Meanlittleboy Blog
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Jun
02

1927Tornado5

IN 1927, POPLAR BLUFF,MO. was hit by a f-5 tornado at 310 pm on a monday afternoon. my father, was 4 years old living at home!!

He has told me about  the damage done  by  the huge tornado..Over a 100 people ,were killed, and 300 injured in Poplar Bluff,mo. It is a small town on the Black River, in se Missouri.

The town, was left in complete ruins. It seemed as though an atom bomb had been dropped on this small town.

By true grits and determination everyone pulled together to rebuild the town. The bricks from the buildings were used to pavé main street in Poplar Bluff.

My father was always scared of tornadoes from 1927 till his death in 1996. He passed this on down to yours truly.. We spent  numerous hours in a storm cellar built my grandfather…

In 1962, this all was about to come to an end. My father, a radio telegrapher from world war 2 applied and was employed the government in Tucson, Arizona,,,We all rode  into a 57 Buick and moved to Tucson in the summer of 1962, No more tornadoes and baseball year around was very welcomed news for me.

IN Tucson, and most of Arizona, the summer time is a period of thunderstorms for the months of june and July. It’s a weather condition called the “monsoons” of the southwest,A high pressure system builds over the four corners area. This draws moisture out of mexico into the south-west.

in 1962, my father and sister visited the san Xavier mission southeast of Tucson. ,,,What happened next was freak of nature on afternoon in July 1962.

A thunderstorm came in from mexico..a tornado, , came down out of a cloud and killed 2 people on the indian reservation. My father and sisters had to run for their lives to get away from the on coming tornado.

We had been in Tucson little over a month and the first tornado in over 50 years decided to make a little noise. It was all over the national news the next day,

You can imagine the jokes that came in from our relatives and friends in Missouri,,A day to remember …A time to never be forgotten by the living. a time known as the good old days in Arizona!!

I spent the last week at the VA facility in Tucson..An elderly 2 years my senior, added to this story. He told me there was 5 adobe houses across the road from the San Xavier Mission, 3 of them were hit by the tornado..The two who escaped had statues of the Virgin Mary in the windows!!  Believe it or not? Thank you Lorenzo Baca for the added piece of history. He really had a lot of stories to tell about the Old Pueblo.

Feb
10

About 5 years ago, I started writing short stories, on another site.. I must say,” I was terrible at spelling and punctuation.” remember I am a hillbilly!! proud of it too!!

I probably need a lot more work in the area.?.This last week,I finally learned how to cut,copy , and paste stories.

To make it short, I copied an old story, and pasted it yesterday on this site. I forgot to check my spelling..Had the same story copied 3 times on one page. Wow ,what a bomb!25,000 words on one blog…lol
I hope very few people actually read the article about “Hunting with a Superstar.

I am sorry,, MEANLITTLEBOYps…I really appreciate your comments,. If it wasn’t for you?/ I would not have a blog. Please tell a friend, and come back, you hear?

Feb
09

The “OLD TUCSON STUDIOS”has drawn many stars into the Tucson area ,over the years. John Wayne, The Cartwrights of Bonaza, and many others, have been known to visit the local watering holes. The High Chapparel was filmed in Tucson. 

Lee Marvin used to stop at a Safeway at Prince and Cambell before his death. The proximity to California and the weather makes it an ideal place to film movies. If a person wasnt aware of their surroundings, 
the “stars”, blend in with the local residents. 

One time When we were living in Palm Desert, California, I was meeting someone at the airport in Palm springs, and Bob Hope and his wife Delores were siting right next to me,and I didn,t even notice them, until they walked away. He was carrying a golf club wood in his right hand. 

Itwas 1965, Tucson had a population of about 150 thousand people. There is over a million people in the Tucson Metro area in, 2007. Land was cheap and so was the standard of living. 

The area north and west of Tucson was sparsley poulated. All the land is Marana was owned, mainly, by the KAI family. The original owner was a chines immigrant who settled many years ago in the area. He worked hard and bought the land for farming and cattle raising. 

The area farms planted cotton and milo maze in the area. Water was used for irrigation from the ground water.The milo maze was used for cattle feed and other projects. 

Dove hunting was a very poular sporting event in the early 60s. It didnt cost very much money to go hunting, and the birds are a dellicacy to eat. 

The white wing doves migrated out of Mexico in the summer; time beginning around the first of may. The mesquite trees provided shelter for nesting and they would feed off trhe maze. Onenest usually contained at leat one egg and sometimes two. The birds had to grow and be ready to fly by the first of september. 

The sky was filled with doves at the end of summer. I remember seeinf a hundred at a time flying over. The birds usually hung around till lighting drove them south during the severe storms of summer. By the time hunting season arrived, most of the white winfgs had migrated south. There was just as many mourning doves to hunt. The limit was 25 birds per hunt. They could not be legally stored in the freezers at home. only so many were allowed in reserve. 

In 1965, my hunting partner, my dad, decided to go hunting in Avra Valley west of our home. I had just enlisted in the navy and was in San Diego training for Vietnam. If I hadnt been in California, I would have been with him for sure! 

He pulled up to a secret hunting place in the Avra Valley to hunt doves. There wasn’t very many hunters in the area, which made it nice in a lot of ways. He was siting under a mesquite tree with the sun to his back. The doves would be flying for water at the nearby watering tank. 

He hadnt been there more than 15 minutes and he saw somone walking toward him from the south. 
He didn’t mind, the doves were still feeding in the cut stubs in the field across the road. The man walked up and struck up a conversation. 

They talked about everything from hunting to Vietnam. My dad was a “good old boy from Missouri.” If you had met him, you would have thought you knew him all your life? 

The doves started flying and they acheived their limit in a short amount of time. All this was over a 3 hour time frame. They cleaned their doves and dad gave him a plastic baggie to put his doves in. My pops drove an old 71 volkswagen bus, with a camper attached. . It was used for hunting and fishing.Many of times we would load up the van and head for the desert and mountains of southern Arizona. This was before 1965. 

My dad told this new friend, he had to leave and head home. The hunter invited him to return and hunt with him the next day. My father had to work, so they shook hands and began to leave. My father gave him a ride back to his vehicle. 

In their final conversations, my father told the guy he sure looked familiar to him, but, couldnt remember where they had met before. “Jim answered my dad.” “you might have seen me in the movies or on tv?” “My name is James Garner the actor.” Most people would have became intimidated by the presence of a movie star? Not my “pops’ he treated everyone the same. 
When dad came home and told the story they all became excited. My dad told my sisters and mother,”all the nice things concerning Mr. Garner.” They couldnt believe my father didnt accept the invitation to go hunting with him again. That was my pops, never met a stranger ,everyone enjoyed his company. This was one day Mr James Garner hunted with a star, my dad! AMEN! 

The “OLD TUCSON STUDIOS”has drawn many stars into the Tucson area ,over the years. John Wayne, The Cartwrights of Bonaza, and many others, have been known to visit the local watering holes. The High Chapparel was filmed in Tucson. 

Lee Marvin used to stop at a Safeway at Prince and Cambell before his death. The proximity to California and the weather makes it an ideal place to film movies. If a person wasnt aware of their surroundings, 
the “stars”, blend in with the local residents. 

One time When we were living in Palm Desert, California, I was meeting someone at the airport in Palm springs, and Bob Hope and his wife Delores were siting right next to me,and I didn,t even notice them, until they walked away. He was carrying a golf club wood in his right hand. 

Itwas 1965, Tucson had a population of about 150 thousand people. There is over a million people in the Tucson Metro area in, 2007. Land was cheap and so was the standard of living. 

The area north and west of Tucson was sparsley poulated. All the land is Marana was owned, mainly, by the KAI family. The original owner was a chines immigrant who settled many years ago in the area. He worked hard and bought the land for farming and cattle raising. 

The area farms planted cotton and milo maze in the area. Water was used for irrigation from the ground water.The milo maze was used for cattle feed and other projects. 

Dove hunting was a very poular sporting event in the early 60s. It didnt cost very much money to go hunting, and the birds are a dellicacy to eat. 

The white wing doves migrated out of Mexico in the summer; time beginning around the first of may. The mesquite trees provided shelter for nesting and they would feed off trhe maze. Onenest usually contained at leat one egg and sometimes two. The birds had to grow and be ready to fly by the first of september. 

The sky was filled with doves at the end of summer. I remember seeinf a hundred at a time flying over. The birds usually hung around till lighting drove them south during the severe storms of summer. By the time hunting season arrived, most of the white winfgs had migrated south. There was just as many mourning doves to hunt. The limit was 25 birds per hunt. They could not be legally stored in the freezers at home. only so many were allowed in reserve. 

In 1965, my hunting partner, my dad, decided to go hunting in Avra Valley west of our home. I had just enlisted in the navy and was in San Diego training for Vietnam. If I hadnt been in California, I would have been with him for sure! 

He pulled up to a secret hunting place in the Avra Valley to hunt doves. There wasn’t very many hunters in the area, which made it nice in a lot of ways. He was siting under a mesquite tree with the sun to his back. The doves would be flying for water at the nearby watering tank. 

