OVER THE SEA OF LIFE

Life's been a long journey
Through many storms and tempests
Through deep waters
And over rocky shoals.

There were sometimes winds so strong
That we thought the old boat..
Wouldn't make it.

The stinging ocean spray, in our eyes
Obscured our direction..
Often it seemed there may have been..
An invisible Pilot on board with us.

We arrive here on earth as "blanks"
Maybe the hard knocks come
To develop character and self-hood.

"Trailing clouds of glory
Do we come from heaven
Which is our home."

Difficulties beset everyone.
My old neighbor used to say
"Can't complain," and that's true
For most of us.

There have been friends
That we wondered how
They endured all manner
Of vicissitudes...
The hands they were dealt
In life seemed tough.

The Bible says it
In Ecclesiastes
"Time and chance happeneth
To them all."

We would never try to assume
The Creator's mind
His ways and thoughts are
Higher than ours.

Maybe, as the sewing ladies say
Life is a beautiful tapestry
Being formed
We are weaving it
But we see only the reverse side
Now...

Life has been stormy
At times
And our old boat is beat up---
Grounded and stuck in the mud...so
We may have to wade
The rest of the way.

Our journey thus far has been
Challenging, interesting, enlightening
And at times...even marvelous
The humor in life...alone
Was worth it all.

One of my friends may have gotten it right
When he recently wrote
"I wouldn't have changed my life
One whit."

----30----
BY MIL
7-27-13

I WAS A FAIRY GODMOTHER!

By "The Fairy Godmother" (with MIL)

**********************************************************************
I'M STILL SHAMPOOING FAIRY DUST AND SPANGLES!"
**********************************************************************

Little did I realize then, that day at work in the ultra-sound section

of the Heart Group where I worked, that I shouldn't have opened my

mouth!

My co-worker and I had stolen a moment to relax and have a cup of

coffee. I was sipping and she was saying: "I'm planning a big

 birthday party for my three-year-old, Breeley! It's going to be a fantasy-thing:

'Prince and Princess'---and I'm inviting a bunch of her little friends!"

I was listening intently and caught up in her enthusiasm, the creativity of

 her idea, and the whole spirit of the thing! I blurted out: "Oh, you should

have a Fairy Godmother!"

Uh, oh! No sooner than those words were out of my mouth than I knew

 I was in trouble! You know what I mean---our eyes met. There was

a look in her eyes that said it all. I braced myself. She said: "What a neat

idea...and who'd be better than you!?"

(You must know that Texas birthday parties for kids can cost bucks.

 Parents spare nothing; expensive venues such as movie theaters and

restaurants are rented. And scarfing up and costuming a mere Fairy

Godmother is a "piece of cake.!")

That's how I became a Fairy Godmother. A day or two later I found

 myself down at the Acme Costume Rental trying to visualize how a FGM

 would dress. My thinking was that she would be inclined toward something

white and formal. Accordingly, I settled on a garb which you might see at a

wedding or  school prom---it was white...and fancy!  It cost me  $35.00.

I was lucky on the shoes---I managed to find an unwanted new pair of red

high heels. They were glad to sell me those ill-fitting shoes for a bargain ten

 bucks. Sprayed with all manner of spangles and glitter, they were fit for a

FGM!

The party itself was something to behold...and never forget. Invitations

had gone out in the form of scrolls: "Hear Ye, Hear Ye", announcing

the party.  Attending were maybe two dozen small, energetic, ever-moving,

curious, noisy, excited, Fairy Godmother-loving, three-year-olds, with
a number of mothers on hand for...crowd control. (There was no one there
 to protect the mothers, except me!) It's a good thing I didn't skimp on the
 amount of "fairy-dust" in my colorful tote bag. They all wanted to be blessed
and sprinkled with fairy dust. "Sprinkle me, Godmother!" "Over here,
sprinkle me!"  I overworked my wand that day! I wouldn't have wanted the
job of vacuuming that stuff off the floor!

There were balloons, crepe paper strips, pictures, and all manner of stuff

 hanging from the ceiling and walls. There were refreshments of all kinds:

hot dogs, and a cake with a Prince and Princess on top! There was a

blow-up castle, where the kids could jump. All the kids, plus a few

mothers were eating popcorn and cotton candy. Yes, there was a cotton

candy machine!  The kids were dressed like miniature royalty.

I knew when the time came for me to make my FGM exit; I was "blessed

out" and my wand was pooped. And I was about out of fairy dust!  It was

 time to wrap up the party. The kids were worn out, as three-year-olds

can get, and their over-worked imaginations were beginning to flag.

Wanting to end my successful evening, as a good self-respecting FGM

should—I phoned my husband and said: "Come get me---it's over."

 (No car keys, purse, driving shoes, car-parked-in-front for me---I

wanted to simply fade away...disappear in a "POO--OO-OF!" To

slip into his pickup quickly...and bye-bye.)

I sprinkled my last fairy dust all around and slipped out the door, stocking-

footed---leaving those sparkling red shoes, Cinderella-style, for souvenirs.

There was my husband in his pickup, waiting by the curb, headlights off.

