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Jennie Anderson '65 (Dylan)

 Good for you and Fran.  If your doctor says you have dry or wet AMD, I would suggest making an appointment with a retina specialist, even if the doctor says you don't need to yet.  My doctor knew, but never told me that I had it until last November and I was already in the wet stage.  No help there. He didn't even say I needed to do anything except take Eye Caps. I found my own retina specialist, very well known in his field.  Eye Caps alone would not have slowed the progress for me, I needed injections, and over a course of years.  

Rain yesterday and maybe more today...not a lot, but enough to rejoice!!!!!

Paige Talley (Meek)

 Jeannie,

My Mom has wet MD in one eye and dry in the other. She has been getting the injections for more three years and sees a Retina Specialists only every two months now. In the beginning it was every two weeks. Mom is 88 and has not lost her eye sight. In fact the bleeding has slowed significately with the injection process. The injections get further and further apart. It is amazing the progress that has been made with Wet MD.  My best to you in your progress !!!

Otherwise good Waltripians...

Howdy from CS !!! I have been reading, but not writing much as work has been busy. Veros is moving from field testing the product to production and sales. I begin my 4th year with Veros Systems in August. Amazing to work with a start up company and see it move from thought cost to profit. I know that "profit" is not a reality yet, but it is just around the corner!!!

In the spaces between work and Silly Sylum (Mom's).  I have find that excursions away from College Station are beneficial to one's sanity. Fudd's when I can make it or road trips towards the bay. Fun adventures that Richard has devised are a lifesaver (do boats still carry those rings that have LIFE SAVER written on them?)

Anyway this past Friday the latest Houston adventure included a trip to The Music Box  http://www.themusicboxtheater.com/home/ for the cabaret production of "Open the Box". Some of you will enjoy this type of entertainment... others may lean more to something else, but whatever your preference, get out and have some fun before it rains again... lol.

Gotta get to what I get paid for... WORK!!!

Love ya'll

Paige

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Reminder - Fuddrucker's tomorrow, Tuesday - July 12

Fuddrucker's Houston Gang - 2nd Tuesday of each Month -- join the fun! Starting at 6:00 p.m. or whenever you can get there.  290 feeder between Pinemont and Tidwell (13010 Northwest Freeway - 713-462-2639 - call them if you need directions). 

Jennie Anderson '65 (Dylan)

 Paige,

The response about your Mom is very uplifting. Thank you!

Yes, I agree.  If I wasn't tripping around having fun I would find life while I can enjoy it just passing by.  I want to be in the action, but if anyone who knows me since I was a child,  will know I am more than just hyper!!

Enjoy the day everyone!

Jennie

Wayne Lake

Rarely do I get emails that are suitable for the forum's 'wider' audiance but thought the following was very funny and not too distastful:

Paraprosdokians are "Figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation.

"Where there's a will, I want to be in it," is a type of paraprosdokian.

1.. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

2.. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list.

3.. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

4.. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

5.. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

6.. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

7.. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

8.. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good Evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

9.. When you steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

10. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.

11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.

12. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put 'DOCTOR.'

13. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

14. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

16. A clear conscience is the sign of a bad memory.

17. I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.

18. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

19. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

20. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.

21. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.

22. You're never too old to learn something stupid.

23. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

24. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

25. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

26. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

27. A diplomat is someone who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip.

28. Hospitality is making your guests feel at home even when you wish they were.

29. I always take life with a grain of salt. Plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.

30. When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

And last, but not least, The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

From Lake Wobegon,

wtl   

John Burgess Webb

all good wayne.

Beau Wann, Jr.

Good evenink mine waltripians,
       It's after midnight and I'm still awake...there's a real shocker right!!!! Well, I'm officially a bachelor, at least till next weekend...seems my beloved and beloved junior, got to go to colorado...and I get to go to the dentist...how in the whirld did that happen???? Doesnt seem fair now does it...Diane and Haley left this morn, and are now enjoyint the COOL AIR AND SOME RAIN in...???? dang, forgot the name of that town...well, anywhere COOL, AND WET, IS GOOD...

Our grandson Taylor, is already in Colorado at a wilderness camp...he went last year, which was the first stage of this particular camp, where they hung around the cabins and did whatever you do at a camp...no, he didnt stay all year, just a week, but is back this year, they hike and actually camp out in the mountains, around Creede Colorado...Next year, he gets to be a counselor...and get paid to boot....now, that aint bad...Taylor is such a fine young man, he deserves the best...I'll tell you how good he is, when I text him, and I ask a yes or no question, he always texts back, "yes sir", or "no sir", whichever is the appropriate answer. Now that's a good kid... 

