Farming and being tickled.

The Historical picture of the day:

The Gilmore-gas-a-teria
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With friend Dar up in Wisconsin telling me it is 23 degrees and the pumpkins are sold the ground tilled and firewood split they are settled in for the winter.  Here in the sunny south we have become farmers. We now have 5 blooms on the cantaloupe vines and just today a bloom on the cherry tomato plant.  We now have two banana trees (they aren’t pretty!). Being a very experienced farmer I planted my crops so they got no sunshine, they were in the shade. So TODAY was the moving day for the tomato plants. I found a place where they will get at least 3 hours sun, I hope they like it.
I was afraid to move the cantaloupes, so I explained to them if they followed the path they have taken they will see the sun in a few days. They are all seeking the sun, I think that is neat about nature how if there is a possibility they will seek sun and water.

I haven’t gotten a wagon to get my cantaloupes to market yet, but I will have one if it looks like the four plants will have a bumper crop. I will share the profit with Sister Shirl who sent them south. LOL
When we moved here Mark found us a refer for $50. It is a little noisy but it works. It has an ice maker but we were never sure if it worked. Since I am getting caught with my playing I decided to check it.  So just a few days ago I turned on the ice maker and poured water in the tray. Sure enough, it worked. I tried again, and got more ice. I came up with a route thru the cabinets and used a wire conduit along the base board for the 2 feet the little water line would have been exposed. The conduit looks like it is part of the base board. So now we can take the ice trays out of the freezer.
Tonight was Halloween (you probably knew that) we had about 5 groups stop by. They were having fun.  That’s it for us here in Deltona.
EXCEPT for a note from Dr Darnell about this wonderfully made body of ours:
It's not possible to tickle yourself. This is because when you attempt to tickle yourself you are totally aware of the exact time and manner in which the tickling will occur, unlike when someone else tickles you.




Nite Shipslog

I believe this is a 1955-56 Merc

Sherry is the Best, BUT there is a down side!

Historical photo:

1962, Hawk Missiles on the Beach at Key West. Remember the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Some of us men have our own Missile crisis!

I have spent a few nights in the dog house.  And MAYBE she had a right, just maybe.

My girl can tell you every birthday, of the kids, brothers and sisters, grands, great grands, in-laws and most out-laws. I, on the other hand, have trouble remembering what day it is or my birthday.

Years ago, when I thought I was a preacher, I was working on an old house that would be the parsonage for our NEW church. I was burning the early and late oil. Problem was one of those evenings was OUR Wedding Anniversary.

Another time when we were doing a lot of kids entertaining gigs. I had a call from a Boy Scout leader and agreed to do a joint meeting (or whatever they call it) but I failed to get the address. The last time we had done this, it was about 15 miles from our home. This one bit me, it was over 60 miles and I found out the day before. At the time I was building houses AND VERY BUSY!!! (REMEMBER THAT).  BUT. but It just happened to be my lover’s Birthday. OUCH!  Yep, I FORGOT.

One day, many years later we heard a preacher say, “Gentlemen, your wife’s birthday and your anniversary are important to that one you love. Now, pay attention, there will definitely be a test later. I can tell you exactly how to remember your wife’s birthday and your anniversary.” After a long pause, he continued sheepishly, “Forget them once!”

Sherry heard that too, since it had been a few years, we both got a laugh out of it.  To my sweetheart’s credit, she did say she overreacted.  BUT I KNOW SHE DID NOT, I know I was very insensitive and even at the time hated it with all my heart, BUT at that time it was too late. No time to get a card, flowers and an apology at that time wasn’t quite enough.

There are times the dog house is well deserved!
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Info on this wonderfully created body of ours:
. Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood the number is reduced to 206. Some of the bones, like skull bones, get fused into each other, bringing down the total number.



Nite Shipslog

           Customized 1954 Chevy

Some of her qualities Plus the Bomb

The Historical picture of the day:
              Hydrogen Bomb Testing

  We are fortunate to have one our own bloggers who was raised in the desert at the TOP SECRET post where the BOMB was born.

