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Kay Watters '65 (Greene)

Si Senior ....eeerrr.... Senors,

Too funny....can you see this?  We still have Walking Sticks and Lightning bugs out here in Anderson, and scorpions, red wasps....

Just last night my cat brought in (through in in/out pet door) a baby rabbit to kill and eat, only thing she decided to eat it in my bathroom next to my bed and it was squealing .....so sad, I grabbed a broom and ran her back out of the pet door.  At least I wouldn't have to clean the innerds and blood up the next morning. If the cat suddenly didn't come back I would not miss this one....it had a demanding meow almost constantly bidding me to get it some food.  Just took my 3rd old dog to the Vet this morning, things aren't looking good, left her w/him for intraveneous water, antibiotic injection and labwork.  I was afraid it was going to be "shades" for her this morning, so I'm hoping to be a little more broker and a temp. extension of more time w/her.  I've enjoyed and loved them all so much, my sheltie collie, rottweiller and now her, border collie, all about the same age, and all, lucky enough to have enjoyed the country and died of old age problems. 

Last night I listened to the Whippowills ....remember those? So peaceful. 

Saw a smallish truck made witha traveling apparatus for sale on Hwy. 30 on my way to the Vet and thought, eeerrrr, dreamed of purchasing it and doing the Texas travel thing over the summer, as I flew past it to my Richard ISD post.

Richard Meek '65

Kay, I understand your feelings about your pooch. I had to put mine down the Sunday before Thanksgiving. He was 14, a pretty long life for a Lab/chow mix. I miss him a lot. I'm down to one kitty now. Her name is sugar for a reason.

On the subject of pets, yesterday I saw an article about the whirld's largest rabbit. His name is Darius. He is a Continental Giant breed. He is 13 mos. old, is over 4 ft. long and weighs 50 lbs. His owner takes him on tours. It must pay well because she has old Darius insured for $1.6M. she pays his handler $100,000/yr. You can google Darius and take a look at him. He's a big feller. He eats at the table. He eats two bowls of rabbit chow, several apples, carrots & lettuce every day.

Beau, it's ok to wear your Columbo coat without the belt. Just don't forget your pants. We wouldn't want to have to bail you out of jail for flashing the ducks and coots along the crick.

Since you are interested in wildlife, my friends I visited at Canyon Lake last weekend were telling me that they used to see a couple of mountain lions up there. Haven't seen them in a couple of years though. I wouldn't have thought they would be in that heavily populated area but who knows. I saw several buzzards circling over everyday. It was kind of bothersome having to keep moving while trying to relax on the patio. How are plans coming for the Waltrip Alumni Grand Tour of Texas? That could be a histerical event in the lives of those who choose to participate.

We could map out all the alums along the route and just pop in for a visit. Boy that would probably increase our popularity. Well keep us posted on how the planning is coming. Everyone have a great weekend

Keep on dancing,

Richard

Douglas Romans

From the likes of Oak Forest to Iwo Jima I am agog at the breadth and depth of our Waltripians' historical backgrounds!!!! My computer has died and I must get a new one which might take a while but will get back in first gear ASAP!!!

DougR

Bj Brady '65

Dearest Humpster-

My twisted comment was not anything bad at all. My brother Jeff came back from 'Nam and

went directly into the VA Mental Hospital in New Orleans for some R and R. He was voted most

"happy go lucky" in his '67 graduation class at Lamar High. 'Nam permanently changed that.

But he is still my favorite brother, and he has more compassion and insight than any person

that I know. You ain't far behind him, my friend.  BJ

John Burgess Webb

hey bj,im just stigmatized to the point that everyhing that comes out of this world has a catch to it.dont pay any attention to what i say.you guys on the 65 forum seem to have a lot more fun;i wish all the folks that used to visit the 64 forum would come back and comment but i am afraid i contributed to dividing them up and now its like only a few will comment.ill keep my mouth shut for awhile and see.

humpty-dumpty

Teddie Jordan

Hey Beau, I still see walking sticks and praying mantis' frequently, horned toads ( sometimes babies in my front yard ), and saw hundreds of lightning bugs yesterday right at dark. Where, why right down the Southwest Freeway about 284 miles in beautiful, wild, Duval County. We also have an excellent crop of wildflowers,  scorpions, tarantulas, rattlesnakes up to six feet long and as big around as the calf on your leg, and a wide assortment of other wild and unusual critters. As you know it is a remote, wild and mostly undeveloped part of Texas, and I guess that's why I enjoy it so much. I must because I'm down there about 60-80 days out of the year.

Teddie Jordan

And hey Burge, you don't owe anybody an apology. The only reason we still have any of our freedoms, including the right we all have to express our opinions, is because of brave men like you and others of our class, who risked and in some cases gave their lives to insure  those freedoms. It darned sure isn't due to the efforts of any politician on either side of the fence. So hold your head up high and say what you think. Just because some may not agree doesn't mean they don't respect your opinions and your right to say it.

Bj Brady '65

Hey Burge-

I totally agree with Teddy. We are all VERY proud of you and your gift to our

country. You are the salt and pepper seasoning to this Forum. Don't stop adding

your two cents. You would probably be amazed at how many people look forward to

your comments and Beau's thoughts.  Lotta hard earned wisdom from both of you.

