Vandy's Kids

After a Great weekend, Party,Party..... It was great time but a lot of it would not been
possible with out the big heart of someone's Mom.
We need to give a Big thank you to Kathy's Mom.
Let's flood her mail box with thank you cards.
It would made her feel good and she deserves them. She opened her home to us
for 2 days and missed her Pacer game. Load up that mail box with cards and letters
of love and thanks. You guys are the best.

Mrs. Jean Harmon
1115 Greasy Creek Road
Nashville, In 47448

The Mini

Anyone missing yesterday, missed a precious memory, good food and a great time. I know as I age, these get togethers mean more, treasured more and will never come again. Sure, there will be more re-unions, but will someone be missing? Some class mate, teacher or Mr. Vandy himself, that we wished we had just been able to say one last word to or see just one more time.

Special thanks go to Kathy, Patsy and everyone who spent hours putting this together. And Kathy's mother - what a gal. The time and skill that went into making the blanket for Vandy, He won't forget this class of 1965.

The coasters for each of us and the fans, what a treat!

Update: Thursday Morning

Two conversations with PT yesterday........she is in good spirits, and preparations continue with no hitches.

Sara Jean and I will leave the Gulf in the morning and hope to arrive at the Hotel Nashville before 9 P.M. tomorrow night. TwoDogs, Hawkeye, and DJinIndy are also booked there.....anyone else?

Friday night also finds PT, Ferdy, FlyGirl, and maybe a certain long-haired Redhead starting their own "Micro-Mini" while putting the polishing touches on preparations.......(Wouldn't you love to be a fly on that wall?)

If you're not already leaning toward Nashville, you're gonna miss a GREAT one!
C'mon folks.......We'd love to see ya!

I'm a Vandy's kid now!

Well, always was, but have accepted the invitation from the big bro to join the blog group.
Very different memories as I was 5 to 6 years behind most of you, but being a VK also presents many familiar memories as well. Petting the ponies over the fence during recess, the odor that let you know that, yes, you are now in the middle school building!! Waiting for the auditorium to be built so that assemblies could be held somewhere besides the gym. The haunted house that scared the poop out of me set up in the locker room tunnel. Going across the street to buy the biggest apples I have ever seen in my life. Watching my bro pretend to be a tree so the "woodman" could TRY to cut him down during homecoming bonfire festivities.
I don't know that I will have much to comtribute, but I will continue to read, and hope that our generations of VK's will grow.

"Last Chance" at the "Last Chance"!

Wow.
This bloggin' is really magic!
I published two "Last Chance" posts by mistake, trying to edit one of 'em.
I couldn't delete either....I couldn't modify 'em.
Rod Serling was in control!

Then I threw up this post, and suddenly the others disappeared.

So.....
here's your last chance to comment on an open forum before Nashville!

Let 'er rip!

Follow That Dream!

Coming South, spending mornings on the balcony is a sweet pain.

I didn't see them, but my earlier-rising Bro.-in-law saw 13 dolphins in groups of 3 and 4 swim West to East this morn.

The Flyer in me loves to watch the Pelicans making their way to their next meal....also in groups of 3 or 4.....amazingly gliding through the air with almost no wing flapping.....using the air currents provided by God.

The water against the shore is Turquoise. A football field from shore, it's Aquamarine. Halfway to the horizon it turns to Emerald. Where the water touches the sky, the color is blue-slate. Now and then, a swarming school of fish moves through our view, again changing the color of the water to Green/Black. It's a wonderful place to watch the day unfold.

I hope soon to spend more than a few weeks here every few months. We hope to retire here soon. But every time I turn around, I find myself committing to something that keeps me on the treadmill at home.

My son graduates college in December. That is the last true impediment to our coming South, at least on a part-time basis.
Making the change.......moving South, at least during the Winter months, will mean a huge adjustment on our part.....and that big adjustment scares me.
Don't we all suffer anxiety....sometimes even stress.....even when the adjustment results in something you know you'll love?