 I headed his way down the sidewalk, and suddenly thinking how

 inappropriate it would be to be seen---i.e. a Fairy Godmother leaving

in a pickup---how gauche! I double-checked my back and there was

Breeley coming out the door with one of my red shoes, and saying: "Don't

leave, Fairy Godmother, please TEACH ME TO FLY! PLEASE!"

Caught off guard, I began to walk rapidly down the sidewalk, away from the

 pickup, and still here came Breeley following me. "Oh teach me to FLY!"

I began to run! Breeley ran after me! Then I noticed a little three-year old
prince, following HER, brandishing his sword!  He took up the chant: 
TEACH ME TO FLY, TOO!

On the spur of the moment, I turned and said: "I WILL, I WILL, I'LL

BE BACK! GO HOME NOW, YOU CAN KEEP MY RED SHOE---

IT'S FOR YOU!"  That seemed to satisfy little three-year-old Breeley, and

she said:  "OKAY, FAIRY GODMOTHER, BYE BYE, COME BACK

SOON!"  With that, the little princess skipped onto the porch

and into the house, followed by the prince.

I practically flew to the pickup, no pun intended! I got in, closed the door,

leaned back, and heaved a deep sigh of relief that it was over...and it had

gone so well. What a barrel of fun! I felt a deep sense of satisfaction and

accomplishment.

I'm not sure I would want to give up my day job...but I could moonlight

a little (with some new red shoes that fit.) How does this sound: "HAVE

FAIRY GODMOTHER COSTUME (AND FAIRY DUST)---AND

EXPERIENCE: WILL TRAVEL!"

My red shoe rests today on Breeley's chest-of-drawers. I am told she
slept with it for a week after the party.

Who got the left one has not been ascertained at this writing.

Now my main and nagging dilemma is:  HOW DO I TEACH BREELEY
HOW TO FLY??

----30-----

Mil's Place

7-25-13

CARPE DIEM

********************************************************************
DOES THAT LATIN TERM MEAN: "FISH FOR CARP EVERY DAY?"
********************************************************************
(MIL'S NOTE: "Country Boy Bob" seizes every day to fish for carp. He loves
fishing.  On first reading his story, I said: "Well, Bob didn't actually write the
story---I grew up in Clovis and there is NO lake within a half mile of his
house---except that old lake by Wildcat Stadium, which is dry, except
when it rains."  I was wrong! It WAS that lake.)
***********************************************

Below is the story by "Country Boy Bob":

These fish are carp.  They are worthless scavenger fish that eat anything on the bottom of the lake and are full of bones.  No one wants them and no one will take them home, and Green Acres lake has hundreds in it.   Since I am a catch -and -release guy, the fun is in the fight, so I started fishing for them.  They are big and heavy and good fighters.   But I did not want to release them back into the lake nor did I want to throw them on the bank and let them die and stink.  So I went to a little Oriental grocery store and asked the lady if she would like the carp.   She said yes and she said that she would pay me.  I said “no, no, no, I will give them to you.”   She is a Christian lady and insisted that she give me something, so I said just give me a soda.   When I took the carp to her she gave me an orange soda in a bottle which was bottled in the Phillippines.  

So now, I am fishing and getting paid with exotic foreign sodas.  The way that I figure it is, if I catch 4 a day, it will probably take me about a year to rid the lake of carp and I would have plenty of  soda pop and I could go fishing every day and it is only about 1/2 miles from the house.   Now, how can you beat that to keep an old man entertained?

I have heard of several ways to prepare a carp, cook it and eat it.  Some say just boil them and the bones will get soft.  Others say to just gut them, cut the tail, fins and head off and grind them—then you can just roll them and make a patty and fry them---like salmon patties.  But here is the best one that I have heard:   You get a slab of cardboard, lay the carp on the cardboard,  sprinkle with salt, pepper and whatever spices that you like.   Slide it in the oven and bake for one and one half hours at 300 degrees.   Pull the card board and carp out, throw the carp away and eat the cardboard.  What a delicacy!  

----30-----
For Mil's Place
Bob Snipes (Country Boy Bob)

WHAT ARE DOGS THINKING?

*********************************************************
"YOU KNOW, I'M DOGGONE TIRED OF ALL THIS WAITING!"
*********************************************************

"I'd like to have gone fishing, too.
They left me here.
Yes, they did it again---went fishing without me!
Getting up early didn't help.
The early-dog didn't catch the worm!"

"Must be patient.
Dogs can't afford to get antsy"

"Oh-h-h, this frosty deck is freezing my bottom!
And ugh---this collar's getting a bit tight.
I think I've put on some weight."

"Boy, a good piece of fried chicken would
hit the spot, right now!"

"That deck there, in front of me, where it sticks up---
I've got to watch that...I stumbled over it once.

It tripped me on my running-dive; I slid!

(Made me look bad to the whole world.)
You'd think humans could build a smooth deck."

"I'm scoping out this scene, but not much going on...
A little boring, I'd say.
Hope they don't catch anything---
Then they'll be back soon
And we can do something important, maybe
Like throwing sticks."

"I haven't spotted a single jumping trout,
Or any big juicy bugs flying
For them to jump at."
Personally I can't see what a trout sees
In an UGHY bug anyway.
I'd want to gargle after eating one.

