A Song for Sunday

Here’s a simple message – in beautiful harmony – to compliment a beautiful Sunday in Georgia.

Tomorrow we’ll explore the life of Wally Cox.

WOW!

I was going to add another post insisting that people view my article about Paris before moving on. Lo and behold, lots of people have visited already today. While that’s nice, I’m going to stick with my original thoughts and let everyone have another day to catch up. Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about Clyde Kennedy, Roy Turner, and the Liberty Ship Andrew Hamilton.

Too Few Visits

Do my readers have ESP? I place a post trying to get financial support for Lu and I to go to Paris, and nobody bothers to read it. It’s not fair!

I think I’ll let it ride another day. So there!!!

Mixed Bag Monday

Fox in the morning!

This is not the way I planned to begin today’s post. However, when I looked out the window, my plans changed. There were two young foxes rolling around in our yard. I managed to get several pictures before something spooked them.

In truth, I was going to begin this Monday morning with another song. While the words do not express the views of the author – nor this blog site – I always loved listening to Karen Carpenter.

Here in Georgia – in the midst of a drought – rainy days would not get me down. In fact, we’re hoping Hurricane Fae comes and dumps about six or seven inches on us. As for Mondays, when I was working full time and had to sit in traffic trying to get to my office, the mornings did get me down, but things usually improved as the day wore on.

Last night my bride and I sat on the other side of the table and it was marvelous!

Allow me to explain. Lu and I are very active with our church’s Out-reach committee and get heavily involved in various fund raising events. The last two years we’ve been serving gourmet dinners to raise money for various charities. Several times we’ve prepared Beef Wellington with all the trimmings and attempted to provide a memorable dining experience to the people making substantial donations to our causes.

Last evening, we were among the guests. Bob and Gail Trimble took over as chief cooks and bottle washers. They were ably assisted by Bob and Marilyn Young, and Doug and Alaine Linebarger. And we sat at the table and allowed them to serve up a sumptuous meal. Naturally, we ate far too much, but loved every bite of it.

Perhaps that’s why I feel rather bloated on this Monday morning.

If this is your first visit here, welcome! I’m glad you took the time to stop by. There’s a little something for everyone here, including a joke contest and a mystery picture. The picture can be found on the ??? page.

In the meantime, I’m going to go look out the windows some more. We never know what we might see passing through. The picture below was taken of a deer that Lu eventually had to chase out of the yard. The deer was fearless of humans – a bad sign – and eating Lu’s prized plants.

A descendant of Bambi?

Patient is Prudent

A sea gull patiently waiting

We still haven’t discovered the location of that mystery photo… beyond the fact that it’s on the wall of my dentist’s office. Come on folks! We’ve got to do better than that!

But I’ll try to be patient… just like that sea gull in the photo – patiently waiting for one of us to throw him something to eat – anything! The sea gulls portrayed in the animated movie “Finding Nemo” were perfectly type cast. If you listened carefully while they were in their feeding frenzies, the were crying out, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” If you’ve ever fed the gulls on a beach, you know how fitting those words are.

Besides, patience is prudent… of is it Patience and Prudence?

I was a mere lad of twelve when that song was new.

In any case, I’m going to add a new page to this blog. It’s title will simply be “?”. I’ll stock that page with my many questions about life, the universe, and everything. If you’re unable to answer any of the enigmas, please invite others to visit my blog and take a look.

By the way, if you have mysteries of your own and you think the power of the Internet might help you find your answers, e-mail me at jimleeds@earthlink.net and, if your question is “G” rated, I’ll add it to the “?” page.

Again, thanks for your support!

Something New Every Day

Sunrise at Port Angeles, Washington

I’ve been writing this blog for over two months and this is the first time I’d rather be doing something else. Today will find me going to a memorial service for an old friend who died of cancer. Then I’ll attend a meeting in downtown Atlanta (a place I try to avoid because I hate sitting in traffic) to discuss a new project I’ll be working on as a corporate training consultant.

Fortunately, I don’t need to drive the fifty miles into Atlanta on a regular basis. Later this week I’ll travel to another city in Georgia to begin work on the project. After spending a few days with the client, I’ll return to my office and do most of the work there. My office, by the way, is right across the hall from my bedroom. Being self-employed includes some definite benefits!

