A Friend For Life

A Friend Is A Friend.....Perhaps A Lifetime

People you met as a child, are probably still your friends.  Most of my childhood friends are still my friends, although there have been a few who created havoc in my life and I have chosen not to continue that friendship.  It may seem harsh to some to do that, but my life situation may be different from yours ..... it's important that I  make sure that havoc and turmoil don't affect my actual life.

Renewal of friendships after a long absence can be invigorating to the soul.  It can bring a new wonderment.....you can feel a vibrancy and a happiness......kind of a renewal of life feeling.  And I love when that happens.

There was a really good song by the name A Friend For Life.....it probably says it all.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvepin2BniM

This week I will see one of my old friends from long ago.  I look forward to renewing our friendship which we have had for over 50 years.  May the angels of friendship reign over your life and may you renew those friendships from long ago....or even those from just a short while ago.  It will make you happy!!

Old Tyme Stuff From Greenview

This is just some old time excerpts taken from the Greenview Scrapbook:

The jewelry store of P.J. Palmquist was burglarized in 1877, the thief taking everything except for $100 which Mr. Palmquist had laid away in his day book.  T. C. Pond, president of the board, hired a detective, who caught the burglar in Bloomington, brought him back and he led the officers to the "Willows" north of town, where the loot was dug up and restored to the owner.

A newspaper called the "Greenview News" was established about that time by a man called Mr. Smith, but no details of this enterprise are available.  The plant was located in the Payne and Bracken building and soon "petered out".

James Denton took Frank Denton into his grocery business as partner and that year David Rudder opened a harness shop.  Mr. Rudder also did expert cabinet work, using wooden pegs instead of nails in construction tables, desks, etc.

The great Temperance wave that was sweeping the country reached Greenview and when the "Murphy Movement" was organized here there were five licensed saloons operating in the village.   Meetings were called, and the Men's Reform club and the W. C. T. U. were organized and a campaign was put in motion resulting in the saloons being voted out.

Thomas Cleaveland brought in the first steam thresher in 1880, and he followed the threshing business practically all his life.  His sons, Alvin and George, also worked as thresher men with their father and after his passing.  Mr. Cleaveland was a veteran of the Civil War and was leader of the fife and drum corps.

(Note there was no reference in the scrapbook to indicate the meaning of the organized W.C. T. U.  It might be somewhere else in the book though but I don't remember ever reading about it....perhaps I will find it one of these days.)

Quote For The Day

Camping is nature's way of

promoting the motel business.

--Dave Barry

Jelly bean or spice drop?  Hmmmm I like them both...especially when those jelly beans are the spice ones.  So based on my love for the spice jelly beans I guess my answer would be spice bean drop.  Oh...you say there ain't such a thing.....well there "otta be" a spice bean drop.

Then comes snickers or milky way.  Milky way by a landslide.....and I really like those Milky Way bars they call "Midnight" with the dark chocolate.  Of course some people don't like dark chocolate, but the heart practitioners of the world have declared dark chocolate not too bad for you, so I try to eat one to help prove those heart docs right....and if they're wrong, well I guess I won't know it, but the rest of you will know!

Then come Butterfingers or Kit Kats.  There is no comparison.....Butterfingers for sure....I love that hard nougat getting stuck in my teeth....that way I have a supply for when I get hungry later in the day.

Candy.  It's a great thing.  I've loved it since a child and will love it to the day I die.  Of course, if I keep eating it, that day may be sooner than I want it to be.  But ..... yummy yummy for your tummy sure sounds good, just any time of the day.  So go out today and buy some candy....you won't regret it I bet!

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Cheese With That Burger...how bout fries?

Cheese or no cheese is the question!

Some persons like cheese on their burger and some don't.  So let's look at a situation where you go into a restaurant and order a hamburger.  For some reason the first question is "do you want cheese on that burger?"  It seems to me that if I wanted cheese on my burger I would have ordered a cheeseburger....at least I think that's the name of a burger with cheese.

