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Susan Howard (Bowman)

Teddie Jordan

Amen Susan. It also is a perfect time to go to the excellent Military Salute section of the website and honor those of our classmates who have served, living and passed on, for their unselfish service to our country.

Terry Jones (Gallemore)

Beau, think of it this way - we can write SECRET CODE in cursive because the young people will never figure it out!  Only us GEEZERS will know the code!   Lol

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Yes, thank you verterans one and all for your service and sacrifices.  I myself...(ever wonder why people say "I myself"?  it's rather redundant isnt it? ).  Me myself and I served proudly in the revolution and the civil war, so that's three of us serving 6 times....wow...a mind is a terrible think!  Every male in my immediate family, now non existent, served in WWII, except my dad, and of course me, not having been born yet. But isnt it funny that when I was born, the war ended!  Kinda kreepy isnt it...just saying !

    Onliest (east texas for only) reason my dad didnt serve, was he was 100% blind in one eye, however, they did call him up in late 44 or early 45. He and mom put all their things in storage, my grandads garage, and went to the train station to ship out to bootcamp.  When the sargent didnt call hiss name, he went forward to ask, and the sarge looked at his clip board and said his name wasnt there and to go home and wait further orders, so he did.  

    By the end of the war, they were getting mighty desparate for men for them to start calling up blind cripples and crazies.  I wondered if my dad was scared, going into combat with only one  good eye.....Nah, not my dad, he wasnt afraid of anything. 

(on a side note, did you know the armed services turned down about 7 million guys as unfit to serve) My math may be a tad off, but methinks thats what I read. 

      Never ever saw him flinch or hollar with pain or back down from anything. Oh, there was this one time when he thought he was going to fix the 1953 RCA black and white TV.  He didnt unplug it, but did turn it off. So, he took the pegboard back off, and got to roaming around with his big ol hands, and grabbed the back of the CRT, cathode ray tube aka picture tube, and commenced to hollaring to UNPLUG IT, UNPLUG IT.

    Well, unplugging it did no good, because it seems that he grabbed the part where a capacitor was that holds 20,000 volts, whether it was turned on or off, or plugged in,  and it discharged in him.  He never worked on our TVs everagain. Always called  the repairman from that day forward.  I watched them work on it, and he laid a screwdriver across the volatile points to discharge the capacitor, boy did it ever arch a spark.  I didnt understand it then, but as I went through the service and a zillion electronic and electricity schools, I got it !

    Remember the TUBE checking machines at 7elevens?  They even carried spare tubes you could buy to replace the old broken ones!  Or ever go into a TV repair shop, and it was like an electronic plant exploded inside, TVs everywhere, tubes, capacitors, resistors, speakers empty cabinets, with their guts spilled out across the room...wow, a little kids paradise.  Wouldnt have known what to do with any of that good ol stuff, but it was sure fun to look at and touch.

     Hey Terry, yeah, that's the ticket, a secret code for all us old geezers. In fact, when a brat comes up to the concession stand, and cant write in cursive, they cant have a hotdog or anything unless accompanied by an old geezer that knows the secret code, yeah, that's the ticket !   AND HEY, how about a secret decoder ring ????  Yeah, like the one I had when I was about 10 maybe!  It was a CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT decoder ring you could get from Ovaltine.

   Oh man, that ring was so cool. At the end of a CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT episode, they would give out a bunch of letters to highlight next weeks episode, seemingly not making sense but au contraire mon ami!  Those of us SPECIAL kids with a secret decoder ring could decypher that gibberish and be prepared for the next episode of...CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT....thats about the onliest (east texas for only) time I watched TV, on a rainy saturday morning.

   Ok, gotta send my beloved off to Bellaire for a BETA ETA meeting. So I'll be bachin it for today.  Not to worry, I've got enough work to last till the year 2525...now, there was a song I hated back in the day, and still hate it when they conjure  it up on some silly old station.

   Keep the sun at your six and ride boldly ride..
your frien and silly old nut...CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT.....(Hear the echo from the announcers voice?)   

Jan Barnes '65 (Nimtz)

Teddie Jordan

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Gobble, gobble, gobble, and therefore we will.

Wayne Lake

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Turkeys out there!  

I feel very lucky in life and have so many things to be thankful of, especially my family and friends of many years. I am not going to name names in order to protect the innocent, but several are those I have known since high school. Sometimes I poke fun but in this case, I am being very frank.

Be well and stay safe my friends,

wtl, from Aransas Pass TX 

Pat Brantley (Ross)

drive safely.  Remember not everyone on the road took driver's Ed at waltrip.  Hope everyone has a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving.  

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Hello myne fyne waltripynes !  Been away awhile!  I've tried getting on here, but just couldnt do it.  I've sorta been distracted by pain and depression.  The pain is is of course from our old friends ' arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis and good ol sis PMR'...and the fracture in my back from 2 years ago....It is debilitating, mind numbing and and and...see, cant concentrate, or keep a good thought in my head, empty head...and of course it all begats depression, and that begats desperation, which begats depression adfinitum....I hurt, I get angry, I get depressed, and get to where I just want to be alone, and that's not good at all.......alone is the worst thing one should be.....SEE,  I didnt want to get on here and type the above, but it's what's been ruling my life for for ever seems like.

