Bucket List

Several of us have retired or getting ready to. Some are still very active in their jobs.  We all  have goals, wishes, and dreams.
Name five things on your bucket list. And where do you want to be in five years?
1. I want to travel more and see parts of the world that intrigues me.
2. Maybe spend a couple of months staying at a flower covered cottage on a little Greek Island.
3. Attend at least one more grand class reunion
4. My husband's goal is to stop at every tantilizing Dives, Diners, and Drive Inns he has drooled over, so I guess I will go with him.
5. Going up the river with Carol and Harry and fish while watching for alligator drag marks. Or go to the lake where Carol and I laughed ourselves silly while fishing for bass. The guys said they could hear us across the lake, but I don't believe one word.

Okay, now your turn.

Just old or delusional

Okay you old timers, help me out here. For those that went to Center Grove Elementary School,
Did we or did we not have a great big round merry- go- round that held lots of kids and it had foot bars and handles we pumped it as hard as we could to make it go as fast as the wind? In the winter, your gloves would stick to the bars when it snowed.
Did one side come up or not or was that a manufactured memory. Did we have a smaller one also?
I also remember two silver slides that were as tall as the clouds and one had a bar we could flip over and show our petticots to the fine young men at school and a set of swings, with the iron poles and you could stand on and pump so hard, you just knew they were going to go over the bar. What am I leaving out here?
Or was that whole playground a dream?

Poor kids now a days.

What's Real? What Ain't?

It was a gray, snow covered, wintry day.
I was surprised to be over our old stompin' grounds, flyin' South on Highway 135.
I looked down and saw that familiar old place...
Concentric arcs with the concession stand a few rows back, front/middle. Gray poles with speakers attached providing a little contrast against the snow...
The Meridian Drive-In!
I can't tell you how excited I was to find it was still open! I thought to myself, "How wonderful!
I can bring Sara Jean back and she can experience a little piece of what it was like for all of us, growing up in this safe, wonderful place!"
How, in all the times I've driven by here over the last few decades did I miss the fact that this facility that plays such a role in all our memories was still there? All I had to do was wait for Spring to come and we could drive over and watch a movie... ANY movie!
My feeling of elation is impossible to describe.

Of course you don't ask questions like that in dreams.
But this one was so VIVID. I was actually disappointed to awaken and realize it was just my mind "wishing". 

I find my dreams are frequently like that as I get older.
How about you... are you experiencing it too?

I even find myself questioning some of my memories now...
Did I really experience that, or was that just another super-realistic dream?
I've learned to be careful and try to find someone else that had the same experience before I relate some of my strongest memories these days. It's easy now for me to see how some of our parent's memories were either embellished, or total fabrications. How much of their memory was a technicolor dream?

Still, for just a few moments as I slept this afternoon I was in a good place.
A VERY GOOD place.

Good Day

I went to the VA to have a post-op hernia checked out. Every was great. Got my travel pay and got me a capichano, headed home. Instead I turned left on New York Street  and went by where my grandmother lived. It is now a parking lot for the med center, same dirt. Went around the corner where the drug store use to be. Headed home, down Michigan Street to the stop light. A amputee in a wheelchair holding a sign saying he was homeless, I didn't say he was homeless, I said he was holding a sign. I still had a dollar left from my travel money so I give it to him. "God bless you man" was his words. I was giving him the dollar because it was him not me. Selfish reason. Money spent the same.
Headed home down West Street and was waiting a car to pass me so I could get over in the lane to my right. Not knowing the guy on the other side wanted to do the same, I was just a little faster. Honking the horn ( what else would you honk, a tire ?) showing me the finger that had a boo boo on it , I just wave back with all five. Must have been the smile that made him mad. I was a good day.

What am I?

You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside.
What did you eat?  No cheating.

Expert Advice- Vandy Style

PT was unable to post, so she would like me to toss out this challenge to all of you.

She would like to know what advice VKs would give their Grand children and Great Grand children.

Her first two entries are as follows:

1: Your prom dress and even your Bridal gown should not cost a fortune, save your money for school.
2: You can never do anything so bad that your family will not love you, unless you have done  something unforgivable.

Okay the challenge is active, what say you.

What is 8:20 am Alex?

Hope and Change

Sigh.
If it was your intent to destroy the economy of this nation, how would you do it?
After a stressful time doing "cleanup/fixup" stuff last week, we had planned on going back down to Destin this weekend to relax and recover. We decided yesterday afternoon to cancel the trip. Part of what motivated that decision was the idea of spending another 24 round-trip hours in a car.
But the biggest factor was the cost of fuel, considering we just spent $800+ driving a Box Van down last week.
Is the cost of fuel a major consideration  in  your planning these days?


A very wise classmate opened my eyes a couple years ago...
"To get an idea of what's happening in the economy, notice how many trucks are on the road."
And I have.
You should do the same.

Light My Fire

I think our family called them "Kitchen Matches". 
The box they were sold in even used that term, if I'm not mistaken.
I searched for them last week... no dice.
Are they still available?


