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Richard Meek '65

Due to popular demand a meeting of WABEC is going to take place next

Tuesday, the 18th at 11:30 at JAX Grill on

Shepherd just south of I-10.
See you there!

Beau Wann, Jr.

"Well hello there...my it's been a long long time...howm I doin? Well I guess I'm doin fine..."

Member that tune??? Thas a good one for sure...just been in a funk here...damned depression, just when you think you got it licked, Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde gotta rear their ugly heads...It's a struggle at best, but I'm a doin it...

I noticed that when I get on the forum, no one else gets on...when I get off, everyone gets on...hmmmmmm

Dolphins and porpoises, lions and tigers and bears OH MY! ! ! ! A porpoise by any other name is just a dauphane...Now thats a horse of a different color...a rose by any other name still smells as sweet...a woman is a woman, but a cigar is a smoke...doo dah doo dah...

Hey Wayne I liked the dissertation on Dolphins and Porpoises, and your story about the ones hangink around your boat...lookin for a handout...that would be a porpoise with a purpose...they'd starve to death for sure if they counted on my prowess as a fitcherman...I think maybe I've caught 2, maybe 3 fitch in my whole borned days...Now, I am a great Tuna man...just get out the can opener and voila...TUNA SANDRIDGE MAKINS....YEAAAAAA! ! ! ! I wonder how many tuna sandridges I have made in my sandridge makin career...you know I have my PHD in sandridge makin dont cha! ! ! !

I knoticed in mah travels around the old neighborhood, that things are not the same...and why not pray tell????
"whah progress, boy, progress" ...dont stand in the way, or a bulldozier will run you over, and then you be part of the landscape...Both houses on eyether side of the old DuBarry house are gone now, and one rather large one has sprung up on the east side...what use to be the "Needams" House...

I went down on 11th street to C and D Hardware (how long has that been there?) to get a flourescent bulb and ballast for my 1954 seeburg jukebox...They have a lot of goodies at the old C and D Hardware store...rather pricey though...met a guy down there that said that a man named Patronella, had a place on 14th street down by the school, (he must not a been from here, cause "the school" he was refering to, is REAGAN HS) and has a lot of jukeboxes. I never found the guy or his place...what I did find, was an ODDFELLOWS HALL and I thought that was odd, that it should be on an even numbered street, and not an odd number street...somethings rotten in denmark, or the heights...

What does a fellow have to do to belong to the ODDFELLOWS society???? Drive their lawnmower into the swimming pool???? Raise baby ducks in same???? Have 6 cats and two dogs???? all dumber than a box of rocks???? if thats all it takes, then I'm your man...er odd man... I'm about as odd as they come...in fact, I could probably be the  EXHALTED GRAND POTENTATE SUPREME ALACARTE AND ALPACA AND GENERAL ALL ROUND ODD DUCK...

Which brings me to supper tonight...I made my whirld famous CORNPONE PIE for the little workin woman today...turned out good too, inspite of my oddness...

Rode Pegasus to Hempstead and surrounding area...stopped in at my favorite meat market, Grolcyzks, and purchased the odd 5 pounds O ground chuck...I'll swanee, that meat has no grease attall...you think I'm exaggeratin???? buy some and try some, then you see...it was rather cold...50 at 70 is about 40...some of that gnu math...bout the onlies thing that got cold, was my fingers...even though I have the winter equivalent of ski gloves for motorcycle gloves, they still got cold...when I got home, I ran hot water over them and they stung bad...but now I'm good...had on my longjohns, plus some flannel lined jeans, and three shirts, a motorcycle jacket, and vest, two pair of socks...looked something like the Michelin Man ridin down the highway...If I'd a fallen off, I'd a bounced for a week and two thirds...