    Doc Holiday has doubled my pain meds, whoopy!  I've quit taking them, because they cause other problems, in addition to MORE depression. My resident physician/pharmacist, St Diane, has been scrambling to concoct meals and vitamins and herbs that willl help control the pain. I supppppose it's pscychosymatic, now, that isnt spelled correctly is it....oh well, the food and herbs sound good, and can make one feel good, if one thinks that it is working, which ONE does not !  

     Doc H even referred us to a rhumatologist/pain specialist, which quit taking our insurance, and havent found another one yet.

    I've not been easy to live with, giving way to bouts of anger and just mind spinning out of control. Sort of like like like a;dkjfio winvwenvwpvoi!@#$%^&*()  sort of like that, only more worser!  it's taken me some time to just type all of the above.   I wonder if the next hell will be as bad as this one....I've tried reading, reading anything, but my mind says "nope, not gonna let you concentrate on this or anything else. Spend most of the day outside, at least there's that, working on this project or that project...slowly, veery slowly...Then at night St Diane packs me in hot rice socks...then comes morning, after a long slow rollar coaster night, and then packed in hot rice socks by daybreak.....again...hmmn, with all the rice socks, I feel like the main course at a chinese dinner...one where they beat on you with hammers and stuff....

    All of the above coupled with my further loss of hearing...well, it isnt good. Went to the ear doc, and they tested me ears fro stuff, like they are want to do. When the tests were done, and I somehow feel cheated becaause it was a pop quiz and wasnt given the oportunity to study, good ol doc earbone came in and just handed me a book on sign language!  Himmm, not a good sign atoll! Seems I've lost 50% more hearing, or maybe I'm down to 50, who knows, the Doc wouldnt talk loud enough for me to hear him. Had to go through my interpreter St Diane to figger out what's what.....

     Gonna get gnu ears tomorrow. Got gnu Iphones because there is an app that allows me to control the earthingies from me phone. I traded in my Samsung for an I phone, and I hate it. The I phone in my opinion is the worst phone in the whirld, but that's another story !   Oh the humanity ! ! ! ! !

   Ok, maybe I'll do the weather...yeah, that's the ticket.  "a cold wind has  been howling up here on wolverton mountain! Temperature says it is 54, but sure seems colder than taht.  We've been in need of rain, but not much has been forthcoming. Luckily, our dews up here are almost worth a quarter of an inch of rain!  Plenty of sunshine, and clouds when one wants either ! Sunrises and sunsets have been good...of course it's always good to see both of those, as many times as you can, at least one would think so, wouldnt one...

     Both dogs, fric and frac are asleep on the love couch behind me...both are  snoring and now one of them is are is tootin...ok, gotta vacate the premisis for....turning on the ceilign fan...whew...need to change their diet to lavender and vanilla beans...whooie...man, they musta taken down a bull moose, and a couple of bull frongs for supper...now they're both running in their sleep...cant blame em for that, I would run too, and did from their oderiferousness selves....

     I've been trying to build a walkway out of flagstone, but not having much luck. I'ts like putting the pieces of a buzzle together. The pieces youve schosen look good, until you find a piece that fits even more better....hmmmm maybe I should be  building  a stairway to heaven....sounds like a good title for a songggg.  I've hung one sheet of pegboard for me new garage, got 4 more to go....that's been a many month long project. I'm gonna do it, but then something else rears it's ugly head...like thanksgiving!

     We were'nt going to have Tday here this year, just meet a lubys at Blackhorse, but as they say....hmmmm, what is it exactyly do thye say? Oh bother, and never mind.  Wound up having it here on sam wann hill.  Lucy, our grandaughter, was suppose to go to Dallas for the weekend, but called and said she did not want to be with strangers,, could she please come out to our house for Tday....Well duh!  Of course you can....There isnt anything I would not do for her....Her dad just died a month ago, and she's still reeling from that....

     There was only 7 of us , but seemed like more,. The food was a disaster !   St Diane of course didnt think so. Both turkeys were not good. Bought a regular small turkey which when cooked, turned out to be dry and and yuky. The smoked turkey turned out to be yuky also too, because it was mislabled...it was a CAJUN turkey....The ham was semi-edible...everything else was ok, sorta, but the turkeys soured my opinion of dinner.   

     Well we got through it ok, lots of work before and after.  Lots of hugs and kisses from Lucy, which made it all ok....hells bells, lots of hugs and kisses from Lucy would make walking through hell a picnic. Wish I  could get her to move in with us, that would help solve the pain and depression problem,. But no, she's enrolled in Med school at UT Galveston. I could teach her all I know about medicine, that should be enough learnin for anyone!  You know, "the hip bone connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone connected to the leg bone, the leg bone connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone connected to the foot bone, and the foot bone stuck in the mouth bone, most of the time...and here's the working of the Lord...."  or something like that...

