I have been doing this for ages....

  Today’s automobile:

 In some parts of your country they would love to see this much mud. (can you imagine today's cars making it thru these roads.  Some of you reading this can 'relate.' Especially Woody of NY, ;-)

(NOTE: I bought gas in NC today for $4.09, terrible when you think that ain't bad! (compared))

Some thoughts for today:

I just read some of the sweetest comments here. Thanks...

I looked over 2 feet and Sherry was tearing up some receipts. I said you are one cute lady.  She said, “I am my shredding machine, I have been doing this for years!”

I am one of the luckiest dudes in the world. She has stuck beside me thru thick and thin, and there have been some thins!

Sheila said something in her comments like, “Those cotton mills supported us.”

Below is the Imperial Mill. The last Mill in which Sherry's parents worked.

Below was the sad end. We did get one brick as a souvenir. I hope to make some type of memory keeper out of it for the kids.

Sherry's sister Lennie and Elmer (dating ) on the porch of the mill house on at 129 Hawthorne St. (I got a lot of kisses on that porch later, and wrote hundreds letters to that address!

Yes, it was the same with most families I grew up around. Sherry's parents worked in the Imperial. from 10 yrs old to 60s. Most of Sherry’s immediate family, found life outside the cotton mills. But they, like Sheila, spent some time breathing that cotton lint/dust before leaving.

I was shocked once I left the Piedmont of North Carolina. I thought this area produced all the thread and cotton cloth in the world. LATER I learned most every town in the south was supported by cotton and cotton mills. There were actually 26 mills in the Belmont area alone.

I was caught aback learning that in Vermont/NH/ME/MASS there were huge cotton mills.

I am somehow deflated to think all that labor has gone overseas.  I remember an interview with someone in leadership of Walmart who said, “We had to go overseas for products.”

One thing I heard personally. My cousin Bobby O’Shields managed a cotton mill in Greenville, SC. He told me to keep the mill alive he approached Walmart about carrying their socks. During the conversation he learned his mill could not  supply one Walmart for a year.

 Sad, that our job markets have gone overseas.

Anyway, I use e-mails for most of my communications, but since most folks use FB, Sheila if you would send me your new address in a FB message thru messenger, I will ship that dude to you!

If I miss that try jacsher@aol.com.

Love all you guys who take time to read this drivel. THANKS!

NiteShipslog

Poetry, letters and Susie

 Today’s automobile:

 I never got this, all my letters and messages were sweet!

This mad woman's actions say she bought a lot of picks or had a hardware store! The news paper article was entitled "Mad Woman".

Some thoughts for today:

Our Leesburg Library has a poetry contest yearly. This year’s winners are in. I seldom read poetry any more, but on a whim I read the first place winners in the Adult and then the teen category…..  I learned something, life changes….

The Adult poem was very good. That is my opinion. It actually was a mystery until the end it was the stuff on the side of the road and the writer was picking up litter.

THEN I went to the Teen winner. Within 15 words the ‘F’ bomb was used. I understand in today’s language it is considered by many, to be nothing but silly to fuss about it. I read the poem it was fair, but didn’t need the profanity in my opinion.

And then Susie in her comment brought up OLD letters, cards and gifts held by us seniors. While trying to clear out our stuff I found a pile of letters. Sherry and I must have saved every letter. I CANNOT shred or throw them away either, but what to do with them?

The bag is OUR letters.  The book at right contains all the letters I received from Sherry and the boys while on a Meditteranean Cruise. I had plenty of time on my hands.... There is a pocket inside for the pictures they sent.

(Sherry has always had beautiful handwriting!)

We corresponded a lot while I was deployed. We did graduate to cassettes, but reused them for return letters. None of those are around. We both used to ‘write “secrets”under the stamps’ before applying them, did you ever do that?

I do so appreciate all the comments and all you that read. I am just trying to handle life’s situations, it does get harder once in your 80s, but Life has always been a challenge and a joy.

One bright point, our nephew Steve is going to contract for the shower next door.

NiteShipslog

PS:  The name Susie is one of my favorites. Susie was the sweetest mother in law ever!

WOW Sheila pays attention to detail

  Today’s automobile:

 1938 Delage D8, vintage like me!  LOL

Evidently the Delage was for rich folk......