Ferdy has a new grandbaby on the way.
Sara Jean and I sold our property in Destin, but the new owner is glad to have us reserve our old condo for the Winter months. (It's gonna feel weird, but enjoying it with no responsibilites will be something I can quickly get used to!)
The Kentucky Derby is just around the corner, followed shortly by another racing event, right?!!
Updated:
For those of you who made the Dastardly Destin Fishing Fiasco-
Sara Jean and I just had red beans and rice with andouille sausage, and grilled shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes at "Kenny D's"!
Eat your hearts out.

To Retire, or NOT!

"When you come to the fork in the road, take it." Yogi Berra

Well, I planned to retire. I really did.
But the closer I got to "out to pasture" date the less it seemed like a good idea.
I've talked with many of you about the subject and appreciate all the advice you've given. But I differ from many of you in that I LOVE MY JOB. If I could just continue doing the job, I'd continue doing it as long as I can pass a Flight Physical.
But staying qualified and current to be able to do the job means having to do lots of things that now seem like a waste of time... computer-driven training, OSHA training, etc.. On top of that you can add stuff I know has to be done-
Annual checkrides. Semi-annual refresher checks. Surprise drug checks.
And then there's the worst of it from my perspective-
Some of my managers care more about the bottom line than they care about our patients and the crews that are transporting them. Whatever happened to working as a TEAM?!!

I was approaching the date I had originally set to retire... 4 April, and it just didn't feel right. During my last few flights I had watched as I approached the city at night... lights of the city laid out before me for miles like a crystal carpet, and thought, "Wow. I will miss this flying LIKE CRAZY!"
And then my immediate boss called:
"I don't know how committed you are to this retirement date, but know that we appreciate your experience and know we cannot replace you. We're now ten pilots short and the guys at your base are gonna have to take up your slack for several months during Spring and Summer. Is there any chance you'd reconsider?"
I have to admit that just being asked was good for my ego. I also felt immediate relief of stress when I realized I really didn't want to retire right now.
"We've scheduled our stay in Destin starting the first day of November. I can stay until then, but we'll be headed South on 1 November, no matter what!"

So my retirement is delayed seven months. With my one-week-on, one-week-off schedule the first of November will be here soon enough.
Then, it's 12-ounce curl time, for sure.

To those of you who have asked after us, thank you.
We love you all.
We'll be fine.

Awww those teen years

Do you know what you call a car with one headlight out? Do you remember the reward for spotting one?

Hangin' It Up.

Many of you have already done it. Why didn't you warn me it would be SUCH an adjustment?
This week I notified my boss that the evening of 3 April will be my last EMS shift. I still love my job, but I'm now finding it takes almost 24 hours to recover and feel rested when my shift is done...
And I've noticed I am more tired during my shift than I'd like. So it's time to quit while I'm ahead.
It'll be quite a luxury to be able to travel on a moment's notice... little planning necessary.
No more bein' irritated with the cold next Winter... We've already made plans to be in Destin from November through the end of March.
You can come visit us. (Just make sure we aren't traipsing off somewhere else!)

The Olive Branch

Driving South on Runyon Road, you'd come to an intersection and have a decision to make.
... Same with Paddock Road... left or right, which way you gonna go?
I had several friends on what is now called "County Road 800 N.", one of which I picked up every morning of my Senior year as I drove to CGHS.
I've driven the road a couple times in the last years and like most of the rest of our old stomping grounds... WOW, has it changed!

Seems odd now that for whatever reason "back when", I never considered the full meaning of the name, "Olive Branch".

Class of 66 news

The Class of 66 held its 45th Reunion last week end. We started with a tour of the school (Impressive!) and football game on Friday night (CG lost). Jeff and Connie Surface hosted a really nice patio party on Saturday afternoon and the grand finale was a dinner get together at the Southern Dunes Country Club that night. Over half of our surviving classmates showed up and a good time was had by all.

For anyone interested in seeing what the younger crowd looks like now, pictures are posted here:

http://www.stanmount.com/CGfrontpage.html

More pictures and chatter about the reunion are on the class of 66 group web site.

Unlaxin' In Madison

"The usual suspects", with A FEW new added faces:
(Click 'em to BIG 'em.)

We're goin' to Opryland! Come join us.

Christmas At Opryland!

I know I sound like a broken record-
But if you were unable to make it to Madison last weekend, you missed a beautiful, relaxing weekend overlooking the river. About 20 VK's showed up, and all survived the experience and departed with smiles on their faces.

Now let's look to the future:
Jane (C.) S. has indicated her daughter can get us a special rate on a package deal at Opryland the first part of December and is doing the initial work toward having a mini-reunion there.
I checked and found this site that, I think, describes the events Jane was referring to.
She says the decorations are gorgeous, and we can decide what other activities (like the Louise Mandrell Christmas Dinner Party ) we might all want to attend.
This post is to plant the seed. Watch your email, facebook account, or come back here for more information shortly.

C'mon folks...
This is far enough out there that you can block off the time to attend. And we're having a far better time at these mini's than you might imagine!

******MORE TO COME.******

Madison's "Riverboat Inn"

We'll be there in two weeks. Are you coming?


