Just in case someone actually reads this, I might mention that it looks like it’s been about two years since I’ve “blogged.” To tell the truth the only reason I set up a blog to begin with was to see if I could do it….and I did. Since I originally decided to start a blog I have seen many others and they were so impressive that I decided blogging was not exactly my forte. With that in mind, my disclaimer is that I’m not a writer; I just sometimes want to put my thoughts on paper. And, because it’s been a while since I’ve done that I figured it was high time to do it again, especially since today ends a year….2012.
What do a lot of people do on the last day of the year? They spend time reflecting on the past year….what they did, what they should have done, what they could do differently and so on. Frankly, I don’t spend much time reflecting. I mean really, yes, I’ve made plenty of mistakes; I’ve opened my mouth when I shouldn’t (many, many times); I’ve eaten junk when I knew better; I’ve sat down when I should have been up exercising; I’ve worried too much about my job…..and well, you get the picture. The list could go on and on. Hopefully, I’ve learned from my mistakes by now, so I’m finished looking back, and I’m ready to head into 2013 with a new attitude. I can hear Patti Labelle singing that song right now, can’t you?
Each month I write a newsletter for our Hospice of West Tennessee volunteers, and I wrote in January’s newsletter that the older I get the faster the New Year seems to arrive. I suppose I thought that once I had a few years on me (and I do) things would slow down somewhat, but I have found that I’m busier than I’ve ever been…..what’s up with that?
The year 2013 has arrived and as much as that number 13 may scare some people, I love it. It’s always been my favorite number. All the years I played softball, I wore that number on my jersey. So, does that mean for me 2013 will be a good year? I couldn’t tell you; there’s only One who knows what tomorrow will bring. I do realize it would be wise of me to have some plans, some goals, and perhaps even a few resolutions to start this new year.
My resolutions will include all the obvious ones like eat healthier, lose weight, exercise more, drink more water, get my house in order, start some new programs at work, be a better wife, mother, nana and so on and so forth or yadda, yadda, yadda…..as they say. Oh yeah, and one more thing, I’d really like a new car this year, which means either make more money, save more money, or win the lottery (which I never play) so that won’t work.
Yes, I’ll probably work toward all those obvious goals, but this coming year I want to focus on some areas that are really more important than all of those put together. I met a young lady this year who has gone through quite a few struggles in her family and yet, through it all, she has been an inspiration to me. If I can take a page from Erin’s book, this year I want to inspire, encourage, love and be a blessing to those with whom I come in contact. And, I want to do that while keeping life as simple as can be, and most of all to be very thankful. You see, I am a very blessed. May 2013 be the year of being a blessing to others!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Marriage Forces Sale
I never cease to be amazed at how much stuff two or three people can accumulate over a period of 40 plus years. Now that I'm trying to clean out and get rid of unnecessary items I am finding so many things I forgot I ever had. Some of it is easily disposed of based on the fact that it serves absolutely no usefulness whatsoever. Some of it, I must admit has some sentimental value and parting with those things is a little more difficult. Then, there are those endless pictures and newspaper clippings that really slow down this cleaning out process. Let's face it, there's no way to just put those aside without reading the articles all over again while at the same time laughing hysterically at some of the pictures from "the old days."
I have found letters to the editor I've written (can't believe they actually published those), engagement and shower articles, obituaries, softball writeups when I was still playing, and anything else where a family member or friend was mentioned.
One clipping, which was a classified ad, captured my attention as it brought back memories of our engagement. C.W. and I had recently gotten engaged after dating for only 3 months. When I met C.W. he was driving a sporty 1968 Corvette convertible, but shortly before becoming engaged he traded for a 1969 Grand Prix. My mother asked me why he was getting a family car. Little did she know that a Grand Prix was not exactly a family vehicle. It was still a pretty sporty car and we both liked that car a lot. So, you can imagine our surprise when C.W. started getting calls about selling it. People were calling asking how much he wanted for the car. When he told the people calling that the car was not for sale, they informed him there was an advertisement for the sale of the car in The Jackson Sun. There was an immediate run to find that paper and sure enough, there it was......an ad reading "Marriage Forces Sale."
