April 05, 2013 - Msg 93027:
APB FOR BIG MAUDE! You back in jail again girl?
Hope you check in soon. Also JOHN MASTERS, where are you?
G-F--did you make your missus a pan of cashew fudge? I hear that always goes over good. ha
CONGRATS to you both! Very cool. Maybe get her a sazerac!
Regarding the garage, let's just say it aint no good for slow-dancing anymore! (:
I think most of you here know bits of my childhood. But just to refresh...it was right out of a fairy tale in a way. Two of the most loving wonderful parents raising us 8 kids on a printer's salary. I honestly don't know how they did it. There was always food on the table, prayers before bed, 12 years of Christian education for all 8 of us, fun days at the swimming pool about half a mile from our home,
playing outside with a great gang of neighborhood kids, whose moms were all home.
Mom and dad had very few "discussions," and we all still remember only ONE big one where dad went storming out for about two hours, but that was the ONLY one! I had a truly blessed childhood,
and I thank God every time I think back to those days. Some of you have seen my "good old days" photos on FB, and they are all genuine and real.
Well, there's a bit about me! Sorry for going on a bit.
love ya,
MDC
April 05, 2013 - Msg 93028: "Mayberry...gateway to danger." :)
April 05, 2013 - Msg 93029: Sounds like the ideal childhood, MDC. Aren't ya blessed?! I always enjoy the pics you post from the good old days.

My childhood wasn't as ideal as your's but I would say that I always felt loved and my needs were met. My Dad was absent alot but mom was always there and probably spoiled us. The year I turned 5 was a tough one...lost my grandma, a young aunt and both my older brothers left us to go off to Califoria to college. That was painful but things got better. My grade school years were pretty darned wonderful for the most part. My parents didn't fight, either. As I think I have stated before, things got a bit rocky when St. Susan married and left home, and I went through puberty at the same time mom went through menopause. We had some trouble getting along in those days...not surprising. I can say that growing up in a small town (population of about 2,000 at that time), was a wonderful experience. There was lots of freedom to wander and just be a kid. Great memories. My school memories were not great, though. I was one of those kids that got bullied and didn't learn how to stand up for myself until middle school. I did eventually learn, though, and things got much better.

Time to grab the Kindle and head for bed. I love Fridays and thinking about not having to rush out of bed in the morning. :)

Boo
April 05, 2013 - Msg 93030: Ps- I will add that my mom was the type that told me to put bullies in their place and don't worry about the consequences. She was the kind of mom who would be up there setting the principal straight if he needed it. I punched a particularly mean girl in 6th grade but i didn't get in trouble for it. I think the PE teacher knew she had it coming. The girl and I became friends after that. Funny how that happens.

Boo
April 05, 2013 - Msg 93031: PSS-its a well known fact that you can only push a Texas girl so far and then you had better head for cover. Once we make up our mind to let you have it, you get it good. ;)

Boo
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93032:
Boo- yup, you went thru much more than I did; but I'm
glad you came thru it all in the end, just like Opie and the bully. "A sandwich sure goes down easier with milk."
One other thing, my brothers and I played cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, etc; and my favorite toy for several years was a neat "Rifleman" cap gun, yet we all turned out to be God-fearin', upright, responsible citizens. What the heck went wrong? ha For heaven's sake, we even played Red Rover, Capture the Flag, PomPom Pull Away, and took unsuspecting friends on a Snipe hunt, and STILL we turned out just fine. We must be freaks of nature! ha
Love ya, Prayers for all,
MDC

April 06, 2013 - Msg 93033: MDC...Snipe hunts? Yep we did that one too, that's what sisters were for..(good thing mine were not as tough as Boo..haha). We had a huge field where we made a baseball field, built tree houses, played army and whatever our imaginations could come up with. (even blowing off come carbide) a Prince Albert tobacco can with a piece of carbide and come water and a "Ohio Blue Tip" match..Bleewie! It was poor a mans firecracker.
Most kids now a days don't have a clue how to "PLAY"...I shared once on how we "collected" golf balls, that one, when my time comes I'll have to repent for.
I have to look back to how trusting our parents were. We all had our "signals" when it was time to come home. Our house was 1 long blast on the whistle, my cousin's was when the old school bell rang and others were different so we all knew to stay within ear shot of our own "Summons". The rule were simple, but there WERE consequences.
except for me, I was a "MODEL" child..ha ha ha
wanna buy some swamp land? I'll give ya a good price.
Seriously our generation was blessed to be raised by the "Greatest Generation" that's my opinion and I ain't takin it back. That's when respect meant something just the FEAR of getting your Butt whipped was enough. Problems were not solved by lawyers but by a knuckle samich!
And did I mention we had the coolest toys too!
(That's another topic to discuss at a later date)
And we all lived to play another day.....

G-F...

April 06, 2013 - Msg 93034: Hi All
Nice day going to warm up to 60 today.
G F I will take the swamp land and live on it,

Mr.TOM
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93035: Hi All
Nice day going to warm up to 60 today.
G F I will take the swamp land and live on it,

Mr.TOM
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93036: HaHa Tom, I'll give you the Cleveland discount buddy! Except it overlooks Lake Erie...

