August came in without much going on…….eleven days into the month, Victor Mature died of cancer. Most of the younger readers will not know him but as an impressive young girl, I was madly in love with him. No matter that his hair was always greased into long, wavy locks and that his eyes dripped with lust when holding the female “lead” in the movie. My heart belonged to him…..I’m sure his movies would make me gag now, with the advent of so much technology showing up the flaws of film-making in the late 30’s and throughout the ‘40’s. None of the teen-age boys I dated in high school could compete with his often bare to the waist physique. His movies fell from grace as newer techniques came upon the scene and by-passed his epics of the day. My favorite was Sampson and Delilah……*sigh*

….and then, sadly, a baseball figure had a tragedy. Our family had watched the first game “Catfish” Hunter pitched in the major leagues when Charlie Finley owned the franchise in KC. John, was a baseball fan second only to his dad who knew every player, their batting average, where they “came from” etc;etc; It was an exciting night to watch him pitch…..Finley won out over the other teams that were trying to woo Catfish with a contract. He was definitely the hottest pitcher at the time…….. he came up out of high-school and now all he had to prove was that he was good enough for professional baseball….and he did just that. He became one of the best. John owns a “team ball” with all the players on it and Catfish was one of the signers…..though dimming with age, it is still a treasure.

Time passed, years took their toll and the sports news was that he fell and hit his head at home….he had Lou Gehrig’s disease and was in serious condition. Time has a way of catching up with all of us, regardless of how famous or how gifted. We were saddened to learn of his declining health.

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I had to laugh at the entry in my diary for August 24th………it went this way….

I spent the day finishing the kitchen….I washed the plate rack and plates, finished washing the cabinets, oiled the desk, washed windows and cleaned the stove, refrigerator and dishwasher. I wrote 3-letters and took a short nap….spent time with my little outside kitty, Missy. Becky walked down after work and we visited a while…..after she left, I spent the evening crocheting and watching TV. This was a perfect day!!!
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This is the mentality that I’ve always had. If I accomplished a lot in a day’s time, I was happy. While others fight for “spare time” I am always fighting to get more done. It’s too late to lecture me….the ruts are too deep…..but I am not like a mindless robot trudging about….I am constantly thinking the whole time and gleaning lessons from my everyday chores. Needless to say….my pets have taught me much about life as well. It is amazing what one can learn just by looking, listening and implementing. I owe a lot to their tutorage….

Barbara called Becky to let us know John had a wreck with his bicycle that morning (August 25th) ,and that he was all right except for bruises, being skinned up and a little dazed at the time. He was riding with a buddy and had a collision, flipping him over the handlebars of the bike. I was grateful he wasn’t hurt worse and called to see how he was doing. He sounded chipper enough and that put my mind at ease. I had worried for some time because he rode in traffic and anything can happen at any given time. We have lost Troopers due to people driving into them while parked by the side of the road……it’s just an accident waiting to happen. Given the fact that he doesn’t have the vision most of us enjoy, it made my concern more intense. I was very happy his friend was with him and also happy he wasn’t hurt worse. John’s guardian angel hasn’t had much rest, trust me.

August passed here with school starting and the familiar busses making their rounds again. The “dog days” of Summer were behind us and we could look forward to cooler temperature and some rain with September on the calendar. Outside work was finished and we had time to rest before the Fall foliage colored and began to drop leaves……so for now, all was gathered in and Mother Nature took a big breath and let her air out slowly……..she was feeling tired after the Summer busyness and was thinking about a nap. Missy joined her in a sunny spot on the deck while she dozed in my rocking chair. Life was good………..

Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther