Stuff

I have spent 16 hours volunteering this week at that place which I'm not allowed to talk about! Wouldn't you think that by spending that much time driving around the county picking up patients, spending hours and hours educating people about wildlife and then 7 hours today on my feet feeding and caring for poor defenseless animals that I would be able to mention the name of the place? Nope. So, those of you who used to read my blog know what I'm talking about. Those of you who are new to my blog--sorry, but I'm not allowed to talk about this place. But, despite all this, I still enjoy what I do and wouldn't give it up for anything--even if I can't talk about it!!! Also, no pictures. I have lots--just can't show them. Sorry.
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Our friend, Bob, was down visiting this past week. We had a ball and despite the weather turning cold and preventing us from doing a couple of things, he said he enjoyed his visit. We were going to take an Airboat ride but didn't think that zipping around a lake in 50 degree weather was to our liking. Then we decided that maybe we would go to see the Edison/Ford Winter Homes--but apparently so did everyone else in Lee County. No room to park and mile long lines so we decided against that. So, what did we do? We went to Walmart. Now where else should one take their guests who are visiting from the frigid north? We did buy some adult beverages though. We did have one really enjoyable evening where our friends, Steve and Diana, joined us and we went to the Osaka Japanese Restaurant. Great food and lots of laughs. From there we of course had to go to one of our favorite ice cream spots. And wouldn't you know that the day Bob left, the weather turned a lot warmer.
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I talked to our Japanese daughter on the phone today. I've mentioned her before. In fact I mentioned her in my son's birthday post. Juri came to live with us in 1983. She was an exchange student from Japan and was having problems with her host family. Our son, Dave, had become friends with her and asked if she could move in with us. She came to us Thanksgiving week and was with us until around the 4th of July. She went home to Japan for a couple of years then came back to attend the University of Toledo and then on to Parsons School of Design in NYC. She remained in NYC, met and married Rock, and is now an artist trying, like every other artist, to sell her works in this sagging economy. She is leaving on Monday to travel to Dubai for several weeks where she will have a one woman show as well as having some of her works in a group show. She will also be giving a lecture at the American University there. Hopefully, the economy isn't sagging quite as badly in Dubai!
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I'm really sad about the hockey team which I have followed for about 25 years now. Our son went to Bowling Green State University (the one from Ohio not Kentucky). While there, he got us hooked on college hockey. In 1984 BG won the NCAA National Title. From 1985 until I retired in 1998 we traveled all over the country following the team. We traveled to Maine twice, Toronto, Buffalo, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, the UP of Michigan to name a few. For years my hearing impaired students wrote weekly letters to each member of the team and made posters that were hung outside the locker room. Players would come and visit my classroom. Some of the players even got college credit for working in my class with my students. The coach, Jerry York (who is now head coach for Boston College and one of the winningest college hockey coaches in the country) even came to visit. I became friends with many of the players and their families. One of the players who I got to know pretty well, Dan Bylsma, was just named Interim Coach for the Pittsburg Penguins. Hockey was our life. But over the years the program has gone down hill to the point that they have finished in last place in the league 3 out of the last 4 years. There is even talk of doing away with the program. It really makes me sad that this once powerful team which was so much a part of my life has become so poor. I really, really hope that the university sees fit to keep the program, get rid of the current coach (a former BG player by the way) and hire someone who can lead this team back to where it once was.

So, there you have it. Just some stuff that has been on my mind today.