Category Archives: Family & Friends

For as long as I have carried newspapers,just about three years,there has been a man who only came in on Sundays to help his friend deliver some of the papers she was responsible for. This past Sunday they were in his truck,watching a 3″ TV screen while we waited for the truck to deliver the papers from Chicago. All seemed normal.

Later that afternoon I got a call saying that Bill had died.  All I could do was keep saying ‘what? what? what?’ over and over. It all seemed surreal. Apparently he’d gone home and went to sleep and when he got up to use the bathroom started yelling to his wife that he couldn’t breathe. The paramedics couldn’t revive him.

He was just a year younger than me and physically we were strikingly similar. Both of us had had a quadruple bypass,were Type II diabetics,both had pacemakers,both have emphysema from smoking and both of us have sleep apnea. The big difference was I quit smoking a year and a half ago after puffing for 40 years and he still continued to smoke. I finally admitted to myself that the reason I could quit cold turkey without so much as a craving was that being as close to death as I was scared the hell out of me. I felt like God was saying, ‘this is your last warning.’ Not being able to see my grandkids grow up or see my wife’s pretty face anymore was all the incentive I needed.

There is not a doubt in my mind that if I had not quit I would not be here blogging with you today. My fate is likely to end up the same way as Bill,but maybe I can manage a little more time here on Earth. A few more Christmases,birthdays,weddings,ball games and holding hands on the couch with DW. Bill had talked about going to the doctor Wednesday to see about a smoking cessation program. Now the point is moot and all I can think is that there but for the Grace of God go I. Cigarettes cost me a friend. They will one day cost my family. That is the cross I bear.

Through the miracle of Facebook I reconnected with my cousin,Kathy,who is three years my senior. Her brother Bob is a year older than I and a co-conspirator in many shenanigans back in the day. They also have a sister,Caryl and a brother,Bruce. We shared many a Sunday dinner at the farm and every Thanksgiving and Christmas were special.

After our grandfather passed,the tendrils that held all the family together were severed. I’ve not seen any of them for decades–call it almost a lifetime. Last Wednesday my cousin Bruce’s son,Bruce Jr. was killed in a terrible car wreck at a busy intersection in our city. I never met the young man,but he was blood of my blood. I cannot imagine for the life of me what I would do if I lost one of my children. All any of us can do is offer prayers to see the family through this time of hardship. The visitation is tonight and the reunion with my cousins and their families will be bittersweet,indeed.

I recall after Granny suffered a series of strokes dementia was setting in. She’d wander out of my aunt’s house and down the street in her nightgown and not tell the police where she lived. I went to take her to lunch one day and after we got in the car and started off,she looked at me and said “it’s just terrible to have to bury a child.” Bruce’s dad, my Uncle Ron, and my mother had both already passed. It was then I knew she wasn’t quite as far gone as she let on. She just liked being a pain in my aunt’s behind. I would like to ask you to remember our family in your prayers. I’m sure it would be a comfort to them.

BRUCE R. BIRD JR., 31 MACHESNEY PARK – Bruce R. Bird Jr., 31, died unexpectedly Wednesday, July 16th, 2014. Bruce was a devoted loving father and a hard worker. He was a loyal Chicago Bulls and Bears fan and enjoyed watching many of the games with his dad. He enjoyed music, motorcycles and hanging out with friends and family. Bruce is survived by his father, Bruce R. Bird Sr.; brother, Joshua Bird; children, Shawn, Alyssa and Ayden; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and grandmother, Zella. He was preceded in death by his mother, Sandra. Bruce will be greatly missed by family and friends. A visitation to celebrate Bruce’s life will be from 6 until 8 p.m. Monday, July 21, 2014, at Sunset Funeral Home, 8800 N. Alpine Road in Machesney Park. A memorial for Bruce will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, 2014, at 4188 Lakeside Dr., Rockford, in the Lakewood Hills Subdivision. Cremation rites will be accorded after the visitation. Condolences may be sent to the family at sunsetfhmemgardens.com.