"Those trees reflecting in the  water
Are pretty neat.
I'd almost go for a morning swim
But at my age it's hard to
Get back on the dock.
Besides that water looks cold..."

I thought I saw a squirrel over there
On the other shore...
But who knows?
My eyesight is not what it was."

"If it were perchance a squirrel
And he was on this side
I'd give that sucker a good run
For his money!"

"What is it, anyway...about squirrels?

I can't explain it; they just excite me...

Get my adrenalin going!"

  

"Why even the word 'squirrel' just sets me off---

I go wild! My master says it so wonderfully:

 'SKWER- RUH-LL,' 'SKWER-RUH-LL,'

He squeezes out every sound

 In that word...and you know---

I think he does it on purpose

To excite ME!"

"You know, I love my master,
And I love humans...
But I do wish they'd fool around more
With us dogs---we like to do stuff.

A lot of stuff..."

"Fishing---how monotonous!"

"HO-HUM, ALWAYS WAITING....
IT'S A DOG'S LIFE!"
*****************

Here are what some of my "dog-understanders" say the dog is thinking:

Reader One:
1. How far could I jump from this dock?
2. When is dinner time?
3. There could be a squirrel on the other side!
4. Someone should come and pet me...please.
5.  What is the meaning of life?
     ----"C-MAN"
*************
Reader Two:
1. What is that white smoke-lookin' stuff?
2. Man, I'm glad I'm a dog!
3. I wonder if the water is cold.
4. I wonder what all the poor dogs in the world are doing today.
5. WOW! I would make a great postcard!
     ----ALAN
**************
Reader Three:

   1. Should I take a swim or not?

   2. When my master jumped in, why didn't he come back up?

   3. I see the smoke from the fire, but why don't I smell it?      

   4. If I jump in, it's a long swim to reach shore.

   5. If I jump in, I am going to lose all the curls in my hair.

       ----ROBERT

   **************

Reader Four:

     1. It is my duty to report any fish activity to my master.

     2. My keen sense of hearing and sight are the perfect tools for this
         picture-perfect water!

     3. I just ate breakfast and I can't wait for my master to get here with
         his fishing pole!

     4. This is great! I heard my owner talking about all the ducks that land
          here on calm, foggy mornings!

     5. Maybe this is why my name is "Lucky!"

         ----LATRECA

      MIL'S PLACE has recognized and written about noted people
who have contributed to our lives and society in a positive way:
teachers, a scoutmaster, a mayor, businessmen, mothers (read about
Wylie's fantastic mother) and fathers, classmates, friends who are
gone...and it seems time to write about man's "Best Friends," our
beloved animal friends---the dogs!

It is said that dogs were put on earth to teach man what "unconditional
 love" is. We've all read the famous prayer: "Lord, help me to become
the kind of person my dog thinks I am."

*******30******

BY MIL.and THE READERS

7/18/13

Sent from my iPad

MY OLD SHOE STOOL...IS HOME!

******************************************************************
"I WAS A TEEN-AGE MEN'S CLOTHING SALESMAN!"
******************************************************************

"JACK HOLT THE CLOTHIER" was a very nice men's clothing
and furnishings store in Clovis back ion the late 30's, 40's, 50's and
60's. It sold the best brands available in men's and boys' clothes.

It was located a couple of doors north of the Citizens Bank Building,
corner of Grand and Main, facing east. Not many remember this, but
 there was once a grocery store, right between the two businesses. Out
 front of Citizens Bank was the biggest "DIP" in all of Main Street; on
 a hot summer's day, when a big rain came, that dip flowed like a river
and cars stalled.

The store's frontage was indented and one walked in between two nice
display windows on each side of a tiled walkway. These "show windows"
 were filled with dressed-up mannequins, shirts, ties, socks, handkerchiefs,
pajamas---anything a man would need. (One of my biggest jobs was to

change these windows every three weeks or so; climbing in and out the
windows was tough work.)

Mr. Holt was a nice man to work for---certainly not loquacious---more on
 the quiet side, I'd say. In all my years of working there, I never heard him
say a harsh word to me or anyone else.  His office and desk were upstairs in a
kind of see-it-all balcony; while doing his paperwork, he saw everything that
went on.

If you perchance made a good sale, i.e. measured a guy for a suit, or piled
 up all manner of goods at the check-out counter, this tended to excite Mr.
Holt, and when the customer had left with his pile of merchandise, Mr. Holt
 would mosey downstairs, come up by the register, lean there on the sock

counter, in a mellow, talkative mood, and insert a smoke into his cigarette
holder, and things would be ....nice, and he would be chatty!

He was a  supporter of the community, and I have often seen people and
organization reps come into the store, wanting hand-outs. Mr. Holt was a fan
of the Clovis Pioneers and had a box seat right behind home plate. When a
 Clovis player hit a home run, for his efforts he would run around behind
home plate collecting rolled up dollar bills from the loyal businessmen there
 in the box seats. (Heavy chicken wire protected these fans and the bills were
 stuck through the wire!)

