Dang Shoogly Table

You say you don't have a shoogly table?  Well you are lucky!  Those dang shoogly tables are a nasty bunch. 
I bet there are a few of you who don't know what a shoogly table is and have already called up another internet window to do a search.  So, should I explain "shoogly" or not??  I will tell you but only for those lazy peeps who know that I'll tell them so they don't have to expend energy looking it up.

I love using words.  And especially ones which aren't often used.  So, instead of bleeping on about my "wobbly" table, I used shoogly.  It basically means the same as wobbly and it sounds much more sophisticated.  Shoogly can also mean unsteady, unstable, very shaky.  This wonderful and whimsical word comes from Scottish dialect.  Having a bit of Scotch in me (the blood not the whiskey)  makes it seem appropriate that I use shoogly when I describe this dang table which sits on my porch. 

I've come to the conclusion that shoogly tables should not be allowed on this earth.....even when it means tossing it to the wind and saying "sayonara" you stupid shoogly table.  Oh table of mine, I'm tired of putting a folded piece of cardboard under your leg.   Adios.....goodbye.....ciao....au revoir.....farewell.....off the porch you go and to the rubbish bin.  NO more spilled coffee, bowls sliding off the table and constant shakiness.  YAY. 

Today has been a learning lesson for us all.....you learned that shoogly meant wobbly, shaky, unstable, etc.  You learned that shoogly tables just aren't good for anything.  You learned how to say goodbye to my shoogly table in about six languages.  And you learned that shoogly is not a dance like it sounds....but the word "shoogle" means to rock and shake so that could be a dance!  Now that is education for the day. 

Until the next shoogly table raises its ugly head, so long!


Old Stuff
(click on the pictures to get an enlarged view)

The old train depot on the 10th street corridor in Springfield.

1971 photo.

The Cliff's Motel

At Routes 4, 36 and 54 West

Springfield

1950's Matchbook from

Norside Restaurant, 619 N. Grand Ave. E.

Mid 1950's postcard of the Stuckey's 30 miles south of

Springfield on old Route 66.  I remember going to this

one many many times to get the pecan rolls.  Not many pictures left of this landmark.

A person recently asked me if I had a picture of an old store which sat on the corner of Curtis Blacktop and Route 123 just east of Petersburg.  This person was in their early 70's and remembered the place.  Not only did I not have a picture, I didn't remember any buildings which would represent a store at this site.  I finally found that indeed there was an old store and a gas station on that intersection,  operated by a person with a last name of Flumiydoal.  It was referred to as "Floomeydoodles Corner".  Later it was operated by Haskell Pike and his son Ed.  They had a trucking company and sold gas there.  If anyone has a picture of this place, please contact me.

Not being able to easily reconstruct history, strengthens my thoughts that each person should document their and their family history.....old pictures, documentation or an actual story of your life will be invaluable to those who in 50 years might want to know what your life was like.  Take the time to document your life story!

 Thought For The Day

Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to

sell your parrot to the town gossip.

--Will Rogers

Many years ago I wrote the following "free verse" poetry (or maybe it is prose).  I recently found this once again and thought I would share it.

Greenview In The Mist

The mist falls upon the fields.

It leaves an eerie cloud that floats on the surface.

Rural America looks like London for a while.

Turkeys, deer and field mice play on the ground.

But, there is no one to see them in their frolic in the fields.

Just God and those who have left this earth can see.

The mist rises as the sun does the same.

You can see that Greenview remains.

A little more shabbier than before, but still there.

A mist cannot erase the past or the future.

But, it can cover the ugliness of the current day.

Then the mist is gone and the ugliness exists.

Just a lonely town.  Full of inhabitants and life.

But, lonely just the same.

It will survive.  It has for a long time.

Greenview has once again come out of the mist.

The field mice, the turkeys and the deer still roam.

And the people are still there....for now.

                                          The End

Remembering Greenview

and those veterans who lost

their lives.  Our town's memorial arch.

Thank you for coming to my blog.

All rights reserved.

Old Springfield

Just some old Springfield pictures....
(you can click on most photos to get an enlarged view)

The old brick gabled gardner's cottage for the governor's mansion in 1943.  It was located across the street from the mansion.

Busy 1926 intersection in downtown Springfield,

at 5th and Monroe.

1930's Leland Hotel

1920's ... Bottom is looking north between 5th and 6th

and top is between Adams and Washington.

Thanks for coming to my blog.

(all rights reserved....please don't copy my photos and topics)

Mirepoix Is Cookin!

Mirepoix today....being French today .... hmmm!!

