Just Not A Bug Person

Once years ago when Kristen was very young, her brother said he had seen millipedes in their basement. Kristen phoned me in tears, “Papa, can I spend the night with you? I’m just not a bug person.” This made me very happy and I went next door and got her, but forever after I was accused of planting millipedes in their basement to make her want to come stay with me. 

Not centipedes, millipedes are as harmless as roly-poly bugs to whom they are related. But I know how it is to be just not a ___ person. I’m just not a spider person. I’m just not a public person either. For that reason I haven’t over the years been a presence on Facebook. I’m just not a Facebook person. Wonderful people, folks present and folks from long past, invite me to be Facebook friends and I accept though I never post. And I’ve almost never checked Facebook to see what was going on unless someone said my nephew Michael had posted new pictures of a Chevelle or Corvette he was restoring -- Mike’s more than a highly skilled mechanic about it, he’s an artist, the cars he restores are perfect. But I’ve never been one to post what I’m doing or where I’m going or how I’m feeling. Loving all my Facebook friends, I’m just not a Facebook person. 

For nearly three years I’ve been writing and posting a daily blog. With my October 2010 heart event, it started on CaringBridge, a website for informing friends and loved ones about one’s health issue. Every day I posted and CB has a notification feature for emailing interested folks when a CB Journal update goes online. After my surgery in January 2011, Jeremy set me up a Blog, called +Time, and I started posting to +Time every morning; and because the Blog has no notification feature, I continued using my CaringBridge Journal for that, so that anyone who wished could continue to receive instant notification from CB when the +Time posting went online. On June 18, 2013, though, a CaringBridge system enhancement made my CB site inaccessible for Journal postings, so I began putting a daily notification on my Facebook page. I’ve not been comfortable doing that, however, and this morning’s Facebook notification of my +Time posting will be the last. Folks who want to continue reading my +Time nonsense know to click http://plusmoretime.blogspot.com/ . As for Facebook, I may continue to scroll and “Like” especially Ray’s sunset photographs.

Zimmerman? Urge to comment is almost irresistible, and Trayvon’s death was not necessary because Zimmerman should have stayed in his car, and stand your ground needs review and clarify but not revoke. Otherwise, because there are comments enough, I resist and abstain. Everyone has an opinion, and anyone who reads them all will have read my opinion, just one more opinion of someone who was not in the courtroom or on the bench or on the jury.

Senate Filibuster rules change? Republicans in the minority will appreciate the Democrat rules change after the next election when they become the majority. This is what’s meant by “what goes round comes round.” Better be careful, Harry.

Snowden? As a naval officer I always felt honor bound to honor my Top Secret clearances. Snowden made his bed. It’s in a Moscow airport. Schlafen Sie gut, Edward. Run, Rabbit, Run.

Westboro Baptist Church to picket Cory Monteith’s funeral? Pity, disgust. I’m afraid that one of these days angry folks will break the WBC picket line with baseball bats and firearms, ending their pathetic certitudinous hatred. But it won’t end all hatred, will it.

We are babysitting grandkitties, two affectionate cats. Daisy is a beautiful flame point Siamese. Last night Ernest for Hemingway slept on my foot.  

Last Sunday the homily was blessedly brief, and the wafers were crisp, and we baptized one of the most beautiful little girls under heaven, and everyone got wet. Don’t tell the rector what a circus goes on in his absence.

TW