Still a bit of morning chill these Saturday mornings – then it’s the continuation of a stunning springtime. My coffee, made from a new batch of Gevalia Kaffe, is just adding to it.

Dinner Out – Last Tuesday dinner-out was one of the better evening’s out we’d had in many a day; Sorrento’s Italian Joint. Great food, wonderful service, and for desert a strong coffee with a Cannoli!

I met Marcia there after walking to the place and then afterwards, while she drove home, I walked back. There, those six miles total took care of the Cannoli.

Entering Sorrento’s Italian Joint is parked a small car. That’s an early 1950s Fiat 500 Topolino (“little Mouse” in Italian) I thought to myself. However, something didn’t fit. I put it to members of my Deux Chevaux on-line club and it didn’t take long before I had the answer. What is parked there is a rusty (floorlesss)  equivalent to the Topolino; a French built Simca 6; same as the Fiat Topolino except for the fact that these had an overhead cam. Accuracy is important!

I was hoping for a rousing after-dinner game of Bocce Ball; we skipped that.

My Historical Hero – has been Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. And, this was not in the least due to the fact that my high school was named; Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute. It’s as a result of a series of factors. He had many setbacks, many flaws, and much greatness; all capsulated in this quote:

“Only Churchill carries that absolutely required criterion: indispensability, without Churchill the world today would be unrecognizable ~ Dr. Charles Krauthammer

Krauthamer declared Churchill the most influential person of the 20th Century.

Thursday evening was captivating as I Zoomed a seminar, as part a one and a half hour exploration of this complex man. Here are some of insights gleaned:

Humor of Churchill” He told a manufacturer; “I want you to make every condom 10½ inches long. I want every box, every carton, and every packet saying; “British, Size: Medium”. That will show the Nazis who is the master race.”
He disliked Lord Halifax who wanted to negotiate with Hitler. One time when Halifax came to see him, Churchill told an aide, “Tell Lord Halifax that I am sealed in the privy (toilet), and can only deal with one shit at a time”
Churchill was not vindictive: ”I will not be party to any butcher in cold blood. What happens in hot blood is another matter.” “A nation should show in war, resolution, in defeat defiance, in victory magnanimity, in Peace goodwill.”
Churchill’s Health Cures: June 5, 1953 He’d suffered a stroke which left his left side paralyzed. To recover he was up at 7:30, a farmer’s breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages, and coffee followed; then a large whiskey and soda and a Cigar.
Churchill’s Love of Hats: He just didn’t collect them, he wore them; Fedoras, helmets, top hats, yachting caps, fireman’s hats, hard hats, sombreros, and bowlers.
Churchill and ‘branding’: he always left about 1/3 of his 8 to 10 cigars per day in his ashtray, saying, “never forget your Trademark”

One Historian noted:
“The difference between Hitler and Churchill – Hitler made you think he could do anything. Churchill made you think YOU could do anything.”

Churchill himself said:
“Be Conservative in Principle and Liberal in Sympathy”

Man oh man, what a wonderful Thursday evening.(Photo partially colorized [a work in process] by Marina Amaral shows Sir Winston Churchill in his Knight of the Garter robes, his son Randolph, and grandson Winston and was taken on Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Day in 1953.)

The Climate Hype continues – I remember the cover of Time Magazine’s “Be Worried. Be Very Worried” article of doom (April 3, 2006); dealing with how Climate Change was quickly causing the Polar Bear population to vanish. Here is the real story behind that hype. Dr. Douglas G. Frank runs numbers, runs data, and is local here and has done research for decades (I’ve heard him several times and he’s good).

Walmart over the top – My health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross coupled with Walmart by setting up an Over-the-Counter (OTC) benefit pool. Using funds from that pool allows me to ‘buy’ a wide array of health related items at zero cost to me. My pool of Dutch blood started flowing at that news.

Last weekend I read the sent material a little closer. And, since I needed some vitamins, set up an on-line account and placed an order; that was last Sunday. Within minutes I received a mail stating my order of two bottles of pills would be delivered on Tuesday. Most excellent news.

Twenty minutes later and a second Walmart mail; one of the (little) bottles was available at our nearby Walmart location and hence, would be delivered yet that day– remember, this is Sunday! Now also realize that this was for a bottle of vitamin pills that retails for under $7.00.

While I was out for some exercise Marcia heard a rustling by the front door and found a Walmart bag with the vitamins. Returning home, I spotted another mail stating that the delivery had been made and an enclosed photo as proof.

I loved their efficiency and diligence. But, the question is; how can they stay in business with this level of service on a $7.00 item?

Fini –
• Sunday will be Vili’s tenth birthday. With Wu-Flu still on people’s minds, it’s hit movie theaters hard. As an answer these places have gotten creative. So, on Sunday afternoon Adrianne and Tevita rented one of the theater rooms for a private showing of a movie picked from a list. Should be fun, invited guests only!

• Spotted this on one of my exercise walks this week. It’s got to be some sort of code. Can any of my readers decipher?

• A (very) bad photo, but on my traipsing along the Wasson Way Walkway this woman blew by me on her Cyclete — works like an ‘Elliptical’ exercise machine and has no saddle (stand-up only). It actually looked like a fun time and a serious workout simultaneously.

• Dinah is thrilled. First she got accepted as an apprentice (paid at that) with Cincinnati’s Artworks. She’s currently working weekends on a mural for a restaurant. Her team consists of two 14-year olds, two 18-year olds, and one professional. They have already placed a primer coat and have started putting the ‘grid’ on the wall.

• (not my original thought) But, it appears that MLB was correct in pointing out the blatant racism in the State of Georgia. Last weekend at The Masters the golfing community was at its worst. For two days this troop of white men, weaponized with metal clubs, chased after some poor Asian fellow. I later discovered that he’d taken the first flight out after successfully out-running the pack.

• And, I can’t end the Rambling without pointing out these words from John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead at The Rutherford Institute; “We’ve been sold a bill of goods by politicians promising to pay down the national debt, jumpstart the economy, rebuild our infrastructure, secure our borders, ensure our security, and make us all healthy, wealthy and happy.” ….. None of that has come to pass, and yet we’ve still been loaded down with debt not of our own making.” And this same horror has been around for a number of decades and is accelerating under the current administration. make yourself heard!

Make it great week people, keep the peace, be happy, stay safe, be healthy and follow the science!

Dirk