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Linda Bolton (Roffall)

Happy birthday Beau. Hope you enjoy your day. Eat lots of cake and ice-cream and celebrate another year !  Keep those posts coming, we all enjoy them so much .

Ruth Ellen Winters (Schmidt)

Happy Birthday Beau.  Hope you had a Blessed Day. 

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Thank you Bill, Linda and Ruth for the BD wishes and everyone else that has been so kind. "No man is a failure with all the friends one has..." or woids to that effect. I believe that comes from "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE", my all time favorite movie. We watch it every Christmas whether we want to or not.  I use to know the dialog by heart, but being an old forgetful youte, well, youse youtes know what I'm talking about.  If you do, let me know will you!

     Already on my 3rd cup O Joe.  Let my beloved sleep in so I fed the cats and dogs and gave Jack his meds. Checked on Little Miss outside, but she's not up yet. I dont know where she goes at night, but hope it's someplace dry and safe.  I've fixed up a plethora of beds and safe houses for her,  even have two beds on the back porch for her. I sat out with her till past midnight on the porch, brushing and loving on her.  Gave her some fresh baked chicken along with some dry food.  Anyway, I stayed with her till we both fell asleep.

   Little miss likes sardines, and got one inside cat, Annie-Bob and our pup Dixie-Belle that also like sardines.  Sardines are very good for a critters coat.  Well, it isnt good for the sardines coat, but one must make sacrifices where one can, doesnt one!

     Got just over an eench of rain yesterday, yeaaaaa!   More on the way.  Already been down in the valley this grey morning to unlock the gate and check for skunks.  We saw one down by the creek Saturday eenin. First one we've seen since a couple of years ago when I had to evict the last skunk family from the premises. 

      Didnt want to kill them, but was forced to because some of them appeared to have rabies. They were out in the day time and since they are suppose to be nocturnal animals, being out in the daylight isnt normal. Checked with our vet, and also wildlife people, and they said I have to kill them.  So I did, sorry to say!  Getting rid of the stinky polecats was another preposition alltogether. whew, stinky!!!!!

     Anyway, I do hope that Saturday night live skunk was just passing through.  Got a wiff of one last night, but seeing as how the wind generally blows from the south, direction of 290, i figured one got disturbed south of us, I hope,  Too bad such a beautiful critter like that is sooooo uh undesireable.

    Party's over.  Had a great time yesterday, which is a departure from past years. I dont know what it is about celebrating ME, but just never liked to do that.  Love celebrating everyone else, just not me.  But this year was different, guess I approached it differently than in past years.  Just go with the flow.

   Eldest son, Billy Joe, and his wife Julliete came over for breakfast, and just had a swell time. They left around 11:30, then up drives my in-laws and a friend of theirs.  Again had a good time.  In Laws brought lunch, and was surprisingly good.  Mother in law didnt cook it!

      Now before you get all bent about my speaking ill of me MIL, she is a well known BAD COOK.  For example,  deviled eggs, good, deviled eggs mixed with salmon,  very very very bad.    Her reasoning, or maybe it was Max's idea, was, "salmon is good for you"!  It maybe good for you, but you just dont want to mix it with certain things like, deviled eggs, ice cream and cake and a whole plethora of any food group, cept FISH.

    We played dominoes, or they played dominoes, I fell asleep at the dominoe table in the middle of a game! Woke up on the couch sandwiched between a cat and a dog, both snoring!  Dont know how I got there, but was glad to be there, as it's always good to be SOMEWHERE.  Max and Jeanine are both 90, or soon will be, and I'm almost 20 years their junior, AND I FALL ASLEEP! ! ! !   Oh the humanity! 

    (scuse me whilst I refresh my coffee...)  Sorry, took me longer than I thought it would, had half a biscuit...Ok, where was I?   Oh yeah, I FELL ASLEEP PLAYING DOMINOES ! ! ! !  Oh the humanity!  Hmmm, seems I did that one already.   When the Fall Fling rolls around, hope I dont fall asleep in the middle of that!    That would be tragic.  Have to have plenty of coffee and NODOZE handy.

   The Cunninghams brought a friend from church, Andree' . It sounds like Andrea, but if you put an A on it, in French, that is masculine, and she certainly isnt that. She has lived here in America for many years, but still has a very strong french accent, which I love, hooray!  

