Happy Birthday Loyal

Today Would Have Been My Brother's Birthday.
He's Not With Us Today Because He Was Killed In An Automobile Accident This Past Summer.
Loyal Was A Wonderful Person Who Always Had a Cheerful Greeting When You Met.
Loyal Was Almost Like The Wind. You Never Knew When The Next Time You Would See Him.
I Am Grateful I Had The Opportunity To Have Been A Part Of Loyal's Life Here On Earth.
I Will Miss Him And Maybe One Day I Will See Him Again.
Today I Light A Candle In His Memory. Thanks For All The Memories Loyal. You Were A Good Friend And A Good Brother.
May You Rest In Peace.

50 Ways You Know You Are In The Danville Area

This Is My Christmas Gift To Those Readers Of My Blogs That Live In Other Parts Of The Country.
Since You Can't Be Home For Christmas Maybe I Can Bring A Little Bit Of Danville To Your Home For The Holidays.
I Just Jotted Down Some Of My Memorable Locations In The Danville Area.
I Hope You Enjoy Taking A Ride Down Memory Lane.

Merry Christmas To All Of Those Who Holds Danville In Their Hearts And Can't Be Home For Christmas.

2008 Headsup! Just A Quick Note That I Will Begin Posting Familiar Photo's Throughout The Danville Area In My Future Blogs. Stay Tuned!



1. You See The 12 Story Bresee Tower In Downtown Danville
2. You Travel Over The Thin And Narrow Parcel Of Land To Get On The Other Side
Of Lake Vermilion.
3. When You Hear People Still Call It Lakeview Hospital.
4. When You Can Alway Get Directions From People On How To Get To Where You Are
Going.

5. It's A Sure Thing It WILL Snow Sometime During The Winter Months.
6. When You See The Victory Monument At Main And Gilbert.
7. Custard Cup
8. The Veterans Hospital & Cemetary.

9. The True Reminder Of The Wildlife At Kickapoo State Park
10.The Road That Travels Over Ellsworth Park
11.Fairchild Street Subway
12.Interstate 74

13.Fair Oaks
14.Mikes Grill
15.Danville High School
16.The Sign That Says; "To Turn Left Make Three Right Turns"
17.Steak N Shake
18.The Only Time You Can See The Mill St Bridge Is In The Winter When The Leaves Are
Off The Tree's.
19.The Winding Road Of Hungry Hollow

20.The One Lane Viaduct On Winter Ave
21.Rhodes & Burford
22.American Legion
23.Georgetown Road
24.Danville Stadium
25.Prescription Shop
26.Images Of Lincoln
27.Saint James Church
28.Harrison Park Golf Course And Snow Hill
29.If You Remember St Elizabeth Hospital
30.Fishing At Horseshoe Lake Behind The Hospital.

31.Little Nugget
32.Fischer Theater
33.Vermilion River
34.Celebrity Signs For The Danville Famous
35.Vermilion County Court House
36.Route 1 Jog From Gilbert, Fairchild To Vermilion North.

37.Madison Square
38.Old A&W Rootbeer Stand
39.Danville Junior College
40 Danville Commercial News
41.Memorial Bridge
42.Vermilion County Museum
43.Springhill Cemetary
44.Labor Day Parade

45.Old Post Office
46.The Three Antenna Towers At WITY
47.The Old Public Library
48.Seeing Clyde At A Danville High Sporting Event.
49.Holiday Hills
50.Danville Care

There Is No Santa Claus??

One Christmas Eve I Sat In The Dark Watching Out The Upstairs Window Waiting To Catch A Glimpse Of Santa Making His Deliveries.
That's When My Life Shattering News Was Delivered To Me By My Brother Tuck. He Simply Told Me To Go To Bed Because There Was No Such Thing As Santa Claus. No Santa?
His Announcement Brought Both Sadness And Joy At The Same Time. I Felt Sad Because I Felt I Lost My Best Friend. However My Joy Came When I Realized My Mom Was In Fact Faithful To My Dad. It Upset Me So When I Would Hear My Mother Sing Along With The Radio As It Played The All Familiar Christmas Songs. The Only One That Bothered Me The Most Was When She Sang "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".
Now I Understood And All Is Well.
Even Though Tuck's Intentions Were Good I Refuse To Believe Him. I Will Always Believe In Santa.

Just A Sidewalk?

Are You Kidding? Think About It. Just My Sidewalk Alone Holds Alot Of Memories.
My Sidewalk Took Me To School Each Day. I First Learned To Ride My Bike There.
That's The Place I Vowed Never To Step On A Crack For Fear In Breaking My Mothers Back!
I Can Remember Old Mr Roth Who Lived Next Door. He Hated The Grass In The Cracks Of The Sidewalk. He Would Pour Gasoline Where The Grass Was Growing And Ignite It And Let It Burn.
I Guess Maybe He Was Too Poor To Buy Grass & Weed Killer. He Would Be Out There Burning The Grass In His Cracks About Every Other Month Or So.
Over The Past 35 Years Or More I Shoveled Several Feet Of Snow From That Sidewalk.
Don't Tell Any Of The Guys But When Things Were Really Boring And I Couldn't Get Up A Game With The Neighbor Kids I Would Hop Scotch On My Sisters Chalked Squares.
A Lemonade/Koolaid Stand Once Stood In Front Of 713 On A Hot Summer Day.
It's Hard To Tell How Many Famous Footsteps Walked Accross That Slab Of Concrete Over The Years.
If Your Sidewalk Could Talk What Would It Have To Say?

