Diane and I were blessed to spend a beautiful Labor Day weekend at my brother Russ' lake house near Three Rivers, MI, with my brothers and their families, as well as our own kids... and granddog, Artie. We also celebrated our niece, Katie's, seventeenth birthday, and she brought along several friends. Nieces and nephews, plus these extra teens, all from Illinois and Indiana. My nieces love to tell their friends that their "Uncle Chuck is a principal," and when I meet some kids for the first time it often results in a few questions:

Q: "Have you ever expelled someone from school?"    A: "Well, yes, but not kids."

Q: "What's the worst problem you ever had to handle as a principal?"    A: "Breaking up a fight."

Q: "You've had students fight in Lutheran school?"    A: "I didn't say anything about students."

Q: "How come you guys in Michigan haven't started school yet? We started two weeks ago!"    A: "Kids in Michigan are

     smarter than those in Illinois and Indiana."

They ask my sister-in-law if it's right for a principal to say something like that. She assures them it is O.K. because I'm "off duty." Well, I'm not sure that's exactly what she said, but I do know she used the word "off."

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School did start today, and I woke up in the middle of the night with a tension headache. I had to take two ibuprofen because we were out of cookies. Two Oreo's and a glass of milk is what I usually take - I prefer natural remedies to prescription drugs and over the counter medications. When I have a particularly bad headache, I may take Extra Strength Oreo's (Double Stuff).

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True story. A friend (not a guy) e-mailed the following to me...


Chuck,

"I ordered some Pampered Chef items at a shower for a niece in Nebraska. Her stuff was shipped to me and mine to her. Anyhow what follows is how my order was finally shipped to me! This is what the Pampered Chef consultant wrote me today. It made me laugh! Maybe it will make you smile!"

'I sent your Pampered Chef items yesterday…..I had a meeting on Tues so did not get to the PO on time…….had to laugh yesterday as I shipped your stuff in a gun shell box and the PO people had to black all the wording off that said ammunition…..so I guess if someone sends a gun in a Pampered Chef box it would be ok but I could not send Pampered Chef in an ammunition box!'

(Proof once again that...you can't tell a book by its cover.  What's a Pampered Chef lady doing with ammunition boxes?)


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Getting ready for school this morning confirmed what I already knew: It's been a great summer! When I put on my blue blazer I reached into the pockets and found: The tie tack I couldn't find earlier (and accused Diane of misplacing)...those keys I had been missing all summer...and a copy of the 8th Grade Graduation Banquet program from June 4. That means I didn't wear a shirt and tie or sport coat for three months - now that is a good summer indeed!