Those Frenchmen will get you going.  They love to cook and love to smooch and love to hug and just want to love......all day long.  But do I have a Frenchman around this house..???  Heck no.....I'm the one who has French (Ferree or LaFierre orginally) blood running though my viens.  And Welsh, and Irish, and Scotch,  and German, and maybe some Indian along the way.  But oohh la la, it's that French blood that steams up the windows and gets me going like a little steam engine.

And when that happens, I want to cook with a French flair.  I want to make Mirepoix (for those who don't know what that is, it's a stock base with celery, onions, carrotts, and sometimes beef, or ham or other meats).   It's rich and wonderful for dipping your "French Bread" like an au jus.........I think you probably know what au jus is.....and especially if you've ever had a French Dip Roast Beef Sandwich on a hard roll....so Mirepoix is rich in flavor like au jus but with veggies swimming around in the au jus.

I also want to make a Chicken Marinated in  Rosemary and White Wine (Coq au vin blanc).  Yummy.....and this really gets my blood rolling.  A Creme Brulee or my special Brulee Flan cake would be wonderful as dessert but my hind end can't take dessert so I'll stick to the other stuff.  Who wants to love on a huge old French person.

So now you know ...... I'm sitting here bored and hungry and feeling the French blood pounding through my viens.  Since I haven't been shopping yet this week, Mirepoix is about the best I can do.   I can make anything with Mirepoix!   So I'm getting my ingredients together before cooking (French term for this is "mise en place") Come on over....soup's on in a bit.

Old Thoughts

Back years ago, in the 60's, we had a language of our own.  Mama and Pops didn't always agree with what we said or what we had to say, but we said it anyway.  That was our way back then......but, back then, we didn't have drugs affecting us like some kids of today.  Sure we might have drank a bit of liquor now and again and went to lover's lanes around the area and played pranks and a few jokes and even sometimes were a bit ornery, but we were kids.  And we still have those "kid" thoughts and memories.  Let's jog the old memory...........

It's a gas........lot of fun.
Go Ape.....go irate.
Church key.....a thing to open a bottle of beer.
Blew the doors off......racing someone and beating them!
Brewski.....a bottle of beer.
Burn Rubber....spin the tires on a hot and fast car.
Smokem.....burn rubber.
Don't have a cow.....don't go ape.
Spazzin out or Spaz.....someone acting retarded.
Sweat Hog....a fat chick.
Three on the Tree.....3 speed manual transmission on the column.
Three Two's or Three Dueces...... three two barrel carburetors.
Cop a feel....feeling up a girl (likely on purpose)
Book out....leave the area.
Rat fink....a tattle tale.
Greaser.... guy who used Brylcream or Butch Wax and hair greasy.
Greasy Spoon....cafe serving greasy burgers.
Jesus Boots....sandals.
Lay it on me....speak to me and tell me what's going on.
Lay some scratch....burn rubber....spin the tires.
Nifty.....cool.
Built like a brick shithouse.....well built and pretty girl.
Souped up....car with modified engine.
Take a wiz....urinate.
Zits....pimples.

How many of these were in the far parts of your brain?  Maybe a lot of them......it's been years you say!  It does you good to think about the drag races and burning rubber out on the blacktop.  Or maybe the drag races up and down the Middletown or Curtis blacktops.  Or, maybe out drinking brewski and using a church key and then stopping to take a wiz.  It was our life back then.

I'm sure I can think of other slang we used back then.  We'll do this again at a future date.  Until then, don't spaz out, but do have fun if you're out in your hot car.....and "smokem" a few times.  It'll make your blood run hot! 


Quote For The Day

We rarely confide in those

who are better than we are.

--Albert Camus

If animals could talk, what do you suppose they would say to us? 

Would your favorite man's best friend call you names and yell at you because you got home five hours late.....remember you best friend had to pee and was mighty hungry for his supper.

Perhaps your kitty cat would say, clean my dang cat litter.  It stinks to high heaven and you don't even care!

How 'bout those fish.  You don't want to forget your water pets.  Maybe your fish are tired of swimming around in muck.  Muck from too much food being put in the fish tank, or maybe too much fish poop because you haven't bothered to clean the tank in 6 months.

The animals we live with might not be able to talk, but I bet our ears would burn if they could!

Thanks for coming to my blog.

(all rights reserved)

Hope to see you again soon.