100 Things About McGregor

1. I Am The Second Child Born To My Parents.
2. I Am Lefthanded.
3. I Am Red And Green Color Blind.
4. I Was Born Two Weeks Before 5-5-55.
5. I Do Not Like Citris Fruit.
6. I Love Cashews.
7. Cashews Don't Like Me.
8. President Kennedy Was Shot When I Was In The Third Grade.
9. I Am Afraid Of Heights.
10. I Grew A Beard While Serving In The Navy.
11. I Still Have My Beard.
12. I Read The Newspaper From The Back To The Front.
13. Blue Is My Favorite Color.
14. Pink Is My Least Favorite Color.
15. I Married My Childhood Sweetheart.
16. I Hit More Homeruns Than Anyone In Little League In 1967.
17. Number 4 Is My Favorite Number.
18. 666 Is My Least Favorite Number.
19. I Love Bowling, But I Bowl Righthanded.
20. I Love Rummage Sales.
21. I Enjoy Going To Auctions.
22. I Enjoy Giving To Others.
23. I Always Have A Buckeye In My Left Pocket.
24. I Once Found A Needle In A Hay Stack.
25. I Use To Deliver Newspapers.
26. I Will Be Celebrating 10 Years Of Not Smoking In April 2008.
27. I Collect Danville High School Yearbooks.
28. Dick Van Dyke Signed His Senior Photo In My 1944 Yearbook.
29. I Shook Hands With Dick Van Dyke.
30. Jerry Van Dyke Signed His Senior Photo In My 1950 Yearbook.
31. I Shook Hands With Ronald Reagan Before He Became President.
32. My Former Boss Nicknamed Me McGregor.
33. My Hair And Beard Have Gray In It.
34. I Have Epilepsy.
35. My Eyes Are Green.
36. I Had A Bicycle That Was 7 Feet Tall.
37. I Hate Cold Weather.
38. I Love Mushroom Hunting.
39. I Love To Play Euchre.
40. I Enjoy Shooting Pool.
41. I Am The Man From Nantucket.
42. I Still Remember My Childhood Telephone Number.
43. My Father Is A Retired Firefighter.
44. My Mother Collects Smiley Faces.
45. I Love The Smell Of Peanut Butter Fudge.
46. I Love Peanut Butter Fudge:)
47. I Can't Read Without Glasses.
48. I Love Ice Cream
49. I Hate Anything Sour.
50. I Hate Saurkraught.
51. I Went To School With David Crockett And Richard Burton.
52. <<< That's How Old I Am.
53. I Am Not Musically Inclined.
54. I Read The Newspaper Everyday.
55. I Am Addicted To Watching The Weather Report On Television.
56. My Favorite Movie Is First Blood.
57. I Always Wanted TO Learn How To Fly An Airplane.
58. I Am A Die Hard Cub Fan.
59. My Brother Operates Hams.
60. I Love April Fools Day.
61. I Use To Be Terrified Of Fireworks.
62. My Favorite Holiday Is The 4th Of July.
63. My Health Care Provider Is The Veterans Affairs Hospital.
64. I Was A Former Member Of The American Legion.
65. I Raised A Baboon For About Four Years.
66. I Wear A Size 10 Shoe.
67. I Weighed Between 130-135 For More Than 20 years.
68. I Was Rewarded 1.00 For Standing On My Head For A Little Over 2 Hours.
69. I Have Planted 2 Trees
70. I Have Always Wanted To See The Statue Of Liberty.
71. I Am A Brother To A Robin
72. I Believe In Santa.
73. I Have A Tattoo
74. I Use Have A CB Radio. My Handle Was Monkey Trainer.
75. I Use To Attend Franklin Grade School.
76. I Operated A Fax Machine Before They Were Sold To The General Public.
77. I Use To Videotape Weddings When Camera's Sold For Than $1,600.00.
78. My Favorite Sport Figure Is Walter Ray Williams.
79. I Have Never Been In A Building Taller Than 12 Stories.
80. My Grandfather Taught Me How To Fish.
81. My Best Friend Growing Up Was John Thurston.
82. I Hated School.
83. I Love Shrimp, Shhhh
84. I Buy A New Watch Every Year.
85. My First Job Was Frying Donuts At 4:30 In The Morning.
86. My First Car Was A Corvair Convertable.
87. I Won't Wear A Dark Colored Shirt In The Summer.
88. I Miss The Old Drive In Movies Theaters.
89. My Favorite Teacher Was Mrs. Bandy.
90. I Played In The Outfield In Little League Baseball.
91. I Like Cantalope Melon
92. I Don't Care For Football.
93. Gas Was 32.Cents A Gallon When I First Started Driving.
94. My Cousin Was My Aunts Husbands Brother In Law.
95. The Only Good Snow Is Melting Snow.
96. My Father Taught Me How To Ride A Bike.
97. I Love To Watch The Young And The Restless.
98. I Love To Watch The Reruns Of The Andy Griffith Show.
99. I Love Listening To The Oldies On The Radio.
100.I Cannot Dance,

I Have The Answer!

This Has Been "The" Question Of The Century But Nobody Has Stepped Forward With The Correct Answer.
I Happen To Have The Solution To This Unsolved Question.
I Don't Know What To Do About It Though.
I Should Get Some Compensation For It. No Differently Than The Person Who Invented The Pet Rock. He Made MIllions Of Dollars. For A Rock!
So what Do You Think? I Do Have The Answer And Have The Proof That I Do.
It Should Be Worth A Few Extra Bucks.
Q; Which Came First? The Chicken Or The Egg. So Simple.
Can't See The Forrest For All The Tree's.