Reviews suggest it is "quaint". (One of the complaints at the link is about the size of the TV's! With that view of the river, I think that reviewer's priorities need re-thinking.)
God willin', SJ and I will find ourselves there, once again sharing time with beloved friends. There may still be rooms available...


Come join us, 16 & 17 September.

Mr. L. Is Worried About Me.

I don't much care for whiners.
So I try to avoid being a whiny pain in the ### myself.
This post is gonna sound whiny.
But with it I will accomplish a couple things I need to do.

Through the grapevine I got a message sent by Mr. L.:
"I think something is wrong with (Greybeard)!!!!!!????? That is not like him not to have some type of article in Vandy's Kids.

Sigh.

I've mentioned before, when we started this blog our hope was that it would be used as a convenient way to have a chat "over the backyard fence"...
A place for everyone to come and share news that you'd normally see in a family newsletter...
Information about kids/grandkids.
Travel plans.
Retirement thoughts.
Plans for get-togethers.
Those sorts of things.

Well, it hasn't turned out that way. In the beginning it was SUCH fun. Go back and look at the first year...
There were several people contributing and even more commenting. But over the years, the folks that were sharing info here fell by the wayside. And worse, commenting pretty much stopped. A vehicle we hoped would be kinda like a snowball rolling down a hill...
A little news here, a little more there, and conversations building geometrically on information shared here, just never happened.

Sure, I'm disappointed.
But, as the kids say today, "It is what it is".
I tried. I have my own blog and actually have a small group of followers there, and some there have even become close "virtual" friends.
I post.
They comment.
And, knowing there are folks out there reading who, for whatever reason, care enough to comment, I am motivated to post again.

So that, my dear friends, is why there has been no updating here for a month or so.
If someone else would like to pick up the baton and post here, I promise there'll be at least one person commenting and showing interest in what is going on here at Vandy's Kids.

But should you want to stay semi-informed as to what is going on in the Greybeard and Sara Jean "Soap Opera", you can catch up with us at Pitchpull, my personal blog.

PT?
Hawkeye/Mrs. Hawk?
GH?
Joker?
Anyone else?
Run with it. It's all yours.
(And Mr. L., I'm fine and can be reached at the same email address as usual. Thanks for being concerned!)

Riverboat Inn

Have you made your reservations?
I think today (Thursday) is the last day to get the special group rate.
Pull the trigger! Call the Riverboat Inn in Madison today and ask for the rate set aside for Linda K..
It's gonna be a relaxing, enjoyable time, visiting while watching traffic go up and down the river.
812-265-2361

Short Notice

"I'm headed your way. You gonna be home?"
He'd be at my doorstep in two hours.
"Yes sir, I certainly will be! Be safe. I'll have a cold beer waiting for you."
It was my own darned fault. When I'm off work I've begun to isolate myself-
The cell phone rings and I let it go to voice mail...
I'll listen to that when I take a notion.
The hard-line phone rings and our answering machine takes a message. Ditto.
I guess it's a sign I'm really retire for retirement...
When I'm off work, I don't want to be bothered. But that attitude leaves me open to this sort of thing...
Tool's shadow will grace my doorstep in two hours.
Odd that I had just called TwoDogs that morning and learned Tools had been in Indy. So I at least was prepared for the idea I might hear from him. It was Sara Jean that finally heard his voice on the answering machine and told me I needed to call him for details.
"Yeah Tools, I'm home for the next couple days and you're welcome for as long as you want to stay."
He said he wasn't on a tight schedule and would play it by ear.
Same old Tools...
A few more character lines on that face, but the smile and booming voice were unmistakable...
"Hey brother, how are ya?"And as you might expect, the next few hours were spent catching up on the "new" news before we started lying to one another about our exploits back in the day.
He's fine. His better half is fine. He sat in retirement for over a year de-stressing before he realized he was going stir crazy and needed something to do other than watch grass grow. So he took a bunch of tough tests and became a licensed insurance adjuster. All these recent Spring storms with hail that has knocked out windshields and made your hood look like someone took a ball-peen hammer to it? Tools is your man for getting that fixed. When the hurricane season hits in full force, Tools will be on his way to the disaster areas to begin helping folks rebuild and heal.
And you know darned well he'll be great at it.

After a few beers we went and ate Chinese and then after a little more visiting he went to bed early.
Coffee and more chat on the patio in the A.M., we then rode the GoldWing to the next town West of us and ate breakfast at a little spot so much like "The Beehive" it would make you smile.
We then stopped at that town's High School and I showed Tools their gymnasium...
A cookie-cutter version of our old gym, except the color scheme is robin's egg blue and white.
Memories.

He's been away from home three weeks. A call to his mate and he said, "Well, if I get on the road right now I'll be home before midnight. I need to start that way."
And so he did.
I see him about once every five to ten years, but between us we have that "CG foundation" that all VK's understand. It takes about 30 seconds to get right back into that Trojan comfort zone.

I'll call today to insure you made it home safe buddy.
God Bless ya.
I love ya.