Why in the world would a waitress want to know if cheese should be added if a hamburger is specifically what I ordered.  I can see the waitress asking if I wanted lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mustard or ketchup on my burger as those are condiments......and usually free ones....but cheese on my burger adds costs.  Do you suppose the owner has told the waitresses to always ask if cheese is wanted so that a charge any where from 10 cents to 50 cents can be added to the charge.....just for that dinky skinny little piece of cheese food!  I could maybe see it if restaurants used fancy real cheese slices but the majority don't!!  It's cheese food!!!  And usually the cheapo kind.....99 cents for 30 slices kind.  Slimy, sticky cheese food....full of fat grams, sodium and calories.

Maybe those waitresses get a percentage of their intake, so that's the reason they ask about a pricey piece of cheese being added to a burger......hmmmmm I somehow think that's doubtful about waitresses getting a percentage of the intake.  Unfortunately waitresses are some of the lowest paid workers on this earth.  And most have to depend on their tips to make up for poor wages.

At McDonald's you used to get two slices of cheese food on a double cheeseburger and it was a dollar.  Then it changed to a McDouble and one piece of cheese was placed between two slim and trim pieces of what they call beef patties.  Voila.....the McDouble.  And by chance if you ordered a double cheeseburger, you paid a much higher price than the McDouble.....another way to get your money.

Now there are always two question which come henceforth when you order a burger.......cheese is the first question....and the second is always do you want french fries?  No I don't!  I want mashed potatoes!  I love mashed potatoes with my burger....but who in the heck has mashed potatoes at fast food places?  Hardees used to but I don't think they do now.  So not having the ability to order mashed potatoes, I will forget the burger too and order a chicken sandwich....and no I don't want cheese on my chicken either.  Hold the mayo and  hold the lettuce .... I want to taste the chicken!

Old Things....Need Help Remembering

There are some things about Greenview that I just can't remember so I'm asking for help!

Here are some of the things for which my memory is failing:

1.  What kind of cars did Cramer's sell....was it Plymouth, Chrysler or both or something different?

2.  Someone told me that Baugher's Implement used to also sell washing machine and other machine parts.  Is this correct??

3.  For a while, there was a church which opened up on the west side of the square and I think the Honea family had something to do with it.  Does anyone remember the name of the church and in which building it was located?

4.  How many persons remember the cafe which used to be located just south of the lower Steinmetz tavern?  Anyone remember the name of it?  I believe there was an empty lot south of the tavern, then the cafe.

5.  Does anyone remember where the Eldridge egg business was located....I think it was on the north side of the square, but don't know exactly where.

Just a few things I've been wondering about.

Thought For The Day

You're born an original. 

Don't die a copy.

--John Mason

Crazy death promises are sometimes so funny.  Not long ago I was reading a death promise ..... the promise was funny but the result was hilarious.

This particular man was a mean old miser.  He wouldn't let his wife have money to take care of items she needed and only spent a minimal of money.  He had a lot of money accumulated and would be considered rich. 

Then the man got sick and called his wife to his deathbed.  He made her promise in front of many others that she would put all of his money in a shoebox and put it in the casket with him so he could take it with him upon his death.  The dutiful wife made that promise.

The day came for his funeral.  The dutiful wife sat in the back with her best friend, who had witnessed the wife's promise to put all of his money in a shoebox and put it in the casket with the dead miserly husband.  Just as the undertaker was getting ready to close the casket, the wife reached under her seat and brought out a shoebox.  She approached the casket and placed the box next to her dead miserly husband.

As the casket was lowered into the ground, the wife's best friend leaned over to her and said "you really didn't put all of his money in the shoebox which you put in the casket did you?"

The dutiful wife said I most certainly did.  I put it all in my account and wrote him a check. 

That's sure one way to get a good result!

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An Elephant Sat On My Easter Bunny

Awww Shucks!

The Easter bunny didn't come to my house this year, but every year he does.  I was so upset when I got up that morning and found that he had forgotten me.  Depressing, believe me.  'Cause I love those dang chocolate bunny eggs!!

So.....yesterday afternoon I went for a walk out in the back yard, out on the hill.  Lo and behold I first came across some big piles of something gray and icky.  It sure didn't belong in my yard.  But I didn't know what it was.