Now about the just-mentioned office and balcony being upstairs and
overlooking the store----thereby hangs a tale. Mr. Smith, my co-worker
and full-time employee, and I were---you might guess---in sight of
management 12/7; either Mr. or Mrs. Holt, or both, were upstairs. It was
 expected that we "stay busy" all the time. Exacerbating this problem,
was the fact that coffee breaks were not a store policy.

We straightened the socks a hundred times, re-arranged the B.V.D.'s over and
over, and wore out those Stetsons there in the wall glass display cases, by
brushing, brushing, brushing them. Every day. We stayed busy! We wore out
the merchandise, and ourselves.

But Mr.Smith was over 70, and I was 17, and our legs got tired. Accordingly,
we would each slip back to the shoe department, from time to time, and sit
down---out of sight--- not in the customer chairs (that would be a terrible
faux pas if caught)---we would sit on those marvelous shoe stools--- the ones
 where you sit, (rest), measure, chit-chat, and sell shoes! They weren't very
tall and were unobtrusive.

I always loved those tough little shoe stools, made in USA--- to last forever,
 and with that professional-looking  green leather upholstery! Those little five
 minute breaks to rest my legs. AHH-hhh! Unforgettable! And we were
out-of-sight there in the shoe department!!!

Those early WWII years in Clovis, before I was old enough to dream about
 ever working at Holt's, were interesting years. We ran the Magic Steam
Laundry and gas rationing was in effect. On Monday mornings, Mrs. Holt
would walk from their store, down West Grand to our laundry, carrying her
 bundle of clothes; people tried everything to save their gasoline coupons
for a highway trip or vacation.

In turn, my mother, a brand-oriented farm girl, kept us boys outfitted
 in the best clothes available---Tom Sawyer brand, purchased at Holt's.

The store was noted for its other good name-brands, such as Curlee,
Hart, Shaffner, and Marx, and Hickey-Freeman suits.  There were Arrow
and Van Heusen dress shirts, MacGregor sportswear, Levis, Lees, Jockey
shorts, and there were B.V.D.'s for the old-timers. We carried Stetson
and Resistol hats.

Whereas today's men's dress shirts can run up to $80.00 apiece, our
Arrow shirts were 3.95, 4.95, and 6.00 each. Where neckties today
can run up to the unbelievable price of $120.00 each, our neckties
were 1.50, 2.50, 3.50, 5.00, and 7.50. The 7.50 ones were kept under
 glass.

Nowadays, a pair of Levis can run $60.00; ours were 3.95. Stetsons,
then the highest quality sold at 50.00---are likely $400.00 now. (I think
 Resistol may be a tougher hat anyway!)

Some of you younger folks may be wondering: "What the heck are
B.V.D's ?" Well, I could start by saying---they are probably the least-
sexy men's underwear ever devised. They likely grew out of the early
part of the 20th century. When spring came, and it was time to dump
the long handles, someone must've come up with this plan: sew a loose
white broadcloth "undershirt" onto a big baggy pair of white boxer-type
shorts, making a one-piece deal that you stepped into and buttoned in
front. We sold a few, and some personnel in the store wore them.

I abhored them, hated them---and always figured if any kid in CHS
wore them, it had better not be to football practice, or where anyone
could have any public knowledge. You'd be sunk with the girls!

You might be wondering what my most-hated responsibility was.
(At 75 cents an hour, I was a bargain!) Have you ever tried to twist a
36 inch fluorescent bulb into two of those ¥#!~€^¥!!! receptacle ends,
more or less simultaneously? To twist them in and lock them? Hard, isn't
 it? Now, get on a fifteen foot ladder and reach as high as you can, ladder
 is swaying, and you are swaying, and try to lock that unwieldy sucker in
 place....both ends---and find out the starter switch all this time---needed
 replacing. Holt's had a high ceiling and that was my job. I thought about
hiring an electrician out of my own pocket!

Jack Holt The Clothier closed his store sometime in the sixties, I think.
The Main Street location ,where his store had been, was rebuilt  into
a nice little complex of stores. I went my way into my own paths of life.
When in Clovis, I would drive by where rhe store used to be, and
get an ache when I remembered old times---Christmas seasons selling for
Jack was always festive!

In fact, many times over the years, I have had a recurring dream, and
this is true: I am back in Holt's and Mrs. Holt is having a closeout sale,
and I am helping her. In my dream, she is thinking of re-opening the store.

And what about those two marvelous, favorite, comfortable, restful little
 shoe stools back there in the shoe department, where we sat and sold
Crosby Square, Florsheim, and Nettleton shoes? And slipped back there
and got off our feet when we could...Wherever they went, I'll never forget
them!

*********************
EPILOGUE: One day in 2010, Bob Snipes, a dear friend of mine for 73
 years, was in Albuquerque, drove up to my house, and came walking up
the driveway, bearing a most-precious gift for me----it was one of my
OLD SHOE STOOLS FROM JACK HOLT THE CLOTHIER'S shoe
department! Bob, who enjoys fooling with "Junque" as a hobby, had found
this stool at a sale. The nice green leather was gone, and someone had
fashioned a terry cloth cover, and the chrome was blemished some---but it
was MY STOOL.

