Probably the most difficult challenge to learning Chinese is pronunciation. The same word, depending on its pronunciation, can be a complement or an insult. Here is the classic example, the four pronunciations of the word “ma”.
If one is not careful, he or she could inadvertently insult a friend’s mother during introductions.
I got this example from the Chinese language text book, “Experiencing Chinese: Traveling in China”.
I first saw “Merrill’s Marauders” in 1962 at the Avalon theater in Chicago. My best friend, Bob Greenberg, and I were ushers at the time.
The story is true. It’s about the The 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), more commonly known as Merrill’s Marauders after its commanding officer, Brig. Gen. Frank Merrill, a regiment sized unit created and trained for long range penetration of Japanese lines in Burma during World War II.
At the time, I was not impressed with the movie. Now, fifty years later, I watched the movie again on TCM and changed my opinion. I still think the dialogue is corny and the soundtrack is dated, but it is a good story about a force of 2,750 soldiers who March 750 miles to capture the Japanese-held Burmese town of Myitkyina . By the time the town fell, only 130 officers and men of the original 2,750 were fit for duty.
It’s a good movie, starring Jeff Chandler and Ty Hardin. I recommend it and give it four stars out of five.
Very appropriate for Memorial Day. Applies to all veterans, regardless of country or war. Let us not forget.
It’s a little sad that sometimes families get together only for funerals. Although we try to see each of our daughters once a month, it’s not often that the four of us are brought together at the same time.
Last week a dear friend passed away. This lady was a way-cool woman, far ahead of her time. If you remember “Maude” played by Beatrice Arthur in the 1970’s, then you would have a good idea of this woman’s personality and appearance. I will miss her.
Fortunately, our daughters have good hearts, and we were touched that they both took time off work to attend this loved one’s funeral.
As I said, this was a rare opportunity to photograph the four of us together.
This is my older daughter. Notice that this is one of the very few times you will see me wearing a suit or tie.
This is my lovely wife (40 years!) and my younger daughter. 
Here’s the four of us. Notice who’s the shortest one of the bunch? Too bad it’s at a funeral. I’ll try to make it a point to get us all together at a happier occasion.
This is my grandson. We took him to breakfast the next day. Only sixteen years old, but on this way to becoming a star football player.
Anyways, I’m happy to share these photos with you. My best wishes to all those friends who choose to read this post.
Sincerely,
Andy
I found this article about a 93-year old woman, giving a few rules for inspirational aging. Here are some highlights from that article.
Here’s the link to the entire article. It’s good reading.
http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120522/NEWS0107/205220335/1025&nav_category=
The other day, my lovely wife and I stopped at the Stitchin’ Post in Sisters. It’s a knitting shop, if you have not already guessed. I was amazed at the beautiful (and expensive!) yarns there.
Apparently my wife knew exactly what to buy. She picked out these two pieces.
And this is what she wants to make.
I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.
We love living in Bend, and we love our house. Problem is, at 1/2 acre, our lawn needs a lot of maintenance. We set aside every Wednesday to work on our yard.
This is me. I don’t like wearing hats, but the doctor says I must wear a hat and sunscreen if I want to work and play outside.
This is me mowing our lawn. Fortunately the lawn takes up only a small part of our yard, so it takes only an hour or so to mow it. We also use an electric mower, because gasoline and tune-ups are not necessary.
This is our back yard. In a full weeks, the flowers will be in full bloom. Very colorful. I’ll share more photos with you then.
The property to the left of our fence is ours, too. We’d love to grow fruit trees, but the cold weather and deer are a big problem.
Juniper trees burn very hot. That’s why we need to make sure they’re a safe distance from the house. We need to trim the branches so not to touch our roof.
Another fire hazard are pine needles. That’s why each year we clear the excess needles and debris off our property.
We have 26 trees on our property. They provide much shade and a comfortable and picturesque setting while we enjoy our outdoor lunch.
We’re glad we’re here.