    I know others hurt, and suffer from life threatening illnesses, and for that I feel bad for feeling bad. I, of course like others, wish everyone good and better health. So forgive my ramblings of pain and stuff, which being the good folks that you are, I know you will.  

     Ok, time to take "stinky and winky" out, so try to have a blessed day, and so will I...
keep the sun at your six and endeavor to persevere...
Your frien and resident idjit,,,,....sir hurtsalot...

Post Script: great gnus from John Adams...  

Beau Wann, Jr.

     See there, I feel so much better now that I've had a sitdown chat with all myne friends, thank you so much for being there.

You know what just happened? No, not a 20 inch snowfall? Guess again !  Oh, I'll go ahead and tell you...A mock "blue norther" ! ! !   Yeah ! ! !  For those of you that have never been in a "blue norther", it's a line in the sky, of bluish clouds under clouds, being pushed by a really strong arctic north wind, looks like an upside down tsunami ! The one that just came in wasnt as cold or as strong as a real "blue norther" but looked much the same!

     Last and onliest (east texas for only) real blue norther I witnessed was in the winter of '67. I was home on leave, and was visiting my dads job on Bulverde mountain. they were building a microwave tower and I suppose It was for LBJ to have communications from the Pedernales to DC, ah reckon.  Anyway, we, me and my dad and his workers were doing whatever they were suppose to be doing, my dad on the dragline/crane, because the operator didnt show up, too cold. 

      As I was watching the goings on, all of a sudden my dad jumped off the crane, and started hollaring to the workers and pointing to the sky northwest, so  all, me and my dad and all the workers, started running for their vehicles. I didnt know why at the time, but everyone was running, so I, Beaulemming ran as well.  Well, not as well, never could run very good anyhow, so I ran TOO, if you will, and even if you wont!    When I got to my dads truck, I gave the universal sign for "WHAT?", You know, the shrug of the shoulders with your arms out and palms up ! !   Dad grabbed his heavier coat, and pointed to the northwest and the sky, and there she was, good ol "Blue norther".

     An upside down tsunami, line of bluish clouds barreling down on us "faster than a speeding bullet".  Fortunately for me, I had brought along my Navy issue "pea coat". Just as I was getting my arms through the sleeves, a blast of arctic air and wind hit me like a....a....blast of arctic air and wind.  Temperature dropped below freezing in just a matter of seconds.  Wow, it was swell and bad, all in one fell swoop! Wind so strong, bout knocked me offen me feet. I weighed all of 125 pounds soaking wet. With my peacoat, I probably weighed 135. That peacoat was and is very heavy. I still have that coat.

      When issued to me, back in the late summer of '65, it was a size 38 and swallowed me up. I thought, to my self, I thought, "man why do they issue things the wrong sized", but by the end of the 1st day of bootcamp, finally learned to KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT ! ! !   I sure wish they would have issued a larger one now, because now, I wear a  size 48 !  Who gnu?

       Winter of '67 turned out to be very cold and icy. I have a picture of me in front of the fountain in the town square in New Braunfels with the water frozen into icecicles.  Side walks were treacherously frozen over with ice. I even slipped on one and slid into next week. Banged me all up, but being in my youte, no worse for wear!  If it had been today, I would be in ICU for a fortnight or three! 

     Well, todays mock blue norther was nothing liek the one in the winter of '67 when I was young....yesterday when I was young....well anyway, todays event triggered a plethora of memories...Just thought I'd share it with all yall, all yall being the kind and terrific friends of today and me youte.

    I'll sign off for now...your frien, ol blue...

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Hey BroBeau,

So so so sorry for your pain; wish I could make it all better.  While I was looking for Christmas graphics for website, I came across this one and immediately thought of you.  Hope it brings a smile.  So you gotta keep on cruising and I'll keep on dancing!  Stay warm --- Hugs

Teddie Jordan

Cephus, good to hear from you. I knew something must be going on to not hear from you in over two weeks. 

You just keep on keeping on old friend!

And Howard Cannon, glad you joined us at the last get together at Goode's and on the website,  and I look forward to getting to talk to you more at the next one. 

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Thanks sisJackie and bro Teddy...Just have to stay focused on the website. It is so theraputic for me, especially to be able to vent about my stuff, and have yall understand.  jackie, you and this website are priceless...thank you so much, and thanks to you and Teddy et al for being understanding friends.  The pain is bad enough, but then I withdraw from the whirld, and that just makes it so much worse. It's like a supernova, collapsing in on itself. Well, I'm not perzactly a supernova, but you get the idear.   After having vented, I do feel so much better, strangely enough, pain and all!  

     So, I will  try to just ignore it and keep on getting on the forum, thank you all again! 

I'm suppose to get new hearing aids tomorrow, and they make an app for your phone so you can control stuff and settings. I guess settings is stuff enough ok!  Anyway the earbone doctor said that i needed and I phone, so our time to  get new phones just happened to come due last week, so we got two new Iphones....oh my goodness....that phone is the devils nightmare.  We tried to work with them for a week, night and day, and it just did not work out.  Iphone is too propriatary and exclusionary. Maybe if we hadnt had Androids first, we might have just toughed it out. 