He hadnt been there more than 15 minutes and he saw somone walking toward him from the south. 
He didn’t mind, the doves were still feeding in the cut stubs in the field across the road. The man walked up and struck up a conversation. 

They talked about everything from hunting to Vietnam. My dad was a “good old boy from Missouri.” If you had met him, you would have thought you knew him all your life? 

The doves started flying and they acheived their limit in a short amount of time. All this was over a 3 hour time frame. They cleaned their doves and dad gave him a plastic baggie to put his doves in. My pops drove an old 71 volkswagen bus, with a camper attached. . It was used for hunting and fishing.Many of times we would load up the van and head for the desert and mountains of southern Arizona. This was before 1965. 

My dad told this new friend, he had to leave and head home. The hunter invited him to return and hunt with him the next day. My father had to work, so they shook hands and began to leave. My father gave him a ride back to his vehicle. 

In their final conversations, my father told the guy he sure looked familiar to him, but, couldnt remember where they had met before. “Jim answered my dad.” “you might have seen me in the movies or on tv?” “My name is James Garner the actor.” Most people would have became intimidated by the presence of a movie star? Not my “pops’ he treated everyone the same. 
When dad came home and told the story they all became excited. My dad told my sisters and mother,”all the nice things concerning Mr. Garner.” They couldnt believe my father didnt accept the invitation to go hunting with him again. That was my pops, never met a stranger ,everyone enjoyed his company. This was one day Mr James Garner hunted with a star, my dad! AMEN! 

Tme hunting season arrived, most of the white winfgs had migrated south. There was just as many mourning doves to hunt. The limit was 25 birds per hunt. They could not be legally stored in the freezers at home. only so many were allowed in reserve. 

In 1965, my hunting partner, my dad, decided to go hunting in Avra Valley west of our home. I had just enlisted in the navy and was in San Diego training for Vietnam. If I hadnt been in California, I would have been with him for sure! 

He pulled up to a secret hunting place in the Avra Valley to hunt doves. There wasn’t very many hunters in the area, which made it nice in a lot of ways. He was siting under a mesquite tree with the sun to his back. The doves would be flying for water at the nearby watering tank. 

He hadnt been there more than 15 minutes and he saw somone walking toward him from the south. 
He didn’t mind, the doves were still feeding in the cut stubs in the field across the road. The man walked up and struck up a conversation. 

They talked about everything from hunting to Vietnam. My dad was a “good old boy from Missouri.” If you had met him, you would have thought you knew him all your life? 

The doves started flying and they acheived their limit in a short amount of time. All this was over a 3 hour time frame. They cleaned their doves and dad gave him a plastic baggie to put his doves in. My pops drove an old 71 volkswagen bus, with a camper attached. . It was used for hunting and fishing.Many of times we would load up the van and head for the desert and mountains of southern Arizona. This was before 1965. 

My dad told this new friend, he had to leave and head home. The hunter invited him to return and hunt with him the next day. My father had to work, so they shook hands and began to leave. My father gave him a ride back to his vehicle. 

In their final conversations, my father told the guy he sure looked familiar to him, but, couldnt remember where they had met before. “Jim answered my dad.” “you might have seen me in the movies or on tv?” “My name is James Garner the actor.” Most people would have became intimidated by the presence of a movie star? Not my “pops’ he treated everyone the same. 
When dad came home and told the story they all became excited. My dad told my sisters and mother,”all the nice things concerning Mr. Garner.” They couldnt believe my father didnt accept the invitation to go hunting with him again. That was my pops, never met a stranger ,everyone enjoyed his company. This was one day Mr James Garner hunted with a star, my dad! AMEN! 

Feb
09

We had a pond on grandpa Pinkerton farm in Missouri. It was full of fish and frogs. The blue ribbon pigs used to water once a day out of the pond. When I say blue ribbon, I mean 4-H pigs.It was a very hot summer day in August, when this incident took place.

My cousin and used to hang around the shade of the old oak tree ,fishing and a frogging. It was a good place to cool off.

This particular day Ronnie and I and two purebred dogs were at the pond. I accidently stirred up a nest of yellow jackets near the water’s edge. The wasp like insects starting stinging me all over my arms and head. They attacked the dogs with both barrels.

I started yelling for help. The dogs were a yelping and Ronnie was laughing so hard he pee his pants. All three of us were rolling in the plowed ground, next to the pond.

My aunt Sarah was laughing as hard as Ronnie. She said, “that’s what you get you mean

little —-.

I have never forgotten  the village of Green Forest, in Missouri.

I had whelps all over my body. Grandpa John applied honey to the stings. How could a dozen or so yellow jackets cause so much turmoil? I never went neat the pond again, when the yellow jackets were watering.

Every-time I see a bee, I crack a meanlittleboy smile!!

yellow jackets rule!!!

Feb
09

THE Mexican CHIHUAHUAS AREthye best watch dogs in the world,,They can hear noises outside better than any dog know to mortal man,,

Have a big dog for biting and a small dog to detect intruders far away,,trust me!! mlbWHO LET THE DOGS OUT??  WHO WHO

Feb
09

IN THE SUPERBOWL OF LIFE, THE SAINTS ALWAYS WIN BECAUSE THEIR COACH OWNS THE BALL, THE STADIUM AND THE BEST FANS. JOIN THE WINNING TEAM FOR A GREAT VICTORY PARTY. THIS COACH WROTE THE PLAYBOOK BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF TIME AND HE BET HIS SONS LIFE THAT YOU WOULD BE ON HIS TEAM. THINK ABOUT IT!

DON’T WAIT TILL THE LAST QUARTER TO TAKE THE BALL. IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE! HE WILL MAKE A WAY WHERE THERE SEEMS NO WAY. ASK HIM FOR THE BEST PLAY OF THE SEASON. FOLLOW JESUS – HE IS THE WINNING PLAY!
submitted by John Moore thanksJohn3:16

Feb
09

When the dietitians at the hospital know beforehand your requests?/ The custodians call you by your first name?? A person spends more time at the hospital the at home? Your grandkids want to go ride the elevators and shuttle vehicles for fun?

The hospital has assigned you ,your own special website for medical problems? The nurses always makes sure a Gideon bible and a daily newspaper arrives every day? They always give you a room on the end of the hallway..they know other patients will soon be visiting? The nurses remind us we are in the hospital not HOLIDAY INN?

So the beat goes on, just like an old car..the parts wear out, the visits increase yearly, like someone says you work your hine off for 40 years then you die. old farts, pacemakers and strawberry pei??cheers good day!! enjoy life and trust in the LORD!! AMEN mlb'rainbow life?"

Feb
08

Feb
08

I just wrote a mean message to all my relies in MO,,I just wanted to remind them 3 more storms were on the way..my bad?

Thats what meanlittleboys are suppose to do?/ Right? let it snow let it snow,,

Feb
08

HE ran outside yesterday afternoon yelling, The cardinals won the super bowl! “The cardinals won the super bowl’!! lord have mercy on my soul,,amen

Feb
07

well in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia and the Ozarks. Due to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of Ozarkan and Appalachian heritage. However, the term is also used in celebration of their culture by mountain people themselves. Such co-opting and neutralizing use is almost exclusively reserved for the mountain people themselves. Such people consider the term hillbilly to be a descriptive term lumping all such inhabitants together in a single ethnic group similar to the term Cajun as a description of a uniquely American ethnic group.

The origins of the term “hillbilly” are obscure. According to Anthony Harkins in Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon, the term first appeared in print in a 1900 New York Journal article, with the definition: “a Hill-Billie is a free and untrammeled white citizen of Alabama, who lives in the hills, has no means to speak of, dresses as he can, talks as he pleases, drinks whiskey when he gets it, and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him.”

The Appalachian region was largely settled in the 1700s by the Scotch-Irish, the majority of whom originated in the lowlands of Scotland. Harkins believes the most credible theory of the term’s origin is that it derives from the linkage of two older Scottish expressions, “hill-folk” and “billie” which was a synonym for “fellow”, similar to “guy” or “bloke”.

Although the term is not documented until 1900, a conjectural etymology for the term is that it originated in 17th century Ireland for Protestant supporters of King William III during the Williamite War.[1] The Irish Catholic supporters of James II referred to these northern Protestant supporters of “King Billy”, as “Billy Boys”. However, Michael Montgomery, in From Ulster to America: The Scotch-Irish Heritage of American English, states “In Ulster in recent years it has sometimes been supposed that it was coined to refer to followers of King William III and brought to America by early Ulster emigrants…, but this derivation is almost certainly incorrect… In America hillbilly was first attested only in 1898, which suggests a later, independent development.”[2]

Harkins theorizes that use of the term outside the Appalachians arose in the years after the American Civil War, when the Appalachian region became increasingly bypassed by technological and social changes taking place in the rest of the country. Until the Civil War, the Appalachians were not significantly different from other rural areas of the country. After the war, as the frontier pushed further west, the Appalachian country retained its frontier character, and the people themselves came to be seen as backward, quick to violence, and inbred in their isolation. Fueled by news stories of mountain feuds, such as that in the 1880s between the Hatfields and McCoys, the hillbilly stereotype developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The “classic” hillbilly stereotype – the poor, ignorant, feuding family with a huge brood of children tending the family moonshine still – reached its current characterization during the years of the Great Depression, when many mountaineers left their homes to find work in other areas of the country. It was during these years that comic strips such as Lil’ Abner and films such as The Grapes of Wrath made the “hillbilly” a common American stereotype.

