Grow a Spine

I hope you have been following the news lately about my adopted state, Arizona.

Arizona is not Illinois. There are few flat areas, few cornfields, and lots of mountains and HEAT!
Living in AZ during the summer, is kind of like taking up residence inside your oven for three months. "It's a dry heat." With a pool and some AC and a mountain of cool beverages, it is quite nice to see sun 340 days a year and not worry about tornadoes or governors being indicted.

Arizona is, however, under fire from just about every person who thinks that illegal immigration is the law of the land, including the President of the US. (POTUS) My state is suffering from unemployment like the rest of the country, a low economy like the rest of the country, and a bad housing market that was once the backbone of this area. What is has that the rest of the US does not, is a border that seems to be leaking illegals that come through the desert. What? Arizona is a border state? Just ask the member of the Milwaukee Board of Supervisors, Julie West. She will tell you that AZ is not a border state:

“If this was Texas, which is a state that is directly on the border with Mexico, and they were calling for a measure like this saying that they had a major issue with undocumented people flooding the borders, I would have to look twice at this. But this is a state that is a ways removed from the border.” (Yes, But However" website)

I think this goes to prove that those outside Arizona (and some inside) do not understand the law.

Even POTUS seems to have no clue when he okayed the filing of the lawsuit against Arizona, calling the law "a misguided law." He has promised troops for the border, but they have not materialized; he has promised to send his advisors for a meeting, that has not happened. (You know, I just thought the last sentence sounded a lot like part of the Declaration of Independence charges against George III!)

I long for the days of this country when people followed the law and entered the country through regular channels and became citizens the proper way. But now, the protocol seems to be to sneak into the country or overstay you visa and then possibly steal an ID, get work, live here illegally for a number of years, then ask to be forgiven and granted immunity from prosecution;given citizenship and then go on. OR...don't get citizenship, use up the social system money meant for citizens, then complain that the rest of the country is a racist and lacks compassion for your plight.

Immigrants to the US who came here via Ellis Island all saw the same poem on the plaque by the Lady Liberty, entitled "The New Colossus"

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus

The US Constitution does not mention immigration, and it has ignored the problem. Arizona has started the ball rolling to be sure that those who want a life here go through the proper channels and do not corrupt the process for those who have gone and who really want to later. What ever happened to immigration quotas? When did it become all right for visitors to come in the backdoor unannounced? Mark Twain once wrote, "Fish and visitors smell in three days." If we put that adage to use, then unannounced, unwanted, undocumented "visitors" also have a distinct odor and need to be thrown out.

Arizona does not believe in isolationism, nor does it want that for itself or the country. A depressed state does not need boycotts, it needs help. Some sister states are beginning to see that what Arizona is doing can make a difference. 70 percent of all Arizonans, and almost 55% of all Americans believe the same thing. For a country where majority rules, there does not seem to be many politicians listening.

It is time that the US government grows a spine and takes its responsibilities upon its back. That POTUS lives up to his oath of office. He tries to build another country halfway around the globe when his own backyard is being trashed by invaders.

Did we learn nothing from the lesson of the Romans?

Doughnut

Going Into The Home Stretch

Summer is officially halfway through! The Fourth of July is gone, Memorial Day has passed and now it is full speed ahead to Labor Day! As we peaked the hill and started the descent into fall, a look back on events so far may be in order.

Summer got off with a bang as the whole fam damily was around for Memorial Day weekend. June 1st saw my brother-in-law, Jim get his apartment in Tucson and move there to get himself in shape for his new prosthesis. Things there seem to be doing well, and he should be on the apparatus soon. Watching what he has gone through for the past year really has made me hesitant about healthcare. I mean, if the system treats vets the way it has him, what will be in store for the rest of us? I have gone from being an avid supporter to having a "wait and see" attitude.

June was a great month for doing nothing! The Valley warmed up quickly, and my tomato plants and Debi's yard are struggling. I had to move my plants three times to get them out of the sun. Growing things out here is not as easy as it is in the Midwest, and watering is sometimes a mystery. You can water too much and kill something, and you can water not enough and kill something.... used to think that heat was good for plants, but not here. I am still struggling to keep my four tomatoes growing to maturity.

Debi's lawn is another conundrum. We have spent well over 600 dollars on seed, fertilizer, and dirt. We have watered it, raked it, rolled it, and kept the dog off it. But we grow weeds, not grass. I know Bermuda grass looks like weeds, but these weeds seem to have mind of their own. They look nothing like grass, but rather Kudzu. At least the dog has something play in and does not roll around in dirt anymore!

My book has done well so far this summer. I don't know how many copies I have sold, but the comments I get from people makes me think that it is receiving good reviews from readers. I can't get the book into mainstream stores, though. The big publishers have a lock there, and just will not talk to independent publishers. Getting the book reviewed is also trouble. The Chicago Tribune Digital Editor promised to review it, or get someone to review it, but so far there is no response to my letters to her. To break even on this book, ( I paid to have it published) will take sales of about 1000 copies. I am told that if I have 800 copies sold, it will be doing well. When I go back on Labor Day to Hoopeston, I will be interviewed by WCIA in Champaign and by several radio stations. Let's hope that helps.