Taylor is going to join Diane and Haley today at 6 and they will do fun stuff till next friday...even though the kids nowdays, have more descretionary fun, ie camps, etc, I still wouldnt trade my childhood back in the 40's and 50's for all the money in the whirld..."penny candy" "nickel candy bars" "nickel cokes" etc...

Dont know what I'm going to do for the rest of my time alone...guess I'll ride Pegasus...and walk the boys...well, not at the same time...Before the girls plane landed today, I vacuumed upstairs and downstairs, washed dishes, washed two loads of clothes, and other exciting "double naught spy" stuff...and this nafteroon, I mowed the yard, cleaned the cement pond, and chunked in some chemicals, and a pot plant...yup, sacrificed a "greenus plantus" to the cement pond gods...and the hand truck...in the deep end...sank like a...like a 50 pound  pot plant and 25 pound hand truck, thats what...I guess thats one way to water stuff...I started to just chunk all the dang plants in the pool...but I kept my cool, hurtin jaw tooth and all...calmly went inside the ol hacienda and fixed myself a Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey on ice...sat down and calmly, rationaly wondered how I was gonna get the aforementioned items out of the pool, without me having to get wet...kant be done...had to get my "hazmat suit" on and fire up the "Nautilus" and me and capitain Nemo headed for the deep 6...

Rolling a hand truck underwater, is not perzactly easy, as you can imagine...I started to take out an ad in the paper and charge admission...film it for IMAX...etc...heavy sigh...

Got my scuba gear on, and slowly, step by step, eenched my way to the shallow end, handtruck and "plantus greenus" still intact, together...maybe they will have an olympic event just for "my kind"..."The Plant and Handtruck toss"...you know, if I had a dog, that liked to swim, and or jump in the cement pond after a tossed favorite object, I would have something actually go into the pool, that would come out again, under it's own power,  without me having to getting wet...but, both dogs, being hunters and retrievers, and are suppose to like the water, DONT LIKE TO GET WET...especially if it's BATH TIME...god, you'd think they were gut shot when we bathe em...whine and moan and dance...

Speakin of dogs, I took Cooper to our little country church in the city, last Sunday...had a BAK PAK CRITTERS meeting at 8:30, and I wanted Cooper to take notes....snoring, doesnt really count as "note taking" does it???? Well, he was such a good boy, always is...that ol boy gets more "ooohs and ahs" than a "chain saw juggler"...I dont know, thats all I could come up with...
Even took Cooper into the sanctuary for services...I was hoping he would sniff out some drugs that all these old people take, some feel good drugs...but, he just pranced around, shaking hands with folks and drooling on the floor...collecting "ooohs and ahs"...which dont perzactly pay for the dog food he scarfs down...maybe I could charge an "ooohing and ahing" fee...He did just about trip one of the ushers collecting the offering...he could have distracted them, and I could have picked up any spare change I suppose...nah...thats not good...

The minister had a container of heavy cream, and was shaking it up and passing it around for all of us to shake up, to make butter...dont ask me where folks come up with sermons, but I guess whatever woiks...anyway, when it got to me and I was shaking it up, the lid went askew, and I got cream and or butter on the floor and pew and me, much to the delight of Cooper...that ol boy just loves cream and or butter...licked my boots and put a high sheen on em with that 12 inch tongue of hisn...started lickin my pants, but I had to put a halt to that...lessee, he licked the floor and pew, and also Mr. Theissen...seems he got some cream/butter on his clothes and shoes...

After the services, we had fellowship, of coffee, punch and cookies...PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES...Coopers most favorite kind of cookie...me and Coop were standing talking to one of the ladies, and she had a PB cookie in one hand, and a coff of cuppee in the other...she did the perfunctory "ooohing and ahing", and talked some baby talk to Coop...thought I was gonna have to smack her about that...NO BABY TALK ALLOWEDDDDDDD...she took a bite of her cookie, albiet, not a big bite, just a nibble, and put it down at her side, and drank a sip o joe...all the while talking to me, not minding what Coop dawgie dawg was up to...I watched him inch his way over behind and to the side of her, just grinning like he was gonna get a peanut butter cookie...he eased forward, and gently took the cookie from Irmas hand....well, it actually broke off with just a small sliver left between her forefinger and thumb...she never felt cooper stealing her cookie...that ol boy just smacked and grinned and I was about to have a stroke trying to keep from laughing...

I guess I probably should have warned Irma, but I was just too mesmerized watching a real "cat burglar" at work...Irma picked up her "cookied" hand, minus the cookie, and was so puzzled at where her cookie went...I told her, and she squealed with delight...and asked could she give Cooper another cookie...I relented and said she could...and Cooper squealed with delight...

You should have seen ol coop work that room...lumbering his big ol handsome self  around from person to person, looking cute and handsome at the same time, liberating as many peanut butter cookies as he could...I'm surprised he didnt have a belly ache when we got home...