We love ya, brother.  BJ

John Burgess Webb

thanks you guys,i have things to say but want to be careful that my opinion is not inflammatory already lost one old friend on this forum.it seems that the trend coming from this administration is "do as we say-not as we do".i well remember all the anti-bush trash that the left spat out during the last few years and cant help but classify that as anti-government rhetoric.thats what we are supposed to do if we dont like what our leaders are doing.if it is construed as anti-socialist then so be it.if we cant call it like it is then what freedom have we lost.only the freedom of political speech.its ok if radicals on the left can throw rocks and destroy property in the name of free speech,its ok if 'earth-first' spikes trees and burns equipment in the northern woods or 'act-up' threatens to jab political oponents with aids infected needles.the left can scream and yell and disrupt discourse all they want to but if anyone criticizes this administration then its anti-government rant that may incite some 'right-wing' nut to cause mayhem.what hypocrites,what liars,what fools.

we have an election coming up in november, i think(barring any national disaster that would cancel it)and that is the proper arena to demonstrate disfavor to government policy,not in the streets like the left has done since 1966.it was left-wing that had the conspiracy,they took it to the streets and ironically it was the democrat-party convention in 1968 that was the main target of the vitriolic demonstrations that helped weaken it enough to allow the infiltration to go main-stream.there are volumes on its progression.the first targets were the weak and poor states,the object was to organize and take over.our current president was a political operative and 'community organizer' in the sol alinisky model and grant it to them;they had better organization,bought and paid for by foreign interests (george soros et al) and suplied with as many mal-contents to do their footwork as they needed,all the way up to the present with 'acorn'.wont hear to much about these connections to our present administration because they control the justice department(acorn is under federal investigation).the mass media never covered it because people like wolf blitzer et al;would read from a script without deviation;journalism school prepared him for this type of reporting the news;look concerned but never tell "the rest of the story". when a network like fox news challanges this format it becomes a target of even our president himself.it is more fitting to a screaming idiot like chavez to put a muzzle on the media.when a government and especially its sophisticated leader goes after a news outlet in broad daylight like we have seen recently then something is wrong with that government and its leaders.the first amendment to the constitution was placed in promanance to protect political speech.just because we have a polished polititian up there with all the moves dosnt mean we have to relinquish our rights and our obligations.the economy has been the carrier and backbone of our well being,to watch it falter because of policy should cause some alarm.that policy was in place under the administration of fannie mae and freddy mac.dominoes in the spirit of" useful idiots ".

Richard Meek '65

Good afternoon all. In a brief interlude from the pursuit of free enterprise I'll offer a few comments for your consideration. The moderate midlle Majority of this country is getting whipsawed by the fringe elements on the left and the right. If you don't think it's coming from both directions you are mistaken. And Burge you are correct it is because they are organized very, very well. George W. was severely critized by some of his fellow Repubs but it was mainly the far right fringe. I think we need to get the average middle American off their duff and get them to do something. Voting would be a good start. Too busy I guess, texting, watching American Idol and Dancing With the Stars (sorry if I stepped on any toes {pun intended}). We need to take our country back from the left and right fringes. Over the years we have let America become a plutocracy instead of a democracy. I don't think you can have both. The guys on Wall Street think they're big dogs and we're all fire hydrants. So you average moderate Americans out there need to get involved. During the next primaries take time to go to your precinct conventions and take someone with you. It's not incovenient they'll be held in your precinct. That's how the current fringes started.

Burge my thanks always go out to anyone who served in military. I was fortunate, when I was going to enlist after college my dad advised me against it. His opinion was that a bunch of West Point ring knockers were getting a lot of G.I. killed to get their next star. I always found it wise to pay attention to my dad. in this case he had some credentials to back it up.He retired with 28 yrs as a SMaj.,WWII/OSS vet. So I didn't enlist and didn't get drafted. One of my friends who draws a pension from the mental trauma he suffered because of VN tells me he wishes he had gotten that advice. Again my thanks and I'm sorry for the trauma you had to endure. War is a nasty business and I don't think anyone who has been in combat isn't changed by it. The book I'm currently reading about the Civil War has excerpts from soldiers letters home and they would compare to similar ones I've read about other wars. It seems to be one of the unchanging conditions of the human condition.

Just a quick report to the garden committee. My tomatoes are setting, little peppers have shown themselves, bets ready to pull, same with collards, a baby eggplant is growing and onions are doing well. Also the basil, rosemary and mint are doing just fine. Although I found the cat snoozing in the onions this morning. Now if I can just beat the squirrels and birds to the crop I'll do ok. Since the Bard of Oak Forest hasn't reported in I'll also give you a kitchen report. Got a lot of cooking done for the week, a great pot of pinto beans, smoked a chicken. I also grilled a pound of Owens sausage on the grill (if you've never tried it, you're in for a treat).Also whipped up a batch of heavenly biscuits.I got the recipe from Hints from Heloise. So if you want I'll share it. Warmed them and some sausage for breakfast also had strawberries and blackberries and coffee that would make Beau envious. Tonight for dinner, smoked chicken, grilled squash and pinto beans. Thinking about that, it's going to be hard to not leave work

early. Beau I hope you, Coop and John Boy have kept Cole Crick safe over the weekend.  Time to return to paying endeavors.