I don't recall how C.W. determined which one of his good friends had gone to such lengths to help us sell a car we didn't want to sell, but the suspicion fell toward Brodie Morgan fairly quickly. Sure enough, he was indeed the culprit. Once the calls about the car stopped we did have quite a chuckle over Brodie's prank. I'll attach a copy of the ad since it was rather humorous.
Thanks Brodie for making us laugh all over again.
I have found letters to the editor I've written (can't believe they actually published those), engagement and shower articles, obituaries, softball writeups when I was still playing, and anything else where a family member or friend was mentioned.
One clipping, which was a classified ad, captured my attention as it brought back memories of our engagement. C.W. and I had recently gotten engaged after dating for only 3 months. When I met C.W. he was driving a sporty 1968 Corvette convertible, but shortly before becoming engaged he traded for a 1969 Grand Prix. My mother asked me why he was getting a family car. Little did she know that a Grand Prix was not exactly a family vehicle. It was still a pretty sporty car and we both liked that car a lot. So, you can imagine our surprise when C.W. started getting calls about selling it. People were calling asking how much he wanted for the car. When he told the people calling that the car was not for sale, they informed him there was an advertisement for the sale of the car in The Jackson Sun. There was an immediate run to find that paper and sure enough, there it was......an ad reading "Marriage Forces Sale."
I don't recall how C.W. determined which one of his good friends had gone to such lengths to help us sell a car we didn't want to sell, but the suspicion fell toward Brodie Morgan fairly quickly. Sure enough, he was indeed the culprit. Once the calls about the car stopped we did have quite a chuckle over Brodie's prank. I'll attach a copy of the ad since it was rather humorous.
Thanks Brodie for making us laugh all over again.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Grandparents
Now that I'm reconnecting with many of my former classmates via Facebook, I'm finding one common thread. Most of us like to talk about our grandchildren. Before I joined this most elite group I had been told by friends who had already attained this status that I was in for the time of my life. Boy, were they ever right on! Are you aware that there is so much emphasis on grandparents nowadays that they've even created the holiday "Grandparent's Day" to celebrate this most elite group of people? Okay, let's get real.....we know it was a ploy of Hallmark to sell more cards, but now that I am one....I'm going to celebrate it!
I can't help but think of my own grandparents and what wonderful memories I have of the time I got to spend with them. I remember as a child how I dreaded going to visit my daddy's parents who lived "way out in the country." We had to travel over those rickety old bridges that looked as though they were going to cave in the minute your vehicle crossed over that first board. Once we were there, I started looking forward to lunch or dinner as they called the noon meal. Since the men got to eat first, then the women, and finally the children, you were lucky if you got one of the homemade biscuits. Even cold, they were worth the wait. I've never quite understood why the men ate first even though I was told it had something to do with the fact that they had to work out in the tobacco field. Can you imagine these days making the children wait 'til everyone else had finished? I learned to love vegetables there, but who wouldn't? They put sugar in the beans, etc. It was like eating candy. Now, could it be that somehow that had something to do with the fact that my daddy's entire family was not only obese, but all of them developed diabetes and heart disease?
Another novelty for me on those trips was drinking well water from a dipper. Of course, at that age I didn't think about all the germs we were sharing. I do recall not drinking too much because that would certainly mean a trip to the outhouse, and being a city girl that was not something I enjoyed. I not only learned very early in life that the Sears catalog had other purposes than just an order book, but also that wasps like to make their nests right under the seat....OUCH!!!
My "Granny," with whom I share some physical features, lived with my aunt in the city so I got to see her a little more often. I remember watching her read her Bible with a magnifying glass because her eyesight was so poor. Granny was one of those people that if you knew her, you loved her.
