The Eighth Napkin

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Like many of you, I’m preparing to host my family for turkey dinner this year.  It’s not necessarily a complicated meal, but can be a pretty major undertaking anyway.  There is the menu to plan, the groceries to buy, and if you have family staying in your home as I will, there are sleeping arrangements to consider. 

Last night I was attempting to organize my table linens when I was sidetracked by a mystery.  Seven napkins.  There were eight.  I need eight!  WHERE is the eighth napkin?  Figuring this couldn’t  possibly be that difficult to resolve, I set out on a massive search.  The linen closet, the china cabinet, every single drawer in the kitchen and storage closet….the laundry room, even  behind the washer and dryer!  Then I looked in all of those places again. No napkin! Sherlock Holmes couldn’t find this thing.

Tonight I spoke with my brother, who recently entertained some guests in his home in L.A.  Setting his table, he pulled out his eight super-cool leather placemats.  There were seven.  The AWOL eighth placemat – nowhere to be found. 

I’m imagining this happening all over the place.  Hundreds…thousands of people absolutely mystified right now.  Seven forks when there should be eight.  One pillow case instead of a set.  And so it goes…the missing gravy boat, the lost napkin ring, the turkey salt shaker without its pepper partner.  Where in the heck does all of this stuff go???  And lets not even get into socks and gloves.

Meanwhile, a local discount retailer sold a lovely set of eight matching napkins to me today.  Now that I’ve stopped looking for that missing napkin, I’m sure it’ll turn up…just in time for Christmas! 

Happy Thanksgiving, and may all of your things be right where you left them!

5 Things In Your Neighborhood

Last Friday during Live On Five, I profiled the city of Hudson in my Five Things.  As it happened, my visit to Hudson took place on a perfect fall day, so we got some terrific video of this beautiful city and some of the attractions it has to offer. 

Now, I’d like to get your input on where we should take our cameras next.  We’d like to be “tourists” in your neighborhood, so click on Lee’s 5 Things on our homepage, and vote on the posted list of cities we are considering.  And if your city isn’t on the list, feel free to add a comment here about why you’d like to see your city shine in our spotlight!   See you on TV!

Some thoughts about recent events…

Civility.  Or maybe the lack of it.  What is happening?  A Congressman yelling “You lie” at the President?!  A celebrated tennis star spewing vitriolic obscenities at a line judge? One music star leaping on stage to suggest another award recipient didn’t deserve the win - while she’s accepting her award?! Good grief.  Once prized in our society: manners, decorum, respect, civility, gracious conduct in victory or defeat.  What happened? 

Shame.  Or rather the complete lack of it.  Anything goes…intimate, cringe-inducing public confessions of a marriage fallen apart, elected officials bragging to colleagues about their extra-marital liasons.  Anyone remember what the word propriety means?

Self Control – the lack of it.  “My emotions got the best of me?”  Striking a stranger’s child?  (again.) Expected behavior from toddlers, not adults.

Mistakes.  People make them, even when they’re trying not to do so.  Still….so much instilled in me when I was a child by loving parents, grandparents, important adults in my life…where are these values today?  Are we just seeing more of the bad stuff because that’s what grabs the media spotlight? (Yes, I know – a little irony here.)  And unfortunately for some people, their mistakes can be quite public.

There are many conversations ongoing about these issues. I’m interested in your opinion.  Thanks.

Vaya Con Dios Les Paul

The sound of early rock music turned when the Wizard of Waukesha brought his inventive ideas to guitar design, music recording and engineering.  Les Paul, who died today at age 94, wanted more sound, more sustain, just MORE out of a guitar.  In 1941 he brought his first electric solid body design to the Gibson Guitar company.  It wasn’t pretty.  But little more than a decade later, Gibson began producing the Les Paul guitar that would become an emblem and inspiration for generations of rock musicians.

Last November, I took my 14 year old son – an aspiring guitarist – to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s tribute concert for Les Paul.  I wrote about it on this blog. Frail, but still electrifying the crowd, Paul played one of his final public performances.  The musical tributes that night from a handful of his very famous fans still resonate in my memory.  I am so glad we were there.  And as I said to my son today, “all of you six slingers owe that guy … in many ways.”  I think he gets it.

