Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Time To Yawn

Always wondered why we yawn.

What the heck is a yawn other than a wide gaping hole????  I always thought that a yawn was done because we were bored or tired...but a person who is a licensed medical practitioner told me it's because oxygen levels are low in the lungs.  But I also read that it releases carbon dioxide and it oxygenates the body at the same time.

I think it's so funny that if you yawn, before long the person next to you will also yawn...copy cat reflex is what I call it.  I have read that unborn babies also yawn.  That's interesting.  We once had two dogs and when one would yawn and the other one saw the first one yawn, then the other dog would also yawn...funny!!

Since yawning always make me feel better, I consider yawning a form of exercising.....it's doing stretches of a body part....my mouth....as if my mouth doesn't get enough stretching doing with all the talking I do!!

Old Tyme Greenview

1874 -  Al Stone and Ed Leighton bought the mill and elevator of the G. W. Hatch Sr. Estate.

1874 -  Mr. James Tripp, Sr., came with his parents by way of prairie schooner from New York to Sangamon County and settled.  He lived near Pleasant Plains until after he was married.  Then he came to Greenview and farmed east of town.  In 1876 he engaged in the hardware and lumber business.  Later his sons, Harry, Henry and Ernest joined him in business. His integrity was passed on to his children and grandchildren.

1877 -  The banking firm of Alkire and Alkire which had been doing a business in Payne's store (the Bracken Building), dissolved the banking partnership.  Mr. Henry Marbold built a new brick building costing $12,000.  He and John Alkire opened a banking institution in one end of this new building.  Milem Engle was a silent partner in the banking venture, but he operated a general store in addition.  Later Mr. Edward Brunsman, a young man schooled in the business of banking, became associated with Mr. Marbold in the bank.

1877 -  A weekly paper called the Greenview News was begun by a Mr. Smith.  However, the venture was short lived.  The paper office was located in part of the bracken building.  Payne built the building but more folks are familiar with eh Bracken name association.  James Bracken and Frank Denton had a grocery store in this same building at this time. 

Thought For the Day
Who are a little wise
the best fools be.
--John Donne

Back when the kids were young, Beenie Weenies sure were an easy meal to fix a couple of bean and weiner hungry kids.  I called that meal the fillet of soul and bean toots! 

I became such a Beenie Weenie chef that I should have opened a franchise.  I could just see the marquee.....Beenie Weenie Teenie Weenies!!  That would have brought in the socialites I'm sure.  Just what a millionaire woman and her fancy ways would want....a weenie swimming in ketchup and brown sugar and pork and beans.  What a delicacy .... but don't knock it if you've not had a bite of a delicious Beenie Weenie Teenie Weenie.  They just melt in your mouth.  They're cooked slowly to develop flavors which will heighten your senses.  At the first bite, your taste buds will get up and go .....  then, after several meals of these tasty morsels, your taste buds will definitely giddy up and go .....  south .... to the water glass probably.  Because after you eat about 10 meals of these, you are about sick of them.  I just don't know how the teenies could eat so many meals of the Beenie Weenie Teenie Weenies.....they stick in your craw after a while....and it becomes hard to swallow them.   But I must admit the first time I ate them they sure were good.  Now I never make these....I wonder why??!!


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Monday, February 27, 2012

Beauty Is A Thing Of The Past

Just imagine.....women went through a lot to be beautiful long ago.

If you are a woman, you know how long it takes to get beautiful these days....especially if you have a bit of age on your beautiful face.  And, if you are a man, you probably know how long it takes for your beautiful woman to get ready......waited a few times I bet.

First comes the filling or I like to call it straightening the wrinkles.  You buy this special cream at about $25.00 a jar which is supposed to lift, tighten, define, contour, and give you a general radiant look.  It supposedly relaxes your wrinkles and rebuilds collagen.  Now we all know that about all it does is relaxes the sides of your wallet....the more you buy of this cream the thinner your wallet becomes ....the skin of your face might be a bit more smoother but those dang wrinkles still are there to show the world.