I mentioned Sherry’s next birthday too soon. It is still over a week. I sit here and look back at my girl in bed (she is now sleep reading, she will stir and read again for a little while then sleep read again.)  My girl has great,  unique qualities.

1.       Just a bite or taste will do. (ME? Don’t even think about it, a bite will not suffice)

2.       I don’t think she would ever lie, even a little white lie.

3.       She does not go out looking sloppy, even to the mail box.

4.       When she says, “I will do that.” Just like her mama, you can take it to the bank, she will do it.

5.       Her beliefs are unshakeable. Even when I was an atheist. She never ‘preached’ to me. She asked that I continue to go to church with her and I did.

6.       She is firm in the ‘old fashioned’ thoughts that the man is the head of the home. She ain’t much of a women’s ‘libber’.

7.       In reference to #6 in that respect, she has accepted all the crazy ideas I have had.

a.       After leaving the USMC and finding a minimum wage job in Charlotte I had a change of heartv my mind and said, “Honey I am joining the USAF.” 

b.        Her: OK, but do not expect me to starch and ironing uniforms. When do we leave?

In two days.   LOL   OK

c.       I’m gonna be a preacher. OK

(She really didn’t like the ‘preacher’s wife thing’ I am sure, but she never complained.)

d.       I am going to join the Navy.  OK

e.       I am going to buy a roach coach.  OK

f.       At her suggestion, We should build a house. (and get out of debt) I will get my General Contractor’s license..  OK

(Actually WE built that first house while I studied for the General Contractors’ license)

g.        We are going to sell everything we have, buy a sailboat and sail around the world.  NO!

NO?............WHAT?

In all our lives that is the first time that sweet lady said, “NO!”  I guess I reached the end of her rope of being in charge.  LOL

That is the time she said, instead of sailing, let’s hike the Appalachian Trail. I said OK and followed her on a dream of her own. That was probably our greatest adventure.

(If I have mentioned some of this stuff before, chalk it up to OLD AGE!)

Nite Shipslog
 PS: I about forgot our health,

A baby's head is one-quarter of its total length, but by the age of  25 will only be one-eighth of its total length. This is because people's heads grow at a much slower rate than the rest of their bodies.


nite again I am beat.

                                1930 Caddy V16

Speaking of late payments and a SPECIAL birthday, #80

Historical photo:

I never wanted to work in a mine, but after going down into a couple of them, I sure respect the men who did.
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Late payments
We have made it a practice to never be late on payments even if we had to shorten something else. I have always noticed late charges. They are normally $3-$6 if paid late, BUT I just noticed this bill here in Deltona, FL for water/sewer.

Current charges…..$35.83
If processed charge is posted after 4:30 11/27/17
Charges are ………….$102.38

I was shocked.  I cannot imagine kicking someone that hard for being late.  We ‘auto pay’ so we should never be late, but the idea offends me, unless the city has experienced floods of late payers.

We are very blessed. There have been some tight times in our lives, but we have never went hungry or not been able to pay our bills. For the most of our lives we have both worked. Except for the first few years of our sons lives Sherry was a working lady. She enjoyed that short portion of her life when she was a stay at home mom.  My girl has always had a very good work ethic. Never missed work and even brought home work she could not finish at her desk.

She is special, especially to me! But also her friends and the bosses she has worked for.  This girl has received a suitcase of ‘awards’ for the things she has done.  I am so proud of her.

My girl is especially cognoscente of her church. No matter where we travel, each month (at her direction) I write a letter to accompany our tithe and gifts to the local church. I adored her mama, Susie. What a mentor for Sherry. Sherry taught me a lot about finances. Much she learned from her mom.  Susie was the master of managing finances.

With a birthday coming up, she shudders at the number ‘80’, but I smile.  I am so lucky, blessed and happy that I still have her in my life. Heck, I am just a few months behind her, but we are both here, that is worth all the gold in the world.


Nite Shipslog

 My girl in Biloxi, Mississippi, expecting Jack Jr. During one of here stay at home mom days. With our '53Plymouth

After JJr was born, she was much happier and a newer car, '55 Ford. Kirksville, Missouri

So tonight..... Not much

The Historical pictures of the day:
 'Cousin Dewey sent me these saying, 'back when I was hanging out!'  Cuz lives in Vegas now.
                                  (And cannot return to Hollywood)

 I told Cuz, that Burt was gonna get him!