    I didnt do like I normally do, and just wonder about someone, I asked this time.  "Where in France are you from etc?"     Oh man, to my delight and hers also, she told me all about herself. She is from Verdun, sight of one of the bloodiest battles in WWI, 1916 and again in WWII 1944.  Pattons 3rd army liberated Verdun Sept 2 1944, and Andree was there to witness it. 

    She said when the GIs came into town, her mother saw how dirty the GIs uniforms were, so she washed over 300 or so in just a couple of days.  I asked her was it by hand, and she just smiled and said, "yes, no machines back then"  silly me!   She has 4 other sisters I think, my french is not very good, my english isnt very good eyether come to think of it.  Her mother had her and all her sisters making pies and any hot meal they could come up with for the GIs.  She said the GIs gave her something they hadnt had in a long time, and I just couldnt understand what she was saying.

    Andree said that a GI gave her a pair of OD pants, or GI pants, and her mother quickly "took them up" so they would fit Andree, as she was only 10 at the time.  Andree said she hung around the GIs wearing those pants, thinking she was one of them.  I saw a twinkle in her eyes, not bitterness at having been under nazi rule for 4 years, but of love and happiness for her GI liberators.  She said she sat next to Patton when he stopped in Verdun.  Being deaf and not fluent in French, I sure missed a lot of words, but was glad to hear what I was able to.  What a lovely and gracious lady.

    Seeing as how there was a lull, or coffee break during the Dominoe sleep over, I bid her come into the office to show her something.  My computer!   I conjured up the internet, then typed in Verdun, and clicked on what I thougt was a good site, and lo and behold, up pops her town. She tried to tell me just where Verdun was geographically, and the Moselle valley,  but when the map popped up, she gasped with delight.  We perused that site and others, and seems she didnt know she could do that with her computer. 

    I typed in just any old word, and showed her how easy it was to conjure up whatever she wanted. Before she left, she thanked me for the lesson of the internet, and said she may never have to leave the house again.  Sure wish my hearing was better, really my understanding of the words I have lost because my hearing is no longer 20/20. My grandaughter warned me that would happen if I didnt work hard at whatever I was suppose to work hard at.

     I showed Andree a picture of my Uncle Richard (tooty) in his GI uniform, and one of him in his combat fatigues in some snowy village in Jan 1945.  It is a small picture, but one could see a clock tower in the back. Andree examined the picture with a magnifying glass, and said it wasnt in France, the clock tower wasnt French.  Must have been German.  Just think of the history that has been lost over the years from families like mine and others.

    I cant tell you how wonderful it was to sit and talk to "history" live.  She is, as I would have expected a woman from France would look like, short and petite and just as sweet as one could possibly be.  Wow, what a birthday this one turned out to be.  Wonderful ! ! !

    Time to sing off, need another cup O Joe, and check on Little Miss.  Again, thanks for all the BD wishes and just for being there, I'm blessed beyond all belief! ! ! !

Keep the sun at your six, if it coms out today, and ride boldly ride...

Your frien and resident ol sleepy person, BeauCephusMarcellefrenchy jr esq

Beau Wann, Jr.

    Ok, corrections to the above post. Diane said Andree' said she was 8, I heard 10, and I even repeated it back to Andree'. Since I never make mistakes, we will go with my version, 10. Also the GIs gave them candy, something they hadnt had in 4 years.  And, it was the Canadians that first came through. Andree's mother offered to wash clothes for the men, and wound up with 300 BAGS, not uniforms, 300 bags of laundry to do, which Andree's mother gladly did in a miraculously short time. This was in late August and early Sept '44.

  At Christmastime as more GIs came through Verdun, Andree's family baked pies and made as good a christmas meal as they could and shared it with the men using items from all the GIs gifts.  Andree and her family sang Christmas Carols, which produced tears from the GIs and Andree's family as well.  Despite all the suffering experienced in the last four years under BUTTHEAD NAZI RULE, she said that Christmas of 1944 was wonderful. 

    How lucky we were to have heard that story.  I'm glad things worked out for Andree and her family.

Teddie Jordan

Cephus, I’ve been on here way too much lately, but if you’re telling me that your 90 year old in laws drove all of the way up there to see you all,  brought lunch, and brought a very interesting guest, and played dominoes while you were passed out, and did all of that on Father’s Day no less, they are troopers and totally impressive in every way!!! They rock!!!