I could still sell shoes on it today---except it is so low, I couldn't get up.
***********************
For many years in the 70's and 80's, my dad and Mr. Holt would sit together
and visit daily at the New York Stock Exchange brokerage office in Clovis, as
 they watched their investments.

********30********
BY MIL
7-10-13

THOSE DAYS WERE..."SWELL"

**************************************
ALL AMERICA WAS "SWELL!"
**************************************

We've watched the classic WWII movie about PT boats,
"They Were Expendable" ---many times! John Wayne was
 never better and Robert Montgomery was very believable in
his role as "Brickley," the commander who spirited MacArthur
out of the Phillippines, before the surrender at Corregidor. (The
 real name of the PT commander was Lt. John D. Bulkeley.  He
was given the Medal of Honor for this feat.)

In real life, Montgomery was actually a naval officer. This movie
was made by John Ford in 1945; he became ill during the filming
and turned the directing over to Montgomery, who did such a fine
job hat he later directed movies.

There is a scene, late in this movie which is unforgettable; at this

 unfortunate time in American history, when our personnel were far
 from home, lonely,  and beset by the Japanese,  John Wayne invites
beautiful Donna Reed, a Corregidor Tunnel nurse, to dine at the PT
boat base at Sisiman Cove with him, Brickley, and the several other
officers of Motor Torpedo Squadron Three.

At the little command shack, a table is set up and the best possible
dinner is provided under the wartime conditions. Donna is serenaded
outside by an enlisted men's quartet, singing with their hats off, and from
 their hearts: "Dear old girl, the robin sings above you.. dear old girl, it
speaks of how I love you!"

At the end of this wonderful evening..."American girl---American boy...
" ten thousand miles from home... and in sad and perilous times...Donna
Reed says to John: "This evening was SWELL."

The Beloved Editor and I never watch that movie that we don't comment
on that long-lost word of mid-twentieth century America---"SWELL." Think
back on it yourself---remember---almost all things were "SWELL."

To us today, the term maybe sounds a bit archaic and out-of- date. There are
 likely many young people who've never heard it--- at least not as a praise
 adjective.

But make no mistake, it was a good word---a good mid-twentieth century
 American word! In many ways, it was a  term that, though it sounds dated,
epitomized the simpler times of the period---good "American" times---"swell
times."

"Swell" I guess, meant something like "nice," "good," "okay," "pleasant,"
"desirable..."

I must have been some of those things because yesterday while searching
for an old photo in the CHS 1951 Yearbook, I got to reading through the
 inscriptions, and my annual was full of the word "SWELL!" (Check yours.)
Everything... was swell---"swell game," "swell time," "swell play," "swell
musical," "swell party," and me---"swell guy!"

While leafing through the old annual, I came across the cheerleaders: "My
they look 'swell' in their nice uniforms," I thought. I could almost see them,
down front, at the old Wildcat Stadium, leading the cheers.

I ran across all kinds of memories from those times---the football, basketball
teams---the pictures of various clubs, the staff of high school teachers, the
school plays, musicals, and on and on...these people were all swell to me.

Looking at a cast of Mr. Barton's students, standing onstage at the end of
one of our musicals, I thought of a favorite song that we used, from "The
Student Prince," one that I never forgot;

"Golden days, in the sunshine of our happy youth
Golden days, full of innocence and full of truth,
In our hearts we remember them all else above...
Golden days, full of youth and love.

How we laughed, with the joy that only love can bring
Looking back through memories haze...
We would know life has nothing sweeter than its springtime,
Golden days, when we're young,
Golden Days!".     
.........Dorothy Donelly

We could go on recalling all the good things of those days, and we have
enumerated them in other posts,  but I think the song, above, kind of 
expresses it for all of us.

Those Golden Days of our youth and mid-century America...

Were "SWELL!"

*******30******
BY MIL
7-11-13

MUSINGS ABOUT OLD ROCKING CHAIRS

A SYMBOL...is part of what they are...
Symbols of lifetimes
Of hard work...

My granddad Pop, a farmer, had one
With a cane bottom---
I can still see it.
If anyone deserved the comfort

Of a rocker, he did.

Try hitching up two stubborn mules
With all the reins, collars, and gear...
Then walk mile-long rows, guiding
A deep plow and doing straight
Furrows all the way to the end of
the field and back, morning to night---

And milking the cows also
early and late!

All he wanted
At the end of the day
Was his chair to rock in
And a big glass of
Buttermilk and corn bread;
And the news on his old
Philco Radio, over there in the corner.

Rocking chairs...
Have you ever heard your mother
Rock a restless baby brother
Or sister, singing to them
"Bye yo, bye yo baby, bye yo,
Bye yo bye yo baby bye...
To the tune:

"Precious name, oh how sweet,
Hope of earth and Joy of heav'n,
Precious name, oh how sweet,
Hope of earth and Joy of heaven!"

Rocking chairs: symbols of respite
"From the burning of the noontide heat,
and the burden of the day."

We had a new one
The day we married.
We rocked our brand new youngest
In it that week JFK was shot.
We wore it out, raising him...
The fabric got bare.

