Bfth's Boring Blog

I received an email the other day; the kind you frequently get and are encouraged to forward on.  Supposedly, the following came from Charles Schultz, but I don't know how true that is.  And it doesn't really matter where it came from.   It said: You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them. 1. Name  the five wealthiest people in the  world. 2. Name  the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name  the last five winners of the Miss America pageant. 4  Name  ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name  the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. 6. Name  the last decade's worth of  World Series winners. How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers.  They are the best in their fields.  But the applause dies..  Awards tarnish.. Achievements are forgotten. ...

The last day of the three day weekend; the unofficial/official beginning of the season of summer.  (Although it sure hasn't felt like it here in NJ.).  I don't think it's a bad thing that we spend three days relaxing and hopefully drinking in some sunshine (especially after the cold winter we've had).  And with all the damage that Sandy caused, whatever time we can spend celebrating the NJ shore is a good thing in my book.  (Although to be realistic, as much as has been accomplished there is still a long way to go.  For every restaurant that has reopened, there is another block of homes that still need to renovation or a complete fresh start.) However, to paraphrase, let's not forget the reason behind the season.  Why do we (or at least most of us) get that Monday off?  It isn't all about the start of the summer season.  Let's not forget what we should be remembering this Memorial Day. Once again I realize how lucky I am.  My maternal gra...

It's going to be a warm May day today in NJ. It was a hot May day 49 years ago today.  Or so I am told.  (I'm not THAT old...yet!) It was 49 years ago today that my parents were married.  My mother has often told me that it was so hot that day that when they went to kiss at the end of the ceremony (in an non-air conditioned sanctuary) that she could see a drop of sweat on the tip of my father's nose.  (How's that for romance?). My parents were married in the same town that they still live in.  The one that my mother grew up in, I grew up in and that my son continues to grow in.  They were married in the same church that my mother, my son and myself still attend. Things were a bit different back then.  One of the worries on my mother's mind that day (and I'm sure there were more than just this) was that my father's Uncle Ed would take a photo during the ceremony.  The minister at the time did not permit flash photography. (was there any other...

Yesterday I wrote about good neighbors...today I got a huge dose of GREAT neighbor and in light of the fact that I just blogged about it yesterday, I had to share with whoever is reading this. Brief background (for those of you who might not know), my parents have 2 homes...one at the NJ shore and one up north.  You might think of the "shore house" as the summer house, but you'd be wrong.  It's the other way around, the one in north NJ is actually the "other house" as they spend at least 80% of their time in their lovely ranch home just outside of Mantoloking, NJ. Or at least that's where they DID spend most of their time until October of last year.  I hope you all remember what happened last fall...a "little" storm called Sandy...SUPERSTORM Sandy.  The one that destroyed most of Mantoloking. I could go on and on about the storm and devastation, but this is supposed to be an addendum to yesterday's blog, so I'll shut up about that...

You know the jingle.  But I'm not going to talk insurance today.  I want to know what a good neighbor is. On the surface a good neighbor might be the one that mows their lawn, keeps the yard relatively neat and is somewhat friendly.  Someone who waves as you back the car out of the driveway.  Hopefully you know his or her name. But is that really a good neighbor?  Everyone wants a neighbor who keeps their property somewhat well maintained. I mean, who wants to look at a POD in someone's driveway for weeks.(If you don't know what a POD is, then you are lucky!  Just Google it and see if you'd like to be staring at one for any extended period of time.)  But there's more to a good neighbor than that. I don't think you have to be friends in order to be good neighbors (although it certainly helps).  A good neighbor is not only there physically, but there to help out.  I consider myself pretty lucky when it comes to neighbors (although we've a...

I've been told that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  In my opinion, every day should be Teacher Appreciation...and we should recognize that everyone who enters our lives has something to teach us, if only we are open to learn. But for the purpose of today's blog, I want to focus on those who hold the title "teacher" (and because of that I will NOT be including any professors.   Maybe some other day I'll blog about them and all those "unofficial" teachers in my life.) Even though my son is only in 2nd grade he has already had some wonderful teachers that have helped him grow, mature and learn.  From Mrs. B at Robin's Nest II where he went three mornings a week and made his first best friend to Mrs. McCabe and Miss Kirby in kindergarten who helped him overcome his writing anxiety.  (And how lucky were we to have two great teachers in one year?  When Mrs. McCabe had to leave to have a baby, Miss Kirby seamlessly picked up the ball and finish...

Although I'm an early morning person (I do my best work before noon), I don't like getting up out of my nice, comfy bed.  (I could rave on about my sleep number bed and "My Pillow", but no one's paying me for endorsements, so...).  I usually wake a little before 5 AM (before the alarm) and it's dark and I just don't want to get up.  Sleeping just a few minutes more is always so enticing. But I do get up.  And now that spring is REALLY here (at least in NJ...I've seen some of those shocking photos from the Midwest where the winter winds do not want to blow away), I've been getting my sweats on and hitting the pavement in the morning. Let me backtrack a little (and I know, I'm always doing that); I've always been a walker.  But over the past year and a half I've been doing my walking "inside" to a fast paced DVD.  However, after all that time, I'm getting a little tired of the same routine and with the birds singing and ...

Although I attend church regularly, I don't see myself as an overly religious person.  I'm not one who is terribly comfortable about talking about my faith or my denomination and I'm certainly not one who is out there to try and convert anyone!  But this post does have it's religious overtones, but it's less about Christianity and more about people...so with that said. I am a Presbyterian.  I became one because when I reached "that age" my parents told me I had to pick a church and the Presbyterian church was the one I knew the best (which is not saying much).  For me, the confirmation experience was not a fun or joyous one.   It is many years behind me, but I remember not liking confirmation class and not really learning anything "religious."  Nor did my class have any mentors to help us along the way.  I remember being confirmed on my birthday (which I thought was the worst thing EVER) and thinking that now that it was over I didn't have ...