The period of Appalachian out-migration, roughly from the 1930s through the 1950s, saw many mountain residents moving north to the midwestern industrial cities of Chicago, Cleveland, and particularly Detroit, where jobs in the automotive industry were plentiful. This movement north became known as the “Hillbilly Highway”.

The advent of the interstate highway system and television brought many previously isolated communities into mainstream United States culture in the 1950s and 1960s. The Internet continues this integration.

[edit]Slang use

The term hillbilly is commonly used in non-Appalachian areas as a reference in describing socially backward people that fit certain “hillbilly” characteristics. In this context, it is often (though not always) derogatory. Although the described person may not reside in a region that has hills of any kind, it is substituted in place of more disparaging terms like white trash. In urban usage, it is sometimes used interchangeably for terms like redneck or hick.

[edit]Music

Hillbilly music was at one time considered an acceptable label for what is now known as country music. However, some artists and fans, notably Hank Williams Sr., found the term offensive even in its heyday. The label, coined in 1925 by country pianist Al Hopkins,[3] persisted until the 1950s.

Now, the older name is widely deemed offensive (and inappropriate). However, the term hillbilly music is now sometimes used to describe old-time music. An early tune that contained the word hillbilly was “Hillbilly Boogie” by the Delmore Brothers in 1946. Earlier, in the 1920s, there were records by a band called the Beverly Hillbillies. In 1927, the Gennett studios in Richmond, Indiana, made a recording of black fiddler Jim Booker with other instrumentalists; their recordings were labeled “made for Hillbilly” in the Gennett files, and were marketed to a white audience. Also during the 1920s, an old-time music band known as the Hill Billies featuring Al Hopkins and Fiddlin’ Charlie Bowman, achieved acclaim as recording artists for Columbia Records. By the late forties, radio stations broadcast music described as “hillbilly,” originally to describe fiddlers and string bands, but was then used to describe the traditional music of the people of the Appalachian Mountains. The people who actually sang these songs and lived in the Appalachian Mountains never used these terms to describe their own music.

Popular songs whose style bore characteristics of both hillbilly and African American music were referred to, in the late 1940s and early 1950s as hillbilly boogie, and in the mid-1950s as rockabilly. Elvis Presley was a prominent player of the latter genre. When the Country Music Association was founded in 1958, the term hillbilly music gradually fell out of use. However, the term rockabilly is still in common use.[2]

Later, the music industry merged hillbilly music, Western Swing, and Cowboy music, to form the current category C&W, Country and Western.

The famous bluegrass fiddler Vassar Clements described his style of music as “hillbilly jazz.”

[edit]In fiction and popular culture

The stereotypical hillbilly has inspired many fictional accounts in a variety of media, from novels and comic strips to movies and television. These accounts introduced the hillbilly to the general American public as a uniquely American type.

Comic strips such as Li’l Abner and Snuffy Smith, and radio programs such as Lum and Abner brought the stereotype of lazy, simple-minded hillbillies into American homes.

Film and television have portrayed the hillbilly in both derogatory and sympathetic terms.

Films such as Sergeant York or the Ma and Pa Kettle series portrayed the hillbilly as wild but good-natured, and television programs of the 1960s, such as The Real McCoys, The Andy Griffith Show, and especially The Beverly Hillbillies portrayed the hillbilly as somewhat backward but with a wisdom that always outwitted more sophisticated city folk. The popular 1970s television variety show Hee Haw starred several well-known country and western singers and regularly lampooned the stereotypical hillbilly lifestyle.

A darker image of the hillbilly is found in the film Deliverance (1972), based on a novel by James Dickey, which depicted the hillbilly as genetically deficient and murderous, as four city businessmen are attacked, captured, tortured, and raped while on a canoe trip in the Georgia mountains.

In the Appalachian and Ozark regions, the hillbilly stereotype formed the basis for financially lucrative commercial interpretations of traditional culture through theme parks and theaters, such as Dogpatch USA in Arkansas, and Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

[edit]Local pride

The Springfield, Missouri Chamber of Commerce once presented dignitaries visiting the city with an “Ozark Hillbilly Medallion” and a certificate proclaiming the honoree a “hillbilly of the Ozarks.” On June 7, 1953, President Harry S. Truman received the medallion after a breakfast speech at the Shrine Mosque for the 35th Division Association. Other recipients included US Army generals Omar Bradley and Matthew Ridgeway, J. C. Penney, Johnny Olsen and Ralph Story.[4]

Hillbilly Days[5] is an annual festival held in mid-April in Pikeville, Kentucky celebrating the best of Appalachian culture. The event began by local Shriners as a fundraiser to support the Shriners Children’s Hospital. It has grown since its beginning in 1976 and now is the second largest festival held in the state of Kentucky. Artists and craftspeople showcase their talents and sell their works on display. Nationally renowned musicians as well as the best of the regional mountain musicians share six different stages located throughout the downtown area of Pikeville. Want-to-be hillbillies from across the nation compete to come up with the wildest Hillbilly outfit. The event has earned its name as the Mardi Gras of the Mountains. Fans of “mountain music” come from around the United States to hear this annual concentrated gathering of talent. Some refer to this event as the equivalent of a “Woodstock” for mountain music.

[edit]See also

Cracker

Hillbilly armor

List of ethnic slurs

Pikey

Redneck

Trailer trash

Yokel

[edit]Notes

^ Hi

Feb
07

Feb
07

Back in the fifties I joined a 4 H club in southern Missouri. One of my projects was choosing an animal to be judged for a ribbon.

Since we had recently had a new letter of pigs , I chose one of the new-born to be my project..

I fed him the best food, kept him nice and groomed,wouldn’t think of letting him associate with the other swine in the pig pen.

He was special,,I must have spent hours taking care of this wonderful specimen.

The big day came. Everything was ready to make what I thought had A blue ribbon winning pig?

The man was running late, my anxiety level was sky-high.. finally, I saw the blue pickup heading toward our much awaited expectations..

The man got out of the truck and introduced himself to all of us.. He said,” my name is sam Bernstein I have come to judge the project for4H…My heart sun to an all time low….I wanted to say , sir the calf just jumped out of the pasture and ran off.”

When it was all over, I received a red ribbon or second place in the judging. It really didn’t matter, because everyone else had swine too.

I always wonder if he gave up judging for 4h?? only God knows if the story I am writing is the truth or a lie..cheers uncle Dennis

Feb
07

The old country school house,,hundreds if not thousands were built up untill 1955. Progress and common sense destroyed the old instituion known as ‘ THE COUNTRY SCHOOL!!

I f you saw one you have seen them all,,some were made of brick and others of wood.  They all had several things in common…outdoor toilets, prime r water pumps, a storm cellar in most cases, black boards with chalk on all the wall..DICK AND JANE readers, arithmetic writing were the main courses.

The teachers all were under paid and the turn over was absolutely horrendous.

there was mean little-boys like me who had an attention problem known  as a deficiency in something..I was always in trouble.. spent more time in at recess and lunch hours then attending schools!

The country school was an institution of democracy at its best,,, the school board hired the teachers and decided upon the courses to be taught.3 teachers took care of 8 grades, made up of 3-8 student s per class.  Most of the boys were named Vern and the girls Mary.

I will pick upon this blog at a later time..all I remember

, snow days, holidays and summer vacations ruled,,nothing has changed has it?

Mrs Marley has died now..Bit I thought she was near death when I was a kid..remember how big and old everything seemed to be back then.  I hope your memories have been stimulated about the good old days.

Just think,I bring back the best of the memories and its free,,all I ask? please tell a relative or a friend to stop by and take off your hat!! cheers MLB”’

PS..Mrs Marley I hope you made it to heaven?  Guess what?? The MLB is planning on joining you some day soon.. I am on paxil now!! cheers

Feb
06

little boy of the pacific ocean decided to have some fun,,he sent the rain clouds in to los angeles and actually hid the sun.

Snow in the mid west sleet out east, yes el nino is an ugly pequito beast. Arizona loves him like the locomotive train, el nino, our brother, brings us all the rain!! cheers mlb

LONG LIVE EL NINO!!  MI CASA ES SU CASA!! we can get enough of you…

We love you el nino!!!