Sandi Schlesinger (Stark)

Beau, hope you had a great Birthday. I usually celebrate for a couple of weeks. Might as well keep the fun going.  

Sandi Schlesinger (Stark)

So glad to hear Linda Webster came through her surgery and is doing so well. 

Sandi Schlesinger (Stark)

Adding my prayers for Jim and Beverly Allen. 

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Thank you TJ and Sandi.  I shall continue to endeavor to persevere upon the continuation of my yearly age old tradition of old age and partying hardy.  At the moment, I am enjoying an adult beverage, cocoa, hot chocolate to ward off the chill of 70 degree weather.  To add some decadence, little marshmallows all awash and afloat.  I have a cat on my head, a dog on eyether side of my person, and Wagner on the victrola. Ha, dont tell me I dont know how to celebate.

    It is now 11:59, rapidly approaching the withching hour and the start of another day.  OOPS, it is tomorrow already which means it is today.  Let me first say this about that, a very warm and happy BIRTHDAY WISHES GOING OUT TODAY TO;      JIMMIE LEE, AND LAURICE MONTALBANO,  SO GET OUT THE FLAME THROWER AND LIGHT THOSE CANDLES..   "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUOU,  happy birthday to you! ! !"  and many more....!

Beau Wann, Jr.

A correction to the above post:     "witching hour".  Thank you and goodnight Mrs Calabash wherever you are!

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Update on Jim Allen - Many prayers and God Bless

Beau Wann, Jr.

    Lots of prayers and good thoughts  for Jim and Beverly.  And happy birthday to Dennie Marek, Don May, and Doug Romans....Speaking of happy birthdays, we have had 4.5 inches of rain this month, and most of that came this week.  We were in a drought. Now all rain barrels are overflowing, and was holding  off mowing down in the valley lest a fire start from exhaust heat off the tractor. Never thought about it before moving here,  but seems It's quite common during a drought.  Finally have been blessed with rain to which I'm sure all the trees and critters are enjoying. 

    Diane and I have been taking turns staying with our semi-new kitty, Little Miss.  She showed up a month or so ago and since we needed an outside "barn" cat, we fed her lots and often.    Took her to the vet Tuesday for shots and a fixin.  Seems she had previously been fixed, and she's barely a year old. Someone must have dumped her out here, or she's gotten away somehow, or maybe she belongs to one of the other ranchers in the area.

      She spent the night Tuesday at the vets. We picked her up Wednesday and have her isolated in the Pink room.  She's the sweetest thing, and such a lover kitty. I stayed with her half the night,, which is to say, I sat in the rocking chair and she slept in my lap, Diane stayed with her the other half of the night and suffered the same torture, a sleeping kitty in your lap.

    Not very interesting stuff, but not much else to do up here on the hill because of the dreary rain, not that I'm complaining, heavens no.  When there is a long drought, I know now to be patient, because it's gonna rain eventually, and when there's a plethora of rain, and all is wet and muddy and dreary, eventually it will stop and become sunny and dry again, and the process will repeat itselt for another zillion years or two whether we're here or not.

     Her highness Princess Dixie-Belle Lee and One eyed Jack do not like the rain.  They will however get in the swimming pools we have provided them on hot days. Cooper on the other hand would never get in an actual body of water, but had no qualms about taking me for a walk at midnight in pouring rain at 35 degrees.  Go figure!  What I wouldnt give to walk once more with cooper in any kind of weather.

     Time for me to deplane, Dixie-Belle wont go outside unless I go, and she needs to go out.  Keep the sun at your six, when the clouds move out, and ride boldly ride.

Your frien and resident meteornologist BeauCephusBenFrank Jr, esq...

Beau Wann, Jr.

     STOP ME BEFORE I COOK AGAIN ! ! ! ! !   I am a confessed serial COOKER ! ! !  Lordy lordy lordy miss clawrdy.   It all started with the almost 7 pound chicken I bought.  Man she was a beaut!  Ha, 7 pound chicken got nothin on me.  Everyone loves a tender chicken dont they!  Yeah, I thought so, and I'm no perception eyether.  I tried to stuff it in the pressure cooker, and all the liquid was displaced by my beautiful 7 pound chicken.  Before long, water was everywhere. (always remember to add the water after you put the chickent in)

    Didnt slow me down moren an hour cleaning it up.  I finally got the glorious 7 pound chicken stuffed into the pressure cooker sans most of the water.  Decided to add a stick of butter for flavor and all, dontcha know.  This wasnt no hucklebuck butter, land  O Goshen, it were Land O Lakes!   Turned on the pressure, and 30 mins later it was still trying to pick up steam whilst pushing more water and chicken juice out onto the center island.