After the cream comes the concealor.  I use a yellow Mary Kay concealer because I have some redness in spots on my face, so yellow is the best.  Then after that comes foundation....after you put these layers of wrinkle cream, yellow concealer and foundation on, you don't dare blow your nose because the yellow and the foundation come off easily....and then you have bare ugly wrinkled blotchy skin...in spots so that you look like you have leprosy.

After the face makeup comes the hair.  A woman stands in front of the mirror and look for roots showing through the hair color.  Then comes the tweeking of the hair to get it to cover all of the bare spots.....yes you men out there, us women also have these problems in some cases.  We brush individual hairs this way and that way just to get partial cover over the top of the head.  God forbid when it's summer and a sunburn covers most of the top..... then there is dry pealing skin to contend with.

I personally think it takes us modern women just as long as it did for the vintage women of the past.  Sure they might have had to put in pin curls and sleep on those in order to get the beautiful hair, but putting pomade on the roots and brushing individual hairs is a lengthy process.......and that three layers of wrinkle stuff plus foundation takes a lots of time.  Oh well.....in order to be beautiful at this stage of the game is bound to take time......and what else do I have to do with my time......so I'll just get beautiful!!  Got to go get the beauty ...it takes time doncha know.

News On The Marbold Farmstead

The Menard County Review paper had an article this week to indicate that the Historic Marbold Farmstead Association has been contacted by "Landmarks Illinois" to indicate that the Marbold Farmstead is a finalist for the designation of 2012 Ten Most Endangered Historic Places.

Should the Marbold Farmstead be selected for this designation, the announcement would be made at the state capitol on April 24 at the annual meeting.  To date almost $30,000 has been pledged by families, groups, individuals, toward the purchase of the property.

As a resident I hope that this organization succeeds in raising money to purchase this historical landmark.  All donations to this worthy project would be appreciated by the Association.  Please contact me at my email for information regarding contact information: carlaslittlemoms@yahoo.com


Other News

Albert Kincaid, a longtime county resident, in the Sugar Grove/Athens area, passed away February 18. 

Early voting for the March 20 primary begins this week at the County Clerk's office.

The Greenview Post Prom committee needs donations before April 21.  Make payable to GHS Post Prom: Attn: GHS Post Prom, P.O. Box 200, Greenview, IL 62642

Old Pictures


Begg's elevator, Greenview.
1910 - 1920 era

Greenview resident George Baugher
with his army buddy Elvis Presley


Greenview Presbyterian Church 1914...taken from the park.


Thought For The Day

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.
--George S. Patton



The National Debt is:

(Multi selection answer...choose the best one)

a.  a true horror

b.  is such that no one of us really knows what normal is

c.  is such that even though politicians talk about it, there is probably nothing which can be done to solve it...at least quickly

d.  is such that the US has to borrow about 41 cents for every dollar it spends

e.  one which has been growing as a major policy issue for the last 40 years

f.  not a myth ... definitely a truth

g.  about $46,000 per person (hope they don't send a bill to me)

h.  always going to be with us....it would be problematic to have no debt at all by the government

i.  all of the above

It looks like it's going to be with us folks for a long time....like it or not.  It's my personal opinion that Congress (both parties) may be jerking us around as they each try to build a wonderful image of their particular party.  I personally laugh at the political rhetoric that I see in/from both parties......let the good times roll politicians, because the election is coming....for some of you, you better find another day job.



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Friday, February 24, 2012

Eat Yourself Skinny

How in the world do you eat yourself skinny?

I just saw an advertisement and the headlines were "Eat Yourself Skinny".  Wow....I would love that.  So I clicked on that Fairy Tale.
I had to see what false hope this site was giving people. 

It was recipes for  such things as Salsa....and Thai Peanut Noodles.  No wonder a person could get skinny by eating.....Thai Peanut Noodles sound just awful.....the only redeeming thing is the recipe had Sriracha chilli sauce which happens to be a favorite of mine.  But peanut butter in noodles????  