At the Mary Tyler Moore Reunion, Bulifant, Asner, Valerie (The guy that looks like me with hair is Cousin Dewey (Dewey is Hisure's son))
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When things other folk do look/sound good to you but they don’t fit your nature, you cannot change. I have one dear friend who would promise to be on the job at 8am, and not show up until noon.  The reason he gave, “I got up this morning early, didn’t want to disturb you early, but I just felt like the bass would be hitting this morning. They were!”

I worked around him, he knew I would.

I have wished a hundred times I could be that laid back, and not so concerned about ‘THE JOB’. BUT I am not, and if I were to do that I would have the ‘missed appointment’ on my mind the whole time I was away.  You cannot force yourself to be laid back!

I have a habit my mama had cooking. I do not measure all the ingredients in a recipe.  I estimate a lot of things. Folks that are tied to a recipe would worry the entire time something was baking or cooking, just sure they had guessed wrong and the dish will be ruined, if they did not measure each thing exactly as called for.  That is the best idea, I just don’t follow it. I could be lazy. LOL

When upset,  I seldom say out loud what I really want to say. I try to remember ‘Once said, the words cannot be recalled.’ I know people who will in a heartbeat, give you a piece of their mind. Later they apologize and act like the incident never happened. I can forgive, but I cannot erase your mind.

One incident happened to me a couple months ago. I had a phone conversation (trying to talk on a phone keeps me in a strain). Things went south, as they say, as I talked to my son and I said something I should not have said. Immediately after the call, I sent a text apologizing.

 I was working with grandson Josh later and mentioned that I had had an encounter I wasn’t proud of. He looked at me smiling and said, “I know Grandpa.”

“How do you Know?”

“You sent the message to me.”

Josh is tech savvy, even Microsoft approved officially. He took the time to show me how to readdress and forward the text.

Yeah, I hate it when I am stupid, then get caught for being ignorant. OUCH,  it is hard to teach an old dog a new trick.

Have you ever sent a text or message to the wrong person?

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Doctor Darnell’s newly learned info on this Wonderfully created body.
Your teeth start growing 6 months before you are born. This is why one out of every 2,000 newborn infants has a tooth when they are born.

  
Nite Shipslog

Papa Hisure

Historical photo:

(Papa Hisure getting snacks for a long haul from Charlotte, NC to NYC and back, note the truckers hat. During his lifetime truckers had a uniform.)

Papa hisure
Ideas for blog entries come from many sources. Many times from other bloggers. This one came from Rick over at Life 101. He does a column for a newspaper, he just published one about tools.

Some people can shop for clothes for hours, browsing and checking out the latest in the clothing stores. The funny thing is the tool section of any store draws me. There I allow my mind to wander.

Rick mentioned something this past spring that we older folk seldom hear anymore. He said, “Time to oil the wooden handles.” Most folk never heard of it, but older members of blue collar trades spent time preserving tools. There are many tools up to a hundred years old, just as good as when they were purchased.

Okay I wrote all of the above to tell about Uncle Hisure. A retired truck driver he took up babysitting. He was as patient and caring as anyone could be. He was also a teacher. My grandsons Matt and Luke had the pleasure of ‘playing’ with Papa Hisure.

Little Matt was hanging with me one day and wanted to oil his trike wheels. So we went to work. I watched as he did it right. When we were through. He looked up at me and asked, “Now where do we put the tools?” It took me a minute, trying wrap my mind around a 5 year old saying that. He could tell that, so he explained to me, “Papa Hisure says the job isn’t finished until the tools are cleaned and put up.”

At that moment I was so proud of Uncle Hisure. What a teacher and ‘baby sitter’.  It wasn’t long, Matt out grew a ‘baby sitter’ and it was Luke’s turn. Sadly Hisure passed away during Luke’s time. Aunt Aggie was Hisure’s wife. At the grave yard there was a military funeral. Hisure had been in the USN in WWII. As we were leaving Luke looked up at us and asked, “Does this mean I will play with Aggie now?”

