Category Archives: friends

Request & Update

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Harold & Judy

Yesterday I started a post when I heard about an accident that happened a couple of miles from here.  I wrote: “My friend Harold was in his van when it was struck by a semi truck this morning.  Harold was pinned in the vehicle and it took rescuers some time to get him out.  Fortunately his wife, Judy, was not with him.  The good news is that I just saw the Aero Med helicopter flying him to the hospital in Grand Rapids.”

Just a few minutes later, our friend, Carmen, called from the scene to say that Harold did not survive the accident.  Harold was a very special guy and a good friend.  He was quick to help when something needed to be done.  He will be greatly missed by those of us who knew him.

Briana

Tuesday evening, the Falcons varsity beat the Rams 6 to 4.  (The Falcons JV lost their contest 16 to 4.)  Briana scored three goals in a very exciting contest.

Last week, I failed to report an unusual goal that one of Briana’s teammates, Tory, scored.  Tory fired in a shot toward the right side of the net.  Unfortunately, the shot was just a little bit wide and so it ricocheted off the frame.  The ball came back at a 45-degree angle where it collided with the back of the goalie’s head.  There was enough power on the shot that it flew off the goalie’s head into the back of the net.  I’d love to see that one on a replay.

Tonight the Falcons meet the Huskies of Portage Northern High School in the East Kentwood pool.  Sylvia and I plan to be there in full grandparent mode.  I’ll probably brag about this later.

Blogger Buds ~ Lydia & Patricia

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Lydia

The first blogger bud I want to tell you about today is Lydia.  She will celebrate her one month blog anniversary on Friday.  She is in High School and you may already know her mother, Autie E.

Here’s what she has to say about herself:

“I’m just a teenager who loves to ramble, rant and rave. I love to take pictures, and experience new things. I’m a chocoholic, and I love life. They say high school will be the best years of your life, so here’s my random ramblings from the best years of my life.”

I think you’ll agree that she is a talented young lady.  Do stop by her blog, Ramblings From Lyd, and leave a comment with a word of encouragement.  Consider adding her to your blog list and encourage others to visit.

Patricia

When I started blogging at the beginning of last year, my sister Clara would rave about a blog called Subjective Soup.  On that blog, Patricia shares some of her adventures.  They are frequently very funny and usually make you think.  In other words, you really should stop by for a visit on a regular basis.

Patricia is retired from teaching.  I believe her specialty was communications.  She has a second blog that is a bit more serious, and it should be required reading for every blogger.  It is called Communication Exchange.  Perhaps it is because I’m a graduate of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences of Michigan State University that I find this blog so interesting.  But I think it is really because it is captivating with a lot of insight from an experienced professional who can write an compelling story.

Recently she invited her readers to suggest topics for her.  I took up the invitation and made a suggestion — really it was a question.  Patricia has answered that question here.  Thanks again Patricia.  You’ve confirmed what I had suspected — women are different than men.  I mean in the way they process humor.

Saturday Song ~ Singing Glory

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A visit to Jo’s blog at Life’s Perfect Pictures is part of my daily routine.  Last July, she sang in her church and then posted the video so that we could all share in the blessing.  So here’s the song (lyrics below):

Here are the lyrics to help you follow:

One day eyes that are blind will see you clearly
And one day all who deny will finally believe
One day hearts made of stone will break in pieces
And one day chains once unbroken will fall down at your feet
So we wait for that one day come quickly

Chorus
We want to see your Glory
Every knee falls down before thee
Every tongue offers you praise
With every hand raised
Singing Glory
To you and unto you only
We’ll sing Glory to Your name

One day voices that lie will all be silent
One day all that’s divided will be whole again
One day death will retreat and wave it’s white flag
One day love will defeat the strongest enemy
So we wait for that one day come quickly

Chorus

We know not the day or the hour
Or the moments in between
But we know the end of the story
When we’ll see

Chorus

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday.  Isn’t this a nice song to prepare us for that day?

The Envelope, Part 3

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I apologize for the photo I posted yesterday.  Not even family members could pick me out of that lineup.  I’m still searching for the 5th grade individual photo.  In an effort to atone for my bad, here is a photo from first grade.

Click on the photo to see it enlarged.  My friend, Duane is in the third row.  He is the fourth one from the left.  Can you find me this time?

Do you think I deserve this award?

Please say, No.

The Envelope, Part 2

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Yesterday on the Duck and Wheel, Lin posted “The Envelope Please . . .”  Her mom had given Lin an envelope with some photos.  One of the photos in that packet was of Lin’s 4th grade class.  She proceeded to challenge her readers to identify her mug shot from the group.  It was a lot of fun, and some of us managed to correctly identify the young Lin.

