LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW!

 

 

The following brief true accounts are indicative of Hoosier Hospitality and Dedication:

 

 

1. Sectional Sleepover:  A monster snowstorm piled up many inches of snow during a Columbus Sectional. Fans from many schools were stranded. My wife's grandmother lived about six blocks south of the gym and opened her home for stranded fans.

 

She cooked breakfast for the entire group the following morning. (I loved her as much as my biological grandmothers.)

 

2. Cummins Continuity: Another big snow hit Columbus and a former PCHS student stepped up and did something above and beyond. He had a vital job at the factory that impacted the entire plant. His relief shift operator was snowed out and the former PCHS student stayed on the job a total of 36 straight hours. The multi-million dollar engine maker was able to stay open.  

 

His overtime check was so big they gave him two separate checks.

 

3. Frog legs and Catfish:  This snow story also involves a former PCHS student who was in the Vernon Nip-N-Sip bar when a jumbo snow hit. The total storm dropped 14 inches and the bar owner locked the door at closing time and told the patrons it was too bad to attempt to drive home. He retrieved frog legs and catfish from his freezer and the entire band of bar room buddies ate and drank the night away!---All free!

 

Some snow bound patrons slept (make that passed out) on the floor and some slept crumpled up against the wall like so many puppets with the controlling strings removed. 

 

About 9 am the next morning the snow plows had removed enough snow to permit the headache hurting good old boys to drive home. (For the record---The former PCHS student claims to have pulled an up all night session and never went to sleep.)  

AN AWESOME SURPRISE DISCOVERY V. 2.0

By accident, I found this poem by Abraham Lincoln. (Note--The Second Half is Rough)

My Childhood Home I See Again

I 

My childhood's home I see again, 
And sadden with the view; 
And still, as memory crowds my brain, 
There's pleasure in it too. 

O Memory! thou midway world 
'Twixt earth and paradise, 
Where things decayed and loved ones lost 
In dreamy shadows rise, 

And, freed from all that's earthly vile, 
Seem hallowed, pure, and bright, 
Like scenes in some enchanted isle 
All bathed in liquid light. 

As dusky mountains please the eye 
When twilight chases day; 
As bugle-tones that, passing by, 
In distance die away; 

As leaving some grand waterfall, 
We, lingering, list its roar-- 
So memory will hallow all 
We've known, but know no more. 

Near twenty years have passed away 
Since here I bid farewell 
To woods and fields, and scenes of play, 
And playmates loved so well. 

Where many were, but few remain 
Of old familiar things; 
But seeing them, to mind again 
The lost and absent brings. 

The friends I left that parting day, 
How changed, as time has sped! 
Young childhood grown, strong manhood gray, 
And half of all are dead. 

I hear the loved survivors tell 
How nought from death could save, 
Till every sound appears a knell, 
And every spot a grave. 

I range the fields with pensive tread, 
And pace the hollow rooms, 
And feel (companion of the dead) 
I'm living in the tombs. 

II 

But here's an object more of dread 
Than ought the grave contains-- 
A human form with reason fled, 
While wretched life remains. 

Poor Matthew! Once of genius bright, 
A fortune-favored child-- 
Now locked for aye, in mental night, 
A haggard mad-man wild. 

Poor Matthew! I have ne'er forgot, 
When first, with maddened will, 
Yourself you maimed, your father fought, 
And mother strove to kill; 

When terror spread, and neighbors ran, 
Your dange'rous strength to bind; 
And soon, a howling crazy man 
Your limbs were fast confined. 

How then you strove and shrieked aloud, 
Your bones and sinews bared; 
And fiendish on the gazing crowd, 
With burning eye-balls glared-- 

And begged, and swore, and wept and prayed 
With maniac laught[ter?] joined-- 
How fearful were those signs displayed 
By pangs that killed thy mind! 

And when at length, tho' drear and long, 
Time smoothed thy fiercer woes, 
How plaintively thy mournful song 
Upon the still night rose. 

I've heard it oft, as if I dreamed, 
Far distant, sweet, and lone-- 
The funeral dirge, it ever seemed 
Of reason dead and gone. 

To drink it's strains, I've stole away, 
All stealthily and still, 
Ere yet the rising God of day 
Had streaked the Eastern hill. 

Air held his breath; trees, with the spell, 
Seemed sorrowing angels round, 
Whose swelling tears in dew-drops fell 
Upon the listening ground. 