G-F....

April 06, 2013 - Msg 93037: I just got done watching "Little shop of Horrors" I had forgotten our "Sweet Romeena" Jackie Joseph was in it. Julie Adams..Creechster from the Black Lagoon..Miss Crump in the Blob...Suppose their gonna say Aunt Bee was the "Thing"?... Actually wasn't it Matt Dillon who was the Thing?

Speaking of creepy things...As a kid I had a "Creepy Crawler Thing Maker" basically a hot plate that you could make creepy things from molten plastic, I used it along with my red hot wood burning set...And guess what? I survived my childhood...go figure! Those WERE the days!

G-F....
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93038: G F peek LAKE ERIE never did like it as a kid and the50 year looking at it.

Mr.TOM

April 06, 2013 - Msg 93039: Was passing by the porch and thought I'd holler "FISH!" Lotsa luck to you and yours. Hope all are well.
Me-They
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93040: "Hey" to Me-they. Thanks for passing by and hollerin' "FISH!".

MDC, I just watched the TAGS ep today with the new kid in town who encourages the local boys to steal and generally cause trouble. In the scene when Andy has the boys in the courthouse for a talking to, remember he tells them that if he has to talk to their dads, they are in for a "whippin"? Makes such good sense, but you would never hear that on television today. A "whippin" would be considered very politically incorrect!....I, though, am in favor of bud-nipping. ;)

G-F, I don't think I have ever seen Little Shop of Horrors. Is it worth watching?

Time for a saturday afternoon catnap. :)

Boo
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93041: Well camping in the morning....will check in in just a bit....SPOT

April 06, 2013 - Msg 93042: Here ya go Boo...Corny but typical for the 60's if you are bored it's ok to watch...


http://wn.com/the_little_shop_of_horrors
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93043: Just remember it was considered a comedy....
G-F.....
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93044: Check out this one too... "Sweet Rommenna" was a "professional" girl in this one + look out for the many other Mayberry Cast members....G-F

My buddy and talked to her about this one when we met her at Mayberry Days. I think she was referred to as six bells or something like that. She said she really had fun working with the star studded cast, Jimmy Stewart & Henry Fonda and all the others...

I know MDC knows all of this...Right MDC?...ha

G-F....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dapbahFe-Y
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93045: "There's spiders under there."
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93046: Good evening, porch! I've been gone all day, Eloise and I spent the day at the baseball park, watching our grandson play. Two games, but about two hours apart, and it's too far over there to come home between games. Lots of fun, though. David's back in town for the weekend, so got to spend a little time with him too. He leaves again next week, but when he comes home on Friday, that's it for a while. He makes these traveling runs about three times a year, then is home in between. Hudson played well, and we enjoyed it. Landry was playing today too, but on the other side of Dallas, so we didn't get over there. He had stayed the night with a teammate, and Brittney was going there to catch his second game, when she got home from Austin. Gosh, we sound like a travelin' bunch, don't we?

Me-They, what do you mean, just blowing through here like that? We've missed you, buddy! You need to stop and set a spell. Your rocker is all dusted off and ready for you.

As for "come home signals" - when we lived in town, I had to return home when the street lights came on. If my parents wanted me in sooner, my dad would whistle. He could blow a blast through his teeth that carried a country mile, and I would have recognized it anywhere. If I heard that whistle, I went scooting home! After we moved to the country, if I was away from the house I was on my horse, no exception. The rule was that I was to be on our property before dark, and I never broke the rule. It was a bit hilly where we lived, the roads were gravel and narrow, and after dark, being on a black horse on a dark road with a car suddenly topping a hill would not be a safe plan. It was unsafe even without the threat of a car. Critters come out at night, and an armadillo or a skunk or any other critter scurrying through the grass along the roadside would send a skittish horse into a panic, to say nothing of the danger of snakes. So, Ace and I made our way home before it got dark. During the daylight hours though, we roamed far and wide. Fences were no barrier to us. The only thing that defined our boundaries were highways. Fast-moving traffic, and a shod horse on a slick, paved surface is not a good mix, so I never crossed them. I didn't even ride along the edges of the highways very much. There's always an idiot who thinks it's funny to blow the horn when passing a horse. Ace was a pretty steady fellow, but I took no chances.