I don’t have a class picture from 4th grade, but I do have one from fifth grade. Can you identify me in the photo?

I’ll give you two hints.  First, I’m not a girl.  Second, there is something similar about my photo and Lin’s. 

Okay, one more hint.  I’m not the guy in the fifth row on the far right.  That was Duane C, who was a special friend. He saved me from drowning in Lake Michigan when we were in High School.  He joined the US Marine Corps and afterward was a policeman and public safety officer in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Duane died just before our class’ 50 year reunion.  There are tears in my eyes as I write this.

Cool Mama Evelyn

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I have a friend and neighbor, Connie, who regularly reads this blog. I saw her at church on Sunday and she told me how much she enjoyed the Cool Mama contest. She went on to say that she had a cool mama too. I said, “Why don’t you send me her picture and maybe I’ll put it on the blog.” Connie did just that, and she sent me a little bit about her mother, Evelyn and her Aunt Barbara.

Connie’s cool mama, Evelyn.



Here’s the story: “My Grandma’s family was Amish until they broke away from the Amish religion when she was a young teen.  There are no pictures of her family until after they broke away from the Amish.  That is, other than Grandma’s sister, Fanny, who snuck out with some kids and went to town and got pictures taken in one of those picture booths.  She took the pictures home and hid them in her bedroom.  Great Grandpa found out about the pictures and demanded she bring that envelope downstairs and throw it in the fire.  She did bring the envelope down, but it did not contain the pictures.  She threw the envelope in the fire and he assumed the pictures had been burned.  It was after that when they broke away from the Amish.  After that there were lots of pictures taken.

My grandparents lived in the country over in the Midland, Michigan area when my Mom and Aunt Barbara were kids. T hey went to a one-room country school.  Barbara writes:  ‘There was a recitation bench that we went up to when our grade was called up front to have our lesson or whatever.  The school had a big stove in the middle of the room toward the front which was our heat in the room in the winter.  We used to bring a potato to school and the teacher would put it in the ashes then at lunch time we had a good baked potato hot out of the stove.’ 

Evelyn and Barbara didn’t get an allowance like other kids got.  That’s why they were anxious to get jobs after high school to earn some money of their own.   My Mother (Evelyn) went to work at the Telephone Company in Battle Creek.  Grandma didn’t want Evelyn to live alone so Aunt Barbara got a job at Newberry’s Dime Store and they lived together.  

Evelyn and Barbara



These pictures don’t have dates written on them, but they have to be from the mid 1940’s.  Two young ladies dressed in the latest style.”

Aren’t moms great? Thank God for them. And thank you Connie for sharing with us a little about your mother.

Hap ~ 2

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Sharkbytes, a very good friend, has once again demonstrated unmitigated brilliance and creativity in explaning the relationship between “Hap” and the four-leaf clover. In case you missed her comment, here’s what she had to say about last Friday’s post:
HAP is an acronym for Hazardous Air Pollutant. I can see that the shamrock has been out in the sunshine and has developed a couple of spots. Those spots are cancerous and were caused by the reaction of sunlight with the HAP!

Well, Brilliant and creative it is. Correct it isn’t. Hap is another word for luck or fortune, and everyone knows that a four-leaf clover is a sign of good luck. and those spots are from a bright sunburst. Another good thing — especially this time of year in our part of Michigan.

My post ended with the report that Midnight had come inside for the first time. So “hap” was a question. Was it luck and fortune for Midnight to be inside with company instead of alone in the barn in the cold of winter? Was it good for us not to wade through the snow drifts to take food and water to the barn?

Day one (Friday) ended with a tired kitty. Sylvia and I had cuts from those razor claws on our hands. Saturday found Midnight a tired kitty and he wasn’t too active until late in the day. Sunday he was rested and had a lot of fun. In the afternoon, I asked Sylvia where Midnight was. She said she’d put a ping pong ball in the tub as Lin had suggested. Thanks bud, that was a great idea! I found him there having a ball playing with the ping pong ball. Check it out.

As you can see the action was fast and furious. Who could believe that three and a half pounds of black action could move like that?

In the meantime, we are all being trained. The outlook is good.

Another Award Received ~ Best Blog Award

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Last week, Secondary Roads was given an award by Barbara Rae at Goal for the Green. I visit her blog from time-to-time, but I was very surprised by this kind and generous act. Thanks Barbara for the Best Blog Award.

The rules of the award state that you must post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted you this award and a link to his/her blog.
Pass the award on to 15 other blogs you have recently discovered, and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers you’ve awarded to let them know they have been chosen.
So, here are my choices, based on my personal, subjective and opinionated reasons. It is my belief,  that you ought to visit these sites, as each one is sure to offer interesting and well-presented content on a regular basis.
I sorted the list into alphabetical order, because each one of these blogs is special in its own way. Please visit them soon and regularly. Thanks.

