Monday, May 30, 2005
When I told my sister Janice that I was hosting old friends this past week and explained how we knew each other, she said those really are old friends.
Ray Jones graduated in chemical engineering with George Rodney and Linda lived in my dorm. We have been corresponding all these years but have seldom saw each other.
They were supposed to visit me earlier in the year, but it fell during my awful illness. I'm glad it only delayed the visit a bit.
They came Monday and I found they are just the same people they were 40 years ago. Ray is as skinny as ever, and that is even after he quit smoking.
Linda had a stroke a few years ago and has trouble getting around. She walks with a cane and uses a wheelchair sometimes. She keeps going anyway and doesn't ever complain.
We discussed all manner of things old times, new times, our children, our lives, etc.
On Tuesday we went down to Shiloh and toured the park. They bought the CD that explained the tour. I had never done that but found that it explained the battle much better than the brochure. I liked it so much that when the Ruckers and I went down there on Sunday I bought one for myself. I can loan it to future visitors.
This Friday, June 3, will be the dedication of the Tennessee monument at Shiloh. The bronze statue was uncovered the first time we passed it but was covered the second time, and also today, Sunday, it was covered.
I was surprised to find that Ray Blanton, the corrupt governor of Tennessee during the seventies, is buried at Shiloh, but not on park land. The old Shiloh church, from which the battle drew its name, and its cemetery is still private and Blanton is buried in that cemetery. It is marked by a huge obelisk with the three star symbol of Tennesse on it.
After we left Shiloh, we tried to find a meat-and-three place to eat in Selmer but wound up eating at the Whistle Stop Cafe in the Henco Furniture Store. That is the one that advertised on TV. (It's worth the drive.) Mr. Hendrics himself came by and shook our hands.
We enjoyed that outing so much that we went back on Wednesday to Savannah to see the Tennessee River Museum there. This is the type of local outing that I would never take on my own since I live here, but should. It was very entertaining and educational.
The Jones's left on Thursday. I hope they come back and that I can visit them sometime. It is great to have old friends, and especially old friends who stick with me even though George Rodney is gone.
Ray Jones graduated in chemical engineering with George Rodney and Linda lived in my dorm. We have been corresponding all these years but have seldom saw each other.
They were supposed to visit me earlier in the year, but it fell during my awful illness. I'm glad it only delayed the visit a bit.
They came Monday and I found they are just the same people they were 40 years ago. Ray is as skinny as ever, and that is even after he quit smoking.
Linda had a stroke a few years ago and has trouble getting around. She walks with a cane and uses a wheelchair sometimes. She keeps going anyway and doesn't ever complain.
We discussed all manner of things old times, new times, our children, our lives, etc.
On Tuesday we went down to Shiloh and toured the park. They bought the CD that explained the tour. I had never done that but found that it explained the battle much better than the brochure. I liked it so much that when the Ruckers and I went down there on Sunday I bought one for myself. I can loan it to future visitors.
This Friday, June 3, will be the dedication of the Tennessee monument at Shiloh. The bronze statue was uncovered the first time we passed it but was covered the second time, and also today, Sunday, it was covered.
I was surprised to find that Ray Blanton, the corrupt governor of Tennessee during the seventies, is buried at Shiloh, but not on park land. The old Shiloh church, from which the battle drew its name, and its cemetery is still private and Blanton is buried in that cemetery. It is marked by a huge obelisk with the three star symbol of Tennesse on it.
After we left Shiloh, we tried to find a meat-and-three place to eat in Selmer but wound up eating at the Whistle Stop Cafe in the Henco Furniture Store. That is the one that advertised on TV. (It's worth the drive.) Mr. Hendrics himself came by and shook our hands.
We enjoyed that outing so much that we went back on Wednesday to Savannah to see the Tennessee River Museum there. This is the type of local outing that I would never take on my own since I live here, but should. It was very entertaining and educational.
The Jones's left on Thursday. I hope they come back and that I can visit them sometime. It is great to have old friends, and especially old friends who stick with me even though George Rodney is gone.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Review of Star Wars III: The Revenge of the Sith
I went to the midnight (actually 12:01) showing of the new Star Wars movie. I was excited to think of all the other people around the country also going to the midnight showing. That is why I enjoy watching television more as it is being broadcast rather than watching something recording. I like to think of myself as part of the mob in that case. Tonight, on further reflection, I realized that the eastern time people were well into the movie and the mountain, and pacific people were still waiting in line.
At first I thought I would leave here at 11:45 but I got excited and left earlier which was a good thing because the manager had only a handful of tickets left.