Feb
05

CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE CONCERNING RELIGION?? LARRYBOY_AZ@YAHOO.COM

Feb
05

I am serious, anyone have a job for an old Vietnam war horse, baptist, over 60,reliable and dependable, .

never late,will work holidays and weekends,will take no vacations and benefits are not a requirement,,,have my own dependable vehicle, will take a drug test, have auto insurance. Microsoft word, bilingual, witty smart and a personality A,,references will be provided if needed.

work ethics are beyond reproach….

now the big question what more do I need? oh I forgot associate degree in business. cheers I will patiently be waiting…DENNIS THE MLB

Feb
05

From Wikipedia,,,On April 3, 1882, after eating breakfast, the Fords and James prepared to depart for another robbery. They went in and out of the house to ready the horses. As it was an unusually hot day, James removed his coat, then declared that he should remove his firearms as well, lest he look suspicious. Noticing a dusty picture on the wall, he stood on a chair to clean it. Bob Ford shot James in the back of the head.[45][46][47] James’ two previous bullet wounds and partially missing middle finger served to positively identify the body.[12]

The murder of Jesse James was a national sensation. The Fords made no attempt to hide their role. Indeed, Robert Ford wired the governor to claim his reward. Crowds pressed into the little house in St. Joseph to see the dead bandit, even while the Ford brothers surrendered to the authorities—but they were dismayed to find that they were charged with first degree murder. In the course of a single day, the Ford brothers were indicted, pleaded guilty, were sentenced to death by hanging, and two hours later were granted a full pardon by Governor Crittenden.[48]

The governor’s quick pardon suggested that he knew that the brothers intended to kill James rather than capture him.[citation needed] Like many who knew James, the Ford brothers never believed it was practical to try to take him into custody.[citation needed] The implication that the chief executive of Missouri conspired to kill a private citizen startled the public and added to James’ notoriety.[49][50][51]

After receiving a small portion of the reward, the Fords fled Missouri. Law enforcement officials active in the plan also shared the bounty. Later the Ford brothers starred in a touring stage show in which they reenacted the shooting.[52][53]

Suffering from tuberculosis (then incurable) and a morphine addiction, Charley Ford committed suicide on May 6, 1884, in Richmond, Missouri. Bob Ford operated a tent saloon in Creede, Colorado. On June 8, 1892, he was killed there by a shotgun blast to the throat. His killer, Edward Capehart O’Kelley, was sentenced to life in prison. When O’Kelley’s sentence was commuted because of a medical condition, he was released on October 3, 1902.[54]

James’ mother Zerelda Samuel wrote the following epitaph for him: In Loving Memory of my Beloved Son, Murdered by a Traitor and Coward Whose Name is not Worthy to Appear Here.[44] James’s widow Zee died alone and in poverty.

[edit]Rumors of survival

Rumors of Jesse James’s survival proliferated almost as soon as the newspapers announced his death. Some said that Robert Ford killed someone other than James, in an elaborate plot to allow him to escape justice. These tales have received little credence, then or later. None of James’s biographers has accepted them as plausible. The body buried in Kearney, Missouri, as Jesse James’s was exhumed in 1995 and subjected to mitochondrial DNA typing. The report, prepared by Anne C. Stone, Ph.D., James E. Starrs, L.L.M., and Mark Stoneking, Ph.D., stated the mtDNA recovered from the remains was consistent with the mtDNA of one of James’s relatives in the female line.[55]

One prominent claimant was J. Frank Dalton, who died August 15, 1951, in Granbury, Texas. Dalton was allegedly 101 years old at the time of his first public appearance, in May 1948. His story did not hold up to questioning from James’s surviving relatives.[56]

[edit]Legacy and controversies

Further information: Social bandits and Robin Hood

James’s turn to crime after the end of Reconstruction era helped cement his place in American life and memory as a simple but remarkably effective bandit. After 1873 he was covered by the national media as part of social banditry.[57] During his lifetime, James was celebrated chiefly by former Confederates, to whom he appealed directly in his letters to the press. Displaced by Reconstruction, the antebellum political leadership mythologized the James Gang exploits. Frank Triplett wrote about James as a “progressive neo-aristocrat” with purity of race.[58] Indeed, some historians credit James’ myth as contributing to the rise of former Confederates to dominance in Missouri politics[citation needed] (in the 1880s, for example, both U.S. Senators from the state, Confederate military commander Francis Cockerell and Confederate Congressman George Graham Vest, were identified with the Confederate cause).

In the 1880s, after James’ death, the James Gang became the subject of dime novels which set the bandits up as pre-industrial models of resistance.[58] During the Populist and Progressive eras, James became a symbol as America’s Robin Hood, standing up against corporations in defense of the small farmer, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor while there is no evidence that his robberies enriched anyone other than his gang and himself,[2] though they attacked small banks that benefited local farmers.[citation needed]

In portrayals of the 1950s, James was pictured as a psychologically troubled individual and not a social rebel. Some filmmakers portrayed the former outlaw as a revenger, replacing “social with exclusively personal motives.”[59]

Jesse James remains a controversial symbol, one who can always be interpreted in various ways, according to cultural tensions and needs. Renewed cultural battles over the place of the Civil War in American history have replaced the longstanding interpretation of James as a Western frontier hero. Some of the neo-Confederate movement regard him as a hero.[49][60][61] While his “heroic outlaw” image is still commonly portrayed in films, as well as in songs and folklore, recent historians place him as a self-aware vigilante and terrorist who used local tensions to create his own myth among the widespread insurgent guerrillas and vigilantes after the Civil War.[1]

[ed

Feb
05

Nashville – Home to Jesse and Frank James

Okay, sorry for the overabundance of East Nashville cheerleading today, but how can a place that called Jesse and Frank James home not be cool???

‘New movie brings life to Jesse James legend’ on The Murfreesboro Post

“…The April 18, 1882 edition of the Nashville Banner said this about Jesse James:”

“There is no doubt, whatsoever, but that Nashville has been, for the past few years, the home and headquarters of the greatest robber of whom any account has been given in the entire history of crime.

“In the years of 1875 and 1876 he lived with his wife and one child, on Boscobel Street, in East Nashville. During the time of living there, James assumed the name of ‘J.D. Howard,’ which he afterwards bore while here.”

“Mr. Howard” told his neighbors and acquaintances he was a wheat speculator. This “trade” explained his frequent absences from home.

The Banner reporter said that John Ventress, a neighbor’s son, would stay at the Howard’s home while he was away. When the wheat dealer returned home, he would pay young Ventress handsomely for his kindnesses. Zee James also became close friends with Mrs. Ventress.

“On one occasion, Mrs. James who was well thought of by her neighbors, being a handsome blonde and an intelligent, kind-hearted woman, exhibited to Mrs. Ventress about $1,500 worth of diamonds, stating to her that she had received them from an uncle in Illinois who ‘had bought them for a mere song at an auction sale.’”

Ventress also reported “Mrs. James would keep a brace of very fine pistols in the house all the time, and would frequently say that if anyone should come to molest her or any of the family, she would be sure to shoot them.”

The Howard family moved from Boscobel Street after neighbors began to gossip the “wheat speculator” was actually a gambler. The family then moved to Hyde’s Ferry Road, then to Mrs. Kent’s Boarding House on South Summer Street. They then moved back to east Nashville, taking a home on the 800 block of Woodland Street. While on Woodland, Dr. W.C. Cook vaccinated the James children. Yet another move took them to Russell Street.

Both men, using their aliases, did show up in the 1880 Davidson County census. Jesse was listed as George D. Howard and Frank was Ben J. Woodson. They told the census taker they were brothers in law.

“The two were great lovers of horses, and at one time, Howard owned the well-known horse, Jim Malone,” the Banner reported in its April 19, 1882 edition. At all times, he kept two horses, which was considered unusual by some neighbors.

During the winter of 1880, James was a regular at a poker game held in the Colonnade building on the corner of Cherry and Deaderick Streets in Nashville…”

Maybe the stories grandpa told about Jesse James was true?  No onw knows for sure when he died?  Poplar Bluff could have been the route Jesse and Frank James took to Tennessee>>?   The legends of Jesse James continue to live on,,DNA could be mistaken??lolJESSE JAMES my kind of hero!! mlb

Feb
05

If you have never tried searching the dead??give it a try…Its such a rewarding endeavor..You will make new friends, get a adrenalin rush every time you find new info on past relatives.

There is a lot of sites and info now on the web. there is a lot of places who are out to claim your money.but, theres a lot of places with free info.

When a person gets to a point where they can no longer find anything,,,Its called hitting a Brick Wall.

