Ties that Bind

I won’t grow up,
(I won’t grow up)
I don’t want to wear a tie.
(I don’t want to wear a tie)
And a serious expression
(And a serious expression)
In the middle of July.
(In the middle of July)
And if it means I must prepare
To shoulder burdens with a worried air,

I’ll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up
Not me,
Not I,
Not me!
So there!

Peter Pan

I filed for retirement yesterday.

My official retirement date from government employment is September 1st.

No, I won’t quit working. I’ll just quit working that one job.

Ironically, I had a meeting yesterday morning and had to wear a coat and tie.

I don’t wear ties much anymore. The business casual look has become the standard for most offices.

Unless it was for a funeral or a wedding, I couldn’t tell you the last time I wore a tie to church.

At work, I only wear a tie on the days I have meetings. I’ll be wearing another one tomorrow.

I feel a little like Eugene Carman in Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. I did this monologue for acting class when I was in college (this is an excerpt).

So while I was tying my neck-tie that morning
I suddenly saw myself in the glass:
My hair all gray, my face like a sodden pie.
So I cursed and cursed: You damned old thing!
You cowardly dog! You rotten pauper!
You Rhodes’ slave! Till Roger Baughman
Thought I was having a fight with some one,
And looked through the transom just in time
To see me fall on the floor in a heap
From a broken vein in my head.

I’m getting out before that happens to me.

Although I do think I got an A in acting class. At our conservative Christian college my roommate’s only comment was “I can’t believe Michael said ‘damn’ at Asbury.”

I digress.

If the planets align correctly, I’ll only have to wear a tie two more times at work.

Speaking of planets aligning, yesterday Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn lined up on the early morning horizon.

I didn’t get out to see it.

I was too busy tying my tie.

 

 

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And so, it begins

If you know what this week means, you understand the headline. If not, you will soon enough.

We joined the pool this weekend and spent a good afternoon there on Saturday. I didn’t need more sun exposure this weekend so we did traditional Sunday afternoon naps.

As it is written.

I can’t remember the last time we had a pool membership. I think it was when the yougest was still in middle school. He just finished his junior year at college.

But, we’ve all worked off and on at the amusement park since that time where there’s a handy waterpark. Plus up until about three years ago, we were spending a solid week in August at the beach.

Choices.

My wife commented on the music playing at the pool. It was the local classic rock station.

I was reminded of my younger years growing up where I was at the pool every day of the summer. I’d be there when the doors open and, most days, would stay until the doors were locked.

We didn’t have a local radio station playing classic rock. In fact, in those days, it was just rock. The concession stand would put on a stack of 45s and we’d go from there.

I was going to write more, but news yesterday has me feeling a little sad today.

Quinn, the porcine inspiration for the CAT and PIG series, passed away peacefully in his sleep Saturday night. It hurts just a little bit that I never got to meet him in person.

Thanks Quinn, for the inspiration, for the laughs, for the memories.

That’ll do pig.

You can read about the special friendship of Quinn and his cat Herbie in my children’s books, linked below.

 

Available on Amazon.