If I had to eat these recipes, no wonder I would be eating myself skinny....so I had to continue my web search for easy ways to get skinny.  Then I ran across the headlines "Cook Yourself Thin".  Why on earth would I want to cook myself????  I think this title had a little grammar problem.  If I literally went by this headline and followed the title, no wonder I would be skinny as I would be cooking parts of myself to get rid of the fat.  Watch out Herbivores and vegetarians.  All at once I am a carnivore who is a cannibal.  And, if I sprayed myself with purple paint, I would be the purple people eater. 

My search for the fairy tale to come true continued......then I found the only true answer.....Get Skinny on your own......get mentally ready.....throw out the chocolate cake and the cocoa mix and the bridge mix and the chocolate syrup (no more chocolate cokes wahhh) and the maple syrup and the thousand of other high calorie high fat content foods.  Go to the store and get lots of lettuce....fill your refrigerator with lettuce and carrots and celery and cabbage and cauliflower and broccoli.  You need to fill your refrigerator so full that when you open the door, this low calorie stuff falls at your feet just like it's worshiping you.  Just know that with lots of cauliflower and cabbage and broccoli, you are going to have more gas than you've ever had in your life.  It will be called "tootin the day away.  You might even want to forgo these items and decide to stay fat...that's how bad that gas in your old colon will be!

And then comes the exercising.  You will want to stretch in place so that you don't do too much damage to your body when you start these strenuous exercises.  Walking ten miles a day is on the agenda....then running in place for 20 minutes......58 jumping jacks.....62 sit-ups......go buy an airdyne bike for $750.00 so you can exercise for 30 minutes 8 times a day.  All of this designed to make you skinny.  Believe me, if I bought the airdyne at $750, I would be skinny because I wouldn't have any money to buy food......and if I did all of these exercises I would be lying in a coffin for eternity....that's a way to get skinny...not my choice but it is a way.

Now I just have to decide if it will old, ugly and fat or skinny.  Just to let you know my next projects....it will be to find ways to turn ugly to beautiful as well as turning old to young by finding the fountain of youth.  Big projects!!

Old Vintage Photos of Area


Lincoln....the well known Langellier's Ford, Mercury and Lincoln Dealer.  Their showroom in 1916.

Lincoln - Sheers Buggies....where the post office is now on
southeast corner of the square in Lincoln.  Unknown date but was from prior to the time the automobile took over.



Lincoln....the inside of the Tropics.


Lincoln.....5th street and Washington on Route 66... 1953
Shell station.



Lincoln ..... The Mill (by the Lincoln Developmental Center)
Known for their Viener Schnitzel and their Schnitzelburgers.





Lincoln......The Tiz-Rite Grill, corner of 5th Street and
 Highway 66 By Pass.  1947 Advertisement.   Look at the price of the dinner......85 cents.  They also had a 24 hour Cities Service Station next door.


Tidbits about Lincoln, Illinois: 

Lincoln was the first city to be named after Abraham Lincoln BEFORE he was famous.  Abe was the attorney for the then unnamed city.  The founding fathers asked him if they could name the city after him and he agreed.  In 1853, near the site of the train depot, Abraham Lincoln used watermelon juice to christen the city Lincoln, Illinois.


Thought For The Day
Ever day holds the possibility of a miracle.
--Elizabeth David


The gator boys on television sure are funky.  Who in the world would ever want to get in the water with an alligator and wrestle it?    And what is this when one of them sticks his head in the alligator's mouth???  That is just not right.....is it the sign of a gator boy who is operating one egg short of a dozen? 

I realize that sometimes that residents of Florida might wake up to a gator in their pool or maybe the local high class golf club might have a gator swimming in their golf course pond and someone has to get these buggers out of these gator oasis but........do they have to go out in the ugly and gator infested swamps and get em......wow.

I think I will see what else is on the boob tube in the gator time slot.  It might save me from taking a hand full of anxiety pills.  (Shudder--Shake)




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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Idiot's Guide To Opening Child Proof Medicine Bottles

Why can't I understand how to open these bottles?

Medicine comes in bottles.  Lids are on those bottles.  The lids are child proof.  I can't get them open, so does that mean I'm a child?  Wahhhhh I don't want to live in a child proof world.  It's too confusing to a person who is past their childhood.