If anyone needs some suggestions please feel free to ask,,cheers MLB

Feb
05



Sow a Seed and reap a Harvest.  The devil has placed the thought in civilization to
Refuse to believe such nonsense,
For some reason, over time, its  ha been believed ? It was wrong for a Christian
To be wealthy and successful in life.
How many times have we heard the following statement?   “All the Preachers
Want ,along with the churches is our money..”
In other words, all believers are suppose to be poor and live in mud huts in
Poor parts of town..
I have to ask everyone who is reading this article…The Lord Jesus CHRIST
When on earth, told the disciples s to go and preach the Gospel to all the world.
Take care of widows , aliens, and the fatherless people of the world. In other
Words be a servant and giver, not a taker and  possession taker .
If this is so?  May I ask you, where will all the financial support come from
To carry out these missions in life?
In MalachI 3-10, God does something, never to found anywhere else in the
Bible….He challenges mankind to test him. This is how serious he is about
Us ,giving a certain proportional amount of our wages and wealth, to the
Poor and hungry of the world. (Everything belongs to God.)
Here is the message and secret to living a joyful and blessed life on earth.
Since our purpose in life is to glorify the Lord and SAVIOR,  We
Need to spend our time wisely in glorifying the father in everything
We do ,during our life time, storing up treasures in heaven, not on earth.
MalachI 3 3-10 is as follows……………………………
The lord is talking to Israel and Malachi a prophet…He was telling them how he would bless them, if they followed his commandments ..He made a statement they were robbing him by their tithing and offerings.
The Lord replies,” Bring me the tithe into the store house, that there may be food in his house. Test me in this,” Says he LORD ALL- Mighty
He promises to throw open the floodgates of blessings that we won’t have room to store it all
If you think you are successful and prosperous now??  Think what will
Happen when a seed is sowed with an expected harvest>  We can’t
Receive a harvest unless we all plant a seed!!  Amen>? feb 5 2010  mlboy

I

Have you ever tested God? He wants us too in planting a seed!!
Feb
04

JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR 1/26/10

Several times  I wanted  to write my feelings and beliefs on Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world, what did he do? He came to earth in human form to save us from eternal damnation. The only way the sins of man, since Adam ,could be forgiven. It had to be by a blood sacrifice. And this is just what happened. This wonderful man named Jesus gave his life for you and me. For just by believing we would be saved.

God wanted a relationship with us. He loves everyone, of all colors shapes and genders. He loves us all and wants no one to perish. But, sin is what separates people from God. Everyone who ever has lived has sinned. The wages of sin is death.

God came up with this plan before the earth was formed. He knew the way all people would be saved, that was by believing in his son jesus and his finished work on the cross. Everything ended and began on the cross. Everything was defeated, death, sin past present And future. All sickness, pain, and suffering was defeated at the cross as well. When he said,“its finished” He meant every thing. He gave up his spirit voluntarily for our sake. No one killed Jesus, he could have called a legion of a million angels if he had wish .

God does not force his sons accomplishment upon anyone. He lets us make the decision on our own. ,No one but we can make the decision about Jesus.

God offers us eternal life as a gift!! Seriously, it’s a gift from God all mighty. Nothing we can do or say will save us but one name…Jesus.

He is the only way to the father. We can never be good enough to be accepted into eternal life. That’s why we need a savior…

WE must believe with our hearts that he is the son of God, Ask him to be our savior and to forgive us of our sins…John 3:16 is the most important verse in the Bible.

In conclusion, I know how Jesus felt when he visited his home town and was rejected by his own relatives and friends in Nazareth. They knew him as the carpenters son, how could he be the Messiah. The same thing here for everyone who knows the mean little boy. He has committed almost every sin known to mortal man…what right does he have to tell me about Jesus and eternal life?

The answer is very simple my friends.. I hope you will do the same just pray this prayer.

Dear Lord Jesus I am a sinner, please forgive me for all the sins ,I have committed. Please save me and come into my heart and live with me.. I know you died on the cross for my sins. You are the son of God, sitting at his right side. In your Holy NAME I pray,,, amen…If you have prayed this prayer, you are now saved. All the sins past present and future will be forgiven forever.

We don’t have to worry about the future anti Christ and the 21 judgments to be released upon this world soon,. We all will be in heaven with the FATHER, SON, AND THE HOLY GHOST. A million angels celebrate every time one person turns to Christ, If you were the only person o earth? Jesus would have given his life for you if it meant you would believe in him,.AMEN

JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR 1/26/10

Se

What would you consider as the most important decision to make in your life??death or Life?

Feb
03

A mystery after his death, as he was when alive. His death has always been questionable.. There was Jesse sightings many years after his death.. I even thought I saw him with Elvis one time in Oklahoma!! Cheers MLB

Feb
03

My grandfather was one cool dude…When we were kids, my cousins and me, would always gather at Grandmas house..It was always grandmas, she had a cool grandpa, who lived with her. lol

Every day after school, he would be waiting with bisquits and what ever for a bunch of hungry kids..

While we were filling our faces, he would tell us stories about the GOOD OLD DAYS!! As time went on other kids in the neighborhood ended up on Pinkerton Hill.

By far the most famous story he told was about Jesse James.. It seems one time,Jesse and his gang was on the way to Tennessee,,They stopped into the Montgomery Farm, while “Granny Grunt” cooked breakfast for his Gang, He held granny on his lap.!

OVER AND OVER, HE WOULD TELL THIS STORY..ALL (THE KIDS EYES WERE AS BIG AS SILVER DOLLARS.)

I had an old time acquintence visit me a couple of years ago,,The first thing he reminded me of? was the Jesse James story ,grandpa use to tell us kids…Jesse James was a hero to all the kids in the 50’s growing up.

I was really proud to find out many years later, Granpas story was famous throughput the Ozarks? It seems all the grandpas told the same story to their grandkids.

I have only one thing to say!! Jesse and his gang sure spent a lot of time eating??? We had our own gang….

Feb
03

From the Grand Canyon, London Bridge at lake Havasu, Lake powell, Ghost towns, Sedona, Flagstaff and Tucson south to theMexican border. Avacation of a life time,,,Just waiting to happen..It will take a good 2-e3 weeks to see it all..So grab your gold clubs gents and come on down!! cheers mlb

Feb
01

These rare species have been known to get as big as volkswagens,,they can run at sppeds of 30 miles an hour??

desert tortoise is a species of tortoise native to the Mojave desert and Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The epithet agassizii is in honor of Swiss-American zoologist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz.

Desert Tortoise

The carapace of these tortoises may attain a length of 6 to 15 inches (15 to 38 cm), with males being slightly larger than females. Their shells are high-domed, and greenish-tan to dark brown in color. Desert tortoises can grow from 4–6″ in height and weigh 8–15 lb (4–7 kg) when fully grown. The front limbs have heavy, claw-like scales and are flattened for digging. Back legs are more stumpy and elephantine.

The tortoise is able to live where ground temperature may exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) because of its ability to dig underground burrows and escape the heat. At least 95% of its life is spent in burrows. There, it is also protected from freezing winter weather while dormant, from November through February or March. With its burrow, this tortoise creates a subterranean environment that can be beneficial to other reptiles, mammals, birds and invertebrates.

Scientists have divided the desert tortoise into two types: the Mojave and Sonoran Desert tortoises, with a possible third type in the Black Mountains of northwestern Arizona. They live in a different type of habitat, from sandy flats to rocky foothills. They have a strong proclivity in the Mojave desert for alluvial fans, washes and canyons where more suitable soils for den construction might be found. They range from near sea level to around 3,500 feet in elevation. It is believed that, in their entire lives, these tortoises rarely move more than two miles from their natal nest. They also live to be 80-100 years old.

The desert tortoise is an herbivore. Grasses form the bulk of its diet, but it also eats herbs, annual wildflowers, some shrubs, and new growth of cactuses, as well as their fruit and flowers. Rocks and soil are also ingested, perhaps as a means of maintaining intestinal digestive bacteria and/or as a source of supplementary calcium or other minerals. As with birds, stones may also function as gastroliths, enabling more efficient digestion of plant material in the stomach.

Much of the tortoise’s water intake comes from moisture in the grasses and wildflowers they consume in the spring. A large urinary bladder can store over forty percent of the tortoise’s body weight in water, urea, uric acid and nitrogenous wastes. During very dry times they may give off waste as a white paste rather than a watery urine. During periods of adequate rainfall, they drink copiously from any pools they find, and eliminate solid urates. Adult tortoises can survive a year or more without access to water.

One defense mechanism the tortoise has when it is handled or molested is to empty its bladder. This can leave the tortoise in a very vulnerable condition in dry areas, and they should never be alarmed, handled or picked up in the wild.

Tortoises may also be vulnerable to diseases and viruses. Coming into contact may cause them to catch unfamiliar strains.  this article except for the first paragraph was downloaded from the net,,, It is unlawful for citizens to take the desert toroises home, but it happens..

Feb
01

Back east, its the ground hog..Out west its the turtle..I have some bad news for arizona and midwest,,6 more weeks of rain and snow. Tucson Turtle saw his shawdow when he stuck his head out from under neath the bird of paradise today.

These desrt turtles live to be very old..once they are domescated, they must remain for life. We have one in our back yard, that is the grandkids favorite pet..He hides or semi hybernates in the winter.. Every day he strolls v around our yard..eats cat food and fruit,,aRIZONA TURTLES CAN REALLY MOTOR..

You won’t believe this but he knocks with his head on our kitchen sliding door if he needs food or water.

We have to keep an eye out for ravens and hawks for him.

There is 2 or three differnt turtle species.. I am glad he saw his shawdow..We need all the winter rain we can get for the spring flowers and wildlife…cheers uncle dennis

Jan
28

Balazs

The Arizona Republic

Feb. 18, 2008 12:00 AM

Will winter showers bring spring wildflowers?