   No worries, that's what they make paper towels for. I think they should make a little larger roll though, cause the puny rolls they give you wont hardly clean up diddly chicken juice.  Ok, pressure cooker is out, but hey, this is a multi purpose pressure cooker, and will do a slow cook, HA, no stoppin me now.  I set the controls on auto slow cook for 6 hours.  In hindsight, that was about 3 hours too long. 

   Reason I set the controls for 6 hours, one memorable occasion popped up in my rocket surgeons head of an incident well past and long since forgotton.  I remember my mom and grandmom and aunts and anyone else with a license to cook, telling me that when I bought a chicken to cook, "GET AT LEAST A 3 POUND CHICKEN".  The chicken incident I'm referring to, happend sometime around 79 or 80. My boys were 10 and 12 around abouts thereof. 

   I wanted to have fried chicken and mashed taters and gravy and all the trimmings for my boys. (I were a bachelor back in them halcyon days, single father and mother)   So, me and the boys went to the store and I spied some puny chickens around a pound or two, and then I heard a voice in me punkin haid saying, "when buying chickens, get at least a 3 pound chicken".  Well, I'm one of those folks that if a little is good, more is bettter.  3 pounds translates into twice as good when you purchase a 6 pound whatever.

    Well, I cooked this fine Sunday dinner, did I mention that it was for my boys, I'm sure I did, me being the fine father and all that I was and am.  Called my mom and got her recipe for crust and gravy etc, oh man, Im on the way to greatness!  This dinner could go down in the annals of  culinomics as a dinner fit for the Queen mum herself.  I'm here to tell you that the chicken turned out golden brown and for once the crust stayed on like Church's chicken does.  The colonel would a been so proud of me! ! !

    One small detail I forgot to mention, had a grease flare up and it caught the upper kitchen cabinets on fire. Once again, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail", had me a fine fire extinguisher that put the fire right out, and didnt even disturb the cooking.  What the heck, I really didnt like the color of those doors anyway, and was planning to change them, eventually. Now of course, sooner than I had anticipated.  I've never really made "blackened" anything, on purpose, just sort of happened from time to time.  I wonder if anyone else has made blackened kitchen cabinet doors?

   Anyway, once the smoke had cleared, and the fire alarms shut off, the chicken was done and beautiful, all the trimmings were wonderful as well.  We sat down at the table and before we partook of our fine sunday dinner, we gave thanks to the lord for all our blessings, to which I might add, I believe I heard both boys in unison give thanks that we had a fire extinguisher.  An aside here, I held weekly fire drills at our house, so the boys would know what to do if such a calamity should befall us.  I just know they were groaning inside that now since the fire, I would probably step those up to twice a week. One cant be too careful can one!

    Ok men, dig in!  The charge of the light brigade, taters to the left of me, gravy to the right of me, peas all over the place and glorious golden brown fried chicken in front of us, and blackened kitchen cabinets behind us.  We all filled our plates and started talking and eating, taters and gravy etc when I noticed the boys were'nt eating the chicken.  I hadnt tried it yet, I wanted them to enjoy it first.  "Why men, you're not eating your chicken, why? "   "Uh dad, it's kinda tough" I believe they said in unison.  "TOUGH?  FRIED CHICKEN AINT TOUGH".

    "Here watch a master of fried chicken eating",  I bit down in a chicken leg, and my teeth bounced off, having made nary dent.  I  checked all the chicken parts, and you could barely cut them with a knife.  So, I  chunked it all out and we went to the health food store,  Dairy Queen and had burgers and frys, something I should have done to start with.  Most expensive dinner I have ever had.  I asked my mom later what I did wrong, and she said,  "you cant fry a 6 pound chicken, it's for roasting", "But mom, you said always get a 3 pound chicken, so I thought one twice that size would be better..." she replied, "son, next time, go to KFC and see the colonel"...