I suppose most all of us have unique recollections of our grandparents, but now we're the ones living the stories that our grandchildren will tell someday. I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with my grandchildren, Luke and Lauren. Someday Lauren will tell her children about singing songs with Nana, Pop pulling her up the street in the wagon, hours of making things out of play dough, even more hours playing school, and all those books we read and movies we watched at bedtime when she would spend the night. Luke will have his own memories of countless puzzles, building things out of Lincoln logs, playing ball outside, and winning at air hockey. And yes, he'd better win. He has the most competitive nature; where do you suppose he got that? Hmmm....I'm not telling.
Although I find it most difficult to put into words what being a grandparent is like, I feel privileged to have that title. So, when the first Sunday after Labor Day rolls around and Hallmark reminds us that it's Grandparent's Day, I'll not only be remembering my grandparents, but I'll also be celebrating the fact that I am so blessed to be one.
I can't help but think of my own grandparents and what wonderful memories I have of the time I got to spend with them. I remember as a child how I dreaded going to visit my daddy's parents who lived "way out in the country." We had to travel over those rickety old bridges that looked as though they were going to cave in the minute your vehicle crossed over that first board. Once we were there, I started looking forward to lunch or dinner as they called the noon meal. Since the men got to eat first, then the women, and finally the children, you were lucky if you got one of the homemade biscuits. Even cold, they were worth the wait. I've never quite understood why the men ate first even though I was told it had something to do with the fact that they had to work out in the tobacco field. Can you imagine these days making the children wait 'til everyone else had finished? I learned to love vegetables there, but who wouldn't? They put sugar in the beans, etc. It was like eating candy. Now, could it be that somehow that had something to do with the fact that my daddy's entire family was not only obese, but all of them developed diabetes and heart disease?
Another novelty for me on those trips was drinking well water from a dipper. Of course, at that age I didn't think about all the germs we were sharing. I do recall not drinking too much because that would certainly mean a trip to the outhouse, and being a city girl that was not something I enjoyed. I not only learned very early in life that the Sears catalog had other purposes than just an order book, but also that wasps like to make their nests right under the seat....OUCH!!!
My "Granny," with whom I share some physical features, lived with my aunt in the city so I got to see her a little more often. I remember watching her read her Bible with a magnifying glass because her eyesight was so poor. Granny was one of those people that if you knew her, you loved her.
I suppose most all of us have unique recollections of our grandparents, but now we're the ones living the stories that our grandchildren will tell someday. I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with my grandchildren, Luke and Lauren. Someday Lauren will tell her children about singing songs with Nana, Pop pulling her up the street in the wagon, hours of making things out of play dough, even more hours playing school, and all those books we read and movies we watched at bedtime when she would spend the night. Luke will have his own memories of countless puzzles, building things out of Lincoln logs, playing ball outside, and winning at air hockey. And yes, he'd better win. He has the most competitive nature; where do you suppose he got that? Hmmm....I'm not telling.
Although I find it most difficult to put into words what being a grandparent is like, I feel privileged to have that title. So, when the first Sunday after Labor Day rolls around and Hallmark reminds us that it's Grandparent's Day, I'll not only be remembering my grandparents, but I'll also be celebrating the fact that I am so blessed to be one.
Monday, March 15, 2010
My Favorite Teachers
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have enjoyed Facebook for several reasons. One of the benefits of Facebook is seeing pictures of friends with whom you went to school. Some classes are even using Facebook as a tool for locating classmates for reunions. As I look at some of the pictures people have posted of my classes, especially my first grade class, my thoughts turned to some of the teachers who had such an impact on my life. I started out by brilliantly skipping kindergarten and going straight to the first grade. My first teacher, Mrs. Fowlkes, was just about the sweetest person ever known, but she did seem rather old. Now, she probably wasn't, but I was only six so most everyone seemed old to me.
Naturally, I gathered from my first grade experience that all teachers would be sweet and nice. Then came the second grade and well, I suppose that teacher should remain nameless. I remember vividly the day we came in from recess (now, that's a word from the past, but play period didn't seem to be the right word either) and before we got seated in our assigned seats, our teacher informed us that she had a surprise for us. She told all the boys that she wanted them to line up in front of the class. At this point she proceeded to paddle each boy in that line. I don't remember what terrible sin they must have committed, but I thought the girls might be next. She did paddle two girls during that year as I recall, and no, I wasn't one of them. I was very much the sweet innocent little girl back then....excuse me, did I hear someone clearing their throat? One of those unfortunate girls is a dear friend and I imagine she remembers that day quite well. By the way as far as we knew, that teacher ended her career with our class....and I don't think it was her choice.