When we got home, ol Catahoula Jack smelled the Peanut butter on coopers breath, and gave me and Cooper a real hard stare...so I broke out the peanut butter and gave Cat Jack some...and me some...

Remember me mentioning Diane went to Colorado, and I get to go to the dentist???? Seems I broke a tooth...a tooth I had previously had a root canal on...one of several...now, they have all broken off and most have been removed...seems the dentist failed to tell me, or I failed to hear him, when he was suppose to tell me to come back and get a crown put on the aforementioned teeth...I thought I was done...now I will have to have it extracted...thats the bad news...the really bad news, is my dentist wont be in the office till Monday...Got plenty of Jack Daniels, and pain pills...of course, I dont take both at the same time together, but I do have a choice...I prefer Jack, of course, because the pain pills keep me awake...go figure...seems to have an opposite effect on me than a normal human bean...

the little darlin, Lucy, next door invited me over for dinner with her and her parents tonight...good thing they had mashed potatos and mac and cheese...cause thats all I could eat because of the tooth...have to drink through a straw lest the pain of cold water on my tooth, take my head off...they are sure nice folks...they were repaying me for mowing their yards and watering for the month and a half they were away...they did bring us a couple of presents...two beach towels, and a LEMON TREE...??????? Now why in the name of "rain clouds" would I want a lemon tree???? just something else to water and take care of...and besides, everybody know, "lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet..but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible ot eat..."

I'd rather had a taco...oh, they did bring some Kona Koffee beans back from Hawaii for me...that be good...Ok, gueeeessss  I will try to go to sleep...getting loopy...well, loopier than normal...nah, aint gonna sleep...think I will play my guitar and wake up the cat colony and the dawgs...nah...yawn...

Oh, Fudds was fun...prolly only a dozen or so of us there...but it was a good dozen...missed the folks that werent there...so you that werent there were officially missed...and those of us that were there, got a star by our name...and a hall pass...

and to add to Waynes madness,
1."we have met the enemy, and he is us"
2."who in the hall put chicken fat on the door knob"
3."a bird in the hand, aint worth squat"
4."let sleeping dogs dance"
5."the only thing you have to fear is the politician"
6."Only God can make a trolly car"
7."is all that we see or seem, just some heavy cream"

say goodnight Harold...goodnight Harold...

Paige Talley (Meek)

  Beau, while doing the multi task thing (big time efficiency waste-er) upon arriving at work - late - I was reading your Forum Facundity Falderal while making a phone call. Of course I got to the pot plant in the pool just about the time the Culligan Man answered the phone. I was laughing out loud.  Of course the Culligan Man wanted to know what was so funny, so I read him the “Sacrifice of the Greenus Plantus”. He began laughing and in the background someone asked “what’s so funny”… thus the “Sacrifice…” continues. 

All is well to the northish country. Over at the "Silly Sylum" Mom is on a hunger strike. She is in negotiations with the nursing staff... she will eat AND take her meds if they will agree to take her to sit at the pond by her house. She got on my case this morning when I mentioned how bad she would hurt if she did not take her meds AND how sick she would be if she didn't eat first. She informed me that SHE was the MOTHER and I was the CHILD !!! I was told her that she was correct. Well, she didn't like that because she was up for a fight. I don't fight but I did kiss her goodbye and left for work and a day of (according to Mom) FUN FUN FUN !!! 

I really missed seeing you folks at Fudds this past Tuesday. I am hoping to see ya'll in August unless I am captured for Jury Duty. I get to report on Monday the 8th and with all the strange things going on in Brazos County I could be up for sequestering or is that equestrianing, no I am sure it is sequestering. Any way I hope they don't keep me. The last time I was chosen for jury duty was a while back. I drug trial in Montgomery County brought out the organized crime bunch from both sides. The court room was filled with the most sinister looking folks. One couldn't tell who the good guys were and who the bod guys were. They all stared right at the jury during the whole trial. Spooky. I thought for sure that I would be "whacked" - "rubbed out" - "snuffed" or whatever they call it, when the trial was over.

Hey, the Culligan Man is here... gotta go "back" to work...

Paige

Richard Meek '65

Beau, it's good to know that some things are predictable in this world. I know that you have mentioned moving to a smaller house. If you do I just ask that it be one with a cement pond. Your Tales Of The Cement Pond are hilarious (could be a book and/or movie in that). It is almost like your cement pond has a magnetic pull that you can't overcome.

Wayne I liked your posting. There's plenty to amuse us if we pay attention. One of my favorites is Rules for keeping your life manageable:

Rule 1, Don't sweat the small stuff.