     Samsung Androids are so user friendly, and not so exclusionary of other programs and such. Today we took the devils instruments back to ATT and got new Samsung 7s. The difference is night and day in operating them. Even St Diane was having trouble with the Iphone, and was glad to go back to samsung.   I cant imagine anyone wanting to camp out over night, or a week outside just to be first in line to get a new Iphone. Something seriously wrong with em that's for sure.

     Costco says that the app will work on Iphone and Android !  The earbonehead doctor didnt mention that. Well, we will see what we will see. 

     Havent found anyone yet that wants to buy the Hummer, but have hopes of selling it someday. Already had to put 2 thousand dollars into it to get things fixed so it would be attractive enough to sell!   Rick left it to me, and I hate saying it, but he did me no favors...bless him and rest his soul !  If I had a list of vehicles to buy, or to own, that one wouldnt even make the list. It is just so big and stuff, mostly and stuff! Methinks I will advertise in an Austin newspaper, because the hummer is BURNT ORANGE, just like the horns...oorah...no, that's "hook em horns"...

     Ok, Wayne TL and Jimmy H and I and St Diane have been talking over having a Waltrip reunion softball game up here on psycho hill.  You dont have to play ball, just show up and eat and drink and be merry. We have lots of parking, providing it doesnt rain. Of course if you get stuck, and we still have the hummer, it is 4wheel drive, so I can pull you out. Even if the hummer is gone, my truck and tractor are both 4wheel drive, and there is a wrecker service across the highway.

    Wayne has made up a spread sheet for things we need, tables and chairs, food and drink, ice and other stuff, but I already have the tables and chairs available, about 10 or 15 tables and dozens of chairs. but if you have a lawn chair, you can bring that. Plus folks can bring their favorite dishes and share with other folks.  We have a huge smoker and a propane BBQ pit, and plenty of propane and wood.  A popcorn machine, and hotdogs are rather inexpensive, mustard and relish etc. I have the music already available, plus a 1200 square foot daince (east texas for dance) hall with a slicky floor.   It would be so much fun! We can start as early as anyone wants to get to the hill.

     My day generally starts around 4 AM whether I want to get up or not. I'm not encouraging anyone to show up at 4 AM, just saying!   But for the early boids that want to come early so they can leave early, we could set a time of say 10 AM.  Plus we could put up a couple of couples should they want to spend the eenin. there are a plethora of nice hotels/motels withing 10 minutes of here, plus the Ant Street Bed and Breakfast in downtown Brenham.  I will further break down the amenities we will have and need. Wayne has sure done his homework, and put a lot of thought and work in the reunion softball game.

     And once again, no game needs to be played, but we have the option to play, or at least throw the ball around. Got 5 gloves, one left handed, 4 balls and two bats, and a partridge in a pear tree.

    Well yall think about it, and thisnk about a good date. I'm thinking about Feb or March, because we dont want it to interfere with the "Spring Fling" . Most weekends are good with us between the first of the year and the spring fling, so y all be thinking about it ya heah !

    Ok, St Diane is almost home from Choir, so I'm going down to meet her at the gate.

Thanks again Teddy and Jackie and all yall that may have thought about me. It helps alot.
your frien and psycho blue norther...Obeauwannkanobie 

Teddie Jordan

Beaucephus, you and your bride just pick a date for the Spring ballgame that fits y'all and we'll be there. And when we get closer, or now, put Wayne's list on here and we will all sign up for something on it to bring.

Beau Wann, Jr.

     "Hey TJ, come to the front, TJ come to the front. I need all sackers and stockers to the front..."
Will do Teddy, as soon as St Diane heps me sort it out, we will post it.

      Beautiful sunrise early this morning....well duh, when else does sunrise, but early?   Well, sunset could be a sunrise in reverse eh !  Anyway, it was bright, and any sunrise you can witness is a good thing.  It was cold up here on the hill, 34 gredees, as the crow flies.  Had a heavy frost !  The big kids, Dixie Belle and Jack, were just romping around playing chase and tag. The little kids, Lacy, Sammy and Annie Bob snuggled further down in the down if you will, and even if you wont ! 

      Thanks again for being there for me.  Pain and depression begat one another, and the best medicine is talking and listening.  So, if you suffer from it like I do, dont stay silent ! ! !! !! !   Talk on the forum, or find someone to listen and respond with positive feedback. You dont have to be a trained anything to provide therapy to someone, just a kind and nonjudgemental tolerant heart ! ! ! Those that want to be cured, or helped, will be. those that dont, wont be.

     Ok, gonna look at the calendar and see what a good saturday would be good for a good game of good catch, fun and frivolity ! ! !    I know one thing left off the list,  PEANUTS....yeah, thats the ticket. Thats something most folks enjoy and can just discard the shells in the grass, or garage, on the ball field etc...Yeah, I'm gonna check into where a good place to buy 400 pounds of peanuts.  

