Getting Older - Not for Sissies!

It Ain't Over 'til it's Over! 

(Brought to you AI-free)

I have wanted to create a post with no politics, philosophy, economics or (alleged) humor for quite a while; just a post about the vagaries of life. Some time ago in my internet wanderings, I stumbled upon the question/answer social media site Quara. Among the many political arguments, er, discussions, I discovered responses by older Quara users to two different questions: one was for positive things about aging and the other the opposite. 

Bingo, I had my topic! 

Of course, it happens to everyone but if you’re like me it seems like one day it just sneaked up on me on little cat’s feet  – and pee'd on my shoes!  Anyway, it is something I, for better or worse, have first hand experience with (and strong opinions about.) 

As an aside, one of my daughters has a PhD in Gerontology (yahoo!) so Dear Leader gets lots of positive vibes and reinforcement in this whole aging thing - thanks only to her infinite patience with me. (Mostly it helps.)

In any event, I think you will find these answers to be pretty thoughtful with several positive jewels even in those responses that are decidedly on the less happy side of things. I also found that sometimes it was hard to tell which responses are which. 

With difficulty I've pruned it down to a total of 13. (It's a slightly longer read than usual but I think worth it.)

Just be prepared for honesty!

 

1. "You age on the outside but forget to age on the inside. It's like those movies where a young person and an old person change bodies. Imagine you wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and see a 70-year-old 'you' looking back. How would you feel? That's exactly like being old. The person inside is still you. You haven't changed your sense of self. You still expect the same things of yourself. It's just that the world sees you in a completely different way."

More socially aware. You don't live in the me-me-me bubble of youth anymore. You recognize that other people actually exist (barring certain perceptual disabilities). You are more considerate and aware of other peoples' requirements. Relationships change. You are more patient. You try to keep surpluses of things, just in case someone you care about would need them (food, money, umbrellas, manners, tissues...)

Robert L.

2. Nothing and no one can make anyone else happy. Happiness has to come from within … it’s like a birthright, but it’s our choice whether to accept it.

Can we —will we, allow ourselves to feel happy?

I’m 73 and I’ve found a lot of things to feel happy about. I have to be honest though. I’m much easier to please now than when I was younger and that makes a big difference. One reason is, expectations change as we age. We have less to stress and worry over. We aren’t trying to impress anyone, or climb never-ending rungs on a success ladder, or trying to keep up with the Joneses, Smiths, or anyone else.

We accept and even like who we are. We’ve come a long way, baby. The road was hard a lot of the time —want to see the bruises? But we did it. We made it and we can pass the baton to the next generation. Like a snowball rolling down a hill picking up speed and gathering more snow, we’ve picked up a lot of wisdom along the way. We’re here to help if they need it, happy to share what we’ve learned.

CJ Heck

3. "Do you want to know what really makes me angry about getting old? It's not being young anymore. This is the cruelest trick nature has up its sleeve, and you don't find out about it until you get there. At that point, it's too late to do anything about it. You have all the wisdom in the world, but no one wants to listen to an old person."

"You become invisible to every man, woman, and child on the planet. Younger people want us to go away because they don't want to look at their future. We thought we were always going to be young. We thought it was never going to happen to us, but it does. Sadly, it will happen to you too.

Cyndi P.

4. I've been advised to 'keep busy' (until I die?) and treated as if I'm out of the loop technically and socially. Expectations about my mental and physical ability have dropped with no reasonable cause. I find I'm justifying myself constantly (more push-ups in the gym, etc — which, I guess, isn't so bad)."

Seems I’ve traded sexism for age-ism. Feels the same to me. The fight never ends.

Now that sucks. But here’s three little words for anyone painting my age group one colour with a big fat brush:

Bring. It. On.

Bonnie L. Canadian

5. "Old lady arms. You know, that dimply, loose skin that just hangs around even though I'm thin. I also miss my natural red hair, but that's not a huge deal, and I don't mind a few wrinkles. But I absolutely HATE not feeling comfortable in sleeveless clothing!"

