a service called Storyworth.  What they do is send you a question every week about some aspect of your life.  The written answer to that question becomes a chapter in what is ultimately a book.  After 52 weeks and after all the editing is done you get to pick out a cover design and a couple of weeks later you get your book.

After answering 52 questions about yourself, you actually end up with an autobiography.  It's a fun process and it really makes you think about your life. 

If you like to write and if you're looking for an interesting activity this may be for you.  Log on to Storyworth.com and check it out.  

Here's a picture of Volume One of my book.

    

End of Year Report

I like to keep track of things.  I don't know why. It's just one of those many weird things I do.  For example I keep track of how much fuel oil and propane we use every year and I keep track of how much fuel our cars use.  I do that last one mostly because by doing that I discovered a certain gas station was stealing our credit card information and I was able to stop it.  

Another thing I keep track of is all the books I read through out the year.  Strange, isn't it? I mean who cares how many books you've read? No one,  but I do anyway. So here's my end of year report on the books I've read.  The total is 31.  They are all fiction.  I have to admit. I'm not big on non fiction.  That's not to say  I've never read non fiction but I just prefer fiction-especially historical fictional.

So for my favorite book of 2023 the honors go to The Parisians by Marius Gabriel.  It is a World War Two era novel about people struggling to survive the Nazi occupation of Paris.  Like many of the books I've read about World War Two, it focuses on the hardships of civilians as opposed to those of the soldiers.  

Now it's 2024 and I'm just finishing a book I started toward the end of 2023 so I have to pick my next book.  I'm not sure what it's going to be so stay tuned.

Hello January & Mercifully 2024!

 Good bye and good riddance to 2023.  It has been a generally miserable year.  Yeah, yeah, it could have been worse.  After all here I am sitting here writing this but still it could have been a heck of a lot better.  The weather stunk, there were numerous health issues with my wife and myself and it closed out with family disruptions.  So my expectations for 2024 are quite high.  Don't let me down!

Here're the usual tidbits about the new month of January.  

January is the 1st month of the year and has 31 days.

Season (Northern Hemisphere): Winter

Holidays

New Years Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Australia Day
National Book Month
National Thank You Month
National Eye Care Month
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month
National Soup Month

Symbols of January:

• Birthstone: Garnet
• Flower: Carnation
• Zodiac signs: Capricorn and Aquarius

History:

January was named after the Roman god Janus. Janus is also the Roman word for door. The god Janus had two faces which allowed him to look forwards into the coming year and backwards into the past year.

The original Roman calendar only had 10 months. January and February were not included, but were added later.

January in Other Languages

• Chinese (Mandarin) - yiyuè
• Danish - januar
• Italian - gennaio
• Latin - Ianuarius
• French - janvier
• Spanish - enero

Historical Names:

• Roman: Januarius
• Saxon: Giuli
• Germanic: Schnee-mond (Snow month)

Interesting Facts about January

• On average, it is the coldest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
• It is the second month of winter.
• In the Southern Hemisphere January is a summer month the equivalent of July.
• Sometimes the Saxons called January the wolf month because hungry wolves would come into their towns searching for food this time of year.
• For a long period of European history, the start of the New Year occurred in March.
  

A Sad Day

 Today is the 11th anniversary of the Sandy Hook School shooting tragedy. Twenty one children and six adult staff members were killed.  When I got the news of this horrific event I was in the waiting room of my kidney doctor's office.  A nurse came in and said to me "didn't you teach at Sandy Hook?" I replied I did.  She told me to go to the outer waiting room and look at the TV.  

That happened at about 9:30 in the morning so events were unfolding.  I went ahead with my appointment and rushed home after too watch events unfold on TV.  It ended up being the worst day of my life and I'm 80.

What's been done since then to address the issue of gun violence?  Nothing.  It is this country's greatest failure.  Is there cause for optimism over the coming year or two?  None.  Not as long as we have a House of Representatives controlled by republicans.  

So onward we go, into the future, proudly wearing our guns on our belts. 

Welcome December

About December

 About the Month of December

December is the 12th month of the year and has 31 days.