Newspaper Articles About Greenview Persons

Every once in a while I will attempt to post newspaper article links which relate to Greenview (former and current) persons.  Here are some I'm aware of.  If you know of one and want to have it printed in this blog in my next "People in the News" article, email it to me at carlaslittlemoms@yahoo.com



I.   The following two are about Jennifer Lehman Scales.  She happens to be my daughter:

http://www.lincolncourier.com/features/x1785618596/Christian-Village-adds-nurse-practitioner

http://www.sj-r.com/seniors/x43412199/Practitioner-makes-perfect-sense-for-nursing-home




II.  The following article is about Steve Browne who is Louise (Hill) and Bobby Browne's son:

http://www.sj-r.com/bakke/x1809310418/Dave-Bakke-1-bill-reveals-WWII-drama



III.   The following articles are a part of a series about John Wood, who orginally was from Petersburg, but who lived in Greenview several years ago and then married Patty Hudspeth.
 
http://www.sj-r.com/bakke/x2138760329/Dave-Bakke-Waiting-the-hardest-part-for-heart-transplant-hopeful

http://www.sj-r.com/bakke/x271616631/Dave-Bakke-Wait-for-heart-transplant-takes-mental-toll-too

http://www.sj-r.com/bakke/x1793838059/Bakke-Transplant-hopeful-waiting-for-a-call


IV.   This video is about Small Town America and you will recognize many well known faces from the old town.  It's powerful and very interesting.  Produced by SJ-R

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55P4AvS4ujQ


V.   This article is about a young man who doesn't let adversity get him down.

http://www.sj-r.com/sports/x1353880871/Junior-with-cerebral-palsy-reminds-Greenview-it-s-about-more-than-wins


VI.  This is an SJR blog post and is a wonderful story about Greenview and some residents you will likely recognize.

http://blogs.sj-r.com/behindthecurtain/index.php/2009/07/26/greenview-greenview-greenview-not-greenville/



VII.  This is about how a small class of 16 is still mighty.

http://www.sj-r.com/firstinprint/x1332181399/Less-is-more-for-Greenview-Community-High-School-class-of-16


VIII.   This is about George Baugher and his Army service with Elvis Presley.

http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x392616738/Dave-Bakke-Elvis-Army-buddy-came-home-to-Greenview



Just a few articles that I know about at this time.  As new articles are printed I will gather these for a future posting on this blog.  This is a new blog addition to keep you aware of Greenview persons in the news.  Let me know if you like this type of  "People In The News" posting.

How To Pick A Bottle Of Wine

Wine Wine The Musical Fruit.....Drink that is.

Directions for picking a bottle of wine are simple.  Go into the store.  Go to the Wine Department.  Start looking for bottles with caps rather than corks.  Corks are hard to get out of the bottle and make the wine more expensive.

Look for a name which looks German.  German wines are tasty.  If it looks like it was made in someone's backyard, don't buy it as it will give you the sh*ts.   You can tell these by looking for dirt on the bottle or crud floating on the inside.

Caps on the bottle will assure you easy entrance to the beautiful and glorious wine product.  Just give the cap one smooth twist and the cap will be off.  Caps might give you the idea the wine is cheap, but it might still be really tasty as long as the cap hasn't rusted on the underside.

Red wines go really well with beef bologna.  It cuts the fat and proteins in beef so "Red" is always a good choice when your bologna is made with beef.  When you eat pasta, your wine choice depends on the pasta sauce.  Good old goulash made with tomatoes and ground turkey is best with an Italian white wine.  It doesn't matter what the cost is as long as it tickles your taste buds.  Again, make sure it hasn't been made by three men and their six mules.  Best to taste it and as long as it doesn't taste like shoe polish, keep tasting it until you're satisfied with the cheapness.  Make sure these cheap wines DO NOT have a cork as the cork might be eaten by the wine and that ain't good.

Of course good old cheap Port sometimes can show you a good time.  It used to be known as the drink of winos....now it's just a generic wine.  But watch it!  It can lead to a life of wine crime.....so don't drink it all the time.  Generic wine just ain't for the living or, for those who want to go on living.

At this time,  I'm donning my wine buying attire.  A shawl, a bandanna over one eye, a hat with a big brim, and a shopping bag.  My only hope is no one recognizes me as I buy my rot gut, my Boone's Farm and my Port generic wines.  They might notice me more if I went undisguised....or maybe not.

Old Things
(you can click on most photos to get an enlarged view)

Lincoln Developmental Center opened

in 1878 as the Lincoln State School for

feeble minded children....closed in 2002.

J C Penney downtown Lincoln, IL

J C Penney, Lincoln, 1923 advertisement,

The Night Before Christmas

Tropics, Lincoln, interior.  Unknown date.

Lincoln Tropics Sign, Unknown date.

Quote For The Day

Forgive your enemies,

but never forget their names.

--John F. Kennedy

When I was in the Miss America Pageant, it was a truly traumatic experience.

The bathing suit I wore was a nice one piece I had since high school, and this pageant was 15 years later.  The evening dress I wore was the one I wore at the senior prom.  It had a slight stain from the punch but, it wasn't too noticeable. 

At the time, I was still wearing "high hair" in the front, with about one can of hair spray per "do".  That style stayed in for years after high school, but the other pageant contestants didn't know that and were wearing longer and more straighter cuts.  Poor things!  Who could not like the "bouffant"!!!

