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| Happy New Year |
| 12.30.03 (6:34 am) [edit] |
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Off to St. Louis. Be back Friday or Saturday. Have a Happy New Year.
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| My life up to now - Chapter 2 |
| 12.27.03 (7:51 am) [edit] |
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When I was young, we lived in a little trailer while we were building our house. I remember the trailer and a few events that happened there. I remember helping with the dishes and putting away groceries. I dropped a large can of peaches on my toe and the toenail got purple and fell off. That was the first time. It happened again a few years later, but I'll tell you about that then. My father was a plasterer and built our house with my mother's help. It was small. Just a living/dining room, a bedroom for my parents, a kitchen, a bathroom and a tiny bedroom that my brother and I shared. We had bunk beds. That was all that would fit. I had the bottom bunk. We didn't have much in the way of material possessions, but I didn't know the difference. We lived on several acres with tropical fruits available to be picked, like mangos, guavas, surinam cherries and carissas. I went barefoot all the time. Just had to watch out for sandburs and cactus. My great-grandparents lived up the hill and my great-uncle lived next door. These were my father's people. My great-grandmother never went out due to her asthma. She taught me to read and crochet by the time I was five. I learned the love of crossword puzzles from her. They had a Chinese checker board as big as a table. I believe my great-grandfather made it. Eight people could play at one time. They raised yellow canaries. Their back porch was a huge cage for the canaries. The house was always filled with bird song. My great-grandfather loved to fish. He was a bridge tender and he spent his off hours fishing. Only thing was, he hated eating fish, so he always gave his catch to someone else who was fishing. My great-uncle raised rabbits. He had several rabbit hutches. He sold them for meat. I ate a lot of rabbit growing up. I know some people think of them as pets, but I grew up thinking of them as food, like chicken or fish. I remember digging through the shellrock that made our roads on the property in a search for crystals. Sometimes you could find a closed bi-valve shell and open it up and there would be yellow crystals inside. It was a pretty idyllic childhood. I didn't have much in the way of "things", but I felt loved and secure.
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| I'm so lazy |
| 12.27.03 (6:48 am) [edit] |
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Being off work for five days is glorious, but man am I lazy. I don't want to do anything. Going to have to today. Have cleaning up to do. Then, work on Monday followed by six days off. I'll be going to St. Louis to see Paul's family. I always enjoy the trips there. My sister-in-law is a good hostess. But I need to get laundry done and such today so that I'll be ready to go on Tuesday. Hope you all have good Christmases. I got a pair of earrings from Paul, a watch from Jared, various clothing items that I bought myself, a sweater, a new bathrobe with the cutest penguins on it, some jeans. I think everyone enjoyed their gifts. I think I will add another 'story of my life' posting today. Have a good and safe new year!
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| Fa la la la la la la la la |
| 12.24.03 (7:35 am) [edit] |
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Christmas Eve morning. When I was a kid, it seemed that this day took forever to arrive. Now, I can't believe it's here already. I have many things left to gift wrap. At least I'm done with the shopping part. Left work early yesterday to hit WalMart on the way home for a few last minute items. Got stuck in traffic for two hours! So much for my plans. Didn't get home until after 7, even though I left work at 2:30. Then I was too tired to do anything, so I went to sleep early. Woke up at about 2:00 A.M., so I started wrapping and watching TV. Watched a couple of movies. Then it was 5:00 A.M. and I still wasn't done, so I went back to sleep. Got a phone call at 8:00. Wrong number. Grrrrr! Got another call at 8:30. It was work. While I have the day off, the people in computer operations are working part of the day. They were confused about something that had to run this morning, so they called me. So, I am wide awake now and I guess I will try to finish the wrapping before the tribe gets up. Cris is up, but he's the only one. Kenneth was still up at 5:00 A.M. when I told him to go to bed, so we won't see him until this afternoon. That boy needs to get his days and nights straightened out. We will be celebrating at home this year. We usually go to my aunt's but she is going out of town. So, you locals can drop by if you wish. I'll be cooking and wrapping today. Merry Christmas to all!
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| Christmas thoughts |
| 12.21.03 (7:21 am) [edit] |
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I have read some blogs where people are expressing their dismay with the whole Christmas celebration. This really saddens me. Since I am a Christian, this holiday is of great significance and joy to me. I realize it has been usurped by non-believers. Actually, I believe we celebrate at this time because the ancient church decided to bring some religious significance to the pagan winter holiday. So, maybe Christians usurped the holiday first and it is going back to what it was. In any case, I celebrate it as a religious holiday. When I give gifts, it is a representation of the gifts given by the wise men. When the lights burn on my tree, it is a symbol of the light that was born into the world. My family gathers from far and near to celebrate with gift exchanges, great meals, songfests and general good will. As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that for many people our holiday celebration is a fairy tale. I now appreciate what I once took for granted. If you are lucky enough to have this kind of holiday, stop and be thankful that you do. If you do not, realize that there will come a time when you can make the holiday be what you envision. You can't make your family get along, you can't give tons of presents if you have no money, you can't make it snow for Christmas. But you can give from your heart and love even the family members who get on your nerves. Give each one a hug and tell them you love them this Christmas. Love is what this holiday is about.