I hope you’ll stick around long enough to read the post below this one. It’s about photos that could be used for computer wallpaper or rec room murals. I’m especially interested in learning the location of the scene on the mural of my dentist’s office. I’m been searching for that answer for a number of years.

Once again, let me say Thanks You for stopping by and telling your friends and family where they can go… to find some interesting reading material, pretty pictures, and fun videos. And it’s all rated “G” for goodness sake!

Mamma Mia!

What a show!!!

My bride and I went to see the movie “Mamma Mia” last evening. We haven’t laughed that much since we saw the stage production of “Smoke on the Mountain”. In my mind, this movie will become an all-time classic musical comedy.

One for the Book (Harry, that is!)

My trips down memory lane wouldn’t be complete if I omitted information about my college experience. That would also give me reason to mention the one man who had more influence on my life than any other individual I’ve met over the years. It’s a shame I can’t find any information about Mr. Harry D. Book on the Internet; surely someone has more information than I.

Mr. Book was the Principal of Langley High School from 1951 until 1963. Our nickname for the gentleman was “Harry, the bookie”, but first, and foremost, he was a gentleman. His white hair and easy-going nature gained him instant respect as the head honcho of our school, but the things he did quietly behind the scenes probably had more impact on his students than any thing else.

In my case, he helped convince me to go to college. I had planned on enlisting in the army, getting my mandatory service out of the way, and getting a job as a long-haul trucker. That was my dream until near the end of my senior year. Through a number of circumstances, I began considering a career as a minister, but I knew I needed a college degree in order to get into the Presbyterian seminary.

Most of my college bound friends had already received their acceptance letters. I’d yet to apply to any college. For that matter, I hadn’t even bothered taking the SAT. Mr. Book arranged for me to take the SAT after I’d graduated. He then suggested I apply to Edinboro State Teachers College in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. He even wrote a letter of recommendation for me.

Looking back, I think someone at Edinboro owed Mr. Book a favor. I was a solid “C” student in high school… mainly because I never really applied myself to learning. Perhaps I was bored. I honestly don’t know. I studied just enough to get by. Years later when I was hired by IBM – when my job and family depended on my ability to learn all about computers and programming languages – I finished most classes in the top five percent. That proved to me that I could’ve done much better in high school… and college.

I was accepted to Edinboro in the middle of August and began classes shortly after Labor Day.

The first semester was a real test for me. My father was on Social Security and couldn’t help financially. My older brother, Lewis (Somers) paid for my tuition, books, and room and board. I got jobs in the cafeteria and student union and worked for seventy-five cents per hour to provide myself with some spending money.

I just missed the Dean’s list that first semester. Unfortunately, the message I opted to get from that was “College isn’t that much more difficult than high school.” From that time forward, I enjoyed every social event I could. I joined the Kappa Delta Phi fraternity and reverted back to my high school ways – I did just enough to get by. I graduated from Edinboro State College – they’d dropped the ‘Teachers’ part of the name – in 1966 and began my career as a school teacher.

To put that accomplishment in perspective I have to report a conversation I had with Dr. Luther Hendricks who was head of the Social Science department during my tenure at Edinboro. He had called me in to discuss my poor grades. He wanted to know what I was doing when I should be studying.

Not wanting to discuss my partying ways, I told him that I was working about twenty hours per week to help pay my expenses – which was true – and that I was taking part in a fraternity project and tutoring local high school students – which was also true.

Dr. Hendricks sneered at me and said, “That’s like the blind leading the blind.”

It was several years later before I realized how correct he was.

I like to think that the sage advice I give nowadays demonstrates that I’ve finally learned some of life’s lessons, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

In any case, I owe Mr. Book a deep debt of gratitude (as well as to my brother) who went the extra mile to get me into college. Had I not gone on to get my higher education, there’s no telling how different my life would’ve been.

Circles

I just added another 400 Edition article I wrote a while back. It’s entitled “Family Circles”. In a weird way, it fits in with my thinking this morning.

