Dad offers perspective to high jump disappointment

 

There were many memorable moments at the Class III-A sectional track meet at Batavia High School June 10, and my favorite occurred at the high jump, where I was lending a hand.

Hundreds of athletes and coaches from a dozen area high schools participated in the meet, and the top finishers will compete at the state championship meet June 17-19 at Eastern Illinois University.

Temperatures were in the mid-80s here, and it was a bit hotter on the track. There was no shade, and the winds were calm. The elements were unusual for sectional competitions, which were conducted in early May in pre-Covid-19 days. But things are different this year.

The moment that stood out for me involved an athlete who had narrowly missed qualifying for the state championship. His disappointment was obvious. He sat down on the hot surface near the high jump pit and cried.

Protocols today require fans to be kept at a distance from the competitors, and parents are restricted to a designated viewing area. I noticed one man waving his arms to get my attention and figured he was related to the athlete. I waved him through and learned he was the boy's father. I stood by while Dad consoled his son.

The boy talked about how the loss ended his season and probably his competitive career. "I wanted this so much," I heard him say.

Dad wrapped his arms around his son and said, "Listen to me. I love you. You're my son, and I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of you."

I felt I was intruding, but was required to stand by. The boy pulled a towel over his head. Dad leaned toward his son and whispered something and then looked at me and nodded me over. I helped Dad get his son on his feet and saw them off.

I know Dad would rather have been congratulating his son on reaching the state championship, but there he was doing what dads do at such moments. He was reassuring his son that disappointment is not the end, but part of life.

And Dad reminded his son he was valued and loved, not for winning ribbons and trophies, but for being a son.

As we approach Father's Day, I thought the episode a valuable reminder that one of the greatest contributions a father makes is to offer his children encouragement, support and perspective during challenging times.

-- Thank you for reading. kbotterman@gmail.com

A few thoughts about the passing parade

The Left, particularly Democrats in Washington, and the Media routinely refer to the Jan. 6 mayhem at the Capitol as an "insurrection". The media frequently uses the word in headlines, but then uses "riot" in the copy of the reports. I think riot is more accurate to the specific incident, but that's me.

National Public Radio did just that in the report I linked to above. The article highlighted the conviction of a man involved in the incident. He took a plea deal and admitted guilt on an obstruction, a far cry from "insurrection." No one charged thus far in the riot has been charged with insurrection, a federal crime, or anything close to it. In fact, the two convictions recorded so far involved obstruction charges and were settled by plea agreement. So why does the Left and the media continue to beat the drum on a narrative that even federal prosecutors don't believe?

* I don't watch much TV and little in the way of TV news. (I read newspapers and listen to radio reports.) However, I do watch some broadcast news. I sometimes catch the "CBS Evening News" and frequently watch "CBS Sunday Morning". I also catch Tucker Carlson now and then. I think he asks some good questions of his guests, and I think he does a good job of presenting a concise point. But I still would not make a habit of watching TV news.

* I spent Memorial Day weekend on a farm in central Wisconsin. From what I saw in the area, patriotism still thrives in rural communities and many observe the traditions of Memorial Day. I was happy to see that, particularly after a year of Covid-19 restrictions.

* The message on a sign I saw today stated, "One day you're not old and the next you have a favorite grocery store." There's truth in that, I think. I sometimes visit as many as four stores for groceries. I frequent two, but consider only one a favorite. I visit that store at least once each week. I suppose that makes me old.

-- Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment or send a note to kbotterman@gmail.com.

Time to start planning the garden

 

Our temperatures reached 40 degrees this afternoon, under sunny skies. It was our first pleasant day after nearly three weeks of single-digit temperatures, so naturally we started thinking about our gardens.

My wife and I generally plant vegetables and herbs, although we make sure to have decorative plants outdoors. We don't have much of a yard so we do a lot of container gardening. We did OK last season, our tomatoes came in nicely, and we did very well with our herbs. 

This season we hope to add more vegetables. We'll include tomatoes, because we enjoy those. And we'll continue to plant some herbs, because we find a variety of uses for those. We're not sure which vegetables to add.

I've been thinking about peppers, and maybe some snap peas. I'm also considering a few pumpkin plants, but my neighbors tell me they are not worth the effort. 

My sister grows garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and pumpkins, but she owns a small farm and has the space grow a variety of produce.

If I had a larger yard, I'd give thought to a fruit tree or bush. A friend has a single lemon tree in his yard, and I'm always impressed with the amount of fruit it produces. 

A neighbor of ours when I was growing up had several mulberry trees, and I always enjoyed the berries they produced. I can still remember how sweet they tasted on a summer morning. 

I have some decisions to make, but I also have some time to plan. As of last week, we had a snow pack of about 18 inches and received another inch or two of fresh snow over the weekend. That will take some time to melt away. In the meantime, I can do a bit of daydreaming.