I stand and look at the medicine bottles lined up on the counter.  Those cute little spinner lids are on top of most of the bottles.  Push down and twist or turn is says on some.  Line up the arrows on others.  What arrows????  I can't see any arrows......probably because I need new reading glasses. 

I push down and nothing happens.  The lid spins because I don't have any strength.  Plus it hurts my hands and fingers to push down hard.  Cripes....how can I get in this bottle?

I call the pharmacy and ask them....they tell me just what the bottle says.  I ask if they could send someone to my house to get the dang bottles open...but they laugh at me.  But,the pharmacy tells me that I can sign a form so that the next time they will put on non-child proof lids.  I signed that form before.....oh I see, it's expired and I need to sign a new form before they will not put child proof lids on.  Ever hear of asking me to sign a new one when the old one expired???

Mean while back at the ranch, how do I get these bottles open?  Ah ha....I have the solution.  Go to the garage and get a hammer and a screwdriver.  I try to pry the lid off....the screwdriver slips and I about run it through my artery in my wrist.  So next comes the hammer.  I tap the lid...the bottle spins around and flies across the room.  How on earth am I going to get this open.  So I take it to the garage and put it in the vise and hit it with the hammer.....the bottle is open but the pills are all over the floor.  Yummy....pills covered in motor oil....sounds good for me.....a real thickener in the veins because I remember it was 20-W-45 Pennzoil.  Too bad it wasn't that new fangled slick oil.

I carefully and painfully stoop and pick up the pills and put them in a non-child proof sandwich bag.  Then I get the next pill bottle and put it in the vise....I can see this is going to be a pill poppin day.....Geeze...getting old sucks!


Old Tyme Greenview Stuff

1968 -  The Corner Cafe was damaged by fire on January 2.  Mr. and Mrs. Tom Smothers, owners of the building, were stranded in Campbellsville, KY by snow covered roads en route home from vacationing in Florida at the time of the fire.

1968 -  West Food store closed in January.

1968 -  Mrs. Martha Hovey Pippin was notified of the death of her husband, David, in Vietnam.  David was wounded on February 3 and died on February 13 in a hospital in the Phillipines.

1968 -  Edwin Otte resigned as pastor of the Greenview United Church.

1968 -  Don Riley and Alva Montgomery were presented fifty year membership pins in the Greenview Masonic Lodge ceremonies held March 5.

1969 -  The Christian Church marked its one-hundreth birthday at special services on March 9.

1969 -  Jim's Coin Wash began operation in Greenview with Jim Hornback as owner.  The coin wash is located in the building which was formerly the Owl Garage on Route 29.

1969 -  The fiftieth birthday of the American Lgion was celebrated with a dinner and program on March 17.

1969 -  Reverand William Yueill was installed as the new pastor at the Greenview United Church on July 13.

1969 -  Elton Ennis, Marie Ennis, Gladys Montgomery and Elvia Montgomery were all recipients of a fifty year pin in the Order of the Eastern Star at a meeting held on September 8.

Thought For The Day
Hope is a thing with feathers
that perches in the soul;
and sings the tune without words
and never stops at all.
--Emily Dickinson

Ways to get rich quick (not guaranteed of course):
(and may be bad ideas too)

1.  Buy a winning lottery ticket.

2.  Rob a bank.

3.  Close out your husband's retirement plan without him knowing it.

4.  Get a cash advance on several credit cards at 25.94%.

5.  Play craps at the casino. 

6.  Invest everything you have in stocks (and hope the market doesn't crash).

7.  Take extra tax deductions.

Well....I don't recommend these but these are some people do use to hope to get rich quickly.  Hmmmm....I think they would do better to get a
J O B.  But what do I know?




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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

A Story About Disabled Persons

I normally don't post things which I consider controversial, but I have an issue which is currently going on in this state and my personal feelings are that political issues have entered the negotiations.  I feel people's rights are on the verge of being violated.

