I just do not fit todays world…

I imagine every older generation before me has felt the same. Things changing much faster than my brain can keep up with. 

I have lost the idea of legal and illegal.  I believe in states rights, but wonder when a state passes a law making an illegal substance legal for recreational use, what happens to the National law?  I understand Mr. Holder has said the government will not pursue users in those states.

Now Please do not get me wrong, I feel that pot is probably not any more harmful than tobacco and alcohol, but I think it harms teens in their mind set.  That statement probably doesn’t make  sense to anyone but me.  .

Speed, you all probably drive on our roads, streets and highways. Speeding is a fact of life. If you do the speed limit on the interstate, you just might get run over. I know folks who set their cruise control at 80mph on the interstate.  Have you ever thought of the impact of two cars head on at 70-80 mph? like hitting a wall at 140-160 mph. OUCH!

Marriage. I believe the last statistic I read was over 50% divorce rate. When I was 13 I knew of only one divorce.  I have to admit that many folks stayed married ‘for the kids’, or so I have heard. I do have enough sense to know that some divorces cannot be avoided. 

New cars. I was raised in a family that used cars were the norm. Now it seems New cars are the norm. Some families are making payments on several NEW cars.  If they have the income, more power to them. BUT if they are just barely making it, that is a shame.

News.  Before I lost my hearing the 24/7 news was starting.  There is just so much news, the rest must be ‘created’ by some ingenious reporters.

Gas.  The price reached near $4 again and now it is down to $3.25, I think it is planned to make you feel like $3.25 is a DEAL. Manipulation I say.

Okay, I ain’t leaving this life yet, but I am trying not to get upset at the things that make me feel uncomfortable.

Thanks for coming by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

I do better on the road. I don’t fuss half as much.!

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Now I fit in with this stuff!!!!

Surprise

Today a car drove by our place very slow. We are on a dead end street and a few minutes later it came back up and pulled over in our drive.

I walked over to the car and the gentleman said, “ Do you know the Hinson's that used to live here?”

I said I know they lived here but I did not know them personally. they wanted to know if either of them were still alive.  I am straining to understand them.The man told me his name but I could not understand him, he said the lady with him was his sister. I told him I was Jack Darnell. He said, “Did your dad pastor here in town.” I said yes. He also wanted to know who I married.

I told him Sherry Harris. The lady said, “We used to play together as kids on the Imperial (Mill Village).”

The man then said, “I am Jim Franklin, My dad was Joe.”

All of a sudden the light came on. JOE FRANKLIN dad’s best friend in the 1930’s. “Hey you must be Bobby’s brother.”

Sherry came out and they all had a great time remembering old times.  Jim lives in Napa Valley, California and had flown out to be with the family after Pansy’s death.  More lights finally came on and I realized he had been telling me this all the time but I was not understanding him.

Now, we have a date to go to dinner with him and the Franklin Family next Monday night.  Jim is such a pleasant fellow. He is talking about writing  a book of his experiences working with the mentally challenged (or handicapped) folks, it seemed like he said in many countries.  I will find out more. I gave them my last book, and he was very interested in the mechanics of the publishing.

That brightened up the day. I love to meet folks I should know but don’t.  LOL

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Life is fun most of the time, and today was SWEET!

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1939 LaSalle convertible, It is as old as I.

Southern Mill Villages

Growing up in North Carolina you knew about ‘cotton mills’.  There were over 20 in the small town of Belmont at one time. We lived in a mill house once, when dad pastored Burlington, NC. The church had rented a house for the former pastor, so we moved into the large rental house.

My dad was always conservative with our money and the church’s money. His statement, the church money is God’s money. The church owned an older mill house right beside the church. Dad and mom were not strangers to mill houses, having worked in a textile mill before he began his ministry. He consulted the men of the church and asked what it the problem with the house?  There were some problems, and the main one was water. 

“We will dig a well!”  In fact that is what they did. Dad showed them how two use the pick and shovel with shortened handles. I was 6 at the time. I remember seeing him stand in the back yard and start digging turning in a circle making a six foot hole. Dad made a windless and they took turns going deeper. they hit rock and dad showed them how he could use dynamite.  The lowered him into the hole and he drilled a hole and planted the dynamite and lit the fuse. the men used the windless to bring him up. Then they rolled dad’s utility trailer over the hole and pretty soon we heard the WHOOMP!

Dad announced, no more digging today, we must allow the air to clear.

Anyway the well was dug and we moved into the old house. In this house Shirl and I shared a bedroom. The rental had 3 bedrooms.  But it saved the church a lot of money. That was dad.

The other day Shirl invited me to Belmont’s Historical house. It is a fine old home, and on the property they have moved an old mill house in and put it back in the condition of the 1940’s.

Featured also was a home-made checker board using bottle caps as the ‘men’. Clothes of the day were on display

The kitchen had the ice box and the kerosene stove. The ice box and stove are pretty fancy for the time.

This one has a heater in the bedrooms, most did not. Kids used hot water bottles, but mostly it was a brick heated up and wrapped in a towel for cold feet.