I made it through the swimsuit part, then the evening gown, and then came the question drawing.  I reached in and drew out my question.  When I was handing it to the master of ceremonies, it fell out of my hand.  I just knew that I had lost at that point.  Dropping the questions, was a taboo.  Then the emcee asked the question!  "If you could be on the cover of any magazine, which would it be and why?"

My answer to the question was quite easy.  I knew that all men liked Playboy magazine and loved to look at the cover and the centerfold and that really mattered to me, so my answer was "Playboy".  And the why part was easy too .....  I said I wanted to be noticed!  Everyone clapped and I just knew I'd won.

The names of the runners-up began, but mine wasn't read so I just knew I was going to get that crown.  Then the emcee said they were going to announce the winner of the comedian award.....he said my name....I won that award for the funniest contestant, chosen by the other girls in the pageant.  Dang it, I didn't want to win this award.....I wanted that crown.  But no, I didn't win.

The moral of this story is definitely:   if you ever are in a Miss America contest, be sure to get your ball gown cleaned first so the spot doesn't show.  And keep your funny mouth closed, as you definitely don't want to win that funniest contestant award .....  Miss Congeniality maybe, but not the most likely to be funny.  And probably need to say you would like to be on the cover of the Magazine called Time rather than Playboy.  Oh well, maybe in my next life.

Thanks for coming to my blog.

(all rights reserved)

Hope to see you again soon.

Dear Diary

Diaries can be addictive!

Dear Diary,
Today is the first of the series of diary entries I'm going to write in this little red book.  I hope it means I will continue to write within your pages, but who knows.  If it doesn't rain, storm, winds blow at 100 mph, snow a foot or is dry as a bone, I might not have a thing to write about from the house upon the hill, in the country, in the rural town of Timbucktoo, Illinois.

Today's post will be all about how it didn't rain yesterday or the day before .... in fact it hasn't rained for about 8 or 9 days and my plants are beginning to wilt out here on the hill.  But the grass is still growing.....now how does that happen?  Grass seems to grow even though it doesn't rain. 

So.....diary....what am I supposed to write about?  Give me some hints.! Should I say that I am having pork chops and banana jello tonight?  Or should I say that it's going to be 79 degrees today. 
Wow....I think I lead a very boring life when I can't think of a thing to write in my daily diary other than I'm going to dig some more holes to plant some more plants.  That's about as interesting as picking your nose in a crowd.  NOT!

Maybe I should just forget about the diary or maybe I should just plan to write my daily routine in your pages every day.  Ok...that's what I'll do until I find out what things I should write about. 

1.  Got out of bed.
2.  Went to the bathroom.
3.  Fed the dog.
4.  Took my medicines including the diuretics.
5.  Gave the dog her medicines
6.  Went to the bathroom and let the dog out to pee.
7.  Went to the bathroom and let the dog out to pee.
8 - 25.  Went to the bathroom and let the dog out to pee.
26.  Watched television.
27.  Turned on the dish washer.
28.  Watched television.
29.  Let the dog out to pee.
30.  Started thinking about dinner.

Well.....I can see this is going to be boring as heck.  The same thing day in and day out.  My life ain't a fun life like some peeps. 

So.....little red book, your pages will soon be full of the same things.  You might rebel and perhaps your pages will stick together so I can't write.  Oh well.....time to go.....see you tomorrow little red diary.....maybe tomorrow will be better and more exciting. 

Love,
Me

P.S. Geeze....nothing to write about but I filled 3 diary pages.  What's that all about??!!


Old Greenview

One night during the winter of 1930, Axel Lundberg's home was entered by two robbers who then compelled him to go with them next door to the home of Albert and Molly Yelm, where they took a bag, containing $60.00, departing without leaving a clue as to their identity.

In 1931, for the first time there were women's names on the roll for petit jurors drawn for circuit court in February.

On March 23, four gunmen pulled off a daylight bank robbery in Greenview, getting away with cash and securities from the Greenview State Bank.  They were caught, but Rocco Siliano and Sicitoni, two of the men implicated were discharged for lace of evidence against them, and Lucci was indicted.  He gave bond and was released pending trial.  On August 9, 1931, Angelo Lucci, the Greenview Bank robber, who was out on bond, was shot and killed at Sherman by Tony Rick.  Lucci's bondsmen were released and the case closed.  Rocco Siliano, one of the men implicated in the bank robbery but released, was shot to death in Broadwell in 1933.

The Chicago and Alton branch of the railroad was purchased in 1931 by the B. and O.  No change was made in the office here.  A serious accident occurred that spring when seventeen cars were derailed four miles north of the village and a young Mexican, Miguel Alvarez, was killed.