Vickie B Retired Program Manager

6. I am 92 with fair health. I love getting up in the morning when I want. I love spending half hour in the bathtub reading a magazine. If I want breakfast, I will make toast and coffee. Then I get into my car to go to a nearby store to walk slowly through the aisles. Sometimes I buy something I need, and I also stop to talk with many friends I have made.

So try to treasure every person you know; any time you see them, it may be the last!"

Lillian T 

7. There isn’t enough room here to list everything that sucks about getting old. It would be simpler to discuss what is good about it. First and foremost, added wisdom and experience in life. Plus, and this may be more true for men - you learn how to control yourself. The human being I am in my 50s is a million times better than the human being I was in my 20s.

Joy H

8. For me, real happiness in the life of a senior citizen may be brought by being accepted and loved unconditionally. Loved ones spoiling you on special occasions and being given warm hugs.

I have observed how society treats senior citizens. Other people become impatient and less tolerant when dealing with senior citizens. They’re not even assisted whether in the street or shop when they’re slow or struggling with something.

TLC is what I think will bring happiness in life of most senior citizens. I say most; because other senior citizens may outrightly draw boundaries because of past traumas and no amount of love given to them will bring happiness.

Roseline P

9. There is a whole spectrum of answers to this question. The “younger” old will have a different perspective from elderly contributors, but following some context, I'll provide my short list.

If you haven't already said goodbye to every relative from the previous generation, you will soon. You are now part of the oldest generation in your family. Along with those losses, unrecorded family history is gone forever. For instance: there are family events from the early 1960s that I have vague recollections of, but there is no way to get a concurrence regarding those memories. Grandma, Mom, Dad, and various aunts/uncles who may have been there are all gone.

Michael D

10. "Your memory fades. By noon, I can't recall what I had for breakfast!"

Jon P.

11. The first thing I think brings happiness to anyone is their health, not just the absence of sickness but those days when we just feel good. The young have many of those days and tend to take them for granted. But for the elderly, who often develop chronic pain as they age, a good day is one with little or no pain. Another welcome thing is a feeling of energy and “I feel like doing this today”, instead of the fatigue that often increases with age. Also, older folks tend to feel sick more often, whether that be nausea or dizziness or maybe the feeling when they get constipated and wish they could go. When anyone has a day when they just feel good and want to go and do, that is a sweet day, and especially so for the elderly who might not get a lot of days like that.

The second thing that brings real happiness is what others noted — people contacts and feeling loved. Everyone needs others to care about and feel cared for. There is a security and contentment in being important to someone who comes to spend time with you, to talk and share simple pleasures.

Bob T

12. "One of the most frustrating things about becoming an older woman is that you become almost 'invisible' to people, especially to most men. When we are young women (20s to 30s), men pay a great deal of attention to us because of how we look. Our level of sexual attractiveness indicates whether a man will look twice or dismiss us as uninteresting and not worth investing time with. As a young woman, it's hard to imagine that the day will come when men won't flirt with us anymore, or at least not like they used to."

"The thing everyone discovers is that we feel exactly like the same young woman on the inside; it's the outside of our body that reminds us that we aren't young anymore. It's looking in the mirror and finding yourself saying, 'When the hell did THAT happen?!" 

Rather than be the rule, it's the rare man who is interested in a woman that is his age (or plus) who is considered older and mature. But for those who do, I say thank you for looking at the real woman and not the facade of a perfect body and unwrinkled face.

India M, Author

13. "I'm almost 68 and amazed at how fast it happens. In the past year, I can't believe how much I have aged. And my body isn't as strong or resilient as it was just a year ago. The hardest part for me is looking in the mirror. Maybe it's vanity, but I miss seeing a youthful face. Now, wrinkles and spots have taken over. Not to be a total downer — my mind is in good shape. I'm still interested in many things, I like to learn, and I would love to travel. I have a long bucket list but I'm not sure this body could keep up. I was better at being young."