Well, guess I'll go rustle up some dinner. I think I've got just about enough leftovers to do the trick. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93047:
G-F and all--I have seen the Cheyanne Social Club a few times, very neat Jimmy Stewart movie.
Never cared for Shop of Horrors, either the 60 version or the 80s re-make, but that's just me.
I am more into "epics" like Ben-Hur, etc.
About 6 months ago, I watched all three Back to the Future movies in one sitting! that was fun.
Regarding "come home signals" for us kids it was usually a phone call to the home wherever we said we were "going to play" at. Our bikes were our "horses" and we rode them everywhere.
I'd even get some "Steve, does your mom know you're way over here?" type of shout-outs.
Dinner was at 5:50 pm for as many years as I can remember. One time I came riding in at about 5:55 thinking mom would just heat mine up.
Never made that mistake again!! ha
RO- your dad's funny statement was cute! My dad came up with one about a week ago. He got some kind of intestinal bug for a few days and had the big "d." Finally, on the third day I came into the house, and he said "no runs, no drips, no errors!" he's still got it. ha
Happy Sabbath,
MDC
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93048:
G-F and all--I have seen the Cheyanne Social Club a few times, very neat Jimmy Stewart movie.
Never cared for Shop of Horrors, either the 60 version or the 80s re-make, but that's just me.
I am more into "epics" like Ben-Hur, etc.
About 6 months ago, I watched all three Back to the Future movies in one sitting! that was fun.
Regarding "come home signals" for us kids it was usually a phone call to the home wherever we said we were "going to play" at. Our bikes were our "horses" and we rode them everywhere.
I'd even get some "Steve, does your mom know you're way over here?" type of shout-outs.
Dinner was at 5:50 pm for as many years as I can remember. One time I came riding in at about 5:55 thinking mom would just heat mine up.
Never made that mistake again!! ha
RO- your dad's funny statement was cute! My dad came up with one about a week ago. He got some kind of intestinal bug for a few days and had the big "d." Finally, on the third day I came into the house, and he said "no runs, no drips, no errors!" he's still got it. ha
Happy Sabbath,
MDC
April 06, 2013 - Msg 93049:
Oops, chewed twice.
April 07, 2013 - Msg 93050: MDC, your dad's comment is hilarious! Yep, I'd say he's still got it. That's the weird thing about these dementia things. Through it all, in many cases, the person is still in there somewhere, but so many connections are broken that often you just can't reach them. The little gifts come now and then, though, when the humor or some other familiar trait shines through. It's like when a computer loses a file. The data is there, but you just can't access it. Lose enough files, and you have a total crash, because there just aren't any working pathways.

When my dad was living at Twelve Oaks, he became the "Candy Man", as I think I've told you before. He would buy a cartful of wrapped, bite-size candies about once a month at Sam's, and then would dole them out at the residence. He'd leave a couple on the housekeeper's cart, or on a windowsill or a side table. He'd put one at each place setting in the dining room. He loved doing it, and would smile when he talked about "how happy that little lady will be when she comes back to her cart and finds that little bit of candy."

Well, one day he informed me that he needed to "go over the books" because he didn't seem to be making any money with his candy business. The proof lay in the fact that his wallet had less money in it at that time than it had contained last week. All of this was said with a perfectly straight face, and he seemed so serious. I said, "Daddy, you do remember that you give the candy away, don't you?" The little weasel looked at me with just a touch of a sly grin, and said, "Really? Well then, I guess that explains it, doesn't it?" Was he serious, or was he teasing? I'll never know.

Well, off to the ironing board I go. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
April 07, 2013 - Msg 93051: You'll know one day. (:

April 07, 2013 - Msg 93052: Sweet stories about your dads. My dad said some outrageous things but he was always in his right mind! :/ He was something else.

Warm day here is south texas. Time to get ready for preachin'!

Boo
April 07, 2013 - Msg 93053: You are right, masked stranger in #93051. I will know one day, as I sit with my dad and enjoy a full, lucid conversation with him once again. I may very well lose my memory, as he did, before I leave this planet, but one day, we'll all be whole and healthy, in our new eternal bodies, and won't that be wonderful!! --Romeena
April 07, 2013 - Msg 93054:
Good Sabbath to all.
REV-SPOT--looks like the off-season trades were
good for both our teams, Braves and D-Backs both have good starts!
-BBall final not what I hoped for tho, oh well.
-Race fans-racing on the short track today.
I hope you all have a great Sunday afternoon.
As our Rev would say, Jesus loves YOU! (:
MDC
April 07, 2013 - Msg 93055: My Dad had a lot of good ones too some made sense some made NO sense.. "You're so kind since the baby came". When asked how he was, "I'm fine as a frog hair". That guy was as helpful as the 13th mule in a 12 mule mule train. Just to name a few.

G-F
April 07, 2013 - Msg 93056: Hey, G-F. All the things you quoted from your dad made perfect sense to me! Well, maybe the part about the baby is a little vague, but it sounds like something some of my family would have said. Just a non-sensical observation, intended to produce laughter. I had one uncle who loved to give nonsense answers to questions asked by children. One example: Child - "Where's my daddy?" Uncle - "He went to buy a mule." He used to answer my little brother that way all the time, and the poor kid spent years waiting for that mule to appear! As for the frog hair comment, my dad took it a step further, and would reply that he was "fine as a frog hair split four ways." Now you have to admit, that would be pretty fine! When someone would tell my dad that frogs don't have hair, he'd say that they do, they're just so fine you can't see them. So I guess one split four ways would be pretty fine indeed!

Hey, at least in my dad's case, we're talking about someone from the Greatest Generation, so trust me - you're not going to put much over on them. They were a pretty savvy bunch. Tough, resourceful, resilient, and used to making do with little or nothing, and still continue to be happy. My dad's family could find something to laugh at in the worst of circumstances. They were (we think) of Scotch and Irish extraction, so maybe that explains their wry humor. My mom's family were mostly second-generation German, and of a much more serious mindset. Good solid people, very frugal and hard-working, but they didn't laugh as easily as my dad's family. Still, ya gotta love 'em!

