Edward Kennedy 1932 – 2009

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I won’t dwell on this sad story in all the papers and media today, except to say men like him don’t come along very often.

Sure he had faults, most men do, but his public service record speaks for itself. I admire all people like Ted regardless of party affiliation. He stuck by his beliefs, but was still flexible enough to work with the other party to get things done for the common good. In a recent poll GOP members of Congress voted Ted Kennedy one of the best senators to work with on legislation.

I was fortunate enough to actually hear Ted rise and speak in the Senate when I visited Washington, D.C. in 1972. He was most impressive even at that young age.

Kid Being a Brat – Mail ‘Em Away

This is a photo from the National Postal Museum showing a child posing with a letter carrier in 1913.  (photographer unidentified, Smithsonian Institute, Collection: U.S. Postal Employees)

At this time you could legally mail children. It was actually done several times. Postage stamps were attached to their clothing and the children rode with railway and city carriers to their destination.

When the Post Office Department found out this was occurring, they issued a regulation to prevent “the sending of children in the mail”.

There are definitely times when I’d like to mail mine away, but with today’s postal rates it would bankrupt me.

Fiction Writing – Excerpt

After reading some writing books, I’ve started making an effort to write at least one page a day. So far I’ve been pretty successful. Once I start writing usually I end up with a short story in draft form. Here is the introductory paragraph from a short story called, Arachnophobia, that I completed a couple of days ago. Now for the editing and submission process. Word count on this one is 980.

“Bobby Drux was afraid of spiders. Ever since he remembered this was part of his psyche. Other kids found out and teased him. Whenever they caught one, it was put in his desk at school or his backpack. They laughed as he ran screaming at the sight of the little creatures. That was then, but now even though he was an adult, the fear remained.”

excerpt from “Arachnophobia” by Steve B. Davis