We interrupt this program with a very important message brought to you by the staff here at 4GFC. Late last night while the world was in deep sleep or otherwise preoccupied by other matters, we were informed that a very important event had taken place.

GruntOfMonteCristo celebrated his 51′st Birthday!

We now return to regular programming. Thank you. – Knight

Open Thread, Tuesday 11 February 2014 – Happy 50th, Saracuda!

Call it chance.Call it a coincidence.I call it the Lord bestowing abundant blessings on one of his troubled children.

I’ll explain:

Every day when I go to get my papers to deliver,there is a sheet showing any changes in the route.One day a few weeks ago there was notice of a customer stopping his service.The name looked familiar.That afternoon,I called the number on the sheet.

‘Is this Roger?’

‘Yes.’

‘Were your parents named Chellis and Myrtle?”

‘Yes.’

‘Roger,this is your nephew!’

‘Little Ricky?’

I got flushed…nobody had called me that in 50 years,save my beloved granny,who called me that until her last days.Roger is the youngest  of the four children grandpa and grandma had.I hadn’t seen him since my aunt’s memorial service some 13 years ago.I didn’t figure I’d ever see him again unless somebody contacted me about his funeral.I was so excited I could barely contain myself.We talked for over an hour and I told him we’d stop by the following Monday since my Aunt Evelyn was off work.Yep,78 years old and still working as a cashier at Bergners Department store here in town.

The odd thing is,they live literally less than 5 minutes away.When we arrived I promised myself I would shake his hand and give him a one-armed man-hug.When he opened the door and I saw his always impish smile and snow-white hair that plan went to hell.I threw my arms around him and hugged him as if I was trying to hug grandpa,granny,Uncle Ron,Aunt Gloria and Mom all at once.We all sat in the living room and talked for almost 4 hours about what we’d all done with our lives and shared some Diet Pepsis.I sat and listened to him for a very long time,not wanting to miss anything.

Besides their four grown kids,they have 13 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.Roger still helps his grandson install windshields every so often,but he was always looking for ways to make a buck.They were buying houses,fixing them and selling them for a profit as far back as the fifties.My Aunt Evelyn can completely redo the interior of a house.They owned a B&B in Galena,Ill., U.S. Grant’s home,for 6 years.They bought a condo near us,then got a deal on a unit two buildings down and moved again.

UR told me what it was like growing up during the depression.He was born in 1932,so he came up just before WWII.He enlisted in the Air Force and served in Korea,maintaining the hydraulic systems on F-84 and F 86 jets.He said it was really hot in the summer and unbearably cold in the winter.I have been lobbying shamelessly for one of AE’s German chocolate cake.She said as how she hadn’t made one in years,but hopefully I can convince her.There are few things I would put on a level with Grannys gooey,cinnamn-y apple pies….my cousins’ Grandma Nordstrom’s rice pudding with the 1/2″ thick custard on top and Evelyn’s Greman Chocolate cake with the yummy coconut frosting.

We took a bus trip up to Ho Chunk Indian Casino at the Wisconsin Dells one day.I’m not a gambler,since I’m the world’s worst loser.DW loves to gamble but she’s not very lucky. AE is,and UR is like me…he determines what he can afford to lose and never goes over it.The trip was $35,but they give you a like amount in gambling credit when you get there,so the trip is actually free.With Evelyn working and DW spending time with her grandkids,her BFF and this week she’s going to see her dad in Richland Center,Wis.,Roger is home alone with two dogs and they only have one car now.So,I go over and we talk about things of importance and downright silliness.There is no need for pretense,since he knows me about as well as anybody in the world.We share a commonality we don’t have to talk about…we just know.