The answer is a definite yes with Mexican gold poppy, lupine and other desert blooms already starting to pop open, promising a colorful show in upcoming weeks.

Arizona State Parks and the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix are already hearing from eager residents and visitors wanting to know where the wildflowers are.

advertisement

Angelica Elliott, the Botanical Garden’s wildflower curator, is excited about this year’s display.

“My good guess would be, yes, it’s going to be a pretty good year, and the only reason I’m saying that is it’s awfully green out there,” Elliott said.

The past few years were bleak because of little rain. Previous good viewing years were 2005, 2001, 1998 and 1995, state parks officials said.

In the Valley, wildflower season typically starts in February, peaks in March and can extend into April, depending on when the hot weather arrives.

Wildflowers include Mexican gold poppy, lupine, brittlebush, chuparosa, desert globe mallow, scorpion weed, fiddleneck, bladderpod and goldeneye.

Before grabbing the camera and jumping into the car, wildflower seekers should check out the ranger cam at www .azstateparks.com, spokeswoman Ellen Bilbrey said. Park rangers are posting photos of favorite wildflower locations such as Lost Dutchman and Picacho Peak state parks.

The department also operates a state-parks wildflower hotline at 602-542-4988, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

In addition, the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is offering tips and a wildflower viewing guide at www.phoenix.gov/newsrel /0702flowers.html.

The Botanical Garden will begin posting statewide wildflower information beginning March 1 at www.dbg.org. It also will host its Flower Power Festival on March 8 and 9.

Typical spots to view wildflowers in Phoenix are South Mountain Park, Piestewa Peak, Dreamy Draw, and both the Cholla Trail and Echo Canyon areas of Camelback Mountain.

Elliott, the wildflower curator, said there is such high interest in wildflowers because a good year is a rare event.

“Just seeing in the desert these carpets of color – oranges and pinks and blues – it’s so striking to see that. You don’t see that all the time,” she said.

Mexican gold poppy

enlarge image

A batch of Mexican gold poppy starts to flower at Picacho Peak near Tucson.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

Flower Power Festival

When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 8-9.

Where: Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix.

Details: Angelica Elliott, the garden’s wildflower curator, and garden docents will lead tours of the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. There will be entertainment and a market featuring wildflower plants, garden accessories, ceramics and jewelry. New this year, guests can learn about eco-friendly products and services.

Cost: All activities free with garden membership or admission. Admission: $10 adult; $9 seniors, 60 and older; $5 students, 13-18 years and college with proper ID; $4 children, 3-12 years; and free for children 2 and under.

Balazs

The Arizona Repu

Jan
28

If the government ever knew what this word meant? We will be in trouble! one questions about the sous? What about the middle class mr president?

Jan
28

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If your interested in the history of the chain of misdsions ? There was several built in Arizona And Mexico.

Jan
28

FOR PEOPLE on a fixed income the Piriform free download will do wonders in fixing registry problems,,Guess what?//Its free…

Jan
27

LIES ALL LIES..SAME OLD SAME OLD..DOESN’T MATTER WHO IS IN OFFICE SAME BS,,RICH GET RICH POOR GET POORER.A FACT!

Jan
27

People who turn to Jesus, expects peace and calmness in their lives. wrong..

The devil never was concerned with you until you said yes to JESUS. He knew you were a slave to him or evil sin..

Remember when Jesus was babtized by John The Baptist? Jesus was led to the desert by spirit where he was tempted 3 times. Jesus defeated him by answering him with scripture.

The devil went away but, came back at the cross and tried to tempt him again.

He never gives up..Jesus has promised all believers he will offer a way out..He comes more often and will use every trick in the book, to persuade us to return to the ways of the world.

There is nothing as sad, as a christian back sliding back into the slime of the world they came from before!!

The Bible says the path is narrow for salvation. The reason we need a savior to depend upon is even more obvious .

The devil was defeated at the cross by Jesus. The last chapter in biblical prophecy he and all his followers will be tossed into a firy pit called Hell. Jesus is the way and only way for us to have him as a savior and not a judge. cheers

Jan
27

my SON SHOWED ME HOW TO CTRL C AND CTRL V ON this site. I had a hard time copying to my new page.

after an hour of fighting, I figured out my mistake..I wasn’t giving it time enough.

To make a short story long? I had copied it 6 times.. I had over 4000 words..I just gave up and wrote a new blog//

This Dennis alter ego..don’t tell him I called him this!! Ok? Dennis your a “dummy” cheers alter ego…….

Jan
26

All employed, under employed and homeless ought to march on their mayors office in every city in America on the fourth of July?? everyone who has lost a house too,,

,,,,,,,, Ever notice theres tons of pt jobs available with out  benefits? Why should someone who is getting more unemployment money take a part time job for less pay? The people who are available can’t pass a p test and the others are too fricking old or sick to work..we have aborted a whole generation this last 20 years.

GOD please rapture the church before you judge this sinful nation!! cheers mlb

Jan
26

PLEASE, be care ful with herbs and organic supplements..My cousin in Missouri discovered a great supplement for Neurapathy..well like a fool, i started taking it for a month.

All of a sudden, my heart pulse and rythmn went haywire on me..after I quit taking it, its getting better! Don’t mix prescription drugs with others unless your doctor approves. Can cause majpr problems,,,cheers DR DENNIS

Jan
26

Tucson is a city within a county? The population base is over a million.

There is one sport team in Tucson that has always been King,, The ua basket cats. For the last 25 years it was the only game in town.

It was impossible to buy a ticket. YThe cats coached by LUTE OLSON was always in the top 15 in the nation. National Champs in 1997.
We have a new coach now. SEAN MILLER was hired from Xavier last year. Its taken a little time, but saturday night it was like old time in the old pueblo.
The cats spanked our arch rivals, from tempe by 20 points.
Happy days are here again. The team is made up with young players who will get better.

Will we make it to the ncaa for 26 years straight? It doesn’t really matter as long as we continue to improve for the future,,,
Time to get out the old wildcat shirt and start cheering again.
BEAR DOWN WILDCATS Sean Miller is in town!!! go cats

Jan
25
Life was sweet in those hills!!
The difference between today and yesterday was supply.  We didn’t have the luxury goods as today?   Most of our money USED  wisely.  Our parents made 10 dollars a day.  All their money went for the necessities of life, we would be considered lucky if we got to go to town once a month.   The only time anything extra was purchased, during Christmas time.   Maybe 20 dollars was the most we would get as gifts.   Fifty dollars went a long ways in the 50s.   Shirts were 2 dollars each, Levis 5 dollars. So I found out an early age, if we wanted something, you had better earn it yourself.
The first business, I went into, was selling garden and flower seeds for the American seed company,.    in Lancaster, PA every year it was off to selling seeds.  The same customers usually bought from me each year.  If someone tried to beat me to a sale, they would tell them, they bought their seeds from Larry boy.  I always met their needs, and followed up with good service.   The religious paintings made of felt sold very well.  They just didn’t give enough for my effort. I would get enough money to buy a camera a package. The house wives  would buy  the seeds.  I think they cost a nickel a package.
Ever year it became more successful.  I use to like selling seeds; it was very rewarding and interesting.  The flower packages were very pretty.        . Ronnie and I use to compete on selling merchandise to our neighbors. After awhile we found out it was better to join forces. Especially after a walnut fiasco, we had to walk lightly.
)
When I was eleven or twelve I started making big money. I began caddying  at Westwood golf course. The big shots, doctors and lawyers in town, played golf. I became the regular caddy for one of the doctor’s wife. She took Paul Davis and me to Jones borough, Arkansas for a tournament. I got to ride in a Cadillac with AC. I was  paid ten to fifteen dollars for the day. We would make a dollar a round plus a quarter for a coke. We would buy Planters peanuts and pour into a strawberry soda. good! One summer I saved up over 70 dollars. Grandpa John was my banker. He kept my money for me. He used to keep his change in a tobacco bag with yellow strings. I bought all my school supplies and clothes for the school year. I spent the rest of the money at Green Forest grocery. We spent our money like a drunken sailors at Green Forest.
It was inevitable I would become a sales rep when I became an adult.  I learned about planning, aggression and follow-up when I became a sales rep for the Keebler company.  As a kid I learned the value of money the real way.   The harder I worked the more I made. We would catch rabbits and sell them for 3 dollars a rabbit.  Anything people loved to eat we sold.  I have to admit, most of my projects were created   by others. RP was good at being innovated and creative.             Collecting soda bottles next to the main roads was a lot of fun.  We got 2 cents a bottle when they were  turned to the store..  Someone made a sign, said dispose your bottles.  Instead of stopping they threw glass bottles.  That didn’t work out very well.
Another special trick, thanks to Ronnie, was cutting coupons out of readers digesting. I did that in the school library in town.  The stores would give you face value for the coupons. Another way to make money was finding bottles. . Soda bottles along the dusty roads were gold waiting to be picked up.  It took the soda business 20 years to realize that plastic bottles were the way to go.  Poor kids couldn’t collect bottles anymore. So when a person doesn’t have any money don’t say can’t.  There is a lot of ways to make money.  A person has to be creative and aggressive.  If you get hungry enough, it can be done.  The rainbow is just around the corner. Just don’t give up.  My big break came when I was EMPLOYED  as a carry out, in Tucson Arizona, at a local supermarket.d gather walnuts from all the trees in the area; the first settlers always had a walnut tree.  Uncle Charles came up with the idea of putting the hulled walnuts in the driveway. And let the car wheels take the hulls off.  Then we would rake the nuts out and let them dry for a week. Wait after the first frost to harvest them. The hulls or outside coverings had to be removes and dry out.
This one-year being born without patience, we gathered them too soon. Raymond Chapman and I used dad’s tractor to harvest nuts on the old homesteads.  We had to seek permission from the landowners.  The meat of the nut dried up, and we sold a lot bushels for 5 dollars each. We had some complaints, but no one asked for their money back.  I believe we gave them a half price deal the next year.  We never harvested black walnuts too early anymore.  I used my dad’s tractor to disc gardens for the locals.  I charged fifteen dollars a garden.
Another way of making money was selling Grit newspapers. They were really popular in small towns. This was the only way the people could read news from around the world. I used to deliver them on my dad’s tractor. I don’t think anyone but myself was selling the newspaper. There was an estate sale nearby one Saturday. About 200 people came; I sold them all. I should have gone to the sale barn in town and sold them. I raised the price a dime for the special occasion. Besides it was raining,,,,,,,,,,,,,,OK I will fess up they are all lies…We made moonshine and sold it by the quart!!!(lmbo),,sitting there ,beside  the road, on a big sack of seeds!! You thought corn cob pipes were for prince Albert??
We were always smiling and never had a bad day,,, The memories get bigger and better with age,,,Just like a good old fish story…There is never a fish story unless it gets away??cheers “come back ya here?”

