Community

Community … as defined by Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary (probably about as old as I am) 1. a unified body of individuals. Now, there are several other definitions for Community in that same book, but this is the one I was looking for. We are a Community. Have been for many years. Hopefully, we will continue to be for many years to come. What I would like to do here is explore/examine our Community and maybe even test your memory a little bit. I remember our Community as being comprised of the town of Bargersville along with the smaller (unincorporated areas) communities of Kinder, Bluff Creek, Banta, Stones Crossing, Adams Corner, Smith Valley, and Mount Pleasant. Are there others?

Our Community included the Hiatt addition, the Mount Pleasant addition, the Critchfield addition, the Sutton addition, the BoMar addition, El Dorado I, the beginning of Carefree. What are some that I have left out? Back then, there were not that many. Our Community also included all of the family farms in White River Township. There were lots of them, large and small. It seemed that every time a road got paved, a farmer would sell some land off along that road and a row of houses would pop up.

I remember Mary’s 80 acres. What is that place called now? There was/is a place called Sally Doty’s Hill. Do you know where that is? On a clear day, you can see Indianapolis! What was the area of 37 and Smith Valley road called? There was a general store there at one time. It had a name and was a little bigger than the Banta General Store. Both had potbellied stoves and a liars bench. Effie’s Variety Store in the old Valley had a stove but no liars bench. I do remember that it had a porch swing though. Do you remember what Effie's last name was?

Our Community extended a little further out the older we got. Podunk (I have no idea where that is!) – I wonder if this is still a popular place? Does anyone ‘park’ today? Do they have to? A little area called Railroad Road. Where is that? Made up name? It may be, but, I did not make it up… There was/is a place called Red’s Corner. Why do I know that place? No, I did not say Red’s Place, but, thinking of that place - it had its own little community, didn’t it? Still does, but, much different than it used to be.

Although we could never call Greenwood, Whiteland and Franklin or Southport “our community” - as we acquired friends from these places – these places became almost like our Community.

Of course, our Community consisted of Grandparents, Parents, Siblings, Churches, a School and its Teachers and employees, too. This included bus drivers, janitors, cooks, nurses & various assistants and Vandy – always Vandy. If you were lucky, you had a favorite Aunt or Uncle that was part of it. A Community can also be described as people looking after one another. We had that back then – we were lucky.

So, Help me out here. What was included in your Community? What have I left out?

"Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to." So what does that make us????

Happy New Year!

Resemblance?

At last, it's the big Christmas weekend and everybody is making last minute preparations and/or buying last minute gifts and this is no time for a guessing game......
BUT......
....I ran across this picture and could not resist. Do you think the following picture resembles anyone we know? In my opinion it looks a lot like our very own Greybeard in his younger days......BUT......it is not. It is a very famous person, though.
Any guesses?

Fright Night-

To this day I get 'em confused. Do you?

Bein' bored, pokin' around the 'net has its' rewards. Sometimes I find something I think is worth sharin' with ya.
Take a trip down memory lane here first,
then click here and here.

At our house, a fire in the fireplace kept the shivers from the outside cold (and what we were watching on TV), from getting out of control on Winter nights.
Fond memories!

Sarkes Tarzian

DJ mentioned him and tweaked a couple thoughts-
Steve B. and I used to bug my Mom to take us to the Channel 4 station on Bluff Road on Saturday afternoons to watch "Cowboy Bob Ellis", "Dick the Bruiser" and various other good guy/bad guy wrestlers record their matches for broadcast later in the week.
We'd get there early so we could get ringside seats, then we could watch to see how often we got glimpses of ourselves during the broadcasts of the matches.

His name itself is kind of magic, so I'm surprised I didn't investigate him as a kid. He apparently was instrumental in bringing FM radio to the attention of the general public.

When Mom and Dad moved to Lake Lemon, driving to their house resulted in my driving on Hillside Drive in Bloomington, past a large home surrounded by a tall stone fence. Imposing enough on it's face, what particularly made me take notice was the "cattle grate" running across the drive leading to the place. Why was it there?
Answer... to keep deer from leaving the grounds by way of that busy street... "Deer Park Manor" as it is called, is now a 41 acre Nature Preserve.

Some more information on the fascinating Mr. Tarzian and WTTV here. (Tallest structure in Indiana? I didn't know that!)

Thirty Years Ago, This Week-

The unthinkable happened.
(At the end of the article at that link, check out the second comment.)

Dan Fogelberg

From TPO, via email this morning-

"You've no doubt heard the news of the passing of Dan Fogelberg (age 56) . You are one of the few people I've known over the years who really appreciate the artists of this caliber who's music has meant much to our generation. He was a poet / songwriter / storyteller and singer at the level of Harry Chapin. So, raise a glass to Dan---done too soon!"