Tools and I have talked about his decision to move to Galveston and his reasoning behind the move. He has not regretted his decision for one moment.

I need to plan. I need to start the ball rolling.
I need to "pull the trigger".

Southbound and Down....

Posting this is taking time I should be packin' the car....
Chaos!
It always is when we are headed somewhere for more than an overnight.

We're taking the first step toward seein' y'all next weekend...
Headed South to our little piece of paradise for the week.

11 hours from now we'll be sittin' on our balcony,
lookin' at the surf lap at the shore, feeling the warm onshore breeze......smellin' salt air.

I'm taking the laptop.
If any of you should feel the undeniable urge to throw up a post or comment here about me/us, or email me, I'll still get it.

I'm excited about our vacation.....
I'm also excited about next weekend....
seeing SO many people for the first time in almost a lifetime!

Wish us safe travels.
I'll post when we get there,
AND RUB IT IN!

UPDATE:
We're here safe.
Drove through VERY heavy rain much of the trip down, then suffered with Tornado warnings just North of us last night.
Today dawned clear blue and 22.....(old aviator term).
Board meeting behind me, the rest of the week is mostly pleasure.

Life is good.....wish you were here.

Class Segregation......Again

I'd like to explain part of the reason why it was such a surprise to me to find out our classes were segregated in Grade School.....

Fifth Grade.
I was in Mr. Dietzer's class. (All the girls swooned over Mr. D.).
Eggheads like Vicky and Allen S. were in this class.
If that was the extent of it, maybe I would have noticed the fly in the ointment.

But it wasn't.
I sat next to a guy that shall remain nameless for reasons almost immediately obvious. His first initial was S.

I don't know how old S. was.......
two years older than the rest of the class?
Three?
(Maybe Four?)

Shy......Tough........ Nice guy.......
Stank!
Body odor was bad.....breath was worse.

Time for the History lesson, and S. has no textbook.
I'm reasonably sure his family had no money for textbooks......
he wore the same clothes to school every day.
Mr. Dietzer would say, "S., pair up with someone so you can read along."

S. would look around, a little embarrassed.
My classmates, swell folks that they were, looked the other way and whistled a little tune to themselves.
(At least they didn't put fingers in ears and hum "Lalalala"!)

I always felt sorry for S., and scooted over so he could invade my airspace.
And always.....ALWAYS, I was immediately sorry that I had done it.
He had pathology goin' on in that mouth.....
Breath so bad it brought tears to my eyes.
Breath so bad it may have taken a couple years off my life.

I joke now......
it wasn't a joking matter then, and it isn't now for kids that poor.....
those that obviously don't have parents involved in the tiny details of their lives.

S. couldn't read.
Mr. D. would call on him to read, and I prompted him through the reading to get it done before the hour was over.
I can't guess at what his I.Q. was.......it's incidental......
it wasn't stratospheric.

So, in that class we had the eventual class of '65
Co-Valedictorian,
(was the other Co-V. also in that class? I can't remember),
and some poor guy with B.O.,
the worst Halitosis I've ever experienced,
who was functionally illiterate.

How was I to know I was in a Segregated classroom?
It sure didn't seem like one.

(If you're interested, the original post is here.)

Easter Open

Lots of stuff goin' on.....

Greybeard and Sara Jean preparing for their trip South,
then to NASHVILLE on the way home!

PT and her CINC House already safely there, I pray.

So......got something you want to relate to the rest of us?
We want to hear it!

My Tail's on Fire!

And I’m running as fast as I can with one foot nailed to the floor!

Playing catch-up today. Getting ready to leave for Indy at O-dark-thirty tomorrow morning. Can’t wait! There is so much going on and so much to do, this note will be a jumble of thoughts – try to keep up ;))

First I want to send a belated welcome to Hawkeye, Flygirl, Tools, and BoMarGirl. Welcome to Bloggersville! Isn’t this just the greatest thing? Blogward Trojans!

GB & TD: You are right. Fishing and quilting are much the same; we just don’t do slimy stuff & prefer white zin to beer.

