Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
My Dad repaired most of our shoes believe it or not, I can hardly believe it myself now. With 7 pairs of shoes always needing repairs I think he was quite clever to learn how to “Keep us in shoe Leather” to coin a phrase!

He bought several different sizes of cast iron cobbler’s “lasts”. Last, the old English “Laest” meaning footprint. Lasts were holding devices shaped like a human foot. I have no idea where he would have bought the shoe leather. Only that it was a beautiful creamy, shiny colour and the smell was lovely.

But I do remember our shoes turned upside down on and fitted into these lasts, my Dad cutting the leather around the shape of the shoe, and then hammering nails, into the leather shape. Sometimes we’d feel one or 2 of those nails poking through the insides of our shoes, but our dad always fixed it.

Hiking and Swimming Galas
Dad was a very outdoorsy type, unlike my mother, who was probably too busy indoors. She also enjoyed the peace and quiet when he took us off for the day!

Anyway, he often took us hiking in the mountains where we’d have a picnic of sandwiches and flasks of tea. And more often than not we went by steam train.

We loved poking our heads out of the window until our eyes hurt like mad from a blast of soot blowing back from the engine. But sore, bloodshot eyes never dampened our enthusiasm.

Dad was an avid swimmer and water polo player, and he used to take us to swimming galas, as they were called back then. He often took part in these galas. And again we always travelled by steam train.

Rowing Over To Ireland’s Eye
That’s what we did back then, we had to go by rowboat, the only way to get to Ireland’s eye, which is 15 minutes from mainland Howth. From there we could see Malahide, Lambay Island and Howth Head of course. These days you can take a Round Trip Cruise on a small cruise ship!

But we thoroughly enjoyed rowing and once there we couldn’t wait to climb the rocks, and have a swim. We picnicked and watched the friendly seals doing their thing and showing off.

Not to mention all kinds of birdlife including the Puffin.The Martello Tower was also interesting but a bit dangerous to attempt entering. I’m getting lost in the past as I write, and have to drag myself back to the present.

Fun Outings with The camera Club
Dad was also a very keen amateur photographer, and was a member of a camera Club. There were many Sunday photography outings and along with us came other kids of the members of the club.

And we always had great fun while the adults busied themselves taking photos of everything and anything, it seemed to us. Dad was so serious about his photography that he set up a dark room where he developed and printed his photographs.

All black and white at the time. He and his camera club entered many of their favourites in exhibitions throughout Europe. I’m quite proud to say that many cups and medals were won by Dad. They have been shared amongst all his grandchildren which I find quite special.

He liked taking portraits of us kids too, mostly when we were in a state of untidiness, usually during play. Dad always preferred the natural look of messy hair and clothes in the photos of his children.