After suffering through that most traumatic year, I was relieved when I started the third year with a teacher whose name was Barbara Williams. Of course, I thought she had the most beautiful first name and since my boyfriend's last name was Williams I figured this must be some sort of omen, although I didn't have a clue what an omen was, but it did seem to be fate for me to have this teacher. Even more special than her name was the fact that she really must have liked me. During rest period (nap time) she would give me money, then send me across the street to the little family-owned candy shop to buy her some homemade candy. I was always rewarded for my efforts with a piece of stick candy.
Fourth grade proved to be another banner year. My teacher was Pat Randolph. Not only was she young and pretty, she was a tremendous teacher. I was also fortunate to have Ms. Randolph later on as my Girl Scout leader. I feel for anyone who didn't have the opportunity to be in one of her classes; she was truly amazing and I understand is still among the favorites of so many who were blessed to have her as their teacher.
Junior High brought only one favorite teacher who was Mary Louise Arnold...my PE teacher. She too was young and probably right out of college. I don't think she cared much for discipline although she did threaten it on occasions. I liked to push her buttons just to see how far I could go before being punished. I think I presented quite a challenge for her.
High School was the time when most of my interests involved band and band trips. I liked to sit in study hall and read medical books about surgeries, etc., but other than that I wasn't too interested in History and the other subjects. My parents placed practically no emphasis on grades as long as I passed so I lived up to their expectations and PASSED! I guess that's why when I went back to college I felt it very important to have a 4.0 average. I needed to prove that I was smart enough if I just applied myself. But, I digress....back to high school....I had two teachers who made quite an impression on my life. Margaret Shelton taught me how to type, and as much as I hated those horrible timed tests, I am a pretty good typist to this day because of them.....you're looking for the errors now, aren't you? Edyth Worthy was my PE teacher and there aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe her dedication to her profession and her students. She was indeed one of a kind.
So, to all of you teachers both past and present, I salute you! Thank you for your devotion and commitment to molding the lives of so many students.
Naturally, I gathered from my first grade experience that all teachers would be sweet and nice. Then came the second grade and well, I suppose that teacher should remain nameless. I remember vividly the day we came in from recess (now, that's a word from the past, but play period didn't seem to be the right word either) and before we got seated in our assigned seats, our teacher informed us that she had a surprise for us. She told all the boys that she wanted them to line up in front of the class. At this point she proceeded to paddle each boy in that line. I don't remember what terrible sin they must have committed, but I thought the girls might be next. She did paddle two girls during that year as I recall, and no, I wasn't one of them. I was very much the sweet innocent little girl back then....excuse me, did I hear someone clearing their throat? One of those unfortunate girls is a dear friend and I imagine she remembers that day quite well. By the way as far as we knew, that teacher ended her career with our class....and I don't think it was her choice.
After suffering through that most traumatic year, I was relieved when I started the third year with a teacher whose name was Barbara Williams. Of course, I thought she had the most beautiful first name and since my boyfriend's last name was Williams I figured this must be some sort of omen, although I didn't have a clue what an omen was, but it did seem to be fate for me to have this teacher. Even more special than her name was the fact that she really must have liked me. During rest period (nap time) she would give me money, then send me across the street to the little family-owned candy shop to buy her some homemade candy. I was always rewarded for my efforts with a piece of stick candy.
Fourth grade proved to be another banner year. My teacher was Pat Randolph. Not only was she young and pretty, she was a tremendous teacher. I was also fortunate to have Ms. Randolph later on as my Girl Scout leader. I feel for anyone who didn't have the opportunity to be in one of her classes; she was truly amazing and I understand is still among the favorites of so many who were blessed to have her as their teacher.