      Oh man, this is gonna be so great, and we can put on a show, a play..."old folks revisited"....I'll get some hay hey and have hay rides hey!

Ok, time to start getting ready for the earbone doctor and get my new hearing aids!  Yall embrace one another, if not physically, mentally! 
keep the sun at your six and ride boldly ride while endeavoring to persevere...
your frien and resident psycho nut job,  Beauregard Cephus T Magillicutty esq 

Teddie Jordan

Put us down for the peanuts, we will bring plenty for everyone.

We feed raw peanuts every morning year around to our many blue jays, woodpeckers and squirrels. Almost all of our resident wood peckers and jays have migrated already. But we've now got jays that found us on their journey south and think they found heaven, so they are still here feeding daily. Blue jays are cool and boisterous birds and we enjoy them. 

We'll bring some raw, some roasted, some salted and unsalted. Peanuts and baseball, add some apple pie and it doesn't get any more American! Talk about a field of dreams, think about one covered in blue bonnets. Love your idea Cephus and Diane.

Frank Lynn

Beau,

Deal me in! Let me know what I can do to help.

Frank

Richard Meek '65

Greetings all, it's been a while since I've posted anything. It's good to be back amonst you. I'm sure we are unanimous on that. For those of you who have not seen Cooper's Field it is a thing of beauty! It is ideal for people of our age group or little people. You don't have far to run or walk on the bases or in the field. With the exception of the left fielder. It is 1250 feet down the left field line. Whoever goes to retrieve a ball down there may be gone over night. Being the good organizer that he is /beau will be prepared. He plans to hand the unlucky person that is playing left field a small back pack with food and water when they start after the ball. For those who request it he will provide a flask of Rebecca Creek Texas Bourbon. So start stretching now and take your analgesic balm with you. There will no doubt be high levels of jocularity that will increase along with the beer consumption.

Stay Calm and Carry  On,

Rich

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Hey Teddy and Frank and Richard the lion heart !    Thanks for all the offers of help, muchcly appreciated.  Thanks for just being there! Yall are all just the best, but then again, I dont need to tell yall that....but what the heck, I am...YALL ARE JUST THE BEST.

     I'm looking for Waynes whirld spreadsheet on the reunion ballgame....it's around here somewhere. But in the meantime, I will try to recollectify what Wayne said about it.  So here goes nuttin honey...

     Oh man, popcorn and peanuts and crackerjacks...I dont care if we ever get baaaaaaccckkkk....Yes, there will be an abundance of popcorn, got a "Garden Oaks theater popcorn popper" on order. And if Teddy can bring in about a bushel or 3 of the tasty legumes...peanuts are in the legume fambly arent they?  Well, if not, they are now....  And isnt it ironic, those three thingss P P & CJ, I can no longer eat. But I can sure smell them, and enjoy watching others enjoying them. If you're happy, I'm happy !   

     We have two very large igloo coolers. each one holds 10 cases of beah and ice.  Also have access to a couple of more.  Have 10 or 15 six foot folding tables, and a couple dozen folding chairs, plus all the outdoor patio furniture we have strewn over 7 acres.  Got a fridge and freezer in the daince (east texas for dance) hall.   Plus, ifin yall wanted to bring your own chairs, feel free.

    Oh, ice wont be a problem, Buccees has 20 pound bags O ice for 98 cents a per a bag. The Exxon station on the way here, just before you descend into the beautiful Brazos Valley,  has 20 pounds for a dollar!  Walmart doesnt even sell it for that low price, not that I shop at Walmart, but they dont, so there.   We could designate 20 or more folks to stop and buy one bag O ice apiece. One thin dollar wouldnt be to much of an expense would it!      If you bought it at buccees, that would give you a  chancee to shop for other stuff for yourself at buccees. Buccees is about 15 or 20 minutes from sam wann hill.

     Got plenty of music. Music system powered by  two Pioneer systems. Any kind of music you might want, except the kinds I dont like.  

     We also have several, three or four urns for tea and lemonade. I make great tea and lemonade. Plenty of bottled water. I get it by the case for 2.48. Plus we have well water, well ! ! !     Now, just because I have all this stuff, doesnt mean anyone cant bring some of the same. And, once again, if a person wanted to just bring one case of water for 2.48, that would be fine. You can always take the excess home, and water is always useful.   See, I did listen in Mr Clausens science class.

     Folks could bring potato salad and or cole slaw.  Pork and beans is are am very good.  I still have a  couple of the large cans of pork and beans left over from our last shindig, hoedown, shivaree...hootnanny!  Whens the last time you hoid that woid, "hootnanny"? 

     I know where we can rent two porta cans for reasonable price... They call em a "weekend rental" for 300 dollars for the both of em, a boy one, and a girl one. They fetch em both directions. I have saved enough pennies in my piggy bank to cover the cost of those bad boys and girls and will do so gladly and cheerfully.