    Back to today, I've learned my lesson, maybe, 6 hours later, that ol 7 pound chicken was ready to come out.  It was kind of tender, and mostly falling off the bones, so had to get a speghetti thingamabob to fish the chicken out seeing as how it was falling apart in my fingers, and did I mention it was still hot?   Ok, got the strainer under the chicken and pried er loose from the cooker and just about to put it in another container, when my hand slipped and so did the chicken and it went sliding across the center island like it had a motor. "Houston we have a problem"! ! ! !

   I quickly ran around the other side of the island, slipping and sliding as I run, and caught that ol chicken before it hit the floor. Did I mention it was still hot.  My hands are really mad at me as we speak.  Fianlly got that ol monster bird, RODAN into a fridge container, when you know who shows up...the little woman.
It's a good thing I'm almost deaf, I thought I heard, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING"?  or woids to that defect.

   "Why honeybunch, I'm cooking dinner" I said right proud.   "COOKING DINNER?   she said.  "Well, I had a slight set back here and there" I said.  "A SLIGHT SET BACK ?  LOOKS LIKE THE ST VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE!  At least you didnt burn the house down!"   Ha, see there, always a silver linning! 

      Well, we got it all cleaned up, and I asked her what we could do with all that chicken that was so tender,  bordering on chicken mush.    Not to worry, my beloved saves the day, and whuuped out her rolling pin and commenced to making a pie dough and lined one of her pie pans and is at this very moment making a chicken pot pie.  I asked if I could help with anything else, and I'm not sure if she was being facetious or not when she said,  "why dont  you get on the "forum" and say howdy to all the folks, and tell em your wife wasnt injured in the 7 pound chicken massacre".

    Ok, fine, about that time I  Heard Dixie-Belle barking at the door, and directly the little woman hollared at the dogs and the cats, now it's me, two dogs and two cats banished to the office.   Here's a piece of advice for all youse youtes...leave the cooking to someone qualified, a card carrying fully licensed chef!   I dont think my soup and canned veggie expertise has suffered at all as a result of the 7 pound chicken meelee.  Think thats' what I'll stick to, canned stuff.

    Ok, time to deplane, the dogs eyes are big as silver dollars and bugging out, why?, the two cats are starting to growl and yowl at each other, and both dogs are deathly afraid of the two saber tooth tigers in our happy little family.  "Ok you two, take it outside"  I grabbed both of em and chunked em out on the screened in porch..

Keep the sun at your six and stay out of the kitchen...
your frien and resident psycho chicken killer,  ChefBeauCephus esq...

Scotty Croom

if i make it thru buying this condo,i may need a vacation.....finally finished getting fin. docs sent...because of rental limits,could not get va loan..so,went conventional ...rain and now heat back...hope everyone is doing better....

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Hey Scotty!  Aint buying a house fun?  I've used my VA about 4 times, and I'm not sure if we used it on this house.  I'll have to ask Diane.  We used Capital Farm several times over the years.  The ink wasnt dry on the contract on this house when everyone wanted to refi it at much lower interest rate, so we did.  I dont know perzactly what the rate is, but it's at least 2 percent lower than what the rate was back in the 60's, and I believe that  3.5 percent back then was about standard.  Remember when we were getting around 4.5 percent on savings accounts at banks?  Sometimes more than that.  Times were so much simpler back then, so it seemed.

    So, where in Alabama are you?    You on the beach?  Margaritaville perhaps?   I was thinking how nice it would be to live up in Montana until I watched "Yellowstone Caldera" on the smithsonian channel.  Chappell Hill and Houston are just outside the edge of 1/2 inch of ash raining down on us. If not directly affected in the early days of a "yellowstone eruption" of course the "nuclear winter" would be upon us, and all the crops would be nonexistent because of no sun. 

     The scientists all say to stock up on supplies.  We all know that everything you see on TV and the internet is the truth and nothing but the truth so help you Google! ! !      How much more spam do I need to get?  Pork and beans?   Scotty, I do think that yall will be ok in Alabama, the further south the better!  Just stay indoors....for about 5 years, so they say.  And we all know who they are dont we, rocket surgeons!

   On to other exciting gnus up here in the Chappell Hill Caldron.  Our gnu Kitty?   I was afraid this might happen.  Our vet told us originally to keep Little Miss in for about 5 days after her surgery. Since she didnt have surgery, just shots, we decided to keep her in a couple of days and then turn her loose.  Well, that didnt happen!   We opened the door for her to deplane, she looked outside from her little bed on the couch in the pink room, looked at Diane and me, and the look was like ,"no, I'm ok here, you can shut that door now your letting the AC out,  put her head back down and burrowed deeper in the covers.  Tried again later on, and she has no intention of leaving.   Oh the catmanity!

