I am 69 and in reasonable health but recently I hurt my back and leg and for the first time in my life I have difficulty in walking. (I can walk with a cane but some days are better than others). So I went to the doctor and he recommended Physical Therapy which I have started. I have six more weeks of Physical Therapy (thank God for Anthem Blue Cross insurance. The prognosis is good but I am a little anxious. I don’t want to be in a wheelchair or use a walker quite yet! I want to get back to long walks an swimming in the pool this summer! So the biggest challenge is getting back on my feet!
Daily writing prompt
What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?
My mother had an uncle whose name was Rikard and my grandmother liked the name. But my father objected because it was too exotic and he said the kids in school would call me RETARD. So Rikard was out!
So they agreed to change it to RICHARD after Richard Strauss a favorite composer (my parents were very fond of classical music).
Nonetheless from my earliest boyhood my name was RICKY or RICARDO and yes sometimes I was called RICKY RICARDO.
My father had been an American officer in the Philippines and he taught me basic Spanish and Tagalog as boy for fun. If he called me in Spanish or Tagalog I knew he was calling for me.
Halika dito RICARDO! COME HERE! I heard hundreds of times.
The name Richard itself is probably Celto-Germanic in origin meaning RIC “ruler or king” and HART (hard or brave) or ARD (CELTIC) meaning LOFTY OR MIGHTY. In any case it is an old warrior name.
In Britain it became popular with the advent of the Normans after 1066. Of course, the most famous Richard is Richard I the Lionheart one of the leaders of the Third Crusade.
People who don’t know me call me RICHARD.
People who do usually call me AULD MUNRO or RIC or Ricardo. In baseball and the Marines people called me MOOSE. When I was at UVA everyone called me MOOSE. It was easy to remember.
I much prefer RICARDO to “Reek” (Rick to Spanish speakers).
But I am not very particular. I don’t even mind if people add an E to my surname. As long as the check goes through! I have cashed a lot of checks with MONROE or MUNROE!
When I lived in Spain i subscribed to a Spanish newspaper as RICARDO MUNRO A. (there were spaces for two surnames so I put an A for Anderson my mother’s maiden name!). That was my tongue in check Spanish alias.
Daily writing prompt
Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.
I think it important to have pastimes and hobbies. I enjoy reading, listening to baseball games on the radio, listening to music and studying languages. My sister has an expression “being lost in grammar land” by what she means doing language study and being completely engrossed in it.
I am currently listening to SPOTIFY (BRAHMS) in a few minutes I will be back in my easy chair reviewing languages and studying new ones. I review GERMAN, PORTUGUESE, SPANISH every day for about 10-15 minutes each then dedicate time to study ITALIAN, MODERN GREEK and SCOTTISH GAELIC. I primarily use DUOLINGO but also have dictionaries and Teach Yourself Books to read and study points of grammar and vocabulary. With Duolingo I am more active than merely reading because I have to LISTEN, to REPEAT, to WRITE and RESPOND. I usually do it after some morning reading. I sip on coffee or tea. I do my oral review first and then I go to my notebooks and I keep track of new vocabulary (often drawing pictures in color). English is always in pencil and the target language in a dark color. I use red for emphasis. Especially for Greek it is important to practice writing. My goal is to advance to read the New Testament and then Homer so I have years ahead of me. I already read Spanish and Portuguese poetry as well as Latin and I enjoy German art songs and Gaelic Orain Mora (big songs). When I am reading and studying languages while listening to classical music I am truly in another world. No commercials. No interruptions. No phone calls. I check any texts afterwards. I find it very satisfying and soothing. And of course if the spirit calls the end of the afternoon I may sing along or recite a poem. Some of the songs and poems I have known for forty or fifty years and of course have fond associations with people and places I have known.
I was a classroom teacher for over 34 years. Mostly 9-12 but also junior college. I graded AP exams for almost 18 years. What keeps a teacher motivated? What makes a teacher great?
#1 A teacher has to believe in his school, his community, his country and in a larger sense his civilization. I am and always have been grateful my my country and the freedoms and opportunities that it afforded me.
#2 A good teacher has to believe in his subject material like a doctor believes in health. If a teacher is enthusiastic and knowledgeable in his subject area(s) this will influence students in a positive way. It is unfortunate that one must deal with a lot of indifference and anti-intellectualism in American education. But having done what men must a teacher suffers and endures many things for many days and many years. Enduring a lack of respect for his profession is one of those things.
#3 a good teacher is flexible and can “fill in” temporarily as a substitute or tutor but should know his assigned subject as well as possible and continue to improve his knowledge and expertise.