-- Thank you for reading. Your comments are aways welcome.

Thursday Notebook: The age when winters stays too long

We are approaching the end of three consecutive weeks of a weather pattern that has alternated between frigid cold temperatures (night-time lows reach -12 below zero) and snowstorms, some dropping as much as 8 inches of snow in just a few hours.

It's a one-two wintery punch that strains endurance and patience. People called these weather patterns character builders, once upon a time, because they strenghten your character as well as your body, if you survive. I have a hard time deciding which is worse, the severe cold or the accumulating snow. I read a news report earlier today that stated the snowpack, the mass of snow on ground that frozen and compressed by its own weight, in northern Illinios is 18-inches deep. That measurement doesn't include the top layer of snow that has yet to compress. It's a lot of snow.

This is commonly referred to as the dead of winter, a period when seasonal depression settles in and drains people of energy, initiative, and drive. I'm not feeling depressed, but I feel my energy levels steadily decline throughout the short days. And I find myself looking at my bed at an earlier hour during the long nights.

I suppose I have reached the chronological age when winter stays a long time and can't leave soon enough. At 60, I am at the stage when I don't want the daily temperature to be lower than my age, and I now understand why older individuals move to Florida, Arizona and other locales that enjoy warm temperatures year round. 

I could go on, but I must pull on about eight pounds of layered clothing to take my dog outside for his last walk of the day. Wish me luck.

--Thank you for reading. Your comments are always welcome. 

Wednesday Notebook: When a passing is met with hatred

 

A popular and controversial radio personality died today following a long battle with cancer. His passing was met with sorrow from many and intense anger from many.

His name is not important for this item. I've reflected for the last few hours about the comments posted about him on social media since news of his passing was shared late this morning. I liked the many messages offering prayers and condolences. I think such expressions are good releases for those who post them.

I also read many messages from people who said they were happy the man was dead. They called him vile names and stated they knew he was in hell. I knew people would post such bitter messages, but they were disheartening to read, and they could not be separated out from the heartfelt postings. 

I suppose some have greeted the deaths of others with hatred and venom since humans first crawled up from the muck. But doing so takes so little effort these days. Spew some anger through a keyboard, press a button, and send hatred out through the Internet. It happens nearly every hour of every day. 

And I think every time such messages are posted a bit of our collective humanity dies with it. And that's something we all should mourn, I think.

-- Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. 

Tuesday Notebook: The cardinal is one tough bird

 I am, like many Americans today, living through a brutal cold snap that is fairly typical for February in the upper Midwest. Overnight temperatures reach -10 or worse, wind chills make it feel much colder, and day-time highs are little better.

And it's been like this for about 16 consecutive days. Not at all pleasant. And that's why I am so impressed with the cardinals that live outside my house. That's the Northern Cardinal to be precise. The male is typically of a distinct red plumage and equally distinct call. The female cardinal offers a lovely song.

I think the cardinal is a tough as is it beautiful. The temperature was just above zero when I stepped out of my house at 7 a.m. today. I immediately heard a male cardinal in the branches of a tree near my driveway. He was chirping away as he might on a warm summer morning. 

I stood and stared, a little stunned by what I was seeing. I was layered in a coat and sweatshirt. I wore a knit hat, gloves, thick pants and heavy boots, and I was still uncomfortably cold. The cardinal probably didn't weigh more than a couple of pounds and stood on spindly legs on a branch that swayed in the wind. He not only looked comfortable, but sounded happy. 

It didn't seem right to me, but, of course, his appearance and performance was completely natural. 

Isn't that amazing? 

-- Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. 

Monday Notebook: A few of my favorite presidents

 

Today is Presidents Day and I spent time refecting on some of my favorites and thought I'd put together a list of the ones I not only admire, but find most interesting, even if they possessed some serious flaws. 

I don't agree with every thing each did as president. But their lives, their accomplishments, before and after serving as president, combine to make them exceptional presidents, in my estimation, or unusually engaging. 

My personal favorites:

1. Dwight Eisenhower

2. George Washington

3. U.S. Grant

4. Abe Lincoln

5. Frankin Roosevelt

6. Ronald Reagan

7. Thomas Jefferson

8. Harry Truman

9. Calvin Coolidge

10. James Madison

Interesting (If not my favorite)

1. Theodore Roosevelt

2. Richard Nixon

3. Andrew Jackson

4. Lyndon Johnson

5. Grover Cleveland

6. John Kennedy

7. Gerald Ford

8. Chester Arthur

9. James Polk

10. Jimmy Carter

I always enjoy learning about each president and those who served in their administrations.  I don't bother a "least" favorite list. I just don't want to go there. I imagine others would disagree or find issue with some of my selections, and I welcome comments. 

-- Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment here, or send an email to kbotterman@gmail.com.