NATIONAL POLICE WEEK. And I’m thinking of the fine, fine men and women in law enforcement with whom I’ve dealt going back to the days that ….
…. Nashville had one (1) day marshal and one (1) night watchman.
…. The county sheriff lived in an apartment under the jail, and his wife was expected to be the radio dispatcher.
Yes, that IS going back a ways. All of these people — nearly all of them, at least — have been brave and ethical. Nowadays that isn’t enough. It is incredible the amount of technical and personal education they must continuously get during their law enforcement careers. And did I mention that they risk their lives everyday?
I am so grateful that we have men and women of their character to maintain peace, dignity and order. Salute!
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FULL AND FULL OF IT.
I went out to Saturday’s BBQ benefit for the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department, as usual.
I bought raffle tickets as usual; and, as usual, I did not win. Easily became eligible for a mythical Gold Star for cleaning my plate. As usual. Those firemen and the auxiliary really know how to fix smoked meat and fixins. Did I mention the desserts?
But the real reason I go every year is this: I sat down at a long table with my plate of food. I looked around. There were Mennonite families, anglos, blacks, Hispanics. Young and old. People laughing and talking. Obviously enjoying each other’s company.
This is Center Point (or, Centre Point, as my late historian buddy Parker Westbrook would’ve insisted). The community comes together for several events during the year, and the events always enjoy wide support.
Especially celebratory this year was the recent result of an upgrade in fire department coverage which meant the lowering of home insurance rates for people in the community. The firemen are rightfully proud of that.
I did not hang around for the raffle prize drawing or for the auction. The older I get the less I like crowds. I got to visit for awhile with old and new friends, then it was time to head home.
My congratulations to Centre Point community.
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NO STAMP NEEDED on this thank you note. Mail carriers picked up about 5,000 pounds of foodstuffs Saturday in their annual food drive, and they have thanked their patrons for the support.
The cans and boxes they collect go to local foodbanks for distribution to the needy. This is a project the mail carriers have done here for maybe 10 years or more.
My thanks to the men and women who deliver the mail.
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ANIMAL CRACKERS.
“Where are the sparrows?” the Guru of Gardens, friend Charles Wright, asked me Friday morning. We were chatting at the Farmers’ Market about one of our favorite shared topics — birds.
Charles said ‘his’ sparrows flew away last year and haven’t returned. I think I’ve got plenty at my place, I told him.
Later that day I sat out on the patio, thinking to start counting sparrows.
I didn’t see any.
And another birdwatcher, Max Tackett, told me that some Baltimore orioles had visited the hummingbird feeder out at his Eden acres west of Nashville. The birds didn’t try to drink from the feeder; they just hovered a bit and then flew off.
That’s the exact behavior I witnessed about four years ago when a Baltimore oriole visited my patio briefly. An unforgettable, big, beautiful bird.
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THE TWINS. Peaches and Cream. Some people think it’s a singing duo; some think it’s dessert. Some think it’s a song. And some — a very cultured and sophisticated few — think it’s a two-tone color scheme for a slick hotrod car. Vrooom!
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THINGS I LEARNED from opening email: Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don’t have film.
MORE THINGS I LEARNED from opening email:
The U.S. once had a half-penny coin (1792-1857) but it was discontinued because people got worn out from lugging around all that weight that didn’t really have much buying power. However, if you found an old U.S. half-penny coin in your great-grandfather’s travel trunk hidden under decades of dust in the corner of the attic, it would be worth about $13,000 today.
Also, ‘we’ once had a $10,000 bill. Only 336 of those are known to exist today. And if you found one in your late rich, eccentric great aunt’s travel trunk, it would be worth $180,000.
Source: Dollar Shave Club.
And when was the last time you saw or used a $2 bill?
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HE SAID: “But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.” Carl Sagan, astronomer
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SHE SAID: “The essence of America – that which really unites us – is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion – it is an idea – and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.” Condoleezza Rice, political scientist and statesman
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