Keep on dancing,

Rich

John Burgess Webb

hey rich,im glad you mentioned the right-wing fringe,i guess one could include any ultra-conservative group in that catagory.most of their enfluence is in the political arena and usually end up shooting themselves in the foot. aside from the kkk and neo-nazi skinhead types,they dont go around causing mayhem.most americans are in the middle somewhere,wheather democrat or republican.special interests have both parties tied down to a strict agenda and funds are divided about equally between them."third party" seeds are never allowed to take root because of this status quo ante;it would take an all out general strike and wholesale booting of all the people in office to get the attention of the establishment and that just aint gonna happen.america will go left for awhile and enough people will tire of it and vote the socialists out eventually but they are here to stay;as in europe and south america,they will break the bank and bide their time.it was one of the administration officials who said "we are socialists,not marxists"so im not calling any names here.they are afraid to use that term but lets call it like it is.

burge

Richard Meek '65

Burge I would agree that this current administration has too much socialist tendencies for my liking. However if you want to get into correct labeling there are a lot of "conservative" groups should really be tagged as fascist not conservative. Also to say that these self professed conservatives don't go around causing mayhem and injury is incorrect. There are many incidents of them breaking into armories to steal weapons and related incidents but without doing any reserach the one specific I can think of off the top of my head is Oklahoma City. Remember the Murrah Federal Office Bldg. and a fella by the name of Timothy McVeigh? Extremists on either side are not good for our country. As I mentioned previously I don't think a plutocracy can exist within a democracy. The big dogs in the country think we should be satisfied with a tinkle down economy (no mis-spelling). I think puting the restraints of the Glass-Steagall Act back in place where bankers do banking, Wall street does equity trading and insurance does insurance and they don't cross over. The big banks would be smaller as would the others mentioned. That way if one got in financial trouble it wouldn't disrupt the whole economy. It would allow for more competition in all those areas. I think we all do better, if we all do better!

Did anyone else see the article in yesterday's Parade magazine about a boy in Malawi that built a 30 ft. windmill to generate electricity with hand tools. He scrounged parts out of junk yards. He was 14 at the time and read an article in a magazine. It took him 3 mos. to build it (Beau wasn't that about the assembly time on your new swing?). When he finished his generator would power one light bulb. He planned to build one that would power a water well pump to help his village raise crops even though his country was in a dought. he wasn't able to go to school because he was too poor. It is a great story but I wonder how many people don' know that windmills originally pumped water ?

There was also another story in there about how it is becoming more common in this country for multi-generations to share housing. Of the 6.7 billion people in the whirld (Beau speak) 6 billion live in shared housingYikes!

Did you know that the Israelis eat more turkey per captia than any other country, approx. 25 lbs. per person. Also, did you know that Okinawa has the highest per capita consumption of Spam in the whirld? The Okinawans has one of th highest % of people over 100 in the whirld. I'll bet the centenarians aren't the ones eating all that spam.

Sayonara,

Rich

John Burgess Webb

there is no question that extreamist groups on the right exist and im glad you mentioned it.i think of them all as neo-nazi just for the sake of making it simple.i know there is a broad spectrum and some are reactionary.they are articulated in law enforcement circles and are for the most part infiltrated and hopefully neutralized.there is some account of these groups going down all the time.undercover work and survielence methods usually catch up with them.they are for the most part ad hoc and poorly organized.

burge

John Burgess Webb

rich,well now im not so glad that you mentioned the oklahoma city travesty; iv been thinking about it for an hour and cant get it out of my mind.it was as big a trauma as the twin towers in new york.there was no way for anybody to get away with that;what bothers me is the missing license plate.thats the only thing that was out of sync with the unfolding of that horror.at first i thought it was islamic terrorists,all the ear-marks of a signature hezbhalla(sp?) attack.hard to believe that it was homegrown.hard to believe but true.i cant understand this world.

burge

Beau Wann, Jr.

Goot EEfenink mine waltrip-moanians !!!

     Burge, I concur!!!! I have entered many many entries on the forum, typing for an hour or more, only to decide to delete it! Most of it what you said and then some! I am of course, long winded and have to cover every base,  just cant do it justice! So, guess I will leave it alone!   For Now!!!!!

Had a great weekend, almost ideal! My two sons came over for breakfast Saturday! Breakfast consisted of Bacon, eggs, any style, biscuits, gravy, hash browns, grits, and all the trimmings!

Then we all left on our Motorcycles and headed on the first leg of the waltrip 64 whirld comeback reunion tour! Rode up to Hempstead and then all around there, and then to Bellville for burgers at the Hill! Then on through New Ulm, Cat springs and everything in between! Kevin, ol titanium steel, had his I phone, and was using his GPS Maping to chart new courses! Headed down one road around New Ulm, only to have the black top turn into a rocky road! We stopped to take pictures of the bluebonnets and each other! Saw a jack rabbit large as a steer and steer small as a jack rabbit! Go figure! Anyway, we all looked at each other to see if we wanted to continure down the rocky road! Then someone uttered the 5 deadly words..."how bad can it be"???????

Oh it be bad brother!!!! Once you utter those words, you best turn around and just go the other way! WE traversed that rocky road for probably what seemed like 10 miles! Too far to turn back, so onward through the mine field!!! It was tuff keeping the wheels from sliding out from under us!  Anyone out there remember the old tune, "Forty miles of bad road"??? Thats what it was!

