... that the groundhog will see his shadow and run and hide for six more weeks come this Friday.

~

I've spent most of my life in the state I grew up in: Indiana.

Indiana was always known for three things: Corn, Hoosier Hysteria and the Indianapolis 500.

The corn is still growing, although most small farms have given way to conglomerates now. The Indy 500 has changed over the years, too.

And Hoosier Hysteria? Sadly, that's gone, too. Before the NCAA Tournament grew huge, March Madness was originally referred to as the Indiana State Boys Basketball Tournament. All of the high schools were in one tournament, no matter how big or small. If you want to know how it was, watch the movie 'Hoosiers' some time, where a small school wins. The movie was based on a real-life Championship game in 1954 involving small school Milan against big school Muncie Central. With only 5 minutes left in the game and the score tied, Milan held the ball for the final shot and hot it to win the State Championship.

Twenty some years ago, they did away with the single class tournament. Now there are four "classes", which means four State Champions. Attendance has dropped dramatically since and old timers like me miss those days when all people talked about was who would win.

At it's height, they played the final game in an indoor football stadium with over 60,000 people cheering a high school game. Now, they have four separate games without selling out any of them (in an arena built to hold 20,000).

Life goes on. And not all changes are for the best.

Indiana was once unique. Now it's just another small minded, conservative state. Example: It's 2018 and we are just now getting ready to okay Sunday carry-out beer sales.

(sighs)

~

Stay hydrated, no matter what you're contemplating doing.

Water... the key to life and the enemy of cramps.

While I was at the local chemist Thursday, I noticed a display of wooden back scratchers at $1.50. They must have been part of a clearance sale, because I remembered seeing the exact same type of back scratcher elsewhere for $6.50, so I bought one and took it home.

From all of the oohing and aahing my neighbors probably heard later, they must have thought I was having great sex.

~

... a kind word can lift someone up and make their day sunny.

Pay it forward.

~

I liked those Egyptian cotton towels enough to order another set.

When I was a child, I would play a sport and try as hard as I could to be good at what I was doing and hoped my team won. My coaches all stressed the importance of good sportsmanship and congratulating the other team if we lost. No crying or whining or making excuses. The lessons learned were that life is not about winning and losing, just do your best. Sometimes life is not fair and it shows character to accept your loses and move on.

Whenever I hear people complaining that their team didn't win the big game, making excuses for losing, like bad calls against them, I think of a child saying: Not fair, you cheated!

It seems my whole country has regressed to being children. Not fair! You cheated! seems to be our mantra now. It saddens me.

People need to grow up and accept what they cannot change. Life moves on... and so should they.

~

It warmed up, then it started raining.

At least all of the snow is gone now.

~

... just showed me one more proof that Tom Brady is the best quarterback I've ever seen in my 66 years.

~

Tuesday it was 8 degrees. Today it was 44 degrees.

It felt good, but a little odd, to go outside without wearing thermal underwear and woolen gloves.

I'll take the difference any day!