Curious Mind

People have asked me about sharing my poetry. Sure, I'm happy to-in fact I look for more readers. The poetry usually takes place on my other blog, Reading and Writing. But today, after learning how to do it, I put up a Beta on Video Poetry, which is a video of me reading my poetry while seated in my library at home here in Punta Gorda. Goto http://vicopresscom.blogspot.com and scroll down to Poetry Video if you'd like to take a look. Thanks, Henry

This is an art picture taken today with my pocket Optio S4i digital camera which is the best camera I've ever had. Pat and I have just been seated at the Olive Garden in Port Charlotte, FL. We are here for lunch at 11am when they first open. We're celebrating. This morning we were at Dr Asprillia's office, the infectious disease doctor for a two month call back. He said Pat's legs and especially the right great toe are fine and he discharged her as a patient. Pat started with him last February. What wonderful news. Pat has recently seen her foot doctor, retina (eye) doctor and her primary doctor and they have all said she is doing fine. What good news.So we're eating out. After Pat went to Quilt's and More, a quilt shop, and then to Joann's, a frabic shop and then home. It's the first time Pat has been out for two weeks to have some fun. Mostly Pat has been in bed with a pinched nerve in her lower back. Even that is doing better. Hooray. News item. Janet Walker and Dori Barrie arrived in the park last night, having flown down from CT. We'll probably see them tomorrow. 

Pat serving me by salad. 

Here is the busboy at Olive Garden. The most personable person of the entire staff. Something's wrong, don't you think? 

Here are the guys who are doing the work. 

Here is the supervisor, Kathy Barlow of Niles, MI. It's interesting that Kathy was one of the first to view my Alligator Park pictures on the blog after Charley. Today I met her by chance. 

This is how the guy that writes all this stuff looked a couple of days ago. 

We got a new roof. 40 year shingles that are OK'd by Dade County, FL. These shingles have to be made in Florida, and each shingle is stamped on the back "Dade County" so consumers know what they are getting. This same shingle is made in other parts of the country, but those cannot be used in Florida. Pat and I are happy to have our new roof. 

The winter soltice this year was a cloudy day. Here is the first sunny day. I enjoy watching the sun swing back and forth across the roofs of the mobile homes I see from my front door. 

This is an audio reading of my poem, "Walking catfish." I started posting all my new poems in both text and audio on my reading and writing Blog, vicopresscom.

Here is an other recent poem from www.vicopresscom.blogspot.com

Nails and screws in tires are a common occurance here on the banks of The Peace River since August 13, 2004. At first it was expected as a result of debris being removed from roadways. But yesterday a neighbor alerted me to the fact my driver side rear tire was soft as I pulled out to take Pat on a short shopping trip to Joann's fabric store-her first trip out in two weeks.

I pulled back in the driveway, let Pat out, and beat a path to the tire repair on Hwy 41 south. The highway is four laned with a median strip wide enough to allow drivers to reverse directions at selected turnarounds. The tire repair is on the North bound lane so I went beyond it to turn around. There was a vehicle waiting to head north, and I squeezed in to be next, and then an other vehicle squeezed in beside me. When the North bound traffic thinned out we all piled out into the North bound lane.

And all three of us went to the tire repair place.

This was my third visit since Charley, no record I'm sure. While I was waiting I chated with a young lady who was the next customer behind me and she told me her boss recently had a tire repaired with two nails in it. Apparently he picked up one, then drove enough to pick up an other which sent him to a repair shop.

"......As I say the concept is great and if were not being lied to----would be a great advantage to the younger set....wished some of these things would have been available...such as 40lK's and Iras in my early working years...
Really enjoyed the read....DLK"
--
Posted by Anonymous to Curious Mind at 1/16/2005 09:56:57 AM

The above quote is a comment from a reader in response to the previous post about the CIA in Iran. The reader has been trying to sort out the post and has also been trying to sort out the Social Security question.

It is very easy to respond to any post. At the bottom of the post is a highlighted "Henry" or"comment" and anyone can click there and send an annoymous email to me. You can sign your name, use a code such as the reader above, or just let your comments come along as is. No problem. Any writer likes comments and feedback. It's dull just sending words into space. So fire away.

I checked yesterday and curious mind has posted 18,647 words so far.

What caught my eye in the response above is the phrase, "If we are not being lied to...." That's a big IF, and each of us has to make up our own minds.

Henry

News
Well, it's either good news or bad news, but anyway it's the news today. On to Iran.
News

Local news here in the Gray Zone is that Pat is feeling some better, in the sense that she is willing to accept pain in exchange for moving around and getting to her sewing room for a few hours a day. She sits on the couch and has me bring her project baskets that need sorting and reoranizing.

Nearest, dearest neighbor Eleanor is feeling much better. Today all the walkers have jackets with hoods up. Eleanor is smartly dressed, with earings I can see from my house, and is ready to leave out for early Mass-as soon as she gets her pain patch on her back.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day. I'm ashamed to say that my home state of New Hampshire was one of the last to recognize it as a legal holiday. Even today they are very unethusiastic. Very, very sad. Their world view extends from Rye beach to the Vermont border, something over a hundred miles.

The star patient has woke up......bye........henry

# posted by Henry @ 7:59 AM 0 comments

The New York Times > Washington > The Address: Bush to Return to 'Ownership Society' Theme in Push for Social Security Changes

David E Rosenbaum here presents a balanced preview of the major goals of the next four years. I found it well worth reading. Henry

Here is a picture of Kevin Brown from his Morrisville Fire Dept page. I just spoke with Kevin to wish him luck and express our love for him and his family.  

Just wanted to share with all the relatives and friends that we are having a send off party for Kevin Brown on Friday evening at the Morrisville Fire Station from 6-9PM. There is also a send off for the rest of the soldiers at the Charlmont restruant on Sunday afternoon. Time is so crunched that Catina was not able to get invitations out to all, but all are welcome. I'm sure you all cannot make the trip, and I do not have e-mail addresses for all. Please feel free to call Kevin at home at 802-888-3825 or on his cell phone at 802-793-8957 and wish him the best of luck in the next 18 months.
He will be training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi and also in the desert in California for 6 months and then to Iraq for a year . He needs all our good wishes. Please spread this message to your families. Thanks so much. Love to all
Carolyn Brown
......................................................................................
Carolyn Brown is my cousin on my mother's side, and Kevin is her son. He and Catina have two children. Henry

Hey, we're still having fun down here. Here is our canvas club house opened up for dancing under the stars New Year's Eve. The dance floor are pieces of left over vinyl flooring material laid down and duct taped. Our moblie home is just out of sight in the center of this picture. 

This is where the New Year's Eve party was held. The combo music was located down by the first table you can see. The dance floor is left over pieces of vinly flooring material laid down over the asphalt of our old club house parking lot. They had about 80 people at the party. 

This is what we have for a club house these days. Four 10x20 foot tents with side curtains installed end to end. Well, it works. 

The corner by the club house. That is Pat on her Jazzy. We are out for our New Years Day walk around the park. 

The homes are getting larger. This one is something less than 1800 square feet of living space.  

Before Charley this was all pine forest representing about a dozen lots that were platted but undeveloped. As part of the rebuilding this area was cleared as the Park Board anticipated (correctly I believe) that there would be demand for mobile home lots.If you look closely along the right hand frame you can see three new trailers. 

This is the sun setting over a damaged trailer. Good by 2004