But this is past; and nought remains, 
That raised thee o'er the brute. 
Thy piercing shrieks, and soothing strains, 
Are like, forever mute. 

Now fare thee well--more thou the cause, 
Than subject now of woe. 
All mental pangs, by time's kind laws, 
Hast lost the power to know. 

O death! Thou awe-inspiring prince, 
That keepst the world in fear; 
Why dost thos tear more blest ones hence, 
And leave him ling'ring here? 

Abraham Lincoln

LETTER RECEIVED BY FORMER PCHS STUDENT

THE FOLLOWING LETTER DOES NOT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL COMMENT:

                    DEWEY, CHEATUM & HOWE

                        Specializing in School Disciplinary Law

 

Dear Former Paris Crossing High School Student:

We solicit your assistance in collecting information about teacher/student beat downs during your days at Paris Crossing High School. The information will be part of a Class Action lawsuit we plan to file against the estates of former teachers.

Your factual description (s) of teachers using abnormal force against helpless, defenseless students would be of invaluable assistance. Be specific and give as much detail as possible.

One of your classmates produced a blurry, yellowed Kodak Brownie Hawkeye picture that shows him getting off a school bus that allegedly shows the results of a teacher beat down. The student had a patch over his left eye, a band aid covering a cut lip, his right arm was in a sling and he had a crutch under his left arm. He told an investigator from our firm that as bad as he looked he felt he was one of the lucky ones. In addition, he has suffered post-traumatic teacher beat down since age 20.  To quote Dr. B. Owens, “Losing weight and turning mighty pale.”

Information gleaned from the private diaries of former PCHS students claimed they were privately threatened with brass knucks, rubber hoses and even waterboarding.  All collected information will be shared with Nazi hunters in Israel.

Your prompt reply will move your big payout a day closer.

 

Ima Cheatum

Thanks for nice comments

USED CAR LANGUAGE TRANSLATION GUIDE

In Sunday's newspaper you see an ad for the exact car you have been looking for. The car is being sold by an individual. You excitedly place a call and ask the seller several very important questions and his answers are on the top line and what he really means is on the second line.

1What he says: "It's a real classic."
   What he means: "I can't find parts for this car anywhere."

2. He says: "Only burns a little oil."
    He means: "This car smokes like a locomotive."

3. He says: "Most of the miles are just road miles."
    He means "Three Baja races and five Trans-Canada runs."

4. He says: "It has a few small dents."
    He means: "I rolled that sucker three times."

5. He says: "Like new tires."
    He means: I can see the steel belts on all tires."

6. He says: "Drives out nice."
    He means: "After 90 mph its smooth as silk."

7. He says: "Pulls a bit to the right."
    He means: "I forgot to take the dirt track tires off."

8. He says: "A/C needs some Freon."
    He means: "A/C has never worked and never will"

9. He says: "Radio is slightly scratchy."
    He means: "The second fire under the dash cooked it."

10. He says:: "Best mpg of all my cars."
      He means: "Better have 2 jobs for this guzzler."   

Glenn <><

JAMES COVERED BRIDGE--Letter to Editor V 2.0

I sent this to Editor Mayer: Says it will be printed 

September 19, 2013

North Vernon Sun/Plain Dealer

Letters to the Editor:

Please add my voice to the growing chorus of local residents who are lamenting the damage done to the James Covered Bridge.

I am within an easy layup of 72 years of age.  And that old bridge continues to serve as the lynch pin of my memories of growing up within a few miles of this irreplaceable structure. The bridge was a landmark for relatives who came to visit us. Shelter was often sought in the bridge when rain interrupted our fishing in Graham Creek. Countless times my father would honk the car horn while travelling through the bridge. It also served as a public museum of carved initials.

Call me maudlin, nostalgic, or even worse; but damage to that bridge vicariously hurts me. It is especially distressing to see the bridge damaged so soon after major renovation.

Hopefully, matters of conscience and/or the law , have identified the person or persons responsible for damaging the bridge and restitution started.

Long after I cross River Jordon and enter that city not made by human hands, I pray the James Covered Bridge will still be standing and helping to create memories for generations still unborn.

 

Glenn <><

OH NO!!!!!!!!!

 

The recently rehabilitated James Covered Bridge incurred significant damage on Saturday when it was reportedly struck by a tractor and a loaded grain truck trying to cross it.