Season (Northern Hemisphere): Winter

Holidays

Pearl Harbor Day
Hanukkah
Christmas
Boxing Day
Kwanzaa
Read a New Book Month
Human Rights Month
Calendar Awareness Month
National Handwashing Awareness Week
National Fruit Cake Month

Symbols of December

• Birthstone: Turquoise, zircon, or tanzanite
• Flower: Narcissus or Holly
• Zodiac signs: Sagittarius or Capricorn

History:

December was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar. It gets its name from the Latin word "decem" which means tenth. However, when the Romans added January and February to the calendar, it became the twelfth month. They still kept the name, though.

December in Other Languages

• Chinese (Mandarin) - shí'èryuè
• Danish - december
• French - décembre
• Italian - dicembre
• Latin - December
• Spanish - diciembre
  

 

Historical Names:

• Roman: December
• Saxon: Giuli
•  Germanic: Heil-mond (Holy month)

 

Interesting Facts about December

• It is the first month of winter and the last month of the year.
• National Cookie Day is December 4th. Other snacks celebrated this month include pie, cotton candy, chocolate brownies (mmm!), cocoa, and cupcakes.
• December often marks the beginning of rain, snow, and cold weather.
• In the United States the month is associated with Christmas. There are Christmas decorations, sales, musicals, and parties. Many people spend their time Christmas shopping.
• A lot of people have days off around Christmas and before New Year's Eve.
• December in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to June in the Southern Hemisphere.
• The first day of Winter is on either December 21 or 22. This is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. It is called the Winter or Southern solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

 

November 23, 2023

Today is Thanksgiving.  Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.  It marks the 57th Thanksgiving that my wife, Sandi,  and I have been together.  

It is also noteworthy for two other sad reasons.  First it was 60 years ago yesterday that President Kennedy was assassinated.  On that day I was working at my desk at the Bridgeport Brass Co.  Arlene, our secretary, came in with tears streaming down her face announcing the news.

Finally it has been 49 years ago today that Sandi's brother Ricky was killed in a hunting accident surrounded by mysterious circumstances.  No one came forward to admit it and nothing more was ever found out about it. 

Good bye for now.

I was just sitting here looking over my calendar on my computer and I discovered that the first two weeks of November have been marked by:

Three visits to a vascular surgeon

Two visits to a blood lab

A visit to an eye doctor

A visit to my primary care MD

A visit to an infusion center

A visit to my kidney doctor

That's a total of nine medically related appointments in 14 days. On top of that I'm on so many medications I have to keep a paper listing them in my wallet so every time I'm asked what meds I'm on I pull it out and read from it. 

 It's not that I'm critically sick or falling apart. It's just that I need to stay on top of things or I will be falling apart.  Such is life at 80 years old.  

Of course, I'm not alone in this constant battle to stay somewhat fit.  Many of my friends are fighting the same fight. And the fact is I will never be totally free of some sort of medical issue.  That's just the way it is. 

So what should a person do to deal with this?  Simple. Just keep going.   What else can you do?   The alternative is not very pleasant so it all goes down to my life motto: keep calm and carry on. And to anyone else who is dealing with the same issues, I would give you the same advice. 

Hello, November

 About November

 Holidays

Veterans Day
World Diabetes Day
Thanksgiving
American Indian Heritage Month
Good Nutrition Month
Aviation Month
American Diabetes Awareness Month
National Stamp Collecting Month
National Peanut Butter Lover's Month

Symbols of November

• Birthstone: Topaz and citrine
• Flower: Chrysanthemum
• Zodiac signs: Scorpio and Sagittarius

History:

In the original Roman calendar, November was the ninth month of the year. It got its name from the Latin word "novem" which means nine. However, it became the eleventh month when the Romans added in January and February to the start of the year.

Throughout much of history, November has often been thought of as a somber month because it signaled the start of winter. People would spend the month storing up their harvest and preparing their food and homes in order to survive the winter.

 

Interesting Facts about November

• It is the last month of the Fall season.
• November in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to May in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Elections are held in the United States on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
• The third Thursday of November is the Great American Smokeout. Smokers are encouraged by the American Cancer Society to stop smoking on this day.
• Some Christian churches celebrate All Saint's Day on the first day of November and All Souls Day on the 2nd.
• American football is the main sport watched in the United States during this month.
• Most, if not all, of the leaves have fallen off the trees by the end of November.
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