It's been a funny kind of day. Temp in the 60s, cloudy, keeps looking like it's going to rain buckets, but it doesn't happen. I finally turned the sprinkler on to water the new plantings, as they were looking a bit dry, and I sure don't want to lose them. Well, guess I'll go find something to eat. Blessings, friends! --Romeena



April 07, 2013 - Msg 93057: Ro, when I was little my dad used to ask me, "Where did you come from?"...and I would answer "Where?" and he would always say, "I bought you from the hot tamale man". Who knows why? ! haha

Boo
April 07, 2013 - Msg 93058: Funny ones, When we would ask where we were going he would answer.. "Grass and eat hay" when we would get that answer, it was to a root beer stand for a mug of frosty root beer. So we just figured that meant the root beer stand.
We were easy..haha
I really miss his quirky humor, my Dad had his version he called a "Schmo" sorta like his version of the WW2 character "Kilroy". You never knew when you would wake up with one drawn on you.

G-F....

April 07, 2013 - Msg 93059: G-F, when I was little and I would see my dad getting ready to go out in the evening (to meet with friends at the local bar..although I didn't know it at that time), I would ask him where he was going and he would ALWAYS say, "To a union meeting". Now, I know there weren't two union meetings a week! ;)

Boo
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93060: That's funny Boo, My Dad Had "Union" meetings also. Those "USSO" (United Service Station Operators) Unions met often too...haha

G-F...
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93061: Morning all.
Enjoying the trip down memory lane. Let me ask this. Did any of you catch your parents in the act of..... being romantic?
I remember when I was about 7 or 8, we were all outside playing. My Mom was in the house, and I figured my Dad was out in the Garage working, as was usually the case. Well I went in the house to ask my Mom something, but I couldn't find her. Finally I noticed their bedroom door was closed. And trying it, discovered it was locked. The discussion that followed went something like this.
ME: "Mom, are you in there"?
Mom: :Yes, what is it"?
ME: Mom, why is the door locked"?
MOM: "Never mind, what do you want"?
ME: "Mom, what are you doing"?
MOM: (exasperated) "What is it"?
ME: Mom, what are you doing:?
DADS VOICE: WE'RE RESTING!!
LOL, well even at that young age I had a pretty good idea they wasn't resting. Fortunatly I resisted the temptation to reply "Mom, what happened to your voice?" Mercy sakes, the things we remember. :)

Asa
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93062: Hahaha! Sounds like your dad was pretty resourceful. No, I never actually "caught" anything like that, though I do remember that on some Sunday afternoons, they would nap with their door open, and on some days it would be closed. I was nearly grown before I figured that one out. I always wondered about it, because that room had to have been freezing cold. The house didn't have central a/c, but when we moved in my dad put a one-ton Friedrich window unit in their room, in a window that faced straight down the hall into the rest of the house, and a ton-and-a-half Friedrich in a window in the living room. Between the two of them, that house would be so cold you'd want to make a pot of chili! However, with their door closed, the rest of the house would warm up noticeably, and their room could have formed icicles. So, those "naps" didn't last terribly long, and the door would be quietly opened, letting a blast of cold air into the rest of the house.

That's a funny story, Asa, and you just have to wonder, why do little kids always want to know what you're doing? Mine used to track me everywhere. They would be out back playing, and I'd go into the bathroom and lock the door, and within two minutes, there would be a piping little voice outside, saying "Mo-o-m! Whatcha doin'?" I swear, they were like little coon hounds. No matter where I went, they'd find me.

I do remember one time when Dale and I had closed our bedroom door one afternoon, and apparently Dale heard small voices whispering outside our door. I didn't hear them, but he did. He had ears like a lynx. Anyway, he very quietly got up, went to the door and slammed his flat palm against the door very hard, at just about kid-height. We heard two startled yelps, then a lot of whispering and scrambling, and then silence. In a minute, we heard the TV in the living room come on. Later, when we left the room, we met a couple of pair of big eyes, but the incident was never mentioned at all, by anyone. It never happened again, either.

Well, got to get ready for rehab. Blessings, everyone! --Romeena
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93063: Come to think of it, I must have had some idea that there was something going on behind that closed door, because I never, ever knocked on it. You have to remember, this was in the forties and very early fifties, and kids were pretty much left to figure things out for themselves. "The Big Talk" was very brief, superficial, and not terribly informative in those days. Parents figured it was better not to put ideas in our heads, I guess. --Romeena
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93064: Thanks for the April 5th shoutout, MDC. I'm still alive.

John Masters
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93065: Are you kidding ASA?..My parents were never "romantic", the stork brought us! At least that's the lie I like to tell myself. ;) Funny story. I have been in your mother's position more than once, though. It's a real mood killer, that's all I'm sayin'. I have the same kind of kids as Romeena...they like to track me down, even when I think they are asleep in bed.

