I was born about ten thousand yers ago;
There ain’t nothin’ in this world that I don’t know;
I saw Peter, Paul & Moses
Playin’ ring around the roses;
And I’ll whup the guy what says it isn’t so!
~Sidney Harrel

Our younger son James found this on the internet and sent it around with a note that his dad sang it when he was a kid. I plead guilty, but I had no idea who wrote it or where I learned it. It has a multitude of nonsensical verses.

On the 25th of September we celebrated our niece Angela’s birthday at Lora’s and on the 29th we celebrated Polly’s birthday with breakfast at Denny’s, lunch at the Sugar Mill and jazz by the Patrick O’Connell group at the First Congregational Church.

On the 28th of September we heard the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi at Cal State.  He was terrific, reminding us that Gandhi taught more than just nonviolent protest.  He also taught that we must simplify our lives so as not to insult the resources we are given.  It was very inspiring.  Unfortunately he was preceded by a speaker who tried to make kindness into a mathematical formula.  This may be possible, but I prefer a bit of spontaneity!

On the 3rd of October Polly drove all the way to Sparks.  I proved that I am in no condition for such a trip, but somehow managed to survive.  That evening we had dinner at Los Altos, a Mexican restaurant in Reno.  Little Alice entertained us by singing the song listed above. Next day we relaxed and got reacquainted with the grandkids.

On the 5th we watched Michael (and his younger brother Matthew) work on landscaping a place for Temporary Assistance of Disabled Seniors as part of an Eagle Scout project.  I explored a nearby hill which was covered in blooming sagebrush and found a variety of Russian Thistle (aka: tumble weed) which had beautiful purple flowers.  That evening we ate at the Oyster Bar of the Nugget Casino.  The nautical setting was interesting considering the desert we were in!

On the 6th we saw the play “Harvey” by Mary Chase (later made into a movie) at the Reno Little Theater.  It was very professional, but it’s a pity Jimmy Stewart was not available to play the lead role.  For a variety of reasons (not the least of which was my 4’ 7” compared to the 6’+ height of the invisible Harvey in the story) I was known as Harvey in High School.  I also played the boy Howey in the play “Mrs McThing”, also by Mary Chase, as well as many other roles at Harvey Auditorium.

On the 7th we drove home with an overnight break in Fresno.  We arrived in time to rest up before the BCSS meeting and heard Tom Glavich’s talk on Euphorbias.  It was very brave of him to take on such a daunting task, but he did it well.  (I know how broad the subject is.  I gave a similar talk back when our club was new and all.)

The club show and sale on the 12th and 13th was successful.  The Adeniums were again blooming, but none as big as last year.  I loved the texture and color on the Bombax caudex even if there were no flowers.