     Richard is right, left field is about a quarter mile deep. Should one of you old codgers hit one down to the crick, you can just take the hummer and fetch it up, if we dont get it sold between then and now! 

     We even have a swimming pool....well, it's a kiddie pool, for our kids, Dixie Belle and Jack. Plus we collect rainwater and dew off our metal roof so we can water the garden. But, Dixie Belle and jack wouldnt mind ifin yall wanted to use it.   We could turn it into a hot tub by heating water in a big caldron. Yeah, that's the ticket, a big caldron!  Bubble bubble boil and trouble, get to the game and on the double....

     Oh, I forgot about the Meat....hmmm, we have several frozen briskets, and hamburger meat and carnitas (pork for pulled pork samiches) . We need hotdogs and buns, hamburger and hotdog buns, paper plates and disposeable civil ware.  Oh, napkins...well, us guy guys, us menfolk can just use our sleeves for napkins !

     Have I left anything out?  Oh, soft drinks ie cokes, pepsi, Dr Pepper, 7up etc. I guess folks can bring a liter or two, or a sixpack of their favorite softdrink, plus we will have tea and lemonade. 

    OH, WINE ! ! ! ! !   We have wine, and I think a bottle or two of sangria, I dont drink the stuff, but folks could b ring their favorite wine, and maybe could share with others.

     Hmmmm, I guess we are going to have to instigate a SIGNUP SHEET so we dont have a 55 gallon drum of beans and a teaspoon of potato salad and one coke.  Now where in the heck did I put that spread sheet that Wayne sent ?  

Ok, guess I'll go fer now. If any or all yall have any idears, jump right in there and share em with us!

your frien and party planner,  Olbeauwannkanobie   

Beau Wann, Jr.

    OH HEY, I forgot to mention, I GOT MY NEW EARS YESTERDAY, AND THEY ARE FANTASTIC. I can now here the blinker on my truck, my hands sliding along the steering wheel, and the rooster across the valley on the next ridge. Diane has been telling me that she hears that ol rooster from time to time, but I've never heard it before today.  I can hear people talking and now can hear the little birds around us. Only drawback, is when I take em off at night, I'm back in the box with the whirld outside mumbling. But that's ok, I'll take what I can get when I can get it !  

     It's so nice to beable to hear again! Thesee ears are so much better than the ones I got 6 years ago. I highly recommend em.

     Ok, I'm tired, been up since 1:30 AM, so going to try to sleep some, if I can.  All the critters are asleep and snoring, maybe I  can!

    Raining lightly here, we need the rain, but hope it just stays lightly. The rye and winter peas are flourishing and with this rain, will really grow.

     So, keep the sun at your six and reide boldly ride...

your frien and silly ol resident nut...Beau Cephus T Magillicutty....esq

Kay Watters '65 (Greene)

O.k.don't keep the secret to yourself....what brand of earplugs.  I have no tricks for arthritis, wish I did.  Seems like my body is slowing up a bit.  Stange when I first retired I was tripping lightly down the road in the mornings. Now I'm not inclined to do this so much.  I stay in my own yard and down my road.I was so jublilant about being able to stay home all day 4 yrs ago. 

Well, we have just had 3" of rain today, I impulsively bought some pain at Walmart and am painting the back room, 1 wall I might add.  Passed the day well, but a lot of work...lol.

Excited to hear all is well on the forum, and the ball game this Spring will be a winner!  Beau, you can even preach some to us....in a couple of months I will be wishing for Spring.  Everyday is pretty much the same here in old Anderson....sometimes I long for city times and conveniences, then I remind myself of the safety and quiet and the insect and animal world around me, and say....nahhhh wouldn't give anything to be back in the traffic and commotion of yesteryear.  Hard to believe I've been here 21 yrs.  Also hard to believe we are all getting older.  (Pssst...I shouldn't say this, my friends shush me up when I say this)  Oh, I bought a Jitterbug phone, haven't tried it yet, does anyone have one.

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Hey Kay....great to hear from you. My earrings are from costco in Katy. They really tested my ears and back again.  Tested them some more and the earrings when I went to pick them up. They are almost self adjusting. Seems I didnt need an I phone, my samsung 7 does just nicely, thank you very much!

     Seems the major problem with me ears is that things were almost loud enough, so to speak, but still couldnt make out the woids. These HAs help fix that problem.  They were almost 2k $, but my great insurance com has reimbursed me for them. My older ones from 6 years agi were more expensive, but were not near as good. Amazing how technology has advanced in HAs from 6 years ago.

     Hard to believe that we've only been out here 2 years, and feel like it's been forever. I wouldnt even consider moving back to Houston or a large city, at least not without a fight.  Onliest (east texas for only) problem is, I'm too old to keep doing the things I do out here, ie fence building, boulder moving, stone walk making etc. But I still do that sort of stuff.  No one else around to do it for me, so I'm elected. 

     For all youse youtes that live in Houston, your wonderful new mayor Sylvester Pinochio Turncoat, has come up with a plan to keep funding the city employees pension fund....pass a bond paid for by taxpayers by....HOW?
By DOUBLING YOUR PROPERTY TAXES....