Ro, I never got "The Big Talk" either. My best friend's mom bought her these books by Time-Life that told about the birds and the bees and she and my mom got their heads together and figured they could kill two birds (no pun intended) with one stone and neither of them would have to face us with the information. We were already in the 5th grade, though, so it wasn't exactly new information. Our moms were chickens. ;)

You know, now that I think about it, I don't remember having any recollection of anything going on between my parents at all when i was a kid. I'm still sticking with the theory that maybe it didn't. Please don't shatter my illusion.

;)

Boo
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93066: Hope this works, cause you'll love it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWD0wUmO8jk
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93067: Boo
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93068: Hello Porch...it has been a very long time since I posted here so you may not remember me...SMK (Smky Mtn Hillbilly) but just had to tell you how much I enjoy reading your post. I don't have anything nearly as interesting as you have to post but my how your post about your daily lives, faith and family just lifts up my heart and makes my day. Monday's are great as I look forward to see what my porch 'family' did over the weekend. I hate to name anybody individually but I especially enjoy Romeena, Boo, ASA, MDC and G-F postings.

I can so vividly see in my mind's eye Romeena's backyard and Toye Starr bouncing around her feet or Boo's farm, family and the animals.

It seems that I remember another porchster that went by the handle "Rifleman" and I believe he was dubbed the Mayor of the Porch...does he still visit the porch?

Please note that I won't necessarily be posting everyday but I will be visiting at least 3 or 4 times a day to sit in a rocker and listen to some good coversation.

SMH

Barney: Boy, giraffes are selfish
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93069: Hahaha, Good link Boo. I'm glad my folks locked the door. A young feller walking in on something like that could be damaged for life. ;)

Asa
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93070: Oh hey SMH. Good to see you. Wish you'd jump in and holler at us more, but glad your pokin in at least.

Asa
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93071: Welcome, SMH. I don't recall anyone named "Rifleman". Could you be remembering our Pappa Bear who once went by the name of Pipeman? Of course, it's also possible that I just don't remember. Shoot, these days, I don't even know if I ate breakfast.

I'm waiting for David to show up. He has a 4:30 flight out of DFW, it's 3:15 now, and it's about 15 minutes to get out there. Then the airport check-in itself is lengthy. I like it better when he flies out of Love Field. Much, much easier, for me and for him as well. But, you gotta go where your airline is, I guess. Anyway, I hope he gets here soon. At least he won't be checking luggage. He travels very light.

See you folks later. I guess I'll go get the garage open and be ready when he gets here. --Romeena
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93072: Boo, Your youtube post? where did you come up with that one?..Waaay funny.. I think the boy's ruined for life! Who say's we here on the porch don't discuss the really important things in life.

You made my day....G-F...
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93073: So true, G-F, so true. ;) hehe I happened to come across that video on youtube one time and thought it was so funny!

Good to see you, SMH! Drop in more often. :)

Took Erin to the ear doc today because of her vertigo and they did some tests...she had a hearing test that was great (nice to know with her family history of deafness), and they said she has vertigo because of a problem in the inner ear on the left. Some crystals out of place that will require some therapy to try to get them back where they belong. He said you usually see it with a head injury but she is just so dang hyper-active she got those crystals out of place all on her own. Mercy!

Boo
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93074:
Howdy porch family.....been so busy around here. Got meetings every single day this week....Three of them are for the wedding. I feel like I've had enough meetings for 5 weddings...lol Getting close to the date and it will be all over...or should I say it will just be starting :)

Well back to watching the Braves and the Marlins.
Everyone have a great night and remember.... Jesus loves you!
Love and prayers
-REV.
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93075: HeHe REV..Take it from me..Just keep the wallet open and peelin off those green backs...If your daughter is like mine, those baby blues have great powers! Embrace the moments... I'll e-mail you a picture. She even got Old Goob up to do the Father-Daughter dance. I don't do that just for anyone! The last time Goob did that was back in the Disco days, and it wasn't pretty then...So no one has to worry about putting me on DWTS...haha

G-F...
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93076: Ro, forgot to tell you that a friend of mine has a niece that was recently diagnosed with a grapefruit sized cyst, too. Guess it happens.

Boo
April 08, 2013 - Msg 93077:
Hey SMH--good to see you. I had a feeling that some old porchsters look in on us once in a while. ME-They said HI the other day too.I wish KY GIRL and POOR Horatio would post more too!
Yes, your are indeed thinking about Pappa Bear.
He and I also used to post on a similar board at the Rifleman website. I keep in touch with him via snailmail. He's had some health issues, but is doing pretty well.
ALL- regarding the the "closed door" issue, would you believe that my dad told me a while back that sometimes he and mom would feign an argument just so that we would all DEFINITELY stay out!
BOO- talk about a mood killer,
but I guess it worked for them! haha
Also, he told me that when we would go on camping
trips, right after breakfast they'd tell all of us kids to "take a hike" (so to speak) so that the tent would become their
er, well, you KNOW! EEEWWW! LOL
Hey, who started this?? :)
MDC
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93078: ASA started it!! ;)

Boo
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93079: Hi, porch! Boy, we're sticking with that subject, aren't we? All I have to add is that both of my sons still cling to the notion that they were found beneath cabbage leaves, and expressions of affection between me and their father consisted of warm handshakes. My girls are much more pragmatic about the whole thing, but those boys..... I guess it's the "sainted mother" syndrome or something.

