Daily Archive: September 12th, 2008
Sensible questions
I remember recess at my grade school in Milwaukee. They’d barricade both ends of the street, which then became our playground. I remember candy pencils and pretzels and the smell of the breweries. Friction tape, my army surplus shoulder bag, the lumberyard, plums, pork chops, the dry cleaners. Sometimes, a whiff of something, a taste, a sound, a texture or a shape will send me hurtling back in time like Tooter Turtle to very real moments and places. Then, Mr. Wizard the lizard intones, “Trizzle, trazzle, truzzle, trome, time for this one to come home” and I’m back here, now.
1. …
Those two magic words, Thank You
I was reading an article on CNN.com about the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon when I remembered something that happened to me on Friday night.
I was in the Wendy’s in Marshfield with my daughter on our “date night.” She was trying to get through her hamburger so she could have her Frosty and I was gobbling the sour cream on my baked potato. I looked up and saw an older gentleman at the condiment counter, and the whole evening changed for me. The gentleman was wearing a retired Marine hat and t-shirt and was leaning on a cane. He started …