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| My life up to now - Chapter 1 |
| 12.18.03 (7:49 pm) [edit] |
Okay, I've always wanted to write my life story. Why not now. It will be good anti-insomnia material. When I'm all done, I can combine it into a bad book. Here goes.
I was born in Erlanger hospital on May 17, 1950. At the time, my parents were living in the Robinson Apartments on Georgia Avenue in Chattanooga. The building is still there and was renovated a couple of years back. They were living in Florida when I was conceived, but my mother came home to have her babies (my brother and myself, me being the first). My parents met when my mother went to Florida to visit her aunt. This aunt just happened to be married to my father's cousin. They had moved to Florida after my great-grandparents went there in 1920 from Tullahoma. So, after my parents married, they lived in Florida, but there were many trips to this area, some for extended periods. We went back to Florida when I was six months old. Needless to say, I don't remember any of this. I am relying on eyewitness accounts. My earliest memory is being three years old and having chicken pox. My mother put Vaseline on the pox to keep me from scratching them, but I was still miserable, which is probably why I remember it. My next memory is of the first time I saw my brother, when I was four. I remember him being red and screaming his head off. I wasn't impressed. My mother told me she had not seen me for a couple of weeks because I had been staying in Palmer with my grandmother and my parents were again living in Chattanooga. When she saw me, I had put on a lot of weight and my hair was curled and she thought I was very cute. I guess she missed me. I don't remember any of that. I just remember seeing my brother and being fairly disgusted with him. Next installment - some more early memories.
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| Life is short |
| 12.17.03 (8:16 pm) [edit] |
My aunt died this afternoon. She is my mother's sister. She was in her early 80s and had been increasingly sick for the last couple of months. She just sort of faded away. I am glad her suffering is over, but I will miss her. There is only one of four sisters left now. Those of you who go to GCHS will find her picture somewhere in the halls. It would be one of the oldest pictures there. 1936 to 1938 or thereabouts. Her name was Christina Patrick.
A Farewell
by: Lord Alfred Tennyson
Flow down, cold rivulet, to the sea,
Thy tribute wave deliver:
No more by thee my steps shall be,
For ever and for ever.
Flow, softly flow, by lawn and lea,
A rivulet then a river;
No where by thee my steps shall be,
For ever and for ever.
But here will sigh thine alder tree,
And here thine aspen shiver;
And here by thee will hum the bee,
For ever and for ever.
A thousand suns will stream on thee,
A thousand moons will quiver;
But not by thee my steps shall be,
For ever and for ever.
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| Shop 'til you drop!!!! |
| 12.14.03 (1:05 pm) [edit] |
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Well, I didn't get sick and I did go shopping. We met at Sears, did some shopping, went to lunch at Applebees then did some more shopping. Went to Northgate, I can't stand Hamilton Place. It's poorly laid out, to say the least, and it's a total zoo at this time of year. Then we went to Sams because I have a card and she doesn't. After that we went separate ways. I still had shopping to do and I needed to hit Walmart. So, I left home yesterday at 7:45 AM and returned at 7:45 PM. Twelve hours of shopping. And I wasn't even tired when I got home. I'm done, too. Now I just have to wrap all that stuff. Then I'll have to mail packages to some people. And I haven't sent cards yet. Guess I'd better get off of here and get to work!
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| I'm sneezing.....please don't let me get the flu! |
| 12.11.03 (6:42 pm) [edit] |
One more day until I go shopping with my friend. I can't afford to get sick. I only do this once a year. Please, let it be dust or allergy! I was cleaning dresser drawers, so I'm probably just sneezing because of the dust. There are so many people around here that have the flu, it's ridiculous, but there aren't that many where I work who have it yet. Maybe it just hasn't gotten that far. I really don't want to be the one to spread it, either, although there are a few people there I wouldn't mind making miserable. Here's an interesting fact about my work life. I have a co-worker who has twins. Her twins were born on the same day as my twins, only 14 years later. She was also the same age when they were born that I was when my twins were born. It's a bit odd. Hers are a boy and a girl, though. Well, I'm feeling creative so I am going to attempt a little poem here. Ahem......
Life is a gift.
Accept it with grace.
Use it well.
It won't last forever.
You can't give it back.
That would be rude.
Take good care of it.
The giver is watching.