Rule 2, It's all small stuff.

Sorry I missed the folks at Fudd's who arrived late. I had to leave early. Look forward to seeing you in August.

Just a little baseball trivia for you. Tis the season you know. In professional baseball the term trifecta refers to someone batting for a .300 average, hitting 30 home runs and driving in 100 runs or more in a season. The leaders in the number of trifectas in a career are:

Babe Ruth - 12 times (big surprise, right?)

Lou Gehrig - 10 times

Jimmie Foxx & Barry Bonds - 9 times

I hope everyone has a great weekend,

Keep on dancing,

Rich LH

Dance like no one is watching

Bunny Paine (Clemes)

Hi!  To all of my former classmates who remeber me writing novels and passing them around in class: i am finally getting one published.  It is Love and Death in Vienna: The Love Story of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Baroness Mary Vetsera.  The official publication date is August 25, but the book can be preordered at Amazon.  My novel A Winter's Day: A Restoration Tragedy has also just been accepted by the same English publisher.

Bunny

Wayne Lake

We either had a full moon last night or will have one tonight. One of my fishin’ buddies swears all things bad occur around this time of month. I’m not sure about that but I do remember drinking way too much Jose Cuervo (a long time ago but also for way too long) and howling at the moon for unknown reasons and then I found the quote below and thought it timely:    

"Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the "Ellie May," a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests." David McKenzie

Sailing at night during a full moon (or even simply being on the water) is a memorable experience, at least for me, I just can’t get enough of it and if you ever get a chance, go for it.

I am in awe of some of our classmates wrt writing skills and accomplishments:

·         Burge, the deep thinker and philosopher with his take on global politics (I must admit I don’t comprehend it all);

·         Beau, the prolific and consummate class poet laureate;

·         Gary Keith, the celebrated hillbilly storey teller;

·         Bunny Paine – I just read her posting and resume – wow!

·         And everybody else that routinely contribute to this blog in complete sentences – I guess some of you actually received a good high school education while I was was goofing off and not studying.  

From Lake Wobegone,

wtl

Wayne Lake

Didn't want to bogart the forum but just saw this piece about our beloved state:

A  TEXAS  BLESSING

Bless this house, oh Lord, we cry.

Please keep it cool in mid-July.

Bless the walls where termites dine,

While ants and roaches march in time.

Bless our yard where spiders pass

Fire ant castles in the grass.

Bless the garage, a home to please

Beetles, scorpions, ticks and fleas.

Bless the love bugs, two by two,

The gnats and mosquitoes that feed on you.

Millions of creatures that fly or crawl,

In  Texas, Lord, you've put them all!!

But this is home, and here we'll stay,

So thank you Lord, for insect spray.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN  TEXAS IN JULY WHEN. . . .

The birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of   the ground.

The trees are whistling for the dogs...

The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.

Hot water now comes out of both taps.

You can make sun tea instantly.

You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron..

The temperature drops below 95 and you feel a little chilly.

You discover that in July it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car..

You discover that you can get sunburned through your car window.

You actually burn your hand opening the car door.

You break into a sweat the instant you step outside at  7:30 a.m.

Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, 'What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?'

You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.

The potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper.

Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying boiled eggs.

The cows are giving evaporated milk.

Ah, what a place to call home!

God Bless The State of  TEXAS !!!

Johnny Sheffield

TO ALL MY WALTRIP FRIENDS.

SORRY I MISS FUDDS THE LAST 2 TIMES. TO EVERYBODY THIS MONTH AND ALL OF THIS YEAR

HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF BABY BOOMERS TURNING 65 THIS YEAR.

I HAVE MISS EVERY ONE AND I APOLIGIZE FOR NOT REPLYING BACK ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

I KNOW A LOT OF MY WALTRIP FRIENDS HAVE HAD HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING MYSELF, BUT I

PRAY FOR EACH AND EVERYONE TO MAKE A SPEEDY RECOVERY. I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN EVERYBODY, AND I DO PLAN ON HAVING A GET TOGETHER LATER IN THE FALL, POSSIBLY AT

CLAYS RESTURANT WHEN IT IS MUCH COOLER AND WE CAN ALL CELEBRATE OUR BIRTHDAYS

ON A SATURDAY OR SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND NOT HAVE TO RUSH TO GET HOME OR

GO BACK TO WORK THE NEXT DAY.

GOD BLESS EVERYONE.

SINCERELY

JOHNNY

John Burgess Webb

over 105 degrees here,the air is hot and thin;hard to breathe this volatile flux even with all the pine trees stressing out to produce enough oxygen to fill the expantion of the hot air.aah,for the cool heavy air of late fall;'sweater weather' as we called it then.it was something good to feel and enjoy.