In the olden days, there was the Sangamon County Poor Farm....called the Almshouse.  Deplorable conditions for the insane.  An almshouse is one which by definition is for the poor...but the Sangamon County Alsmhouse was a hodgepodge, insane, poor, sick, criminals, physically disabled, mentally disabled, etc.  It was deplorable.

The following paragraphs have been taken from the book written in 1914 to show how these were viewed in the early 1900's.  The book is named:   Care of Mental Defections and Alcoholics in Springfield Illinois by Walter Lewis Treadway 1914.  (Note some parts of paragraphs have been omitted to allow for me to publish more important parts.)  This book is written in the first party:

"In 1914 there were 222 inmates in the Sangamon County poor farm.  201 males and 21 females.  Six women and four women were said to be insane but I ascertained that at least 18 were insane.  There were besides five inmates who were mentally defective.  The insane were locked in cells at night, but during the day they are allowed the liberty of the grounds and most of them assist with the work.

The facilities for the care of the insane in this county almshouse are nor better nor worse than the average institution of this type. ........  (omitted)......... While some changes in the conditions described have occurred since 1911,  those that persist are sufficiently unwholesome to show this almshouse to be an unfit place in which to care for the insane.  The quotation follows:

     "The Sangamon County almshouse is a brick building with basement, first and second floors.  It is about fifty years old.  The walls are so old the paint peels from them.  A fire would spread rapidly.  The insane men were caged in the basement * on the east side of the house.  All the rooms are bare.

  Each room has several cots.  An insane mad shared a room with a man who was sick in bed.  An insane woman shared a room with a feeble-minded woman and a sane woman.  A man with palsy, who is entirely helpless, lay in a bed in a filthy condition, and as he shook he moaned that the bugs made him sick when they bit him.  Opposite to him is a deaf, dumb and insane boy, who is constantly attended by on of the inmates.  There is no night watchman.  The bath tubs are used by all kinds of inmates with communicable diseases and by the other inmates who are especially susceptible to such diseases due to their low vitality.  When I made the inspection, it was very warm but many windows were down because the old people got cold sitting with nothing to do.  There is no provision for artificial ventilation."

....... (Omitted).......  Apparently all Springfield can do to lessen the number of insane persons in the Sangamon County Poor Farm is to demand that a fair proportion be received in the state hospitals; at the same time, to try in every way to secure legislation which will provide accommodations in the state hospitals for all of the insane of Illinois now confined in almshouses and ultimately to secure a statute which will absolutely prohibit almshouse care for these patients.

* this statement, made to Dr. Treadway by the superintendent, on his visit to the Almshouse in April was later changed by the superintendent in a public statement in December, indicating that patients were locked in cells only occasionally as a matter of discipline.

(Note this was just a small section of a lengthy book on the care in Sangamon County in the early 1900's.  Later the insane began to be housed in the State Hospital facilities like Lincoln and Jacksonville State Hospitals.  Note that due to the closing of the Lincoln Developmental Center in 2002 due to pressure from a man who did not think through the consequences....and coupled with our esteem jailbird George Ryan the state hospital closed, forcing persons who are incapable of taking care of themselves into society.  The thoughts were group homes could care for them.  Our family knows from experience that group homes cannot care for patients with debilitating conditions and those whose conditions worsen.  A family member of ours had to be removed from a group home due to worsening conditions.  When this type of situation happens, these severely disabled people have to be confined in nursing homes and the state begins to pay for the confinements....the cost is much more than when the state hospitals were open.  Now the Jacksonville Developmental Center as well as Tinley Park Developmental Center are on the verge of being closed due to the same man's push to close all facilities.  He represents only one class of persons....and he has convinced the current governor that closure will mean budget savings.....how I ask........the costs will be there but in another way for nursing homes.....and the horrible thing is nursing homes are cutting their number of Medicare and Medicaid beds because they aren't getting paid for them.....this man who is pushing to close all of these state hospitals which took care of these severely disabled patients for a hundred years,  but he represents one class of persons only (cerebral palsy) and it's not fair to other classes of disabled persons who will never be able to care for themselves (such as downs syndrome, Alzheimer's, grossly physically disabled and those who would most likely qualify as insane).  There is no place for these people to go if nursing homes continue to reduce their bed numbers for Medicare and Medicaid persons....and believe me the push is on for reduction of Medicare/Medicaid beds in nursing homes.   And, how can you expect nursing home workers or group home workers to care for persons who are dangerous and those who might be considered comparable to the old insane terminology?  Think about where these persons will go..... any insane persons (comparable condition to the old insane terminology) could again land in our prisons and on the streets where they might not only hurt themselves but others too....tell me if this is fair?  It seems it might be back to the dungeons and cells in jail basements for persons who are disabled and not criminals...all because of political moves.   Call or write the governor and tell him the state hospitals should remain open....tell him you don't want the state to return to the use of almshouse confinement.   I rest my case.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Happy President's Day