      Yes, it's already in the works, and only the council gets to vote  on it, it doesnt have to be on a ballot for the taxpayers to vote on it.  Aint politicians wonderful.  Wonder what they are going to do when they run out of that money, why, raise more taxes of course. Theyve never heard of
STOP SPENDING on things like the city hall tree, all the stupid parades, and perks for the law breaking citizens that are not US citizens, the trips for the mayor and city council and other things they waste money on for them and not for the citizens.

     So, I expect a mass exodus from houston. I hope they go north or east and not west unless it's to Austin or San Antonio or El Paso or maybe even California, yeah, that's the ticket. So, keep a watchful eye on the political aspects and taxes of Houston, and try to sell before they enact the new idjit plan.

     Ok, you've been warned, or alerted...

     We've had 6 inches of wet since early saturday morn.  Onliest )east texas for only( good thing about it is it will be easier to dig fence post holes now, yeaaaaa!  And plant trees, should I have the need to do that also too.

    Winder (east texas for window) folks are here replacing our DOUBLE GLAZED (british for double pane windows) window. Seems they lose their seal somehow, and the silver nitrate striates between the panes and it also fogs between the panes. We've already had 4 replaced, now about 7 or 8 more. Should I ever build a house again, and shoot me if you hear that I am, I wont use this window company!  Oh, they are nice enough, and replaced the first 4 for nada in the first year, but now that it's 2 years, they will replace the winders for free, except for labor.

    Well. I will sign off for now, and endeavor to persevere, but I warn you, I shall return ! ! !
Your frien and resident psycho....olbeauwannkanobie...

Kay Watters '65 (Greene)

Thanks, Beau, sounds like my ear problem, will look into it.  Seems as though retirement is just a myth, I'm busier than ever out here and have five things, I spend my time on as well inside the house.  Will get out of the house today, (did I really need to tear up the house and start a painting project???)  as weather is clearing up, although frigid return of temps will settle in Thurs.

Beau Wann, Jr.

     Kay, sounds like we have the same retardment plan. Seems the busier we are, the less we get accomplished.  Yeah, I know about starting new projects that involve tearing up the house, and getting sucked into the "VORTEX OF SEQUENCES".  Why just a couple of months or so ago, I got the brilliant idear to tear our king size sleigh bed down and give it away, and maybe buy one of those slicky up and down beds with sleep numbers, so we tore the bed down and put it on the back porch. Now, you have to remember our porches are 12 ft deep and 55 ft long, so plenty of room to put stuff.

     We liked the bed, but with the head board and foot board, were just too big!  So, tore it down, and then decided whilst we look for another bed, I'd tear down the bed in one of the guest rooms, a queen size bed, and put it in the master, and use it.  So, we did just that, entered the twilight zone and vortex of sequences !

  The QS bed has more parts to it than the KS bed, so it took most of the morning to giterdone, and we had to giterdone, because we would have no place to lay, except on the couch, and love couch, but since those two spots would most assuredly be occupodo with a critter or three.  So that option was out. Onliest (east texas for only) other option was the 200 year old arn bed in the pink room.

     It really is about 200 years old!  Diane bought it before we met, and it was fine for her, her being barely 5 ft tall and 80 pounds.  In fact it was the bed we used in the first couple of years of our marriage, and seemed adequate enough, of course we had only one cat that didnt take up too much room, because generally she was attached to me like a velcro kitty.  200 years ago, the people must all have been about 5 ft nothing tall and about 100 pounds. Anyway, that bed is out because it seems to havee shrunk some, as beds are want to do.

     So we tore down the QS mattress mack bed in the green room (diane has named each room by it's color) and moved it to the blue room (master suite) and rebuilt it.  It has so many screws, I had to get my spare battery for my cordless drill to finish the job.  Voila, thar she is, finished.  I really felt good about our project, to the point of being just a little smug. That was all shattered in about megaparsec when I bashed both knees on the two corners of the foot board. I had forgotten about it being a knee and shin assassin. It's one of those beds with drawers in the footboard, which is a pretty good idear as long as you dont walk anywhere near it and try to use the drawers, or the bed.

     All of the aforementioned activities also require  asking God for forgiveness for the unauthorized language of martian swear woids being shouted aloud. Even made up some gnu woids which I wont repeat hear. How you like that play on woids?

     Moving right along into the vortex of sequences, we gave the mattress mack bed a try for a few weeks, but it was just too small for two dogs and three cats, and that was without us in bed. Like I said, we tried it for a couple of weeks and decided that it was not right, and seeing as how we had not come to a decision on just which bed to buy, we/I decided to tear the mattress mack bed down, yet again and put it back into the green room, which took more time and another drill battery,  and retreive the old KS bed sans the headboard and footboard, and just set the mattress annd box springs on the floor till we could make up our dingbat minds. 