Louise P

Touching, sad, funny, insightful - that’s a lot of soul-baring which is one of the common themes here, being truthful. Health concerns, loss and remembrance. And of course, love and loneliness. Also, can't forget the change in our personal appearance – or response by others to that change - crops up a lot, most notably by a few women. Ah geez, our society . . .

Immortal

 Vanity crops up in certain guys too (Not me of course)

        

50 yrs later, definitely Mortal

      

        Yet no one escapes the ravages of time:                          that's a lot of forehead, Bunky - arrggh!           

          

                     My ship of old fools (two of whom have since gone to the big air base in the sky)                           Believe me, I know I'm lucky to have them.

 

Only friendship looks the same after all these years!

One of us denies dyeing their hair . . .

On the other hand, I also sense a comfortable acceptance of life by my peers on this latter part of our journey. Proving once again that one should never underestimate the will to live by we humans.

(Besides, the alternative to getting older is not very enticing.) 

I was surprised, however, that none of these folks identified music and musicians from their era as something important to them, it certainly is to me!  

I leave you with this positive vibe:

Many surveys have found that happiness and overall satisfaction in life almost double between the ages of 40 and 70. One theory is that when you’re young you are rather anxious for achieving personal and occupational goals and a sense of success in life but when your older, you realize that’s mostly all bullshit and just enjoy each day as it comes along. Friends, family and golf - enjoy the ride, folks, it’s only one you get!

39 Days to the election

NOTE: I promise a very positive post before the election. (No promises after that depending on the outcome.)

Old Man    Neil Young

100 Years    Five for Fighting

Cats in ther Cradle    Harry Chapin

A View Askew Post With AI . . .

 

  . . . Actual Intelligence?

Much to my chagrin, a while ago my oldest daughter suggested that I give ChatGPT (AI) a try. After my damaged ego recovered, I decided to give it a whirl.

It's very simple. You put in what you are thinking about or want to write about and within seconds it produces a paper that covers your ideas with facts and info that it has quickly researched. (No wonder it's so popular with college kids.)

For this test I thought I'd use a theory that I've been kicking around for a while; here’s the gist of what I put in:

In a nutshell, my theory is that over the past roughly 40 years, as we watched the middle class get whittled down, prices on most everything have been set more and more by those of us in upper income levels maybe the top 20% - okay, the bottom half of the top 20% - and some help from misguided from government policies. The result is the price of houses, cars, rent, education, restaurants – really most things that everybody needs - have gone "upscale" much faster than "middle class" incomes have.

For most of my life there were plenty of jobs, from crappy parttime ones for teenagers and college kids to decent paying factory jobs. Obviously, there were people who made more money, had nicer homes and cars and clothes but essentially most families had a place to live, clean clothes, food to eat - and a TV! It wasn't nirvana but people seemed to get along – with the understanding that they COULD get ahead with hard work and effort. You know, so-called "meritocracy." 

1980 Median priced home - $50,000    Median family income - $26,000

Disclaimer: This from a kid from in a distinctly "working class" white family in a small, all-white midwestern town (and I never lived in a house like this.)

2023 median priced home - $350,000  Median in come - $74,380

                                     Let's see: 1980 2Xfamily  income

                   2023 4.7X income - Hmmm 

More and more jobs are service industry - or stupid gig jobs - with relatively low pay and benefits, putting many of those important things out of reach for a lot of our hard working fellow Americans. At the same time, those of us that are financially comfortable have become used to taking our pricing power for granted. Is that starting to change?

1980's beer - 3+ bucks/6 pack (Real man's beer)

Today's Beer - 10 bucks/BEER!
(Yeah I know better beer - blah blah blah)

Demographics, climate change and societal upheaval seem to be forcing changes in the economy and causing all kinds to cost pressures. From fast food wages to lawn care to property taxes and homeowner insurance, it’s starting to bite for all of us.

