Because of everyone’s different schedules

We were unable to all be together at Christmas

As your children grow up

They get married

And new responsibilities arise

You are no longer in sole possession

Even as adults

We all have to learn to share

The kids coordinated a Pollyanna between themselves

And we all got together for dinner Saturday night

And they exchanged presents.

How things change

You do see everyone individually

On a regular basis

But this was the first time

Our whole family has been able to

Sit down and break bread together

Since August

The more things change

The more they stay the same

I looked around and saw everyone

Relaxing…..

Teasing each other….

Laughing

And enjoying the food

Mom’s homemade sauce

Does it get any better than that?

Pass me another meatball……..Please…….

About 2 weeks before Christmas,

After constant nagging…

Grant are you going to give us your Christmas list?

Don’t know what you want

Ummmm……….

How about coal!!!!

That will always get their attention

Grant finally came back with his list

Do you know what I would really like?

A pair of skis

Don’t you need socks?

Have you read any good books lately?

How about guitar strings?

No, I really think I would like Santa to bring me a pair of skis

My roommates and I have been talking about

Hitting the slopes during Christmas break

Maybe heading up to New Hampshire or Vermont….

In February

I thought you were still in school

Don’t you have classes?

I look out the window

It’s sunny

High 40s one day

Low to Mid 50s the next

Once in a while it even goes up to the 60s

No one is wearing hats….

Let alone gloves

Santa brought Grant his skis

Now all we need….

Is for the temperature to drop

And bring the snow!!!

When we were younger

And in school

We had units of measure.

There was always a holiday in waiting

It helped the time pass

Knowing that the long…..

Thanksgiving weekend was coming

In less than a month we would be on Christmas break

This year really got away from me

Seems as we get older…

We become beyond teens

And…….

Times seems to mesh

Just like that….

2011 is in the books

And we are on the bigger and better things in 2012

I am going away on retreat this weekend

Praying that the time will slow down

Help me to live more in the moment

We are always projecting our thoughts

Always looking forward

Not paying attention to the now

It is in the now

That peace is found

Hurricane Swartz makes his long range winter forecast…

You know the guy with the bowtie?

How cold is it going to be?

How much snow will we get?

Remember last year?

We had that big snowstorm right around Thanksgiving…

What’s going on with this weather?

Here it is mid-November…..

Janet and I just got our winter clothes out

Dealing in the energy market

The one constant we discuss is temperature

Back in September

We were getting reports saying

The long range forecast calls for an exceptionally cold November

When will that start……

November 30^th

Those statements kept pushing natural gas prices up

We held firm….

We waited….

We’ll see….

Here it is mid-November and temperatures are still in the 60s

Natural gas prices keep dropping

A whole market opportunity has opened up

With prices so low

We start to measure risk

How much lower can prices go?

Don’t you love this kind of stuff?

Can natural gas prices go lower?

Yes!!!

But there is more upside risk

With prices being sooooo low,

One cold snap and …

The market price can jump up fast…

It’s called the whiplash effect

Prices always go up faster…

And then they take their good old time coming back down

Now here’s my shameless HBS plug

For those businesses still buying natural gas from their local provider

This is a great time to lock into a very competitive fixed price contract

There we go….

I said it

Now the disclaimer…

Some circumstances may not allow you to qualify

            Your monthly usage may be too small

                                          or

            We find stop service notices on your bill

Pick it up Hutch

Let’s get back on topic

Ohhhhh…..OK

So……..

Hurricane….

What will you say?

How cold will it be?

How much snow will we get?

I just bought a new snow shovel last year

I’ll be ready

PS: This was written on Wednesday. If you want to know what Hurricane said, you will have to go online and Google it.

That seems to be the big question…..

Everyone is asking

Marvin Gaye sang about it back in the 70’s

Yet we still are asking the same questions, today….

The economy almost collapsed

People started looking at….

How the government reacted…

Why did they not see it coming?

The stimulus failed…

And the people started saying…..

No More …….

The Teaparty came from a grass roots effort

And have grown to be a voice

They have endorsed……

Reducing government spending

Opposition to taxation in varying degress

Reduction of the national debt…

And the reduction of the Federal Budget Deficit

Their message resonated during the 2010 elections

As a result we saw a total shake up in Congress

Did we get any results???

The result was total gridlock!!!!!

I do not think that is what the Teaparty had in mind…

Closing down the government….