a

Jan
25

Someone told me about an old story from back in the Ozarks. it was located  the outskirts of this small town.

There  were more vendor deliveries made by many people back in the good old days.

In today’s market, one truck delivers everything.

THE local kids use to gather on this one big hill after dark to wait fr all the open top trucks to come up the hill,

The trucks back when, didn’t have the horse power as today, they would climb this one hill about 5 miles an hour.

since there was n;t any tail lights back then, it made it easy for robin hood and his gang to attack the slow-moving trucks.

The local gang loved it when soda pop trucks and water Meon trucks came by. 3 guys could grab a lot of water melon and soda pop on a given night.

In the spring time, water melon could be seen growing all along the side of the hill.. It was only fitting it was called,”WATER MELON HILL”

Memories from a long time ago, passed down through the generations,,,cheers    wonder if they had beer back in those days?  just wondering!!!

Jan
25
Kid in Poplar Bluff, Mo. 19

The difference between today and yesterday was supply.  We didn’t have the luxury goods as today?   Most of our money was used wisely.  Our parents made approximately 10 dollars a day.  All their money went for the necessities of life, we would be considered lucky if we got to go to town once a month.   The only time anything extra was bought, was during Christmas time.   Maybe 20 dollars was the most we would get as gifts.   Fifty dollars went a long ways in the 50s.   Shirts were 2 dollars each, Levis 5 dollars. So I found out an early age, if we wanted something, you had better earn it yourself.

The first business, I went into, was selling garden and flower seeds for the American seed company.   It was located in Lancaster, PA.  So every year it was off to selling seeds.  The same customers usually bought from me each year.  If someone tried to beat me to a sale, they would tell them, they bought their seeds from Larry boy.  I always met their needs, and followed up with good service.   The religious paintings made of felt sold very well.  They just didn’t give enough for my effort. I would get enough money to buy a camera a package. The ladies would buy the seeds.  I think they cost a nickel.

Ever year it became more successful.  I use to like selling seeds; it was very rewarding and interesting.  The flower packages were very pretty. I never got to Watkins salve, but the Chapman boys were very successful. Ronnie and I use to compete on selling merchandise to our neighbors. After awhile we found out it was better to join forces. Especially after a walnut fiasco, we had to walk lightly.

Every year growing up, we would (Can you believe I can remember that?) When I was eleven or twelve I started making big money. I began caddying at Westwood golf course. The big shots, doctors and lawyers in town, played golf. I became the regular caddy for one of the doctor’s wife. She took Paul Davis and me to Jonesborough, Arkansas for a tournament. I got to ride in a Cadillac with AC. We were paid ten to fifteen dollars for the day. We would make a dollar a round plus a quarter for a coke. We would buy Planters peanuts and pour into a strawberry soda. Oooh good! One summer I saved up over 70 dollars. Grandpa John was my banker. He kept my money for me. He used to keep his change in a tobacco bag with yellow strings. I bought all my school supplies and clothes for the school year. I spent the rest of the money at Green Forest grocery. We spent our money like a drunken sailors at Green Forest.

It was inevitable I would become a salesman when I became an adult.  I learned about planning, aggression and follow-up when I became a salesman for the keebler company.  As a kid I learned the value of money the real way.   The harder I worked the more I made. We would catch rabbits and sell them for 3 dollars a rabbit.  Anything people loved to eat we sold.  I have to admit, most of my projects were thought up by others. RP was good at being innovated and creative.  Collecting soda bottles next to the main roads was a lot of fun.  We got 2 cents a bottle when they were turned in.  Someone made a sign, said dispose your bottles.  Instead of stopping they threw glass bottles.  That didn’t work out very well.

Another special trick, thanks to Ronnie, was cutting coupons out of readers digesting. I did that in the school library in town.  The stores would give you face value for the coupons. Another way to make money was finding bottles. . Soda bottles along the dusty roads were gold waiting to be picked up.  It took the soda business 20 years to realize that plastic bottles were the way to go.  Poor kids couldn’t collect bottles anymore. So when a person doesn’t have any money don’t say can’t.  There is a lot of ways to make money.  A person has to be creative and aggressive.  If you get hungry enough, it can be done.  The rainbow is just around the corner. Just don’t give up.  My big break came when I was hired as a carry out in Tucson Arizona, at a local supermarket.

Jan
24

It was in the early 80s, My wife and daughter Jennifer were shopping at a 7-11, store near our house,,,,,,I had been working for the Keebler Elves for quiet a few years.. Need less to say, Nabisco and Keebler sales representative were trained to hate each other on a professional basis,,(some personal)…… Lets just say,”It was more than being competitive in nature..Then one day we realized we were both just trying to make a living..We left each other alone!! The companies didn’t care or should theymit was just a game, people played?

The Nabisco sales rep knew my wife, because at one time he worked for me at Keebler.  He asked my wife half heartily, hey sandy I am writing up credits on these holiday oreos do you want some  for your kiddos?

My wife wasn’t as serious as me about such things she said sure..So he gave her about 10 tins of cookies…Needless to say the kids in the neighbor hood loved coming to our house?  So did the little league ball players over the years!! Everyone wanted to be on the “cookie mans” team!!  The heck with baseball!!

In conclusion, We never thought about bringing Nabisco items into our house, let alone eating them,

Here was my daughter almost 12 years old …She looked at her momma and asked.” Momma whats an Oreo”?    I laughed so hard I cried.. I always thought what a super commercial that would have made on tv?

Since retiring from Keebler in 2000, I have made up for lost time..I buy Nabisco wheat thins, Ritz and chip a ahoys on a reg basis.

My old company was bought out by Kelloggs..They could give a rats behind about Keebler reps who made the company 20 years ago!  So you know what,  I don’t mind buying Nabisco products.. I must admit no ones makes Cheezits andZesta saltines along with pecan Sandies like the elves..But , heck being ona fixed income who can afford 300 a bag for cookies..Thank God for the dollar stores!!!LOL  Cheers mlb

Jan
24

BICYCLES AND COUNTRY LIVING

How old was I when t I got my first bike? I can hardly remember. My dad found a swynn bike in a wildcat dump on miller’s road, when I was about 10 years old. The problem we had back in the good old days, was flat tires and going over the handlebars. This was about the same time I would get my feet in the spokes?

I was really proud of my first Bicycle. It was considered the “Cadillac” of bikes. The only problem was it didn’t have any inter tubes in the tires. Were there tubeless bicycle tires in fifties? I remember riding as fast as I could to the Green Forest grocery, filling up the front tire with air, and it would go flat just as I crested Pinkerton Hill.

Bicycles were a very serious type of transportation for kids too young to drive, too far to walk in the Ozarks. We didn’t know what a kick stand was in those days. We would just jump off and let her land wherever she wanted.

My good friend Raymond Chatman use to ride five miles from the bluff to deliver the Daily American Republic newspapers in the after- noons. From the age of ten, he knew nothing but work and helping the family out with the necessities of life. Back in the fifties, twenty dollars would buy five big bags of groceries. People living in the Poplar Bluff, area, used to shop at Jim Hogg, Snyder’s, or Kroger’s downtown.