 When we finally reached the next black top, I was dragging up the rear! Both boys stopped and put em in neutral and were shaking the blood back down in their hands. I did the same when I stopped! A white knuckle experience for sure!!! Guess we earned our "ROCKY ROAD" patches! It was harrowing at best! I guess thats what you would call "the road less travelled", at least by motorcycles! Next time I turn around!

We road for about 9 hours or so! Just absolutely wonderful! Couldnt have been better, unless my beloved had come along! good thing she didnt , couldnt have made it down the rocky road with her on the back! But, she got to enjoy a relaxing day at home, reading and napping etc...

Sunday was a good day too! Had our per usual 29 people at the little country church in the city!

Then me and DW drove up to hempstead and just bummed around! Checked out some antique stores, and the Six Shooter Boutique in Hempstead! They have cute chic stuff for the ladies!

Stopped at spring creek bbq at black horse, and then home! Great weekend! Good start for our whirld reunion comeback tour!!! The smells out in the country are just wonderful, except for the occasional polecat and or hogfarm!!!

Kevin still was out front of me by almost a mile! That boy, just cannot go through life at a slower pace than full out!!! Billy sort of drives like me, slow and deliberate, taking in all the sites and sounds and smells!!! But all in all, the three of us agreed that it was a particularly great day, us being together and all! I dearly love my family!!! I certainly have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination! Oh, not wealth untold, and fame, but good enough for me!

Going up to our country place tomorrow! Got a load of things to take, porch swing, bbq pt etc...     Gonna put together a couple of park benches and set them out in strategic places! Measure the width of the crick for a bridge I plan on building! I sure have a lot I want to do up there, maybe I'll make it!!! It's not going to be easy work,  being stove up! Oh well...I will endeavor to persevere!!!!

OK, running down! Thought I had more and better to say, but apparently not!!!!

Goodnight yall, your friend and brother

ol rocky road the duke of dubarry

Richard Meek '65

Beau, it's good to hear from you again. I guess it will be a while before we do again though. Since you're going to the country to assemble a couple of park benches we'll hear from you about the 4th of July based on the assembly time your porch swing took!

Burge, I think we were all raised to think that Americans are all the good things Americans are supposed to be. As we now know that isn't the case but if you read a little history you find out this current state of affairs isn't new. It's pretty constant because it all revolves around human nature. I believe Johnathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels) said that the human race is the most odius race of vermin to walk the face of the earth. I think that is a bit of an overstatement. However there are a lot of polecats out there and they come in all shapes sizes and nationalities. As a matter of fact some are so nasty it's an insult to polecats to call them polecats!

On a ligther note Burge, do Sharpeis ever bark? I have a neighbor that has one and I see some at the dog park but they just observe everything. I hear them growling when they're rough housing with each other but that's about it.

Teddie a while back a friend sent me a picture of a rattle snake that had been killed at an abandoned gas transmission facility that was nearly 7 ft. long and weighed 105 lbs. snakes that size are scary just in pictures. If one of them struck you it would probalby break a bone with the force. I think if I had a ranch where you do I'd start bringing in Indigo snakes.

Well the world of free enterprises calls. See you all down the road.

Rich

Teddie Jordan

Richard, the good news is we do have an excellent population of  Indigo snakes. I have seen them as long as eight feet although 5-6 is more common, and it's true they do eat rattlesnakes as well as a number of other critters. Somehow they have the ability to swallow and ingest a rattlesnake as big as themselves. It does take them a while but you talk about a Rolaids event! They are one of at least three animals on either the endangered or threatened species list, along with the Horned Lizard ( Horney Toad in Texas ), and Texas Tortoise, that we have on our place. And while the Indigo is not poisonous, it is a beautiful and dramatic animal. We make sure that all of our visitors understand that they are not to be harmed.

And since Beau has become the Duke of Dubarry and B. J. Brady the Chevalier of Chamboard, I've decided to sign off as the Oaf of Overhill!

John Burgess Webb

hey rich,sharpeis do bark,at least my brushcoats do;they have a deep bark when something alarms them.the standard horsecoats have less of the recessant gene so probably less of the chow mix.the horsecoat has really short hair and are more hyper than the brushcoat and bearcoat.they are quiet most of the time and snort like deer.they are funny critters.

oh teddy,the word 'oaf' dosnt fit you at all,you are gonna hafta pick another title there buddy;prince would work.

burge

Jim Taylor

We just got back from a week long trip with some Corvette buddies out to Big Bend. 

First stop was Fort Stockton where we were fortunate to happen upon the start of the Big Bend Open Road Race from Fort Stockton to Sanderson.  Each year these two towns convice the TxDOT people to close US Hwy 285 for approx 60 miles to allow 150 or so speed crazies to race between the two towns and back.  They have quite a few classes of competitors and all but one of the classes is judged on their ability to meet their exact estimated round trip time.  The unlimited class is judged on top speed.  The top speeds usually average around 150 mph with some attaining speeds in excess of 230 mph.  We spent some time at the registration area meetin a lot of the contestants and admiring their vehicles.  Everything from Ferraris, to Cobras and even a few pick up trucks.  Last years unlimited winner was a 60's vintage Corvair.  However, the only thing Corvair about it was the body shell. 

Next stop was Fort Davis where we spent a day and evening at McDonald observatory.  What an extraordinary facility.  Quite an exercise in figuring out just how insignificant human beings really are.  The evenings in the mountains were quite cool (high 30's) with winds over 75 mph.