"This is heartbreaking," said Shawn Over of the Jennings County Highway Department. "After all that hard work and with so many people watching the progress of the bridge's renovation, this is tough to take. The James Covered Bridge looked great until then."

The damage is to the right side of the west entrance of the 140-foot long wooden span in Lovett Township. One of the beams inside the bridge was also cracked. (Photo & article from North Vernon Sun)

RETHINKING MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH OKLAHOMA V 2.0

Regular readers of my Blog will testify I have an ardent, profound, and highly partial love affair with the state of Oklahoma. After the events of this morning I am taking a hard and reflective re-examination of my touting the virtues of this state.
Here's why: 

In our neighborhood there are 6-8 banana trees, about 7 feet tall, growing in a man's yard. I stopped this morning to take a photo for my brother in Indiana. Just as I was about the click the shutter I heard "Hee-Hee-Hee -He" It was the unmistakable sound of the Tanzanian Low Land GO-rilla. (I've watch a lot of National Geographic's) Around the south side of the trees came a creature with long reddish brown hair. I could not make out any facial features. It was walking upright.

I hop in my old minivan and rush to the nearest convenience store to report my survival escape and to ask the owner to call the police.

The owner calmly asked how long I had lived in our community. I told him about 20 years. He said. "There ain't no GO-rillas here." I think he heard my sigh of relief.

He went on to say, "Every now and again you'll see a wild O-Rang-A- tang." That didn't help me one bit. I now was convinced that the creature I saw was a wild O-Rang-A-tang.

I got one of the guys that just hangs around this store to ride with me back to the banana trees. We found the home owner watering the trees. I retold my story and he started to laugh.


"That GO-rilla sound was me trying to start an old 150cc off road bike. The sound you heard was me beating on the head cylinder." I asked, "What was that reddish brown long haired creature?"

Through his almost uncontrolled laughter he said, "THAT GO-rilla was my wife's no account son Travis who came home from college to do his laundry!"

     (Hopefully, you see this is a fictional account. The banana trees are true.)

FOOD SAFETY RECONSIDERED

YOUR GRANDCHILD’S TEACHER ASKS YOU TO GIVE A SHORT TALK ON FOOD SAFETY. AFTER COMPLETING THE TALK YOU GIVE A SHORT QUIZ: 

1.       It is safe to buy canned food if the can is

a.       Several years out of date

b.      Bloated on both ends

c.       Rusted on the rim of the can

d.      All of the above

2.       At the family reunion it is safe to eat

a.       Aunt Ruth’s potato salad left out in the sun

b.      Uncle Henry’s 3 year old BBQ

c.       Grandma’s fly-blown cream cheese cake

d.      All of the above

3.        You go with Mom to buy fruit at a roadside stand

a.       Completely black bananas are OK

b.      Half of a watermelon covered with burlap is OK

c.       Tomatoes that have turned gray are fine

d.      All of the above

 

HOPEFULLY, YOU REALIZE THIS AN ATTEMPT AT A JOKE. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

           

"I Get Around too Much Anymore"

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

 

Duke Ellington, B.B. King

Missed the Saturday dance,
heard they crowded the floor
It's awfully different without you,
don't get around much anymoreThought I visit the club,
got as far as the door
I just couldn't bear without you,
I don't get around much anymore
Darling I guess, my mind is more at ease
but nevertheless, why stir up memories
Been invited on a date,
I might have gone, but what for
I just couldn't bear it without you,
I don't get around much anymore
Don't get around much anymore
by Duke Ellington / Bob Russell

SAW THIS ON A CHURCH SIGN

       iPOD    iPHONE    iPAD   iTunes


                          iPRAY

LOOK FOR REGAL BEAUTY POST DATED AUG 24, 2013

PLEASE FIND THIS POST!

THE MOTHER OF ALL SPIT WADS!

PLEASE STAY WITH ME ON THIS ONE!

A PCHS student was in Mr. Franklin's geometry class and prepared a spit wad that he described  as  about the size of a golf ball.

Mr. Franklin had his back to the class and was writing on the blackboard when the juicy projectile was launched toward the blackboard.

The mega wad missed Mr. Franklin and struck the board near his hand. He slowly turned around and said, "It is a good thing that missed me. I am sure it will not happen again."

The student was surprised at his calm reaction. That ended the wad making career of the now embarrassed student.

I take the student's story at face value.