I Just Love Thursdays!

Is There A Particular Day Of The Week You Look Forward To More Than Any Other?
For Me, That Day Is Thursdays. On Thursday Afternoons I Bowl In The Senior Citizen Bowling League.
I'm One Of The Youngest Pups On The Lanes With The Exception Of My Bowling Buddy Bob.
Bob And I Go Way Back In Time. I Have Yet To Hear The Man Sing. I Have Been Told He Was A Good Singer And Maybe One Day I Will Get The Chance To Hear Him.
I Have Such A Great Time Bowling With The Old Folks.
Take My Buddy Terry For Example. He Lives Across The Street From Me. We Always Ride Down Together And Also Share A Locker To Keep Our Equipment In. He's One Of The Cubbies! He Plays On The Same Team As Bob And My Mother, Sammy.
Sammy Has Bowled Off And On For Many Years. She Let Me Bowl In Her Position When I Finally Got "Old Enough" To Join A Team. This Is My Third Year On This League And I Hope There Will Be Many Years Of Bowling Fun.
My Father And I Bowl On The Same Team Called The Keenagers. Our Mr Magoo Look A Like, Ralph X Is Our Lefty For The Good Guys.
I Could Probably Say A Thing Or Two About All The Good People I Encounter On My Favorite Day Of The Week.
My Bowling Sucks! I Have Fun Though. :)

Just Call Me Mac......

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have You Ever Had A Year Where You Had To Sit And Think For A Moment If There Was Anything To Be Thankful For At Thanksgiving? This Year Is That Year For Me.
This Past Year For Me Has Been A Roller Coaster Ride For Me.
This Past Summer I Lost A Brother In An Auto Accident. A Beloved Uncle Passed Away. I Also Lost One Of My Very Closest Friends Who Died But Not Discovered For Two Days In His Home. Finally My Beloved And Loyal Dog, Mr Bear Was Viciously Attacked And I Had No Choice Other Than To Have Him Put To Sleep.
Realizing As I Get Older I Will Lose More Friends Through Death And This Must Be Something I Should Prepare Myself For. I Have Always Had A Difficult Time Dealing With Death.
In Spite Of All The Heartache This Past Year Has Brought Me I Can Say There Is Still Much To Be Thankful For.
I Am Thankful For My Health. Even That Was Skeptical When I Was Having Severe Pain In My Upper Shoulder Area. After All The Test Had Been Returned I Was Going To Have To Live With A Condition That Would Never Go Away. However It Is Somewhat Treatable With Pain Medication. Far Better Than What I Initially Thought May Have Been A Heart Related Condition.
I Will Always Have My Moments Of Pain But It's Tolerable And I Am Still Able To Continue With My Charatible Mission. I'm Just Thankful It Was Not My Right Shoulder or Otherwise I Would Not Be Able To Bowl Any Longer.
I Am Also Thankful For The Good Health Of My Parents. Because Of That We Can All Share The Joy Of Bowling Together On The "Old Folks League".
Ofcourse My Grandchildren Bring Me Much Joy And Am Thankful I Can See Them Often.
I Am Thankful For The Friendships I Have.
I Am Thankful I Was A Part Of Delivering Thanksgiving Meals To A Couple Needy Families This Year And See Their Joy In Receiving.
So All In All When Things Look So Bad, There Are Always Things To Be Thankful For.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

PS. Happy Birthday Mr Bear. I Will Always Remember You And Your Courage To The Very End.

Living In Denial!

My Tenth Year Anniversary Of Quitting Smoking Will Arrive In The Springtime.
One Of My Preparations In Quitting Was To Rid Myself Of All Shirts With Front Pockets. Fast Forward 9 1/2 years>>>>
My Eyes Are Old! Yea I know It Would Eventually Happen But Was Hoping I Could Buy A Little Extra Time. I Am Far Sighted.
It Has Reached The Point Where I Will Have To Take My Reading Glasses Everywhere I Go. There Have Been Many Times When I Needed My Glasses And I Have To Depend On Someone Who Can Read The Fine Print For Me.
I Am Also A Realist And Know My Time Is Running Out When I Will Soon Be Wearing Glasses Full Time. In The Meantime I Need To Discipline Myself In Remembering My Glasses Need To Be With Me 24/7.
So If You See Me Out In Public Without My Glasses, It's A Sure Bet I'm Not Reading Much Of Anything.

Now What Was That You Said?

Have You Ever Heard Of A One Track Mind? I Have One Of Those And I Don't Mind Telling You So.
If I Am Reading The Newspaper I Am Doing Just That. If You Plan To Interupt My Reading You Had Better Get My Attention. Otherwise Whatever You Said May Have Went Into Cyberspace Or Wherever It Goes When It's Not Heard.
I Cannot Hold On A Conversation With You While I Am Watching Television. In Most Cases I Lose Almost All Attention To The Television And That Frustrates Me To No End Especially If What I Missed Was Important To Me.
It Seems As I Get Older My Comprehension Is More Difficult. I Can Read The Same Paragraph Three Times And Still End Up Scratching My Head.
Asking Me To Assemble Something? Hahaha!! I Gave Up Years Ago And Told Myself I Would Never Assemble Anything Ever Again. I Will Pay To Have It Done.
I Don't Know Whether They Have A Name For It Or Not But I Just Can't Seem To Concentrate On What I Am Doing Anymore. My Mind Wonders Off And Then I Forget What I Was Doing. What's The Matter With Me? Am I The Only One With This Problem? Is It All To Do With The Aging Process? Good God I Am Heading For Trouble In Years To Come.
Sometimes I Wonder If I Am Coming Or Going.
I Don't Know Whether Or Not I Can Walk And Chew Gum At The Same Time. At This Point I'm Afraid To Try!