I just noticed that my big old tree stump/birdbath is lighted up! I hadn't been in this part of the house since it got dark, so hadn't seen it until now. Apparently Ted came by sometime today when I wasn't here, and installed the wire I had asked him about. He even put a fixture on it. I don't know if he brought it with him, or found one in the garage, but there it is. Looks beautiful! I'm curious to see if he extended the wire over to the chaise lounge rock. There's no light there, but he may not have had one to attach. No problem. If the wire is there, I can install the light. Bless his buttons, he takes care of things so well.

Actually, I think we do have several "lurkers" on the porch. I wish they'd just jump on in and join us, but it's their choice, and certainly they're welcome in any case.

Well, it's very late, and I'm off to the ironing board. Blessings, everyone. See you tomorrow. --Romeena
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93080: Good Morning Porch!

RO & MDC - Thank you for helping my memory and giving me the update on Pappa Bear...that was who I was thinking of and it was the Rifleman site.

AMC shows Rifleman reruns early on Saturday Morning...I love those old western shows too.

Should be a beautiful day on my end of the porch but storms coming in the next few days which will put a damper on my boys baseball games.

So far we have not had our boys walk in on our private moment but have been very cautious to lock the door...enjoyed the youtube video Boo and loved the expression on the little boys face...poor little fellow had a mental image he couldn't get out of his head.

Have a great day and God Bless!
SMH

ANDY: Hey, Barn, what if they was to ask you if you could sing a cappella, what would you do?
BARNEY: Why, I'd do it! [snapping fingers in rhythm] "A cappella, a cappella"... Well, I don't remember all the words.
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93081: Hi All.
Here a little walk back in time for all us old timer.
MICKEY MOUSE CLUB TIME.
RIP ANNETTE FUNICELLO.

Mr.TOM old boned

April 09, 2013 - Msg 93082: Good morning, porch! SMH, I'm glad you've decided to join us again. It's always nice when folks come back home.

I wish you all could see the irises in my back yard right now. They're blooming in a rainbow of colors, some of them tiny and dainty, but most of them are big old mophead clusters of blooms, many sweetly fragrant, and just so pretty. On the west fence, I've reserved an area and planted some old irises, "stolen" from vacant property here and there. I have no hesitation to go onto a vacant property and take a rhizome from an overgrown clump. It benefits the irises, and any gardener is happy to share anyway, so I just help myself. I don't even have to dig, because usually when they're overgrown like that, there will be some rhizomes literally climbing over the others, not even in the dirt. You just separate them and pop one off. I've acquired some interesting specimens that way. In turn, if anyone asks me for a rhizome from any of mine, I gladly share. Oh, I see that lovely little Grapette is sending up buds. The blooms will be small, delicate little purple things, like tiny orchids, and the fragrance is like grape soda pop. You can smell them from several feet away. Delightful!

I'm sorry we lost Annette Funicello. She was a very courageous woman, and maintained personal standards of behavior that were admirable, especially when displayed by an entertainer. She will be missed.

My former neighbor, who moved away a number of years ago, looks so much like Annette that she could be her double. Mary is petite as well, like Annette, and always has a ready smile. I haven't seen her in years, but I see her sons now and then, as they were and still are friends of my David. Good boys, both of them.

Well, I'd better get busy. With bunco coming up on Friday night, I've got to get this house raked out and made presentable. I can't fly in and work all day on it like I used to, so I've got to start early and do a couple of rooms each day. I'd like to hire someone to help, but right now, I just don't have the money. Oh well. I'll get it done. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93083: Maybe I should clarify something. I would never walk onto an occupied property and take an iris rhizome. Only if the property is vacant. If someone is living there, I'll ring their doorbell and ask if I can have a rhizome. I've never had anyone refuse. Gardeners are just like that. --Romeena
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93084: I wish I could send Sean to your place, Ro. He is a cleaning machine.

Boo
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93085: Wanted to share that our Floyd (Allan) and his son Adam, were in an accident yesterday evening. They were hit by someone else and the car was totaled but they are both ok, thank God. Remember Floyd and his family in your prayers. I'm sure they are tired and sore today.

Boo
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93086: Check this out...Something should be said about simplicity..
5 generations of STILL gettin-r-done....I love the soda break in the morning...G-F...


http://www.youtube.com/embed/BckZ4i1BzF0?feature=player_embedded
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93087: Great Video GF...I loved it...it brought back some great memories for me.

My father ran his own repair shop "New Deat Tractor and Equipment" we worked on anything from a push mower to a D-9 Catepillar Bulldozier. We also did different types of welding and metal fabrication. I learned the trade following him as a child and my first job was handing him tools and sweeping out the shop.

The building and tools in the video were so represenative of our shop and the older tools and simple way of doing things as we did. We would use welders chalk and draw things out on the concrete floor; no computers not even a adding machine; everything was hand written out and on a hand shake.

I went to work full time in the shop after high school and it grew into a salvage yard and used car lot along with the repair and fabrication. Our break time was about 10:00 AM each morning and it was a soft drink and snack crackers; we had several older men that worked for us and I just sat and soaked up the stories they had to tell.