Our next door neighbor Bob Darden, (Jan Barnes knows to whom I am refering ) had a wreck...yup, ran into the tree in his own front yard...I didnt see it happen or hear it, (ears have gotten more worser). A neighbor came over and told me about it. said it just happened...I got around their and they had just loaded him on the ambulance...I heard nothing, not the siren or the wreck or anything....I'm in my own little odd whirld, they know me there! ! !! Anyway, he broke his hip, complete with bone sticking out, and broke his arm and various other lacerations....Bob is 85...he has had several surgeries since the accident a week ago wednesday, and the doctors say he is doing well...ever now and again he has to go into ICU because of blood pressure drop, but the surgeries went well...

I wondered how Bob ran into his own tree in his own frontyard...well, he was on the way home, and blacked out about 4 houses from his, and ran up in a yard, took out a mail box, and headed right for that live oak, BAM, if that tree hadnt been there, he would have hit two house and a couple of cars...might a been worse...

He has no fambly here, so I have been taking care of his dog, a shoo shoo named foo foo, or boots, or something like that...I think I know why they call him boots, cause he comes up to you and pees on your boots....that is the peeinest dog I have ever seen, well he and Jack...they have to mark EVERYTHING THEIRS...Anyway, the dog is one of those little ankle biters, and was a mess...fur all matted and tangled and toenails uncut, so I took him to petsmart and had the works performed on him...they aske me if my dog bites, I said that he didnt...he bit them..."I thought you said your dog didnt bite" they said..."he's not my dog" says I...well, thats how the conversation almost went...I borrowed that from the Pink Panther...methinks thats where it came from...

Now the dog is nice and clean...bob also had no lights in the garage or back yard, so I rigged up some lights for both and also a radio playing christmas carols, and a large kennel with bedding etc so good ol "Boots" wouldnt freeze at night...I havent let my boys get close to him...Jack might eat him, and Cooper might sit on him...I dont want them to get attached to "Boots" cause before I adopted Cooper, he had a little friend that got adopted out, and left poor cooper behind...and to this day, when cooper sees a small dog, he just strains against the leash wanting to check it out...I feel bad for Cooper in that respect...it's tough losing a friend, but for orphans losing a friend, thats gotta really hurt...But the good side of that, Cooper couldnt have gotten a better home...although he has been acting weirder than his normal weird self...seems more lost now than ever before...I sure wonder whats going through that ol boys head sometimes...he couldnt have a more loving family, so it's not that...

Maybe he and I can join the Oddfellows club together! ! !! ! ! If they canvass yall, be sure to put in an odd word for me ok! ! ! ! !

I can see by Mickeys hands, that it are late...been watching "MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET"...14 times....I love that movie, but preferably in black and white...I tried to watch the 1935 version of LES MISERABLES, with charles Laughton and Fredrich March and John Caradine and others....WHAT A HORRID PREMISE FOR A MOVIE ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Who in their right mind would watch such a thing, or even read the book????? I'm depressed enough without eggin it on with that crap...now, I know it's suppose to be great literature...about as good as Borgia was at being the pope...you see how that turned out dint cha! ! ! Man, that Laughton fellow can play a hard mean crabby ol dude cant he! ! !

Ok ok, I'm goin, I'm goin ! ! ! ! ! Hope all is well with yall...it's good here...sorta...kinda up and down...odd and odder...utterly odder...suddenly utterly odder...

Your frien and brother...allen badillion trahern...odd ducks unlimited...esq

Wayne Lake

If you want to see a great Holiday video guaranteed to make you smile (maybe even get ol’ Beau out of the dumpers), go to the following:

Holiday Goats

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/b4_EdJ-XkUA?rel=0

Merry Christmas to all.

Cheers,

wtl, from League City

Bj Brady '65

Merry Christmas to all - ESPECIALLY BEAU-

I say that because I understand depression.  Beau, God Bless ya, it does not sound like you have seasonal affective disorder where lack of light causes your depression.  Nor does your depression sound like it is circumstantial.  Caused by ongoing circumstances.