I walked a bit further and found some fuzzy fur.  ????????????????Then I began to find more fur.  Then I walked a bit further and found a couple of chocolate eggs.  Then the ultimate......I found an Easter basket with my name on it.  So....the Easter bunny actually was coming to my house.  But, just didn't make it.  Wahhhhhh!  Yay he didn't forget me. 

 But what happened to the Easter Bunny?  Then, up ahead, I see something in a heap.  The poor Easter Bunny was lying there but he was no more.  And beside him sat a big pile of something which looked like elephant dung....and it smelled like it too.  It was elephant dung.

I'm not sure how that elephant dung got there.  Last week I found gator dung out there on that same hill.  I think that particular gator escaped from someone in town after one of his gator episodes but, did/does that gator fighter also fight elephants? Who knows.... I just know that gator fighter is fearless.  Or, maybe there was a circus in the area and the elephant escaped and maybe even the gator.  Or maybe one escaped from somewhere else.  But, how did the elephant come to be on my hill and just as the Easter bunny was about to deliver.

Now you know how bad my luck is.  On my most favorite chocolate candy days, an unknown escaped elephant is out in my yard, and steps on the Easter bunny, just as he is ready to bring me a basket with my name on it.  Candy being lost is a crime in itself.  But to kill the Easter bunny is a crime punishable with confinement for life.

If you see an elephant running around, call me so I can call the gator fighter to see if he can capture the critter.  That elephant needs to be in jail for good!  Smashed bunny is just too much for this person to handle without my quota of chocolate for the year.

Old Time Fairgrounds

1910 Machinery Hall Illinois Fairgrounds

Fairgrounds Happy Hallow.....early 1940's

Springfield Fairgrounds Happy Hallow....postcard

with 2 cent postage.  Unknown date but probably early 1900's.  The current permanent Springfield location came into existence in 1894....until then the fair moved from as far north as Freeport to as far south as DuQuoin.

1920....Construction of the underground tunnel from the track infield to the fairgrounds.

1910 Postcard....Sears Agricultural Building

on the Fairgrounds

The fairgrounds racetrack behind the Sears

Agricultural Building

Early postcard photo of Fairgrounds Entrance

Thought For The Day

Someone's boring me.  I think it's me.

--Dylan Thomas

I want, you want, they want, he wants, she wants.....everybody wants these days.  And it's usually money.

The bill collector doth cometh sayeth the Lord of bill paying.  Payday has become exchange day....from the hand of the employer paycheck to the bill collectors/gas station/electrical company/cable company/internet provider/credit card companies/grocer. Does that sound familiar??

Me thinks the paycheck is getting smaller and the bills are getting bigger.  Hmmmm.  What can be done about that??  Nothing....so grin and bear it.  Or don't drive anywhere....or don't eat.....don't heat your house.....use candles.....no tv....no internet......etc, etc....

I think I will grin and bear it thank you.  Enuf said!

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Majestic Words

Seven Majestic Words....Patience, Diligence,Compassion, Kindness, Charity, Temperance, Humility,

Huge words in the English language.  These are descriptive words.  If you don't have these, you might be considered flawed.  Flawed to the point of no return in some cases.

First take the word Patience.  Do you lash out?  Do you scream at fellow workers or family members?  Or, do you take the time to think about a response.  Are you calm even in a crisis situation? Patience is a virtue of oneself which is admirable.  Others see you as a calm person who has their head on straight.

On to Diligence.  Is your work ethic strong?  Are you persistent in your endeavors.  Persistence is always good unless you drive yourself to the point where persistence overrides intent and you overdo the situation.  Your diligence is then too much.  But diligence and patience will show others your integrity.  And integrity is so needed to get along in this world.

Now comes three majestic words which are interrelated.  Compassion, kindness and charity.  Compassion for your fellow man is highly admirable.  Kindness goes along with that but, you should always make sure that you don't get in a situation where you are over doing....what people call overkilling with kindness.  Then persons begin to think you're fake.  Compassion is probably one of man's/women's best virtues.  Sympathy for a person or being who is suffering is wonderful. It shows you care with feeling.  And, usually you also want to offer help of some sort.  A true human feeling.  Charity goes along with the other two words.  Charity can mean offering a material or financial gift, which shows your generosity.  And, usually with no thought of expecting something in return.  But, charity also means love for mankind.

