Neanderpundit

Since the age of five, I have missed exactly zero Indy 500’s.

The remembrance of the Veterans; the remembrance of those lying in Flanders Fields, the men on the beach at Iwo Jima whose bodies were never found.

The beginning of summer, the greatest spectacle in auto racing; the only sporting event I ever watch.

Jim Nabors flys in from his Honolulu home to sing My State’s Anthem.

Steaks are marinating, beer is chilled, garlic roasting; I’ve been taking pulls on a bottle of Cockburns ruby port, and it is so great to be alive I cannot describe it.

The Gun Guys have an interesting post about homeschooling here. Anyone who reads Kim knows they homeschool, and frankly, I envy the education his kids are getting.

They have developed a homeschooling “program” that helps track the educational process.

I have my daughter in an extremely good local school; if I did not, I’d be using this program. As is, when she leaves the elementary school she may get up close with the Gun Guy’s program. That all depends on what we can find out about the local parochial schools.

Go read, and if you have kids, think about this. Your children might curse you now, and thank you later.

Acidman reminds me that it is the Duke’s birthday.

John Wayne shared a name with my dad- Dad’s first name was Marion too. There were a lot of similarities. If you knew dad, you could see a lot of Duke in Dad, or maybe the other way around.
I loved “The Quiet Man” best. Showed how a gentleman acts- polite, generous, even tempered, and when called upon to defend his wife or property, tough as steel. And Maureen O’Hara- whoooof!!! When the Duke kisses her in the rain in that bombed out church, I can’t imagine anything or anyone or anywhere I’d rather be than the Duke at that moment, a beautiful, wet, redhead in his arms, in a storm, in the Irish countryside.

I watch those movies and they remind me a lot of Dad. John Wayne was the fiction, (though he really was who he acted, most of the time) but Dad was the reality- softspoken, tough, no-nonsense. Someday I’ll blog about dad- he’s been gone since 85 and the memory is still deep and hurts like hell. Hurts too much, in fact, for me to dwell on anymore now.

Anyway, Happy birthday, Duke. Say hi to Dad for me, he’ll buy you a beer, I’m sure.