It was a wonderful time in my life and great being with Dad each however a bitter divorce ended up taking the business and it was closed and everything lost in the court battle. Unfortunately I say the only winners were the lawyers and I was the loser as I lost my family.

I am very Thankful to the Lord for sending me my wife shortly after that and for the two wonderful boys he has Blessed us with. I now work on a computer key board all day in a cubicle but Oh how I wish I could go back to those days sometimes and have another soda pop break with those people again.

I work and live in a high tech world but I am really a simple country boy who would like to sometimes get rid of all the tech and go back to the simpler days and ways.

However if we did that then we wouldn't have this great porch family and that would be a tragedy.

My goodness I don't post anything for a long time and over the last two days I have posted a book.

My apologies for writing a book but that video has so touched me bringing back memories that I could find no other place to share with people who would understand.

SMH

ANDY: What are you doing?
BARNEY: Gun-drawing practice, ten minutes every day. If I ever have to use this baby, I want to teach it to come to papa in a hurry.

April 09, 2013 - Msg 93088: *New Deal Tractor and Equipment
*great being with my Dad each day

You would think working on a key board each day I would learn to type...sorry the mistakes.

SMH
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93089: Wow, SMH. What a great story of your experiences as a boy, and thanks for sharing the Bob Phillips video. Mr. Phillips has been a Texas fixture with his Country Reporter show for many years. This was especially pleasant for me, as my Dale was a huge fan of Mr. Phillips, and rarely missed a show. It started out as "Four Country Reporter", aired on Dallas' Channel Four. Then at some point it moved to Channel 8, so became "Eight Country Reporter." When another channel switch came along, he just gave up and now calls it "Texas Country Reporter." Great show, always something interesting.

I think that ability to just rough-sketch an idea and then make it happen must have been a common trait in that older generation. My dad, who was born in 1917, could do that. After a career that ran from shipping clerk in a cold storage facility to a responsible position in a sales firm, one day he decided he wanted to build homes. He was around fifty at the time, and he just waded in.

He had no formal training, in fact never quite finished high school, but he had more natural smarts than anyone I've ever known. He sketched his first house on a sheet of typing paper, and went to the bank to seek financing! Well, you can imagine how that was received. It offended him a little, though, because he knew what he could do. So, he went to a supply store and bought a bunch of drafting materials, a board and all the templates and stuff. Then he bought a commercial house plan, so he could study it and see what all was expected to be included. He went home and expanded that paper sketch into a sure-enough plan, with everything that was required, even the elevation. He went back to the bank, and was again refused, because he had no track record. Finally, he met with one man who would listen to him. He told the man that he would buy the house himself if it didn't sell, and he could qualify for that, so they finally granted him the interim money to start building. He had a buyer for the house before the sheetrocking was finished! (Sheetrock - that's "dry wall" to some of you, I guess.) He took the profit from that one and banked it, got an interim loan for another one and built and sold it. He kept repeating this, each time banking the profit, until he had enough to build one on his own money and no longer needed the bank. He went on to build about four hundred homes in this area before he retired, and they're all standing strong today. I'm living in one! It's almost forty years old, and still square and true, no cracks in it. The neat thing is, each one of those houses were first sketched on a piece of typing paper, then translated to a real plan. He had imagination and vision!

He was notoriously honest, and preferred to do business on a handshake. His word was gold, and everyone knew it. My friend Ted, who does fix-it stuff around here, knew my dad and speaks of him with great respect. Ted was an apprentice to the framer who framed Daddy's houses for years, so he remembers Daddy well.

Well, I could reminisce all afternoon, but I've got to get busy. Thanks for that video, SMH. A real pleasure! --Romeena
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93090:
Wow, such great stories of the "good old days!!"
Thanks SMH and RO. Very cool! So let me share
a quick one... After my dad was discharged in 1945, (after being a pilot with only a HS education,
his mom told him, OK the war's over, what are you gonna do? He said that he had always admired printers because it was one freedom that he
was "fighting for", freedom of the press, so he went to a large local printer in Mpls, Minn, and got a job as a clean-up guy, then to bindry, then thru an apprenticeship program, etc, etc... to
typesetter and to journeyman printer. When he moved our family to Phx, he got a job at the local newspaper, worked up to composing room foreman, and worked with hot lead type for the next 37 years! Oh and yes, he went to a lot of "union meetings" too! ha
Prayers continue for all. Each morning I "lift up the Taylor porchsters" in prayer to the good Lord!
MDC
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93091:
Oh, and yes TOM, RIP Annette. Great lady!
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93092:
Here's a neat video for all Annette fans! (:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6NatiMGTH4
Enjoy,
MDC
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93093: I got a e-mail back from Floyd he confirmed both he and his son are ok...The Chevy Cavalier did not fair so well, I think he can salvage the tires!
Poor Adam his instrument was all bent up too. He may have to borrow one from Freddie Fleet!