We got another one in the seventies...
For ninety-five dollars
And paid it out eight dollars a month.
That tough rocker
Is still as good as new!

If a person in a rocker

Is talking, he is likely saying---

One of these things:

"I'm taking it easy."

"My back aches."

"It's been a hard day!"

"I'm out of service."

"It's nap time for me!"

"I muted my cell phone."

"Bring me the baby---he's crying."

"The doctor prescribed this."

"Please bring me a glass of iced tea."

"Where's my book?"

"Isn't life grand?"

 Rocking chairs went with granddads
Wearing blue-bill overalls
And sitting on wide, airy, white front porches
Across the South,
Where people, with no TV's or air conditioning
Sat and watched the kids playing, after supper
Out on the front lawns, sidewalks, and in the street,
While they rocked, talked, and relaxed.

Rocking chairs---
Out there on the porch...the men
Waiting for the women
To finish the dishes
And come out in their wet aprons
To rock a bit with them...and talk...

I have one in my attic;
It is priceless to me
With my feet propped up
On my Jack Holt shoe stool
 Which came home to me
Several years ago, from Bob.

Who ever "thought them up?"
He deserves a decoration
And maybe a statue of himself
In a rocker! Sitting somewhere..

Tell me, what's more American...
Than a rocking chair?!

********30********
BY MIL
7/13/13

PROSPECTING FOR URANIUM--A SUMMER JOB

by Richard Drake, guest writer

            During the 1950’s finding summer work for a college student was a big problem.   I would do any kind of work that was available, but in the summer of 1954 the country was in a recession.  I worked for a few weeks on a construction job at the Cannon Air Force Base.  It did not last long due to a government spending freeze.   Just as I was about to give up hope and devote my time to a summer tan, I got a call from one of my college friends.  He had two uncles in the oil business and they received an early release of some information that might lead to finding uranium.

The government was doing everything possible to spur domestic uranium production to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign supplies.  The Atomic Energy Commission had contracted with aviation firms to fly over the western Unites States with radiation detection equipment.  The theory was that a significant deposit of uranium could be detected from altitude. The two uncles had been able to obtain data from one of the firms before it was to be released to the general public.  The data suggested that there was a possible find in New Mexico north and east of Las Vegas. 

            A fraternity brother, Pete, was a geology student and was hired by his uncles to go take a look.  Pete called me and asked if I would like to work with him for the remainder of the summer.  Of course, the answer was “yes” so I grabbed the first bus to Las Vegas to join him. New Mexico was in the middle of a very bad drought and the country into which we were heading was not a friendly one.  So off we went with our camping gear, the food we could pack into a jeep, surveying equipment, and a Geiger counter.  We had heard that the ranchers in the area did not take kindly to people coming onto their property without permission.   Once we introduced ourselves and told them what we were doing, we were made to feel at home.  The ranchers would call their neighbors who were along the path that we were surveying and pave the way for us.

 The ranch wives were very happy to have company and someone new for whom to cook and, more importantly, someone new with whom to talk.  Company was very welcome.  Remember there was no television or talk radio so company was a very valuable thing.  One of the women was a war bride from England.  She had a delightful British accent and was a great story teller.  She was a wonderful hostess.  We hated to leave her.

Pete and I were both big young men and, at that stage of our lives, it was almost impossible to fill our stomachs.  The women loved cooking for someone who really appreciated their cooking.  We were in cattle country so beef was served at every meal, a roast or steaks.

 It took us about three weeks to find the “hot” area.  We located a deposit of uranium in a 50 - 60 foot layer about half way up a 300 - 400 foot mesa.  Finding the deposit was the easy part.  We now had to do a survey to locate the finding in order to file a claim. The major problem was that this part of the United States had been surveyed in the late 1870”s and 1880’s and all of the section corners had been carved into limestone rocks.  After 70 plus years of wind and sand erosion it was impossible to read the makings.  The nearest bench mark that we could find and read was about 70 miles away.  So we had to survey our way across those 70 or so miles of dry, desolate New Mexico in temperatures of around 100 degrees each day.  I was the rod man and Pete worked the transit and away we went day after day.

On occasions we would come to a ranch house but most evenings we just camped out in the open near a windmill fed stock watering tank when possible.  The clank, clank, clank of the windmill would put us to sleep.  I remember one evening we camped by the Canadian River which was just a good trickle.  We were able to dig a hole in the river bed to create a place in which to take bath.  Boy!  We did need a bath.  The water felt so good. I did learn that Pete was a pretty good cook over an open camp fire. The evenings were something to remember.  With no street lights the sky was brilliant with millions and millions of stars.  It appeared that the sky was paved with them.  The sun rises and sunsets were beyond description.  They were the most brilliant reds that I have ever seen.  We were serenaded by coyotes every night.

As the rod man, I lead the way out in front and had to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes.  They were plentiful and I was scared to death of them.  I armed myself with a handgun at my waist and an M1 over my shoulder.  Pete also had a hand gun.  At my age my memory is not what it once was but when it comes to snakes, I will never forget them.  When I say that I killed over 40 snakes, I will be able to look the good Lord in the eye when the time comes and make that claim.