Junior High brought only one favorite teacher who was Mary Louise Arnold...my PE teacher. She too was young and probably right out of college. I don't think she cared much for discipline although she did threaten it on occasions. I liked to push her buttons just to see how far I could go before being punished. I think I presented quite a challenge for her.
High School was the time when most of my interests involved band and band trips. I liked to sit in study hall and read medical books about surgeries, etc., but other than that I wasn't too interested in History and the other subjects. My parents placed practically no emphasis on grades as long as I passed so I lived up to their expectations and PASSED! I guess that's why when I went back to college I felt it very important to have a 4.0 average. I needed to prove that I was smart enough if I just applied myself. But, I digress....back to high school....I had two teachers who made quite an impression on my life. Margaret Shelton taught me how to type, and as much as I hated those horrible timed tests, I am a pretty good typist to this day because of them.....you're looking for the errors now, aren't you? Edyth Worthy was my PE teacher and there aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe her dedication to her profession and her students. She was indeed one of a kind.
So, to all of you teachers both past and present, I salute you! Thank you for your devotion and commitment to molding the lives of so many students.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
25 Random Things About Me
This was originally posted as a note on Facebook in January, 2009. Thought it needed to be on my Blog. It gives a little more insight into who I am.
1. I have been married 43 years to the most wonderful husband in the world. We dated for three months, got engaged and got married three months later.
2. I have a beautiful daughter named Kim who outside of her three rather major wrecks never gave us cause to worry.
3. I have a son-in-law named Richie who is a wonderful husband to my daughter and a great father to my grandchildren.
4. I have the most brilliant, beautiful, and talented grandchildren in the world, Lauren who is 12 and Luke who is 9.
5. I love singing with my daughter, but we're pretty traditional so we don't get the opportunity to sing together much anymore.
6. I've had some interesting jobs including positions with Nintendo, Hersheys, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
7. I have been on the opposite side of the country.....Pattaya, Thailand.
8. I was once kissed by Duncan Renaldo, who was better known as The Cisco Kid.
9. I had to be on crutches for the first time in my life at age 60....not fun!
10. I loved playing softball, but played so hard that I was a frequent ER visitor. And, I still have a dent in my shin put there by Ann Pollard when she hit a line drive that found its way to my leg. And, it found it in a hurry. That was one of my visits to the ER.....thought my leg was broken.
11. I love to read, but don't care much for fiction.
12. I can't sew a lick.
13. I am blessed with wonderful friends.
14. I have an "older" sister (she hates for me to say that) and a younger brother.
15. When it comes to driving, I tend to have a lead foot, but only one speeding ticket in my life. And I'm not a very patient driver.
16. I once punched a very tall man in the kidney at Disney World.
17. As a child, I set a whole lot of yards on fire when I walked to the store carrying some new sparklers....guess it was the dry season. When I was on my way home, people were out in their yards wondering how the fires started.
18. My mother died when I was a year old so I never knew her, but her pictures were beautiful. And, it would appear I may have some of her personality.
19. Growing up I spent every weekend with my mother's first cousin and she was a very important part of my life along with her daughter Joan.
20. My favorite vacation spots are Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Disney World.
21. My favorite movie is The Sound of Music. I saw it 17 times while it was still in the theaters. Every time I had a new date I told him I had heard it was good so we went to see it. Kim and I can pretty much quote the whole movie verbatim.
22. I love to dance, but don't tell anyone 'cause I'm Baptist, you know.
23. I love public speaking....go figure!
24. I played clarinet in the band.
25. My best friend calls me "Doody" which is short for Doodyhead.
1. I have been married 43 years to the most wonderful husband in the world. We dated for three months, got engaged and got married three months later.
2. I have a beautiful daughter named Kim who outside of her three rather major wrecks never gave us cause to worry.
3. I have a son-in-law named Richie who is a wonderful husband to my daughter and a great father to my grandchildren.
4. I have the most brilliant, beautiful, and talented grandchildren in the world, Lauren who is 12 and Luke who is 9.
5. I love singing with my daughter, but we're pretty traditional so we don't get the opportunity to sing together much anymore.