    Now what are we gwina do?  The other two cats hate each other, I can just imagine what adding another cat to the fray would produce.  And we really needed a "barn cat".    Little Miss is the sweetest kitty though. We both go in and sit with her awhile each day and she just hugs us and clings to us.   Well, why wouldnt she, meals 24/7  cool place to sleep in the summer, warm in the winter, soft bed to sleep in,  no coyotes or other predators stalking her.   Well, she hasnt met Annie-Bob and lacy.  Oh well, we'll work it out I suppose. 

      HEY SCOTTY, YOU WANT A SWEET KITTY FOR YOUR GNU CONDOMONIUM?  I'm sure a cat would just be so wonderful for you, lowers the blood pressure, makes a person an all around so much healthier person, great for the attitude, everyone would see just how wonderful you are and all from a sweet little kitty.  I was thinking Annie-Bob would work for youse as long as she is an only cat.  If you want, Diane can bring your gnu kitty, meet you half way, say around Conroe.  We'll give you family rates, plus a veterans discount and senor citizen discount......Whattaya say pal, gnu kitty for you and your gnu condu and we'll throuw in some fondue?      Well think about it ok!

    Been seeing lots of deah up heah.  Saw a herd of about 2 dozen, mostly mamas and babies still in spots.  Saw four huge bucks, racks  tall and wide at least 8 points plus.  Back on Old Chappell Hill Rd, at a high water crossing, yes, we still have those up here,  a huge soft  shell turtle was swimming across the road. That ol boy was almost as big as one of the tires on my truck.  I'm glad it was me he swam in front of, I brake for all critters.  Not so other morons. Seems some people go out of their way to inflict harm on things. Well I wont dwell on the monsters of the whirld.

     The little woman is going in today to our little country church in the city, Oaks Presbyterian Church.  Then probably lunch with her parents and maybe the lunch bunch and then on to be with Lucy and her mon at  the BRIDAL GOWN SHOP IN THE GALLARIEA, where she will be sorting through wedding gowns.      As much as I love Lucy, I'm not really geared up for being in a bridal shop, believe it or not! ! ! !  However, as much as I Love Lucy, I would go anywhere with her and for her ! ! !   Whew, guys not allowed at the bridal shop! ! !

     Got most all the field work done, thanks to Dianes help,  cept down at the creek, saving it for another day. Need to rent a walk behind brush hog and wear snake boots, certainly no job for my beloved!  Or anyone's beloved!   So today, it being Sunday and all, methinks I'll just hang out in Coopers Memorial Ice House, or maybe ride pegasus!    Hmmm, maybe I'll just stay home and hang with the cats and dogs, yeah, they are all such good conversationalists, ought to have a whale of a time talkin to them , fer shure dude!

    Ok, I'm just chuntering on blather blather.  Ah due hope all is swell with everyone, and those that need extra care, are getting just that.  A cat might just be the ticket for good health, think about it!  So, Keep the sun at your six and ride boldly ride....

    Your frien and cat whisperer,  BeauCephusKatmandu esq...

Post Script:   Good thoughts going out to Jim and Beverly and Charlie B. and all who need good thoughts.   

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Sad news, our dear classmate, Charles Lowery, passed away on June 17.  Please keep his family in your prayers. Frances Lute saw his obituary in yesterday's Chronicle.

From Frances Lute 6/24/18 - Saw in today’s chronicle that Charles passed away. This write up was very informative as to his life since graduation. He was divorced from Alice Menefee who was also in our home room with Miss Parrott. His mother taught 7th grade English at Black. I remember her well. Frances

Charles Lowery
1946 - 2018 Obituary

Charles Lowery who died on June 17, 2018 was born in Marshall, TX. He was the only child of Lila Mae Williamson and Leon Lowery. When Charles was young the family moved to Nacogdoches where Charles began to excel academically.

Never losing his affection for his 'East Texas roots' the family decided to move to the BIG city: Houston where Charles was to start his 6th year of schooling.