It took about three weeks for us to reach the uranium outcropping and complete the survey for the claim.  We took a break on the top of the mesa because it was cooler.  We then noticed that another surveying crew had arrived but were on the opposite side of the mesa from where we had found the deposit.  With our field glasses we determined that the people were from a particular oil company.  Pete became concerned because that company had the reputation on being very aggressive and would “jump” a claim if possible.  It was very important to get to Santa Fe and file our claim before the intruders had time to destroy out surveyed corners.  It was decided that Pete would take off in the jeep for Santa Fe and I would barricade myself and defend our work.

I found a good spot from which to watch the intruders and, of course, rattlesnakes.  I had no idea of what I was going to do.  I certainly was not going to shoot anyone.  For three days, I just waited.   Nothing happened except for one fright when a mule deer came along and took off in a panic when he noticed me.  The loud noise the deer made scared the “willies” out of me.  The oil company crew did not appear to be in any hurry to look for uranium

Upon Pete’s return from his successful trip to the land office, we informed the oil company crew about the filing of the claim which put an end to their efforts in that area.  We checked the calendar and I realized that I had three days to get home, pack and get to Albuquerque for the start of football preseason.  I dropped Pete off at the bus station in Tucumcari for a ride to back to school. I headed to Clovis to get my clothes.  As I neared the town I could see a mammoth bank of dark clouds headed directly toward the city.  A major storm and I arrived at about the same time.  Clovis had not had a big rain in some time so it was welcomed.  However, the streets could not handle the amount that fell.  Major parts of the town flooded.  The jeep that I was driving came in handy in that I was able to drive into the flooded areas and help rescue several stranded people.  

After a brief visit with Marcia and a goodbye kiss, I left for Albuquerque and my sophomore year.  It was going to be a long year without her.  She had decided to not go back to the university but to stay in her job at KICA radio station to earn and save money.  We both wanted to get married as soon as possible and her savings would get us off to a good start.  We were able to marry the next summer.

When I think back at the experience, I readily recall the stars, the wonderful meals around the kitchen tables and “yes” the snakes.

for Mil's Place

----30----

by Richard Drake, CHS Class of '53

7-16-13

  

"AND RING....SWEET FREEDOM'S SONG!"

THIS FOURTH OF JULY---I AM THINKING OF THE USA.

***************************************************************
FROM THE WAVES THAT CRASH ONTO THE ROCKS OF THE OREGON COAST...
TO THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IN NEW YORK HARBOR---

"FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA..."

*******************************************************************

I am thinking of:

Purple mountain majesties...
Amber waves of grain

Flowing streams...
Fruited plains

Yosemite Park
The Grand Canyon
Hoover Dam

Rio Grande
Inscription Rock
Santa Fe Trail and the
White Sands

THE GRAND CANYON

I am thinking of:

The Oregon Trail
The Great Salt Lake
The Rockies
Yellowstone
Little Big Horn
The Bitterroots and
Wounded Knee

Pike's Peak
The Dust Bowl
The Chisum Trail
The Alamo
The Ozarks and
The Mississippi River

I am thinking of:

New Orleans
Vicksburg
Twain's Hannibal
Stephen Foster's Cairo,
his Swanee River
and his Old Kentucky Home.

Of:

Shiloh

Monticello
Harper's Ferry
Gettysburg
Shenandoah
Antietam and
Mt. Vernon

MONTICELLO

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

Of:

Yorktown
Bull Run
Appomattox Court House
The Wilderness
Washington DC
Ft. McHenry and
Lookout Mountain

Of:

The Great Lakes
The Appalachian Trail
The Hudson
West Point
New England
Magnificent Manhattan
Coney Island and the
Empire State Building

I am thinking of:

Atlanta
Sherman's March
The Okefenoke
Savannah
The Florida Keys and
The Gulf Stream

Closer to home, I am thinking of my old hometown,
Clovis...and remembering...

 La Casita School
The bricks in Main Street

 Hotel Clovis

Alexander's Market
The house on Reid Street
The house on Thornton Street

Junior High

 Johnny's Drive-In

 The Busy Bee
The Coney Island

 El Monterrey

The Lyceum
Wildcat Stadium
Junior High Gym

Magic Steam Laundry
OK Rubber Welders

Barry Hardware
Woolworth's
Duckworth's
Old Clovis High School
Hillcrest Park and Bell Park and

The Railroad

CLOVIS HIGH SCHOOL

I am thinking of our great teachers,
(too numerous to mention them all...)

Mr. Elms, Miss Russell, Mr. Barton,
Coach Stockton, Miss Buchanan,
Mr. Miller. Mr. Mozer, Mr. St. Clair,
Miss Broiles, Mr. Norman and Miss Clark.

I am remembering one hundred twenty-eight
classmates, many of whom date from the
first grade; they became THE CLASS OF 1951.

On this Fourth of July, I am remembering:
We should praise "the Power that hath made
and preserved us a nation..." and the high price
in lives that has been paid.

In the first 100 years of the Republic, in big and
little wars, 683,000 men were lost.
In the second 100 years, 623,000 were lost.

