Bits and pieces friends and family sayings and actions.

 … Memorable car of the day:

  This is a 63 Corvair.  The American rear engine car. Mr. Ralph Nader did not like this car. And killed it. We owned one, loved it, but you could follow the oil trail from our house to my work place. It leaked oil like a sieve.   True. But it handled great!!!!

The Corvair was not much of a subject of customizing.... But there were some..

Note: Okay on the shaved cars last post (no door knobs) The only trick I knew was a friend had one and he had a 12v micro switch inside the body 16" up just beside the door. He pushed his knee up against the body and 

flexed the metal little and door jumped open. There were more tricks but I don't know them.    

For today:

Mama used the term Colored, told me to always use that if I needed to refer to the Negro race, Colored is respectful son. When she was in the hospital and a Black Nurse was in attendance she would smile and say, “Come on in honey, at my house we made no difference in Coloreds and Whites.” A TRUE statement but a couple times I had to explain my mama.

But in our little teen circle......

Buddy had ‘fast fists.’ I never did. His dad taught him to defend himself, my dad did not (both dads were preachers).  In my time teen boys that thought they were bad (bullies), would say, “I am going to hit you!” Funny that. As soon as some dude said that to buddy, he hit the guy.  His daddy told him, If it has to be, be first! That was usually the end of it. ;-)

Von Dale was a scrapper.  Not sure he ever lost a scuffle, but he hung in there to the end.  Me, I think I lost more than I won. LOL

People with a BIG EGO Problem.   After a while you will realize if you disagree with them you are OUT, the EGO must be fed with YES SIR! YOU ARE RIGHT! That should tell you something.  We all have a right to our opinions and I certainly have mine. Politicians are no exception. I despise anyone who will not allow a contrary opinion, I have read where some very successful people have said, “My advisors saved me from MYSELF many times!”

I just heard from Grandson Matt. His whole family has Covid. He says it is bad, but they will make it.  That will be tough with two kids at home…….

It is not just the USA but Covid is messing with the whole world. WE will ALL  be very happy when it is a thing of the past. We have never been able to eradicate the cold/flu/pneumonia but we have learned to deal with them. If this is to be part of our lives WE WILL DEAL WITH it.

Life is good,

NiteShipslog

This is me

 Memorable car of the day:  In the 1950s world of boys customizing cars, this 50 Merc was the most popular for those who had the talent and money. It was also a year of so before Ike & Dick were elected.

   

For today:

I was too young to vote for Ike, but if I had voted it would have been for Stevenson.  My best friend’s dad was a Democrat.

I voted for Mr. Carter once then for Reagan. Sherry voted for Jimmy twice, cancelling my second vote. LOL  I had some problems with Mr. Reagan, but overall I think he was a good president.

I took some time to crack and pick about 3 gallons of Black walnuts that fell off our trees this year. The final harvest was about a ½ pint of goodies. They rest in Maple Syrup now and are DELICIOUS on chocolate nut sundaes.  Or on that sea-salt caramel I bought accidentally on purpose. (I gained 3-4 pounds)

I love banana pudding. My daddy could not stand it but mama made the best there was for the rest of the family and visitors.

Breakfast, Pork brains and eggs with gravy, love it.  Biscuits and gravy, YES!    EGGS? Any way they are fixed. Raw ok, but they don’t last long enough to enjoy! ;)

Chicken Dumplings one of my favorites, Sherry doesn’t do Chick’n and dumplings, but I get them at Jackson’s Cafeteria; just about as good as mama’s.

Sherry does a DELICIOUS FISH STEW. I am an Oyster stew lover, Sherry ain’t. BUT her fish stew comes so close I cannot fuss, it is delicious. This week it made 3 meals for us.

Bragging here.  I make a delicious Stew beef and rice. I also do a good skinless chicken and rice.  I used to do a great veggie soup, but forgot how!!! Serious.

 Nite Shipslog

PS: Notice none of those cars had door handles. It was called 'shaved'.  They had many tricks to open the doors. None were remote control. LOL it did not exist then.

Paula said, “There is no Hanky Panky here!”