Hey MDC I bet our Dads could have built a Ford from Chevy & Dodge parts too! (Throw a few Studebaker parts in for good measure)..I'm just say'in...
SMH...I agree I grew up working at my Dad's service station.. Not gas station, "SERVICE STATION" as I was reminded so many times while growing up. Our breaks were Slim Jim's & sodas.
I get a Slim Jim from time to time, and it takes me right back there. Mrs. G-F fusses me out for eating them..If I have to explain, she wouldn't understand...
Good to have ya on board..

G-F (Goober Fife) if you were wondering....
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93094: Good evening, Porch folks,

I, John Masters, have been lurking from time to time to read some of the posts be it few and far between. I have had some struggles over the past year or so myself and there is lots of stress, tension and strife in my life currently.
I had a nervous breakdown in January of '12 and it took me awhile to shake that off. Now I am going thru some family issues that could really make things rocky for my wife, her family and mine.
I am not rying to ride any coattails of those who have had their recent trials and tribulations, but I wanted to explain why I disappeared again after telling you all I wouldnt leave after one or two disappearances before.
I will drop in now and again and, hopefully, I can get back here like I used to. But right now, my life is up in the air and Hollywood script writers couldnt come up with some of the stuff I am facing.
Again, this isnt to turn attention towards me. I just wanted to make it clear why I left and havent been around. My best to each and every member of the Porch! God be with you all!

John Masters
April 09, 2013 - Msg 93095: Thanks for posting that link, MDC. Charming, absolutely charming. I had no idea she was such a good ballerina, and at such a young age. I don't know much about it, but I think it's unusual for a girl that young to dance en pointe as well as she did. (How on earth do they do that anyway, at any age?)

I'm so sorry to hear about Floyd and Adam being in a wreck, but grateful to our Lord that they weren't injured. Cars can be replaced, people can't.

Yep, G-F, I remember when they were "service stations" too. Gas was 19 cents a gallon, and you got your oil checked, water and air checked, windshield cleaned, and maybe the back and side windows too, if they weren't rushed. Many times I've driven into a station and received all that service, for a dollar's worth of gas. These days, a dollar's worth would evaporate before it ever hit the tank, but back then, I could drive for days on a dollar's worth. Things sure do change. Of course, I was working for $1.35 an hour, too.

I'm a little concerned (OK, a lot concerned) about Toye Starr tonight. She hasn't eaten all day, not even her good old Beneful from the little tub. She's been very restless, doesn't stay in one spot more than a minute, then is up and changing positions. I think her little tummy hurts. I wish I had some yogurt, she loves it and it would probably soothe her, but she might not eat it. She has refused everything I've offered her. If she's not fine in the morning, she's going to the vet first thing. If you have a "puppy prayer" available, we'd appreciate it. She's so tiny, and doesn't have much physical resource to draw on. Four and a half pounds can melt away fast when you're not eating.

Well, I guess I'll put her on the bed and get up there with her and see if she'll settle down and sleep. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
April 10, 2013 - Msg 93096: Morning friends.
Gosh Ro, I pray little Toye Starr is feeling better this morning, bless her heart. That is so hard to see our little furkids hurting. Prayers for her.

John Masters, good to see you buddy, and sure am sorry to read about the challanges you have going on. You got my prayers also my friend.

Sure nice to see you posting SMH. reading your posts. You fit in real nice here.

Loved the video link G-F. Makes me sad for those days also. My Dad, like Ro's, and so many others from that generation was so resourceful. I was amazed, even as a child, all that he was able to accomplish. And my respect and awe has done nothing but increase as I have matured and come to fully realize and appreciate all that he and my Mom did. Being immigrants to the USA from England, what they accomplished here in the good old USA was remarkable. I'd love to share some of their stories sometime, if it won't bore folks.

Sorry to hear about Alan and Adam. Glad they are ok though.

Well I'm nursing a sore back. Threw it out Sunday morning just reaching for something. Cursed thing. I declare I can hold my mouth just right and throw my back out anymore. Oh well, best not whine about it to loud. It could be worse. And thank the Lord I have ample leave built up at work. But this is a horrible time to be off.Tons of stuff going on this time of year. But it is what it is.

Boo, How is Erin doing with her dizziness? And Sean with his anxieties? Better I hope.

Guess I better get some Ice on my back. Not comfortable but it seems to help.

Asa
April 10, 2013 - Msg 93097: Good Morning Everyone!

Thanks RO, GF, ASA and MDC for the shout out but the credit for posting the Simpler Days video goes to GF

Isn't it amazing how the legacy of the generation before really lives up to thier title "Greatest Generation"; the common theme of no excuses or obstacles could stop them from accomplishing anythng they wanted to do. I remember my Dad could do anything he set his mind to; didn't matter if he had never done it before he would just roll up his sleeves head into learning as he went. Another characteristic I see is the honesty, responsibility and dependability they all had with thier handshake and their word being thier bond and as good as gold.

Better get to work here on my end of the porch; we have storms moving in tonight but I believe my oldest son will get his game in tonight before the storms...my youngest won his game last night.

My prayers are lifted up for John Masters, Toye Starr, Asa and all my friends on the porch

Thank you for the warm welcome back!

Have a great day and God Bless you real good!
SMH

Barney - If there's anything that upsets me, it's having people say I'm sensitive.