Winter Wonderland/ Old Man Winter

Those Who Know Me Best Know Of My Dislike For The Winter Months. I Am An April Through October Kind Of Guy. I Hate Cold Temperature And I Hate Snow.
Living In The Midwest Can Be Challenging. One Day It Could Be 80 And The Next Day It Could Be Near Freezing. How Can You Dress Appropriately?
I Am Much Into The Season I dislike The Most. All The Sure Signs Of Season Change Has Come And Gone. The Robins Have Migrated South. Mike's Chill And The Custard Cup Have Closed For The Season. The World Series Is All Over With.
If It Weren't For Bowling And Euchre On Sunday I Don't Think I Could Live With Myself Until April.
Another Concern I Have Is Weight Gain. I Tend To Eat More In The Winter Months And Am Considerably Less Active. Ofcourse I Try To Walk As Much As Possible. If The Temperature Is Anywhere Close To 50 I Am Out The Door And Ready To Roll.
The Forcast For The Winter Of 2007/2008 Predicts It To Be A Mild Winter. I Certainly Hope Somebody Knows What They Are Talking About!
In The Meantime I Will Be Keeping An Eye On The Calendar And Watching For April 1st, The Openings Of The Custard Cup, Mike's Grill And The Sighting Of The First Robin.
Did I Mention I Hate Winter?

Dogs Do Go To Heaven!

I Have Read Where Dogs Don't Have Souls. I Do Not Share This Theory. I Think Most Dog Owners Would Agree That Dogs ARE Mans Best Friends.
Mr Bear Died In The Late Afternoon On Thursday November 1st. The Last Hours Of His Life Was Painful To Witness.
Because Of My Love For Mr Bear I Had Him Put To Sleep. It Was Not A Difficult Decision Because It Became Obvious He Would Not Survive The Vicious Attack He Encountered From Within His Own Home Boundaries.
Mr Bear Was The Type Of Dog Many Would Have Enjoyed In Owning. He Was A Chow Adopted By My Daughter From The Animal Shelter. He Was An Adult Dog When Adopted So We Are Unsure Of His Exact Age.
Mr Bear Came To Live Here Almost Ten Years Ago When Beckie Moved Into An Apartment And Dogs Were Not Allowed. This Is The Only Stable Home He Ever Knew.
Mr Bear Was Not Just An Ordinary Dog. Billie Jo Got So Frustrated With Him At Times Because Of His Not So Dog Like Behavior. For Example, He Would Watch Her Pick Tomatoes From The Garden. After She Would Go Inside Mr Bear Would Go Pick The Biggest Red Tomato On The Vine. He Would Then Take It To His Favorite Spot In The Yard And Eat Half Of It. I Don't Think He Really Liked Tomatoes But He Enjoyed Getting Them Because He Knew It Was The Right Thing To Do.
Another Fond Memory Of Mr Bear Was He Always Enjoyed Searching For Treasures In The Garage. I Would Unload My Truck And Stack It In The Corner Of The Garage. The Next Thing I Knew I would See Mr Bear Running off With A Stuffed Toy Of Some Sort. I Don't Think It Was The Color. It Must Have Had The Feel Of The Toy. He Would Take It To His Favorite Spot In The Yard And Cherish His Find.
He Loved To Chase Squirrels Out Of The Yard. One Day Billie Hollered At Him When He Had Just Caught A Squirrel In His Mouth. He Was So Gentle With It. He Never Bit Down Hard Enough To Harm The Squirrel But Just Hard Enough For The Squirrel To Know He Lost The Chase. Mr Bear Released The Squirrel When Billie Scolded Him.
Since We Never Knew Mr Bears Birthday I Always Celebrated It On Thanksgiving. He Always Knew That Day Was Special Because Of The Feast Of Thanksgiving Dinner.
Whenever You Gave Him Something To Eat He Would Always Be So Gentle In Taking It From Your Hand. It Was Like Maybe He Was Scolded In His Early Life After He Took Some Food In A Forceful Way.
After He Was Rescued From The Animal Shelter He Never Liked The Idea Of Being Confined. Mr Bear Loved His Home And Enjoyed His Freedom To Roam Our Fenced In Yard.
When We Had New Cement Poured For Our Patio, That Section Was Blocked Off So It Would Dry. Mr Bear Wouldn't Have It. He Jumped The Barricade And Found Himself Sinking In Concrete. We Had To Get The Finishers Back Here To Fix It Before It Dried Completely.
There Is Still A Paw Print Or Two Still Visible As A Reminder Of The Remarkable Dog We Had All Of These Years.
Before My Friend Richard Passed Away He Would Come Over Every Day And Bring Mr Bear A Cheeseburger That The Gas Station Had Just Thrown Away. Richard Would Lean Over The Fence And Mr Bear Would Gently Take It And Trot Off With It To His Special Spot.
I Cried Alot Of Tears The Day Mr Bear Died. I Felt Like I Let Mr Bear Down. He Should Have Felt Safe In His Own Yard. Only A Few Months Ago I Made The Comment That Mr Bear Would Most Likely Not Make It Through The Winter. He Was Losing His Hearing And His Sight Was Poor. Just A Couple Weeks Ago I Stood There And Watched A Squirrel Burying A Nut Not More Than 10 Feet From Mr Bear. I Knew Then His Sight Was Almost Gone. I Knew It Was Just A Matter Of Time.
I Have Had Numerous Dogs Over The Years, But None Quite Like Mr Bear. He Sure Was A Remarkable Dog. I Would Like To Think That Him And Richard Are Having A Real Good Time About Now. Maybe Snacking On A Cheeseburger With A Ripe Red Tomato On The Side.
Mr Bear Now Lies Permanently In His Special Spot And That Spot Will Always Give Me Fond Memories Of The Extraordinary Dog That He Was. God Rest YOUR Soul Mr Bear. I Will Always Remember The Joy You Brought Into My Life.