Next stop was Lajitas where the temps were in the 90s already.  I'm not sure where hell is located, but it cannot be far from Lajitas.  For dinner we found a dive in Terlingua named La Kiva.  It is mostly underground in a cave, but it had great food and drink and a happy hour with $1 beer and $1.50 drinks!

On to Big Bend Park where we enjoyed a day of sightseeing.  It's always amazing when you get to the park to see so many miles of miles and miles.  Lots of wildlife moving around - jackrabbits, roadrunners, javelina hogs, etc.  We ate lunch at the restaurant in the Chisos Basin and enjoyed the grat views from there.

After the park we were on to Marathon.  We have yet to determine why Marathon exists.  The only attraction is the 100 + year old Gage hotel with some astronomical prices. 

We came back through San Antonio with stops at the El Mercado and the River Walk.

We did travel through a couple of ICE permanent roadblocks with the agents in battle clothing with bullet proof vests, helmets and the drug sniffing dogs.  The ICE agents were very friendly and courteous, but also very serious about their assignment.  Most appeared to be very young (about the age of our grand kids) and very well trained.  For some reason, old white couples in sports cars apparently do not fit the profile for smugglers and they passed us quickly.  I never thought we would get to the point of having military type check points within our country.  All along US90, there were permanent ATV trails along both sides of the highway.  ICE agents on 4 wheel ATVs were regularly rolling up and down the paths. 

All in All, it was a great trip to get away from the big city lights and smells.

Richard Meek '65

Teddie, Beau and BJ, I thought you have a spendid idea about awarding yourself a title. so with a name like Richard, what would I pick other than King. Since I live on Carleen and grew up on Cheshire, both in the hood. I decided as any good king would that I would declare myself king of both. Also, in kingly fashion I thought it woud be appropriate to claim all the land west of there to the boundary of Harris county. I thought about claiming to the horizon but decided that could be the next step. Anyway I notified the City and the County about my claim and asked that they forward my rightful tax revenue. To date I have not had a response. Teddie, Burge is correct we will have come up with a different title for you. You are a Waltripian after all.

Jim that sounds like a super trip you just finished. A friend of mine used to participate in the ugly truck contest in Austin until he and the truck got too old. He drove an old Ford Ranchero. There's lots of young people out there that would have no idea what that or a Chevy El Camino are. I think your Corvette would definitely be a more desirable ride.I know how you feel about the ICE roadblocks. I remeber how I felt when I flew a few days after 911 and seeing armed soldiers in the airports. I would guess that that went on during WWII but it was my first experience with it. It's very unsettling.

One of the pastors at my church says "if you want to give God a good laugh, tell him what you have planned for your life". I think I mentioned that my dogged passed on in Nov. and that I was down to one kitty in the pet department. I've been thinking that this isn't bad. One kitty doesn't eat much, is low maintenance and this one is sweet natured to boot. This is good. Well this morning I go out around 6:30 for a walk before work. So as I'm approaching Jester to walk in the park I spy this little black puppy on the sidewalk. So as I approach she cowers behind a lamp post, shaking. I'm guessing someone dumped her because she's only about 6 wks. old. Which seems stange since she appears to be a Lab. So I carried her home. We're going to the vet to get her checked over. I need to stay away from that park. On New Year's Day a few years ago  I was walking down there and saw a Sheltie fall in trying to get a drink. Then he can;t get out so coax him over to my side and I'm going to grab him by the collar and pull him out. Of course my feet slipped on the algae and I wound up standing thigh deep in the bayou. Fortunately I didn't have anything adverse occur but what a way to get the new year started.Anyway a neighbor found someone to adopt the old Sheltie. I'm pretty sure how this new dog thing will play out but I'll keep you posted.

Keep on dancing,

Rich

Kay Watters '65 (Greene)

cudoes to you, ole Richard the Great!

  !  There is nothing in this world so lovable and heart-breaking as an animal helpless looking for someone to help them so that they can just love them for the rest of their lives!!!!!!

Beau Wann, Jr.

YEA RICHARD THE LION HEART AKA PUPPY RESCUER. GREAT BENEVOLENT KING, YOU!!!

SAY, SINCE YOU CLAIM ALL THE LAND WEST OF CARLEEN TO THE COUNTY LINE, MY YARD, ER, YOUR YARD NEEDS MOWING! WHEN MIGHT I EXPECT MY NEW LAND LORD, RICHARD THE LION HEART, TO SEE TO MY NEEDS????

NO THEODORE, OAF AINT CUTTIN IT. YOU ARE ANYTHING BUT THAT...HMMM NEED TO COME UP WITH A MORE BETTER MONIKER!

OUTSTANDING, IS TOO LONG...HMMM...DONT BOTHER ME, I'M THINKING HERE...HMMM....WELL, IT WILL COME TO ME!!!

Just back from PUPPY COLLEGE, ol Coop, that boy, wont do anything for me at home, but we get to school, and he just fawns all over our little lady prof! She is little, and probably 40 years my junior, and cute too! I can tell, she really wants me...probably to shut the hell up, cause I talk like a magpie! I dont know where my yakin is coming from, cause I never use to do that much...