Continuing to be 'the excellent student' he graduated from High School as the boy with the highest grades but alas, the Valedictorian and Salutatorian went to the top two girls. With his exceptional credentials he was admitted to the University of Texas' Plan B program, but chose to attend the honors program at University of Houston. Graduating with top honors he went on to attend the UH Law School. In the middle of the term he was in the Law Review (remember he was really smart), but he was drafted during the Viet Nam war, hence having to postpone becoming a lawyer.

Fortunately he was sent to Germany. Not only was he smart, but he could type really fast. During this time he met his lifelong friend: Ed Cimermancic with whom he spent hours discussing philosophies in the Beer Gardens of Stuttgart, as work allowed. When his German tour of duty was over he returned to complete his law degree beginning his career with Dudensing and Webb, later leaving to establish his own firm: Pusch, Lowery and Gilcrease….in retirement Jerry Gilcrease and his wife Paula remained the dearest of friends to Charles.

From the beer gardens of Germany, Charles began a life long struggle with alcohol, getting sober in 2000. During his almost ten years of shining, serene sobriety he ran an AA Class and served briefly as a trustee for the Houston Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, helping many people with their own struggles with addiction. Alas he suffered a re-lapse from which he tried numerous times but never fully recovered.

He is survived by his first ex-wife, Alice Menefee Doner who was that 'girl Valedictorian' from high school and their son Edward Lowery of Austin, TX. He is also survived by his second ex-wife: Sandra Lowery with whom he remained close and who will forever grieve his passing. He is also survived by their son Andrew Lowery of Houston, TX and granddog, Millie.

Charles was an honest, gentle, kind, smart and complicated person (but aren't we all?) He did not wish to have a formal celebration of his life. Remember him when you are cooking your favorite meal, working in your garden, taking a scenic road trip or watching an old black and white movie.

He will be cremated with his ashes scattered in his beloved East Texas and in Monterrey Bay, a place of many fond memories.

Should one desire/wish to honor Charles' life suggested donations: Father Martin's Ashley; 800 Tydings Lane, Havre de Grace, MD or our own Houston Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

Published in Houston Chronicle on June 24, 2018

Scotty Croom

beau, we are ging to settle down in south mobile,al. bay area..daphne is southeast of mobile and the bay...our condo looks out to bay from our back deck...it is a small,but active area between i10 e. and the gulf...lots of farm land...traveling to georgetown,this friday to celebrate my sister's 70th birthday...will be joined by my son and dil, mother, youngest niece's brood and recently returned from tour in korea,my oldest niece and family..have never met her youngest son and oldest was just a baby,when last with them...

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Yea Scotty ! ! ! !    I'll bet that ocean breeze is heavenly on your balcony.   Man, dont know how you do all that traveling and keeping up with folks.   You need a vacation from your vacations.  Glad all is going well with you and yourn.  Maybe we'll see you sometime in the future. 

    Ok, summers almost over with.  Just past the sumnall equinox, means days are getting shorter and nights getting longer, and sweater weather cant be that too far away give or take 3 or 4 months. When it;s hot, cant wait till it gets cold, when it's cold, cant wait till it gets hot, er, or warmer than 19 degrees.

    "Little Miss" our newst kitty is still refusing to budge from her paradise.  Cant say that I blame her though.  She's missing out on 100 degree days 100 percent humadidity, being chased by coyotes and other predators if she were to return to the outside.  Might see if she wants to go out whilst we are wwith her.  Well, no harm no foul.  She is a true "lover kitty".  Just hugs and loves on me and purrs to high heaven, which gets me to purring. Watcha gonna do, just what we're doing.

    Sorry to hear about Charles passing.   I know the face, but not the name.   Also him being top guy in the GPA department would naturally put us on opposite ends of the spectrum.  Of couse you could say I was top at the bottom of the GPA  paradoxical paradigm.  Sure would like to have conversed with him about lots of things.  Demon alcohol has felled many a good man and woman.   .  Our thoughts and prayers with Charles family and friends. 

    Ok, time to deplane:  Keep the sun at your six and ride boldly ride...
your frien and resident person BeauCephus

Scotty Croom

beau, hope sea air reaches us...it took all of us to work as a team in pe, school,military and life....gpa don't count in real life....we will still travel back to home turf , on occassion...these are our roots...

Pat Brantley (Ross)

I am so sorry to read about Charles Lowery’s death.  It was a sad obituary and I am sure that the writer loved him very much.  We are all imperfect.  I liked him because we could talk about things without arguing.  That he became a lawyer doesn’t surprise me.  Conversations were chess games with him.  