I had to sit in the second row, not my favorite place. I decided to go with the flow and enjoy the movie the way movies are supposed to be enjoyed these days: All emotion. Our brains are not supposed to be involved. And sitting in the second row makes this imperative.
So we know the movie turns out badly but we don't want that. The movie is great, close to the original. I really enjoyed it. I was afraid that the story would suffer since there was a predetermined ending but it all seamless was woven together.
The reviews I had heard said that the dialogue and acting was bad. I noticed that but wonder if I would have overlooked it if I had not read the reviews.
I think everyone should go to the movie and have a good time. It is supposed to be much darker than the other movies, and maybe it is, but I didn't really notice it.
By the way, I saw a preview for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe coming in December. It made me think of that phrase from many reviews---visually stunning.
I went to the midnight (actually 12:01) showing of the new Star Wars movie. I was excited to think of all the other people around the country also going to the midnight showing. That is why I enjoy watching television more as it is being broadcast rather than watching something recording. I like to think of myself as part of the mob in that case. Tonight, on further reflection, I realized that the eastern time people were well into the movie and the mountain, and pacific people were still waiting in line.
At first I thought I would leave here at 11:45 but I got excited and left earlier which was a good thing because the manager had only a handful of tickets left.
I had to sit in the second row, not my favorite place. I decided to go with the flow and enjoy the movie the way movies are supposed to be enjoyed these days: All emotion. Our brains are not supposed to be involved. And sitting in the second row makes this imperative.
So we know the movie turns out badly but we don't want that. The movie is great, close to the original. I really enjoyed it. I was afraid that the story would suffer since there was a predetermined ending but it all seamless was woven together.
The reviews I had heard said that the dialogue and acting was bad. I noticed that but wonder if I would have overlooked it if I had not read the reviews.
I think everyone should go to the movie and have a good time. It is supposed to be much darker than the other movies, and maybe it is, but I didn't really notice it.
By the way, I saw a preview for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe coming in December. It made me think of that phrase from many reviews---visually stunning.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Beth and I went shopping for a while on Saturday morning. Todd dropped us off and picked us up at the mall.
Saturday night Richard grilled hamburgers.
Sunday morning we all went to church at First Baptist where Richard and Carol sing in the choir. My Baptist-raised Episcopalian Beth was confused not having to kneel to pray.
For lunch, we picked up Mrs. Smith, Carol's mother and went out to eat at Red Lobster. Since we were a large party of eight and it was Mother's Day, we had a long wait. By the time we were seated, we were starved and ate the appetizers and the cheese biscuits, so that when our food came, we were full. We wound up taking lots of the food home.
Laura, Todd, and Beth left for the long drive back to Florida. I left myself the next day.
Saturday night Richard grilled hamburgers.
Sunday morning we all went to church at First Baptist where Richard and Carol sing in the choir. My Baptist-raised Episcopalian Beth was confused not having to kneel to pray.
For lunch, we picked up Mrs. Smith, Carol's mother and went out to eat at Red Lobster. Since we were a large party of eight and it was Mother's Day, we had a long wait. By the time we were seated, we were starved and ate the appetizers and the cheese biscuits, so that when our food came, we were full. We wound up taking lots of the food home.
Laura, Todd, and Beth left for the long drive back to Florida. I left myself the next day.
Monday, May 16, 2005
I went to South Carolina to visit the Hendersons for the Mother's Day weekend.
For the first time I flew. Richard Henderson is always wanting me to fly and I always refuse but this time I let him give me the ticket and I did fly.
This time I left from Memphis. For some reason, I enjoy seeing all those FedEx planes at the Memphis airport. And when we were lined up for takeoff, I looked to the right and saw a FedEx plane and I looked to my left and saw a FedEx plane and I realized I was happy.
I changed planes at the Charlotte airport. That airport has those big, white rocking chairs everywhere. It was so relaxing to sit in one of those and rock. This is a wonderful idea.
Carol met me at the airport. It is always good to see Richard and Carol. They have been my friends for almost 40 years and they have proven themselves to be true friends over and over. I am lucky to know them.
Friday night we went down to Columbia to see the Hendersons' granddaughter Kate and "those other people." That's what Richard jokingly calls Kate's parents, Brian and Jaime. At least, I think he means it jokingly.
Kate is now four and has her grandparents wrapped around her little finger and of course they love it there. Kate decided she and her grandfather would play a game where she was the grownup and he was the child. He had a fit saying he did not want to go to bed. She told her dad "He's such a whiney boy."