But anyway, Coop got straight A's! He sure does like his/our instructor! Today the girl with the puppy chow...hmmm, that didnt sound right, how about Chow puppy??? Yeah thats the ticket! anyway, she wasnt there, but another young lady was there with a small rat! Well, it was a 3 month old shiitzu???? Ok ok, I know I kant spell it, but you know what I mean! The thing is smaller than my smallest cat!!! If it fell in one of my boots, it could walk around for days without going the full length of it, thats how small it was!!! Ol Coop saw that ball of fuzz, and his eyes lit up, and he looked at me and grinned, and I could see the light bulb go off, "oh boy, a snack. Can I huh???" Not just no Coop, but hell no!!! dont think the young lady brought her little ball of fluff to petsmart just so coop could have a snack!!! That dog was smaller than some of the dust bunnys we have in the house...even smaller than some of the hairballs my cats hark up!!! Ok, now your just getting silly!!!! Well, he made friends with the little ball of fluff and the ball of fluff wanted to climb Mt Cooper!!! He had to start from the tail end! But first he had to jump tail, cause coop was just a waggin it! Guess what the little ball of fluff was named??? CHLOE, AND HE'S A HE!!!

YOU DONT NAME A MALE DOG CHLOE!!!! GEEZE LOUEEZE, I THOUGHT EVERYONE KNEW THAT!!!

During the lesson, we swapped dogs! I got little tutu, and had no clue what to do with something that small!!! Plus it was so fluffly, I couldnt tell if it was sitting of standing or just what! I told IT to sit, and I guess IT did, so I gave it one of Coops treats, which was almost as big as "IT"! So as "IT" was wrestling with the treat, trying to find a spot it could get it's teeth in,(I guess "IT" has teeth) meanwhile, the instructor came over and just shook her head at the size of the treat I gave "IT"! She broke  the treat up into miniscule bites for "IT"!!! Hmmm...

Hey Richard the LH, we have a sharpei in the hood here, and he has a very deep commanding bark! Almost like Coops! That Sharpei is soooo beautiful and inquisitive! Just looks and studies and cocks his head sideways and is just magnificent!!!

Went to the country place yesterday, and did country place stuff! Didnt get those park benches put to gether, but did get another swing put together! Only two screws...yea!!! Ol jack just has to have a swing, so me, being accomodating, took one to the ranch, and now we have one at both places! Put together two 50 gallon rain barrels, set em up over by the blackberries and raspberry and blueberries!!! Started mowing, and mowed all around our crops, and started looking for the blueberry plant...couldnt find it!!!! My beloved walks over with the boys, and says, "where is the blueberry plant"???? I axed her the same thing!!! She walks over to a spot in the ground, and said, Plain as day, "It was right here, what did you do"??? "Why is it always me that gets blamed" I says defensively???? "Because IT IS ALWAYS YOU"!!! my beloved replys!

"OH" says I! Anyway, I took out our entire blueberry crop in one fell swoop with the tractor!!! So get ready, the price of blueberries is going up! Well, it was just one blueberry plant, but it's a start!!! Our blackberries and rasperries are having babies, er, fruit! I planted them, because I didnt remember seeing any wild blackberries growing up there!!! Once again, what we have here, is failure to communicate, with mother nature! Soon as our plants started fruiting out, we have millions and billions and trillions of wild blackberry plants, just about ready for the fruit to turn black!!! Oh well!!!!

Both boys had a good time! Gave em both a soup bone to enjoy, and they just gnawed on em for about an hour! Got lots done in an hour without them buttin their collective noses in to what ever I was doin!!! Saw a young buck cross the middle meadow. No antlers, and it was alone, so it couldnt have been a doe, cause there was no fawn! Generally this time o year, if it's a doe, there should be a fawn following it, generally!!!!  Saw a couple o cotton tails!!! Oh, Cooper and John boy, being the fine splendid HUNTIN DOGS that they are, never saw the deer! Bunch a dang dummies!!! I guess jack just likes cotton tails, cause he bounded after em, with Coop close on his heels, well, semi close! Coop had no clue what they were running after! He looked to see if we were watching, and ran into a tree!!!! I couldnt help but laugh! Got punched by my beloved, but heck, sometimes a little pain with a good laugh is warranted!! Still chuckling when I think about it!!! Ol coop bounced off the tree, and just stood there grinnin!!! I called for him to come to me, and his path to us, was a might erratic!!!

Dont think there is any permanent damage, cause he's still as dumb as ever!!!  They really ran themselves ragged up there! They both slept all the way back! I even rattled the donut sack we got at the Navasota Donut Palace, they didnt even move! Even my beloved was asleep! Good for me, cause I got the last of the donuts and last of the coffee whilst the three little angels were nappin!!!! I do so enjoy our country place! Hey Kay, thought about you and Tony when we stopped at the donut palace in Navasota, and Lynn in hearne, when we went through Bryan! Oh, Robert, you live close to Navasota dont you??? How come you wasnt on the side of the road waving at us as we drove by????

Gonna go back to the ranch Friday and stay till Saturday! Got to be back for my duties at the little country church in the city, on sunday!!! Anyone want to go to the ranch Friday or Saturday, come on!!! Gonna stop by the donut palace on the way up! The boys just love them donut holes!!! 