GB: not all women are smarter than men but the Ladies of VK will give most a run for their money. ;)) We’ve grew up with some very smart guys, ya know, so we have been competing with the best since the bell rang in 1952.

In other news: CINC House and I have been remodeling the bathrooms & the kitchen plus painting the living room, family room & dining room (Oh Carol, where the heck have you been these last 2 months! I really needed your expertise! Love your web site)

Furniture is still piled in other rooms, waiting for something or another to get finished. Curtains are still waiting to be hemmed etc.

The good news is that 25% of the house is cleaned out, streamlined and spotless. The bad news is that the rest of the house looks like a set from Sanford and Sons. Jimmy Hoffa could be in the garage for all I know.

For weeks, it’s been a steady parade of plumbers, carpenters, counter-top guys, tile guys, glass guys, and electricians. I’ve seen more butt cracks in my own house than I ever did working in hospitals. Plus each fix-it man has to tell me what a lousy job the last guy did. Why do they do that?

Time to focus on the trip home: put hold mail, take cats to the Cat House, clean out fridge, clean out car, pack 4 quilts to finish, pack sewing machine etc, pack Easter eggs for Abby Rose and Drew (both of whom are perfect in every way or did I already tell ya that? ) go to beauty shop, pack clothes, lose 20 pounds, & uh wait. I think it may be too late for that last one.

However, I want to make a complaint to the Gods of Body Shapes. I don’t think it is fair that I have been exercising vigorously and watching what I eat (read: did everything but put duct tape on my mouth) since February & have lost so little poundage.

My body seems to attract & hold fat the way the back on the refrigerator attracts & holds dust bunnies. If my goal in life was to look like one of those ancient fertility goddess statues, I can almost say Mission Accomplished!

Unless I meet a plastic surgeon this afternoon, who has a lipo machine the size of a commercial Shop Vac, I will have to show up at the reunion looking like the mom in Hairspray.

Plan: put a camouflage tent on and pretend everything is normal. Maybe no one will notice. Maybe everyone else has gained weight, too?. Nah,,, Jeanie? Nah,,,, Janet? Nah,,, Ferdy?,,,pahleese!,,, Flygirl? No way! Surely SOMEone else will be a little, shall we say, Rubenesque?

I would really like to be smaller but I am not. I exercise and eat right so I feel good. The truth is that vanity isn’t a strong motivator for me these days; I don’t really care that much.

I care about other things like seeing old friends, getting caught up on the news, sharing memories and laughter. I want to hear what's happened in their lives, look at photo albums of their families, see their grandbabies.

But dang! A 40th reunion! I hate to be big at a reunion!! If I get small in the next 6 mo. & later kick the bucket for some other reason, my classmates will say. “It doesn’t look at all like her. She must have been very sick before the end.” Arrrrrgghhh

OH! Next Monday I will be calling y’all to confirm the folks on the Reunion list. Gnaw Bone Food & Fuel (don't ya just love that name?) needs a final head count by Tuesday when I need to place our order.

Flygirl, I’m already counting you as “there”. You need a break and we all need to see you. (Just bring the masks with you. If you like ‘em, I love ‘em) Gain some weight one the way, too ;)) That goes for everyone!

Sorry for bloggzilla of an entry but my butt’s on fire, ya see, and ,,,,,,

TROJAN CHALLENGE

Ok get your year books out, shake the rust out of your heads and sharpen your pencils.
Todays challenge: how many of our 140 students of the 1965 graduating class, spent all their
years at Center Grove Elementary and Center Grove High School.

I have spent some time looking through
the year books and think my number should be close. The number might surprise you. GIVE IT A SHOT. I was puzzled
that one name in particular wasn't on the list. Maybe I missed something....

