Can you remember any one moment from your grade school days? The recent school dress code issue at Richmond Schools got me thinking about this. I wore standard blue jeans and a plaid button down shirt in the elementary grades. I kept my shirttail tucked in but this is well before the saggy pants look. I can also remember wearing Chuck's from Converse but only in Phys Ed. I wore regular street shoes otherwise.

Each day had three recess periods. One at mid-morning, another after lunch and third about an hour before dismissal. Kickball was the usual sport for us guys. I can also remember playing a game called 4 square or something like that. Four players would stand in their individual square bouncing a ball to an adjoining square and that player. They in turn would bounce it to someone else. I don't remember how we kept score and I only remember the game now after seeing it played in a recent TV commercial.

The end of recess would come with the teacher in charge ringing a bell or blowing a whistle and we would line up at the school door. The teacher would say, "Quiet please", or something like that. We would file in back to our classrooms asking the teacher if we could use the restroom or get a drink of water. Once back in the classroom, we would still be hot and sweaty from twenty minutes of play.

A memory that is still very vivid in my memory was while I was in fifth grade and the sixth grade teacher was in charged of recess. The whistle was blown by this male teacher, who happened to be missing several teeth, and we lined up as usual. Only this nice, sunny spring afternoon this teacher told me to slow down as there was no good reason for hurrying back into this God-forsaken building. I did wonder what had this teacher is such a bad mood. I had fun in school (don't call me a teacher's pet) and I looked forward to new things.

That sixth grade teacher never returned the next year and with an attitude like his I think I know why. When I then entered sixth grade we had a very lovely female teacher that every boy noticed and what perfume she would wear. I can still smell it today. Every boy in the class had a crush on her but for some reason she quit after just a couple of months breaking all of our hearts. I guess the moral of the story is that it's not easy being a sixth grade teacher. More to come next week.

Buddha

i also remember those days we had some good times to

The visit by former President Bill Clinton is the main topic of my blog this week. I have some nice things to say about the man and the event even though I am not a Bill Clinton fan. I was in attendance at the campaign event for his wife, Hillary, as she seeks the Democratic nomination for President. Firehouse One in Richmond was chosen by the Secret Service as the best place for the event. The Secret Service's job is to protect the former President so I have no argument with their choice of the site. The Kuhlman Center or Raper Center at the fairgrounds would have held more people and had better parking, but you must remember this is a campaign event designed to impress voters to vote for Hillary. A packed house to the TV cameras looks more impressive and the firefighters background impresses more union people to consider Hillary.

The one item that impressed me most were the people crowding into the firehouse after standing in the rain. These were hardworking Hoosiers who were Bill Clinton fans. Some were ready to support Hillary before Bill spoke and some were on the fence. As the former president spoke I understood his appeal. He is a powerful speaker and his body shape and skin tone were attractive. He looked presidential. For once these people felt like they mattered to their country and their vote will matter come May 6th. Imagine your in the audience with a former president you believe in and he is hitting all the right reasons for you to vote for his wife. Powerful stuff. Plus everyone there will be able to say that they were at the event and tell their friends how maybe they got to shake the former presidents hand. I loved especially seeing one mother with her daughter. You talk about a history lesson that a book can't teach. Some say there are two things one should never talk about in public, politics and religion. I think the idea has been diminished over the last few years. People admit their politics today and say how proud they are and how messed up the other side is. So my advice is learn the issues and vote May6th. And Happy Easter. I guess I talked about politics and religion.

With our recent discussion on air about fuel prices it got me thinking ab out an easy meal to make to try to cut costs. It's called tomato sausage bean soup. You start with two cans of tomato soup and two cans of been soup. Fry up about a half a pound of smoke sausage that you cut into pieces. Do the same with a pound of ground beef. Drain off the grease. Once you have all of this cooking you can your favorite spices like garlic and pepper or chili powder. The last ingredient is a bag of frozen corn or other veggie. This recipe will feed 8 people at little cost. You might like dipping this recipe over cornbread.

I don't claim to be a world renowned chef but this sounds easy and cheap and delicious. When it comes to food there is one meal that makes my weekend. Saturday and Sunday must begin with eggs, bacon, toast with jelly and coffee and orange juice. It doesn't seem right with these foods on the weekend. Maybe it's just habit...

How long are each of the four seasons? Easy question with the answer being three months for each. But my body perception, and I'll bet some of you would agree that you would like to see warmer spring-like weather around February 15th. If that happens it is usually a fluke and lasts for a short time before the cold winter stuff returns. When Labor Day arrives we know summer is waning and by October 1st the colder weather is here. But soon after New Year's the anxious waiting begins. I want Spring!!! In the last three weeks we have a day here and there that is warmer but continuous warm weather is not quite here. A perfect day for is a clear blue sky with the temperature hitting 82 in the afternoon and a round of golf early in the morning. An afternoon nap is good with a relaxing evening watching the sunset and a good baseball game on tv. This may not be your perfect day so I would like to know what is your perfect day. One thing I've learned and this plays to our lives. Live everyday to the fullest. There is nothing like living in the moment. Look at nature and kids and family and freeze the moment in time like a snapshot for later consumption. Your memory can be a powerful thing.

It's not everyday you wake up to your chair or bed rattling and you soon realize you're experiencing an earthquake. I'm glad I don't live in California where earthquakes happen more often and can be much more dangerous. Our recent earthquake though is one for the memory banks in that everyone who felt it will remember what they were doing at the time. If you didn't feel the earthquake you're likely to forget it. I have a list of events that maybe you can remember what you were doing or where you were when you first heard about the event.

The shuttle Columbia blowing up on re-entry

9/11 everyone remembers this one

The current war in Irag broke just over five years ago

For parents only-when you found out you were pregnant

Where were you when an elderly relative passed away

I could go back many years but I've proven a point. You remember big events in the world and big events in your life. And a huge part of this is the fact that on a personal level these things are happening everyday and every hour. Someone at this moment is probably experiencing a life changing moment. We tend to think on an individual level. Huge events happen all the time only to different people. My final point that comes from this is to enjoy the moment for what it is. Soak it in if it's good and never pass up the chance to tell someone you value their friendship.

Indiana mattered when it came to Primary election day. Record turnout across the state of Indiana proved that people wanted a say in a government that they may not be very happy with. This is not a President Bush bash because there is enough for all politicians. High gas prices and high food prices are causing a pressure on what to cut back on. Politicians are not the answer as they will only disappoint you. I applaud those polticians who say cuts in government are necessary without raising taxes elsewhere. We are experiencing unique times and the solutions will not come without a price. In the end be ready to pay more for just living and expecting less from Washington D.C.

I LOVE HEREING YOU ON EVERY DAY