"I'll take fashions for 100 Alex."

The answer is, " 1950's singer of "Love Letters In The Sand" wore these.
Question: What are white bucks?

The above premise may sound corny, but if you grew up in the 50's you should be able to relate to it. I know, I had of pair of white bucks (white buckskin shoes for the youngsters in the crowd). Pat Boone started a trend with his trademark white bucks. I can remember as if it was yesterday. Actually I wore them way back in May 1959 for my First Communion. I looked and felt snazzy in my navy blue suit, white shirt and tie, and my cool white bucks. I'm not sure if white bucks will ever come back into style, but who knows, they may. I'm sure I stood out like a sore thumb when I wore them. I don't recall anyone else wearing them on that holy day, but back then I didn't really care.

Today's fashions are quite different. Teenagers pretty much dress the same. Droopy pants, baggy shirts and reversed baseball caps. Most of the kids blatantly advertise for Aeropostale, Tommy Hilfiger, American Eagle or Nike to name a few. They look like walking billboards. It's a far cry from what it was in the 50's. Our parents dressed us like movie or tv stars. Today's kids dress like pro athletes or rappers. Anything goes. The fashions, today, are overpriced even at 50% clearance sale. People are willing to pay top dollar for name brand clothing. For example, I was walking through Macy's the other night and noticed "Polo" shirts on display. I got "sticker" shock when I noticed they were $75.00. I guess that little insignia of the jockey on the polo pony ups the price considerably. I don't think the shirts will be flying off the shelves at that price. At least not in Sandusky.

Our son, Justin had to have a pair of Nike Air Jordan shoes when he was a young teenager. He said they cost $110.00. Now that's a lot of money even if you're playing in the NBA. We agreed to pay $50.00. He would have to come up with the balance of $60.00 if he wanted them that badly. Somehow, he saved his money and bought the shoes. I suppose he did get his money's worth out of them. Justin, now 31 years old, would probably think twice before spending that much money on athletic shoes today.
On the other side of the coin I was happy with my P.F. Flyers or Red Ball Jets. They use to be called tennis shoes. Not anymore. Models today include cross-trainers, walking, running, basketball, all-terrain etc. etc.

Some other fashions of the 50's included the "Perry Como" sweater, the Harry Belefonte clam diggers (similar to Capri pants), and the predecessor of "scrubs" the Dr. Ben Casey blouse.

I did have a Perry Como sweater. It was a turquoise cardigan sweater with two buttons. Maybe my parents thought by wearing the sweater that I would be able to sing "That's Amore' ". When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore'.

Now back to Jeopardy with Alex Trebeck.

The Guy with "Wings"

Hey, I want to let you in on a little secret. Actually it's more of an inside joke between Jan and myself. Whenever I do something that Jan appreciates she says, "Your wings are growing". I take those words to mean that I'm an angel and my wings are growing. At least I hope that's what she means! Heck, maybe she thinks I'm a bird, I dunno. I realize that I have a long way to go to be standing alongside Michael the Archangel. But when she says "Your wings are growing" I get a spring in my step. Remember when you were in kindergarten and the teacher had a chart with all the students names on it? If you did something "good" you were awarded with a gold star next to your name. That's the feeling I get. We all want to be accepted and appreciated, and this is her way of telling me that she appreciates what I have done. I usually don't "grow wings" when I do things that are expected of me. It's when I do unexpected acts that she finds it necessary to award me with my "wings". On the other hand, if I do something "stupid" (at least in her eyes) I get my wings clipped. There is nothing worse than an angel without wings. At least in my eyes anyway.

You see, it is the little things in life that mean the most to us. A kind word, a smile, a compliment all help us feel better about ourselves and the people around us.

I continue to find ways to be awarded wings everyday. I feel much better when I am winged and not wingless. Remember there is nothing worse than an angel without wings.