 Memorable car of the day:

 

For today:

You can fall in love on the internet. I know, because WE have. I can say this now because they are both passed.  If you were around here when they were active, I would bet you fell in love with them also. I have mentioned both ladies, one, Jean (Sybil) of OPP, AL.  I wanted to hug Jean when I would read her Blog.  She wrote just like she lived and talked.

 Pauline (Paula) of Pleasanton, Texas. Somehow her blog caught my blog.  We established an e-mail relationship, Paula was one of those folks who thought in poetry, rhymes,..... word connections etc.

I asked her once if I could use one of her poems in a book I was writing. She sent me several for the book and others and said I could use them anytime I wanted.

I was cleaning my desk and I saw a brown envelope under STUFF. I found this, I never used it. I never asked, but meant to ask, "Is this cowgirl YOU?"                

                  “Wanna Be Cowgirl” 

                                                            By Pauline Lieck

 

Her shirt is shiny to match her boots.

True country people are not her roots.

 

Can’t ride a horse, doesn’t know how,

Never had the experience of milking a cow.

 

 

Tight tight jeans and a little name belt,

A silver buckle and a hat made of felt.

 

A howling coyote dangling from her ears,

She drives and dreams as sunset nears.

 

Doesn’t own a ranch, but wishes she did,

Had these thoughts since she was a kid.

 

Driving her truck and pretending to be,

She’s a ‘Wanna be Cowgirl,” don’t you see?

 

Someday a Cowboy will make her his wife,

Then she can have a real cowgirl’s life.

 

The babies start to come, she must grow up

Give up her dreams and the pick-up truck.

 

Trade the shiny shirt for a little housedress,

Get busy cooking and clean up the mess.

 

She’s save the belt to prove her size,

AS she gets larger around the thighs.

 

Now she is minding her Grandchildren, telling this story,

She’s a “Wanna be Cowgirl” in all her glory.

The last picture Paula used on her blog. That Cowboy she married was Mel, lost him too early....... later she met John.

 Sherry, the boys and I met Paula and John once. When I started following Paula, I assumed she and John were married. I learned better. They lived in John’s house. Her’s was across the street rented out.  She told me once she had always wanted to live on a ranch. So she moved in with John who was a rancher. It was a relationship of friendship, same likes. Separate Bedrooms, she let me know, “There is no hanky panky going on here!” She drove a pickup truck ‘til she passed.

I had hoped to stop by and visit on our next trip thru San Antonio and learn what happened. I knew John’s family was worried about ‘the inheritance’ but I knew Paula would handle that part.

Paula had daughters that loved her to pieces, I think she lived with one of them in the end, but do not know.

When I read the poem above, my eyes teared up a little, I just had to print it.  As I said, you can fall in love on the net.

Nite Shipslog

PS:  My cowgirl! At Wall Drug in the Dakotas.

BUT there was hanky panky here!!!! just sayin'.

I snap pictures but there IS REAL photography

 Memorable car of the day:

(Photos from the net!)

An absolutely beautiful shot of an A model Ford.

 NOW, For today:

I learn slow, but I learn. I bought another cheap camera the other day, one for point and shoot, as I do. I had never heard of ‘photoblogging’ until I searched for a camera. Now I know. Some blogs feature professional level ‘shots’. I like ‘Shots that Snap!’ and 'Spare Parts.' Spare Parts is the best of desert photos, many from the Joshua Tree area. We have driven thru that area but never stopped. Think you don’t like the desert, check it out:  https://sparepartsandpics.blogspot.com/.

Now for the intended entry:

I love a mystery at times and also love to smile at pictures, like this one?

Before I go on, I want to KNOW what you see above? Look closely. I will come back. BUT get an opinion, as a friend of ours would say, ‘Now don’t be ugly! BUT someone is rocking a pair of Daisy Mae’s. LOL

Continuing...Like this? Or does it make your skin crawl a little. I hope that is the kids pet!

 

 And then kids will be kids and lose their heads:

 

Or this one, nice legs!

 

Maybe this one.

Nothing catches your eye like nature, the above looks perfect to me.

 Or this catch of nature, wow?

THIS was one of my first confusing drawings. I learned to draw it and used it back when I was entertaining kids. It is a 3 legged, four legged table.