Beau, that Miss Kitty likes being a house owner doesn’t surprise me.  Our dog lived outside for 7 years and the first time it started to rain she woke up and started looking for a place to stay dry.  It didn’t take her too long to remember she lived at the Shady Rest Retirement Home.

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Hey Scotty, amen.  Gonna miss not seeing you at all the get togethers, but you are always in our thoughts and hearts.  Pat,  "Little Miss" is just such a lover, she just hugs my neck and grooms my beard and purrs to high heaven. Of course, that makes me purr. I think my beloved calls it snoring, but I call it purring.

    Hot and dry on the hill, duh, it is summer after all !   We've had about 4 and a half inches of rain this June, but sure cant tell it by the dusty cracked ground.   Takes Diane and I about an hour or so to water all the plants and trees up here.  We generally water by the 2 and a half gallon bucket full from our rain barrels and save the well water, not that we're running low or anything, just like to use what nature and God gave us.

    Our tomato plants have gone NUTS, especially the cherry tomatos. We cant eat them fast enough. I mean, there IS a limit to things you can make with fresh tomatos.  Lost our corn to the drought, squash went squash, onions not doing so good, only got two out of that bunch.  Peas and beans burnt up no matter how much water we poured on them.  Got 4 potatos, two the size of pregnant golf balls, and two the size of ping pong balls. Not what you'ld call a meal, but maybe a medium size potato sandwich, if there is such a critter.  Pepper plants flourising, but no peppers.  I'd say our foray into farmership not going so well.

     Bought one of those driveway sensors that lets you know someone is coming up he driveway. Well, duh, what else would it do, right?   Anyway, the gate is almost a quarter mile from the house, so we put it down by the gate.  IT WORKS ! ! !  However, and aint there always a however, the deer and hogs and other critters set it off at night, so we have to turn it off after dark when the gate is shut.  An aside, the sensor is about 5 ft off the ground, so we must have some very big hogs and deer or, they are walking on their hind legs. I knwo, maybe it's ol sasquatch hisownself, bigfoot come a calling, yeah, that's the ticket..

    First time I heard it go off at night after the gate was locked, I was locked and loaded. Just knew "RED DAWN" was upon us.       So, went Marching about with my M1, AR15, and AK47 and assorted amo, a bazooka, flamethrower, and a partridge in a pear tree.  And I wonder why I have back problems marching about under all that weight!      Well, one cant be too careful and vigilant now can one! ! !

    Dont know if we will make it to the 4th of July parade this year due to the heat.  Well, you see one parade, youve seen them all, eh what!    Diane will be gone this Sunday and Monday, so be bachin it again. Then again to the national Beta Eta or Delta Kappa Gama conference in Austin in a couple of weeks for about a week.  Pretty good group those ladies. They provide scholarship money to students, plus other assistance to folks.  Diane is now "MADAM PRESIDENT" of her chapter.  She said I didnt have to bow or curtsy, just salute maybe. 

    Been trying to get stuff done on Coopers memorial ice house, but it's just too hot to linger about in there for any length of time, and I've got four industrial fans in there.  Mostly they just blow hot air. I guess you could call the fans "politicians" eh!  Toying with the idear of one of those aircondition fans that you see on the sidelines of football games. Well, we will see what wwe will see!

    the nights up here are just beautiful.  Saw the moon and Saturn together. I knew what the moon looked like, but only knew it was saturn because  the weather folks told me it was Saturn.  I have seen Saturn through a telescope, and it of course looks like the pictures we saw in school.  Sort of surreal or unreal, which basically means the same thing, bizarre!  

   Ok, I'm ramblin, so I'll deplane here boss...
Keep the sun at your six and ride boldly ride...with the AC on MAX...
your frien and nutter butter whacko...BeauCephus    

Jimmie Lee Smith (Brawner)

Happy Birthday, Johnny Sheffield!!!  Have a fantastic day celebrating.

Jenny Taylor (Williams)

Hey Johnny, 

I hope you have a fantastic birthday.  Thanks for all you do for us.  Love ya, 

Jenny

Teddie Jordan

I sent the birthday boy a text first thing this morning. He is a class treasure!

Linda Bolton (Roffall)

Happy birthday Johnny. We should declare July 1st " Johnny Day "  We celebrated my Johnny's birthday today too . Hope you enjoyed your special day !