August 2021 has arrived and it makes me wonder where the year has gone. Do you know where it went? How did 2021 move so rapidly across my path that it didn’t even leave any footprints…or did it?

The footprints of this year reveal a few more gray hairs, but who’s counting? I’ve seen my grandchildren become a year older (one of them became a teenager) and a few of those gray hairs may now belong to my kids. (sigh) Someone once said that life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. I have to agree.

This year marches forward as so many other years have come and gone. I’ve said it before: my life’s parade moves and stretches out like a tapestry of the past and a blank canvas is the future. This canvas is mine to paint, as we each have our own canvas. The challenge remains, however, with what to do with the clowns who insist on using their brushes on MY canvas. These situations and people arrive without notice and they just thrust themselves forward and take regular swings at this artwork which is being created. The paint colors are rarely of my choosing. What the heck is “chartreuse” anyway? According to Duck Duck Go (my favorite search engine) and Merriam-Webster: “a variable color averaging a brilliant yellow green.” OK.

During my research I also discovered there is a substance called Green Chartreuse and it’s the only liqueur in the world with a completely natural green color. Maybe that would explain why the clowns who stumble through my parade and attack my canvas have such lousy aim; they’ve been partaking of the green stuff. Wikipedia says this green liquid has been made by the Charthusian Monks since 1737. Well, I learned something new.

August is here and it’s the time of year when we try to wring it out. We try to squeeze every last drop of Summer fun from the calendar before it’s time to head back to school.

The school supplies are being bought and kids everywhere are heading back to that public domain to hopefully learn something useful. It’s a sad day to know that too many who are going through the school system aren’t being educated so much as indoctrinated.

There was no politically correct junk in my classroom in the 60’s. We stood and recited the Pledge Allegiance to the flag. Taking a knee wasn’t even considered. Anybody trying that would have been shamed right out the door. We began each day, in school, with prayer.

We had bathrooms for the girls and one for the boys. We knew there were two genders and the most challenging part of the school day was Algebra.

Kids today have no idea what they are missing. — Until next time, I may need to share some stories with my grand-kids. Y’all have a blessed day.