Hey Theo, I have only seen one small copperhead, and he was heading for the county road! "Shoo" says I, "beat it, and dont come back"!!!! Not looking forward to my first run in with a Timber Rattler! Saw pictures of one in a tree, from this area,  that was the size of an anaconda!!! you might know I'd pick a place where the snakes hang out in the trees, and none of em apple either!!! Guess they hang out in the trees because of the hogs! Since hogs cant climb trees!!! Thats one good thing about these wild hogs, is they eat the snakes on the ground! Did you know, you cant poison a hog??? They be immune!!!

Hey Theo, "KING OLAF", yeah thats the ticket! Heyyyyyy, remember the roast beast place called, "KING OLAFS" ??? There was one on the corner of Ella and Pinemont!! They had very good samiches! Wonder why they closed up???? Hey Corvette Jim, you doing a pre-whirld comeback reunion tour???? Sounds great to me! You take pics???? Bring em next tuesday at elmer fudds! Blow em up to poster size, so us "deaf dumb and blind kids" can see em clearly!!! 

Richard the LH, we want to see your new puppy!!! CARLOS LEE, JUST HIT A TWO RUN HOMER TO LEFT FIELD, OUT OF THE STADIUM ONTO THE STREET, TO WIN THE GAME!!! BASEBALL BEN BERRY BERRY GOOD TO ME!!! I heard lulac and the illegals were gonna protest this game tonight!!! Yeah, thats gonna do some good alright! Can you imagine an american protesting something in mexico or any other country, especially if they were there illegally??? The mexs have very strict laws against anyone being there without a visa or passport, in fact, they dont send you back, you get to sit and rot on one of their wonderful "human rights prisons"!!!

Here is another small tidbit on the stupid idjits protesting their not being able to break the law!! Did you people out there know, that we have the same laws here as Arizona, and just about everyother state does too???? The cops can stop you for probable cause, or if you are breaking the law, and ask to see your identification!!! If you dont have it, you can be taken to jail, and if you are not in the system at all, you deffinately go to jail! Duh!!!! Why do we have laws if they are not observed??? Now, I dont particularly like having to produce my "papers" to the gestapo or SS boys, but aint much use protesting it, cause it aint gonna change, or not change easy!!!

I generally dont watch sports on tv, seems the sports comentators want to talk it to death, but my beloved came in and turned it on! She loves sports, baseball, football, NASCAR, basketball, and I could care less about any of it!!! When we get the paper, she takes the sports section first, and I of course, get the Funnies!!! Which, by the way, aint very funny! I like snoopy, and Red and Rover and LuAnn! Spider man is kinda...cant find a good word for it, but it aint too good!!! The phantom really messed up this go round!!! Remember the Katzenjammer kids??? Little Abner; Mutt and Jeff: How bout the little king???? Oh, my altime favorite, POGO!!! 

I think Beetle Bailey should retire from the army, and sarge, in fact the whole gang should retire! Remember there was a drive-in on Crosstimbers just before Airline on the left, called Baileys???

Remember the fruit and vegetable vendors on each corrner at airline and crosstimbers, one would have 5 cantaloups for a dollar, or 5 water mellons for a dollar, and the others would raise the count on the fruit, or lower the price! Can you imagine 5 watermellons for a dollar??? Now they are 5 dollars apiece! And the small water mellons, instead of calling them "small watermellons" they are called "personal watermellons"! Whats up with that???? A small pizza at Colinas, is a "personal pizza"!!!! Sooooo, what have we learned...A large meal is a "large meal" and a small meal is a "personal meal"???? Just boggles the mind!!!!

Oh, here is another tidbit from the political whirld! Good ol dictator hugo chavez of venezuela, being the good leftist dictator that he is, and the hollywood crowd and the prez obummer seems to love, well he shut down the tv stations for saying bad things about him, or the truth! Now they have one state run TV station! (this happened last year when he took over) Well, his subjects were mad at him for shutting the TV stations down, and rightly so! However, the reason they were mad about it was because they couldnt watch their soap operas!!! Those people deserve what they get!!! I didnt make this up, This was reported by the chronicle and on the internet news!!! Wonder why he didnt win the nobel peace prize!!!!

I imagine thats whats gonna happen here! obummer was already mad at the new yark times, for printing the truth about something he said in the campaign, and has reneged on, and they helped get him elected! He even tried to exclude fox news from something, but it backfired, cause all the other news stations, said "if fox cant be there, then we wont cover it"! I was surprised at this! But I digress...

Richard the LH, bring your puppy, bring your puppy, bring your puppy, pring your buppy...

Any of youall had tamales from Alamo Tamale factory here in town???? My beloved brought two dozen home, and we promptly ate half a dozen! They are just wonderful! I highly recommend them! No after affects like heartburn or other adverse side affects!!! They are about 9 dollars a dozen! Remember when they were maybe a dollar a dozen??? Neither do I!!!!

Ok, say goodnight Duke...goodnight duke!

your all night news and political commentator, good friend and brother

Rocky road the duke of madame DuBarry st!

Post Script; my beloved says there is a teacher at Waltrip named Mrs Peek!!! Seems there has always been a Mrs Peek at Reagan and Waltrip! Kin??????? Hmmmmm... If there is no Mrs Peek, do they get a teacher to change her name to Mrs Peek???? I dont recall having a Mrs Peek for a teacher! Musta taught shop or something like that! Couldnt a taught Algebra, cause I knew that dept very well!!!