Jennie Anderson '65 (Dylan)

 Bunny,

How exciting getting your book published and good luck on the other one.  Sounds like an interesting read.  Good luck!

Jennie

Jimmie Lee Smith (Brawner)

Bunny, I am so excited for you.  We went through Garden Oaks, Black & Waltrip together and you were always writing something.  So happy that you've been blessed with this success at a time in your life when you'll enjoy it more than ever.  Keep on imagining all those great stories.

Wayne, loved your hot Texas posts.  I'm sending them to all my friends in cooler climates who can't imagine what we live through to be in our "Blessed Texas."  Yesterday, we actually had sprinkles for 5 minutes here at Lake Texoma.

Kay Watters '65 (Greene)

Good reading all the comments of this and last month.   Been busy here, but plan to be at Fudd's August before I head back to school.  Looks like everyone is planning the same.

Beau Wann, Jr.

Good Sunday evening mine walton family,
      "Hey Culligan man"...Paige, I think the Culligan man fell in our cement pond...might as well, just about everything else HAS fallen in...Methinks it is a conspiracy...I am shocked that I have to shock my pool so often...it all started after IKE, that sorry sob...for those unfortunate folks that dont have a cement pond, shocking as it may seem, "shocking" refers to adding an extra measure of chlorine...kinda like frackin your hard drive...NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, could live in that water...saw some ducks fly over, and they had bleached bottoms...musta been my little baby ducks that landed some months back...the little darlins...

Hey Bunny, that is so cool to have a book published...I started writing a book last year or so, and my computer crashed, and lost what I had written...well, just a couple of chapters...do you have a "special" computer, or piece of equipment that you use???? A special program???? Or a separate computer that you use just for writing???? I'd love to talk to you, a real author, about how you got started...thats the really hard part for me...plus, it takes a special discipline, plus you have to know how to spell, and I use to know, but now my brain has decided it doesnt want to spell correctly, just dump stuff in the pool...

You gonna have a book signing????? Let us know when and where so we can attend...it probably wont be in Houston, because we have very few bookstores left...Borders is going out of bidness, and there are NO bookstores on our side of town...do you believe that???? not one bookstore...there is a Barnes and Noble at Town and Country, but I wonder how long thats gonna last...they use to have a g reat large music section, but now they mostly have videos...I have more music than they do...

Played hooky today from our "little country church in the city"...my beloved is in Colorado, havin fun, and I'm stuck here havin a toothache...it's not too bad at the moment, took a liitle white pill...got an appt with my dentist in the morn...I hate going to the dentist, like anybody does...ok, ok, I'm an anti-dentite...not to mention anti-pain...

Hey Johnny, hope you get to doing better healthwise...we have missed youall at fudds, as we have missed everyone that didnt make it...not the ones that made it to fudds, because we were there, and so were they, so they werent missed...but if they hadnt been there, then we would have missed them...

Burge, thanks for the reminder of snow...had to put on a coat after looking at your picture...
Rich Lh, dont miss another fudds...you have been put on report...we need a meeting of WABEC and soon...

Saw some folks I know at K rogers...I never see anyone there, and saw two of my favorite folks, there, at the same time...felt so lucky, went out and played the lotto...dont know If I won, havent checked my ticket yet...so, if I havent checked and dont know if I've won, I also dont know if I havent...like my logic???? I thought you would...internal optometrist, thats me...

Oh hey Wayne, the full moon does have effects and affects on folks...makes em krazier than march hare...just ask a teacher... my beloved has been teaching for nigh unto 34 years, and she says when the moon is full, the kids go nuts...although it does affect ssome folks, it really doesnt bother me...well, except for the all the hair that seems to grow, and my eye teeth kinda get longer, and I like meat rare for a change, but other than that, nothing...

Ok, time to go sacrifice somethhing to the cement pond gods...I have an old blender I'll just chunk in...maybe an old stereo...I have about half dozen old stereos...even though some, or all, are broken, I still feel the need to keep them for some strange reason...hate throwing stuff away, good or bad...maybe they will somehow get fixed resting in the closet, somehow...maybe...ok, full moon calling...AAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Your frien and wolfman...me

PS, just threw in the blender...feel better already...

Bj Brady '65

Hello Class of '64-

Your class seems to have the most "intelligent life" of the 1964-67 groups. Lots of readers of this daily Forum. I'm going to pass out some important investment info for you. Not trying to sell anything, just offering up some valuable advice. Our Congress is in discussions about the debt ceiling. Both Democrats and Republicans can not agree that today is Monday. There is no more money to pay this country's bills. I am one of the few certified financial advisors from Waltrip. I take this seriously. I wrote about this a year ago. The crisis is now here. I know that it is hard to imagine that the value of the US Dollar is about to crater. Seems unamerican. Protect yourself now by purchasing 2 US gold Eagles and 5 US silver Eagles from your nearest coin shop. Gold today is $1,600/oz and silver is $40. Your stocks, bonds, equities and everything deliniated in US Dollars is about to have no value.  This happened in 1923 in Germany when the Mark went to worthless.