Some thoughts for today:

I smiled ear to ear when Sheila said in her comment, “How much would you sell the bobbin and shuttle from the cotton mill? Sheila”

How many people reading this silly blog would notice that in one of the quick shots from yesterday!?

Hey sweet lady, if no one in the family wants it, I will bring it of send it to you. Funny the only ones in my family that would even know what it was would have been me, maybe Sherry, and mom and dad who worked in a weave mill.  I never worked in a mill, but I took a 'crip course' in high school in textile.

Not many people would know the ‘shuttle’ was ‘knocked, slapped’ back and forth in between the threads by flat bats, to make clothe. I would have given it to Jean (Sheila’s mom and one of the best of bloggers I can remember) if she had asked.

I said ‘flat bats’ because we used the old ones for bats in playing sand lot baseball. The Shuttle and bobbin did the same on huge clothe up to 12 foot wide, that the bobbin did in the sewing machine.

So if neither of the kids show an interest, I will be glad to give it to you Sheila.  I am sure it is not 'valuable' dollar wise, since there were millions of them in textile mills but it makes me feel good to touch it at times. Since mama and daddy worked with them from 1925- 1932. ;-)

Sherry's mom and dad worked in the mills from 8-10 yrs old until their 60s.

Sometimes it is the simple comment out of the blue that lifts your spirits.  Love you guys that read this stuff...

NiteShipslog

I’m thinking…

  Today’s automobile:

SAmmy DAvis Jr's Rolls Royce, wonder if it is still around?

Some thoughts for today:

We built this house over 25 years ago.  After a few years we decided to rent/lease and just travel. I know I have told this before, but I will rehash it. We asked our sons to come over and pick anything they wanted before we emptied the house.

JJ picked an old record player, Mark said I want the rest… Great.  JJ took his Mark never did. So I bought a trailer (the kind towed as tractor and trailer truck) and stuck everything inside.  Had it towed to some empty land we owned and we left for over 20 years. Living in the RV.

We learned what I did was stupid or ignorant. The trailer was not climate controlled of course and we lost most of the stuff we should have given away.

Again the house is FULL. I want to try to down size instead of dropping it into our son’s laps to figure what to do with the STUFF!  That really isn’t fair.

So the first thing I want to do is make some shelves in the garage. I want to put things there that are worth something but we do not want nor need. Example: Once in Haiti we bought two giant wooden vases, And two chairs

 A Giant set of a fork and spoon.  Salad bowl and serving bowls. 

A foot locker…

all hand carved.

I have some great gold trimmed Mugs from London

and many other nice souvenirs we no longer use nor need.

I think it will be a start.  Looking to put some old furniture with a local antique dealer on consignment. I know we must start somewhere.......

NiteShipslog

I’m Lost in an unknown world….

  Today’s automobile:

 The Funeral home offers an upgrade from the bicycle for $189.99, just afraid it would bother my ears..  ;-)  But my boys would like it. With the $189.99 Sherry gets a family car, a bike with a side car. :-O....

Some thoughts for today:

As a child I saw a few wrecks on the highways. A couple of them resulted in deaths. One death was a child. I remember my dad ran back to see if he could help. It was in 1947. The old black man who lost a child was holding him. Dad repeated many times over the rest of his life what he heard the man say as he walked, crying, praying and talking. What struck my Dad were these words, “I’se just trying to get my children home!” 

I have a recording of a sermon my dad preached, it is barely audible now, but in that sermon he talked about his children. He wanted us all to make it to Jesus and home. He said, quoting the old man, “I’m just trying to get my children home.”

The only words my dad ever had to say about those accidents to us (sister and I) was, “Children (They didn’t say kids back then) when you drive you must be very careful, drive safely, there is danger on the roads, you have to stay alert.”

I don’t claim to know everything. But I do worry sometimes if maybe we try to explain these tragedies in too much detail to children. Phycology and Psychiatry have their place of course, but I don’t think every child needs it.

First of all most of the mass shootings/killings CANNOT be explained except that some person has a short-circuit in their brain.  There are too many controversies between the ‘wise men/women who are supposed to know the reasons.’

I’m as confused as the next guy, and the short little bit I watched the news on our NEW TV, I am more confused.

BUT in the end there is not a thing wrong with teaching children the 10 commandments. There is NOTHING wrong with teaching them that repentance and sorrow can do nothing but good. There is also nothing wrong with suggesting good models, it is pretty hard to find a better one than Jesus.  Just sayin’.

