Thursday, November 30, 2017

Hiawatha passed away!





Today’s Historical Photo:
Harriet Tubman... A woman For her time.

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If you are from a small home town, or have lived in the same town for your entire life you may hear someone being described like this:
 “Oh Billy Jack? You must know him. You know Sally Rae, she lives over on Oak Street.  Her mother’s sister Shirley’s friend was married to Billy Jack’s Daddy’s brother Tom. Anyway we spoke to Billy jack at the Drag Strip two years ago. He had a red shirt on.”
“OH yeah! He had a funny accent! I remember!”
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Not in jest, but that is how I hear things and have no idea what was said. My sweetheart thinks I know everyone she does.  I wish I did. I wish my roots were that deep.  Today as she read the Obits from home she said, “Hiawatha Mae passed away, she was 94.”
I am off in my own thoughts as she finished. I remembered a phone call, “Mr. Darnell, I’m Billie Glover, you were recommended, I need some work done.” We talked on the phone. I was cool then with a BAG PHONE in my truck, remember them? They weighed five pounds and were expensive. They predated the cell phone.
Anyway we made an appointment at 12:30 that day. I was driving a truck I wished I hadn’t seen. I left my job with plenty of time but my truck ran hot. I have always made it a point to keep an appointment. I had the phone, I could have called her, and she would have understood. But I pushed the truck and it died in her driveway at 12:27. I called my son Mark to pick me up.
She was a pretty lady much my senior, very nice. The job was simple and I gave her a price. I arranged to leave the truck until the next day, by that time Mark was there to pick me up.
That evening Sherry and I were talking over supper and I said,  “You might not know her, but  I left my truck at Billie  Glover’s house, the sucker died on me.”
“YOU mean Hiawatha, of course I know her.  They lived down the street from us on the Imperial. She is a cousin of Sonny’s. She married a Glover.” (The Imperial Mill was one of the local cotton mills, if your family lived in the Imperial Village, then you ID’d that as Living on the Imperial.)
But, that is the only person I have ever known named Hiawatha. I do not remember if I did the job, but I know I learned Billie’s name was Hiawatha.

 Nite Shipslog
PS: Wisdom from the Farmer:
A BUMBLE BEE IS CONSIDERABLY FASTER THAN A JOHN DEERE TRACTOR.
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My Isuzu truck looked something like this, I had decided to go small.
'cept mine was an ugly Yellow. I  owned it for two months. LOL

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

People, cares and troubles



Historical Photo:


 Great George Place in Liverpool 1910
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When you are people watching you never know what someone’s life is about or really who they are. Seldom, if ever do I get involved in someone's life unless I am invited. I remember a header on Mel’s blog ‘Honey I’m Home’. The header I remember (not the last one) had a quote on it I appreciated, “Be kind to the people you meet, you have no idea of the drama or pain they are enduring.”  (Something like that)
There is not a person (except me) that doesn’t have a problem that is tugging at their life, heart or finances. (Okay, I’m included, I just remembered one, no make that two.)

I feel sorry for the guy or gal standing with the sign at Exits or busy corners. Seeing young men standing there who LOOK healthy, asking for a handout.  There is always the little note ‘God Bless’. I know firsthand of a couple folk who do this. They do not consider it humiliating to stand there, they consider it a job.

I am sure that is not the case of all of them, but the freeloaders I know, come to mind.  Don’t get me wrong, I have given and will again, I am sure. I always wonder what has happened in that person’s life.


Recently we were informed of some terrible news. A sweet lady was having a problem keeping something on her stomach. Finally after test after test, there was an X-ray or MRI, something to check out her stomach. It was discovered there was a remote camera left in her stomach from an operation a year ago. TRUE. OUCH. Now her sister a good friend of ours and a regular reader of this blog, has informed us they discovered cancer while trying to retrieve the camera.

Yes, we all have our problems, but some are HUGE.  If you pray, say a prayer for this sweet lady. If you do not pray, send some positive thoughts toward North Carolina. I am sure the family is in shock. This sickness has been going on for quite a while. I do not think the result was on anyone’s radar.
YES. Yes under the light many of our problems won’t even show up in comparison.
Nite Shipslog

AN OLD FARMER'S WORDS OF WISDOM...
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LIFE IS SIMPLER WHEN YOU PLOW AROUND THE STUMP.
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 Truly is an exterminator in Florida who has hundreds of antique cars parked in various places advertising his business.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Day trip to the farm LOL



Historical picture:
            Florence Nightingale 
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We took a day trip back home, well to our latest home that is, the one in Deltona. I needed to cut the grass and check out the farm.

Well the grass wasn’t high, so I cut ours and the neighbors. Our neighbors are a sweet Couple, young lovers. They work all the time. They own the house now. They rented it out until it was paid for. His wife said his mama insisted he OWN a home, it was an American Dream.
But the farm didn’t fair too well without me ‘loving it to death (my mama’s words)’. “Son, you love plants to death.”

Our cantaloupe crop is about gone.



The banana trees still have no bananas,


I left a tomato on the vine, some varmint musta ate it. It would have been ripe by now.
One little ‘Big Boy’ is showing out.

Something is eating the leaves. I could not find any bugs!  We do have a lot of cherry tomatoes about the size of a pea.


Our Pineapple crop is doing well, Should have a Pineapple in 2020.


We had a left over  tuna sub She brought from home for lunch. Sherry fixed us a cup of coffee to enjoy on the screened in porch.


She is very satisfied with her new octagon rug. It fit very well.


Our dog George, 


has taken good care of the place while we were gone.  We took a mile or so walk in the neighborhood, Must have seen at least 4 people, everyone works…
But when we returned we had surprise guests.. Love Florida:

That is our little house in the back ground, I love these big Sand-hill Cranes. They will stand in the road and stop traffic seemingly unaware they don't have the right of way LOL
 
Nite Shipslog
AN OLD FARMER'S WORDS OF WISDOM...
KEEP SKUNKS AND BANKERS AT A DISTANCE.

1938 Plymouth, the year before I was born!