As I was working on this project, I came across some names that sounded familiar from our first grade class, Dickie Farrington,
Fred Heger, Sandy Burns, Eddie Claus, Ronnie Mason, Alfred Green, and Sirona Morton.
About half way, in the seventh grade, Ronnie & Donnie Cummings, Judy England, Mike Jones, Mary Kottkamp, Gregg McClain,
Sharon Napier, Sandy Ruoff, Donna Cunningham and Judy Willoughby. Even though these classmates were not in our '65 graduating class,
they will always be in our memories.
You too will have some classmates of your own that will jump out of the year book.
I've been rattling on......Don't forget the challenge!

The Hits Just Keep On A'Comin'!

Add another to the Blogroll:

Check out BoMarGirl !

Who will argue?....the more the merrier!

A Micro-Mini Reunion!

Ferdy called last night.......she is safely in Orlando.

She and FlyGirl are making arrangements to meet somewhere there in paradise. Sounds like all is well with them.

If we're lucky, maybe someone will take the time to put fingers to keyboard, (Roxie would be SO proud!), and let us know what trouble they're gettin' into!?

Hey Kids! What Time Is It?

It's Saturday!

Time to leave a comment on whatever subject
your Red & White Trojan heart desires!

The Open Door Policy

I'm just checkin'......
I'm not sure my experience here is the norm.......

I lived in that little house on Morgantown Road,
5 houses from Smith Valley Road, for over 18 years.
I cannot remember locking the doors to that house.......EVER!
I'm not sure my folks even had keys to lock the doors,
had they wanted to.
In the summer, the front door was always open so whatever breeze there was could blow through the screen door, unlocked of course........even at night.

Sara Jean and I chose to live where we live now, partly because the atmosphere here is similar to what I grew up with......we seldom lock our doors, knowing that suspicious folks lurking around will be noticed by neighbors and reported to authorities.
I know, however, that if I lived in a less rural setting I'd certainly be locking my doors, even if I just stepped out to get a loaf of bread.

Do you lock your doors every time you leave home?
What was your experience when you were growing up?

And Another!

Ladies and Gentlemen......
(You too Tools!)

I draw your attention to our Blogroll and a new addition there!
Windsong, by Hawkeye!

We're agog with blogs!

Blogs, Big and Small

Have ya begun to read other blogs?

For those of you that are new to all this, there is a huge diversity of "stuff" out there for you to enjoy, or be irritated by.

Many blogs, like "Vandy's Kids" and "Pitchpull",
will have a "Blogroll" somewhere on a sidebar, with a list of blogs the author likes and suggests you review.

Or, you can find those blogs that deal with subjects you have an interest in by going to Google Blog search.
Purple Tabby loves quilting, so she could go to Google Blog Search
then enter "quilting" in the search box.
I just did it, and 105,525 items related to quilting turned up.

If you're really new to all this, let me turn you on to the "Monster" blog: Instapundit.
Glenn Reynolds is the owner/author, and his site is really an aggregation of blogs and news items he wants you to have a look at. He's a law Professor in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I honestly don't know how he teaches law and keeps up with his blog. Go have a look, and you too will be amazed:

Instapundit

Other blogs that entertain me:

Vodkapundit

and

Varifrank

.......and a site that compiles news items and sometimes borders on
"yellow journalism", but is nevertheless entertaining and informative:

Drudgereport

If this blog biz is really new to you, those are enough to get ya started.
When you've had a look at those, go exploring, and if you find something that makes you laugh, cry, or think in a different way......come share it with us!

More Smith Valley

What about Doty's grocery store at the corner of Morgantown Road and Old Smith Valley Road. Fred and Beattie. He is the one who build the Beehive.
Effie's variety store and Don's grocery in the old valley. At Don's would get a soft drink called Ski. I fell through the ice at the creek and had to run to Steve W.'s house before I froze. Bill Doty's old gas station. Gas twenty- twenty five cents a gallon. The money I was making back then... It is cheaper today. I would stop at the Texaco station after it closed and drain the gas out of the hoses at the pumps for my scooter. Bill Doty had a nickle coke machine but he charged six cents. He had a can screwed to the front of the machine to put your penny in. Sometimes we would put a nickle in the machine and Rattle the can.
( Remember G. B. )
Ferdyflyer.... I was at my Dad's house today and someone has started fixing your house up . It had been empty for a long time.