Today we celebrate two of the Presidents who have birthdays in February.  The first and the 16th.  We are lucky to have had the 16th President as a resident in our county so today I will be posting pictures of Abraham Lincoln and his family as a tribute to President's Day.


One of the faces of Abe Lincoln 2-12-1809 to 4-15-1865





First known photo 1846




Lincoln  and Tad




Above picture in the Harper's Weekly May 6, 1865 printed right after the death of Lincoln.





Lincoln 1861





Mary Todd Lincoln in her ball gown.





Another photo of Mary Todd Lincoln





1861 Todd Lockwood with Tad seated and Willie standing.





Lincoln with his housekeeper.





Lincoln's Dog Fido





Lincoln's Horse Old Bob at Lincoln's funeral.





Last Known photo of Abraham Lincoln.




May Abe Lincoln rest in peace and know that the residents of Menard county are still taking care of the land he once roamed.

Happy President's Day Mr. President


Friday, February 17, 2012

Too Much Paper Clogs Things


A thank you to my blog readers.  The number of persons who have viewed this blog now has exceeded 11,000.  I am so excited and of course astonished!  Thank you!!

I was going to say that paper clogs things "up"....but that grammar made me cringe..... Oh my...


When you look around in about every corner of your universe, you can see paper.  Newspapers ...... magazines ..... bills ..... books .... manuscripts ...... labels on cans ..... labels on envelopes .... bathroom tissue .... kleenex ..... oatmeal boxes ..... cardboard boxes ..... paper sacks.

Think of the number of trees it takes to get all of this paper.  Paper is our world.  But think about that paper stuff going down your drain.  If you use paper when you go to the potty (I don't know what else you would use unless it's a Sears Roebuck Catalog), that paper can gum up and form a big old ball of impenetrable ick which will try to go down a 2 inch across plastic pipe to your sewer line. 

When you think about it, people want to buy the thickest toilet paper they can so that your don't get the three finger penetration through the paper trying to assure the hiney is clean as a whistle.  But the thicker the paper, the less likely that paper is going to make a clean escape down the drain.  No sirrreee it's going to roll into that ball and stay there......about 4 inches below your main drain pipe.  And. it will especially stay there, solid as a rock, if someone in the kitchen poured a half cup of used flour down the drain to get rid of it.......let's see....flour plus water equals paste.  And when mixed with paper it's sometimes called paper mache.  When that mixture sits a while it becomes a solid rock hard ball of pure trouble.

It's times like this that you wish you'd gone to college to become a plumber who makes $200.00 per hour plus a huge service call fee, getting out huge toilet paper balls and little cars, and little pieces of toys, and even bottle caps. 

I say we should all start buying skinny toilet paper to save trees.  Skinny means a one ply sheet roll.  Then, use as little as possible and hope for the best.  Trees are important!  Save paper and keep it out of clogged drains!  And wash your hands carefully!

Vintage Springfield And Area
(you can click on most pictures to get an enlarged view)


Sangamo Electric 1950's



Theo J. Schweer Fine Candies 1909



Springfield Bernie's Cafe matchbook
910 East Ash Street
Unknown date




Springfield Boiler Co. 1925 Advertisement



Springfield Hall and Herrick Men's and Boys
Outfitters Located on Southeast Corner of the Square Downtown
This postcard shows the new Exposition Hall at the Fairgrounds with Hall and Herrick's name on it for advertising purposes.