The Greenview Milling and Grain Company, under management of Clyde McClintick, was organized in 1931, with offices at the Beggs and Hatch Elevator.

The American Legion replaced the old gravel walk in the park, laying a wide walk of concrete.  The village board voted to allow the Legion free use of the park at all times. 

The pergola was painted and part of the chain hitch rack was removed from the east side of the park.

The fire department members were voted double pay when called to another town on duty - $8.00 for the chief and $6.00 for each member.

The Marine Bank of Springfield lost its $100,000.00 mortgage suit against B. F. Marbold and H. E. Pond, trustee.

The Greenview State Bank closed its doors in January, 1932, as did the banks in neighboring towns, on account of the business depression.  In November, Harry Aden of Petersburg was appointed to act as receiver of the Greenview State Bank.

Corn planting was delayed by wet weather, and the Sangamon River was the highest in seven years.  Wheat prices were good - $.96 to $1.05.


Quote For The Day

America is a country that doesn't know where it is going

but is determined to set a speed record getting there.

--Laurence J. Peter



Food too salty.  Too dirty.  Bugs in the restroom.  Floor is horribly dirty.  You stick to the booth seats.  Portions too small.  Greasy spoon.  Got gastric acid.  Puked.  Diarrhea.

Sound familiar?  It probably does.  And might be the reason(s) you don't go back to a watering/ eating hole.

I can't seem to find a really all around great eating place in this area.....and I have been to about each and every one.  TGIF Friday's and Logan's Roadhouse (East Peoria) are a couple of ones I go to more than once.....but there aren't too many that gets my return business.

Perhaps some place, old or new,  will start serving something interesting like little dirty birdy feet, fried canary wings, or snake eyeballs .... then, I can go try these delicacies to see if this place can become my own bestest and most favorite of them all.  If you know of a new place or one of your mostest and bestest let me know.....I'm always on the lookout.

Thanks for coming to my blog.

(all rights reserved)

Hope to see you again soon!

Hello Folks

I have something new to announce.  Summer is always a busy time for me and in the past I have been hard pressed to find time to write this blog every day.  It is very difficult for me to keep my mind on a blog when I really want to be outside in the garden and yard, doing nature work.  I have been having some difficultly coming up with interesting topics and feel for a while I have only been doing mediocre posts.  It has been a let down to me and probably to you also.

In view of this, I have decided to cut down the number of weekly posts to only two per week.  I feel it will be on random days rather than a set schedule so that I don't become flustered and forget a scheduled day.  You know how hard it is to remember when one gets older than dirt. If I have time,  I might go in on more than two days per week and post a joke or a picture or two .... I will just go with the flow.  I don't want to have to quit posting entirely, thus I feel this might help me to get rejuvenated.

Today starts my new schedule.   Hope you have a good weekend as I plan to do.  Hope everyone has a nice Mother's Day weekend.  Without our dear mothers we would not be on this grand earth.

A Wrong Side Of The Bed Morning

Wrong side eh?

Hello, my name is Groucho this morning. 

Everyone knows that putting your left foot off the bed first is unlucky....and wow was it ever unlucky for me this morning.   You got to get out on the "right side" in order for the day to be a good one.  And believe me, my day has started out to be a big pooper day.

So today I'm a bad tempered, cranky and irritable woman who not only slept poorly, but I couldn't keep my left leg from protruding off the side of the bed this morning which resulted in that dang left leg hitting the floor first ..... and of course it was on the wrong side of the bed.  Dang it!  And I'm convinced that Mr. Sandman came by last night and put "Grouchy Drops" in my eyes.  Yessiree....he did he did!

So now I feel like I need to go to the court house and change my name to Groucho.  That would fit the mood of the day. If I don't watch it, I'm going to land in Duck Soup because of the grouchy mood.  Be still mouth.....be still fingers on the keyboard.....keep it to yourself.  But I still wonder why today of all days, I had to become Groucho of the month.

Oh crap, now I know.  I'd forgotten.  Today is National Groucho and Grumpy Day in this world.  And, you probably should register for the grand prize.  It's a great one.  An all expense paid trip to Grouchland.....the place where Elmo went with his blue blanket. (I'm amazed it wasn't Elmo's buddy Oscar the Grouch who went to Grouchland, but it was Elmo.)

  So be sure to register for the contest, pack your blue blanket like Elmo did and get ready to win.  And, if I win, I promise to choose the reader of my choice....the one I think is the most grouchy and most cranky!  So it could be you I choose....so if you don't want to go on this marvelous prize, then change your mood......I know I'm going to have to try.  Just as soon as I get out of these frog pajamas and have my first chocolate candy bar and a cup of java.  All cures for a groucho day.