It seems a lot of chickens are coming home to roost. Things that we have neglected for many years like highways, sewer and water lines, bridges, powerlines, airports – need trillions of dollars for updating. (And I haven’t even mentioned the trillion/year federal deficit we've been running for years or the $35 trillion in debt, most of which has kept the economy afloat.) 

What think thee, Chat GPT?

So I put this into the magic machine and here is what Chat spit out in about 15 seconds.

(BTW you don't need to read every word to be impressed with it.)

Economic Shifts and Class Mobility: You’re highlighting a shift from a more stable economic environment where many people felt they had a fair shot at success to a situation where it seems harder to achieve and maintain that stability. This shift has been particularly pronounced over the last few decades. The middle class, once a pillar of American prosperity, has indeed been shrinking, and the disparity between the wealthy and everyone else has widened. Many factors contribute to this, including globalization, technological advances, and policy decisions.

Job Market Changes: The shift from manufacturing and industrial jobs to service-oriented and gig economy roles has created a scenario where many jobs pay less and offer fewer benefits. This shift has affected economic security for many working-class and middle-class families. Jobs that once provided a solid middle-class income and benefits have become scarcer or have been replaced by lower-paying service roles.

Price Inflation and Economic Access: As you've pointed out, prices for housing, education, healthcare, and other essentials have increased significantly, often outpacing wage growth. This has made it harder for many Americans to access these basic needs. The middle class’s diminishing purchasing power is a key factor here, as more wealth has concentrated at the top, allowing those with the most money to set higher prices.

Job Market Changes: The shift from manufacturing and industrial jobs to service-oriented and gig economy roles has created a scenario where many jobs pay less and offer fewer benefits. This shift has affected economic security for many working-class and middle-class families. Jobs that once provided a solid middle-class income and benefits have become scarcer or have been replaced by lower-paying service roles.

Meritocracy and Economic Realities: The idea of meritocracy—that hard work and talent should lead to success—has been increasingly challenged by the reality of economic disparities. While it remains a powerful motivator, the system often doesn't account for the structural barriers and unequal starting points many face.

Changing Economic Pressures: You're right that increasing costs are beginning to affect even those who have been relatively insulated from financial strain. As you mention, demographic changes, climate change, and other societal shifts are driving up costs and creating new economic pressures. This can lead to a broader realization of economic vulnerability among people who previously felt secure.

In summary, your reflections touch on a broader reality: the economic environment has indeed changed in ways that make it harder for many to maintain the same standard of living or upward mobility that previous generations experienced. This change is driven by a complex mix of factors, including economic policies, global trends, and structural changes in the job market and pricing dynamics. The sense of security and stability that once characterized American life is evolving, and it's important to recognize and address these shifts to better understand and navigate the current economic landscape.

Ah, its okay I guess. It's very academic language isn't as much fun but you can't argue with its precision and good grammar. (Now to play around and see how LITTLE I need to put in to get decent results)

I guess we should ask if it supports my theory. 

The answer is maybe but I'm not so sure. Perhaps this has always been the way it works except now the gap between the classes is so much bigger. Or maybe there's more people in the lower income brackets so it's more glaring. I don't know but something is screwed up. 

The more important question might be: can those folks move up without us moving down? (No answer from ChatGPT on that.) I guess we'll find out. Anyway that's my - and Chat's - theory. (You can get your own.) 

If you're interested it's free, give it a try.

PS 

I hope you don't like Chat more than me. (If so you're out of luck.)

(72 Days until the election)

For the Love of Money    The O'Jays

Money     Pink Floyd

The Lament for August

One of the Saddest Months? 

That's me in the blue shirt 

First a big thank you! My last post regarding the Constitution had among the most readers of any one in my many years of posting. There must have been some serious sharing and I greatly appreciate it.