             

 

But back to the shot I asked about. WHAT DID YOU SEE? I would have sworn that was a guy in the Daisy Duke's shorts.  BUT LOOK closer. LOOK AT HIM FIRST, HE is sitting at a desk. She is leaning past his left side, HER head is hidden and is looking at his cell phone which he is holding low.  If you caught that first time around I am PROUD of you and your attention to detail.

Some photos can be confusing.  Things are not always what they appear.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Life and friends, e-mails

 That Car:

 That Studebaker, this is a 50-51

Dad was a GM man mostly, I know Buddy's dad drove a Studebaker, but I don't think it was the bullet nose.

For today:

I was very happy when I discovered e-mails. I could communicate with the written word.  Daily I had contact with many friends.  At the time I might receive 2-5 spam e-mails.  Being deaf, that was a God sent; BUT I have been left by the wayside, left with hundreds of spams a day to go thru before I delete, worried about deleting something of import.

Friends have gone to Facebook and Messenger.  Twitter also; whatever that is. My biggest problem is being on the net via cell signal and to get to messenger takes a couple minutes, maybe 3 to sign on.  Now that too is becoming more ‘FORWARDS’, mostly political which I am completely sick of.

Now I can use TEXT on the cell and that does help a lot.

I smiled when I received the e-mail I posted yesterday from Buddy. Many young men took jobs at SERVICE stations and learned to start the pump on slow and could clean windshields before $1 of gas was pumped. To be honest most of the cars asked for 1 or 2 $ of gas when they stopped. Only RICH folks said “Fill-er-up”, or that is how it seemed. But hey, that was about 4 gallons; during a ‘gas war’ that was 5 gallons.

A gas war.  For you that do not know there was a time stations would start lowering prices to get more customers. Once that started, gas prices fell to the bottom. In 1955 I knew of a station that sold gas at 13 cents a gallon that was the exact tax on the gas.

Ok, off that rabbit trail and back to mine and Buddy’s jobs. He was with the Texas HP. He wrote many of their employment tests and also graduation exams. He spent a hitch in the USAF, but later joined the Army and retired there. So both of us are retired military. He met and married the beautiful Dianne, while stationed in the UK. Brittan’s loss, he brought her to the USA. He doesn’t deserve her, she is sweet and looks young enough to be his daughter!  ;-)    

   

Normal prices when I pumped gas..

WE also have RVs in common; they lived full time in their RV for a few years after selling their place in New Mexico. They now have settled down in brick and mortar here in Florida.

I might ask him one day how they did that?  Just stopped and bought a home.  There must be a trick to it. ;-)

Nite Shipslog

E-mails, friends & Whites and Coloreds.

 That 1957 Chevy:

 For today:

Today I received 100+ e-mails. 99 were deleted, mostly spam and the Prince who wants to give me 14 million $. I used to communicate only via e-mail, but lately not so much. BUT today I received this and asked my friend Buddy if I could use it he said yes, so this is what I received that was worth reading, I hope you appreciate it and  it causes you think a little An e-mail from Buddy:

........ You might remember how you, Vonnie and I drooled over the '57 Chevy we saw on a show room floor, in the fall of 1956.  We were growing up.  Soon afterwards the three of us went different directions. That was when Dad took a church in the Mississippi delta.  About 30 miles from the oldest Colored town in America.

 

It is rich in history and I recommend, in your spare time you research the town of Mound Bayou, Ms.  I was fortunate to meet the Mayor of Mound Bayou.  I was all of 17 and working at a service station in the town of Clarksdale, when a car pulled up to the pump and went over to the driver who requested a fill-up. 

 

As you remember, all Major Service stations were full service.  Check oil, sweep inside, clean the windshield and check the tires, whatever was needed. I was informed while I was pumping the gas from one of the colored attendants, that this colored man was the Mayor of Mound Bayou and had an account at this station. Being new to Mississippi, I had already been "yes sir-ing and no sir-ing" just the way I did while waiting on white customers. And when I wrote the ticket for him to sign I put Mr. in front of his name just like I had been instructed (or as I understood). He was smiling from ear to ear when he handed the signed ticket back, and said, ``Thank you sir, you are a very nice young man". 

