Just a swing , and going back to 1903

Years ago we had a great wooded back yard. My Sister Kat lived beside us. We loved to visit ‘out back’ in the evenings. We had a great time.

I got the idea we would have a good time in swings. I went to Lowes to pick out a couple. The ones I wanted were $70!  Folks I am cheap I ain’t paying $70 for something made from wood. I loaded the truck with treated lumber and went home. I built three 5’ swings, I used the metal rails from the ‘dead end’ street signs that existed  when I bought the land.

We two couples spent untold hours just chatting and swinging. The metal bars I used to hand the swings, is still there, buried in the trees as they grew. One swing hangs there now, that is behind Shirl’s present abode. The other was moved behind the other Condo.

When Kat married Elmer she wanted ‘her’ swing. I moved it and hung it for her, but it was never  used again. Last year I noticed the swing was lying in the weeds in Elmer’s back yard. I told him if he wasn’t gonna use it I wanted to put it to use. SOOOOOOOOO Yesterday I got it hung. The chains are rusty, but after many many years it is still solid, and I sat in it last night and finished ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’, a classic written by Thomas Hardy. 

The swing will have a new life here.

Thanks for coming this way

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Hollywood Squares:
Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?

A.. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?

A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

1903

My dad was born in 1903, but as mom always said Frank was born in three and I was born in five.  This was the 1903 Ford:

At the same time Columbia built this all electric car:

Now we know that history repeats itself, the gas won out, but we are trying to go back to electric.  Wonder what would have happened if the electric had won? Would we be further advanced? I would bet we would have saved a lot of lives, killed from speed.

Country style steak and Something about flies!

Around here we have what we call Fish Camps, don’t ask me why they are called that, this place is unique with that designation I think. Down here a fish restaurant in the country is called a ‘Fish Camp.’  Other places, I have learned, a fish camp is actually that a place to camp and fish, but these are places that specialize in fish.

Some of the best fish  is cooked here in Gaston County. A few years ago ‘Cat Fish Cove Fish Camp’ decided Sunday would be a good day to serve lunch. Most of the Camps were closed on Sunday. The Cove opened a Buffet, delicious food, a specialty is ‘country style steak. Tender as can be and delicious in a great gravy.

I figured these folks must pressure the steak. So last night for supper, I tried my hand at it. Sherry suggested I roll the cubed steak in flour first. I did that, with olive Oil in the pan heated I browned the steaks. then using the steamer tray or rack that came with the pressure cooker I put enough water to come to the top of it an put about four pounds of steak in it. I pressured it for about 22 minutes. While that was doing Sherry told me how to make gravy (My first from scratch), I dumped the streak in the gravy and sure enough, it was  great. Sherry has decided to hire me.

We had company and they also bragged (of course grand sons had better brag, right?) Sherry baked biscuits, made mashed potatoes and had green beans, ‘twas all very good. I wish I could remember to take pictures.

Oh yeah, the flies have been terrible this year. every time we opened the door seemed like a fly or two would make the dash.

When we first hiked out of Ellijay, Georgia, I noticed many establishments and houses had zip lock bags of water by the door. McDonalds even had them. I asked about them and was told that will keep the flies out. Of course (in side) I laughed. Well, yesterday I got desperate and tried it. It looks sorta strange or tacky but evidently it works, only one fly has been in the house in two days.  I will keep you posted.

Oh BTW, have you ever heard of the water n a bag trick?

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Hollywood Squares:
Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?

A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.

Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

Plymouth Fury looks like it might be a 57 or 59.

Mr. Craig

Whoever he is, he was one smart fellow. Have you  ever used craigslist.com? No cost advertising. I put our boat up for sale, because I cannot handle moving it around to easily anymore. It sold with in two days.

I inherited  a pet kennel, medium size with this house. It is in my way, so it is listed on craigslist. Shirl gave me a bike a few years ago, we hauled it around and rode it some, so today, it went on craigslist. I have two folks interested already in it.

I am not much for selling, most of the times I give something away.  If I knew anyone who wanted the last two items, I would give them away also.

(Notice I did change the banana seat for one that fit my rump better)

Ever heard of a Cannondale bike? This is an older one, and not in too  a shape. Being hauled on the back of the car or MH, the sun has had its way with the vinyl on the cables. Cannondale's sell up into the thousands of dollars, for a bike???? This one is on the low end of the hundreds. It is a nice bike though. What do old folk know about 18 speeds? Most of us have one. hahahaha

The bike I had before this one I paid $1.75  at a yard sale. I pumped up the tires and it was ready to ride.