Thought For The Day
Sunlight is painting.
--Nathaniel Hawthorne


Sometimes when things are tough you feel like putting your head in the sand like an Ostrich.  It's not because you're embarrassed, it's because you know that a string of expletives might come out of your mouth so, if you bury your head, your mouth will fill with sand and you won't be able to cuss.


Cussing can get you in trouble but it sure can make you feel better.....I occasionally have one of those kind of mornings where cussing is the right thing to do.....even the poor dog will get out of my way.

So if you have the need to cuss.....if you are on the beach, bury your head and let it rip, but your mouth might fill up with sand.  If you are in your car, roll up the windows.  If you are at home, go for it loud and clear.  And if you are on the telephone, well.....do it at your own risk.



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Thursday, February 16, 2012

What Happens Behind The Eyes


Have you wondered what being blind is all about?

I know what it's all about... you see I went totally blind in my left eye and could only see out of the corner of my right eye.  This was horrible and never do I want this again.  Luckily, when I had brain surgery,  most of my left eye sight came back and all of the right  eye.....truly amazing.  But I have questions.  

First of all I have always wondered if a blind person can see their dreams.  My thoughts would center on answering this in the negative at first glance, but, I remember reading about Helen Keller who said that after she had a tutor who described to her objects and items in depth while reading to her (spelling it out),  she began to see things in her mind and then started dreaming.

I would imagine that a blind person who has never been taught anything would probably not dream, but if and when they are taught about objects in their lives, perhaps they could begin to dream.  If a person can see at first then goes blind, the scope of dreaming would probably depend on the age blindness occurred.  The earlier the age, the less likely the person would remember all objects, thus dreaming would be limited to the objects that memory recalled.

It's a scary thing to think anyone would ever lose their sight, but it can happen and it can happen fast.  Never take things for granted....enjoy life and the things in your life while you can.  It may not be there forever.

Old Tyme Greenview

1970  -  William Miller graduated June 12 from the Colelge of Medicine of the universary of illinois at the Medical Center in Chicago.  His surgical internship began July 1 at he University of Illinois hospital.

1970  -  A new business, Glenn Tuttle's Car Wash, opened in Greenview the week of June 21.

1970  -  Wayne Dimmick resigned as Superintendent of the Greenview schools effective August 1.  he accepted the supedintendency of Winona Community Unit #1, Marchasl.  C. R. Thayer accepted the position as Superintendent of Greenview Schools.

1970  -  The new gift and antique shop, "Homestead" owned and operated by Mrs. Garrett Evers, opened its doors for business the week of October 26.

1970  -  Carl Miller, highest ranking Mason in the state of Illinois, died November 5.

1971 -  The Greenview Christian Church welcomed Roland (Red) Florence as their new minister.

1971 -  Ronald Doggett lost his life in a one car accident on the Middletown blacktop east of Greenview on March 20.

1971 -  A new Village garage and office building were built on the south side of the square facing the park in Greenview.

1971 -  Thomas Parks III drowned December 20 in the Sangamon River near the Gudgel Bridge, west of Athens.  His car was swept from a flooded road west of the bridge and it is believed he accidentally rani into the flooded area and lost his footing when he attempted to leave the car.

Just some other information from the Greenview history books:
A storm known as the "sudden change" came in 1836.  It was a terrible cold wave which brought the temperature down from 40 degrees above zero to way below freezing in a few moments, and water froze solidly at once.  Geese and ducks had their feet frozen in the mud and had to be chopped out.  Men and families perished from the cold, the wind traveling at a rate of 70 miles per hour.

Thought For The Day
It's choice - not chance - that
determines your destiny.
--Jean Nidetch

If I wanted to advertise  my leather sofa for sale, I think I have thought of the best way to describe it in the advertisment. 

Knowing that it's leather and Italian leather to boot, I feel the best way to describe it is to say: "this sofa is big enough to seat the entire mob, and better yet, it's Italian leather, so that the mob of butts can feel right at home."