Shirl invited me out to the back porch where the  toilet was. It was the old high tank that you  pulled the chain to flush. Locked at this time. Shirl was cleaning the back porch Some of you remember the wringer washer. Note the spigot on the back porch.

Many families had pianos. in the living room or in the big hall way.  Fire places were normal and also cast iron heaters.

Entertainment was ‘watching the radio’.

OR.. Sitting on the front porch and swinging.

Most of the visiting, drinking sweet and just having fun was on the front porch. If the house was actually on a hill, the kids had extra places to play.

Shirl enjoys volunteering at the Historical House. I like it because it keep her out of trouble and off the streets., .

Thanks for coming this way.

Nite Shipslog.

PS:

The houses rented to the workers by the room. I believe it was 25¢  room per week. 3BR = 75¢.

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Sherry’s family never owned a car (except for one short time), they walked or took the bus.  Mostly walked to town, work, church and visiting.

Bud Coren had one of these on the Climax Mill Village.

Food….

I have lost a few pounds while at our home base. I have been working as many hours a day as I can, and it is helping me lose. I am down about 8 pounds. My goal was/is 15 before we head South. Also if I have to wear a suit to the wedding, it will fit.  LOL.

You know how it is, when you are trying to cut back you think of good foods. One of my favorite meals is ‘Corn bread and milk’.  The milk can be sweet or buttermilk.  Now I was raised to call milk that was not butter milk ‘sweet milk’. I know that is not a proper name,  What do you call it? Pasteurized, or white milk?  I guess most folks just say milk, right?

Anyway I like the milk cold and the bread warm. I also love to cut up an onion in mine.  I think someone coined the word, ‘comfort food’ just for corn bread and milk.

Anyway that was on my mind. I will cut this short and read a few blogs then find us a hot water heater, this one started leaking, sooooo it must be changed.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and condolences on the loss of a beautiful flower.  Also thanks for the Birthday wishes for Luke our new YOUNG man.

AND thanks for reading the Ships log, we have now passed the 325, 000 views, mark.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Sorry for being so late in posting and reading your blogs. IT SEEMS there is not enough hours in the day for a handy man.  LOL

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I believe this is a Plymouth Valiant.

WHAT?

Flowers I have known

There is Rose, our own ‘Roses are READ’.  It is easy to tell she is a sweet lady. My buddy Tuck’s LOVE is Rose.  The earliest flowers I knew were Violet and Pansy.  Their mama Mamie Hartness attended the last church dad pastored in 1954. Both these girls were absolutely lovely. Violet & Pansy are nearly in Sherry’s family. They actually share cousins, but are not related.

Violet grew up to marry Bobby Franklin. The Franklins have been close friends to my family for over 80 years. Beginning a few years before I discovered America and when dad’s family moved to North Carolina in the 1930’s.  We were blessed a few nights ago to have dinner with Bobby and Violet.  The occasion was when a shared first cousin was in town from Georgia.  Bobby even picked up our check.  I was surprised to learn that he also reads the Shipslog. (Thanks Bobby).

       

Life has a way of shocking us folk, even if we are paying attention. On Sept 22nd a few days after we had enjoyed dinner with Bobby and Violet we got the shocking call: Pansy had passed away!  I know I have mentioned this already, but it was so shocking, because I have it on my list to do a blog entry on “Two Flowers I have loved”. Remembering the only beautiful sisters I knew that shared names with beautiful flowers.

It was their Uncle Dale that suggested I ask Sherry for a date (the result of that suggestion is history).

At the cemetery Violet told of a visit to Dr. Albright as a child.  Mamie introduced Violet and Pansy. Their brother L.B. was there also, and the Doctor looked at him and said, “And you must be Snapdragon.”

I was going to tell how these two sisters are just as sweet as their name sakes.

Violet told Sherry, “Now I know how you felt when you lost Lennie (Sherry’s oldest sister).” She also said to Sherry, “At mama’s death I thought I would die. I could not quit crying. At the cemetery, Lennie came over to the car and said, ‘Violet you think you can not stand losing your mama, but time heals a lot of wounds.’  She was so right and I have never forgotten that.”

Pansy leaves a wonderful Guy, Eddie, her husband of 43 years. Two fine sons and their families.

Rest in Peace Pansy, and may you have fair winds and following seas as you cross the great divide.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

The hurt will dim with time, but the LOVE will be forever.

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some cars that arrived on the scene the year I first saw the little girl with long curly blonde hair, she was called PANSY, and was about 5 or 6 years old.

Happy Birthday Luke

Our youngest grandson Luke just turned 18. He is now an adult. Luke has always been a cute one. Tonight he picked ‘The Woodshed’ in Stanley, NC for his BD dinner. We had 9 including Stella who is his niece and loves him.

Luke and Uncle Hisure or Papa Hisure.

He was held a lot. By me, My sister Kat and his sister Sherece.

Of course Grandma and his Mama.

He kept a check on the trash and loved Belkie bears.

And the first kid to drive the motor home.