Some People Can Be Very Stupid!

I Can Fondly Remember My Walks With Brandi. Everytime I Stopped For An Ice Cream Cone At The Dairy Queen They Would Give One To Brandi For Free. Brandi And I Have Visited Classrooms In Both Danville And Bismark.
Ofcourse You Must Take The Bad With The Good. The Bad Was The Constant Interuptions Of Our Walk By Curious Onlookers. I Never Minded The People Who Drove By In A Car And Pointed And Smiled. Those Were The Best!
The Worse Came When A Person Came Up From Behind me And Tapped Me On The Shoulder. Out Of Breathe With The Sound Of Frustration As He Told Me He Was Hollering At Me From More Than A Block Away. I Informed Him If I Stopped For Every Person Who Wanted Me To I Would Never Get My Walk Completed. He Then Asked Me If I Was A Smart Ass. I Told Him I Saw The Direction This Conversation Was Heading For So I Gave Him A Clear Warning About What Brandi Would Do To Him If He Showed Too Much Aggression Toward Me.
I Told Him She Would Jump On Him And Attack His Juggler Vein In His Neck. I Told Him He Would Never Be Able To Whip A Baboon. This Person Apologized And Kind Of Faded Away As I Continued The Remainder Of My Walk.
I Found That Most Dogs Fear The Baboon. I Regret Not Teaching Her How To Bowl.
I Think My Biggest Fear Was Bowling So Poorly And Brandi Would Bowl A Better Score! Hahaha!!

My Mother Wore A Thong & My Father Was Gay!

What Is The World Coming To? How Dare They Mess With The English Language!
Back In The Day When "They" Were First Invented Men And Women Wore Them To The Beach Or At Home. Today They Are Referred As Flip Flops. They Were Thongs Then And I Still Call Them Thongs. Old Habits Are Hard To Break!
When I Became A Member Of The Uncle Sam's Canoe Club(Navy)I Learned A New English Language. The Waste Basket Became The Shit Can. The Stairs Was A Ladder And The Bathroom Was The Head. Would You Partake From The ScuttleButt? You Would If You Ever Drank From A Drinking Fountain While Serving In The Navy.
When Gay Was Happy And A Fag Was A Cigarette. It's Just A Matter Of A Few Decades But Today's Society Has Managed To Change Everyday Words In The English Language To Have Opposite Meanings. I Have Only Named A Few Of Those Words But There Are Many More That Have Confused The Best Of Us.
While Stationed On Nantucket Island I Missed The Convenience of Fast Food. There Were None There. I Tried To Get As Close To A Burger And Fries As I Could. I Hit A Road Block When I Ordered A Milk Shake. A Puzzled Look Was All I Got From The Person Taking My Order. I Described How It Was Made And Was Met With A Laughing Result Of What I Was Actually Ordering. You Want A Frap! It Wasn't Worth The Debate Since I Was On Their Turf.
All I Cared About At That Moment Was To Enjoy My Frap. After I Was Finished I Threw It In A Scuttlebutt. I Enjoyed My Fag And I Was Very Gay!

Just Call Me Mac.......

Trash My House You Monkey Beast!

I Have Always Tried To Keep Brandi In Open View So She Can Be As Social As Possible. As Mentioned Earlier I Had Brandi Dressed In A One Piece Jumper Like Outfit. I Had A Dog Harness That Fit Over Her Clothes And The Buckle In The Back Where She Could'nt Get Her Little Finger To Escape. I Had A Padlock On Her Buckle And About 3 Foot Of Chain Anchored To The Floor In The Living Room So She Could Be In The Most Active Room In Our Home. She Had One Corner Of The Room All To Her Own. Whenever We Had To Leave The House We Made Sure She Had Her Little Blanket Within Reach So She Could Sleep If She Wanted. The Funny Thing About Brandi Was You Never Knew If She Was Asleep or Not Because She Would Have the Blanket Over Her Whenever She Was Sleeping. Sometimes She Liked To Pretend When She really Was Awake.
Anyway, We Had To Do Some Shopping And We Knew We Would Be Gone For A Couple Of Hours. I Gave Her A Drink Of Water And Her Blanket And Out The Door We Went.
When Billie And I Returned Home Brandi Was Sitting In The Window. I Said Oh Oh, You Better Stay Here Because Who Knows What Our House Looks Like Now That Brandi Was On The Loose.
I Walked In The Door And It Looked As Though Our Home Had Been Hit By A Tornado! Brandi Had Uprooted Plants In Our Living Room. Dirt Was Everywhere. The Pictures On The Walls Were On The Floor, Drapes Barely Hung On The Rods. That was Just The Living Room. The Water Was Running In The Bathroom Tub And Sink. I Entered Into The Kitchen And My Heart Sank. She Had Gotten Into The Refrigerator And Had Taken The Milk And Let It Run On The Floor. Ketchup, Mustard, Pickles Were Everywhere! The Curtains Were On The Floor Pasted With The Night Before Leftovers.
Our House Was Trashed And It Would Take Us A Long Time To Clean Up This Horrible Mess! I Told Billie If Monkey Was On The Menu For Tomorrow Night I Would Surely Understand. This Monkey Madness Was One We Would Never Forget As Long As We Lived.