The blog has suffered this summer. And for that I apologize. But I will attempt to have regular postings on Tuesday and Friday, so it will be like a column. HMMM maybe some paper will be picking me up.....

See you in the funny papers!

Doughnut

Think of Friends this July 4

Friendships often fade with distance, but true friends pick up where they left off. That is the way with many of my friends when we get back together after years of separation. That is the way it was last week when my good friend, and editor, Susie Dayton, showed up on my patio.
Luckily for her I heard her voice before I tore off my shorts to get in the pool!

I entrusted Sus to edit my book "Growing Up Doughnut" (available at Amazon.com) because she was my friend, and because I knew she would do a good job. How did I know this even though we had not seen each other in over 40 years? We had talked on Facebook and on the phone a number of times and we kept acquainted, but we never got together. She had not changed, she was still silly, bright, and had that great sense of humor. Friends rarely disappoint us when we ask them to do something, and Susie did not disappoint when it came to the task for which she volunteered.

Others have stepped up also with advice and services as I struggle to get the book into mainstream bookstores. Scott Baer has helped make an audio interview for me that will soon be on this blog; Dr. Bill Gholson gave me guidance and direction and kept me on track; Andy Hudson, a former student, has agreed to carry the book in his drugstore; and Ursula (Roncevich) Baker, another former student, is helping with advice and footwork on marketing. Finally, all you former students from Paxton, Buckley, Loda, Roberts, Thawville, Clarence, and Morning Sun have bought the book. My hometown peeps of Hoopeston have responded with their purchases and have reaped praise upon me and the book.

Through the book, I have talked to friends from long ago and found them all to be successful whether they might be a Sgt. Major in the Marines, a doctor in Chicago, or a housewife in Hoopeston. They have all done what they wanted and are happy. That is all that I could want for them. That is what my book is about...friendship, growing, loving, losing, and remembering.

As we head into the 4th of July weekend, take a moment to stop and look around you. Look at what you have and what you had. You are in your life exactly where you are supposed to be, surrounded by the people that are supposed to be there.

This weekend, raise a glass to those you have known, and to those you will know; to those you knew and are gone and to those you don't know but are giving their all. When you watch those fireworks, and see that flag unfurled, I hope you get a tear in your eye and a lump in throat.

I always do.

Doughnut

SURPRISE!!!!

I love my wife. Throughout the 35 years+ we have been together, she has never ceased to amaze me. She has rarely surprised me, though. On Thursday, however, she accomplished a major surprise. It was major not because of what it was, but because of how many people were involved. Dorothy had to silence my two kids (no real problem, they love to get dad's goat), my good friend, Rick (he almost gave up the ghost), her best friend, Barb (This was easy, Barb forgot the moment after she was told.), my friend Susie (the object of the surprise), and Susie's sister, Louise (She lives in NC, so we rarely talk, except on Facebook.).

Dorothy started the big surprise on Father's Day by telling me that I was not to volunteer to be a docent at the AZ Capitol Museum on Mon-Thurs of next week. We were going away, but she would not tell me where. My kids faked cluelessness (hard for them), so I gave up trying to find out what the surprise was.

Yesterday I decided to clean the garage and straighten it up. We are having some friends from Hoopeston over on Saturday, and I wanted my garage clean in case we end up there. (Many nights in Hoopeston were spent in the garage sitting around). About half an hour into my task, Dorothy decides that she will help because she, "doesn't want me to get overcome by heat." (At 8AM it was already 90.) Then, out of the blue, my son calls and offers to have me go with him and get his new Iphone4, then he enticed me with the offer of a free lunch at my favorite Greek place, "The Greek Pita" on Thunderbird, just one block west of I-17. (did you get the advertisement for them? I lost my wallet there, and Nadia found it and returned it to my house!)

When we came back, I went out to the patio to get my regular glasses, and sitting there was Susie Dayton, the person who had edited my book, and a good friend whom I have not seen in about 40 years! My wife had arranged for her to come to the valley, spend a week with us, and just hang!

This began me thinking about friends, loves, yesterday. So, during the next couple articles, those topics will be my focus.

Doughnut

Work Hard For the Comps

The "work" day is going well. I put the word work in quotations, because it seems that writers sometimes get no respect for what they do. I mean, my family gives me heck about sitting around the house all day in my BVDs and staring at the ceiling or the water in the pool. But I am constantly working.....

Since my book, "Growing Up Doughnut" was released about a month ago, I have done less writing and thinking and more talking on the phone. Don't get me wrong, I love talking (as you may well remember) and the sound of my own voice sometimes mesmerizes me into a state of self-importance. But since my efforts at marketing are going along bumpily ( I get more no's than yes's) I need to find time to write and think more.

