by Richard Seifried
Happy Holidays! I hope you are happy and well. I am still alive and kicking here at Friend’s Care in Yellow Springs. I turned 90 this year, back in June, and was surprised to have all of my kids here: Steve from Hawaii; Amy from Florida; and Carol, Jane, and Julie from the Dayton area. My sister Diane and her husband Rick came up from Middletown, and I also got to see my cousins and really good friends. Steve rented a van so that I could travel easier, and we took trips to the country (and Young’s Dairy) and Piqua so I could see my old stomping grounds (with a side trip to Outback Steakhouse so I could devour some steak and shrimp!).
I am still enjoying nature through my large window, and thanks to several types of feeders, my visitors include songbirds, woodpeckers, gold finches, and hummingbirds – oh, and the pesky squirrels! Jack, the resident cat, visits me almost daily for my charming personality – and the treats I sneak him so that he’ll sleep on the bed! I have my everyday visitors (Carol, Jane, and Tom) who spoil me with food from the outside world, and special visitors (Julie, Diane, and some old teaching friends) who really brighten my day.
Jack keeps licking long after the treat is gone. I must be delicious!
I keep up with political doings of the day, but I was told that this isn’t the place to talk about our president, so I won’t tell you that I don’t like him. I still love reading and would highly recommend the Thomas Jefferson book by presidential historian John Meacham and the Johnny Appleseed book by Howard Means. When my TV is on, it is usually dialed in to MSNBC, the History Channel, National Geographic, PBS, or Turner Classic Movies. Oh, and thanks to a new portable DVD player, I can now watch movies when the TV disappoints. I recommend Dunkirk to anyone who hasn’t seen it.
I am doing almost no writing these days, but my son-in-law Tom maintains this website and frequently adds old SHM writings of mine to an appropriately named pulldown menu, Ole Richard’s Archives. Well, that’s all that is happening in my world right now.
I hope that all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Much love, Richard