Jaime was so sweet to us. They were having a women's program at her church so she took us. It was a supper, speech, and a fashion show. We enjoyed it very much.
Friday night late Beth, Laura, and Laura's young man Todd came. This was the first time anyone had met Tood and he seems very nice.
Beth's Mothers' Day gift to me was a wooden cutout of the stadium at Mississippi State. I haven't seen decided where to put it. Right now it resides on top of my computer.
For the first time I flew. Richard Henderson is always wanting me to fly and I always refuse but this time I let him give me the ticket and I did fly.
This time I left from Memphis. For some reason, I enjoy seeing all those FedEx planes at the Memphis airport. And when we were lined up for takeoff, I looked to the right and saw a FedEx plane and I looked to my left and saw a FedEx plane and I realized I was happy.
I changed planes at the Charlotte airport. That airport has those big, white rocking chairs everywhere. It was so relaxing to sit in one of those and rock. This is a wonderful idea.
Carol met me at the airport. It is always good to see Richard and Carol. They have been my friends for almost 40 years and they have proven themselves to be true friends over and over. I am lucky to know them.
Friday night we went down to Columbia to see the Hendersons' granddaughter Kate and "those other people." That's what Richard jokingly calls Kate's parents, Brian and Jaime. At least, I think he means it jokingly.
Kate is now four and has her grandparents wrapped around her little finger and of course they love it there. Kate decided she and her grandfather would play a game where she was the grownup and he was the child. He had a fit saying he did not want to go to bed. She told her dad "He's such a whiney boy."
Jaime was so sweet to us. They were having a women's program at her church so she took us. It was a supper, speech, and a fashion show. We enjoyed it very much.
Friday night late Beth, Laura, and Laura's young man Todd came. This was the first time anyone had met Tood and he seems very nice.
Beth's Mothers' Day gift to me was a wooden cutout of the stadium at Mississippi State. I haven't seen decided where to put it. Right now it resides on top of my computer.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
The story of the dog and cat is now not so amusing. I found out the dog has been in my garage destroying things.
Maybe there is some cosmological reason for this but the book he tore up is The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality by Brian Greene.
I regret that because I had only read about a third of it. But let's get real. I only understood about a tenth of that. My mind goes to mush when we start considering dimensions above four. The new theories where there are eleven dimensions, with seven of them curled up on themselves, is not fathomable to me.
Still I was having a go at the book. I think that if I read these books and more books and ever more books on the subject, that someday I will say "Aha," and suddenly it will all be clear.
Maybe there is some cosmological reason for this but the book he tore up is The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality by Brian Greene.
I regret that because I had only read about a third of it. But let's get real. I only understood about a tenth of that. My mind goes to mush when we start considering dimensions above four. The new theories where there are eleven dimensions, with seven of them curled up on themselves, is not fathomable to me.
Still I was having a go at the book. I think that if I read these books and more books and ever more books on the subject, that someday I will say "Aha," and suddenly it will all be clear.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
I'm a little bit put off by the article in the paper about the Peddy reunion I went to last week. I will need to find out who wrote it and put it in the paper.
The article said "Those attending were...." and listed all the people attending whose last names were Peddy. Then the next paragraph said "Others attending were......" and listed the rest of us who have other names.
The names were obviously taken off the sign-up sheet where the names were not so segregated.
We were separated out as if we were not quite up to snuff since our last names are not Peddy.
The article said "Those attending were...." and listed all the people attending whose last names were Peddy. Then the next paragraph said "Others attending were......" and listed the rest of us who have other names.
The names were obviously taken off the sign-up sheet where the names were not so segregated.
We were separated out as if we were not quite up to snuff since our last names are not Peddy.
I haven't posted anything for a long time because,really, nothing was happening.
Just as I was typing that, I heard ferocious barking outside. I went to look and saw that there is a dog and cat, neither belonging to me, in a stare-off. The cat, a large yellow one, is perched on my air-conditioner; its back arched. On the ground is a large black dog, barking, barking. I don't think anything else is going to happen.
Last weekend was the First Sunday in May. Thursday my old friend, Doris Carroll, came to visit. She and her husband C.W. camped out at Chickasaw State Park in their trailer.
On Thursday night they brought a pizza and we ate it in my kitchen and caught up on things, although there is less of that to do, now that we have the internet to keep up with each other.
We especially, of course, like to tell about our grandchildren. Doris has four grandsons. Teresa's are older, William is 16, Andrew is younger, and I am sorry I do not know his exact age. Julie's two sons, Haydon and Landon, are small. Landon is one and Haydon is 2 or 3.