6. I've had some interesting jobs including positions with Nintendo, Hersheys, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
7. I have been on the opposite side of the country.....Pattaya, Thailand.
8. I was once kissed by Duncan Renaldo, who was better known as The Cisco Kid.
9. I had to be on crutches for the first time in my life at age 60....not fun!
10. I loved playing softball, but played so hard that I was a frequent ER visitor. And, I still have a dent in my shin put there by Ann Pollard when she hit a line drive that found its way to my leg. And, it found it in a hurry. That was one of my visits to the ER.....thought my leg was broken.
11. I love to read, but don't care much for fiction.
12. I can't sew a lick.
13. I am blessed with wonderful friends.
14. I have an "older" sister (she hates for me to say that) and a younger brother.
15. When it comes to driving, I tend to have a lead foot, but only one speeding ticket in my life. And I'm not a very patient driver.
16. I once punched a very tall man in the kidney at Disney World.
17. As a child, I set a whole lot of yards on fire when I walked to the store carrying some new sparklers....guess it was the dry season. When I was on my way home, people were out in their yards wondering how the fires started.
18. My mother died when I was a year old so I never knew her, but her pictures were beautiful. And, it would appear I may have some of her personality.
19. Growing up I spent every weekend with my mother's first cousin and she was a very important part of my life along with her daughter Joan.
20. My favorite vacation spots are Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Disney World.
21. My favorite movie is The Sound of Music. I saw it 17 times while it was still in the theaters. Every time I had a new date I told him I had heard it was good so we went to see it. Kim and I can pretty much quote the whole movie verbatim.
22. I love to dance, but don't tell anyone 'cause I'm Baptist, you know.
23. I love public speaking....go figure!
24. I played clarinet in the band.
25. My best friend calls me "Doody" which is short for Doodyhead.
Daylight Saving Time
You know someone is going to write about it so it might as well be me. In doing my research to find out more about this subject I read an interesting quote, and I wish I knew who wrote it, but I don't. They said, "Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun." I thought that was a pretty interesting observation by someone, and since my friend loves sunflowers I wanted to include it.
How many of you have already thought I misspelled the second word? Ever since we've known anything about this horrible day in which we lose time, I have called it Daylight Savings Time, which I recently learned is incorrect. There is no "s" on Saving. It is a verbal adjective (participle) which actually modifies time. So, what we are trying to say in using this term is that we are saving time, which is totally ridiculous. How do you save time when you lose it? What we are doing is adjusting time or as some would say shifting it. Many have said it makes more sense to say we're shifting time from morning to afternoon, so why not call it Daylight Shifting Time? We could use the same initials DST, therefore being more correct in what we're actually doing.
So, who came up with this brilliant idea to mess around with our daylight time? There's all kinds of history on the subject, but frankly, I never did care much for history so I don't intend to read it. I do know that Ben Franklin's name is thrown around as having been the one who originally conceived the idea to "save time." Good 'ole Ben had some great ideas throughout his lifetime, but I'm not so sure this was one of them. I mean, really now, does anyone like losing a precious hour, and usually an hour that is used for rest or sleep?
And, don't we like to blame the addition of Daylight Saving Time on everything that happens from now 'til we change back in the Fall? Tomorrow when I'm at work and I yawn for whatever reason, I can assure you I'll blame it on DST. When I'm tired at the end of the day, I'll again blame it on losing that one hour. If I eat a larger than normal lunch tomorrow, of course I'll say it's because of DST. Get the picture........no matter what you do or don't do for weeks to come, we can blame it all on losing that hour one Saturday night in March.
So, whatever comes up tomorrow or the days following that appear a little out of the norm, be sure and blame it on DST; I certainly plan on doing just that. Whew, I am so sleepy right now....must be that lost hour!
How many of you have already thought I misspelled the second word? Ever since we've known anything about this horrible day in which we lose time, I have called it Daylight Savings Time, which I recently learned is incorrect. There is no "s" on Saving. It is a verbal adjective (participle) which actually modifies time. So, what we are trying to say in using this term is that we are saving time, which is totally ridiculous. How do you save time when you lose it? What we are doing is adjusting time or as some would say shifting it. Many have said it makes more sense to say we're shifting time from morning to afternoon, so why not call it Daylight Shifting Time? We could use the same initials DST, therefore being more correct in what we're actually doing.