The next word is temperance.  This virtue is so important.  Temptation can come to you and try to suck you under.  But temperance or self-restraint can hold you back.  Self control of your own life is absolutely necessary and will assure that your behavior is admired.

The last word is humility.  Some persons don't even know what humility is or stands for.  In my book of definitions it means being respectful of others.  What better way to gain friendships and the respect of others than to practice humility in every endeavor. 

The words above are almost the seven wonders of the world.  But for real they are virtues we could all claim.  Without these, our lives could be in turmoil or in shambles or full of flaws or black holes.  If you know someone who doesn't embrace these seven wonders of the world words, help them to do just that.  Explain how a person could be different to the point where they are admired.  A person sometimes has to be led to the water to learn the true meaning.  Hold out your hand.  Jesus did.  He saved all of us.

Happy Easter

Celebrate Life

Dear Mr. Lincoln

What Would You Tell President Lincoln?

If each of us could write a letter to President Abraham Lincoln to tell him about the progress of the world and especially about Menard County Illinois, what would you tell him?

First of all I would tell him that the county was proud of his accomplishments and that all of the world was so sorry that he died an untimely death, before he accomplished all of what he wanted to do.

I would then tell him that the world is such a changed placed and that politics now consume the leaders of America.  Debate was common in Abraham Lincoln's day but the topics of the day are different now and to the point where the persons debating are certainly over critical of each other, and even to the point of trying to point blame where there is actually no blame.  I call these "attempts to create ruination" of the opposite side.

The rural area politics are so controlled by both state and federal government action.  I would elaborate first on the financial state of the union and the Illinois debt crisis.  Both of these financial crisis situations contribute to the economy of the rural areas and especially that of Menard County.   I would indicate how this area is recognized as a major agriculture center of the nation and that land prices in Central Illinois are hovering near $14,000 per acre and expected to go up to around $20,000 according to one of the Springfield area auctioneers.   In view of the high real estate taxes in Menard County and their rank as one of the highest in the nation per median, I would certainly tell Mr Lincoln that he must have done a great job of surveying in his day, and so much so that he may have caused the high real estate taxes of today.....probably because of the county's association with Mr. Lincoln.

I would tell Mr. Lincoln that I have visited his and his family's grave sites many times as well as his home.  I would also elaborate on how well preserved is his Springfield home and that I have enjoyed it tremendously when I have visited it.

I would put a statement similar to this.....Mr. Lincoln you must know that the nation has grown from the 35 states when you passed on.  Our Republic now stands strong with 50 states as well as the District of Columbia.  Adding a state in the middle of an ocean, might have seemed something that would never happen during your timeline, but the state of Hawaii rests in the Pacific Ocean.   We also acquired the Alaska Territory from Russia just two years after your demise and that territory is also a state in our nation.

I would close with a statement that I know that he always believed in all men being created equal and that I know that he was also including the women of the nation.  I will tell him that I know that was not accomplished in his lifetime, and even though there have been gains in accomplishment, our nation still has trouble with granting equal rights to all of the citizens.  Women for instance have had to fight for many rights and there are times like now, which point to the fact that some rights may be on the verge of being lost.

I would also say.....Mr. Lincoln, America was just an experiment, and that our leaders are still trying to get the experiment components exactly right.  The human pitfalls and limitations and the constantly changing political arena have prevented that.  But America has hope that someday the experiment will be completed, and all of the American citizens will feel the total accomplishment of a free and equal nation.

I would close with a thank you to Mr. Lincoln for allowing me to be able to learn about his life and for the time he spent being a President that the world admired.  His honesty and pride of America provided a sound basis for our country during the early years of existence. 

Thought For The Day

Beware of little expenses. 

A small leak will sink a great ship.

--Ben Franklin

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Tornadogenesis.....Do We All Know Enough?

Spring Can Mean Tornadoes ....

With the heat of the spring and summer, one of the most feared weather windstorms....the tornado.  I hate the thought that one would ever hit our house or one of a family member of a friend, but it could happen.  The amount of these are on the increase.....global warming I guess.