“Vaya Con Dios” was one of Paul’s #1 hits with his wife, Mary Ford.  The phrase translates into English as roughly “Go with God.”  Les and Mary…together again.

Meanwhile, summer winds down in Cleveland.  School doors will swing open in about a week!  On a perfect evening recently, I was able to join friends on their wonderful sailboat.  We drifted (rather than sailed, owing to zero wind) past the city skyline as the sun dropped below the horizon.  I always say that Cleveland is at its most beautiful from the vantage point of the lake, and during that magic twilight time it is breathtaking. The lights of the city, standing out against a sky still deep blue and luminous from the retreating sun, present a majestic and inspiring sight. And a perfect opportunity for reflection and gratitude.

Vaya Con Dios.

Sleepy Hollow

Yesterday my golf buddy and I “graduated” to the front nine at Sleepy Hollow. It was a very interesting experience for me on a number of levels.  First, they were BUSY, so I gulped as I digested the required pace of play and an entire list of “rules” posted to keep that pace up.  You see, until now, “Viv” and I have chosen courses that are, um, NOT busy.  Which allows a lot of room for a more leisurely pace, and time to focus on all of those things I’m supposed to be remembering about my drive, my pitching, my chipping and putting.  So this new “hurry up and you better have all the clubs you need in your hand” style had me just a tad rattled.

Sleepy Hollow is a beautiful, but very challenging Metroparks course. I lost three new balls on the first three holes.  No crying in golf!  Especially when Franco and Benz are watching.  Franco was barely off the plane from Japan, and instead of sleeping – he’s out there chipping away with his buddy.  No twosomes to interrupt the flow of a full course allowed here, so they joined us for what I hope was a fun experience for them. They were certainly polite.  (although frequent digressions into their own language had us wondering what they were really saying about our golf abilities.)

Thank goodness for a great golf partner with unflagging support and encouragement, it makes those rough spots easier to deal with as we move onward to the next tee.  However, next week – we will be looking for another “less busy” course.  A little more time to make the shot, take it again if need be, talk about our lives, laugh A LOT, and be in less of a hurry.  No timer on the golf cart, thank you.

GO TOM WATSON!!!

I am nearly beside myself today watching Tom Watson and a second brilliant day at the Open Championship.  Now tied for the lead (1:30 pm Fri) after his second round, watching some of his loooooong putts (or “field goals” as his dad called them) has been completely exhilirating.  At 59+ Tom Watson is now the oldest leader of any round in any major.  Yesterday he began in his classic form – and looking classic in gray argyle, seemingly unchanged from 1977 when he won the championship at Turnberry.

At the end of May, it was my thrill to follow Tom Watson and Jay Haas for about six holes during the Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club.  It was great golf – Watson finished fourth here.  And a learning experience for this novice.

As someone who has taken up the sport “later” in life, (better than never!) I am loving that the old guys in this classic Open have still got it going on!  Go Tom Watson!!!

PEEVED OVER PEANUTS

Hope you are enjoying our beautiful northcoast summer.  These  days seem so fleeting, and before you know it the “Back to School” ads will be popping up.  I’m trying to soak it all in while I can, golf as often as possible, and later this week in 5 Things, I’ll give you my personal list of “must do” summer activities to check off while the sun is still shining.

Like many of you, I’ve been tackling various projects on the homefront.  Some of them have required ordering products on-line, and I love getting those boxes on my doorsteps.  Here is what drives me crazy:  the darn packing peanuts!  Seriously, why is anyone still using these things?  They NEVER degrade in landfills, and make a terrible mess when you try to remove the protected item from the peanut pile.  This morning I was in a state, trying to corral the pesky polystyrene peanuts that were drifting all over my garage, driveway, they were stuck to me, in my hair – along with a Japanese beetle – and making me absolutely CRAZY.  I now have several boxes full of the things, and will look for a place to deposit them – not the trash.  I know some people use them to add drainage to their potted plants, make crafts with them etc.  But if you have a large container or two of them, they have to be re-used.  That’s the only way to get rid of them.  I understand that some UPS and Mailbox stores will take them.  Call your location to confirm. Apparently there are some alternative packing peanuts made from starch that dissolve in water but I haven’t seen them.   There is also a website :  www.loosefillpackaging.com that can give you more info about drop off sites.