I was very strong as a Foreign Language (Spanish) and ESL (English teacher) and I taught Social Studies as well (mostly to immigrant English learners). I was not a great baseball or soccer coach BUT I shared my love of the games with my students and used the sports to promote English and character building. I am proudest that my teams were composed of eligible players. I cared more about their academic performance and personal happiness than winning championships.
#4 A good teacher cares for his students. He gets to know them and understands his or her background and community.
His love is a philia love kind of love for his students. He wants what is best for them and helps them as much as possible. I encouraged an amateur interest in classic movies, documentaries, literature, history and reading about sports and sports officiating. Teaching in a rural area many of my students joined the military. A few went to the service academies. Once five students from one class came back to visit from Camp Pendleton (USMC) in uniform. I was very proud of them. We sang the MARINE HYMN together from memory. The greatest burden I experienced as a teacher was to attend funerals of students killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. But I remained proud of their service.
A good teacher avoids having intimate relationships with his students outside of the classroom. I never dated a teacher or dated a student. One avoids temptation. It will be there especially for younger teachers in their 20s and 30s. But if you love your students you will not hurt them. You will want to see them happy and successful.
#5 A good teacher works well and collaboratively with colleagues in his department and throughout the school. However, he stands up for order and tells the truth about school discipline or lack of it and school safety or lack of it. Once I backed up a student -one who had never been suspended or disciplined- for fighting in a soccer game. His mother had been cursed and reviled in a most despicable way. So he lost it. The referee had not heard it BUT I DID. I went to the principal and school board to say YES expelling him for the team permanently was an acceptable behavior but not expelling him from school when he was so near graduation and it was a first offense. Especially when the student who started the fight was not disciplined in any way. The student never played another game but later graduated.
It was not popular for me to say -it was embarrassing for some-I would grade our school security at D+ (we had no fences, could not lock our classrooms from the inside and were told we had to keep our doors unlocked at all times). I always knew a school massacre was always a possibility and one gun and one unlocked door away. A good teacher tells the truth not for his sake but for the sake of the community and the school’s integrity. One has to know WHEN to throw the gauntlet and when to challenge the Teacher’s Union or Administrators. Be prepared for retaliation and ever lasting enmity. One thing I learned was that if one doe not have the department chair and administrators on his side it is best to “vamoose.” You have to have someone batting for you on the administration side.
#6 No question a good teacher will volunteer for many school and community assignments and not expect financial recompense in most instances. For years I tutored former students who were in JC or college or gave them advice for research papers. I was a Church catechist for over 20 years. I didn’t leave for doctrinal differences. I left because under a new regime they wanted me to “guide” non-academic classes with no Scripture or Bible readings. I felt I was not needed for arts and crafts. So I resigned. I don’t think I will go back. A good teacher must know when to vote with his feet. I was a strong advocate of ETS and AP classes and exams for almost 30 years. But I left in the end. My last ETS memory was not being complimented for my high productivity but chastised for going to the bathroom twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. Not smoking breaks but calls of nature for a teacher past 60. I decided then and there that I was finished with ETS and AP. I served on many juries over the years (with ZERO compensation; I lost money on transportation and food). But I now have a medical exemption and think it unlikely I will ever return as a juror. I served my time as a soldier, as juror, as a teacher, as a coach. I worked very hard as a classroom teacher tutoring on Saturdays and working many nights and summers. But I never neglected my own children’s education, my wife or my home. It is one of the reasons I never took up golf.
It is hard but a good teacher must accept disappointments and if his school or assignments are unacceptable he must MOVE (apply for a transfer) or RETIRE. I have done both. There were times I wanted to quit but I could not as I was hostage to fortune as it was essential to have health insurance and economic security for my family. But when things were bad I prepared to make a strategic retreat over time and I exercised this smoothly. It helped that I had a free and clear car and money in the bank and solid credit.
I still am interested in education but am now retired. I have no interest to return to the classroom though I still promote education and encourage it in others. But I have decided to spend the rest of my life continuing MY OWN EDUCATION and doing things I never had the time for like studying Italian and Greek. I swim every day. Spend time in my garden. Listen to entire baseball games and read all the box scores. Read only to inform myself and for pleasure. Listen to podcasts. See a movie (at home) now and then especially the old classics. I spend as much time as possible with my grandchildren. When they are here I put away my phone do not watch sports but play games with them, do puzzles and swim in the pool. I enjoy having breakfast and dinner with them (no phones no TV or electronic devices). I tell them stories. I speak to them in several languages and encourage them to be budding polyglots. All are fluent in two languages and have been introduced to several more through music and cultural events.