Old Greenview
(taken from the Greenview Scrapbook)


1968:  A heavy snow hit Greenview the week of January 19.  Drifts high, the ground had about 8 inches of snow.  Traffic was near a standstill, activities came to a halt, the basketball game was cancelled, and Greenview schools were closed Monday of this week due to the heavy accumulation.  Services and the congregational meeting at the Greenview United Church were cancelled.

1968:  Cramer Implement is holding an open house, featuring a free noon beef dinner on January 30 at Cramer Implement.  The program began at 9:30 am and included morning and afternoon shows.  Factory representatives were on hand to discuss and demonstrate farm equipment.

1968:  May 24:  The Greenview Community Bank presented the village of Greenview two flags, one of the state flag of Illinois and the United States flag.  Mayor Bill Davison announced the flags will be flown on Memorial Day.

1968:  November 29: The United Church congregation voted to build a manse at the congregational meeting.  The result was that a lovely manse was built.  (*** See below)

1969:  January 3:  The Greenview Bulldogs, our fighting basketball team, received a trophy for second place in the Havana Holiday Tournament.

1969:  January 3:  Jim's Coin Wash began its operation in Greenview this week.  Jim Hornback is the owner.  The coin wash is located in the building which formerly was the Owl Garage building.  There are 20 General Electric washers, 14 lb. capacity; 10 dryers and a 25 lb washer.  There is plenty of parking space, plenty of water, a hair dryer, a soap dispenser and all the other necessary things to operate a first class laundromat.

1969:  July 4:  Wm Yueill, the minister of the congregation of the United Presbyterian Church arrived in Greenview with his family.  The family came from Columbus, Ohio.

1969:  September 5:  Dr. W. A. Beard and C. N. DeHart were two men honored for their contributions to the Greenview community.


*** Note....on this passage.....the sentence structure in the scrapbook led me to believe that the manse was being built at the meeting....I had to laugh when I typed this passage from the book!!


Quote For The Day

The world is not yet exhausted;

let me see tomorrow something which I never saw before.

--Samuel Johnson

Today is my poem day....written just for you!  It might not rhyme correctly, and it might be stupid but remember I wrote it especially for you.

The Cow

The old brown cow stood by the fence,

She was worth a hundred and a few cents.

She mooed and mooed loud in the night,

Until I thought her and I would have a fight.

Finally she shut her mouth for a while,

Of course I knew why, as she let a pile.

The stink was hardy and came on the wind,

An odor for enemies I would like to send.

The old brown cow no longer stands there,

She isn't even mooing or moving a hair.

She lost the right to moo my way

And for that mooing, she had to pay.

The steak I had last night was good

And put me in a very happy mood.

You see that cow is in my freezer,

I guess I taught that old geezer.

The moral of this story is pretty cool,

 Mess with me cow & you'll lose, you fool.

The End

Thank you for coming to my blog.

(blog and posts are protected under copyright laws)

Hope to see you again soon.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

A Beautiful Day.....warm but not too hot!

What is this?  Another nice day that's what.  A beautiful day in the neighborhood as Mr. Rogers would say.

If I were a meteorologist, I would be predicting this kind of day for every day of the year.  For Midwesterners, it's the perfect day.  Supposed to be around 70 degrees, sunny and perfect.  Just about like yesterday and more forecasted   for tomorrow just like this, except a little higher in temps.

This is what Spring was like in the late 50's and 60's.......nice!  Kids back then didn't pay too much attention to the weather other than the weather is good enough a game of baseball at the old grade school.  Or, maybe good enough to ride bikes after school or on the weekend days.  And we could walk to church wearing a light weight jacket and then by the time church was over, it was warm enough to carry the jacket home (that is if we didn't forget it at church, which happened several times in our household).

This special weather day is going to be a good shopping day for me.  Back to the garden center to buy more plants for the yard.  And maybe some garden soil, bug spray and then a light lunch before getting back in time for a nap.  It's a good life when the weather is like this.  We all feel the life of the day......and it makes a person want to live it to the fullest.  Amen!

Death

A special former resident passed away on Monday, May 7.  Juanita "Nita" Johnson, passed away in Effingham where she lived with her son Mike.  Juanita and her husband Jimmy were residents in Greenview for many many years.  She was a teacher in our schools and even after her retirement she was a substitute teacher.  Her funeral is Friday, May 11 at the Presbyterian Church, at 11am.  God Bless you Nita, for all of your years of service to our children and residents of Greenview.


Old Tyme
(click on pictures for an enlarged view)

Travel Lodge, south 9th Street, just a few blocks north of Cook Street.

This has been posted previously, but reposting

for those who didn't see it before.

The famous "The Mill" as it burned.