Come to think of it, I bought the little trailer we have used so much, off Craigslist.

This has been an unpaid ad for Craigslist. LOL

Thanks for coming this way,

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Hollywood Squares:
Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps.. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures..

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?

A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?

A.. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

This is listed in my photo’s as “I don’t know Woodie”. But I lLike it.  Any clues for me?

I escorted Sherry to her 55th Reunion, Class of 1956

(Our dear friend Mary Ann (L) her sis. Joan (R) the lady in the Blue chewed me out for standing too close to the class name and décor)

The big event was held at the ‘Little Big Horn’, a well known steak house in Stanley, NC. I kept wondering when the class would show up, all I saw was a bunch of old folks driving up. I kept asking Sherry where her class mates were, she turned to me and said, “Honey those ARE my class mates!”

“What? Some of those old geezers could hardly walk, much less run a football down the field. What happened to those school kids? The ones who stayed out all night partying?” (Some were yawning 10 minutes into the gathering)

(Joan, Max (class pres) & Martin, Tuck in the foreground)

I don’t know many of them, I quit school, yeah a drop out, in the 11th grade I think. Back then a lot of folks quit to go to work in the mills, some quit and headed for Detroit to build cars. And then many of us quit to join a branch of the military, I chose the USMC. Sherry graduated the year I joined and we were married three months later. I ruined her plans to become a nurse.

Sherry, Ed (back to me) & Good friend Evelyn)

The Reunion was great for all the class mates. Sherry knew most of them of course. She was fortunate, some of these folks were with her from the first grade to graduation. I only went to school in Belmont about a year and a half, I think. Sherry loved the school, personally I cannot say a good word about the school except I found my Thrill there, but that is saying a lot for it.

Lot of friend greeting friend (Rose on the left)

Like every class, there were successful folk. Two,  great guys BTW, became dentist’s.  Another became a realtor, he was not a great guy. A couple nurses (one our friend Rose, Tuck’s wife) the class president was into sales (good guy).  Evelyn worked for the Post office and bookkeeper before that (one of the good guys).

We were there

A couple more drop outs were there. My friend Ed, who quit to join the Navy. Our good friend and lovely lady, Mary Ann quit to get married. As years go on and the classes get smaller for reunions, they invite the drop-outs to fill in. That is a nice gesture, but you still don’t get back into the group. haha.  I was not a drop-out from this class but from the next class down. They have never invited me to attend the reunions and I don’t expect it.

(Speeches were made, but not heard very well)

The meal was great, they do cook a great steak. (They are famous for their tomato and onion sandwich on toast as an appetizer) My girl had a good time, I was on good behavior, She deserves all the camaraderie, cause she is the best of the bunch, and I don’t do too much mingling anymore.

 

(The lady in blue and white was one of the teachers of this bunch!, That sheet in the back ground is what I got chewed about for touching!)

I know lots of folks have moved more than I, but I was in four different schools growing up, so I didn’t have the ties  like Sherry.

(This is Don & Evelyn the next day at their home, we went out in the country to get some veggies!)

We are fortunate, Evelyn, Rose and Mary Ann have stayed friends and in the past few years we have RV’d with Don & Evelyn some every year. Mary Ann actually lives at one of the resorts we stay at, that makes it nice. That girl is one pleasant lady.

Thanks for coming by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Hollywood Squares:
Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected.

Are you upset at the gas prices?

It is unbelievable that we have so much oil in the USA and we are not oil independent. Why can’t we drill for it NOW!

I hear some improvement from Paula, who talks about Fracking in her area (that is a good word don’t get upset). I do hope that we will start drilling more in Alaska and in areas of the USA where we do have oil.

Many have said, including me, we do need an alternate source of fuel, but until then we are gonna use oil. Look at all the cars around you, do you think we are just gonna junk these cars and everyone take out a loan for $90,000 for a new ‘Dactamatic’ or whatever the next generation is going to be? NOPE, it will phase in. Sorta like the leaning to hybrids and electric. They are nice cars. I did ride in my NEW friend Dianne’s hybrid, while in New Mexico, it was nice and had power. Well, Buddy drove it, but it was Di’s.

