I can tell that today is not going to be a fun day. First of all, this is a “change of season” month, and I find from years of experience that “change of season” months usually suck. The clouds are gray, the sky is gray, the garden plants are all dead, all the “cool” birds have headed south for the winter, and I’m hip deep in effing leaves. Here’s my good survival tip for living in Maine. You must always and I do mean always have an electric blanket somewhere nearby for heat emergencies at this time of the year. Last night I earned a “7” out of ten on my electric blanket. I was awakened at 5:30 a.m. not for my normal bathroom visit but because my teeth were chattering so loud, I was waking up the cat. I’m just not ready for this crap weather and the coming winter. Maybe it’s just old age creeping up on me which tends to be happening more and more these days.

As the years go by, I’ve given a lot of thought to my final days, and I’ve discovered that only two things really matter at that point. If you want to leave some sort of legacy all you need to do is leave two things: a self-written epithet for your headstone or (for you urn people) a really cool quote for your final words. Today’s post is a list of the final words of a few well-known people. Some are profound and some are not, you be the judge.

• H. G. Wells (1866-1946) stated to his nurse: “Go away. I’m all right.”

• Brigham Young (1801-77) stated “Amen”.

• George Washington (1732-99) stated to his doctor, “Doctor, I die hard, but I’m not afraid to go.”

• Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) “Please put out the light.”

• Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) “Drink to me.”

• Elizabeth I (1533-1603) “All my possessions for a moment of time.”

So how would you all like to have a homework assignment. If you’re so inclined, send me your epitaph and last words and hopefully by then I’ll have mine done and will I’ll post them.

(MINE REMAIN A WORK IN PROGRESS)