I love knowing about these horrible things.  I am fascinated so I thought I would copy some stuff so we all are aware of what goes on.  Hopefully you will gain a bit of knowledge from this information.  I certainly hope none of us is ever faced with one of these.  Information copied from howstuffworks.com.

Tornadogenesis is the process and conditions necessary for the formation of tornadoes.  The causes of tornadoes are studied by meteorologists who study tornadogenesis.  The term refers to the formation of all types of tornadoes, including water spouts, gustnadoes and supercell tornadoes.

Not all thunderstorms create tornadoes and not all tornadoes are created by thunderstorms. But the most common method of violent tornadogenesis stems from a supercell thunderstorm -- one that contains a vortex called a mesocyclone at its core -- which indicates there's a decent chance a tornado is in the works. So, the first few factors on our list are all components needed to build a supercell and, in turn, a tornado -- and the last couple are ones that could contribute to the tornado formation itself.

1.  Raindrop Size:  New research recently published in Geophysical Research Letters suggests that a storm's spread of raindrop sizes could be an indicator of the likelihood a tornado will form. 3-D study of the microphysical conditions inside a supercell storm.
They studied a number of atmospheric variables and found that large raindrops tend to cluster together more than smaller ones, and are also less prone to evaporation. Since evaporation cools the air (as opposed to the heating that occurs with condensation) this means the air beneath a storm cloud will be warmer than if smaller drops were present -- and we know that warm moist air is just the thing to fuel a massive supercell that spawns tornadoes.

2.  Gravity Waves:   Once the stage is set for a mesocyclone supercell, another atmospheric occurrence that could up the chances of a twister is a set of incoming gravity waves. Gravity waves are like ocean waves; disturbances in the fluid atmosphere, say powerful gusts of wind or soaring mountain ranges, can cause the air to ripple and roll. Enter the GrITs theory: Gravity wave Interactions with Tornadoes.

3.  Moisture and Instability:  Another ingredient necessary for tornadogenesis is moisture.  As the air begins to rise, its dew point lowers and the moisture cools and condenses to form the storm cloud.

Water vapor releases incredible amounts of heat as it condenses into raindrops, and it's this heat that fuels the storm, revving up a convective cycle of moving air. Thunderstorms are super powerful, and all their energy and furious wind speeds create a positive feedback loop that propagates until the supercell reaches mammoth proportions.

It's also important to note that instability -- the difference between the temperature and moisture levels of air from the bottom to the top of the parcel -- works to intensify a storm.

4.  Air Temperature:  A second important component needed for supercell formation and tornadogenesis is warm air, especially in relation to parcels of air higher up in the atmosphere. Many, although not all, supercell thunderstorms associated with tornadoes form at the boundary between cold, dry air and warm, moist air.

At the border between these two air masses, the rising warm air helps ignite rotation by fueling the towering updraft that pulls additional warm air up in its wake. The powerful updrafts associated with thunderstorms are aided by uneven heating of the Earth's surface -- one of the reasons they're common in the afternoon hours.

Once warm air reaches the top of the storm, it spills over the backside as a rear flank downdraft and is recycled back into the storm. If the air is too cold, the storm weakens and tornadoes don't form.

5.  Wind Shear and Updraft:  One characteristic that's generally necessary for a strong supercell -- and subsequent tornado -- is wind shear, a difference in the wind speed at varying altitudes or directions. Air currents are often more powerful at higher altitudes, for example, where jet streams can send them tumbling into a horizontal loop.

As the thunderstorm begins to form, the accompanying updraft can also encourage horizontal spin, but it's this next event that's key -- for a thunderstorm to generate a tornado-spawning mesocyclone, the supercell's powerful updraft must succeed in raising, sustaining and tightening the central vortex at a near vertical alignment.

If this step is reached, powerful forces within the whirling mesocyclone can achieve a balance between the inward and outward flow of air and create what is known as the dynamic pipe effect. The low-pressure center of the vortex (the pipe) sucks additional air up into the storm and lengthens the rotating tube that could potentially become our funnel cloud.

