Hey all, if you haven’t heard, I got a good PET scan report this week saying, “Stable exam, with no evidence of local recurrent disease within the head and neck, and no findings concerning for FDG metastasis”. In layman’s terms: I AM CANCER FREE!
We just got back from yet another National Independent Flag Dealer’s Association (NIFDA) convention and this time it was in Bristol, Tennessee.
This week as I pushed through the malaise of my cancer treatments, I heard the words of Amelia Earhart, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
There is something so intriguing about being on the edge of the United States. The difference between the Atlantic coast of Florida and the Atlantic coast of Maine is vast and intriguing.
Am I in a time warp? Did I just turn 70 years old in Maine? Reflecting and to name a few undeniable and poignant facts, I do have a 45-year-old daughter, a 78-year-old brother, an 18-year-old granddaughter, and a 90+ year old father-n-law, so I guess it is all true …
The Democrat Party seems to be bringing the American flag back into favor with the left. As a person in the flag business, this makes me happy. But selfish capitalism is not the only reason. I’m also glad because that is what the flag of the United States is supposed to do; Unite US.
March marks the two-year anniversary of the Covid pandemic. I’m torn between writing about the past two years of Covid’s grief, relief and yes, even joy, or about the rise of cults during our societal turmoil. Maybe they go together.
In preparing for my UIYB interview with Cole Rodgers, I read his book, School of Man. In this self-help book, Cole talks about man’s human frailties, and I am reminded of my own. He speaks of man’s struggles with communication and of their male falsehoods and self-imposed masks. Though it may be easier for women to admit their weaknesses, I am not sure that makes dealing with them any easier. To be human is to suffer on some level. Luckily, with age comes the recognizable warning signs and learned wisdom to deal with the devil speak.
It is hard to believe, in this day and age, that small men with big egos are still willing and able to wage war on innocent women and children. If you could get through his carefully narrated propaganda campaign, you might argue he is doing this for his country, if his countrymen weren’t protesting in the streets.
This is an unexpected trick I stumbled upon that has added some pizazz to my marriage and that I’ve shared with a few friends. Surprising to all of us, it works. (And, no, I am not talking about anything sexual.)
Sometimes I feel like I am shouting (my metaphor for writing) into the wind. Therefore, when I get a reply of any kind on my blog, I like it. It is nice to know people are reading my weekly posts, even if the knowing is sometimes coming from a not-so-nice comment or an unsubscribe.
How much can one really manifest through the power of positive thinking? According to all the self-help books I read, it is a lot.
As I once said, “writing a weekly blog is both burdensome and cathartic.”
As I sit in the Miami international airport awaiting my nonstop flight (yes American has a Saturday non-stop flight) to home, I think back over my past 3 weeks in Miami (cathartic).
Our first week as the new proprietors of Freedom Flag Company, now…
Never one to miss an opportunity, I said “Yes” when my MeTV representative called and asked if I wanted to throw out the first pitch at Dickey-Stephens Ballpark.