Beau Wann, Jr.

Watching a movie on TCM, and Donna Reeds boy friend just killed her cocker spaniel!!!! Now, who in their right mind would kill Donna Reeds Dog???? What has this whirld come to! Andy Hardy just drove off in a car with Polly!!! Oh, that was the movie before this one! Andy hardy does good"!!!!

This movie is "Calling Doctor Gillespie" with Lionel Barrymore! You know, there just are no really good standout stars any more! None that you could name with just hearing them speak!

Everyone knows John Waynes voice, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, etc etc...I sure do miss them days when things were simple, especially us youngsters growning up! I remember in the late forties and early fifties, they were still playing Glenn Miller on the radio! I remember being out in the yard at night, watching the fireflies, and listening to the crickets and smelling the gardenias and lagustrum, hearing "Moonlight Serenade" faintly lilting in the still night air! My favorite song, "Moonlight Serenade"! I play it here, and at the ranch at night, when things are calm and winding down! Ever so softly it falls on tired old ears! I'm deaf, but still can hear that tune!!! it seems to smooth the edge off the day!!! Wasnt radio great back then???? they played a plethora of mixed tunes back then! Remember at night, the radio signals would get faint and scratchy and lots of interference??? Well, that was because the Feds made the stations cut their power after 6 pm everyday!!! Still do!

Hmmm...having a glass of red wine! use to have a glass everynight, then stopped for some reason! Suppose to be good for me! St Genivive Sweet Red! Probably too sweet for most of youse connisieurs, but just right for the Duke!!! I'm not much of a wine kinda guy! In fact, dont much like alcohol all together! except maybe some good Jack Daniels! Now is there any Bad jack daniels??? Nah!!!!

I remember listening to the radio back in the forties, the Lone Ranger, Inner Sanctum, The Squeaking door, Amos and Andy etc...I could actually see the characters in my mind! I remember one time we were listening to some radio show after dark, when the announcer broke in and said; "We interrupt this program...Three convicts from the hospital for the criminally insane, broke out this afternoon, and are still on the loose. All persons are urged to take extreme caution; These men are armed and extremely dangerous"... My dad went outside at night, in the dark, with no light, just to check the basement door, and make sure the cars were locked! I cant tell you how scared for him I was!!! He wasnt scared, nothing scared him, but I sure was! I can still remember it to this day, obviously!!!

Any of youse youts remember Mrs Wommack letting us listen to the Whirld Series on the radio??? I swear I could see the field and the players, and every play and hit or swing of the bat! Now, not much is left to the imagination on TV and or the movies! Well, everyone at the Wann nut house is asleep!!! All cats and dawgs snoring lightly! Even my beloved is asleep!!! I would go, but just toss and turn, so up I am!!! Sit I here!!! Drunk I wish!!!! blah blah blah!!!

I thought this was supposed to be a funny movie, but it is about a homicidal maniac!!! I personally dont like homicidal maniacs...they aint no fun!!! Hey Richard the Lion Heart, you gonna cut my yard tomorrow??? If not, I guess I will have to do it!!!

OH, we interrupt this program to bring you a special announcement...I went in the cement pond  today!!! First time in a year or so! Dont like swimming...just like coop dont like swimming! But today I did! Water was warm, kind of ! Got colder the more I got in it! Only stayed a few minutes! Trying to get John Boy to get in! Never did though!!!  IT'S A TRAP, IT'S A TRAP DR GELLESPIE, THE MANIAC IS BEHIND THE DOOR, DONT GO IN...

These bozo doctors and nurses are running around the hospital looking for this nut, and he has already killed a doctor, and they havent called police yet! what in the name of Jack the Ripper is wrong with these bozos???? Oh great now he has Donna Reed in the Lab...he says he has to kill Dr Gillespie! She of course is telling him no...He better not hurt Donna Reed...She is his fiance', and my thought is why??? He already killed her dog in front of her! Maybe she deserves to die for being stupid and wanting to still marry him!!! What a bunch of fruitcakes...Think I'll watch something else, maybe kendra is gonna take 30 minutes and wonder what to wear to the wraslin matches...or jessica simpson try to figure out if chicken of the sea is chicken or tuna...

I'm just so mean aint I??? kaint hep it!!! Hey king Olaf, king richard the lion heart, kaint think of two better kings...SHOOT, ROY HAS A 45 AUTO POINTED AT DR GILLESPIE WITH dONNA REED LOOKING ON AND ANOTHER DOCTOR ETC...OH MAN, AN ORDERLY CAME IN JUST IN TIME AND HIT ROY ON THE HEAD WITH A MONKEY WRENCH...YEA!!!!!! And they lived happily ever after!!!

Ok, maybe I'll try to go to sleep!!! I hope!!!

Ga nite yall...Your friend and nite owl the Duke of Madame DuBarry st! 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

Scotty Croom

king beau, ms. peek was typing teacher....who could ever forget her....

Bj Brady '65

Hey all Kings, etc...

When I come to this Forum, I am always reminded of how fortunate we all were to live

in Oak Forest. What a great place to grow up. I live in a metro of Redstone Arsenal which

employs 60,000 folks who were mostly Army brats that were in a different school every

year of their childhood. Can you imagine? There is no home to go home to. They would

not remember anyone at a High School reunion. The Waltripians are truly blessed folks. - BJ