Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

“What’s that whistling noise?”

“My wife hates it when I beat her at Scrabble.”

“What does that have to do with that whistling?”

“I have a Scrabble tile stuck up my nose.”

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: Everyone should have to wear a nametag. It would make remembering names easier

Things I’ve learned

1. By the time I get used to being an age, I’m not it anymore.

2. Whenever I buy something with a credit card, I want to sign the slip when I need to sign the screen and I want to sign the screen when I need to sign the slip.

3. Perfection is always flawed.

Have you ever wondered?

1. Can bedbugs be in a couch?

2. Does Egypt have Cairopractors?

3. Why it’s called “after dark” when it’s really “after light?

The history of hugging

My family was not of the hugging variety. We hugged only at funerals and airports. And we never went to an airport. Hugging was like the good china. It was used only for special occasions. I have become a hugger over time and I have noticed that some huggers delight in hugging those people who don’t enjoy hugging. Some hugging victims get the look of a stray cat being bathed

The song on the radio

I listened to the radio as I traveled long. I listen to the radio so I don’t have to listen to the loud music coming from other vehicles. The radio is company while driving. Sometimes I change stations until I find the one reporting the best weather. It becomes a challenging game. Stations come and go during travel. They fade in the distance. The music coming from my car’s radio wasn’t the kind I favored but the station’s signal was strong, so I stuck with it. I was in a part of the country where the radio reception was not the best, so I listened to what I could get. County lines passed to the accompaniment of lame songs. Forgettable or unreadable signs flashed by. Suddenly, in the midst of all the dismal music, one of my favorite songs was playing. On an endless drive on dark roads, the music lifted my heart and invigorated my spirit. For a moment, I felt as if I had earned the good by listening to the bad. Serendipity is hearing a song I love on the radio. I waited for another. Then I was home

A married couple tells a story

“We had these wonderful neighbors, Jim and Katherine.”

“Tim and Kathleen.”

“They lived in the next house east of us when we lived on Oak Street.”

“Elm Street.”

“Jim drove a Pontiac.”

“Tim drove a Chevrolet.”

“One night, Jim backed his Pontiac right into the wall of our house.”

“One night, Tim backed his Chevrolet right into the wall of our garage.”

“That was back in 1976.”

“That was in 1978.”

“His car was brand new.”

“His car was four years old.”

“I’ll never forget that day. Jim got out of the car and sang, ‘My Way.’”

“Tim got out of his car and said, ‘The garage was in my way.’”

“Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday.”

“It was 1978.

The Fourth of July

If you can fry an egg on the linoleum on your kitchen floor, your air conditioning may not be working. The 4th of July gives entry to hot, humid weather. It’s a time of the year when we discover that is the heat and it is the humidity. We don’t live in a world where the weather always agrees with us. We talk about weather because it’s much easier to talk about than feelings. We spend a lot of time forgiving weather, even though it asks for no forgiveness. Weather aside, the Fourth of July is a memory prompt. We need reminders as to how lucky we are

Nature notes

Birds forage more efficiently in flocks than as individuals. Numerous eyes find food faster. A flock’s many eyes and vigilant members detect predators. Flocks under attack gather into tight flight formations and make twists and turns that confuse raptors. The center is the safest position because raptors typically attack individuals on the edge of a flock. The safest spot in a roost is in the middle. The older, more dominant birds assume the safer interior spots, leaving younger, less dominant birds to the more vulnerable, peripheral positions.

Meeting adjourned

Kindness multiplies.