95% of you will call me a "kook", or "doom and gloomer" or worse. For the other 5%, you will be richly rewarded. Life as we know it is about to drastically change. We will know this time as the "Greater Depression". It's our turn at bat. Our folks had to live through the previous one. Our children cannot even imagine this one. Life was not bad on "Walton Mountain" as it brought everyone closer together.

Call this an economic enema. It's way overdue. It will clean out the system. And we all know that the sysyem is broken. Hope you will heed this "heads up". You will not hear about this on cable. You can now return to your previous programming. Love to you all, BJ

Paige Talley (Meek)

The Moon... Marianne (youngest of the little g-kids) suggest that the "Moon is Crooked" when strange things happening are blamed on the moon. 

Mom will be 88 this coming Saturday... that is unless she and the roommate get into a fist to cuff and end it all before then (they have bad days and then not so good days sharing the space lovelingly referred to as their room). Most of our parents are approaching their late 80's or early 90's. It seems that my children usually mention those years when referring to a music era. All in all 88 makes my approaching 65 look pretty good !!!

Happy Birthday all ya'll

Paige

Beau's cement collection pond and others memories and those lost put me in mind of a song by Karen Mal. Karen is one of my favorite vocalist. She hales of late from Austin and sings often with Will Taylor and Strings Attached.

You can catch the tune on u-tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnXWTDl550E

 "Suitcase Full of Memories" sung by Karen Mal

I got a suitcase full of memories
That don't conform to gravity
Flip it upside down, the memories still remain

I lost a cell phone down in New Orleans
And my favorite pair of patched up jeans
Fell victim to the road somewhere in Maine

How can we be expected to keep track of things ejected to the ground?
When gravity elects to hunt its naturally selected items down

I got a suitcase full of memories,
Of yesterdays and used-to-bes
Photographs that no one ever took

And lately it's been on my mind
To call you up or drop a line
If only I could find my address book

How can we be expected to keep track of things ejected to the ground?
When gravity elects to hunt its naturally selected items down

I don't need no souvenirs to prove to me that I was here
All they do is weigh my suitcase down

And when I stop and count the cost
Of all the stuff I've ever lost
I guess I didn't need it anyway

Between Milwaukee and Eau Claire
I lost a ring my grandma used to wear
But my suitcase keeps the memory just the same

How can we be expected to keep track of things ejected to the ground?
When gravity elects to hunt its naturally selected items down

I won't need them when they lay my body down
'Cause I got a suitcase full of memories

--For more info on Karen Mal visit:
http://KarenMal.com

Beau Wann, Jr.

Howdy rowdy...hey paige, sounds like your mom would fit right in here, although she would probably be the most normal one of the bunch, besides my beloved...love the song...

Hey BJ, believe it or not, my dad and his brothers were talking about whats happening now, back in the 50s...isnt it ironic, that our parents are the children of the great depression, and now their children, us, will be the grandparents of the coming great depression...

I have been stocking up on coffee, spam and corn beef hash, tuna, dark chocolate, you know, the five food groups..kind of hard to stock up on one of the more important food groups, ice cream and whip cream...Ive been sneaking around and eating up our stock on that stuff...I blame it all on the earthquake in japan...

Of course, I cant find any 20 min grits, so 5 min grits will have to do...got a stock pile of Bisquick, and cornmeal, pickles and mustard, and jalapenos and roasted red peppers, Franks Hot Sauce, and Schlotskis hot sauce...all that stuff is very important for my maintenance...I was looking for mustard the other day, and couldnt find any, so when I went to the store, I bought some, which would be the logical think to do...when we got home, and put away the groceries, I found 5 bottles of mustard...????? there's foul play afoot here...where in the name of ketchup, did all the mustard come from???? Does this mean that every time I need mustard, it will hide from me, then I go to the store and buy another jar, and voila now I have 7 jars...hmmmm, gives me an idear...since we seem to get mustard algae in the cement pond, why not just chunk a jar o the yeller stuff in during a full moon???? Just might appease the cement pond gods doncha think????

Hey, if gold and silver are such a great investment, what do you use for payment to the companies that have gold and silver???? US Dollar???? And again, if gold and silver is such a great thing to have, then why dont the companies that have all the gold and silver, just keep it???? Wouldnt they be ahead of the curve by keeping it????? Keep the gold and silver and sell something else...like Zumba lessons...George Foreman grills...Snuggies...Vegamatics etc...

