2010 !

Here we are...
The beginning of a new year and a new decade.
There's a lot of uncertainty around, but we all know that can lead to opportunity for those that are willing to take the risk and step through that "open door".

I just got back from helping my son move to L.A..
While there I got a call from Carol... she and Tracy were on their way home from Arizona. Bo just wrote to say Clint is driving to Mesa, AZ this week, and that she and her Mom will be headed that way by air. Safe travels to all!

For me, and for at least one other person we all know, 2009 has been unsettled because of workplace changes. Those changes continue for me, producing stress and nudging me toward retirement. I'm now fearful of the economy and the possibility of having to live on a fixed income, so I'm trying to hang on at work until the future is more clear.

Uncertain times are troubling.
It's nice to have friends that have become almost family when stress surrounds you.
Thanks everyone for your caring and concern.
Here's hoping the future is bright for us all!

Now, look into your crystal ball and tell us what you see.

The Kink In Morgantown Road

It's gone... Changed so much I can hardly recognize my old neighborhood when I return.
I know you remember it.
Southbound Morgantown road intersected Smith Valley road and there was a stop sign. Smith Valley and Morgantown roads then joined Westbound for about 100 feet before Morgantown assumed its own identity again and headed South past CGHS, then on in the general direction of Morgantown. Our house was the fifth house on the East side of the road, South of that intersection. I sometimes wonder if the amount of time I spend reflecting on that house... on that neighborhood... is a mental illness. I try to convince myself that what I'm really doing is trying to revert back to a simpler, safer time, when everything seemed clearer... happier.

At this time of year, life would slow down. We'd be out of school for the Christmas break. Those that were traveling to be with family would be cocooned with those loved ones at their destinations. Businesses would close.
I can remember going outside on Christmas Eve and listening to the quiet. It'd be so quiet, you could hear the leafless branches in the trees complaining about being pushed around by the slight wind. A car, almost always headed South on Morgantown, could be heard coming long before you could see it... the sound of its approach louder, and taking longer, than the sound of its retreat. And if we had snow on the ground, the quiet was even more noticeable... the snow acting as a natural insulation and sound dampener.

"You can't go home again"...
Those days are gone, aren't they? We're separated from that place by time, and "progress".
The kink in Morgantown road has been straightened. The stop sign has been replaced with a stop light. The neighborhood has grown, and traffic has increased.
But our memories remain.

I remember the quiet.
And it brings a warm stillness to my heart.
Have a safe, happy Christmas everyone, and thank you for being a part of my life.
For that, and for so much more, I thank our Lord on his birthday.

The Edge of Night

Home from school... dump the books and get ready to deliver "The Indianapolis News" to 47 customers. Of course the TV would be on in the background, whether or not someone was watching it. At that time of day the last of the day's six or so hours of "Soap Operas" would be on...
If my "recollector" is correct, it would be "The Secret Storm", or,
"The Edge of Night" playing as I got ready to go back out the door.

I no longer watch much network TV, but I heard the reports when "The Guiding Light" and "As The World Turns" were taken off the air.
I used to watch "The Young and the Restless" because there were a couple actresses I found attractive on that show... (Does anyone else watch TV with the sound muted?) A quick search shows it's apparently still a part of CBS TV's lineup, and for heaven's sake, I see the gal that played Mrs. Chancellor when I first saw the show is still part of the cast! She must be taking her Geritol!

Soap operas, game shows, children's programming, News, Weather, and Sports...
We've talked about it before... the role early TV played in our lives. Captain Kangaroo and Mr. GreenJeans were aimed at a younger audience than the class of '65, but we watched as we got dressed for school and Mommanurse loved that program. (Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, and Grandfather!)
Got a memory you'd like to share?

It's a week until Christmas, folks.
Be safe, please.

CenterGrove.org

I signed up for classmates.com not knowing what I was getting myself into. If you've also signed up there, you know most of what you'd LIKE to do there cannot be done without ponying up extra cash. I'm still glad I signed up there...
Signing on there put me back in touch with two or three classmates, and for that I'm grateful.

When I'm sitting around at work waiting on the phone to ring I frequently enter "Greenwood, Indiana" or "Center Grove High School" into a search engine just to see what turns up. Two nights ago when I did that, this site came up. The fact that it has a .org address means it's a non-profit, and I'm hopeful signing on there will beat a few schoolmates out of the bushes.

Drop by and take a look, then sign on if you're of a mind to.
But first... what's goin' on in your life?

_ _.. (Dah, Dah dit dit)

Short night, and I'm fighting sleep as I post this one.
I'll publish this much, then add to it later.
Got a clue?

ADDED LATER:
Spring 1967?
I've finished Basic Training and Advanced Training and I'm a holdover at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina waiting for my orders sending me to O.C.S. to be cut. I hear this Dude from my High School class is on the base, so I go to visit him.
He's living in this G.P. medium tent!
Now ordinarily that wouldn't be so bad, but it's ********* cold outside right now! They're heating this stupid tent with a stove in the center, just like it's 1867 and his next assignment will be with George Custer out West somewhere!
And what's he doing while he's enjoying the ambience at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina?
He's learning Morse Code, for heaven's sake!
Morse Code!
That's like... a foreign language from outer space, isn't it?
Jeez!

Eugene Jinks

Sad news arrived this morning from Mr. L.-

(GB), I read the obit of Everett Eugene Jinks' obit in today's DAILY JOURNAL. I taught Eugene in the sixth grade at Center Grove in 1958-59. He lived on Smokey Rd., not far from school. He was a likable kid, and he was one of my special kids. He had a talent of singing. I had purchased a tape recorder, and on occasions, would bring it to school, and play around with it. Everett had a nice voice but would not sing in front of the class, but would sing in the closet with the tape recorder, then come out and we would play his singing to the class. He invited me to his birthday party.
We lost touch but when both of us were older I did get a telephone call from him wanting me to come to INDY to hear him sing in his band. I didn't make it, but now wished I had.

Gene was in the class of '65 for a while and was set back in either our 5th or 6th year. If I recall correctly he had a brother about a year younger named Ernie.
Ron S. and I also had a standing invitation from Gene to come see him at a downtown club, and we had the pleasure of seeing him perform. His band was a Country and Western band, and I remember being impressed with Gene's voice and presence on stage.

As you have more information, please post it in comments here.
He was a good guy. I'm sorry he's gone.