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Hope to see you soon.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

History Can Be A Mystery

Darn history's a mystery again....

Those who lived in Egypt were Egyptians and their bodies got to live through eternity as mummies in a spiffy and dry pyramid.  Those mummies definitely contributed to the mystery of history.

Then came the historical travel of all of those Europeans on those big boats, crossing the pond.  They came in droves and landed just about everywhere on every continent.  Some went north and some went south and some landed right here in America.  Those travelers definitely contributed to the mystery of history and here we are to prove it.  What I've always wondered is did they also have an ark like Noah's or how else could all of these different kinds of domesticated animals come to be in America??

After all of those Europeans came here and established colonies, they began fighting. (Wonder if they fought on the boats coming over on the pond??)  The American Revolution was a biggie.....and all because some Bostonian bought cheap tea to make a cuppa and then forgot to leave the sugar bowl out for all of the tea drinkers to put sugar in their tea.  Wow that little faux pas sure caused the "big fight" to occur.  Definitely contributed to our history.

Then time went on and we had a great president and he was even from this area.  He just had to go to the theater one night instead of staying home where he belonged.... and, while there, he got shot by someone who was a part of a big conspiracy group which was ticked off and wanted to avenge the South's defeat. This guy shot the president and ran...the big coward....he should have stayed and faced the music.  But it didn't do him any good to run...they found him....he was shot but refused to come out of the barn....so they burned it down until he got too scared to stay in the fire....the coward.  He got his just reward and he's still dead to this day.  Another time which contributed to the history of America.

Many years went by and then the Japanese and the Germans just couldn't stay apart and fought like cats and dogs....and of course we had to stick our nose into it and become involved.....just like we did later with Vietnam, and Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan!!  All of these cold wars and conflicts contributed to the history of America....and did it ever cost us.

I do believe if we were still in the days when we flew kites to have electricity.....or even if we still had to rub two sticks together to get fire.....or if we had to bake our own bread and then break it with our neighbors, our future history might be a bit different.  Right now, there are so many things going on in America with financial problems with our federal and state and local governments, and the job situation so out of control,  we may all end up getting on boats and going back to our roots.....back to Europe over the pond....or maybe to Egypt....at least our bodies would eventually be mummies and nice and warm in a pyramid for eternity.

Area Photos and Stuff

Please note you can click on most
photos for an enlarged view.

Note....Picture deleted due to copyright infringement.

Greenview Water Tower 1912



"Hardroad" construction in central Illinois 1920.



Greenview Graduating Class 1932
Homer Montgomery, 3rd row, 5th from left.



Roxy Theater, Springfield




2nd Presbyterian Church, 4th and Monroe, Springfield




Postcard with Illinois Capitol Building
with Charles Carpentier, Secretary of State Picture
He was Secretary of State 1953 to 1964.


Thought For the Day
Who looks outside, dreams;
who looks inside, awakes.
--Carl Jung

Not long ago someone asked me if I would rather see a man in tight black pants or a pink cotton shirt.....a pink t-shirt to boot.


For crying out loud that is really a funky question......From my personal point of view, there is really no question about which it would be.....the pink-shirt of course......as I sit here laughing my hiney off at that ridiculous answer.  I would most definitely prefer to see a man in a pink tu-tu with frilly net skirting all around, and wearing pink tights with pink ballet slippers.  This is my birds eye view of the utmost man (cough cough).  Maybe a very weird one, but you have to admit....anyone who is brave enough to even wear such an outfit must have big rocky mountain oysters!!  HA HA HA

Now for the real answer, I think a man should always wear tight western jeans, and cowboy boots, with a plaid long sleeve shirt with the cuffs rolled up slightly.  Now that it is a "MAN".  Let's see you guys.....one, two, three.....



Thank you for coming to my blog.
It's full of humor and history!
(and protected under copyright laws)

Hope to see you again soon.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentines Day 2012

May your day be filled with love and joy.
For those whom I have known in my life, my heart is filled
with joy and lovely thoughts of our friendship.


Happy Valentines Day!