#7 LAST BUT NOT LEAST. A good teacher does not sacrifice his family life or faith life for his school. A good teacher has balance in his life. HE TAKES CARE OF HIS HEALTH. And he prepares for a life beyond and outside of the classroom, school, and education.
Knowing when it is time to “unplug” -get off electronic devices is really a question of temperance and moderation. For one thing one has to make an effort (I certainly do) to be physically active. When I go for walks or swim I never carry music or the phone.
I unplug or leave my phone charging in the bedroom. I never use my phone or have it on when we are having dinner (breakfast is different) or have guests. When I go out to dinner with my wife I never have my phone out.
I have a smart phone and I use it a lot every day, however. I use it to listen to podcasts, to read the WSJ, to listen to audible books and to study languages via Duolingo. But I do all my correspondence and reading on my NOOK or on my PC not on my phone. I like a full size keyboard.
AndI turn my phone off in the evenings and at night. When I study on the porch I don’t answer the home phone or text messages. Some people may watch videos on their phone but I don’t. I sometimes listen to music on my phone but more often listen to books or podcasts. I think it is important that we be masters of our pleasures and not a slave of addictions. Moderation is a virtue.
To use things that give us pleasure is fine. But not to the point we are disgusted with them or screaming with a headache! I love to read and study languages and I can spend three or four hours on Duolingo studying or reviewing languages. I keep notebooks of my newest languages.
But I have three basic rules for Duolingo:
1) I don’t begin unless I have read the morning paper WSJ and listened to my favorite podcasts
2) I always go for a short walk and do some cleanup in the pool and garden before I start
3) once I finish my basic studies, I do not go back to my phone to begin again but only read and review my notebooks after that or read something else. I will not stay up all night. I feel that late night sessions are not effective anyway. If I am tired I stop.
I also love to listen to baseball games (usually on the radio via MLB at bat in English or Spanish) but I limit myself to ONE FULL GAME a day. I could easily listen to 9 hours a day, but I limit myself to checking the standings, line scores and box scores of most teams. I only listen to my favorite team and top teams (because I want to get to know them better before the championship series).
So, I enjoy languages and baseball MORE because I limit the time, I spend with each. And baseball also is a language review for me because I listen to some games in Spanish. I try to read or listen to Spanish at least one or two hours a day. I have ONE PLACE I write (at my desk) and two places to read and study: in my armchair or on my easy chair on the porch. I have no television in my library, only a radio and CD player plus the computer which has SPOTIFY.
We have only one TV, so this limits my TV time. I often watch YOUTUBE for World News of podcasts in the morning or late evening when my wife is not watching anything. We often watch baseball games together and World Cup soccer and sometimes Olympic sports but are not obsessed with watching every minute of every sport. If I don’t have time to watch a game, I am happy to read the scores in the paper or on the phone.
I don’t spend a lot of time on the phone limiting my talks to close friends and family. For example, if my wife is aways visiting family I call or text her at least once or twice a day. I prefer to communicate via FB or IM or text. I like to share articles and Audible books via text or X. I am not a big fan of ZOOM meetings, but I enjoy the occasional FACETIME with my grandchildren. I also decide to spend time with my wife just to keep her company. My wife and I almost always watch the news and Jeopardy together but I like to watch war movies and war news and she does not so we do those separately. The last time we went to the movies she chose the Barbie movie, which was fine with me. I enjoyed it. It was amusing at times and had a certain element of nostalgia. I go out of my way to share the TV with my wife and sometimes watch what she is watching. If I really am not interested, I sit with her and read quietly from my NOOK. I enjoy reading on my NOOK but i take pleasure in reading physical magazines and books as well especially those with maps and color illustrations (such as National Geographic, Ancient Warfare or San Diego Zoo Magazine). I am not on social media all day long (I don’t have FB on my phone) but I do check it at least once a day for at least thirty minutes or so via my PC. I think it is necessary to unplug some days and some hours. When I visit my grandchildren, I never use my phone in their presence but just do things they like to do , do art , play , read together, sing, go for walks or watch cartoons.
So, there is nothing wrong with electronics if one is not addicted and on them and answering messages all day long. When I was a teacher, I NEVER used my phone or answered email except during lunch, during my prep period or before and after school. I think phones and electronic devices should be severely limited, even prohibited in many school settings but that is a topic for another time!
Daily writing prompt
How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?