Tony Lee Shirrell, Jr.

This is my youngest brother's son, TJ Shirrell. He is Iraq now on his second tour there. Lets keep him and all our troops in our prayers. One of my sons just returned from Iraq in December.

I'm Baaaack

My trip to Pearlington, Mississippi with 13 of the men from my church began at 5:00 AM, Sunday, March 19th. After an uneventful trip down, our truck, with three men switching the driving, and perfect weather, arrived at 6:00 PM Indy time. Our goal was to build wooden 12 x 16 buildings for hurricane Katrina victims.
We slept within sight of the Pearl River and the Gulf of Mexico in some kind of fold out plastic huts. It looked like corrugated cardboard, but it was made of plastic. There were two guys to a hut. The temperatures ran from 75 degrees during the day to mid 40's during the night. We had portable outdoor showers.
The first two or three days some of us worked near the huts in a yard where we had jigs and patterns to build "kits" of four walls and rafters. As we finished the kits, others of our group took them to the prearranged sights to be assembled. The buildings had elevated floors, two windows, one door, a tin roof, and were wired for electricity.
We had wonderful lunches each day in a building nearby that was next to a hurricane damaged Baptist Church. We were fed meals that were true home cooked southern delights such as fried chicken, fish, vegetables and even pie. Most of the people that were fed there were volunteers, but anyone who needed a meal was welcome. One day they fed over 260 people. A lot of college and high school kids were there on their spring break volunteering. There are still a lot of good kids out there, but a few dumb a---- make them look bad at times.
Reverend Willie Rawlings, the pastor of the church that fed us the lunches, invited us to a Wednesday night revival at a nearby church. We all were happy to go. This was a southern black Baptist Church. Not being familiar with the area we got lost. We called Reverend Willie and he sent someone to get us. We got there a little late. We all had on matching bright blue shirts, and our light complexions made us stand out like a sore thumb. That church was really rocking. After the service several of the members talked to us about how much they appreciated us being there. We all so enjoyed this different wonderful evening.
I talked to a man who was 78 years old and had been a preacher from 1951 until 1997. He told me his experience during hurricane Katrina. He said the water came very fast. He, his nephew and his dog got next to a large tree and hung on to it as the water rose. He said snakes were moving over his arms as he hung on. He didn't think the snakes would bite him because they were trying to survive and reach high ground as he was. The water got deep enough that he could stand in a fork of the tree. He said a prayer that the Lord could take any of His trees, but to please let him have this one. The three of them stayed in the tree from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM before they were able to get out. He still has nightmares about his time in the tree. He talked about being crazy before this, but now.......... What a great guy.
I saw a lot of boats and barges on land. I took a picture of a good sized boat, The Captain Chip, sitting on top of a car. People have asked me why this boat hasn't been removed after seven months. I tell them it is not a priority at this time. Houses are completely destroyed with only the front steps remaining and others with trees still on them. What you see on television cannot show what has happened. I can only compare it to when you see pictures of the Grand Canyon and then you see it in person and there is no comparison to the size.
We had our work pretty much done by early afternoon on Firday, March 24th and our lumber was running out, so we decided to leave a day early. We left at 1: 30 PM Indy time and got to Greenwood at 1:00 AM, 795 miles - don't do the math....
We built seven wooden buildings while we were there. I wish I could tell you that all of the buildings went to people that needed them, but I can't. We had a list of people who were to get the buildings, and this is what we did. I am sending an E-mail to the Building Goodness organization with my concerns and I hope to hear from them. I don't think I will work with this group again, but I will go back. My other trips south to work were not with the Building Goodness people. One was a minister in the area contacting someone he knew at our church and the other was connected to Billy Grahams Samaritans Purse.

Walking The Run Way

My youngest grandson, Jack, walked the run way today modeling for Dillard's at the Pardise Valley Mall in Az. He is 16 months old today.

Are You Foolish?

Got anything to say for yourself on this 1st day of April?
Well then...........go right ahead!