In "The Big One," Cruisers---

USS HOUSTON
USS INDIANAPOLIS
USS QUINCY, and the five Sullivans

Aircraft Carriers---

USS YORKTOWN, lost Midway Battle
USS LEXINGTON, lost Coral Sea Battle
USS HORNET, carried the Doolitlle Tokyo Raiders

Of the Boats---

USS DARTER
USS TANG
USS POMPANO
USS WAHOO

USS TANG

I am thinking of

PEARL HARBOR

THE FLYING TIGERS

THE DOOLITTLE TOKYO RAIDERS

BATAAN

CORREGIDOR

NEW GUINEA

 PELELIU

USS ARIZONA

THE DOOLITTLE RAID

 

TARAWA
GUADALCANAL
BOUGAINVILLE
GUAM
WAKE ISLAND
MIDWAY ISLAND
IWO JIMA
OKINAWA

TARAWA

IWO JIMA

And:

NORTH AFRICA

SICILY

ITALY

ANZIO

MT. CASSINO

D DAY

MARKET GARDEN

BATTLE OF THE BULGE

BASTOGNE

BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

TRINITY

THE ENOLA GAY

D-DAY

  I am thinking of our losses in men

 from the War Of Independence through

 all the major conflicts up  through 

 Operation Enduring Freedom:

   

  Revolutionary War---25,000

  Mexican-American War---13,283

  Civil War---625,000

  Spanish-American War---2,446

  World War I ---116,516

  World War II---405,399 (72,766 still missing)

  Korea---36,516

  Viet Nam---58,209.  

  Iraq---4,486

  Afghanistan---2,145, ongoing...

   

   On this Fourth I am remembering the US troops marching down the
   Champs Élysées in Paris at its liberation in WWII. No goose-stepping---
   just plain old American boys, doing their job. It will make you proud to
   see their photo.

US 28TH INFANTRY DIVISION

CHAMPS ELYSEES, PARIS, 1944

    On this Fourth, I am thinking of our patriotic songs:

   "My country, 'Tis of thee, 

    Sweet land of liberty,

    Of thee I sing;

    Land where ky fathers died,

    Land of the Pilgrim's pride,

    From every mountainside

    Let freedom ring.

    My native country, thee,

    Land of the noble free,

    Thy name I love.

    I love thy rocks and rills,

    Thy woods and templed hills;

     My heart with rapture thrills 

     Like that above.

     Let music swell the breeze

     And ring from all the trees
     Sweet freedom's song;

     Let mortal tongues awake

     Let all that breathe partake

     Let rocks their silence break,

     The sound prolong.

     Our fathers' God, to Thee

     Author of liberty,

     To Thee we sing.

     Long may our land be bright

     With freedom's holy light,

     Protect us by Thy might,

     Great God, our King!"

     And remembering a newly-written song

     we learned in La Casita School:

     

     "God bless America, land that I love,

      Stand beside her, and guide her

      Through the night with a light from  above...

      From the mountains, to the prairie

      To the ocean, white with foam---

      God bless America, my home, sweet home,

      God bless America, my home, sweet home."

      On this Fourth, there are just more great things-American to remember
      than is possible...How about summer concerts in the park, and the band
      playing "Stars and Stripes Forever,"  by John Phillip Sousa; or the
      Saturday Evening Post magazines with a Norman Rockwell painting
      on the cover.

      Do you remember the summer evenings at a drive-in movie

      theater?


       Or the days when the Cubs didn't have lights at  Wrigley Field...

       or when in the forties you could walk down the sidewalks of Brooklyn
       and listen to the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, from the radios in the shops!
       Or when the US Hockey team beat the Russians in 1980!

       This Fourth will find Americans out celebrating with picnics and
       fireworks as the founders prophesied. There will be trips to the lake to
       water ski. There will be sailing along ocean shores---

       clambakes on the beaches--- people fishing, swimming, sunning...

       There will be people hiking, camping, climbing---people visiting the
       zoos;  there will be backyard  cookouts, church picnics and  family
       gatherings in parks--- there will be softball games,  footballs thrown,
       soccer balls kicked, dogs chasing frisbees...  

       There will be food of all kinds: hamburgers, hot dogs, corn-on-the-cob,
        fried chicken, deviled eggs, baked beans, potato chips and tubs of ice
        overflowing with cold drinks of all descriptions---cokes, pepsis,
        Dr. Peppers, big oranges, root beers, and likely some real beers---
        there will be Sprite Zeros, Snapples, bottled water, and iced tea!
        There will be homemade ice cream in freezers sitting in the shade,         

        waiting.

       Yes, it'll all be there---things American---"mother, home, the flag,
        apple pie and Chevrolet!" 

      Just as good, or better, than the things that WILL be waiting for our
      Fourth celebrations this year---are the memories of old Fourths---
      of people and times that were! O, what a glorious thing to be an
      American and remember....

      

      "OH SAY, DOES THAT STAR SPANGLED BANNER YET WAVE

       O'ER THE LAND OF THE FREE, AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE?"

       YES! PRAISE GOD, IT DOES!

V-J DAY

The Battle Hymn of the Republic: 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSiVjlknuSw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Shenandoah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19OZnyl-POg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

         

        ********30********

               BY MIL

               7-04-13