Just Call Me Mac.........

Jealousy

When Brandi First Came To Live With My Family She Would Have Very Little To Do With Me. I Worked All Day And Didn't Get To See Her As Often As Billie And The Kids.
It Did Take Brandi Awhile To Adapt To Her New Environment. Over A Period Of Time Brandi Grew Closer To Me. I Gave Her The Attention She Wanted Whenever I Could. I Am The One Who Fed Her, Bathed Her, And Changed Her Diaper. It Wasn't Too Long Before I Became Her Man. By That I Mean She Became Highly Jealous Of Billie. If Billie Sat Next To Me On The Couch Brandi Would Raise A Ruckus. If She Touched Me In Any Way Bandi's Hair Would Lay Back And Her Eye Brows Would Raise Up. It Was Funny At First But It Did Create A Few Problems Later Down The Road.
Our Insurance Man Came Over To Give Our Home A Visual Inspection. He Became Facinated With Brandi And He reached Out To Pet Her. As Soon As He Leaned Over Brandi Grabbed The Papers Out Of His Hand. He Thought That was Cute But Then Asked For His Papers Back. Billie Told Him She Couldn't Get Them Back. He Asked Why Not And Billie Told Him She Belonged To Me And She Couldn't Get Too Close To Her. He Wasn't Too Happy About That But, Oh Well....

Just Call Me Mac.....

Monkey On The Loose!

One Beautiful Afternoon I Decided To Take Brandi For A Walk. Beckie Wanted To Go Too So The Three Of Us Took Off Together. Everything Was Fine Until I Realized I Didn't Have My Monkey At The End Of The Leash. Brandi Managed To Set Herself Free And Up The Tree She Went. I Tried To Coax Her Down But She Wouldn't Hear Of It. Beckie Told Me She Knew How To Get Her Down. We Were Just A Couple Blocks Away From Home So She Took Off To Fetch Some Ammunition. When She Returned Brandi Had Moved From The Tree To The Top Of The Street Sign. She Was Just High Enough To Be Out Of My Reach.
Here You Go Brandi Said In A Calm Voice. She Placed A Can Of Pepsi On The Ground Next To The Sign. Brandi Didn't Hesitate A Moment And Down She Came From The Sign. I Quickly Snagged Her And Finally She Was Secure And Refreshed!
Can You Imagine The Termoil In Danville Once The Word Was Out That A Baboon Was On The Loose?
All's Well That Ends Well.......

Just Call Me Mac...

Gone Fishing......

A Couple Buddies Of Mine Wanted To Go Fishing. We Decided To Take His Car And This Fishing Trip Included Brandi. I Brought Along A 25 Foot Leash So Brandi Could Get Into The Shallow Area Of The River. We Had A Nice Afternoon Of Fishing And It Seemed As Though Brandi Did As Well. When Brandi Wasn't Playing In The Water She Played In A Grassy Area On The Banks Of The River. What I Didn't Know Was That Brandi Had Eaten Some Grass And Ended Up With Diarea. I Brought An Extra Diaper But Brandi Had It Soiled Rather Quickly. My Friend, The Owner Of The Car Just Stared At Me Then Asked How Our Trip Home Was Planned. I Told Him Under The Circumstances I Will Put Brandi On The Short Leash And Let Her Ride On The Top Of The Car. Brandi Seemed To Enjoy The Wind In Her Face Ride Home. I Began To Feel A Warming Sensation On My Forearm, Then To The Upper Arm Whe Finally I Hollered To STOP THE CAR!! Any Longer The "Stinky Stuff" Would Enter The Arm Pit Area Then Down The Rest Of My Torso.
We Had No Rags To Help Me Clean Up So I Told Them To Meet Me At The Car Wash A Block Away. Once There I Put The Money In The Machine Then Tied Brandi's Leash To The Car Door Handle.
I Managed To Wash The Car Down Then Put It On The Rinse Cycle For Brandi Too.
Lesson learned. Next Time You Go Fishing Leave Your Monkey At Home.

Just Call Me Mac......