He was a good ballplayer, a natural as a catcher, he also loved his dad who was his coach.

His love was first his dog M.J. She, like me is deaf. He loved 4 wheeling.

The Birthday party crew.

Luke and his girlfriend, Lindsey.

We had a good time,  Strange at that age you feel you have all the time in the world.  At his age time is not a precious quantity. At 18 anyone 35 was OLD!

Happy Birthday Luke, We love you and wish the best for you throughout your life.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Many times being a grandparent makes one proud.

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Above is a 1951 Roadmaster Woodie

This looks like a 1939-40 woodie

And I guess you could call this a realwoodie…

I reached Old age much sooner than I expected….

We who are older actually think that sometimes, but it is not true. We lived the “DASH” as I once heard it referred to. You know, the one that sits proudly between the birth and death:

John Kilroy 1936—2013

Many folk have an early memory. They are usually between the ages of 2 and 4. Mine I think is 3yrs old. The memory is standing on the back of a trike as some little girl pedaled, it could have been Shirl, I am not sure. It was on a sidewalk near a ‘haunted church’. I called it ‘hainted’. A little later I remember knowing an entertainer, he was a ventriloquist. He fascinated me. I could not understand how his ‘dummies’ could live in a suitcase and still get out and talk. He lived about a block from us in a little trailer.

As a preacher’s son, we moved some. I remember the next place I lived was at a country church, I remember very well Shirl falling while holding one of those thin glass pitchers with oranges painted on it. She cut her hand very badly. Then I remember the screams when Dad poured alcohol on the cuts. Shirl also taught me to ride a bike there.

WE moved four more times. During that time WWII ended. Did you have a dream of something you wanted to be when you grew up? Like a teacher, nurse, lawyer or Doctor? I had a dream and I do not know why nor when it came about, but I wanted to be a U.S. Marine. By the time I was 14 I knew the entire Marine Corps Hymn.

It finally became a reality (after a false underage start, when they booted me back home). Of course about the first night on Parris Island I wondered how an ‘intelligent’ kid like me, could be so stupid.

But when I sit and think of all the years I have lived they did not pass fast. Each year had 365 or 366 days in it and I LIVED every one of them. Most of those days were good to great. There were some bad ones, that is life. But over all I have enjoyed these 74 (going on 75) years. 57 of which I have been married to my other dream.

I have decided at this age time is more precious, where as in youth we had so much time to waste, we wished it away.

Poets and scripture refer to the speed of life, but that is just looking in the rear view mirror with limited vision. Life seems to have been short, only because we are getting close to the end, BUT it has not been. I have lived everyone of these 74 years.

Thanks…for stopping by. May you live a long and happy life and enjoy every day of it.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

I try not to worry about tomorrow, but some situations you feel like you must. WE ALL KNOW that worry does not SOLVE anything. But for some reason, WE WORRY (sometimes).

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Morgan made a great car, but I never liked this three wheeler. It just looked like it was missing something.

This is the newer Roadster. I had a student who had an older one. I cannot find a picture of it. It actually looked more like my dream the ‘53 MG

Friends from afar, And other projects….

Not often are we home when folks drive thru on I-85, but today Truman Smith and wife passed by and we met for an hour or so.  It was nice most of the time the trips home seldom correspond with others travels. They were going on down the road to visit with Bonnie, who proofed my last book and also comments here at times.
Sherry says as a project winds down, I look for something else. Soooo to make sure she is right, I have found a project. Our carport and RV port were supposed to line up. But the installer refused to line them up because the carport would block a door on the storage building from operating all the way.  His Boss would fire him he said.
So as we sat in the swing, I said, “I can move that door, and the carport too.”  so I pulled the pins holding it in place, put rollers under it and Sherry and I moved it back in line with the RVport.  The door is next.
I had to squeeze in a brake job for Grandson Luke.  (I like to show off to the Grandkids.). The job had more damage than any I had ever seen. This is what a disc brake looks like. The caliper (part to the left) holds the disc pads.
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Below is what a disc pad looks like, two on each wheel. One on the front of the disc rotor and the other on the back. As you press on the brake, the pads are pushed by a piston and ‘SQUEEZE’ the disc.


(The Wear indicator is made so when the pad wears down, it will rub against the rotor and ‘SQUEAL’.) Mechanics call them ‘squealers’.
In Luke’s case, one of the back pads came loose some how, I have never heard of it.  In the diagram the blue is the disc pad and the red is the piston that pushes the pads. With the back pad missing, he was using the piston directly against the rotor to stop his vehicle.

In doing so, the rotor was ruined, so we had to go get a new rotor along with disc pads.  But he is back on the road and stopping correctly.
I know you really wanted to read all of that. LOL
Thanks for coming by the log.
Nite Shipslog
PS:
This entry’s car is a VW. A unique one. The pictures taken by Bonnie’s son Caleb. (Bonnie proofed my last book, and also comments here on the shipslog).
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I believe this was outside a nursery.
In the last couple years I have seen more vehicles used for ‘yard decorations’.