Controversial Topic----Crop Circles

Alleged Crop Circle




 

IN CASE YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW

What's the difference between jail and prison?

Think short-term and long-term.

Jails are most often run by sheriffs and/or local governments and are designed to hold individuals awaiting trial or a serving short sentences (in Florida, inmates serving 364 days or less serve their time in jail).

Prisons are operated by state governments and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and are designed to hold individuals convicted of crimes.

Jails operate work release programs, boot camps, and other specialized services. They try to address educational needs, substance abuse needs, and vocational needs while managing inmate behavior. Inmate idleness contributes to management problems.

State prison systems operate halfway houses, work release centers and community restitution centers - all considered medium or minimum custody. Inmates assigned to such facilities are usually reaching the end of their sentences.

 

(From Broward Co. Sheriff's Office Web site)

RESPONSE TO READERS V.2

1. Thank you for continuing to read the Blog. We are now over 6500 hits since the Blog started!

2. One former PCHS student shared a story with me concerning a high speed police pursuit. I do not think any purpose would be served by including the details. (Glad you lived to tell about it!)

3. Another reader expressed some critical remarks about the contents of the Blog. I have learned a few things in almost 72 years---Throw a rock over a wall and the dog that yelps first is the one that got hit! 

4. One former PCHS student shared a story about the mother of  all spit wads. While the story cannot be corroborated by other sources, it has several details that appear to be true, and as a result, will be the subject of a separate Post. Where else on the Internet can you find stories about spit wads???? 

5 Finally, I welcome all e-mails at ke5gk@sbcglobal.net from Blog readers.  

NOTES ON TRIP TO INDIANA



 



Indiana Soybeans

Indiana Cornfield



The crops look good, lots of hay, a late season rain much needed

Indiana may have the best kept yards and cleanest barnyards

Farmers markets are many and well stocked with great products

Columbus ball fields are first class and are much needed in OK 


Gas in Indiana higher than anywhere on OK-MO-IL-IN trip

Sleep Inn in Columbus is first rate and $69/nite plus tax

DQ on 3rd in Columbus 100 times better than one on US 31

IHOP near I-65 in Columbus great food/service open 24 hrs


Influences from East Coast are everywhere---Tree Huggers Unite

Columbus library is tops---rival many small colleges

Hoosier Hospitality seems to be light years behind OK

Purdue clothing item largely missing from Columbus stores


MY ROOTS IN KY/IN   MY HEART IN OK


BATTLE OF INTRA-STATE CITIES !!!!!!

WITHIN SEVERAL OF OUR STATES THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CITIES THAT SEEM TO ALWAYS BE COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER FOR TOURISTS, PRO TEAMS, INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC MATTERS, GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND A TON OF OTHER ISSUES.

Here are a few examples:

OHIO--------Cleveland  vs  Cincinnati
KY -----------Louisville  vs  Lexington
TN -----------Memphis   vs  Nashville
CA------------LA            vs  San Francisco
TX------------Dallas        vs  Houston
OK -----------OKC          vs  Tulsa
AZ ------------Phoenix     vs  Tuscon
MO -----------St. Louis    vs   Kansas City

IN ------------Indianapolis  vs  Commiskey

YOU CANNOT MAKE STUFF LIKE THIS UP !!!!!!!!!

ON OUR RETURN TRIP TO OKLAHOMA MY WIFE AND I WERE WALKING OUT OF A TRUCK STOP WHEN WE MET A MAN WEARING A T-SHIRT VERY MUCH LIKE THE ONE PICTURED HERE.

(There were several other people listening to our short conversation)

The following is an actual account of what took place:

ME: "Did you just get out of the Joint?"

HIM: "Yes."

ME: "Do they still serve Pepper Steak on Tuesday?"

HIM: (Without any hesitation) "Yes, and they still serve Spaghetti  on Friday."

ME: "Nothing has changed!"


Many of you will immediately identify that the conversation---all unplanned---was an adaptation of some lines out of The Blues Brothers movie.

JAMES COVERED BRIDGE OVER GRAHAM CREEK

Bridge Prior To Rehab (I do not own the copyright to this photo)

During my recent trip to Indiana with my wife to visit her very ill father, I had to check out the James Covered Bridge over Graham Creek which had recently been updated for safety issues.

 

 

The obvious differences included safety railings on each side of the road on each side of the bridge to prevent vehicles plunging off the road into the creek.