Beau, I am not ashamed to admit that I have been dealing with depression since I was 15. Stubbornly, at age 39, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder.  Used to be called Manic-Depression. I am not diagnosing you here, just want you to know that with the correctly diagnosed meds, I am doing 100% better since then.

I still take meds every day. They do not zonk me out. I could still ride a motorcycle (not that crazy...), if I wanted to.

There is glorious life after depression.  I am not trying to embarass either one of us. We are better'n family here. Even your own family may not want to discuss this as it might be MENTAL ILLNESS - and catching... I have no stygma anymore.  If you want to discuss it, just let me know. Thanks my friend for all that you are to us !!!

BJ Brady

Beau Wann, Jr.

oops, I hit a wrong button...yet again, and deleted my last entry...I be back later

ok, it is now later...I dont know how many times I have deleted or lost into cyber space whatever I typed, but it is the stuff of legends...

Thank you BJ for the encouraging words...my depression is mostly a chemical imbalance brought on by food, or the lack thereof, lung meds etc...what makes it worse, is being alone for too long, etc...then the problem is exacerbated by thinking of the good folks in our class with REAL problems, and getting mad at myself for feeling bad adinfinitim...and one bad thought begats another bad thought, and away we go....I pretty much have it under control nowdays, just small bouts, nothing serious...mostly unjust pressure on myself to exceed all expectations anyone could have of me, including myself...

Sorry you have to go through it, and sorry anyone has to go through it...but like you said, it is treatable...youre a good man BJ, maybe someday we can get together and do a little pickin and grinnin...I can still strum pretty good, my lead is not as crisp as it use to be...come to think of it, it wasnt too crisp when it was suppose to be crisp...

any of youse youtes had occasion to visit the new Krogers at 11th and Sheperd????? What a super store that one is...one of the best grocery stores I have been in methinks...you have to see it to believe it...so go forth and marvel...Just tell em you know me...hmmm better not, might get followed around, like they follow me...I guess they think I'm a shoplifter, but nothing could be further from the truth...I'm driven by principle rather than greed...I was just walking around that store in a drunken stupor looking at all the sights...they have of course a butcher shop, like they all do, but they also have a bakery that makes bread and stuff, which most of the others dont have...

There's a starbucks, and a geedunk (naval jargon for snackbar)...lots of whole foods, and all the TV gadgets advertised on TV saying you could only order them on line, or calling a number...Not so, this krogers has everything, including that green skillet that I'm gonna get myself for christmas, and also getting one for every one on my christmas list. You can cook anything in that green skillet and burn it to a crackly crisp and it wont stick...they probably have everything a nut like me could possibly want...guess where I'm gonna do my christmas shopping this year???? Yup, Krogers...PLUS, AND THATS A BIG PLUS, they add points to my gas card. I have had as much as .80 cents off a gallon. Yeah, thats what I'm talkin about ! ! ! ! !

In my travels today on Pegasus, I saw a most interesting sight...a true optimist...yup...a sightseeing tour bus in the thriving metropolis of Waller...it was a new bus, with large windows, about the size of a van with "SIGHTSEEING TOURS printed on the side...I had to turn around and do a double take...A sightseeing bus in Waller???? Now that mine friends, is a true optimist...

I think he's getting ready for the NEW BUCCEES going in at Hwy 362 or was that 262??? well anyway, it is the hwy past 2920 on 290, on the outbound side...from the looks of it, it is going to be HUGE...that will of course drive all the other businesses to drink and despair...but hopefully not out of bidness...there is already one at 290 and Mueschke rd out in Fairfield...I wonder just what process they use to pick a site...

"Hmmm, fellow buccees, here's a good site, right here in the middle of nowhere..all in favor??? all opposed???? looks like the ayes have it....oh Bob, would you take the dart out of the map..."