It's A Brandi Moment

Baboons By Nature Groom One Another To Be Sure They Have No Bugs. Friends Of Brandi Would Lay On The Floor And Let Brandi Search Through Each Strand Of Hair Looking For Any Kind Of Parasite. I Have Thought About What Her Reaction Would Have Been If She Had Ever Found What She Was Searching For.
I Had Enclosed A Section Of A Room With Wooden Bars To Give Brandi Some Room To Play In. I Put In A Slide And A Rope As Well As Her Bed. She Enjoyed Her Newfound Freedom.
I Came Home One Night From Work To Give Her A Diaper Change And Serve Her Dinner. When I Looked In The Big Cage She Was Not In It. I Began To Panic And Wonder Where She Could Be. I Hollered For Billie To Let Her Know Brandi Was Missing. In The Corner Of The Cage Brandi Had Pried Up A Piece Of Plywood That Was Once A Laundry Chute. The Clothes Ended Up In A Basket In The Basement. I Said, %$#$% She Is In The Basement Somewhere. I Had To Go Outside To A Side Hatch That Would Enter Into The Basement. As Soon As I Opened The Door Brandi Jumped Into My Arms. She Was Terrified With Her Experience In The Dark Dungeon-Like Rooms From Underneath. Hahaha!!
She Couldn't Get Back Into The Hole She Came Through Because It Was Then The Basement Ceiling Which Was Too High For Her To Return Through. She Was So Forever Grateful For Me To Rescue Her From Her Escapade. I Fixed That Hole In The Floor. Even If I Decided Not To Fix It, The Chances Of Brandi Ever Returning To That Basement Were Slim To None.

Just Call Me Mac.......

Is That You Mac?......

Today Was The Online Picnic At Kickappoo Park Pavilion. Two Years Ago I Was Given A Shirt That Reads McGregor's Bar & Grill. It Was Given To Me By My Brother Tuck. Apparently There Is A McGregor's Bar & Grill In The San Diego Area. Not Only Was I Given This Shirt But The Real Table Menu As Well. Anyway, Long Story Short. After We Got Back In Town I Had To Stop In County Market. Going Down The Isle I Hear A Voice. Is That You Mac? I Looked At This Nice Lady Who Was Waiting For My Reply. Why Yes I Am. I Recognized You By The Shirt You Are Wearing The Nice Lady Told Me. Now Keep In Mind I Have Only Worn This Shirt On Two Occasions. The Nice Lady Told Me She Doesn't Post But Reads Alot On The Internet. She Also Told Me She Has Read My Blogs And Enjoys Them And Encouraged Me To Continue. Well, I Will Wash The Shirt And Bring It Out Again When An Occasion Arrives.

Just Call Me Mac........

It Was Love At First Sight........

We Had Intended On Bringing Home A Capuchan Monkey But Instead Brought Home A Babboon! I Had Read Many Articles About Capuchan Monkey's And How Intelligent They Are. Caphuchan Monkeys Are The Most Common Primate To Aid In Paraplegic Or Quadriplegic. They Are Trained To Turn On And Off Lights, Small Appliances, Fetch Or Retrieve Items. They Will Turn Pages Of A Book Or Insert Money In A Vending Machine. We Made Telephone Arrangements To Pick It Up On Sunday In Ohio. As We Entered In The Business We Were Escorted To Where Our Capuchan Was Waiting For Our Arrival. On Our Route I Was Greeted By AN Extended Arm Through The Bars Of A Cage. It Was Like She Said Come Over Here And Shake My Hand. Take Me Home. I Brought This To Billie's Attention And She Told Me To Ignore Her Because Our Capuchan Was In The Next Room And Besides That, She Was Ugly! I Just Couldn't Bring Myself To Not Give Her My Full Attention, And She Was Not Ugly! I Did Eventually Make Myself To Where Our Monkey Was Waiting. The Caphuchan Was Really Timid And Didn't Seem To Want To Be Social With Us. I Looked Over My Shoulder To Where The Other Monkey Was Caged. She Kept Staring At Me As To Say, Please Take Me Home....... Guess What?? We Took Her Home. However It Wasn't That Easy. We Had No Idea At That Moment That This Experience Would Be Etched In Our Memory Forever. About 25 miles Into Our Trip Home Disaster Struck. Our Car Began Running Hot. The Next Thing I Knew The Car Had Caught Fire And We became Stranded On The Interstate Highway With A Baboon Who Has No Idea What Was Going On. A Passing Trucker Stopped And Put The Fire Out And Radioed For A Police Officer To Respond. The State Trooper Called A Wrecker For Us So We Could Get Off The Highway. The Tow Truck Driver Took Us To A Gas Station In This Small Town East Of Indianapolis With Nothing Other Than That Gas Station. No Bus Station, No Cab Service. Here Billie, And I And This Babboon Who Has No Idea Who We Are, Are Sitting At This Gas Station Offering People Money To Drive Us Back To Danville. After Sitting There For More Than 2 Hours We Finally Convinced A Couple To Drive Us To Danville. We Gave Them The Title To The Car Plus 100.00. As You Might Have Guessed I Was Getting To Believe That This Was Not A Good Start For The Beginning Of A Long Term Relationship With A Papio Babboon. It Was Late When We Arrived Home With Brandi. Trying To Get Acquainted With One Another Was My Main Objective. Unfortunate For Me Brandi Had No Desire To Get Acquainted With Me. She Was Stuck On Billie. Maybe That Was For The Best At The Time Since I had To Be At Work First Thing In The Morning. This Memory Would Only Be The First Of Many In The Coming Years OF My Life With Brandi........ Just Call Me Mac....

It's Not Spring Until You Walk Your Monkey.......