And now for something completely different . . .

What is that I smell in the August air? Could it be Pronto Pups and cheese curds? Yes, the State Fair must be just around the corner! (And with it the first hint of winter?) Sorry, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, there’s enough time to lament the cold scourge coming for us Minnesotan's. First, let’s talk about one of my least favorite months of the year (and coincidentally the second consecutive one named after a Roman emperor.)

Why is that you may ask (but probably shouldn’t?) Well, let me tell you how summer goes. 

First is lovely May; nice weather and no bugs. Then June, the first real month of summer. The weather is (usually) very pleasant, flowers in full bloom and the smell of newly cut green grass. Then July comes along and we really crank up the activities outside, 4th of July, the weather is nice and warm - the heart of summer with everybody smiling. Then, slowly the calendar turns and step by step . . .

We start to get tired of hot, muggy weather. As the month wears on, mowing the grass becomes more and more of a pain in the arse. We are picnicked out, kids are bored, lakes turn yucky - and we start to look forward to the cool breezes of September. (While trying to forget the first hint of colored leaves.)

Then, of course, summer is over and it's winter solstice here we come.

In an effort to generate some sympathy and love for August, let us look at some interesting factoids about this desultory month - with helpful comments by moi.

August 1, 1944 - Anne Frank penned her last entry into her diary. Three days later, Anne and her family were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. Anne died at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on March 15, 1945, at age 15. There are some people who feel that the book, “Anne Frank’s Diary,” should be banned. (Too depressing? To explicit? Only in America.) Those people should be banned!  If you go to Amsterdam the Anne Frank House is a must see.

Anne Frank House - Eight people hid on the top floors of the annex indoors for two freaking years before being ratted out and killed.

Birthday - Star-Spangled Banner author Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) was born in Frederick County, Maryland. Some years later he wrote the poem originally entitled Defense of Fort McHenry which became the U.S. National Anthem in 1931. Little did he know that The Star Spangled Banner would turn into a song so stinking difficult to sing that it would embarrass many great singers at the start of countless football games (and apparently some drunk ones too.)

Birthday - Moby Dick author Herman Melville (1819-1891) was born in New York. I guess they had a whale of party for little Herman! (I'm sorry, that's uncalled for and I don't have a leg to stand on for an excuse.) 

August 2, 1776 - In Philadelphia, most of the 55 members of the Continental Congress signed the parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence. Hey, wait a minute, wait a minute - MOST signed? Also, we've been shooting off fireworks a month too early?!

August 2, 1939 - Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt concerning the possibility of atomic weapons. "A single bomb of this type carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory." Einstein, known for understatement, just said: E=mc squared 

Most of us would say, Holy $#@t, it's a REALLY big bomb!

August 3, 1492 - Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three ships, Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. Seeking a westerly route to the Far East, he instead landed on October 12th in the Bahamas, thinking it was an outlying Japanese island. The folks in the Bahamas REALLY wished he had landed in Japan.

Birthday - Gray Panthers founder Maggie Kuhn (1905-1995) was born in Buffalo, New York. After she was forced into mandatory retirement at age 65, she founded the Gray Panthers organization to fight age discrimination and succeeded in the banning of mandatory retirement in most professions. Sadly, this was taken to heart by countless American politicians.

August 4

Birthday - Barack Obama the 44th U.S. President was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1961. Yeah, right, like he’s really an American citizen.

(19 years later, Dear Leader's daughter no. 2 is born and a real citizen she is! Happy Birthday, MKP!)

 

"Don’t tax you. Don’t tax me. Tax the guy behind the tree."        LA Sen. Russell Long

August 5, 1861 - President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the first Federal income tax, a 3 percent tax on incomes over $800 Thus began whining by millionaires about taxation without owning representatives.