Are you aware that many of the diseases the American public gets can be prevented with nutritional supplements? Even the aging process can be slowed by having a good balance of nutritional supplements.You may ask, “Why do I need nutritional supplements?” Most Americans have a hurried life style. This is evidenced by the number of drive through windows at the fast food restaurants. As a result, we do not eat a balanced diet. This is why food supplements are needed. Nutritional supplements do exactly what their name means. They supplement the nutritional value of our diets.Eating a variety of meats, vegetables, and fruits is definitely encouraged. However…what is the nutritional value of our food? The nutritional value has decreased as we have refined and process our foods. Unless you grow your own, you need nutritional supplements to make up the difference.Not having enough of the right vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants affects the ravaging effects of the aging process. Insufficient nutrition contributes to poor cardiovascular health, poor eyesight, and a weakened immune system. Good quality nutritional supplements can help in all these areas.Radiation exposure, cigarette smoke, and exposure to sunlight are some factors. The nutritional supplements must contain the right ratio and quantity to be beneficial. Adding nutritional supplements to a well balanced diet and adding exercise to your routine will greatly influence how our bodies stay healthy. Good quality nutritional supplements can even affect the aging process.We have seen advertisements about free radicals in diets lately. There is good reason for this. If free radicals are not neutralized they will ravage our body at every level. Nutritional supplements with antioxidants are needed to fight against these processes. The aging process in our bodies shows up in heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis to name a few. That is why our nutritional supplements must contain antioxidants.Nutritional and health experts agree that the basis for a good cardiovascular system is a nutrient rich diet, exercise, cholesterol level monitoring, and watching of blood pressure. The nutritional supplements added to your diet will help all of these. Your nutritional supplements should contain a garlic extract. Garlic has been shown to be of greatly effect the cardiovascular system and has helped decrease the instances of cardiovascular disease.Did you know that almost every eye disease that affects our vision CAN be linked to poor nutrition? Blood shot eyes, blurred vision, and nearly every irritation to our eyes can be prevented. The nutritional supplements you choose should contain Vitamins A, B, C, and E. You get these from of dark green leafy vegetables. Examples of these are: Kale, mustard, and collard greens. (I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take nutritional supplements that contain the nutrients than eat those leafy greens.) Orange fruits and vegetables like oranges are carrots are also sources.I’ve named a few diseases nutritional supplements can help and prevent. I think these alone are reason enough for me to add nutritionally supplements to my diet. (I’m still working on the exercise part.) Nutritional supplements that you chose must contain sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Read the label and check the sources of the nutritional supplements you are getting.Also, don’t just take single vitamins or minerals. Just taking one, vitamin, and or an antioxidant and ignoring all the others is not suggested. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in the nutritional supplements work in concert to promote a healthy body.Your health care provider can provide you with a list of those needed in your diet. Make sure your nutritional supplements have those, as well as sufficient quantities of others needed. Armed with all this information you can read the labels of the nutritional supplements you are considering (check several brands). Your health is too important for you NOT to check into these. Get a high quality (Pharmaceutical grade if you can) and you will be well on your way to eating and being healthierFind a game plan, implement it, and STICK to it. I did! You can too.

The results of this past election proved once again that the Democrats had a golden opportunity to capitalize on the failings of the Trump Presidency but, fell short of a nation wide mandate. A mandate to seize the gauntlet of the progressive movement that Senator Sanders through down a little over four years ago. The opportunities were there from the very beginning even before this pandemic struck. In their failing to educate the public of the consequences of continued Congressional gridlock, conservatism, and what National Economic Reform’s Ten Articles of Confederation would do led to the results that are playing out today.. More Congressional gridlock, more conservatism and more suffering of millions of Americans are the direct consequences of the Democrats failure to communicate and educate the public. Educate the public that a progressive agenda is necessary to pull the United States out of this Pandemic, and restore this nations health and vitality.

It was the DNC’s intent in this election to only focus on the Trump Administration. They failed to grasp the urgency of the times. They also failed to communicate with the public about the dire conditions millions have been and still are facing even before the Pandemic. The billions of dollars funneled into campaign coffers should have been used to educate the voting public that creating a unified coalition would bring sweeping reforms that are so desperately needed. The reality of what transpired in a year and a half of political campaigning those billions of dollars only created more animosity and division polarizing one extreme over another.

One can remember back in 1992 Ross Perot used his own funds to go on national TV to educate the public on the dire ramifications of not addressing our national debt. That same approach should have been used during this election cycle. By using the medium of television to communicate and educate the public is the most effective way in communicating and educating the public. Had the Biden campaign and the DNC used their resources in this way the results we ae seeing today would have not created the potential for more gridlock in our government. The opportunity was there to educate the public of safety protocols during the siege of this pandemic and how National Economic Reform’s Ten Articles of Confederation provides the necessary progressive reforms that will propel the United States out of the abyss of debt and restore our economy. Restoring our economy so that every American will have the means and the availability of financial and economic security.

The failure of the Democratic party since 2016 has been recruiting a Presidential Candidate who many felt was questionable and more conservative signals that the results of today has not met with the desired results the Democratic party wanted. Then again? By not fully communicating and not educating the public on the merits of a unified progressive platform has left the United States transfixed in our greatest divides since the Civil War. This writers support of Senator Bernie Sanders is well documented. Since 2015 he has laid the groundwork for progressive reforms. He also has the foundations on which these reforms can deliver the goods as they say. But, what did the DNC do, they purposely went out of their way to engineer a candidate who was more in tune with the status-quo of the DNC. They failed to communicate to the public in educating all of us on the ways our lives would be better served with a progressive agenda that was the benchmark of Senators Sanders Presidential campaign and his Our Revolution movement. And this is way there is still really no progress in creating a less toxic environment in Washington and around the country.