      Now, the KS mattress and box springs alone, are about 2 and a half foot tall, without the frame, so that seemed to work out ok.  It wasnt too low, but could have used just a little more heighth.  Now comes the fun part. "You know sweety, I think I can make a bed frame out of 2X6 lumber, then just paint it white and set the box springs and mattress on top and it's 6 inches taller, just right ! We just might not have to buy another bed after all." 

     "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Home depot I go..."  Got all the lumber and hardware I kneaded, set it on the floor of my man cave and marveled at it everytime I walked by it.  "Man, this is going to be great", I must have said to myself for a couple of weeks as I looked lovingly at my new unstarted project. Well, I did get all the materials I kneaaded, and that's a big step, at least for me it is.  

     After a few sweet nudgings from my sweet wife about getting started on project number eleventy seven, "HEY, MR CARPENTER, WHEN YOU GONNA FIX OUR BED?" or woids to that effect.  Starting a project is the hardest thing, especially if you dont really have a plan, like I really dont have.  So, me, Frank Lloyd Wrong, get to cyphering and finally come up with a plan, and spring into action with saw and screw gun, can of paint and paint brush, and with the help of the forgiveness of the Lord, I giterdone. I even painted it before I put it together. And, and,, I didnt put it together until I put all the pieces in the spot it was suppose to go, allowing that it would weigh about as much as a sherman tank once it was assembled.

    So, after using a lot of martian swear words, and "forgive me lord", I get it assembled and with the help of my beloved, set the box springs and mattress on my masterpiece bed frame.  (Cindy Crawford and Sofa Viagra would be very jealous if they ever saw it) ...........The bed frame you people...oh, get your minds out of the gutter and in to the furniture store....man,  cant leave you people alone with your imagination at all....of course they would be jealous and covetous of the other too...me  being a young viral bronze God and all. Well, bronze doesnt bend  too well, and neither do I anymore, and I g enerally have a virus or two!

    Ok, now wheree was I...oh yeah, got the box springs and mattress on the new home built frame, and WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE????  Now, instead of falling into bed, we have to have a ladder to get in it. Seems I miscalculated, or misinterpreted my notes. Instead of 2X6 s I bought 2X10s...I thought that wood looked a little large. I just thought it was "extrafirm" lumber....If the bed was outside, instead of counting the stars, we'd actually be among em!
  
    So now, that's where we are sleeping, the skybox bed in the blue room. So the "blue" really does have special meaning afterall. Guess I'll paint clouds on the ceiling, but that's another project! 

    We did give away the KS bed and got it off the porcch to make room for project number eleventy seventy one. And, we have gotten use to the "tall bed" and the nose bleeds have stopped!  In fact we sort of like the bed that tall, makes getting out of it easier. Just swing your legs over the side, and freefall for a few seconds, and voila, you are on terra firma, HA!  I knwo, my next project will be to install "fireman poles" next to the bed and then we can just slide down, HA AND DOUBLE HA. I love it when a plan comes together. I allus wanted to live in an old firestation....

    Next time all yall are over to the house here, just pop in and check out my handy woik on the "skybed"....

    Ok, this hass gonne on longer than I intended, I was just agreeing with Kay on the amount of work we all do after retardment!   So it's all Kays fault, yeah, that's how I'm going to tell it....
Keep the sun at y our six and your bed short....
your frien and master DIYer...Frank Lloyd Wrong 

Post Script: It's probably a good thing we didnt get one of those "sleep by the numbers bed", becuase It probably would require algebra and I flunked algebra 1 many many times.... 

Pat Brantley (Ross)

Oh beau, I wish I had your ability to even dream of doing projects.  I can't seem to get to project eleventy one.  The spring ball game sounds wonderful.  Hope you choose March, but it is up yo you.  

We just spent 3 days in California visiting our grandson.  I paid a return bottle tax on every soft drink I bought and then had to pay for a plastic bag to carry said bottles.  So glad to live in Texas.  Grandson works for Google in San Jose.  I finally got to see redwoods.  We even bought a small tree to bring home and plant.  I am excited.  It is supposed to grow a foot every year.  

So sorry you have had the problem of pain/depression.  Most of understand that cycle.  My cardiologist told me that the stents he put in my heart were doing their job, but I wasn't doing mine by exercising, etc.  he basically told me I was fat and lazy.  I have to agree.  Why do we have so many "ists" in our lives.  I have a rheumatologist, cardiologist, internist, neurologist, gynecologist.  Should probably have a psychiatrist, but that's a different story. 

I have an iPhone because that is what my daughter wanted me to get when my blackberry died.  I understand some of it and because I already had an iPod and then got an iPad, the 3 seem to talk to each other well and to my car radio.  

We went to Houston a few weeks ago and driving there is now difficult for me.  In San Antonio and New Braunfels when you put your blinker on the car in the next lane lets you move over.  When you enter the freeway you get the lane.  Houston seems more combative to me.  Maybe it is because houstonians spend so much of their lives stuck in traffic.  I was blessed to be born and raised in Houston, but I no longer drive a large car so I don't feel as safe without my urban assault vehicle (suburban).