Illinois State Fair Main Gate 1947

Quote For The Day

I may not have gone where I intended to go,

but I think I ended up where I needed to be.

--Douglas Adams

Think back to your youth.  Think of the automobile your family had.  Maybe it was a four door Chevy, or an Oldsmobile, or an Pontiac.  Those three seemed to be the most popular brands, and now days two of those brands are no longer made by General Motors.

How did your family auto influence your life.  When I was too young to drive, that big old heavy Oldsmobile or Pontiac we had, depending upon the  year, meant going to a ride on Sunday with a picnic along the road at one of the roadside picnic areas which were plentiful in those days.  The family auto also meant a trip to grammie's in the country which we did several times a week, and on Saturday night and Sunday nights to watch their color television because we didn't have a colored set. And back then you didn't get something new to replace the old one until the old one broke.  Wahhh....I began to hate John Estill, the local television repairman.  I wanted him to say "if can't be fixed", but he continued to put new tubes in the old black and white set for years and years.  Then.....one day he said.....the picture tube is gone.....it would cost too much to put in a new one!  YAY....the day had come for us to get a brand new color television.  Now I could watch Salty Sam and Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Greenjeans in color....but only when they began to run the shows in color that is.

Now I go into my living room and there sets big old flat screen plasma television....easy on the eyes and a huge screen.  And moving to the garage sets a big old General Motors crossover SUV.  What is the world coming to....everything is BIG....including costs....gas, food, clothes, appliances, etc.

I think the BIG old family auto influenced me into thinking I had to have big of everything......and I do have.....except my bank account of course.....because I've been paying for those big things....and the bank account is no longer big!  Wahh Wahh.

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Mr. Clean Where Are You?

Calling Mr. Clean!

Oh those good old days when we only had a choice of a few cleaning products.  And one of them was my good old buddy Mr. Clean.  He was my hero as a teenager who had to clean a huge house all by myself.  He was strong and made the house smell like it was really clean.

I remember when his owner company ran a contest to give him a first name.  I entered that contest and thought for sure I had a winner.  My entry was "Maximo".  I thought it fit him perfectly because Mr. Clean did the maximum in cleaning.  But did I win....NO I DIDN'T!  The person who submitted "Veritably" so Mr. Clean was then known as Mr. Veritably Clean.  Yuk.  Mine was much better.

I know that Mr. Clean was a sexy, tanned and muscular and very bald.  It was that earring that was so attractive.  It set him apart from all of the "boys" I went to school with.  (Sorry boys!)

Then a few years later, I went to buy a new bottle of Mr. Clean and lo and behold he had whiskers and a black eye.  I never did figure that out and soon he went back to his usual self.  But over the years he went from smelling of pine to smelling of lemon.....but he still cleaned really well.  And then in latter years,  he brought out his famous Mr. Clean magic erasers and wow they were wonderful.

Through the years about a million different cleaners were brought out, manufactured by about as many makers.  Some with bleach, some without, some with the latest in antibacterials and some with oxygen built in.   And, those with antibacterials killed all of the good sewage eating bacteria when it went down the drain so that people's cesspools and sewage systems were out of whack.  Some cleaned well and some didn't.  Some bleached out the item being cleaned and some just sat there on your rag doing nothing!

So where did that leave me?  A choice of about a million cleaners or could it be a trip back to Mr. Maximo Clean...  yes it was....the cleaner of all time.  Mr. Clean will always be Maximo to me and I will call him that until eternity.  I buy his bottle with his cute picture on it......the funny thing is he didn't age in his picture but I did.  Mr. Clean you save my day....that is when I get motivated to clean...which ain't often!




Old Pictures
(click on pictures to get an enlarged view)

5th street south from Adams....1939

Trivoli theater can be seen.

First of all was called the Vaudette, then became the Lyric and then

became the Trivoli and closed in 1954.

The building was later demolished.

Downtown Springfield,

6th Street looking north from Adams intersection.

The Strand Theater on the right, which opened in 1921 and closed in the 1960's to make way for a new bank building for the original Marine Bank.  Barkers is on the right.

A last picture of the Orpheum Theater on north 5th street, downtown Springfield 1965, right before the wrecking ball tore it down to make room for a bank.

Springfield's Eisner Store 1965

Old 1911 postcard of Springfield, looking north on fifth downtown.

Downtown Springfield

Melody Lane Record Shop

125 North 6th Street

which I think was on the west side of

north 5th, just north of Washington....and perhaps about

across the street from the old Coney Island.

Quote For The Day

A slip of the foot you may soon recover,

but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.

Yes I admit it, I was once a vegetarian.  Not a vegan as I know I've told you before, but a lover of veggies.  It didn't matter what kind of veggie, I loved it.  I made that fat burning soup made out of veggies and would eat and eat that soup, but I guess I did something wrong as it didn't really burn any fat from the body.  But the tomatoes did make my tummy burn from too much acid.