I see an old photograph of a Scottish Highland soldier of the Great War and I cannot but thing of my grandfather and his many lost comrades. They were brave and loyal and good and he survived and they did not. Auld Pop as we called him suffered a great loneliness. In the distance of time I see that now. He filled that loneliness with incessant smoking and drinking. As a veteran and as an immigrant he suffered constant distress or discomfort from his smashed social connections. He was reasonably happy with his family and grandchildren but he suffered great sorrow when he remembered his loyal and true wife (who predeceased him) and his comrades in arms. I think today we would say he suffered from posttraumatic stress syndrome.
I often think of Yesterday’s Seven Thousand Years as I know the past is no more but we still have now and the future, however uncertain is still to come. Yet there is always memory. To think is to remember our lives and experiences and our friendships. And the sweetest friendships are the warm friendships of people you could rely on through thick and thin. When I was a small boy I had a deep and loving friendship with my grandfather who taught me the alphabet and how to read. From him I learned Scottish dialect and heard many stories of war and adventure and baseball heroes (he loved Zach Wheat, Pete Reiser, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers). He taught me how to keep score and told me stories of Babe Ruth the 1927 Yankees (Murder’s Row) whom he had seen in person. Baseball was one of his constant companions. He went to many games. He listened to games on the radio. He kept score. He read the statistics and box scores in the newspapers.
My Scottish grandfather had only a few life long friends. In early life in Scotland he had many close friends. Sadly most were killed 1914-1919. When he remembered old comrades he would speak of their virtues and the highest virtue was to be a ‘leal n’ true mon” (a mensch; a loyal and true man).
So there is no question fidelity and loyalty were things he valued. People who make you laugh and who are kind are people that get into your heart and you never forget them. So fidelity is very praiseworthy if one is faithful within reason to someone or something that is good and honorable. My grandfather and father can no longer help me in any way but I feel a responsibility to remember them out of gratitude for the time and love they invested in me.
One hopes for fidelity in friendship and if one finds friendship and fidelity as well as love in marriage then one is blessed. I can honestly say my wife is my very best friend. We have been friends for over 50 years and married for almost 42 years.
One of sad things of life is that people even people you love come and people go. They die. They move away. Some remember you but to others you are it seems an afterthought. Their email bounces back. Their phone number is disconnected. When that happens all you can do it be thankful for the good times and offer up a prayer. You cannot know what they are or have experienced. Sadly, of course, most of the time the silence is due to inconvenience and indifference.
You have to work hard at keeping a friendship especially if one lives far away. People today are not moored to one place and neither are you so they drift in and out of your life. Nicholas Sparks wrote: {They are} “almost like characters in a favorite book. When you finally close the cover, the characters have told their story and you start up again with another book, complete with new characters and adventures. Then you find yourself focusing on the new ones, not the ones from the past.” That is certainly what we have to do though when one is old and retired it is more difficult to make new friends. One is lucky if one has the love of one’s children and grandchildren.
The secret of true friendship I think is gratitude and fidelity. We feel indebted to our friends because really we owe them nothing and what we share are memories of common travails, common laughter, companionship, odd stories and experiences.
I say to my friends THANKS FOR BEING THERE WHEN I NEEDED YOU. THANKS FOR EXISTING. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES. Thanks for being that LEAL N’ TRUE MON (or LASSIE!).
Of course, my most intimate collections are the collections I have in books in several languages. I have over 500 books in Spanish, about 10 in Portuguese, about 50 in Scottish Gaelic, about 20 in Latin (which I read) and about 20 in Ancient Greek (which I am learning to read.) I have a few books in Italian, French and German (languages which my father knew but in which I am weaker), I have over 3000 books in English including some signed by the authors Such as William Styron, E.D. Hirsch jr, Diane Ravitch, Andrew Roberts. I had a book signed by Kenneth Roberts but I solid it years ago to pay a few bills. I had picked it up in a garage sale in Kirkland, Washington -they were just giving away some books- and I sold it years later for about $400. I was sorry to see it go but glad I had read it. I hope my books find a nice home when I am gone. Some are worthy of being preserved. I also have some museum replicas of classical art which I picked up over the years. The most special, I would say is a full sized museum replica of Athena Mourning (Greek: Σκεπτομένη Αθηνά).
It is said, that Athena is reading a list of fallen Athenian soldiers and sailors. I have always had an interest in public monuments and this is one of the great ones. It is made of white Parian marble and dates from the 5th century BC It is only 0.48 meters high . Today it is displayed at the Acropolis in Athens, with inventory no. 695. I picked it out in Athens and carried it in a box on my lap on the plane flight from Athens. My mother asked me if she could display it on the hall of her home “as long as she lived.” Of course, as a dutiful son I obeyed. In 2004 after almost forty years in her house -which is not longer in the family- my sister packed it up and mailed it to us in California. She looks over my right shoulder as write.
