2013 The Year of Things Breaking

   The Sentinel  A Little Fact and a Little Fiction

This is just off the top of my head, but the year has not been good as far as repairs go. So far in the last 12 months we had a two recalls on the car, both chain saws have broken down, the batteries for my DeWalt tools have all crapped out, all three mowers have had constant breakdowns, the kitchen drain has been leaking, the kitchen faucet has cracked, the cell phone quit working, the bedroom ceiling has cracked, a hole in the basement foundation has allowed mice and then snakes into the basement, both lawn mower batteries died, the truck has had a series of problems, a new roof leak has cropped up, the paint on the deck has all peeled off, several of the window sills have rotted out and the desktop computer has faltered. That said, things are not so bad, we are still together and will be through our 50^thanniversary on January 11 of 2014.

We have been together through thick and thin, naval separations, heartaches and more good times than anyone deserves. I consider myself the luckiest man alive. I have a wonderful wife, daughter, son-in-law, in-laws, grandchild, friends and a lot of good luck, except at the casino lately, but that is sure to turn around there.

I see a lot of things on Twitter and Facebook that makes me sad for young folks and all I can do is hope that things turn around for them. If I may pontificate for a moment, the best thing in life is having someone you love and someone who loves you. Joyce and I have been through lean times, remodeling and moves that didn’t work out so well, but we survived and are still in love. I take no credit for that; it was all pure luck on my part, but I have tried to make it even better in recent years and I think that is what it takes to make a marriage work. I understand some marriages can never work and that a person has to just cut ties and get away. That is where I have been so lucky. 49 and ¾ years and I would not change a single day. Mistakes made are opportunities to improve and I have had a lot of chances to improve.

The house and equipment may be falling down, but I am getting better and Joyce, well she has always been wonderful.