Pearl Harbor Day

It's been seventy years since Japan attacked the American fleet stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In early 2006 Wanda and I cruised to Hawaii and back. Oahu was one of the island stops, while there we toured Pearl Harbor. To say we were "lucky enough" to do a USS Arizona Memorial tour just doesn't seem right. I wish the attack never happened, I wish the memorial wasn't there, but it did and it is. I'm glad we had the opportunity to see it, once was more than enough.

I think I can officially call myself the little old man who only drove to church on Sunday. OK, you all probably know I don't go to church on Sunday but I had to write something. This sounded better than the old guy who only drove to the bar and back, oops, took a taxi back, on Tuesday nights. Or, the dirty old man who only drove to the strip club on Friday.

One of these days I will probably, I hope, be in a position where I need to give up driving. Well, now that I think about that I am having mixed emotions. Do I want to live long enough that I outlive my driving capabilities? At the moment, I think yes.

In 2003 Wanda and I had to convince her dad his driving days were over. Curt and Bonnie lived in a small community in Northern California. It was maybe three miles from one end of town to the other. Senior services and taxi cabs were easy enough to use. It wasn't easy taking away his independence but it was necessary.

About a month before we finally pulled the plug on his driving he was in a slight accident. Leaving the bowling ally he hit a parked car damaging his right front turn signal lens. He didn't do any damage to the other car and it would have been overlooked if not for the sheriff who looked over it, he was in the lot at the time.

The local police officer does a service. Rather than issue a citation the policeman came out to the house, returned my father in law's signal lens, and suggested he give up the car. That made it easier for us.

I was curious about the mileage on the car. Have you noticed so far I've avoided any mention of make and model of said car? I have been making references to "the car" since it sounds so much better than the 1991 Plymouth Acclaim, four door. I joked with Nick, our grandson, about giving him the car when he turned sixteen and he scoffed at the notion. I don't blame him. It's just now that I'm in my sixties I feel comfortable driving the beast. I have finally reached the "I don't give a damn" what I drive age.

In January 2010 we last had the Plymouth smog checked. At that time the car had 113,512 miles on the odometer. That's a great word, odometer. Sound it out; odo-meter. Sounds to me like something that would measure smells. Anyhow, now in December 2011, and it has been working fine, the odometer reads 114,583. Wow, a total of 1,071 miles over a 23 month period. I wonder if I should call our insurance company and ask about a discount?

The Food and Drug Administration is trying to crack down on a Fremont sperm donor who has fathered more than a dozen children.

The man who has fathered 14 children as a sperm donor said he is just helping people who cannot have a baby on their own.

“It is helping people in need,” he said. “I don’t make any money, I don’t charge people anything. And it is just helping childless couples have children.”

and besides, it's lots of fun.