Lost And Found

In “Big Yellow Taxi” Joni Mitchell sang “…don’t it always seem to go- that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone….”    Toward the end of my first hole of golf yesterday, I thought of that song – with a slight change in lyrics: “….don’t it always seem to go – that you don’t know what’s gone ’til you need it.”   IT was my pitching iron.  And it was gone, in fact for a week.   I didn’t know it was missing until I reached for it yesterday.  This is not the first time I’ve lost track of my belongings on the golf course.  I have to find a way to correct this situation!  Thank you to the honest soul who found my forgotten club a week ago and took it to the lost and found, where I retrieved it late yesterday.

I also found a better game yesterday when “Viv” and I hit the links for our second round of golf this season.  A gorgeous day, great game for my friend and one that gave me THREE very satisfying moments.   A nice, long, straight drive of around 140 yards - big for me.  A nice, long, straight putt (at least 25 feet) that put my ball in tap-in position.  And on the last hole, an uphill 55 yard shot that proved to be the best moment of the day. I couldn’t see the bottom of the pin, and while my shot looked good going up there, I couldn’t see where it ended up until we crested the hill at the green.  “Viv” will tell you my reaction was true elation. My pink golf ball was sitting there about five inches from the cup!  And yes, I tapped it in successfully.  

I frequently talk about these good “moments” that I think about, and hold onto for the next set of challenges.  And when people say the game of golf is a lot like “the game” of life, this is what that means to me.   Hold tight to the little victories, remember the joy, trust in the future.  And your next shot!

5 THINGS TO DISCOVER IN CLEVELAND

Every week I have the chance to put together a story about 5 Things.  One of the best things about this for me is that it’s kind of like my own personal playground – a chance to gather up pictures and information to share on a wide range of topics that interest me – and, I hope, you.

Today’s 5 Things looks at five of Cleveland’s “hidden treasures.”  They are underpublicized, yet fascinating spots to discover here in our city.  With Cleveland’s rich history, there are dozens of these treasures, of course.  A submarine on Lake Erie?  A money tree?!  A police museum?  All here.  The stop that really had my jaw drop is high over the Cuyahoga river – the Veterans Memorial Bridge.  The history of that bridge, the architecture of it’s concrete reinforcement, the echo of the streetcars that once ran between east and west – it’s all there to absorb, offering a great opportunity for a first hand look at a critical structure in Cleveland’s development.  While those trolleys are gone, that pathway beneath the pavement that carries traffic over the bridge is today’s conduit for fiber optics, utility lines, and other connections between east and west.

There are more hidden treasures in Cleveland.  And since I anticipate another chance to add five more to today’s list, I’d love to hear from you about one of your favorite little known spots.  I welcome your comments and ideas as always.

One Chapter Ends…Another Begins

The reaction across our newsroom yesterday to Ted Henry’s retirement announcement was a repeated expression of shock.  While such news would not have been surprising at some point in the indefinite future, to learn that Ted’s long association with WEWS would end in a matter of weeks has left us all with a lot to think about.

As one of those fortunate enough to have shared the anchor desk with him for many years on different newscasts, I know that my friendship with Ted will continue.  I look forward to hearing about the new adventures he’ll share with his wife Jody as they pursue dreams that have been restricted by work obligations in Cleveland.  I feel immensely happy for him and even a little envious.

When I came to WEWS-TV in 1987 as co-host of  The Morning Exchange, Ted was already solidly established as one of the most familiar and well liked news anchors in northeast Ohio.  Never arrogant or full of himself, always open, warm and engaging, he proved to be a generous partner for me in a great variety of circumstances.  These same qualities, along with Ted’s humility and deep empathy for those who suffer, have endeared him to viewers for decades.

For me and many others, Ted has been a mentor, counselor and leader.  We’ll continue to learn from his accomplishments, and all of the great “Ted stories” will still be told.  There are many things I’ll miss – especially the countless times we found ourselves laughing through tears at moments when the humor was needed most.

We have a month to figure out how to say “see you later” and send him off with our blessings, best wishes and gratitude for 38 years of television at its best.  I’m so happy I was here to share the experience.