 

A new paint job and some internal improvements were spotted. Work on the foundation could not be accessed.

 

The old bridge had to withstand another fight to remove and replace it with a more modern bridge.

Local folks led the fight to retain the bridge as is.

 

That old bridge is a center piece of my memories of growing up along the Graham Creek. I sure hope it is around for many, many years.

 



UPDATE ON JAMES COVERED BRIDGE IN A FEW DAYS

The James Covered Bridge over the Graham Creek has been reworked. I will provided more later.

NEW SUBJECT: Thanks for continuing to read the Blog. Tell family and friends about it.

Major essay on Regal Beauty will be forthcoming by week's end. To paraphrase the former CEO of the Men's Warehouse: I THINK YOU WILL LIKE THE WAY THIS LOOKS !!!!! 

Can You Glve An Old Classmate Some Help???

I cannot solve this problem. Any help will be appreciated.

Grass Carp eat grass---everyone knows that!

Do Rock Bass eat rocks?

Do Gold Fish eat gold? 

See what happens when I get back to Indiana and think about fishing.

A Regal Beauty

She stood in a small outdoor crowd; yet she seemed to stand alone.

There are pretty female faces, captivating female faces, beautiful female faces, and she had that ever so rare regal female face. Once viewed it demanded to remain viewed. A stranger would immediately wonder if she was in the entertainment business or maybe a professional model. 

Royalty commands obedience by dent of power and position. Her regal beauty required adoration and praise even if she was a homeless wanderer propelled by a time machine from Eden to the present. This matchless creature was indeed fresh from the DNA template of Eve.

Everything about her was a living prototype of the perfect union of style and substance. Her form was function and each function flowed into the adjoining form. 

The eyes of this Greek goddess seemed to always look light years beyond the immediate. She seemed to be searching for the perfection that matched her own.

She seldom uttered a word; regal beauty has its own silent code that uses only a smile and a slight movement of her eyes and, if needed,
a knowing nod.

Her beauty was of the kind that causes poets to dog ear their Thesaurus and causes painters to regret their casual attention in art school.  

No tattoos marred her publicly observable, evenly tanned, flawless skin. Her BMI was---what else?---textbook perfect!

A triad of generations silently saluted this regal beauty. A fifteen year boy was so overcome when he saw her he automatically put his hands together in a prayerful pose and looked heavenward in grateful thanksgiving.

The 35 year old married man of seven years continued to steal glances at this living ideal of female creative wonderment that his wife pulled on his shirt so much that he nearly fell backwards.

It was a 70 year old overweight and more than balding man who best expressed the thoughts of his senior male peers when he first saw her. He slowly bowed his head and shook it back and forth several seconds as if to say, "Where was she when I was much, much younger?"



TO BE CONTINUED..........................................









  

Believe it or not!!

Today my wife and I were on our way to Columbus, IN to visit her very ill father.

As we passed Rolla, MO there was a full size billboard advertising the Vacuum Cleaner Museum !!!!! 

Needless to say we decided to miss this national treasure !!!!!!

IN RESPONSE TO MANY REQUESTS

 MY NAME IS GLENN. FOLKS WHO KNOW ME JUST CALL ME............................GLENN

SINCE YOU HAVE READ PART OF THE BLOG YOU MAY CALL ME..............GLENN

HOPE THIS ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS

The Past Is Forever Present

Wordsworth wrote many poems that speak to readers of all ages and all times. Here is a wonderful excerpt from

INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY FROM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD

 

 

 What though the radiance which was once so bright
  Be now for ever taken from my sight,
  Though nothing can bring back the hour
  Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
  We will grieve not, rather find
  Strength in what remains behind;

 

 

 

Each time I read this I want to shout "AMEN."

"Don't Shot Dice On A Blanket"---Wallace Beery

 Wallace Beery said the above quote in Rationing, a very funny  movie set in WWII.  Beery's  son was leaving for boot camp and the loving father told him this single best piece of advice he learned in WWI.

Even though Beery was a character actor his gravely voice and bumbling ways could not mask his concern for helping others. 

His characters  remind us that ordinary people can make a major difference in the lives of people. It doesn't take perfect folks to help others.  

 











Somehow I Missed Seeing This One

I somehow failed to see The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit until recently. My regret is that I didn't see this classic movie while I was moving up the ladder in the Air Force. While I was succeeding in the USAF I failed in my important task of being a DAD. 

