God's money

Life has been good to me. As my great grandpa would say, 'Jack you are as healthy as a horse.' That would thrill me normally, but then I found out that a horse really doesn't live that long. LOL Lately I have had a few more pains than normal and like Lisa (Away from the office chair) I have experienced a lot of dizziness.  We have spent very little on doctors and medicines and have been frugal, so we live well.

I was looking back over our travels from the time we had small boys and wanted them to see the beauties of nature. They also had the thrill of theme parks like 'Six Flags Over Georgia' and 'Disney World' when it was $10 a person (Now over a $100 a day per kid). BUT we normally took a tent and camped nearby and did most of our cooking. As a rule, we have always traveled on the 'cheap'.

We took them to Rock city and Ruby Falls. If you are a southerner and traveled any at all you saw barns to birdhouses painted with the words, "See Rock city".  I learned later the PR folk for Rock city painted barns free if they could add "See Rock city". For years that was the most advertised vacation spot I knew about. The paintings were a PR coup, many wish they had thought about.

Repeating myself, I was raised in a Parsonage. From about the third grade the churches my dad pastored were considered 'large' churches. His salary was good. He NEVER forgot that we were living off the church attendees 'dollar or dime' or in his word 'God's Money.' He was very successful as a minister and was in demand. He always left a church in better financial condition and with many more in attendance than when he arrived.
Dad taught me frugality. Please forgive me, but I will continue in the morrow. This is going longer than I thought.

Nite Shipslog

 Picture taken from the web. But that is dad and Floyd Summey  on Theodore Wood's truck.
Dad loved promoting Sunday School I can't list the number of ways he came up with. 
That is the parsonage in the back ground. The window above Floyd's left shoulder was my room. I went out that window a few nights and climbed down the lattice work to sneak off.

Just writing whether Journaling or blogging

The last few days I have been blogging as I write my latest novel. I must be careful because I get so wrapped up in my novel I  forget to make an entry.  I honestly don’t know how long I have been journal-ing (AOL) and blogging.

When AOL shut down Journals, I do not remember why I came to blogger, but I do know I followed a friend here.  AOL gave us a chance to copy all our entries, but I am not that forward looking, I should have. ‘AOL Journals’ were good. 

Out of the thousands of bloggers AOL would pick a journal of the week. Once the Shipslog was chosen and I was thrilled. I received hundreds of comments that week. The reason we were picked, I am sure, was because of the interest in the AT. We were hiking the trail at the time. I am actually laughing now, I had to journal on a tiny laptop with the flip cell phone attached. 

When I started the Shipslog it was to let the family know where we were (we were all over the USA, just enjoying traveling.) My entries were TOOOOO long, many times over 2000 words. That is a chapter in my books now. LOL

I kept trying to cut back after a niece was honest enough to tell me I was too wordy, and I REALIZED I was. I was like a preacher who does not know when to stop, and keeps saying ‘good’ things after he has lost his congregations to their stomach and watches.  LOL  I have friends and some nice folk that say I am never too long, but I know I am. I have reached a plateau of about 400 words and am trying for 300.

This is 290 now, so I am out of here. hahahaha!

It was months, maybe years before I received my first comment. Lindie from Missouri. She pops in about every 3-4 years. I still think of her.

Nite Shipslog

 This is somewhere in the late 50's early 60's Chrysler came up with what they called the 'Forward-Look. This is probably a Dodge.

Yesterday it was Blogs now comments.

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There are times in our lives, that timing and circumstance causes us to CRY or laugh ourselves silly. After my blog on reading blogs was posted I was surprised at how fast the comments came. And then I read these two.  Most of you know Paula was featured in the one children’s book I have written, “TOBY”.  She was also the inspiration for the main character in the book. At the time she allowed me to publish some of her poems in the book I had never met her.

We have since met her and also John her mate. Our boys Mark and Jack were with us and we had a good time at a grill close to their home. Paula is as sweet in person as on her blog. This comment cracked me up!

Paula said...

I still would be lost without a clothes line even though I don't use it much. My mama always taught me to hang underwear on the line behind the one with sheets so the underwear doesn't show, Humm now I'm thinking neighbors might think we don't wear any. lol

January 28, 2017 at 11:22 PM

I was getting over that, when I noticed another alert. Yeah, another of my ‘girl’ friends. Jean.  Jean is another I have followed in the blogging world and one that we were fortunate to meet. We had dinner with Jean and Grover in Southern Alabama.  She too is a breath of fresh air, a ‘real’ person. Probably the most energetic person I have ever met, pound for pound. She and Paula are good looking seniors and both have a great sense of humor. So I smiled, just thinking of her face when she smiled at Paula’s comment.

Jean said...

I have a reel clothes line on one of the sheds I have reeled out and hung sheets in the pass (I like the smell of fresh aired sheets, but that has been quite a while since I have done that. I don't have the time and energy now. I had to smile at Paula's post about the under wear. Its coat weather again up here in Alabama, but it won’t last long. Take care.

Both Paula and Jean are mothers. I just know their children are ‘cool’ like their mom’s.  I know Jean’s daughter Sheila is, we had the pleasure of meeting her in the Raleigh/Durham area of NC. Sheila is the one who puts on her dancing shoes for snow, and invites Shirl to join.

This is also my way of saying thanks for all the comments. I am surprised at the number of times my blog has been read. Most of all I am humbled that anyone takes time to comment. I do appreciate each one I know it does take that extra effort. The ones mentioned are just a sample but you know how it is, on many posts, someone will either intentionally or unintentionally hit you with great wit or a gem of wisdom, I love it.

I think we all are seeing the writing on the wall, Blogging is slowly being replaced by FB, but I will enjoy it until someone turns off the lights.

Nite Shipslog

ps: If I remember right, both the girls mentioned have pickup trucks. They tough! They will be taking care of their kids, when the kids are in a nursing home.