I have said many times, even an atheist will agree that the big TEN are good rules, they are really common sense!…..

NiteShipslog

TV, Smart, Dumb?

  Today’s automobile:

 Since it won't be long now, I have arranged for a cheap funeral.........

Some thoughts for today:

I knew it was stupid to order another TV for the house. The one here worked only after I jury-rigged the ‘ON’ button with a ‘C’ clamp.  We actually only turn on a TV once in a while or during some crisis. If our TV’s had a timer they would register less than 4 hours a year.

BUT if we have overnight visitors they would be lost I the evenings without the TV. SO before we left for the mountains I had ordered a TV, a good deal from Amazon. But the delivery date was delayed until we were gone. So when we returned it was here and I set it up. OUCH!

I would like for once in my later years to buy some new electronics that you could plug in and TURN-ON.  HA!

You smart folk would take it in stride. My grand kids could have built the thing. If my great grands could lift it into place they could have set it up.

OK, I finally got it so we could use the antenna!  Are we the only ones in the country who still use a roof top antenna?  LOL!  It still takes 4 steps with the remote to get to the antenna part of the TV, you can’t just hit ON and go.

I think we can get 3,765 ½ channels. They do get garbled at times but the picture is clear most of the time.

Good luck to you OLD folks if you buy a new TV or washing machine…… (The washing machines may be hooked to the internet too, I don’t want to find out!)  LOL  Laughing at myself…..

Now if I can get my pictures down loaded from our cameras……………. 

That is my thoughts for today.

NiteShipslog

I am sorta ashamed

  Today’s automobile:

 I love this picture, I am older than this car....

Some thoughts for today:

For the first time in my 83+ years I have had to be reminded that this was the 4^th of July!  It is also scary that I had to ask my sweetheart how old I am.

I knew it was the 4^th holiday time, but I was in the dark until I said, ‘I must check when they are going to collect garbage since this is near the 4^th’ , and Sherry said, “This is the Fourth!”  (I am not sure the above can be a sentence, but it is fact! :-O )

I have been behind for a while, I will catch up in the next few days.

I have glanced at Blogs, but can’t get my head into this yet.

Imma go out and sit in the swing awhile.

 

NiteShipslog

PS:

A cat tale: Surprise, fun, disappointment, shock

  Today’s automobile:

 1919 Dodge Brother's Car

Some thoughts for today:

We were in the mountains for a day and a half visiting friends. Then grocery shopping. On the second load into the RV door I looked down and behind the front wheel of the RV was a yellow kitten looking up at me! It Looked just like one of the ferals. IT WAS ONE ! Somehow that little tom cat rode many miles under the coach somewhere, and did not jump out at the traffic lights we stopped out. Then did not eat except for maybe ants. Normally when that diesel starts at home cats head for the neighbor’s or the woods.

He approahed us but would not let us touch him for a time. He ate and after 2 days we coxed him into the coach to eat. But he made it back outside as quickly as possible. We wanted him to be able to ride back in the coach.

Using a plastic drawer from our basement I made a litter box using dirt and some sawdust. I put him in it and dug with my fingers. He dug once and jumped out.

In an hour He actually jumped in, dug him a little hole and peed and covered it. Later he pooped and covered it up. WE had him. He had a ball in the coach and spend Sat. Night in the coach. Sunday morning we were real careful every time we opened the door made sure Tommy Tom did not escape. We hooked up the car and checked out. A few miles down the road we could not find Tommy. I pulled over and we searched everywhere we could imagine. Somehow that sucker had snuck out.

It would be a big thing to U-turn and head back up the more narrow roads, get permission to reenter the park and try to find Tommy, so we continued on. I said, “Kittens are so cute he will have no problem finding a camper that will take him.” We had tried so hard to get him back home. Then about 20 miles down the road Sherry heard, “Meow!” The sucker had appeared to use the litter box.

We were all smiles the rest of the way. Holding him and petting him. He even rode on my lap awhile as I drove.

At home? At first Mama rejected him. She didn’t believe all his stories about riding the coach and visiting towns and woods and wrapping grandpa and grandma around his little paw.  Finally she allowed him to nurse, and I rewarded her with some warm milk…..

This was a unique adventure.

NiteShipslog

PS: SOME Surprises can be extra nice…..