Not everyone is going to run out and buy a Hybrid. Neither are we gonna rush out and buy a Hydrogen car, they will be to expensive at first, so, that leaves us with the gasoline and diesel engines, and we are going to use them.

A lot of folk were disappointed in Bush, I agreed with him a lot, especially the hydrogen fuel and hydrogen car development. BUT where have we gone with it? Not far enough. Or have I been sleeping?

GM’s Sequel (Hydrogen)

Chevy Equinox (Hydrogen)

How about BMW’s hydro car??

Oh what about the Honda FCX? (above of course)

Ford is retrofitting the Focus for Hydrogen!

Check out this bad Suzuki! Yep they are hydrogen, but mostly fuel cells. I am waiting for the one you fill with the garden hose.

Now I love the idea of the Hydrogen car, I am bowled over by the few I have shown, there are many more BUT Look at that beauty, a 1956 Ford, hey, that baby is “made in the shade with table grade!”  Also, ‘Cool’.

Thanks for coming by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Hollywood Squares:
Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?

A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark..

Please folks, I’m not ready YET!

Tonight is Sherry’s 55th HS reunion. could it be?

Well I have reached the magic point where half my e-mails are for ‘The best Senior Care Facilities available’,

(Looks like a good retirement home!)

Or this:

e-mail for: Your motorized wheel chair at ‘NO COST’. YOU are going to have a lot of fun too, the best ‘Motorized Scooters’, get around in your senior years!

E-mails for law suits: Hip Replacement? Join the lawsuit against the ‘Whammie junk joint’, millions awaiting you. YOU deserve it.

E-mails for my health: “Live longer, drink Lemon Juice!” Do you remember the ‘Jogging in a Jug’?, Vinegar was the answer to old age and bad joints.

I have noticed every year there is an e-mail concerning a different fruit. This year it was the Strawberry, it cures anything. last year it was the banana, it does everything from clean your colon to shine your shoes. Let me warn you about the shoes, it only makes them smell! Yep, I tried that one on my old work shoes.

It is amazing with the new technology how they know you have reached the golden years and target you for everything imaginable that they think an older person may want. Today, again, I had two from Canadian Pharmacies. That one I hear is good, at least the idea of buying from Canada is good because of the cost. We are not on any expensive medications at the moment, but many are.

I got a few chuckles from Chuck when he talked about giving driving lessons for the motorized scooters, to the old ladies in the nursing home. They even went out for ice cream together. There was something else interesting about Chuck. He had a cyber girl friend in another nursing home thousands of miles away. They knew they would never see each other, but I could tell he really loved her, from afar. I thought that was unique.

(this is a combo of walker and seat when you get tired)

One day I might need the motorized scooter, and I think they are great for those who need them, keeps them mobile, but for right now I just click ‘delete’.

I do try to eat healthy. I heard my sons talking last year. Jack said to Mark, ‘remember when me, you and mama would have our ice cream at night, and dad would be eating an apple or carrot? maybe we should have done that’.

(Of course at our house it was vanilla with chocolate syrup)

That was not always so, I ate about as much ice cream as the rest, plus the fruit and veggies. But after awhile I did get to where I preferred sherbet. I went from Orange to Pineapple for a long time. I just switched back, now there is a container of orange in the refer.

T

(As slow as my system is tonight, I will take any flavor of icecream or sherbet that will download!)

Thanks for reading this stuff.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

I did not make myself clear on my blog entry, I have resigned myself that I cannot appear before an audience to teach and entertain. And yes, I do have hobbies I hope to always enjoy, Sherry is my favorite!LOL

Hollywood Squares, from the past TV Show:

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say 'I Love You'?

A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty..

Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.

This is a 1951 Studebaker (bullet nose), we joked , “is it coming or going?”

But now? I think it is beautiful.

Meet Arnold’s woman, See Weiner’s women

For some reason I could not care  less about Arnold or Weiner or  Tiger’s women. Head lines want to show me the girls.

Hey I don’t care about that. I do care about trying to understand why someone well known, rich, powerful and respected then BEING STUPID. We laugh, but really it ain’t funny. Some innocent folk are devastated. Some children will never forget it.

The list goes on. Amazing that someone ‘we’ see as having everything, will throw it away. I do not feel sorry for a person who wins 100 million dollars and in five years are broke. I might have understood if there was no news media telling of all the ignorance before us. BUT unless you have lived under a rock, you know mis-managing will catch up to you.  Unless you are utterly stupid, and a congressman, you should know that someone is going to spill the beans, nowadays to the Enquirer for a few hundred thousands, if nothing else.