Ok, time to do other stuff...thanks again BJ...you are so right about being family...We all have so much to be thankful for, and some of us more than others...we have quite a few going through trying times, Jackie, Linda, Charlie et al...wish there was something I could do for all the good folks, other than care and prayer, but sometimes I guess thats what we are limited to...and maybe thats enough. doesnt seem like enough, but I guess we will have to settle for what we have and can and cant do...

Saw in my Cabelas catalog two sizes of Radio Flyer sleds, and a toboggan...any of  youse youtes ever have the pleasure of actually getting to ride on one of those fine rides?????? I never did, but thought it would be fun...how about snowshoes? Any of youse youtes got snow shoes???

Ok, time to go...see ya
your frien and brother the odd duck, Olbeauwannkanobie...

John Burgess Webb

amen

Bj Brady '65

Mornin' Oh B Wann-

Didja get it out of your system?  Sometimes I do the same.  A long written missive that I plan to mail but never do. Usually ends up in the shredder after I roll it up in a ball and hand it up to my Heavenly Father 'cause I know that I am unable to fix it.

Before you load up yur carbine and head to the local Mental Health Center to "cap some crazies", please know that you will end up at Ben Taub before that scenic trip to Rusk, TX to join "the big leagues". Your Bros and Sisters from Waltrip can pray as good as any bunch that I know and we will put this entire scenario on the Sunday prayer list.

It'll be okay, my friend ,

BJ

Bj Brady '65

Beau-

Might I assume that you missed the Houston Texans game?

They won. Great team this year.  BJ

Susan Howard (Bowman)

Beau, my God is a loving God, who would never allow little children to be slain by a crazy.  God wants us to be happy - the bottom line with God is LOVE!  Terrible circumstances and trajedies are not God's will - they are the creation of humans.  I know some folks would disagree on this, but that is what I believe.  

Richard Meek '65

For all who are interested, there is a meeting of WABEC tomorrow, 11:30 at JAX Grill on Shepherd just south of I-10. For the uninitiated WABEC is the Whirld Affairs and Burger Evaluation Committee. If you can fog a mirror you are welcome to be on the comm. I hope a big number of you will turn out tomorrow. See you there.

Teddie Jordan

Just to let everyone know what's going on, we are at memorial Herman hospital with Linda Webster preparing for her liver transplant surgery. She got a call that they had a potential liver about 12:30 am this morning and we rushed out here. They are doing some testing and prepping Linda for surgery Now. It is scheduled for about 7:00 am and is expected to last 6-8 hours. We will advise when we know more but Linda thanks everyone for their prayers and continued prayers. 

I am a one thumbed typist and between that limitation and this small phone I will be less  verbose than normal.

Jan Barnes '65 (Nimtz)

Praise the Lord!  We all hope and pray that the organ is a match and the transplant can take place this morning, that God would guide the surgeon's hands, and that Linda will have a smooth time of the surgery and post-op.  Please continue to keep us all posted.

Teddie Jordan

Now looking more like mid afternoon before the surgery can begin as word now is that the donor liver is being flown in from Ft. Worth. We also pray for the donor and their family.

Jimmie Lee Smith (Brawner)

On Facebook, Sheryl Knight says Linda's transplant surgery started @ 4pm this afternoon.  So glad it was a match.  Now, let's pray for Linda to come through all this with no complications.

Teddie Jordan

We just got an update from the o r nurse, 2 hours into the surgery everything is going well, they expect another 3-4 hours in surgery.

Patty Payne (Nami)

The prayer chain will be working overtime tonight. Thank you so much, Teddie for keeping us updated.

Gloria Hornick (Walker)

Praying for Linda, the medical staff, Fran, Teddie and all there at the hospital.

Teddie Jordan

Fran just got a call from the Dr., Linda is still on oper table but they are closing her up now and he said she did good throughout the surgery. He will come out on about an hour and talk to us. Expectation is 2-3 days in icu, 5-7 in hospital. We thank everyone for their prayers and support and we pray for the donor and his family.

