Happy ??th Birthday, Elena Kaplan

Yes, I know. I used the same picture last year. And why not? The pony rides are still there, it's only a few blocks from the house, and I drive by it several times a day. It's on my way to the post office, the supermarket, the Target store, and the neighborhood Starbucks. A constant reminder of the cute little girl that used to love going to the pony rides.

Now she's an attorney in Atlanta, involved in politics just like her father, and hopefully next time she runs for office she'll enjoy a landslide victory. I never did. However, she'll discover that the very act of running in itself, rallying a bunch of people together, organizing a campaign, gives you a level of respect and credibility in your community. You don't have to win to "win".

She's reaching that point in life where most of us stop looking forward to getting another year older. It makes me stop and think, too! "Damn! I have a daughter THAT old?" But she's brought a lot of joy to my life. Thanks, Elena, and have a Happy Birthday! You've finally reached the point where you don't have to try and blow out all the candles in one breath! Just enjoy the day.

The Important Things In Life

It's amazing how quickly we adapt to somethings but not to others. I guess like most folks today I can't visualize trying to get along without my cell phone in my pocket, but I wish it came in bright yellow so it'd be easier to spot amidst the clutter when i put it down someplace. I never did adapt to disposeable lighters. I've carried a Zippo with me since the 1950's. I've been a coffee addict since age two or three when my grandfather would put a tablespoon of the Sacred Brew in a little egg cup so I could join him for afternoon coffee.

I never did like filter cigarettes. At various times over the years I've either smoked Camels or rolled my own, mostly with Bugler tobacco which like Camel cigarettes is a Turkish blend and has a similar flavor. I've gotten in the habit of rolling up a day's supply over morning coffee. People give you some strange looks when you whip out a pouch of tobacco and a package of papers and absent mindedly roll a smoke in the middle of a conversation. A couple of years ago I was at a city council meeting and during the break I was chatting with the new police chief when I did just exactly that. Her eyes bulged out, she was speechless! I quipped that I rolled them a bit on the skinny side out of habit because I didn't learn the technique by rolling tobacco. She laughed, and then I went outside and lit up.

Having an ex-wife in the antique business resulted in my getting a couple of elegent sterling silver cigarette cases , probably from the 1920's, for carrying the smokes, so I usually roll a day's supply while having my morning coffee, while I'm still to groggey to consider what a boring task it really is. This sterling silver case is marked Tiffany, and it has a minimalist art deco exterior. My other case has a couple of gold bands running down the front and is intricately engraved in an art nouveau pattern.