(Ha, for a few minutes I think I am a ghost writer for Jimmy’s Journal!)

Did Monica actually think Bill was going to leave Hillary and marry her?  Did Bill think this girl was not going to brag to someone about her and the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?

Did Weiner think one of these girls was not going to brag about a congressman talking to them?  And Arnold? With the Kennedy name and your fame you throw that away?

1. Amazing those of us who have worked to have what we have, think we would NEVER do something stupid to lose it. But friends, it happens every day; but the people are not celebrities. I met a woman once whose husband lost a Auto Dealership because of cocaine, and she was not aware of it until it was GONE. We met a chief of police whose son was stealing from him and everyone else in the family to support a drug habit.

Drugs and alcohol abuse are a blight on the USA and the world. You may never know if some head of a country has himself got addicted to some drug, causing his brain to operate crazy and start some stupid war.

If drugs have not touched your family you are very fortunate. NO ONE FAMILY is immune to it, but as I said, if it has not touched your family BIG TIME, you are lucky! or Blessed.

NO I am not interested in the women in those fool’s lives. Most likely the women were duped by POWER and dreams of BEING THE EYE CANDY on his arm. Sometimes I want to shake some women who believe some blow hard man, who is only wanting to use her and drop her like a hot potato.

Thanks for coming to read this junk, There are some very intelligent, educated ‘FOOLS’. THE LIST GROWS EVERY YEAR!

Nite Shipslog

PS: Think funny, remember the best of Hollywood  Squares:

Hollywood Squares:

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A.. Rose Marie: No wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency..

Bad word! sh—!

Before I start the diatribe, I Found this in the yard, big and beautiful:

(The picture does not do it justice! When I talked to it it looked like small blue jewels surrounded by white flowers!))

I have said in many blog entries I am from a very conservative family. Mama considered  Shucks, shoot, Gosh,heck, and Good LORD! as near cussing. Now I am not sure if Cursing and cussing are the same. But I knew either was bad, so I never said a bad word around the house. I practiced away from home with my buddies, in case I needed one, I would be ready.

(Jim & Shirl at their table with one of her DEEP dish desserts)

Of course when I joined the military I learned that there was a complete ‘nother’ language among men. marines were taught to NEVER use foul language around women. That meant ALL women. I only messed up once! No one is perfect. The DI would yell at you, “I said stand at F… attention sh—head!”

(Rifle Range Parris Island, Ralph Smith on the left, the kid in the middle is me!)

After awhile I got used to shipboard language, and that is where it stayed. I was never much to use bad language, and seldom did. But there were occasions, when a machine malfunctioned during an important job, one would come out.

Me, Kat, Jr. & Shirl at the reunion.

(The in-laws, Ruth (My oldest brothers wife and a darling), Dick,Jim, Sherry and Mozelle, at the reunion)

It happened at the above reunion. My sister, Kat,  was the wife of a church official, Dick (above). There has never been a better woman, and never a sweeter natured lady. She was sitting at the table with the family. (Mom & Dad had gone to their reward, thank goodness!). Something happened and little Kat said, “Shit”. Everything stopped, not a sound, then Jim (our good old Methodist guy) burst out laughing and we all did. Someone took a picture of Shirl and I about that time that was classic, as we looked at each other. Shirl printed the picture for everyone with the caption, “Our sister said Shit”.

Now with her okay, I have used the word too frequently. Sorta like Paula’s grabbing the “oh sh—!” handle when riding fast across their Texas ranch lands.

We recall that time with a good laugh. I know mama would joke sometimes in her later years, for curse words she resorted to “foot fire buddy by devil”, This straitlaced lady was the one whose family did not have an ‘outhouse’, but a “Pissery”.

Kat & Dick at their 50th

There are many things to remember Kat by, She was married at 15 or 16. Had her first baby before 17, I think. Was a dedicated wife, mother and Christian. She could sew, teach, cook, sing and was a great public speaker. But that all pales to her “Shit” statement at the dinner table. Yeah, I know it ain’t nice, but it sure was funny!

Thanks for coming this way!

Nite Shipslog

PS:

From Hollywood squares:

Q.. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A.. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. In bowling, Rose Marie, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

The graphic from Rose, remember our troops.