 

When I went in to hand over the ticket to the Manager he said don't go anywhere, I'll be right back.  About a minute later here came the manager, a very red faced owner and his number one Yes Man. I was threatened with immediate firing, that I would be told whether to show up for work anymore, later that day.  His yes man brought me the news and tried to take credit for my continued employment.

 

Naturally, I told Dad, and he said don't let them get you down.  Just work hard and if you find it too much just give them notice and move on. I never got comfortable with the 7 colored men that worked there calling me "Mr. Buddy" and treating me like I was one of their masters.

 

I'm sorry to write a book but there is enough to this story to fill several pages.  Please research that little town, you will get an education and will be thankful for the way you were raised and to be patient with those that can't rise above their ignorance.  Once again, forgive my long winded rendition of about 3 hours of my growing up.  Do you see what Your Blog Stirs Up?  We love you guys and we WILL see you soon. Bud and the Cute One

 

PS: I never did get that Chevy

...................................----------

That was Buddy. He was the cool one in our group, the Fonz if you will. The dude can make you laugh. He was also a preacher’s kid.

Vonnie (Von Dale) above, Me below in the 50s.

 

Ok, Buddy and Tuck were cooler and wittier than I, but I was the best looking. LOL

Although my first girlfriend took a liking to Buddy and suggested we stop seeing each other. So I found SHERRY.  It wasn't long that I noticed Buddy was seeing Margaret REGULARILY!  LOL

 Nite Shipslog

PS:

Secrets

That Car:

 This car is being built in a SECRET place. This car's design is a secret, don't tell anyone you saw it.

When I was a kid, The covered car is how new cars were presented at dealerships a few days before the unveiling of the present year's car.

For today:

Disclaimer, There are still many people of integrity and some good folk  get carried away in conversation and secrets pop out un-intentionally, (but they are still out!)

A wise person who once wrote: The only secret that will remains a secret, must stay in your head.  Once you share it ‘In Confidence’, if it is ‘juicy enough’, another is tempted to tell a friend,  i.e. “I know you will not tell anyone, but John just told me he has an odd growth on his thigh.  He is seeing a specialist next week. He asked me not to mention it anyone.  I know YOU think a lot of him and would like to know. Pray for him but please keep it to yourself.”   WELL, you know other people need to know, they can pray too!

That thing about secrets is very true. Even TOP SECRET stuff tempts people.  We have examples thru out history of people selling information.

Remember the ‘Deep Throat’ in the Water Gate Scandal?’  Any politician who is ignorant enough to think secrets will not be sold by someone called ‘ANONIMOUS’ is naïve.

Even presidents have said things in confidence on ‘Air Force One’ and somehow they made headlines.  WE have been in an age of  ‘loose-lips’ for many years now. (That term ‘LOOSE LIPS SINKS SHIPS’ is from World War II about spies listening- in)

In today’s life loose lips have sunk many a good reputation. I came from a time we believed, “My handshake, my word is my BOND.” I built many homes on a handshake and no paperwork.  I knew many people you could take their word as gospel.

Now I see things like, “Mrs. Kennedy and Me”, by her Secret Service Agent!  These agents were sworn to secrecy, BUT then secrets are worth money…. Truthfully the Agent may say just nice things about her, but the title ‘titillates.’

My world is logical.  When I hear something BIG/NASTY happened years ago and no one knows how it happened, I start doubting it and take it as a rumor/lie/theory.  In America alone think of the writers, investigators with lots of money behind them who want a Nobel or Pulitzer for exposing a big secret. There will be at least one person willing to SELL the story and have the proof, count on it.

Wealth and notoriety does not protect a secret, look at Mr. Epstein, imma thinking even Royalty can be touched.  SECRETS? Not hardly.

 

Just plain logic or common sense can expel fears. ‘JUST THINK’, LOGICALLY COULD THIS BE TRUE? It is sorta like the statement, “JUST BREATHE!”

 

Nite Shipslog

PS: There are no ‘secrets of any import’ between my girl and ME.  Also there are still many people with integrity. This post is about SURE POSSIBILITIES!