I also have a large collection of CD’s mostly classical music. I used to have hundreds of LP’s but have given most away as I now longer can pay them and they took up too much space but I still kept about 30 or so for Auld Lang Syne and for the liner notes. I also have a large collection of DVD (mostly of classic films). These have value only for me but I enjoy having them. Today, however, I mostly watch movies streamed on TV or listen to Spotify.
I have also a collection of fossils and minerals I collected in early youth. One of the most interesting to me is a piece of native copper. It struck me that this is why copper like gold is one of the most ancient metals known to man as it occurs unlike iron or silver in nature.
I have in a box with autographs of baseball players I collected with my son circa 1966-1992 including many Hall of Famer players such as Bob Feller, Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, Yogi Berra. Some are on cards, some are on baseballs. The best part of that collection is the memories of how we collected them including meeting and talking to the players in person. The nicest players I ever met were FELIPE ALOU (then with the Braves -I saw him play in the 1962 World Series) and BOB FELLER. My son and I talked to Bob Feller for over an hour when he came to Bakersfield. We talked about his career but also WW2. He would sign anything for free and he signed a book I brought plus a photo for my son. I also have a few Hartland Baseball Statues. I had many more but sold quite a few to pay some bills. I had a Ted Williams from 1961 Yankee Stadium that my father bought for $1.95 and I sold it for $450. I made over $1000 when I sold my Hartlands but I could not bear to part with them all -and some were very common and only worth $50-100 each. So they remain.
Since early boyhood I was fascinated by toy soldiers and military miniatures. Some I painted myself during long hot summers on the porch while listening to baseball games on the radio. But the most colorful and impressive are my Elastolin Roman soldiers. These are German made circa 1963-1972. They were not easy to come by and getting extra weapons then pre Internet was very difficult They are very sturdy and colorful if somewhat romanticized and fanciful . To accompany then I have some “barbarians” (Huns, Goths, Normans). I have complete set of Elastolin Romans including a ballista and a four horse chariot. These I have displayed in a glass case as if they were in fierce battle (four levels) About thirty years ago my mother lovingly pack them in boxes and sent them to me from New Jersey. Naturally, she was instrumental in acquring them over the years. In 2000 she and I went to Germany and we visited a Roman history exhibit. They displayed some dioramas with Elastolins!
In the gift show they did not have Elastolins but they has Bully Romans which are quite nice.
Elastolin Romans in battle
My mother bought me a handful and one, the centurion is now in command of a sailboat I have in my pool. I call it the RHINE PATROL. When I see it go back and forth I think of my late mother who said, “LOOK RICKY, ROMANS!” She died January 4, 2001 but I have many memories of her and collections that she encouraged and helped make. After all the years the memories of her love and laughter are more precious than the objects themselves. I was a good son but I know I could have been a better son. But I do know one of the great delights in her life and that of my father was for them to know our three children -all of whom have memories of them.
“What is it, namely, that connects the temporal and eternity, what else but love, which for that very reason is before everything and remains after everything is gone.” (Works of Love, Søren Kierkegaard)
In all its varied forms -C.S. Lewis wrote of the Four Loves- love is the raison d’etre of man’s life.
Love is, perhaps, the most powerful force we encounter in ourselves and in others. Collections are interesting especially as they often recall passions, travels and love. They may not have much material value but the have a strong educational and sentimental value. I read Caesar’s Commentaries in 1965 and Xenophon’s Anabasis in 1966 chiefly because of my interest in classical history sparked by my Elastolins.
Huns and Roman cavarly in desperate battle for empireRoman archers
I have had only one broken bone in my life (a left index finger). I was playing third base in Babe Ruth baseball and was about 15 or 16. A player had hit a double and was trying to stretch it to a triple. The outfielder made a quick and accurate throw right to me and I caught it. The runner was out by five feet. However, he did not slide but ran right into me at full speed. I still tagged him out and held on to the ball, but he hit me right on the glove. Despite being inside the leather glove my index finger was broken which meant the end of my baseball season for that year. I didn’t realize then that my hardball baseball days were soon over and after age 17 I rarely if ever played hardball.
Later while working in construction or serving in the military I had some cuts and bruises and injuries but the most serious health difficulties were from infections and disease. Generally speaking, though I have spent most of my life in reasonably good health. I don’t smoke and rarely drink any alcohol. I am very happy with tea, coffee and water! I enjoy swimming and walking and gardening but avoid sports like biking or skiing where I think now I would be in danger of serious injury.
Spirit of Cecilia 
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