Menard County History of Tornadoes Since 1950.

1. 6/16/1973: Brief touchdown on the north edge of Athens. (9:35 pm....magnitude F0)
2. 5/9/1995: This tornado had touched down in far northern Sangamon County east of Salisbury. It moved northeast, and clipped a portion of Menard County south of Athens, at the Brookwood Mills subdivision. Here it destroyed 1 home and damaged 13 others. After moving back into Sangamon County, it again entered Menard County south of Fancy Prairie, before continuing into southwest Logan County. Total Menard County damage was $1 million.  (4:25pm...magnitude F3)  This is the one which destroyed Cantrall Grade School and the Methodist Church.
4. 5/12/1998: Brief touchdown in a field 2 miles east of Petersburg. (7:55 pm....magnitude F0)
5. 4/8/1999: This tornado first touched down near Sinclair, in northeast Morgan County. It traveled through Ashland, in extreme southeast Cass County, before entering Menard County 4 miles southwest of Tallula. It was on the ground for 1 mile in Menard County. (7:54 pm...magnitude F0)
6. 4/2/2006: Brief touchdown in Greenview, causing minor house damage.  (5:22 pm....magnitude F0)
7. 12/31/2010: This strong tornado touched down on New Year's Eve near Lake Petersburg.  (12:37 pm...magnitude EF3)

I'm not sure I agree with this information I found on the national weather site.  It doesn't list the one on April 16, 1982, where King Tuttle's welding shop had extensive damage and several other houses in Greenview....maybe this was not determined to be a tornado by the weather service....If they had seen the damage in Greenview, they would have classified it as one. And the tornado was actually sighted at the time.

The last one we had on June 5, 2011 through Sweetwater.  It must not have been classified as a tornado.  This one I heard and saw the dark cloud going past our house right before I raced to the basement around 7 pm. Menard County officials say it was a tornado...and it did quite a bit of damage.

This utube is of the tornado which destroyed the Cantrall Grade School:  

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rJIckKUdOw

 

and here's the Illinois Times story on the Cantrall tornado:

 

http://illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-426-the-lingering-storm.html

 

Let's hope our area doesn't create any more tornado history anytime soon.  But if one comes at least we know how they work.

 

Thought For The Day

There is always room at the top --

after the investigation.

--Oliver Herford

 

Please watch out for motorcycles.  It's time for motorcycle riders to be out.  And, there are already reports of accidents.  The funny thing is that people try to justify that most motorcycle wrecks are because the rider in Illinois didn't have a helmet on.  Believe me the fact that the rider didn't have a helmet on didn't have a dang thing to do with the cause of the wreck.

 

Yes, most riders in Illinois don't wear helmets.  If you have ever worn a helmet in the hot summer sun, you would know why.....but there is danger and mostly because of other drivers being so discourteous to the motorcyclist.  So when you go out.....be sure to watch for a rider....their headlight will always be one so that you can more easily see them ....Watch for them .... and give them room .... and when you pass them, don't cut in front of them too quickly.  Believe me I know that drivers are discourteous .....we ride and have been cut off many many times  .... drivers cut in front of the motorcyclist quite often and pull out in front of them from  side roads.  So, what's more dangerous  .... discourteous drivers or wearing no helmet?  Anytime a motorcyclist rides a bike it's dangerous and most likely a little plastic helmet won't protect them much.....but a vehicle driver giving them room will help their chances of not having a wreck.  RANT OVER.

 

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How Does A Martian Look

Martians are kind of weird!

Now how do you suppose I know what a Martian looks like!!  I believe with all my heart that I have seen several Martians in my lifetime.  Where you might ask.? I can only tell you that I think I have and they were right in my house. 

And when did this happen?  I believe the last time was about 10 years ago.  I remember going out on the town and having a few (well maybe quite a few) bottles of Hornsby's Hard Cider.  Boy is that stuff good.  And potent too.  But anyways, after having a night out on the town, I went home to bed. The bed (not me) might have been a bit tipsy that night as it was kind of swaying or turning on its own if I remember right.  Dang I hate those beds that move to another place on their own.

