RaisingDad

My wife has been sick and in bed for the last few days. She thought she'd do the smart thing by getting her flu shot early this year, and, sure enough, she got the flu.      Don't get me wrong, I'm not against inoculating yourself against the various bugs and viruses that will save the Earth when the space aliens come to conquer our planet. In fact, every year I get the flu shot, too. My wife makes sure I do.      "I don't get sick," I tell her.      "But what if you do?" she'll tell me.      "I've never had the flu in my life."      "What does that have to do with anything?"      And she's right. I've never had the flu in my life, true, but maybe the shots had something to do with that. I've never had polio, either. Or whooping cough, or any number of childhood diseases, and I can thank my parents for taking me to the doctor to get my childhood vaccinations...

My father hates to admit it, but the walks he takes every day are taking their toll.      He no longer walks as far, he no longer walks as long, but he's still determined to get out there and worry me.      "I really don't feel like going," he'll sometimes say, but before I can encourage him to stay, he's out the door. He's so stubborn, he even aggravates himself.      If it's hot, I'll tell him to wait until it's cooler. He'll refuse. Sometimes he'll even put on a light jacket. I'm positive it's just to irritate me. And then, when it's cool, he'll head out the door in shorts and a t-shirt.      "At least put on a jacket," I'll tell him.      "It's not cold," he'll argue.      "Yes, it is," I'll plead.      "It feels warm to me," he'll comment.      "That's because we're indoors," I'll p...

I'm in the kitchen sitting at the island. Reading the morning newspaper, disagreeing with everything Dear Abby has to say (her answers are a little too politically correct for my taste), and enjoying my noon coffee. I have the dimmer switch to the lights set on low.      As usual, I'm listening to the blues on the TV in the great room. I love the blues. Right now they're playing  Mean Old World, one of my favorite songs. Maybe I like the song so much because I like the title so much. It is  a mean old world. You only have to read the paper or watch the news to realize it. This version is   by Little Walter and His Night Cats. I prefer the song by T-Bone Walker. Maybe I just like the name T-Bone. There may be a dozen other songs called Mean Old World, but those are the only two I know of.      In a way, the blues have ruined my appreciation for the music I grew up listening to in the sixties and sevent...