That will not resolve anything

Agreed…… the Government has grown too big

Agreed…… the Government must be held more accountable

The stimulus was needed…

But it was mismanaged

There was no accountability

It should not have been

Carte Blanche

All these events leading to the collapse

Did not happened overnight

We put faith in our elected officials

We too, turned a blind eye

Borrowing against inflated housing values

Margining accounts

We all allowed this to happen

We all drank the Kool-Aid

And must take responsibility

Now the voices are growing

We are the 99%

What started in New York City

Has grown not only throughout the US

But has seen its’ presence grow around the world

There is just not 1 message

They are saying enough is enough…

What happened to the American Dream?

The land of opportunity got up and went

Overseas….

They are calling for the end of corporate greed

Corruption and influence over Government

No more too big to fail

Where are the jobs

How long will this go on?

Is anybody listening?

I do not believe anybody is protesting

Against the successes of the few

In the past there was an unwritten law…

Let’s make this a win / win

The more you help us to become successful

We will work

To share those successes with you

That is how the American Dream grew

Each generation working to improve

The Quality of life

For the next generation

The United States was a beacon

Everybody wanted to come to America

We took our eye off the ball

After 911,

America was united

Patriotism was at an all-time high

Then we got involved in several wars

Without figuring out how to pay for them

There was no shared sacrifice

President Bush told everyone to go out and shop

The deficits started rising….

It took over 200 years to get to a $1 trillion dollars
deficit

Yet in less than 30years

It has ballooned to just under

$15 trillion dollars

There are hard and difficult decisions to be made

Not everyone is going to be happy

But are we all prepared to start sacrificing?

Are we going to commit ourselves to a worthy goal?

What will be the quality of life we pass on?

To our Children….

And our Grandchildren…..

Will we be known as the lost generation?

How did we ever….

Let it go so far?

We are the people

We must all take on a shared responsibility

Do what needs to be done

To right the ship

Steady the course

Fulfill the promise America

Has brought to all generations

Like our forefathers before us

When asked….

Is the quality of life we are passing on….

Better than that which we have experienced

Let us stand proud and say

YES!!!

Who took time out of their busy day on Saturday morning

To walk with us,

This was the first year that HBS participated

In the American Heart Walk;

We had 15 walkers and….

With the help of friends

Raised over $2000

For the American Heart Association.

Our grandson

George Henry Hutchinson V (G5)

Was on hand and …..

Participated in his first fund raising event

That boy has a future!!!!

He was the center of attention.

We all know someone who has been affected by

Heart disease.

The American Heart Association promotes

Heart Healthy Living

And is dedicated to….

Finding a cure for Heart disease.

HBS will continue to support

This worthy goal

We must remember….

Every day is a Gift

Handle with care.

The Phillies kept
us captivated all summer

Back in July and
August

People were
questioning

Whether the
Phillies

Were even capable

Of losing a game…..

They were on a
tear!!!

Didn’t matter who
was pitching

It was automatic

What happened?

Did they start to
believe their own press?

Did they think
winning is like hitting a switch?

You can just turn
it on?

How disheartening…

Most wins in a
season….

There are better bragging
rights

What are we
supposed to do now?

(You already said that)

I know….

That’s just how bad it feels…..

Do you want me to watch the Eagles???????

Philadelphia….

It can make you

Or break you

We have had our
share of heartaches over the years

Before the season

People were calling
the Eagles….

The  Dream Team

At least the
Phillies were capable

Of competitive play,

During the regular
season

The Eagles fell on
their face

Right out of the
shoot

This week they play
the Redskins

#1 team in the NFC
East

Fall in
Philadelphia

And have we fallen

If the Eagles lose
this week….

Don’t even worry
about the bye week

They better pray

That people will
want to watch the Eagles…

After the bye

Just blowing off some steam

I am not losing any
sleep over it

In the past

Watching the
Phillies and the Eagles

Was exciting

Now they are
draining…..

Maybe I’ll try to……

Do something
constructive

Take a walk

Rake some leaves

Spend some quality
time

With my family

I have been the co-chair,

Now chairman

Of the Haddon Holiday Heart Run

Jack Tarditi and myself, started this run back in 1985

Boy Jack….. You are
getting old!!!!!

We chose the last Saturday before Christmas

For The Holiday Heart Run….

Because we were looking for the true diehard runners

We were the first ones to offer long sleeve T Shirts

To all the participating runners

Over the years,

We have had between 300 to 400 runners

Showing up each year

And have raised between $300,000 to $400,000

For the American Heart Association

Not bad for 2 amateur
runners

While I am still Chairman of the Holiday Heart Run

This year the race
will be Saturday December 17^th

I decided to broaden my horizons

I wanted to be involved with something

Even more inclusive

Everyone has known someone

Who has been affected by Heart Disease or a Stroke?

Heart Disease and
Stroke is America’s #1 killer

That is not something….

