Baby, Let Your Light Shine Down on Me



April Firefly

A warm breeze caressed my face as I walked the quarter-mile from our home to the road this evening.  I found myself surrounded by a sea of moving lights.  The first lightning bugs of the season, out in force.

According to the Entomology section of the National Museum of Natural History, our earth is inhabited by an estimated 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 insects. While my share of the National Debt is estimated to be $50,000 and growing, my proportional share of the insect world is 200,000,000, a few thousand of which are lighting up the field behind our home at this very moment. 

According to the article, if the offspring of a single pair of houseflies all survived a single 5 month season, the family reunion would need place settings for 190 quintillion.  The largest insect in the world is thought to be theTitanus giganteus Beetle which reaches lengths of approximately 6 1/2 inches. While these are reputed to live only in Brazil, I'm fairly certain one landed on my shoulder one evening in Osage Beach while I was sitting outside a frozen custard stand enjoying a strawanna (for the potassium).

A New York Times article recently estimated that the world holds 300 pounds of insects for every pound of humans.  That inspired Richard Vaughn to say, ''We hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics".




　

(Not so) Wild Thangs!

I was doing a little channel-surfing the other night when the sound of a PBS show caught my attention. It was titled "My Music - 60's Pop, Rock and Soul". I tuned in as a surprisingly young-looking Gary Lewis and his not-so-young-looking Playboys were performing to a theater filled with gyrating Baby Boomers. Though I have heard it said that you should "dance like no one is watching", Baby Boomers may be an exception. When it comes to strutting our stuff on a dance floor, we are at that awkward age: too old to look cool and too young to look cute.

By coincidence, my wife had just forwarded me an email containing suggested updates for popular 60's songs. Suggested new titles included the following:

I Get By With a Little Help From Depends

The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face

Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver

Papa's Got a Kidney Stone, and

I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore

After watching my heroes from the 60's perform on a PBS fundraiser, the ultimate establishment venue, I thought it might be time to update a few more songs as Baby Boomers take on retirement. Here is "A. Boomer's Music - Pop, Rock and Soul for those in their 60's (and up).

Wild Thang, I Hate Those Mood Swangs - The Troggs

Bad All Over - Dave Clark 5

96 Fears - ? and the Mysterians

Will You Still Be Able to Love Me Tomorrow? - The Shirelles

Jumpin' Hot Flash - Rolling Stones

Baby's Got a Brand-New Knee - James Brown

Good Medications - Beach Boys

Heart Full of Stents - Yardbirds

I Want to Hold Your Arm - Beatles

You've Really Got to Hold Onto Me - Miracles

Strawberry Ensure Forever - Beatles

Ain't Too Proud to Beg For a Senior Discount - Temptations

Like a Rolling Kidney Stone - Bob Dylan

You've Lost Your Sense of Feeling - The Righteous Brothers

I Saw Her Wandering There - Beatles

Baby, Baby, Where Did Your Viagra Go? - Supremes

The Tracks of My Motorized Wheelchair - Miracles

I'm Getting Round - The Beach Boys

Gimme Some Muffins - Spencer Davis Group

I Heard it Thru My Beltone - Marvin Gaye

In the 9 o'Clock Hour -Wilson Pickett

Phooey, Phooey - The Kingsman

Sittin' at the Doctor's Today - Otis Redding

Fiber Gives Me Wind - Bob Dylan

and finally, just for Spring,

House of the Rising Lawn, by the Animals

Got any more suggestions? Send them to:

aboomer@embarqmail.com

　

　

　

　

　

　

Ride, Ride, Ride the Occasionally Wild Trail

It is 53 degrees with an overcast sky as I type this blog. The wind is from the north, gusting to 35 mph. A chance of rain is forecast for this afternoon. Yesterday I took advantage of calm winds, a sunny sky, and temperatures in the low 60's to ride my bike from Jefferson City to Hartsburg on the Katy Trail.

After arriving in Hartsburg (10 miles in 48 minutes), I rested at a picnic table. As I soaked up some sun I observed my fellow travelers. One young couple was on a family adventure. A small child rode in a child seat on her moms bike while another rode comfortably in a covered trailer behind his dad's bike. "Do you think Enterprise would pick us up if I called and rented a car?" the weary dad asked to no one in particular.

A hardy 70'ish couple rode in from the west, dismounted, and unpacked a picnic lunch. As we talked, they dined on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Where you from?" I asked.

"Michigan" was the answer. They had spent the night in Jefferson City and planned to spend a couple of days exploring the trail in both directions. Each night they slept in a comfortable motel bed. As we talked, a young guy around 30 rode in from the east on a heavily-loaded bike.

His wife had dropped him off in St. Charles a couple of days earlier and he was riding the entire length of the trail - 240 miles. He'd spent the previous night in Hermann, a charming German-style village of bed-and-breakfasts, wineries and beer halls. Not that it mattered to him. He had not taken advantage of Hermann's lodging and German cuisine.

"I sleep beside the trail" he explained. "I prefer to find a cave, build a fire and relax" he added. "I carry everything I need. It only costs me about $40 for the entire trip".

"Your wife couldn't come?" I inquired.

"Nah, she wanted to but she couldn't get off work."

Yeah, I'll bet.

"You know, in the Lewis and Clark Journals they mentioned finding a den of rattlesnakes near Rocheport" I added helpfully. "Do snakes worry you?"

Undaunted, he said "Nah, I like snakes! They won't bother you. I wrap a mosquito netting around me so they can't get in my sleeping bag, but a Northern Water Snake got under my sleeping bag once".

"See many snakes on the trail so far?" I asked.

"Yeah, I saw a big copperhead this morning! When it's chilly they like to lay on the trail because it's warmer. Saw a Massasauga rattlesnake on the trail once. They are pretty rare!" (Note: Nicknamed "Swamp Rattlers", they are indeed on Missouri's rare and endangered species list).

As I headed east, the guy got on his bike and prepared to continue west. "I'd like to make another 50 miles today" he said. My goal was considerably less aggressive. If I made it the 10 miles back to my car I would be perfectly happy. Then, as Lewis and Clark would say "We proceeded on".

I imagine today's leg of his trip will be more of a grind for the guy. Gusty winds, unless they are at your back, make for a difficult ride regardless of how fit you may be. Riding 10 mph into a 25 mph wind is the same as a 35 mph wind. Add cold temperatures and rain and it can make for a miserable day.

Unless you're from Michigan.

Probably still seems balmy to those folks.

aboomer@embarqmail.com