I'm serious about the gold and silver....If I have gold and silver, and the U.S. Dollar aint worth squat, then why do I want to sell it, and what would be good payment for it??? I certainly wouldnt want payment in greenbacks if they are no good....might as well take confederate money...

NOW, having said all that, I do have a solution, that woiks much better than any old gold and silver...WHISKEY...YUP, you read correctily...WHISKEY...I have quite a cache of Liquor, and seeing as how I dont drink, it's gonna last a long time...Lots O folks would rather drink than eat, and if you come to me for a drink, it's gonna cost you some grub, good grub too...

You can fill a pint mason jar half full, and add bottled water, and make your stock last twice as long, and as long as I am holding the stock, I am holding all the cards too...so I would put my money whiskey...A 1.5 ML bottle of Jack costs about 35 dollars, and the same amount of Jim Beam is about 20 dollars....I even have conyak (I know it's spelled cognac, but me being a rebel and all, just cant resist) and sherry, and just about anything an old alky would want...so, when the shtf, come see me, but bring meat and potatoes with ya...and 20 minute grits...

Seems that all the critters are down for a nap, so, I might just as well join em, doncha think???
So, fair warning, I'll be back...

Richard Meek '65

Beau and BJ, seems I remember a guy, back in the '70s. I digress for a moment here. When people use the term "back in day". What "day" are they referring to? Or is that a flexible term that you can just apply to whatever "day" you mean and other folks are just supposed to know what you mean. Anyway, back to  "my guy". He was pushing a philosophy that combined both your thoughts. One thought each, right? His name is Howard Ruff. Had a radio and TV show called Ruff Times. Also wrote a book of the same name.He was predicting the collapse of America and he espoused buying Krugerands, whiskey (for barter or if you couldn't barter it, you could just get drunk) and having a year's supply of food in the house. Howard is a Mormon. Probably should have an arsenal similar to Beau's to defend your gold, whiskey and food! I saw recently that Howard is still kicking and has a radio show in Nevada, methinks. Apparently he isn't nationally syndicated anymore. Interesting how this pattern of thinking comes around with regularity isn't it? There was a movie out about that time called Soylent Green. I think we've talked about this topic before. Cephus I think you're need to prepare your estate for ultimate security. Get your victory garden going. Start learning how to generate your own electricity, etc. etc. There was a book written ,about that same time,I think about a fellow, originally from OK, named Sylvan Hart. He went by the name Bucksin Billy. Lived in the ID wilderness area. He did all that. He even made his own weapons. He made a hand drawn machine to put rifling in his guns. He came to that lifestyle by choice not as a survivalist. His family had a tradition that the men went to the wilderness for a year before they settled down. Which he did after graduating from Ok. State U. After he returned to civilization, he decided he liked the wilderness better. He welcomed visitors and worked for hunting guides to make a little cash. He came out of the wilderness during WWII and joined the Army Air Corps as a navigator or bombadier I think. Anyway it was pretty amazing to see what a comfortable life he made for himself. I'm going to see if I can find a copy of his story. I'll let you know if I have any success.

Keep on dancing,

Rich LH

Stay Calm, Carry On

Richard Meek '65

I neglected to include in my last posting that it is indeed time to convene another impromptu and irregularly scheduled meeting of the Whirld Affairs and Burger Evaluation Committee (WABEC). So through judicious fact finding and evaluating with absolutely no scientific basis at all that Tuesday July 26th would be an appropriate day. Let's meet at JAX Grill on Shepherd just south of I-10. Let's meet at 11:30 to try and get a little ahead of the crowd. All are invited. If you can fog a mirror you are eligible to attend. There is no speaker and no planned program. The business meeting usually lasts 30 seconds. So get yourself over to JAX Grill for good food and goood conversation. See some old friends and make some new ones! See You there!

Beau Wann, Jr.

Wll shucky darn Rich, mah woids perzactly...or woids to that effect/affect...
your guys sound interesting....seems I recollect those names, even if it was from the post above this one, ah do rahghtly recollet...I was thinkink about a victory garden, and thought hydrophonics would be appropriate for me, since ah seem to have a propensity of dropping things in the cement pond...but what would grow in the murky depths of a chlorinic environment??? More chlorine???? certainly not maters...white maters, now theres a idear whose time has come and gone...ah recollect, back in the day, when ah had mahself a victory garden, ah grew low acid maters, and they were orangey looking...good maters, but different...

Ah know why they call them "victory gardens", because it's a dang victory if you get anything of value to eat from them, because of too much rain, not enough rain, and after the boids and bugs have had their fill...so, ifin I could grow stuff underwater, that would take the boids and the bugs out of the equation...well, cept for the cormorants...them ol boys can dive and swim underwater for a good 20 30 feetssssss...(notice he double plural to emphasize feetssssss)...