Hisure had not been a ‘baby sitter’ but a playmate, friend and teacher. I am so glad my grandsons had a chance to get to know my Uncle Hisure  (Papa Hisure).

Now, about this wonderfully made body of ours:
Everyone has a unique smell, except for identical twins, who smell the same.


I learned something…..

Nite Shipslog
PS: I built a Lrge double Garage for Uncle Hisure. His son Dewey paid for most of it. He said, "Daddy needs a place to piddle."  I added, "And a place to teach kids!"

 Akers Motor Lines was Hisure's home for many years. Over a million miles and never a ticket. That is a record for a truck driver.  He drove for other trucking lines including Carolina Freight.

The life of a helper

The Historical picture of the day:

Midas, Nevada  circa 1920  (mining)
Not everyone is cut out to be a helper.  Being a helper is boring. It seems very unproductive, just standing around waiting to help. But that is the job of the helper. Until one has been a helper for a few weeks they MUST just stand around.  After a few weeks the ‘wise’ helper will find he/she can find something productive to do while waiting. Pick up, clean-up but always watch the one you are helping and try to ‘anticipate’ what they will need next. Having what is needed next is the key to a good helper.
A helper must be paid. Most volunteer helpers do not last long. Within an hour the volunteer will say, “I am going to do ‘so & so’ when you need me yell.”  That is an assistant, not a helper. The worker finds he can climb down from a ladder and get the hammer or two staples faster than they can call and wait for the ‘volunteer’ helper to come and get directions as to what is needed. The same with dropping something. The paid helper would hand it back up in seconds.
This is not an indictment, it is fact. It is hard for a 'doer' to be a 'helper.'  My wife, son or a friend feels useless if they are standing sometimes 30 minutes with nothing to do.  It seems counterproductive. They could be reading, cleaning house or washing dishes. I understand that. That is why I work alone now, I don’t want anyone to feel useless or unnecessary. That, in a nut shell, is why I do not use ‘volunteer helpers.’

I am not on production or a deadline. I can be my own helper. I am the ‘master of the 3^rd hand’. I take the extra time to rig a jig, or tape a vacuum cleaner hose just below my concrete saw to keep from spreading most of the concrete dust, I do not have to ask someone to hold it.
The extra time it takes to solve the problem is worth it and I have not inconvenienced anyone.

NOW…..
Another fact about this wonderful creation that is our body:

Earwax production is necessary for good ear health. It protects the delicate inner ear from bacteria, fungus, dirt and even insects. It also cleans and lubricates the ear canal.
 
Nite Shipslog

                     1957 Rambler Cross Country

Those Leaves

Historical Picture:

Nancy Reagan telling Santa (Mr. T) what she wants for  Christmas

I wanted to mention something many folk do not know. Leaves fall here.  That is one reason we wanted the screening on the porch because our porch was being covered by wandering leaves.  Yep leaves fall in Florida and they seem to fall year-round like our skin peels and hair falls out.. LOL  It is a pleasure to see the leaves on the ground and not the porch.

As I am typing I remember years ago I had bought a few extra watermelons, cantaloupes and pumpkins. I drove around on the church camp ground where my mama still lived giving them to anyone who wanted them.

I was raised in the Church of God, I never have been a very good member.  But I was raised to call folks Brother and Sister, because we were family, ;-)

I approached one of my sweet elderly friends,Sister Looney. (I was Young then, in my 50’s ). I stopped the truck and watched as she raked. “That is a tough job every year isn’t it?”

“Not for me, Bro. Jack, I am just taking my time and admiring the colors in the carpet God has given me. I take time to stop and thank him for the health I have to stand and admire this. Tomorrow it may be the same and then it just might be a deeper red.”

She took a watermelon thanked me and said, “Now later today I will enjoy some red watermelon and thank God for that also.”

I enjoy positive people. We need more of them in this life.

Little known facts of the human body:
Your body has enough iron in it to make a nail 3 inches long.


Betcha didn’t know that!

Nite Shipslog

               A Studebaker dealership