In one of my lifetimes I taught nursery school.  During play time, we would take the children outside.  Three or four of them would gather in the sandbox and begin playing.  Then another child would come along and join.  The newcomer soon began to tell everyone else they were doing things wrong, complain about how they were playing and tell them how to change things.  If one of the original children dared to say something, the newcomer would let loose with nasty remarks, name calling and, when all else failed, the dreaded "Teacher!".   As the school year went on, more and more children began to ignore the "newcomer".  That child then blamed everyone for the problems and for being an outcast.  The child tried harder and harder to have the other children disciplined or banned from playtime.  The child couldn't see that his/her own behaviour was the cause of all the problems.

What does this have to do with Seniors?  Go to the Community Help website.  Bill Richardson has been a long time member and contributor to the site.  For some reason, bad blood has developed between Bill and a newer member, RedHatterOBG.  I don't know why, nor do I care.  What bothers me is that, from the posting, Bill has been trying to avoid RedHatter by not answering any of her comments.  But, as I see it, she just keeps trying to get things going.  To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what her problem is, other than the fact that she doesn't like Bill and he can do nothing right.  The only thing that will satisfy her is to have Bill removed from the AARP site.  Why?  Did he, like one of the children in the story dare to stand up to her?  From my point of view, there was never a problem on the site until RedHatter began posting.  Just like the newcomer in the sandbox.

We are all supposed to be adults.  We don't need to be in the sandbox.  We need to practice tolerance and respect others' opinions.  We do not all need to agree, but we do need to realize that there can be more than one way to do things.  After all, God made Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream, didn't He?

PS - I am not endorsing either member - just stating my opinion! 

Easter is almost over.  It was a quiet day, ending with a family dinner at the Country Club.  The whole family came together - 16 of us in all.

As I talked with my brother and sisters, we would laugh at memories from our childhood.  Different things we did and even that our children did.  And I looked at my children and nephews (niece was on her way back to school) and wondered if our grandchildren would play all the old games.

We grew up outside of Philadelphia and stick ball was a way of life.  I remember my mother reaching for the broom to sweep the kitchen floor.  She got the broom, but no handle.  The stick ball game needed a bat.  We were always going to Bill McCall's variety store to buy pimple balls.  These rubber balls were used for all sorts of things,.  Girls would throw them against the wall and play "Russia".  This game involved an increasingly difficult set of motions done for a specific number of times.  Sounds confusing - try playing it.  The boys would play wall ball or step ball.  After the ball was flat and out of air, you could cut it in half and play half ball with the sticks.

Every night we would run outside after dinner to play the nighttime games.  Mother May I, Giant Steps, Freeze Tag, Statues and so many others.  Boys and girls alike from up and down the street would play on the front lawns.  Parents sat on the porches and watched.  Even when it got dark, nobody wanted to be the first to go in.  But, the normal rule was, street lights on;  in the house.

We played such innocent games - jacks, checkers, cat in the cradle, go fish, war.  We learned to knit on a spool and, if all else failed, we used our thumbs.  One Monopoly game between my sister and cousin lasted all summer, I think.

Everyone knew all the neighbors on the street and their cousins, etc.  Somebody was always sleeping over someplace. 

Somehow, I don't think my grandchildren will have these experiences.  I admit I feel sorry for them.  We had a lot of fun, got our exercise, learned about community, respect for our elders and how to follow the rules and we diidn't even know we were learning!

I woke up today. looked outside and saw gray.  I can feel the damp, chill in the air.  While it's supposed to be Spring and tomorrow is Easter, the weatherman calmly predicts the possibility of snow showers.  Since I physically can't venture forth in this weather, I am stuck at home yet another day.  This could become depressing.

As I sit on the sofa and look out the window, I can see something moving along the grass.  At first I thought it was just one of the squirrels I've been watching all winter.  They have kept me amused with their antics, climbing in some most unusual places.  But this didn't move like a squirrel.

A closer look told me that "the red, red robin was bob, bob, bobbin' along."  What a uplift to my day.  Hope rears up again - Spring will come sometime.  It may snow for Easter, but who cares.  The robins have come home to roost!  That's proof enough for me!