August 5, 2011 - Standard & Poor’s credit rating agency downgraded the United States debt from its highest rating of AAA to a lesser AA+ rating, marking the first-ever decline of credit worthiness for the U.S. The agency cited America’s $14 trillion in outstanding debt and ineffective political leadership regarding debt reduction. Ha ha ha, we laugh at $14 trillion today. Our political leadership is so much better - now it's $35 trillion!

August 6, 1965 - The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act suspended literacy, knowledge and character tests designed to keep African Americans from voting in the South. Almost 60 years later, a Supreme Court ruling said this act was no longer necessary in southern states. Trust them, they also fixed Roe V Wade and Presidential immunity.

Birthday - Penicillin discoverer Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) was born in Lochfield, Scotland. Many GIs later heaved a great sigh of relief.

August 7, 1964 - Following an attack on two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin off North Vietnam, the U.S. Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting President Lyndon B. Johnson authority "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States. The beginning of 1st "police action" and destination in a land far, far away in Dear Leader's military career. (Not to mention costing over 58,000 American lives.)

August 7, 1990 - Just five days after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, President George H. W. Bush ordered Desert Shield, a massive military buildup to prevent further Iraqi advances. 3rd – and final - Dear Leader police action. How about that for symmetry?! (2nd police action occurred in Panama in January of same year, so a twofer.)

      "Do you think this hat makes me look silly?"              "Of course not, dear" (Good answer!)

Birthday - International spy Mata Hari (1876-1917) was born (as Margaret Gertrude Zelle) in Leewarden, Netherlands. Arrested by the French in 1917 as a German spy, she was tried, convicted and sentenced to death. At her execution, she refused a blindfold and instead threw a kiss to the French firing squad. Sacr'e bleu, now zat is hutzpah!

August 8, 1945 - Soviet Russia declared war on Japan and sent troops into Japanese-held Manchuria. Very brave of them – right after the second atom bomb.

August 9, 1974 - Effective at noon, Richard M. Nixon resigned the presidency as a result of the Watergate scandal. Facing possible impeachment by Congress, he became the only U.S. President ever to resign. Today he might be slapped on the back by his party and encouraged to stay on.

August 11, 1841 - Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, spoke before an audience in the North for the first time. During an anti-slavery convention on Nantucket Island, he gave a powerful, emotional account of his life as a slave. He was immediately asked to become a full-time lecturer for the Massachusetts Antislavery Society. For some reason he did not give any speeches south of New York.

Grace Kelly

Eva Marie Saint

                    









                                                                                                      

 

                                                                                               

Tippi Hedren

 

Janet Leigh

Birthday - British film director Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) was born in London. His suspenseful films included classics such as The 39 Steps, Rebecca, Suspicion, Notorious, Rear Window, The Birds, Psycho and Frenzy, in addition to his American TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Just four of many - apparently old Al really preferred blonds. 

August 14, 1935 - President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act establishing the system which guarantees pensions to those who retire at age 65. Of course people died long before that back then - and some Republicans still think it’s a stupid idea.

Just imagine, many of these folks are sitting in a nursing home today trying to revisit this

August 15, 1969 - Woodstock began in a field near Yasgur's Farm at Bethel, New York. The three-day concert featured 24 rock bands and drew a crowd of more than 300,000 young people. Apparently, all were properly dressed, well behaved, and just enjoyed the music. Okay, with an occasional beer. And a joint. Naked. In the mud. 

August 16, 1977 - Elvis Presley was pronounced dead at the Memphis Baptist Hospital at 3:30 p.m., at age 42. A shame, his life went right down the toilet. (Again, sorry, I was just so flush with excitement to share.) 

August 17, 1998- Bill Clinton became the first sitting President to give testimony and then appeared on national television and gave a speech admitting he had engaged in an improper relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Then impeached, how quaint (and certainly the equal of trying to overturn an election, right?) 