Raymond was a very good friend. He would let me ride on his handlebars and throw papers. We would fold the papers a special way, and put a rubber band around them for security purposes. There weren’t any other newspapers, but GRIT, which I sold once a week. Television hadn’t become popular in the early fifties. We both were always doing something to make a little green back dollar. Aunt Gertrude Sparkman paid us 20 dollars to clean off the sumac bushes on her property.

We were so happy to receive twenty dollars for a week of work.

Whenever a bikes tires went flat. We would use our patching kits we had bought from western auto. We didn’t have bike shops in the good old days. The bikes were like the autos; they were simple and easy to repair. We had two gears on our bikes. Front wards and back.

I wish I had a dollar for every time I had a flat, a bicycle wreck, and skinned elbows from falling on the gravel road. We took our bicycles everywhere we went. After a while, we bought bicycle locks to lock them up. Raymond, Pinky, and me use to ride our bikes to Westwood to caddy for the “upper-class” in the area. We made a lot of money pulling around golf bags in the spring and summertime. The golf course was for members only all of us kids had never been around the above today it cost so much to play. We can’t afford to participate. It definitely a rich mans game.

In conclusion, the bicycles were every body’s friends. It was our main form of transportation of moving from one location to another. I went out and rode my bike yesterday and walked a mile home. My wife asked me, “why I was walking and pushing my bicycle?” A new mountain bike, yellow in color, I recently purchased at Sams place or aka Wal Mart. I looked at her and smiled, “I have a flat tire on my bike”.

BICYCLES AND COUNTRY LIVING

H

Jan
24

Once a hillbilly always,,,,, Dec 2009

I do a lot of walking since my heart operation in 2000. There is a lot of houses being foreclosed in Arizona. Most of the streets may have as many as a half-dozen or more with for sale signs.

This one particular day, I came home, I told my wife, there was a really nice house for sale in another project. It was a dream house of a sorts. Nice brick, pool, fireplace , 4 bed room ,etc.

I was with her this afternoon. I told her,” go down Condor I want you to look at this super-duper house. I have looked through the windows and over the fence as I walk by. Every time ,I have gone by, my coveting has increased.

We went down the street, I told her” there was two house side by side. The first one was a red brick, car port closed end. Very Nice, Only $189,000. Probably a lot less if an offer was made ON THE HOUSE?

I told her now go a little farther and look at this beauty, We pulled up, she says,” it has phoenix listing on the sign. Then she started laughing and call meHILL Billy names..

To make a long story short?? The house wasn’t for sale. They were advertising the windows and doors in the house by a contractor…Once a Hill Billy, always a ? cheers Merry Christmas

PSI   I thought i heard someone scream when on one of my walks, ..probably thought?/Whats that old man looking in my window,,,MOMMA!!!!

Jan
24

My wife came home from church today, telling me about the services.I haven’t been feeling well lately,so I had an excuse for not attending….

She told me the following,”the church took a special collection for Haiti last week, In just 3 hours they collected over 30,000 dollars for relief ,,,I answered,”thats fantastic”>

Then something came into my mind,,,Wonder why?  The American people don’t take one day out of the year to help the folks in our country.The hurting due to the economy,the sick, the veterans , the illegals, the sick,,excuse the following word?

“Hell” we collect 50 million dollars for ms for 20 years why can’t we collect for the homeless one day out of the year,  I don’t believe the leaders of our country realize how much people and their families are hurting . we are in economic trouble with no light being seen in the tunnel?

Its not getting any BETTER. as far as I can see, we need to clean up our own back yards ,,,Its time for jobs forget the health care for awhile,,Without jobs there will be 0 health care to worry about.. like” worrying about jelly but we are out of bread!!”

I hate  to think the following,,I hope it doesn’t take a war to get our minds off of food?  cheers dennis

Jan
23

i JUST GOOGLED,,”HOW MANY PEOPLE PRACTICE VOODOO IN Haiti? The first article claims 70 percent of 8.5 million people worshiped or practiced it in Haiti? Wonder if PAT robertson is not the fool so many people claim he is??Just wondering!!

Jan
23

Back in the good old days, the one item that was never thrown away? ” A good old coffee can and a cigar box”

They both were cherished commodites in mid america. Every body owned one of the two.

Tuppeware wasn’t popular in the fifties. everyone stored their neccesities of life in a coffee can,,everything from pop corn to sugar.
What was unique, a different brand of coffee was purchased, so different color cans meant a certain item was inside.
Coffee cans were used for everything. We always had a coffee can of worms when we went fishing, we would bury hidden treasure in you got it

Then progress set in and plastic and paper replaced them
CIGAR BOXES WERE ANOTHER ITEM never thrown away, They were very hard to come by,,people used these to store their more important items like deeds, money and trust,,A cigar box always had a big rubber band wrapped around it for security,,,they made good boxes for keeping,, pictures, letters, and base ball cards
in short, these items were very simple in nature,,but, as everyone knows? The best things in life are free!

I wish I had a good old cigar box again. I could store my cd’s and false teeth in one.all my meds and doctor appointments. wow,,I am going to take a visit to the local cigar store,just maybe,,CHEERS mlb,,,the memories never die!!!"HILLBILLY TUPPEWARE 1055"

Jan
22

A good heart surgeon earns hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for their specialty,,They deserve every penny they earn, especially if you are on the table!!

Just as a matter of thought?? How much should a pastor be paid for saving a soul from going to hell each year>?? Ever thought about that?

So the next time you or I go to criticize a member of a church,please think about what they are worth.
The devil loves to see bickering and in fighting in a church, He loves to see people make fun of the church authority.
God warns people not to say anything against his church or the people he has chosen to represent him to the congregations,,,Cheers MLB PS,,,cAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THE ANGELS IN HELL CELEBRATE EVERY TIME A CHURCH SPLITS UP BECAUSE OF IN FIGHTING?

Jan
22

Back when Dennis was a kid, everything came in glass bottles…The Rc drinks and Double Cola 160z were fantastic.  For some reason they don’t taste as good as back then!!

Coke a cola, had a small 8oz -10? bottle , packaged for their soft drink.,On the bottom of the bottle, was printed the  city where the bottle was made and distributed.

We use to go to the store 3 or 4 kids and purchase  the small bottle..whoever had the bottle the farthest away got a free drink,,the other kids had to fork over…25 cents was tough to come by back then.  lol

“COKE A COLA HIT THE SPOT?/MADE  ALL THE KIDS GO USE THE POT?’”?”This was a favorite jingle repeated by the kids.

we always topped off the coke with a bag of planters peanuts that cost 10 cents.  When we were not sitting under a shade tree, we would be riding our bikes picking up discarded bottles..They were worth 2 cents a piece on return  We made a lot of money and kept us out of trouble,,The only problem? we ll bad teeth due to all the super bubble and candy we consumed daily,,The water didn’t have fluoride back then. Bottle caps were everywhere near a store.

We use to put bottle caps in the spokes of our bikes. Some companies would give away free soda, the free was under the cork in the bottle cap.

Just one of many memories from a time and place long gone..the  are still hanging around, enough for a lifetime!!  We were a unique generation,,BABY BOOMER’S of AMERICA.  HARDEST working generation ever born in America?

CHEERS mlb

Jan
21

Brother Mike is one of the most intelligent pastors I have ever VIEWED, ON TV. ,,At first , I thought he was a crook, because he looked like a car sales rep I once had the pleasure of knowing.

He lists in his commentary’s 7 dangerous people we as believers or non should keep away from in our daily lives. I took the time last night, to copy them for your review,,,you are so welcomed!! the 7 are listed numerically,,

1. people who feeds rebellion to authority

2.people dishoners focus or purpose God has chosen for us toi full fill.

3.any person who is disloyal

4. jealous of our place, property, and prosperity

5. anyone who justifies the conduct of our enemies in life.

6.anyone who feeds us DOUBT in anything in Life

7. finally, a person who try to destroy our expectations,, example,,,the people tried to shut up the blind man from calling out to jesus to heal him

I hope you write these down and pass them on to someone else…In the sense of urgency, I pray if your life isn’t right with God?  Please take actions to do something about it soon,,,It’s very very close to his return to earth. will you be ready if he should come tomorrow at noon? Remember being good won’t do,,You have to ask JESUS to forgive us and to be our savior..what he did on the cross is what saves us, nothing else.

In the Bible, God says there is only one way to him,,through his son,  who died on Calvary. we are  seen , as being righteous,  in the eyes of the Father, No other religion on earth, had some one to give their lives so their followers could live eternally. not one!! amen MLB

Jan
21

I was watching the army allstar high school game a couple of weeks ago,,at the end of the game the cadets fired off blanks like when a cannon is fired for a touchdown at some school..

Half of the football players hit the ground thinking they were under a sniper attack or a drive by??

It was funny for a few minutes until I realized the sensitivity involved.. Being in aplace where we don’t experience such trama, I can’t relate on the feeling of having someone fire a gun in my direction.

I am not trying to be funny here,, Its a shame our country has come this far..God Bless us all,,,cheers dennis

Jan
21

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