You want as bragging rights

The American Heart Association Mission states:

Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke

I would have to say that is a pretty worthy goal

Recently, I attended

The kickoff meeting

For the American Heart Walk

I believe there are more walkers in the world

Than runners

That got me thinking…..

Why doesn’t HBS put together a team of walkers?

The American Heart Walk is October 15^th at

The Cooper River

Right near my ole Alma Mater

Bishop Eustace

It will be like the
old days….

Starting at the old
asphalt cinder track by the river

I remember many days
running that track and

Having to run the
river as a warm-up

I reached out to some friends and relatives

And we are now busy building the HBS team

Are you available?

Would you like to walk?

Each walker will receive a commemorative

HBS Heart Walk T Shirt

Now that should be
incentive enough?

If you would like to join us for a walk

Around the Cooper River on October 15^th

You may email me

And say

Count me in.

Or click on the link below

And add your name to our team

We are asking each walker to get $200 in pledges

From friends, family or co-workers

We can fill you in on the details.

If you are not available

But would like to support

The American Heart Association

I will walk for you….

I know times are tough

Money is tight

But a personal donation

No matter what amount

$5…….$10…….. $25……..

Even $50……

Goes a long way

Heck….

One of my friends
already donated $100.00

And told me to keep
walking

How am I supposed to
take that comment?

One thing …..

I know

Everybody does have a……

Heart

We want to be there for you,

Your family and friends

Will you….

Help us achieve our Mission

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page
and help me in my efforts to support American Heart Association

Come join us….

And thank you in advance for your consideration

Every year….

The whole Hutchinson clan

Gathers for the summer ending party

On the beach

It is always

The Sunday nite before Labor Day.

This year we added a twist.

The kids all decided to have the First Annual Hutchinson
Olympics

There were 4 teams

There were 6 members on each team.

We had the:

Italians

Ireland

USA

And

Jamaica (formerly known as Afghanistan)

There were 4 events:

Wheel Barrel race – Guess whose team won??? Ah hem!!!!!!!

Relay Race – Guess whose team won??? Double ah hem!!!!

Just clearing my throat……Sorry!!!

Dizzy Bat – That one threw me for a loop.

Everyone looks forward to me doing dizzy bat

And this year I did not let them down…

My daughter, Lizzy Kate is really good at this

She must have learned how to spot while spinning

In all her dancing lessons

I never had dance lessons…

You have to run about 20 yards

Pick up a bat and spin around

With your head on the bat 7 times

I came up and….

Everything was a blur….

I spotted my team…

And instead of heading north

I started veering north by north east

Tripping over myself

All the time I am hearing

Uncle George…

over here!!!

Dad!!!…

Where’s he going?

But I was going anywhere but over there

I felt like there was a magnet pulling me toward the ocean

They were all laughing

Needless to say

I didn’t help our team in this event

We finished third.

The last event was a tug of war

The teams were very evenly matched

I thought this event would never end

At 59,

I no longer have the strength and stamina for this type of
event

Good thing we had a couple of strong people on our team

Yes, we did win this event also.

Who would think there would be a lot of competition?

In a family Olympic setting

They are already talking about doing it again next year

Maybe…

I will take dance lessons

Events in our lifetime

That we will always remember…

These moments are frozen in time…

You can remember…

Where you were

What you were doing

Where were you when JFK was shot?

Where were you when the Twin Towers were hit?

Now we can add….

Where were you when the earthquake hit?

For those reading this
on the west coast

Yea…..

I know…

It’s no big deal…

Didn’t you have 2
already this year?

This is the east coast

We haven’t had one of any magnitude

since….

1885….

I was sitting at my desk

Trying to print a document

And…

All of a sudden…

The building started moving

My first reaction was to look out the window

Living at the shore

We get some strong
winds

Whipping along the bay

There are times I am
sitting in our house

And you  find yourself …

Swaying to the music…

I looked out my office window

Not even a breeze…

The trees were at a stand still

My wife, Janet suddenly yells….

“Oh my God…

It’s an earthquake”

We immediately jump up…

Janet says

“We have to stand under the door frame”

Oh my God…

Was that really an earthquake?

Are you sure this is safe standing here under this doorway?

Next….

The door swings open across the hall

And Rick’s face is pale…

He has the look of fear in his eyes

Did you feel that?

What the heck is going
on?

He has a client in his office

My cousin in law Lynn

His first thought is probably to get out of the building

Rick….Lynn

Don’t go anywhere

Just stand under your door frame

Dum Di Dum…..

Just the five of us here…

Standing under a door frame…

What is the socially
acceptable time to stand under a door frame?

For a few seconds in time

The Northeast shook

Where were you?