The "Look"

You're probably thinking to yourself is this another "Seinfeld" episode. The answer is no, although it could be. If you watched Seinfeld you're aware of the episodes all beginning with the word "The". For example, "The Contest", "The Soup Nazi" and "The Low Talker" to name a few. The "Look" that I'm referring to is the glaring glance that parent(s) give their kids when they do something stupid our unacceptable in the eyes of the parent. The "Look" is suppose to put the kid in his place without physical punishment. I'm guessing that The "Look" has been around for ages. I'm sure if the Bible was a picture book instead of a text book you would see Adam (in the Book of Genesis) giving The "Look" to Cain and Abel. Apparently Cain didn't get the message as he whacked Abel. On the other hand Joseph the Carpenter had no need to give his son The"Look". Jesus already knew what Joseph was thinking without making eye contact.
To be fair, The "Look" can be limited in its use. First of all, it's necessary to have eye contact between the parent and the child. Once eye contact is established, The "Look" can be used. However, when the child becomes a teenager The "Look" is no longer effective. Secondly, if there are two parents, generally just one of the parents gives The "Look". Jan was a master of The "Look". She was the one with the short fuse. On the other hand, I had a much longer fuse. Our kids knew when they crossed the line. Nothing, and I mean nothing what get by her. I would merely serve as a cheerleader for her. Like Superman, her eyes could penetrate steel. Once in a while I added my two cents. I was more verbal than Jan. I would say things like "Gees, that's cute!" or "Now what?" The kids knew when my bottom lip protruded that I was at my breaking point, and ready to explode.
When The "Look" didn't work The "Threat" would take over. I remember Grandma saying, "Wait 'til Grandpa comes home, he'll use the razor strap on you." We were too young to even know what a razor strap was way back then. But we did know that it wasn't good. Fortunately, the razor strap never came into play. Who knows if there ever was a razor strap? We often wondered where Grandpa kept the razor strap. Perhaps in a box under his bed.
Today's generation of parents have a much tougher time in disciplining their children. If they spank the kid they could be arrested for child abuse. Heck, let's just have "time-out". Yeah right, that will work. Give me a break.
One thing for certain is that The "Look" will live for generations too come.

What's in your pill case?

A few years ago I began using a pill case to make sure I would take my pills routinely. The only problem is that sometimes I forget to take my pills. I guess that's one of the liabilities as I age. Fortunately, I only have to take my pills only once a day unlike most people who have to take them at meal times or bed time. My pill case has a prominent position on the kitchen counter next to the coffee pot. It makes it a little easier to remember since I always have a cup of coffee before I leave the house in the morning. I remember my Dad kept his pills in the china cabinet in the dining room. His pill case was larger and contained more prescription drugs than I have in my case. Mine is about 50% prescription and 50% vitamins. My current pill case however is at capacity. Unless I place the pills in a certain way, it is impossible to close the lid. I suppose I could get a larger pill case, but I like the challenge of trying to figure out the exact way to position the pills so the lid closes. It's like trying to figure out the combination of a Rubik's cube. I won't bore you with the inventory of the prescription drugs I have in my pill case. Let me just say that the drugs are for a depressed, overweight diabetic. I'll let you draw the conclusion.
The other pills that take up residence in the pill case are more for preventative maintenance. I take 81 mg of aspirin a day. From what I've read, aspirin is good for the heart, also I get fewer headaches. Larry King suggested that it's good to take Ester-C. It must be good if Larry prescribes it--right? Actually Ester-C is a complex vitamin C pill. It must work because I rarely get colds anymore. The next pill is Omega 3 Fish Oil. This pill helps your heart and circulation. This is better than eating fish because there's no chance of getting mercury poisoning. I take vitamin E which is a powerful antioxidant that contributes to cardiovascular, mental and prostate, and may enhance the immune system (at least that's what the label reads). Besides this pill looks like a golden Jelly Belly.
Finally, I take a Mature Complete Multivitamin. This pill contains every vitamin known to man. These are not your ordinary "Flintstone" vitamin. The list is endless. There are 31 different vitamin in this baby including Lycopene.

I'm sure there are some pills that I don't take that I should take. I use to take gingko biloba, but I've given up on that one. It was suppose to help with my memory. I figured at my age what do I have to remember. Unless it creates brain cell growth it's worthless.

Now where is my pill case?