I'd like to think I'm NOT a minority in recognizing talent of all sorts, and Dan Fogelberg was certainly a talented artist. I met and fell in love with Sara Jean New Year's Eve of 1980. This song was frequently playing on the radio at the time, and has become one of "our songs".
R.I.P. Dan. You brought us all much pleasure.

Of All Things . . . .

A little nostalgia . . . .

I just read in today’s paper that Cowboy Bob and Janie (from 1960’s channel 4 TV fame)
Have re-released their 1968 Christmas Album, “Merry Christmas from Janie and Cowboy Bob” on CD. Also, they are making a personal appearance in Nashville, IN. today to promote the CD. Don’t know how big of a turnout they’ll get due to the weather, though.

You may remember that Cowboy Bob (Bob Glaze) was also on ChuckWagon Theater and later Cowboy Bob’s Corral. He is about 5 yrs older then us ’65 grads. Bob graduated from the Culver Military Academy in 1960.
His official website here.

Ready to play?

Guess who these 3 very famous celebrities are:

HINT:

1. All 3 of their first names begin with an M

2. Of the 2 females: 1 is a rock star, the other an actress. The guy will be hard to guess, unless you're a fan and I'm doubting our age group is a fan of this guy. His initials are M.M.

An Excuse For An "Open".

A buddy sent the following which I modified slightly to suit my sense of humor:

(To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.)


Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, putting your paw print in the middle of my plate does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt.
I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
(That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short,
hairy, walks on all fours and speaks a foreign language.

Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college.
And finally,
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

..................................................
Don't you find yourself nodding in agreement? I did.

It's Friday. It's been a slow blog-week here at VK. Time to release all that pent-up energy!
(We're lookin' forward to 4-6 inches of fluff by morning, GH... how 'bout you?)

Doggy Wisdom

For Joker,
For Mrs. Hawkeye,
For us all...

R.I.P.

UPDATE:
See here, it really isn't all that difficult to stay in touch!


Oh friends!
It is with a heavy heart and a tear-stained face that I bring your attention to our blogroll, and the terrible thing that has happened there!
It was with such great fanfare and promise that so many blogs there were introduced to life, then were neglected...
Yes, I'll say it...
NEGLECTED AND IGNORED!
Their care-givers failed to tend to their needs... failed to give them the nutrition and succor they needed to survive and thrive in this cruel world we share!
I'm ashamed and appalled.
I had SUCH great hopes for these literary infants.

But wait... There's still hope!
I checked in on this one, and it received care and feeding within the last week!
And this blog appears to have had a minimal feeding three months ago... it STILL HAS A PULSE! (But it's very weak.)

Rise up, all you sterling, caring citizens! Express your indignation that these wonderful creatures, so bright and promising when born, have not been given the attention necessary to keep them from atrophying and dying!
Shout it out to your neighbors... shout it to the rooftops!

(I'll check now and then and remove the R.I.P. labels when the blogs are resuscitated.)

Insanity?

I've heard the definition quite a lot on programs I watch/listen to lately...
"Insanity is continuing to behave in the same manner while expecting a change in results."

My heart sank a little, reading Hawk's comment about the loss of their little Pom. We've had discussions here at VK about events on the news that show we have strong emotions about our furry friends, both "K9" and "Fe-line".
DJ's comments about Michael Vick almost made me check to insure he hadn't booked a flight to Atlanta!
("Hello TSA?
Check DJ's baggage for weapons of Vick destruction, please!")

If you've owned a dog or cat, you've been down this road...
When we acquire that adorable kitten or puppy, we know up front that their lifespan probably means that (+-) 15 years hence we'll be in tears, and if our four legged family members live that long we're lucky... I wrote in this post about being so emotionally incapacitated I was glad I didn't have to go to work the night our 3 year old Dachshund was hit and killed. That pain was every bit as acute as if we had lost a human family member.

So I'll ask the question suggested in the title...
Knowing the pain we'll experience in fifteen years or so, are we insane to enter into the relationship with that kitten or puppy, particularly since just getting them settled into adult Dog/Cathood can sometimes be a pretty difficult task in itself?
Of course, I know the answer to this question... that's life, and the benefits of pet ownership FAR outweigh the negatives.

So I'll answer my own question here... YES, I'm insane!
I'm crazy about Lucy.

And family Hawkeye... know that we are SO sorry about the loss of your four legged family member!
I know that you know...
the pain diminishes, and the wonderful memories remain.

Circa 1960?

A Party Line!

370J1...
Or was it 370W1? I can never remember.
One was my phone number, the other was Hawkeyes, and we were on a "party line".
Of course we needed to call one another often, 'cause there were three houses between us!

Did you listen in to your neighbors conversations?
Would you admit it if you did?
(I did... And because I did, I always assumed others were doin' the same.)

Anyway, this post is to open the VK party line.
I know you have something juicy you need to share with the rest of us! (Or maybe it's not juicy... just interesting?)
Let's hear it!