Stealing a Stolen Meme

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I saw this meme at the Freaky Frugalite. It looked like fun, so I stole it. Freaky said it used to be 33 questions, but she posted the ones she was interested in. So I’ve used the same ones that she did.

What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
A Tootsie Roll — one of those itsy-bitsy ones.

Where was your profile picture taken?
In front of my garage.

Can you play Guitar Hero?
I have, but I’m not very good at it.  Shaky arthritic hands can’t keep up with the younger folks, but they can still have fun.

Name someone who made you laugh today.
The black kitten as it frolicked on the driveway. That kitten is hyper.

How late did you stay up last night and why?
I try to get to bed shortly after 10 PM, but it’s usually closer to 11. I seem to need at least 9 hours of sleep each night.

If you could move somewhere else where would you and why?
I’m really satisfied living here. Of the other places I’ve lived, I like San José, Costa Rica the best.  The climate is as close to perfect as you can get.

Do you like Dr. Pepper?
Not really. Pepsi is the soft drink of choice, but I like coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day.

Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
Without a doubt.  Itsy-bitsy Tootsie Rolls aren’t a drug, right?

When was the last time you cried really hard?
I think I’ve only cried really hard twice. The first was when my cousin, Bruce, died after trying to retrieve a Sunday School paper from the burning trash. Only my grandmother could comfort me. The second, and last time, was when she died. They had lived next door to us for many years.

Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Sylvia as she was sketching a peony for a painting that she is now working on.

Was yesterday better than today? Why?
No. Yesterday was another day — just like all the rest, it was filled with its share of joy and sadness. And like yesterday, today is ripe with possibilities and opportunities to live, to learn, to love and to be.

Can you live a day without TV?
Yes, but having a DVR is cheating, isn’t it? There are only a handful of programs that I watch. I could do without it. I have a high-speed (broadband) Internet connection and with Hulu and the network feeds, why does one need TV?  (Answer: Hulu doesn’t provide closed captioning.)

Are you upset about anything now?
Yes, I’ve caught a skunk in the live trap. Now, I have to deal with that. Okay I’m not upset, but then I’m not exactly happy.

Are you a bad influence?
I certainly hope not. Please don’t visit while I watch the news. I’m apt to say something impolite to the TV set. Fortunately, I can do without it and frequently do.

Night out or night in?
In!

What items could you not go without during the day?
Time for reading and reflection.

Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
My friend and neighbor the hog farmer (I think it was). He came and visited me later when I had my gall bladder removed.

What does the last text message in your inbox say?
I don’t use text messaging. I don’t own a cell phone. I’m old-fashioned– I use email! A couple of years ago, my son sent me a text message as an e-mail from his cell phone. I forget what it was about.

How do you feel about your life right now?
I feel good. I have a loving wife, wonderful family, and I have found peace with God.

Do you hate anyone?
No, I don’t. I do however, get upset with people in positions of power and responsibility who tell lies and make wrong-headed decisions.

If we were to look in your Facebook inbox, what would we find?
Nothing. I don’t do Facebook. My time is consumed with blogging. All of our technology makes a great servant but a very poor master.

Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
No. Is that what you are saying? In the Bible the word “perfect” means finished or completed. It appears that I’m still a work in progress, and the finish isn’t very shiny. I need more polishing.

What song is stuck in your head?
It’s that bluegrass number that I posted Saturday 10/24, Daniel Prayed.

Someone knocks on your window at 2 AM, Whom do you want it to be?
Freaky answered, “Jesus, calling me home. If it’s anyone else, they’re in BIIIIG trouble.” That one works for me too.

Do you (or did you) want to have grandkids before you’re 50?
It would have been okay, but I didn’t and that’s okay too. She came along almost two years after that. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Tell us your Saturday night.
Watch a movie on TV or DVD and go to bed early.

Do you think too much or too little?
Too often, too much. True confession, at first I thought it asked talk (not think). The answer is still the same.

Do you smile a lot?
Yup!

Well, that was fun! At least it was fun for me. Feel free to steal this for yourself and tell the truth about yourself — I did. Be sure to let me know if you do, because I want to read your answers. Thanks.

Welcome to October ~ Or NOT!

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This is the view from our house this morning. The “possibility of frost” has indeed visited and it was a heavy frost for the first one of the season. Only a few jalapeño peppers remained in the garden. I donned a heavy jacket and cap when I went out to the barn to feed the cat.

A Friend in Need

If you are not aware of the situation, visit Jill’s Believe It Or Not. Jill’s sister, Justine, explains what is happening to Jill these days. I join with Justine in requesting your prayers on Jill’s behalf and for her family too. Thanks and God bless.