Wikipedia article follows:

Tom and Betsy Rath live in a rundown house in Westport, Connecticut around 1953 (1955 in the movie). They have three television-addicted kids (two girls and boy) and have money problems. Tom is 33 years old, a Harvard graduate. He barely survived as an Army paratroop officer during World War II, having fought in both the European and Pacific combat theaters (an unlikely scenario, but it sets the stage for his wartime love affair).

Tom has haunting flashbacks of the affair as well as his combat experiences—these would almost certainly be diagnosed as PTSD today. He killed 17 men in combat. His stay-at-home wife knows only that Tom is somehow "changed" since the war. She feels his job with a Manhattan charitable organization pays too little, so she and a fellow train commuter urge him to interview for a job at a New York-based television network.

Tom lands a public relations job, working for Ralph Hopkins, the top man at the network, an empire-builder surrounded by politicking yes-men. Hopkins is to propose the establishment of national mental health services to a group of physicians and offer his own prestige and network toward that end. Tom must solve how his boss can best present the proposal so that the learned doctors will rise in unison and appoint Hopkins to spearhead the campaign.

 

Hired on a six-month probationary basis, Tom reports to a humorless game-player who rejects five different drafts of the speech and ends up substituting one of his own. Hopkins is satisfied, but Tom persuades him that the approach is all wrong, that it misrepresents Hopkins' qualifications to head the campaign. Tom's approach is more sensible; Hopkins is impressed. Tom reminds Hopkins of his own son, who was killed in combat.

 

There are a number of subplots: (1) The caretaker of Tom's late grandmother tries to fraudulently inherit her home; (2) Hopkins' estrangement from his wife and daughter (who quits school to elope with an undesirable man); and (3) Tom's adulterous behavior during the war and an out-of-wedlock son conceived in Italy, whose mother suddenly contacts him to seek monetary support at a most inconvenient time. With no understanding of the horrors of war, Betsy goes berserk on hearing of this secret, but eventually calms down and understands mutual emotional support—not just mutual ambition—binding wife and husband.

 

In the end, seeing the example of how his boss's marriage and family life have been ruined by overwork, Tom turns down a high-pressure position in order to work normal hours and spend more time at home.

Draft

He died 27 years before the undertaker showed up!

The Baby Whisperer

This is not a photo of the child referred to below

One of my pastimes at Wal-Mart is to talk to babies and toddlers riding in their mother's shopping cart. It pleases the mothers AND the babies---as you will discover.

I call myself the universal grandpa. I may have to change my name after a recent event at Wal-Mart.

A baby, maybe 14 months, was trying to pull some cereal boxes off of the shelf. Mom smacked the baby's hands and a cry of epic proportions. resulted.

Grandpa Glenn to the rescue! I can make a face that causes my mouth to resemble the sound of WOOOO. Within seconds the child stopped crying and started laughing. Works every time.

The mother was astounded. And my 15 year old grandson said, "Grandpa, you ARE the Baby Whisperer!"  I love the title and I love interacting with small children. 

The Radio That Won Me A Steak Dinner!



 

Hallicrafters SX-120 Shortwave Receiver

 

In February 1967 I arrived at Shemya Air Base in the Aleutian Islands. It was about 20 days until payday and the only thing I had to sell or trade was a piece of Eskimo carved ivory art.

 

 

My diet for 20 days consisted of a supply of C-Rations left in my room by the previous occupant. In an effort to hear radio stations on the US mainland, I traded the ivory piece for the above radio.

 

 

 

The only radio station on this 2 by 4 mile piece of rocky tundra was a rebroadcast of the Armed Forces Radio Network from Washington, D.C. The building I worked in had the local station on 24/7.

 

 

 

Fast forward to the Fall of 1967 and the college football season.  To help with morale, a weekly contest of picking football winners was established. It was a simple pick the winner deal--- no point spreads. The winner at the end of the season was to receive a complete steak dinner at the NCO club.

 

 

 

Newspapers were several weeks behind so it was impossible to hear how some of the teams had fared the previous Saturday. Guess who had the only radio on the island that got same day scores and analysis? Yes sir! A guy named Glenn from PCHS!

 

 

 

Yours truly won the contest with a 74 percent accuracy. The officer that conducted the contest was slow to announce the winner. I simply went to the NCO club and said I am here for my steak dinner. Everyone on the island new my track record and there was no debate as to whether I was the winner.