Julie and her husband now run a dairy farm they bought. Doris and CW love to go out there to work. CW has even bought a tractor for himself that he keeps there.
Teresa's older son William also loves to go out there and is thinking about going to agriculture school after he graduates, to the chagrin of his parents, both engineers.
I would love myself to see the dairy farm since I grew up on one. I would love to see how it is done today.
Friday they drove around New Friendship and saw how things are going out there. Then I went out to Chickasaw and had supper with them, good Chester County barbecue.
Saturday we all went to the Peddy reunion. Probably the last time I will do that. The writeup in the Independent listed all the people there with the last name Peddy and then, condescendingly, said "others attending were." That certainly drew a circle and left me out.
I took Mother to the reunion and thought at the time that she did well. When we got back to the nursing home, I asked her if she wanted to go to her room, but she wanted to sit by the nursing station as usual. But then Sunday when Julia got there, she was still in bed and didn't feel like going to The First Sunday in May. So she didn't. That makes me sad because I know that she has attended the previous 87 ones.
Anyway, back to Saturday, Anne, Ken, George, Adam, and Emma came late to the reunion. It was good to see them.
After we had decorated the graves as Friendship church, especially, of course, George Rodney's. How sad it still is to me and how much I still miss him.
Then we went out to Chickasaw to let the kids see the Matthew's trailer. For supper, we all went to Bell's in Henderson.
The kids were in a choral program at church on Sunday so the Ruckers went back home Saturday night, but it was very good of them to come for the day.
Sunday I went up to church and spent most of the time at the gazebo or at the graveyard. I had called my cousins Lamar and Terry Seaton to let them know that Doris was here and they both came to see her. I don't get to see them very often so I enjoyed their visits, too.
Next time I will tell about my Mothers' Day trip to the Hendersons' in South Carlina..
Just as I was typing that, I heard ferocious barking outside. I went to look and saw that there is a dog and cat, neither belonging to me, in a stare-off. The cat, a large yellow one, is perched on my air-conditioner; its back arched. On the ground is a large black dog, barking, barking. I don't think anything else is going to happen.
Last weekend was the First Sunday in May. Thursday my old friend, Doris Carroll, came to visit. She and her husband C.W. camped out at Chickasaw State Park in their trailer.
On Thursday night they brought a pizza and we ate it in my kitchen and caught up on things, although there is less of that to do, now that we have the internet to keep up with each other.
We especially, of course, like to tell about our grandchildren. Doris has four grandsons. Teresa's are older, William is 16, Andrew is younger, and I am sorry I do not know his exact age. Julie's two sons, Haydon and Landon, are small. Landon is one and Haydon is 2 or 3.
Julie and her husband now run a dairy farm they bought. Doris and CW love to go out there to work. CW has even bought a tractor for himself that he keeps there.
Teresa's older son William also loves to go out there and is thinking about going to agriculture school after he graduates, to the chagrin of his parents, both engineers.
I would love myself to see the dairy farm since I grew up on one. I would love to see how it is done today.
Friday they drove around New Friendship and saw how things are going out there. Then I went out to Chickasaw and had supper with them, good Chester County barbecue.
Saturday we all went to the Peddy reunion. Probably the last time I will do that. The writeup in the Independent listed all the people there with the last name Peddy and then, condescendingly, said "others attending were." That certainly drew a circle and left me out.
I took Mother to the reunion and thought at the time that she did well. When we got back to the nursing home, I asked her if she wanted to go to her room, but she wanted to sit by the nursing station as usual. But then Sunday when Julia got there, she was still in bed and didn't feel like going to The First Sunday in May. So she didn't. That makes me sad because I know that she has attended the previous 87 ones.
Anyway, back to Saturday, Anne, Ken, George, Adam, and Emma came late to the reunion. It was good to see them.
After we had decorated the graves as Friendship church, especially, of course, George Rodney's. How sad it still is to me and how much I still miss him.
Then we went out to Chickasaw to let the kids see the Matthew's trailer. For supper, we all went to Bell's in Henderson.
The kids were in a choral program at church on Sunday so the Ruckers went back home Saturday night, but it was very good of them to come for the day.
Sunday I went up to church and spent most of the time at the gazebo or at the graveyard. I had called my cousins Lamar and Terry Seaton to let them know that Doris was here and they both came to see her. I don't get to see them very often so I enjoyed their visits, too.
Next time I will tell about my Mothers' Day trip to the Hendersons' in South Carlina..