We took a day trip from Lena,Il along a route called the Stagecoach Trail,since that’s what it was originally,though Apple River Canyon all the way to Galena.The entire town is one big antique mall,but from living there UR and AE knew how to miss the traffic on the main streets.We made plans to visit Dubuque,IA,which has a dog track,two casinos,a magnificent river walk and B&B’s along the limestone bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.There is a place high on the bluffs called Eagle’s Point Park,where you can see Iowa,Illinois and Wisconsin all at once.

It probably sounds stupid being excited about getting back together with family,but it’s the last link to my childhood and the happiness I knew as we all gathered at Granny’s table on Sunday to be a family for a few hours before everybody went their separate ways.

Re-connecting with Roger came at a time when I was completely burned out over politics.(When I mentioned Obamacare,he just said ‘death panels,’ so he’s one of us.) It had to be what God’s plan for me was. I asked him why he stopped his newspaper service and he said it was because they raised his rate .50 per week. Imagine,a guy who probably still has the first dollar he ever made,who paid cash for a brand new car for Aunt Evelyn,quitting over a half a buck.If he hadn’t,I’d have never known he was there,since we only get delivery addresses for our regular route.

I thank the Lord for easing the burden and lightening the heaviness I’ve been carrying.None of this would have happened without Him.

Auntie Margaret collected dolls and postcards from childhood. This is one of her dolls that I restored and encased for her loved ones to remember her by. The image on the background is a scan from one of the postcards. The biography is on the outside of the back, back-to-back with the postcard scan.

Something a Facebook friend said today reminded me of this experience, so I thought I would share:

One time when it was my day for the car, I had just gotten off the highway and was stopped at a red light when I heard a “thunk” under me. When the light turned green, I pulled through the intersection into this very handy little shoulder place that was right there waiting for me, a place that was unusual on that stretch of road.

There was a service station right on the corner, so I hustled over and the mechanic said, “I had nothing to do, so I was just about to close early. You JUST caught me.” He came over to the car, got down and looked underneath, then stood up again and stared at me with goggle eyes.

“HOW did you get this car off the road?!” I mimed a steering motion. He said, “That’s not possible. That thunk you heard was the tie rod breaking off. It connects the steering wheel to the front tire. This car HAS NO STEERING.”

I shrugged and laughed. “They say God protects fools and children and I’m clearly not a child!” He had to TOW the car across the street to fix it, which he was able to do right then, having the time, the skills and all the necessary parts right on hand.

Even then, more miracles abounded. He didn’t take checks and my credit card was maxed out. But I did have an envelope full of hundreds of dollars in cash that I was taking to the bank. It was more than I needed for the car.

I couldn’t wait at the station, being mega allergic to all those hydrocarbons, but there was a mall close by, so he told me how many hours he needed and I went and had some lunch, ran a few errands, pondered my experience and bumped into a friend who asked, “How are you?”

“Alive!” I answered. It had taken a while to realize how PROTECTED I had been, not only to have the steering, mechanic and money, but also to have the tie rod WAIT to fall off until I was OFF the divided highway and safely STOPPED on what was (at that time) a quiet stretch of road.

It still gives me goosebumps.

Update:DW is doing much better. I took her to our family MD Monday and after checking her over,he said she’s progressing well enough not to need the super-expensive antibiotic. When we got home that day there was an envelope from her 93 year old dad with the money to pay for her meds. She had already planned to go see him in Wisconsin,which she did yesterday,so she can take it back to him. We thank all of you wonderful people and especially my Lord Jesus for answered prayers.

Let’s see what I can come up with today.

WE HAVE A COUPLE OF COMMODE STORIES TODAY.

THIS IS A SPRING-LOADED SEAT SO MEN WON’T FORGET TO PUT THE SEAT BACK DOWN.

(a pet peeve among ladies,so I’m told)

ANY REPORTS OF MEN GETTING THEIR WEINERS PINCHED WHEN THE SEAT SLAMS DOWN ON IT ARE EXAGGERATIONS,I ASSURE YOU. ASSUMING THEY’RE DOING IT THE CONVENTIONAL WAY,OF COURSE.