The book marketing is an entity on its own, and I am sure that if I had an agent, that person would be doing this for their percentage of the $1.77 cent royalty I get on each book. There is mailing costs to promoters and book buyers, bookstores, reviewers, TV stations, radio outlets, as well as family and friends. Shy of taking out a full page ad in a major paper, or even a half page advertisement, this marketing stuff is tough. And expensive.

I need a doughnut shop to step up and say, "We'll sponsor you, Doughnut!" and give me some cash to be their spokesperson. I need a major morning news show like "Today" to call (Channel 3, WCIA TV in Champaign, IL has booked me already!), or even "Ellen" or "Oprah" to take notice. My peeps are getting the word out now, and maybe Barnes and Noble or TARGET will carry the book! Wouldn't that be a hoot! I could be on a TARGET ad with a big red dot on my face... or a doughnut hole in the dot... Wait! I know! Sam's Club! I could do a whirl wind tour of Sam's Clubs and do autographs.....Ken Levine needs to read my book and contact me about turning it into a situation comedy...Maybe Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady could use the book to do for doughnuts what they did for nerds in "Big Bang Theory!"

I can see it now... Pulitzer, Emmy, Oscar; all the biggies. But you know, the accolades I love the most? The ones I get from .....

JERKY AND THE CORNJERKER NATION!

Doughnut

Father's Day Meatfest

Yesterday was Father's Day, and my children (both grown to adulthood now) took the old man out to eat. My wife did not come along, it was just the three of us. Dorothy is not a big eater, and this restaurant we went to deals with serving their guests copious ( in my daughter's words) amounts of meat.

The establishment was named FOGO de CHAO in Scottsdale. This restaurant bills itself as a Brazilian Churbrascaria, which roughly translated is Portuguese for BBQ.

I knew I was in for a dining delight when I walked into the restaurant and saw large beef ribs on spits in the front window! These ribs were skewered and rotating on spits horizonatally with the juices running into a pan. The fire was not under the skewers, but rather the ribs were in a circle around it! The skewers and fire were about 3 feet high, and I could easily look at them without bending over.

When we sat down, we were cautioned by the waiter to not indulge too much in the salad bar, or we would miss out on a rare dining experience. This gaucho knew his stuff!

Here is the deal... guys with skewers holding different kinds of meat walk around the dining room and ask guests if they want some meat. Now there are 13 different kinds of meat, and each skewer is about a yard long. (Think of it as a "yard o' Meat"). Each diner has a card that is red on one side and green on the other. When the red is up, you are saying "No meat"; when the green is up, you are shouting, "Come here and cut me some animal flesh!" And they do!

The gauchos bring the meat to your table, and cut it right off the skewer and lay it on your plate. Not just one gauch, but all of them come by your table until you turn the card over to RED! Chicken, pork, lamb, beef, sausage, chicken wrapped with bacon, beef wrapped in piggy, chicken on a stick, ribeye, sirloin, and Little Bo Peep all brought to you for your gorging pleasure.

In addition, you get potatoes, something that I can't spell or pronounce, and glazed bananas.

We ate for over two hours! I was so full when I got home, that my buttons on my pants were straining and my belt was cutting into my already large belly. But what an experience!

Some Dads get ties, some golf clubs, some socks.... but my kids know their Daddy! I won't have to eat for a day....

Doughnut

Marriage Advice for Jehan

Where has time gone? It seems like yesterday that I wrote on this blog. By now, I imagine, most of my loyal following are worried (?) about me and wonder (?) of my whereabouts and possibly are concerned (?) about my physical well-being.

Not to fear, though, I am alive and well in the Nation's Capitol! The president asked me to surreptiously come to the DC to give hime advice on how to handle crisis, and to possibly to get the Baltimore Orioles on the winning track. He saw, however, that opinions are like sphincters...everybody has one, and most smell. The Orioles, I am afraid, are hopeless this year.

I have found out here, though, a friend in a three year old chocolate lab named Ella. Ella is the dog of my "nephew" Jehan and his new wife Lyndsey, the real reason I came to DC. They got married last weekend in a beautiful ceremony in the Visual Arts Museum in Baltimore, just off the Inner Harbor. The reception was there, also.

While at the ceremony, I found myself tearing up. Not because it was sad (It was a beautiful ceremony) but rather because I found myself reflecting on my own marriage. I wasn't crying because I have had very happy, marriage for 35 years to a wonderful woman.

I tried to give Jehan some advice for his marriage. (1) Always remember--- What is hers is hers, and what is yours is, well, hers. (2) When you first get up in the morning, tell her, "You are beautiful, and Ilove you." When you go to bed, tell, "You are beautiful and I love you." And at least three time during the day, say, "I love you." and give her a kiss and a hug. (Even if she does not want it,)

Finally, like Ella, rub her belly once in a while, and she will be your friend for life.

Doughnut