Geez, I knew we shouldn't have ordered Mexican

Birthday - American frontiersman Davy Crockett (1786-1836) was born in Hawkins County, Tennessee. He perished at age 49 during the final heroic defense of the Alamo in Texas. He is said to have yelled out, “Man oh man, why did I remember the Alamo?!"

August 18, 1920 - The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote. The vote was very close. 89 Representatives and 25 Senators voted against it. Allegedly "Lysistrata" soon became a household word in 114 households. (I knew World Lit 101 would come in handy some day.)

BTW only REAL American women won the right to vote – white women.

August 19, 1934 - In Germany, a plebiscite was held in which 89.9 percent of German voters approved granting Chancellor Adolf Hitler additional powers, including the office of president. Gee, that sounds like a great idea – let’s do that here! Oh, that's right, SCOTUS is already trying.

Birthday - Bill Clinton, the 42nd U.S. President was born in Hope, Arkansas, August 19, 1946. He was the first President elected who was not alive during World War II. The first in a long line of “great” babyboomer presidents. As noted, he was also the first president (to be caught) doing something naughty in the White House.

August 21, 1959 - President Dwight D, Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Hawaii to the Union as the 50th state. Whew, lucky for Obama!

August 24, 1572 - Thousands of Protestant Huguenots were massacred in Paris and throughout France by Catholics, in what became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Obviously, those Huguenots made a big mistake; they were the wrong kind of Christian i.e. Protestants.

Birthday - American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Considered one of the finest conductors in American music history. 

     Lizzy, I've just met a girl named Lizzy . . . 

Say it loud and it's a crowd cheering, 

Say it soft and it's a putt I am fearing 

(Yes, everything comes back to golf.)

Birthday - American inventor Lee De Forest (1873-1961) was born at Council Bluffs, Iowa. He held hundreds of patents for inventions and was also a pioneer in the creation of wireless radio broadcasting and television. Iowa - always with the troublemakers.In a way you can blame him for the Kardashians, Big Brother, The Bachelor, and other reality shows

Birthday - Mother Teresa (1910-1997) was born (as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu) in Skopje, Yugoslavia. She founded a religious order of nuns in Calcutta, India, called the Missionaries of Charity and spent her life working to help the poor and sick of India. Despite all the good things she was responsible for, apparently she was personally one of the worst people in the world. Isn't life strange?

August 28, 1963 - The March on Washington occurred as over 250,000 attended a Civil Rights rally in Washington, D.C., at which Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his now-famous I Have a Dream speech. Almost matched on Jan 6, 2021 when thousands of proud patriots were encouraged to go visit the Capital and see if they could hang the Vice President.

Where wolf?

Birthday - Frankenstein author Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was born in London. Much later the sequel, "Young Frankenstein" was born and young men everywhere memorized many lines from the movie. Abbey. . .normal, anyone?

August 31, 1997 - Britain's Princess Diana died at age 36 from massive internal injuries suffered in a high-speed car crash, reportedly after being pursued by photographers. No Joke, what a stupid way to die - who knew that goofs with cameras could be so dangerous?

I'm sure you're sorry to see it end but that concludes this month's brief history and pop culture lesson. 

History is full of what Malcolm Gladwell calls “tipping points.” Those are, “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." After which massive change occurs. There were such times right before the Civil War, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, and perhaps with the internet too. If you look at some of the things that happened just in the month of August you can see how many of them were followed by change, maybe not massive but definitely important change. I would suggest that we are facing such a point soon and as with every other tipping point, it could change everything for better - or for worse.

For now, enjoy the remaining warm, decent weather. Don't even think about what's coming in quick succession: state fair, the autumn equinox, bagging leaves, Halloween, the election (ugh), Thanksgiving, and then greatest day of the year, the winter solstice, and of course Christmas. So don't worry about old Dear Leader, just go ahead and enjoy your August, I'll be fine. . .

(93 days until the election.)

A little Augustian music. . .

First Day in August     Carole King


Cold Wind in August     Van Morrison