John Burgess Webb

lets hope there are no complications for linda;doctors do wonders with anti-rejection drugs and post-op treatment;pray for her and jackie too.prayer does work and i know that god is love;its up to us to believe,and not be ashamed to pray in the name of jesus christ and approach god as 'father'.our weaknesses are known.

burge

Beau Wann, Jr.

We are hoping "no news is good news" for Linda...prayers for her, ongoing...Hey Burge, I hear tell you got a new Harley Davidson Dealer in "Two States Town"...WHISKEY RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON...I will have to make a run up there and get a tshirt...maybe, just maybe I can buy lunch for you, or at the very least a "cup O joe"...It'd be good to see ya anyway. Maybe meet your critters too! ! !

How's today for a "blustery" day ??? Blew every leaf in the hood in mah cement pond! ! ! The "howling" of the wind scared poor Jack to shivers again...had to put his little blue blankie on him and Nat "King" Cole on the stereo...went right to sleep...Big Oliver likes being outside in the cold, but doesnt like the howling either...so he is hunkered down by the back door on the door mat...I open the door for him, but he just lays there...he really doesnt want tto come in, but doesnt want to get too far from his protection...ME...

In case youall are wondering about Big Oliver, and why I let him out, when he's been an inside cat, as well as the thousand others we have, his whole life, well, he is rather rotund, even for a large breed cat, so his jumping and climbing skills are at a minimum. We have an almost 7 foot wood fence, and not too many ways to escape. Plus keep close tabs on him. If we're not here, he stays inside. You know what they say about "curiosity and a cat! !! In fact, he is staring at me through the window. It isnt his "let me in now" stare, but he is just checkin to see that I am where I should be.

Good morning for a cup O joe eh! ! ! Made some oatmeal muffins from scratch this morn. Well, they were out of a box, but, I COULD make some from scratch...if I gnu how...probably having a recepie (why cant I spell that word? I have spelled it everywhich way but right. It just doesnt look right no matter how you spell it)  RECIPES! ! ! ! ! ! YES! ! ! FINALLY GOT ER but still doesnt looke right...oh well...I use to be, one of the best spellers in the whirld way back when. Now, the words dont look right anymore. I look them up, and find that I spelled them like Ol Mr Webster, but they still dont look right...

Hey Jan, I love that carriage! !  Is that you at the helm or er reins??? I didnt know you were a Teamster, well what should I expect from a champion tree climber such as yourself, and from the old neighborhood too! I think if I could freeze time for myself, I think 8 years old is a good age. Maybe 7...by third grade, the whirld at school sorta gets intense. We learned cursive in the thoid grade. Of course now, they allow cursing, but not cursive.

I had three or four teachers in the 3rd grade, and all of em taught a different style of cursive. One big, one small, and one backwards. My handwriting, when in a hurry is abysmal at best. When I take my time, oh gee, there's a concept, it's REAL PRETTY...or at least legible and fancy somewhat! ! My mom wrights (yes I gno, but I had to spell it that way to see what it looks like...looks wrong doesnt it! ) writes write handed (Idid it again. the english language is sure a puzzle isnt it), but slants it backwards, or to the left. I cna write like that, but it gets tiresome, so them somewhere down the page, it starts slanting to the right, and then gets sloppy.

you gno, I can only remember one of my thoid grade teachers, Mrs Womack...the first one was predicate, and left after only a month or so...I had Mrs Mullinix for 4th grade, in one of the shacks. I think there were two of them. In the winter, the gas heaters they had in the shack would put a slacker like me plumb to sleep. I'm surprised I ever got out of the 4th grade. It caught up with me and almost made a career out of the 6th grade. I hope thats not held against me. I gno it is enscounced in my "permanent history file"...