So, who came up with this brilliant idea to mess around with our daylight time? There's all kinds of history on the subject, but frankly, I never did care much for history so I don't intend to read it. I do know that Ben Franklin's name is thrown around as having been the one who originally conceived the idea to "save time." Good 'ole Ben had some great ideas throughout his lifetime, but I'm not so sure this was one of them. I mean, really now, does anyone like losing a precious hour, and usually an hour that is used for rest or sleep?
And, don't we like to blame the addition of Daylight Saving Time on everything that happens from now 'til we change back in the Fall? Tomorrow when I'm at work and I yawn for whatever reason, I can assure you I'll blame it on DST. When I'm tired at the end of the day, I'll again blame it on losing that one hour. If I eat a larger than normal lunch tomorrow, of course I'll say it's because of DST. Get the picture........no matter what you do or don't do for weeks to come, we can blame it all on losing that hour one Saturday night in March.
So, whatever comes up tomorrow or the days following that appear a little out of the norm, be sure and blame it on DST; I certainly plan on doing just that. Whew, I am so sleepy right now....must be that lost hour!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Drive-In Movies
In the early 1930's, Richard Hollingshead nailed a bed sheet between two trees, put a 1928 movie projector on the hood of his car, and placed a radio behind the screen for sound. Several experiments later, the first drive-in movie debuted in Camden, New Jersey on June 6, 1933. The first movie was "Wife Beware." It wasn't until after the Second World War that drive-ins really spread across the country. By 1950, the patronage of drive-ins exceeded indoor theatres, and peaked in 1958 at 5,000 theatres. Even with a slight resurgence, less than 500 are still in operation today.
Drive-in movies provided a cheap night out for families. Not only did you not have to pay a baby sitter, you could also take the kids in their pajamas so they were ready for bed when you got home. I was quite young when I had my first encounter with a drive-in theatre. My entire family, including my aunt, had gone to the drive-in, but at the conclusion of the movie we discovered that our car would not start. My guess is we left our parking lights on and had a dead battery. I got very upset and cried because I was afraid we would have to stay there all night. I remember my daddy and others pushing the car hoping to get it started. That must have worked because I don't remember them pushing it all the way home.
As traumatic as that first experience was, my best memory of a drive-in movie is that my husband proposed to me at the drive-in theatre in Humboldt, TN. His exact words were, "Do you think we ought to get married?" Now, wasn't that romantic? I was so shocked that I couldn't speak for a few minutes, and by the time I realized what just happened I said a resounding, "Yes!" By that time, he had time to think about what he just said and proceeded to inform me that we shouldn't rush into anything. Well, it was too late for that. Three months later we were married, and have remained married for over 43 years. So you see, I think the drive-in movie was a pretty special place.
Drive-in movies provided a cheap night out for families. Not only did you not have to pay a baby sitter, you could also take the kids in their pajamas so they were ready for bed when you got home. I was quite young when I had my first encounter with a drive-in theatre. My entire family, including my aunt, had gone to the drive-in, but at the conclusion of the movie we discovered that our car would not start. My guess is we left our parking lights on and had a dead battery. I got very upset and cried because I was afraid we would have to stay there all night. I remember my daddy and others pushing the car hoping to get it started. That must have worked because I don't remember them pushing it all the way home.
As traumatic as that first experience was, my best memory of a drive-in movie is that my husband proposed to me at the drive-in theatre in Humboldt, TN. His exact words were, "Do you think we ought to get married?" Now, wasn't that romantic? I was so shocked that I couldn't speak for a few minutes, and by the time I realized what just happened I said a resounding, "Yes!" By that time, he had time to think about what he just said and proceeded to inform me that we shouldn't rush into anything. Well, it was too late for that. Three months later we were married, and have remained married for over 43 years. So you see, I think the drive-in movie was a pretty special place.
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