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| Chaos reigns |
| 12.10.03 (4:05 am) [edit] |
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Have to get up early just to post. One of the college boys is home and with the guests we have regularly, I can't get near the computer. Nothing much to say really. I went shopping last night. Got something for all the small kids, my great-nieces and great-nephews. I need to get on the ball because I have to mail a lot of this stuff. Going shopping with my best friend Saturday. It's a regular holiday tradition with us. We meet at the mall, shop for a while, have lunch at a nice place (cocktail included) then shop some more. I am hoping I can finish then. I still don't have a list from Jon. If he doesn't give me one soon, he'll just get cash. Hope all you Grundy Countians who've had the flu get better soon. Cris went to take the biology Gateway yesterday then came home. He has to go for his first two classes today. Maybe by tomorrow he'll be able to do a whole day. Hope I don't get it! Byedity-bye!
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| 1968 Rock 'n Roll |
| 12.07.03 (7:54 pm) [edit] |
Recently I attended my 35th high school reunion. That's right, I said 35th. I graduated in 1968. One of the things they gave us at the reunion was a cd with top songs from that year. Just to prove that rock 'n roll has been around for awhile (our parents used to say it wouldn't last - hah!) I am listing here the songs and the artists. Some good stuff here.
Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
Monday, Monday - Mamas and the Papas
Paperback Writer - Beatles
Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Wild Thing - The Troggs
All You Need is Love - Beatles
Easy to be Hard - Three Dog Night
Groovin' - The Rascals
Light my Fire - The Doors
Respect - Aretha Franklin
A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum
Abraham, Martin & John - Dion
Hey Jude - Beatles
I Heard it Throught the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
Sky Pilot - Eric Burdon & the Animals
Time Has Come Today - Chambers Bros.
Honky Tonk Women - Rolling Stones
Lay Lady, Lay - Bob Dylan
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul and Mary
Something here for everyone, bubble gum, folksy, metal. The only one I didn't recognize by the 2nd or 3rd note was Sky Pilot. Hope you enjoy my nostalgia. G'night all.
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| Wanderings |
| 12.06.03 (5:37 am) [edit] |
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Thought I would say a few words about getting out of Grundy, since a lot of people commented on that regarding my message to Shithouse18 and I don't want you all to get the wrong impression of what I think of Grundy County. I live here because I choose to do so. I wasn't born here and have no choice. I moved here knowing what the area is like. My mother graduated from GCHS (her picture is on the wall somewhere, class of '43) and I visited my grandparents here every summer and lots of holidays when I was growing up. When we decided the place we lived in was no place for raising three boys, we came here because we thought it was a good place. I still think it is, despite all the problems, of which I know you are all well aware. What I said about getting out of Grundy and seeing the world, I liken to something the Amish do with their children when they reach 18. The child has been raised in a very small world, knowing only the Amish way. He or she is then given one year to go out of the Amish life and see what is in the rest of the world. At the end of that year, he or she chooses to return to the Amish life or not. Of course, if they don't return, they are shunned and don't get to see their families again. That part is a high price to pay. But the child, if they choose to return, knows the difference in the Amish way of life and the average American way of life and has the knowledge to make a choice. That is how I think of "getting out of Grundy". You kids need to know what is out there. You need to experience life in a bigger universe. Then someday, you may find you want to return. If you do, it will be because you understand the differences and want to be here. For the 42 years I lived in Florida, every time I left here after a visit, I felt like I was leaving home. Now there are things I feel nostalgic about from my childhood in Florida, but most of those things aren't there any more. It doesn't feel like home. This place feels like home. So, don't think I am trashing Grundy when I say you guys need to get out. I guess it's the old 60's saying based on an ancient Chinese proverb "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was."
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| Home for pigs |
| 12.04.03 (7:44 pm) [edit] |
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Been trying to clean up this place. I'm done for the night. I'm tired. Trying to make everything pretty for Christmas. The hordes will be here this weekend, most likely. Saturday is the Christmas parade and the band will be marching. We always freeze and this year looks like no exception. They are predicting the possibility of snow. I don't know if the parade goes on in the snow or not. Went to Cookeville last night to take band uniforms to Jon and Ken. Snowed on me most of the way back. Sometimes really big flakes. Then it rained all day today. I hate cold, rainy weather. I'd rather have snow than rain when it's cold. At least snow is pretty. Hope you GCHS students enjoy Jared's band tomorrow. Wish I could be there, but I will be at work. Cheerio!
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| Blahhhhhhhhh! |
| 12.02.03 (6:43 pm) [edit] |
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Nothing really to talk about, but at least I can say that. Only thing on my mind is what a rude person my boss is. He's always sneezing without covering his mouth. Just letting the germs hang out. Then yesterday I heard a big ol' burp come out of his office. He's nice looking, dresses well, is married with three kids, not a super-geek or anything, but is so piggish. Honestly, I hate sitting right outside his office. I used to like him more when I didn't sit close to him. He also has a habit of getting a roll of toilet paper out of the bathroom when he has a cold. He just puts the roll right on his desk. I got so tired of it, I now make sure he always has tissues. They recently took care of that bad habit, though. They put in those dispensers that take the rolls of paper as big as a small car tire. I'd like to see him put one of those on his desk! G'night all.
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