 

 

 

That steak really tasted great thanks to my SX-120 radio!

 



Ya Gotta See This Viral You Tube Post

OVER 500 MILLION HAVE WATCHED:

"Charlie bite my finger, again"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

"OBJECTS ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR"

KITTY HAWK 1903

SEVERAL HISTORICAL EVENTS WERE NOT THAT LONG AGO.

 *In 1955 the Civil War ended just 90 years ago

 *Wright Bros. first flight 52 years prior to 1955

 *WW I ended just 37 years prior to 1955
 
 *Lindberg Atlantic flight 28 years before 1955

 *WW II ended just 10 years before 1955

 *Korean Armistice signed 2 years before 1955

History did not start in 1955; however, we were not too far removed from many of the important events in U.S. history. I think most of us failed to appreciate this in 1955!

Somehow aging seems to bring me closer to the past! 

PLANE LAST SEEN.........

Plane last seen.....


                (Photo Not Me)


During my days at PCHS I built and flew model airplanes. I started with 5 and 10 cent gliders and worked up the $1.29 Comet kits. I read every magazine and book at the library that dealt with airplanes.

The North Vernon Plain Dealer announced that a model airplane show would be at the NV airport on a particular summer Saturday. I did not have my license and convinced my Dad to take me and the family to the show.

Radio  Control which dominates today's model world had not impacted model planes then. The U-Control (via wires) and Free Flight (planes with a small amount of gas were launched into the wind) were the order of the day.

Most Free Flight planes flew a 100 yards or so and softly landed. One plane had too much gas and flew over a heavily wooded area. A gent with a motor scooter rode after the fly away plane. The show ended without the plane or motor scooter returning.

The next issue of the Plain Dealer reported on the show and said the owner asked for help in locating his plane. The plane was last seen.......

I never heard if the plane was ever found. 

UNCLE NED?

Was there ever an Uncle Ned in the Penbrook family tree?

Each year at the family reunion the same arguments for and against his

Nobody Fishes There Anymore---It’s Too Crowded ! V 2.0

(From Orvis Web Site)

Nobody Fishes There Anymore---It’s Too Crowded !

                         (Paraphrased apologies to Yogi Berra)

Fifty five years ago, I was 16, I was an oblivious eye witness to the future. What I saw was a primitive Hoosier version of the increasingly popular Japanese fly fishing art form called Tenkara (Google has hundreds of pages).

It was a Sunday afternoon and I was taking some large strides as I approached my favorite fishing spot on the Graham Creek in Southern Indiana. My pace slowed to a halt as I saw about six anglers some in the water and some on the far bank chunking an assortment of hardware into a hundred foot run that was no more than three feet deep and less than thirty feet wide. The rock bass, aka goggle eye, decent size smallmouth bass, large and bright sunfish, and an occasional bluegill called the large rock covered , crawfish-rich bottom home.

The hardware fishermen were using the Johnson Century 21, Langley, and Shakespeare reels and tossing a Mepps-like spinner called a Shyster, or a Crème Plastic Worm with a red bead and front propeller and an occasional bobber/earthworm hopeful. They caught a few small fish.

It was a loud talking, overall-wearing senior adult using a long cane pole with about twenty feet of trotline attached, tipped with a couple of feet of monofilament, aka cat gut, and a small green sponge spider that was the center of attention. Mr. Smith, not his real name, was catching fish almost every cast. The others, including me, watched in amazement. His sweeping side arm cast was interrupted only long enough to put his latest catch on a stringer.

I watched another half hour and discovered the loud talking of Mr. Smith was a result of his poor hearing. On I went to my next favorite spot. At Site B I was skunked using night crawlers caught in our front yard.

A couple of Sundays later I went back to my favorite spot and hoped to see Mr. Smith. I asked where he was and was told he was visiting relatives in Texas. One of his friends said, “ If we be real quiet we might just hear Smithy in Texas!” 

 

A TRUE STORY

OKLAHOMA CLOUDS YOU MAY HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE

OKLAHOMA HAS UNUSUAL CLOUDS





We were blessed that this storm did not produce a tornado

A front, that moved from the east and brought wonderful July rains, also created some interesting cloud formation on July 14th. Many of our viewers (KFOR--4) and visitors took pictures of this rare event and here are some of the better photos:

I drove through this storm as I returned from church Sunday night---Yes, I prayed a lot!

This looks to me like a giant shark!