I’ve often said that life is a terminal illness and we should all treat it that way. When we accept the fact that our stay here on earth is finite, we can get a better appreciation for whatever blessings come our way. Dr. Randy Pausch was able to do that… even after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Yesterday I added a video of Dr. Pausch’s appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show where he reprised his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Before I posted that video, I went to Dr. Pausch’s personal website to try to find an update on his health. It had been a while since his last post. I felt a little uneasy about the situation, but decided to post the video anyway. Then, last evening, my son sent word that Randy had passed away yesterday morning… probably around the same time as I was posting his video.

The death of this man was inevitable – a fact we must all face. But what a wonderful message of faith and hope he left us. If you are in the dark on this subject, go to my ‘Sermons’ page and take a look at the video. It is very uplifting. For more information on his death, go to the New York Times web site.

In the meantime, my bride and I intend to be part of a funeral procession this afternoon. Cpl. Matthew Phillips, a young soldier from Cumming who was killed in action in Afghanistan will be buried today. We will join hundreds, if not thousands, of other residents in showing our support to his family.

Today’s message? How about this? Live each day as though it is your last, and try to leave good memories for your loved ones.

Random Thoughts

Last evening I ran across a quote. While the words are a bit shocking, I thought the timing was rather interesting,

“What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”

Now who would say something like that? If you think you know, leave a comment and tell me who you think it might be.

As many of you know, my bride, Lu, has become a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. As the husband of said consultant, I’m permitted to drive to the local distribution center and pick up orders for her. However, in order to deliver orders to customers, the Mary Kay Corporation insists that I wear a dress. I’ve been considering a Scottish kilt and knee socks, but have been advised that I might look better in a pink poodle skirt. For the time being, I’ll just keep considering.

Speaking of independent sales reps, we recently bought some Watkins products from a good friend, Carol Terry. If you live in the Cumming area and have been looking for a Watkins person, look no farther. You can order at her web site: http://www.watkinsonline.com/carolterry/.

Yesterday was a busy day and I’ve come to realize that I’m beginning to act like my older brother. I made airline reservations and will be traveling to Pittsburgh soon. I plan to stay at my brother’s house during my visit. I have not yet talked with him about my plans. The last time he visited me, he called about two weeks prior to his visit to ask if I’d pick him up at the airport. Maybe I’ll wait even longer. BOY! Will I be surprised if he’s off in Michigan visiting his daughter!

While in Pittsburgh, I plan to attend an IBM alumni dinner. They’ve been holding this annual affair for four or five years and I’ve never been able to make it. This year I will and I’m really looking forward to seeing my old work mates. I also plan on visiting with some of my old school mates. Who knows? I might bump into some of the Hollywood All-Stars!

Another thing I did yesterday was visit http://thrillingdaysofyesteryear.blogspot.com/ and left a comment. It was a comment concerning my thoughts on politicians. In brief, I no longer believe politicians represent the voters. Their only concern toward their constituency is what they must do to get re-elected. They’ll say whatever they think they need to say, and then go off to the seat of government to represent their party and the special interest groups who provide the cash for their next re-election bid. I’m in favor of term limits and think we should replace every incumbent – regardless of party affiliation.

With that said, I would prefer not to have politics become part of this blog. I have very strong feelings and so do you. I’d rather not get into a disagreement with people I hope will become regular visitors.

Finally, I’ve asked for people to submit jokes that I can tell at senior citizen venues. I’ve received my first input. It’s from Joe Lane, an old friend in Pittsburgh, and he opted to send it directly to my e-mail account rather than add it as a comment here on the blog. I think it’s perfect for my needs and plan on using it this coming Friday. Without further ado…

An elderly man in Louisiana had owned a large farm for several years.
He had a large pond in the back. It was properly shaped for swimming, so he fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some apple, and peach trees.

One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn’t been there for a while, and look it over. He grabbed a five-gallon bucket to bring back some fruit.

As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond.

He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end. One of the women shouted to him, ‘we’re not coming out until you leave!’

The old man frowned, ‘I didn’t come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked.’

Holding the bucket up he said, ‘I’m here to feed the alligator.’

Old age and treachery will beat youth and enthusiam every day of the week.

I’m still waiting for your joke!