I continued to eat those veggies until I felt myself leaning.  I couldn't straighten up.  I kept leaning no matter what I did.  Then I figured it out......it was all those dang vegetables I was eating.  I was leaning toward the sun just as any vegetable will do.  I had become a vegetable.  I had to quit leaning so, I started eating meat again and quit leaning towards the sun.  The moral of this story is:  be careful when you become a large volume vegetable eater, you don't want to become a vegetable (excuse the pun).

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Say What You Mean

What did that headline/ad really say?

I can't believe some of the headlines and ads I've seen.  When I find one, I save it so I can laugh again and again.  I thought I would share some with you so that you can go into the weekend with a bit of humor. Remember laughing is the spice of life.....laughing will get you more time on this earth.  So laugh hardy or smile if your laughter is broken!

this one is for a gator fighting person I know!

$.59 x 3 = $1.77

I've seen Walmart do this same thing many times!

Some U. S. Flag History

The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun.  Both themes have long been represented on the standards of nations, from the banners of the astral worshippers of ancient Egypt and Babylon to the 12 starred flag of the Spanish Conquistadors under Cortez. 

The first flags adopted by our Colonial forefathers were symbolic of their struggles with the wilderness of a new land.  Beavers, pine trees, rattlesnakes, anchors and various like insignia with mottoes such as "Hope", "Liberty", "Appeal to Heaven" or "Don't Tread on Me" were affixed to the different banners of Colonial America.

The first flag of the colonists to have any resemblance to the present Stars and Stripes was the Grand Union flag, sometimes referred to as the "Congress Colors".  It consisted of thirteen stripes, alternately red and white, representing the thirteen colonies, with a blue field in the upper left hand corner bearing the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew, signifying union with the mother country.  This banner was first flown by the ships of the Colonial Fleet in the Delaware River in December 1775.

Many Americans still believe that Betsy Ross made the first flag, although historians dispute this story.  Another disputed story is that the first Stars and Stripes displayed in the face of an armed enemy was at Fort Schuyler, August 3, 1777.  This was probably a Grand Union flag.

Continental Congress passed a resolution that established the Stars and Stripes on June 14, 1777, but did not specify the arrangement of the thirteen stars on the blue union, except to say that they should represent a new constellation.  As a consequence. we find many variety of forms.  The first Army flag, popularly known as the Betsey Ross flag, had them arranged in a circle. based on the idea that no colony should take precedence.  The first Navy Stars and Stripes had the stars arranged in staggered formation in alternate lines and row of thees and twos on a blue field.

The resolution of June 14, 1777 establishing the Stars and Stripes has an interesting history.  After the Declaration of Independence, colonial vessels were putting to sea to hamper enemy communications and prey on British commerce.  Many of them flew flags of the particular Colonies to which they belonged.  It was necessary to provide an authorized national flag under which they could sail, for England considered armed vessels without such a flag as pirate ships and hanged their crews when they captured them.  So the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress presented the Resolution.

General Washington, when the Star Bangled Banner was first flown by the Continental Army, is said to have described its symbolism as follows:  "We take the stars from the heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated for her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty."

Realizing that the flag would become unwieldy with a stripe for each new state, a suggestion was made that the stripes remain thirteen in number the represent the original thirteen colonies and that a star be added to the blue field for each new State coming into the Union.  A law of April4, 1818, resulted and requires that a star be added for each new State on the 4th of July after its admission.

A 48 star flag come with admission of Arizona and New Mexico in 1912.  Alaska (admitted 1-3-59) added a 49th star on  July 4, 1959, and Hawaii (admitted  8-21-59) paved the way for the 50th star to be added on July 4, 1960.

Quote For The Day

Happiness makes up in height

for what it lacks in length.

--Robert Frost

If I could become Queen for the Year, what country would I choose as my Queendom?  Well America of course.

In my Queendom, everyone would receive a check for the year for $100,000 from the Queendom to do with whatever each person wanted.  There would be no taxes on individuals, and each person would receive free healthcare. 

I would make it a rule that each person must work only 4 days in the week, with the choice of the extra day off resting with the person and not the employer. 

I would also make it a rule that each person receive 5 pounds of rich glorious chocolate that year so that they can have a delight to munch on.  Everyone will also receive vouchers to go out to fancy restaurants each week for a free meal on the Queendom.

I suppose my reign will break the Queendom, but at least I and the residents of my Queendom will be well fed, richer than before and tax free......all for a year.....and all for the good of the people.  I bet they will think twice before granting another Queen for the Year after I'm done.

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Hope to see you again soon.

Have a great weekend.