The looks I'd get going on job interviews when they reviewed my "permanent history file"...they would read some, and then look up at me with disbelief in their eyes and consternation on their faces. "we are talking about you here right"??? they would say...I wasnt sure how to answer that, no matter what I said, it would be wrong. I just grinned at em and tried to flash my baby blues at em, hopin I could charm em...you know something, I didnt know what "charming someone was" back then. I'd heard the phrase, "he's certainly charming isnt he",(of course they werent talkin about me)  and I did not know what that meant, but it sounded like it was a good thing. I learned there were two kinds of charming, "sincere, and cunning" charming.

I guess thats why I am a lousy salesman, on anything. I can not tell a lie..oh, not the same as embellishing a story, a lie is, well you know what a lie is. I sold Igloo coolers at Igloo on Beltway 8 and I-10 in the summer of 71 methinks. Lasted only 3 months. Had to make cold calls to the Fish and Bait camps and sporting goods stores in Louisiana. Of course I learned back then, that everyone wanted something for nothing. "what could I do for them" . If they bought a boxcar load of coolers, or the more you bought, the more of a price drop, plus you got all sorts of free stuff. One of the worst jobs as far as stress. I was still very very, painfully shy, and trying to get someone to actually BUY something from me...whoa! ! !

I remember in cub scouts, our den mother, gave each of us a book of tickets for the boy scout jamboree down at the colisium. They were only .50 cents each, which back then would buy a decent breakfast lunch or dinner. I was so scared to actually go ask ANYONE to buy a ticket. I bought one with a silver half dollar I had saved, so I wouldnt look so bad when I turned em back in. Thinking back that far, and the fear and stress I went through, makes my stomach churn today. But today, I'm not so shy anymore. In fact, you give me a chance, and I'll talk you to sleep, or to tears.

People I've met in the supermarket that have met me before, run when they see me coming...your frozen food will thaw if I start talking to you...exact opposite of my youte..."oh come all ye faithful..." such a beautiful song isnt it...Perry Como is singing it now...Nat "king" Cole sang it earlier, as well as Bing Crosby...

You see how I am? I just got on the forum, to check and see if an entry was made about Linda, and you get yakety fingers...well, I will sign off for now and check back later, and promise to be brief....yeah right ! ! !

Your frien and yakety brother...O B WANN KANOBIE...

Teddie Jordan

Rough day and night Wed., better this morning.

Suzy Jones '66

Teddie and Fran and Linda you are surrounded with love and strength and prayers.

Jan Barnes '65 (Nimtz)

Beau... I am the one looking through the window at the rear of the Grand Hotel carriage.  Wish I could have taken the reins though.  They do allow you to drive a smaller 'buggy' (for a price) on the Island, but we chose to walk and rent bikes instead as my husband is horse-shy.

Please keep me posted on your neighbor Bob Darden.  I was sorry to hear of his accident.  Hope he's doing much better.

Beau Wann, Jr.

Hey Jan, I didnt even see anyone in the coach, and sure nuff, there you are...Horses are good luck...unless you get thrown from one and or stomped by one, but other than that, their good luck...

Bob is doing better! He has been moved to rehab behind Northwest Hospital. His Daughter Shelly came in last week, and Byron will be here today. I dont envy them, they are going to have to deal with a huge house and its contents, and  a huge 40 plus foot motor coach parked in the driveway, plus all the usual stuff. I guess we may wind up with the little ankle biter. He is cute sorta, but not a real dog. COOPER IS A REAL DOG. and a half. but still dumber than dirt. Right now, cooper is standing outside looking in the window and barking at me...not your usual bark, more like a WOOOOOOF...and then a grin, then another WOOOOOF...that ol boy is retarded! ! ! What in the heck is the matter with this stupid thing???? it wont line feed...AH HATE MACHINES ! ! !                                         oK, it's driving me krazy...bye

Jan Barnes '65 (Nimtz)

Thanks for the info, Beau.  Please keep me posted on Bob's progress.

And how thrilled we all are of Linda's progress yesterday!  I hope she is in her own room by now and will continue to progress favorably during her post-op period.  She was indeed blessed with a priceless Christmas gift.  We continue to pray for her and her donor's family.