All at once I heard squeaking and a voice that was rather whiny.  It appeared that it was from a Martian.  So I raised my head and tried to get a good look so that I could write down a description or maybe draw a sketch.  That Martian was really there I'm just sure it was a Martian.  I think it was a male, but he had some bosoms,  and he/she had big old eyes that looked like a fly's eyes magnified about three hundred times.  I think I could see my own reflection in his/her eyeballs....and wow did I look awful....kind of glassy eyed myself but I laid that down to being scared as heck of this Martian.

That Martian wasn't a green-green as everyone else has said.  He/she was a blue-green.  And he/she also wasn't small either.  He/she was about my height and had hair about my color and about my length.  Wow he /she was kind of scary looking.

He/she didn't hurt me at all.  I don't remember him/her prodding me or touching me....he/she just kind of moaned every once in a while and kind of squeaked and whined.  It's hard to remember now, but I think he/she was kind of nice.

The next morning I carefully got out of bed, not wanting to lose my prospective about what happened through the night.  I wanted to get up and find a pencil and write down the description and maybe draw a composite picture.  But first I had to move the dang floor length mirror from beside the bed.  I remembered that I moved that mirror when I was getting ready the night before....it was smack up against the bed on my side.  I might as well ask that mirror a few questions...."Mirror Mirror on the stand, do you remember the Martian?  Did he/she look into you to see himself/herself"? 

That dang mirror didn't say a thing, but when I looked into the mirror I looked like that Martian.  I was still kind of blue-green with a sick feeling stomach.  My eyes were all bugged out and my hair was standing straight up in the air.

So here I am, documenting to the world my description of the Martian I saw.  I imagine there have been a lot of similar descriptions.....some after a night on the town....and some just because.  This is my story and I'm sticking to it.


Old Tyme Greenview

From the Greenview Scrapbook ( believe this was written in 1975):

The Volunteer Fire Department in Greenview is certainly worthy of our very great appreciation.  This operation began in 1951 I have been told.  Many of the older fellows who helped with the early planning are not with us today.  Earl Eldridge is one of them.  Ted Miller and George Merrihew have also hung in there all these years and aren't we glad they have.  Dusty Despain was the first fire chief and Donald Lockart was the second.  Cecil Ratliff is the present fire chief.  Bob Conkling is the assistance to the chief.  Ted Miller is President, Garret Evers, Vice President, Homer Tice, Secretary.  At the very first the officers were elected for 1-2-3 years.  The county board approved of the men selected.  The method of choosing the men to be elected has changed as there are no 1-2-3 years. 

Equipment over the past years, of course, has been added and improved.  There is a pumper 1000 gallon water wagon and a tank truck pumper for rural sue.  The fires tax is still 1.25 mill.  The area our volunteers serve is approximately five miles each direction.  This group, when called upon for assistance at Mason City, Middletown or Athens may go for a fee.  There are twenty volunteers at present.  They are:  Chief, Cecil Ratliff; Asst. Chief, Bob Stone; Asst. Bob Conkling; Don Case; Bud Deckard; Jim Evers;  Reggie Harbin; John Miller, Jr.; Leo Miller; Keith Moore; Ronald Moore; Bill Moore; Jim McQuinn; Ken Marcum; Howard McGlasson; Bob O'Brien; Dick Ratliff; John Riedle; Jim Willis; Glenn Tuttle; Duane Tisdale; Dorothy Conkling, radio operator; and Joan Stone, Asst.

The annual budget for the Fire department is approximately $12,000.  When the fire call comes, the Fire Department number has been assigned to David Cramer's.  Emma Meehan used to have the Fire Department number.  The latest addition to our very efficient Department is the two way radio.

Thought For The Day

My tastes are simple:

I am easily satisfied with the best.

--Winston Churchill

When a thought comes into my mind from which I can write an article, I call it a light bulb moment.  Sometimes the bulb burns like a 250 watt bulb and sometimes the bulb in my mind burns like a nightlight.

Today the bulb is burning like a nightlight that is ready to burn out.....so for that reason.....I'm done for today.  See you next time.

Thanks for coming to my blog.

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Hope to see you again.