WABEC meeting sounds great to me...shucky darn, we could just meet on the side of the road and swap brown bags...I could bring some of my Y2K supplies...the half life on that stuff is a thousand years anyhoo...just think, a thousand year old tuna sandridge...hmmmm good...
I could go on antique road show..."why Mr Wann, that  tuna sandridge is in remarkably good shape, seein as how it' a thousand years old. How much did you pay for it???? Hmmm, that much, ...SUCKER...it aint worth squat..."

Been playing my Stratocaster more lately, since I brought it downstairs...fingers hurt, which should go along with everything else on my body that hoits...got a new amp, well, a couple years back, but I have only turned it on a couple O times in a couple o years, so it's like new to me...the bass on that thing, rattles the winders and makes the cats and dogs turn in circles, and creates tsunamis in the cement pond, and vibrated a cup O joe off the top of the amp and spilled everywhere...serves me right eh!!!! Cup was one of the "old Diner" mugs, thick china, and full too...wouldnt have it any other way...when the little woman gets back from her holiday in the rocky mountains, shes gonna wonder about the stain/new stain on the carpet in the library...

I'm gonna say Cooper peed there...yeah, blame it on the special ed dog...she cant get mad at him, no matter what he does...ah guess ahm just a scamp...

I did move the family room around to even much more better than it has ever been, even with all the furniture thats in there/here...got a 92 inch couch, a wingback chair, (my favorite) a double almost love seat chair, a 1950s juke box, a coffee table, plus two side tables, 4 lamps three large baskets, full o magazines, a 9 ft entertainment system, a stationary bicycle, (which no one rides), a litter box, three cat trees, two dogs, 4 cats, and a partridge in a pair tree...how in the name of cement pond we have gotten all the stuff in this house is beyond me...we have so much crappola, it is overwhelming...I would be willing to let go of some of these treasures for a nominal fee of course...

We have two 5 ft tall, and two 3 ft tall jungle cats, made out of some old logs...how in the heck did they get in the house???? What, they rang the doorbell, came in and never left??????
They sort a look like those people that roam the hood preachin about something, only petrified...well, if you come in my house, you become petrified...

Moving all this furniture around, I found quite afew petrified puterfied hairballs...ah do hope you have had dinner...I could probably run a chain through the hairballs, and sell em at "first saturday in the heights"...I see a lot of hippies staggering around on that day...I could sell em as good luck charms...lots of possibilities there...

Take my cats, no please, take em...while I'm moving furniture, one or two of em, usually the heavyweights, will sit on the piece I am moving, and "furniture surf"...I guess to make sure I get it in the right spot, or just to make me woik harder...like I dont woik hard enough...

Talked to my grandson, the one at the wilderness camp...he said they hiked across the "continental divide"...Ive flown across it, but that doesnt count does it??? That was a cute movie, '"CONTINETAL DIVIDE"  with John Belushi and ???? forgot the ladys name, but I like her too...Blair Brown???? OOOOOOOOOOOh a patty melt from Whataburger!!!!! hmmmm that sure looks good...

Ok, gonna be a long and sleepless night...stayed up till 3:30 couple nights ago, and 4 am after that, wonder what it will be tonight...of course the dogs and cats want to be fed at 6 am, no matter when I finally get to sleep...if I should oversleep, for some reason, all the critters gather round the bed and stare at me...cats perched on the corners of the bed like vultures...
check back in with ya later...
your frien and sleepoligist...unrip unvan unwinkle...

Bj Brady '65

To Beau and Richard- You guys are a pleasant hoot. As you may or may not know, I live in a retirement community in San Angelo - Rio Concho Village. I have posed your astute questions to the locals here and found that nobody has any gold or silver - except for a few that still have their natural teeth. They told me that great depressions are just that - great... Great time for get-togethers with families.

When I asked them what they are stocking up on - no one answered tuna fish. They are stocking up on barter items - Wii handsets, playing cards, dominoes, and pocket knives for whittling. It just crushed my investment theories all to hell. Some are even buying new walking shoes and house slippers and a few are purchasing new moo-moos and Hawain shirts or those cantalabra shirts or whatever ya call 'em. One breasfast mate is stocking up on camo shorts - he is sure they will be a great investment.

My most encountered comment is that you can't take gold and silver to the grocery store. I get a thousand yard stare when I ask if you can take a T-bill to the store. I cannot imagine trying to spend a pair of camo shorts. I now plan to do most all of my shopping at the local flea markets - they will take most anything in trade over there.

Here is what I learned from my retirement community neighbors - "Texans don't let Texans go hungry". That's good enough for me.  BJ