That Was The Heading Of An Article Written By A Commercial News Columnist Back In The Mid 1980's. I Believe It Was About Mid March of 86 Or 1987. It Seemed To Be A Very Long Winter And Many People In The Danville Area Were Hungry For Spring.
Brandi Was Her Name And She Was A Papio Baboon. Billie And I Purchased Her When She Was Only 9 Months Old. I Have Numerous Stories That Involved Brandi And The Wonderful Moments We Shared Together. This Is The First Of A Series Of Story's Of Life With Brandi.
I Dressed Bandi Always In One Of Those One Piece Jumpsuits With Feet In Them. Ofcourse I had To Cut The Feet Sections Out In Order To Accommodate Her Hand-Like Tootsie's. Ofcourse She Was Always Diapered And Bathed By Me.
Anyway, Back To The Article. This Article Written By Commercial News Columnist Chuck Carpenter. It Told Of All The Sure Signs That Spring Has Finally Sprung! The Sighting Of The First Robin. The Opening Of The Local Custard Cup Ice Cream Shop.
I Too Took Advantage Of The Springlike Temperatures And Decided It Was A Beautiful Day For A Walk. On The Outside Of Her Jump Suit I Had A Medium Size Dog Harness That I Had To Turn Around So That She Couldn't Reach Her Little Hands To The Harness Strap. I Then Put A 10 Foot Leash On Her And Off We Went. I Walked Her Just Like You Would Walk Your Dog. So Apparently Mr Carpenter Had Seen Us That Day On His Lunch Break And It Finally Registered To Him And All The Others That Day.
It's Not Spring until You Walk Your Monkey!

Just Call Me Mac........

Using The Right Ammo......

I Just Love Bowling. Whenever You Do Poorly You Can Always Blame It On The Ball. Now You Can Spend Some Quality Time With It And Give It A Good Talking To.
You Can Always Plead Your Case With Your Ball. Explain To It That It Can Be Replaced If It Doesn't Perform Properly. This Can Be A Give And Take Relationship. I Take And The Ball Is Suppose To Give. In Exchange For It's Good Performance I Promise My Ball Free Room And Board In A Nice Cozy Carpeted Cubicle. Securely Locked To Ensure A Safe Environment. In Addition I Give My Ball One Day Each Week To Mingle With Other Balls So It Can Have A Social Experience. I Don't Think I'm Asking Too Much From A Brainless 14 Pounds Of Plastic.
This Appears To Be A One Sided Relationship That Is Not Producing Good Results. My Ball And I Have Had A Good Relationship For More Than A Year And Half. I Thought We Had An Understanding But Apparently I Was Wrong.
My Ball Has Failed Me And Today I Made The Decision To Replace It. I Found My New Love In A Catalog And Was Promised To Be Drilled And Ready To Go On Wednesday. My New Ball Is 2 Pounds Lighter And More Attractive Than My Present One. I Called The Previous Owner Of My Ball And Offered It Back To Him Since It Was His Hand That It Was Drilled For In The First Place. I Left A Message On His Voice Mail.
When Wednesday Arrives My Old Ball Will Come Back Home. There Is No Place For It Any Longer. I Refuse To Hang On To It For Old Time Sake. I Refuse To Allow It To Clutter My Home. So As Of Wednesday My Ball Becomes Homeless. I Can't Bring Myself To Just Handing It Over To A Stranger So I Have Decided To Privately Bury It. I Will Bury It In My Back Yard.
The Bowling Season Is Only 5 Weeks Old. Still Plenty Of Time To Get Acquainted With My New Ball And Instruct To It What I Expect from It. I Will Offer It The Same Benefits As The Other Ball. If It Fails Me I Will Have To Bring It Home And Show It Where Useless Balls That Refuse To Perform End Up. If That Fails Then I Just May Have Started A New Trend Of The Bowling Ball Graveyard.

Just Call Me Mac......

What's In A Name?

I Had A Day Of Reflection Today. I Attended The Funeral Of My Foster Brother Loyal Foote. As I Sat There Listening To The Songs Chosen I Found My Mind Wander Over The Years I Had Known Loyal.
Loyal Came To Our Home With His Brother Mark During A Difficult Period Of Time For These Two Brothers. Their Appearance Came At A Time Our Family Had It's Revolving Door Of Children Coming And Going. Most Were Going With The Exception Of Both Mark And Loyal. I Believed They Lived In Our Home For Five Years. My Parents Were Foster Parents For The State Of Illinois.
I'm Not Sure The Exact Number Of Children Who Came Through That Revolving Door For Various Reasons. One Thing Was For Certain, Each Child Could Feel Safe And Loved.
As Adults We Tend To Focus On Our Immediate Families. We Involve Ourselves In Our Childrens Lives, Then Our Grandchildrens Lives. Time Seems To Travel So Much Faster As You Grow Older. As A Youngster I Never Thought I Would Ever Get "Old Enough". When I Finally Reached That Age The Measurement of Time Seemed To Double In Speed.
They Say Confessions Are Good For The Soul. I Don't Have A Confession To Make So To Speak But I Have Been Troubled For Quite Some Time.
A Few Years Back Loyal Gave Me His E-Mail Address. I Was Rather Shocked By What I Had Read. It Read Devilsoul Then Some Numbers After That Which I Believe Was His Zip Code For Lafayette Indiana. Long Story Short, I Had A Problem With It. I Decided Not To Share His Address With My Mother. I Know That Seems Selfish But I Had A Real Hang Up About This Name On His Yahoo Mail Account. Why Didn't I Just Ask Him Why He Chose To Use This Name. He Was Raised In A Christian Home. Was I Wrong In Passing Judgement Before Knowing The Reason He Chose To Use This Name? Loyal Had Been Known To Be A Rebel Of Sorts. This Will Be My Lasting Impression Of My Brother Loyal. It Doesn't Seem Fair When Your Mind Is Blinded By Evil And You Either Choose To Fight It Or You Ignore It. In My Case I Chose To Ignore It. Today Looking Back I Would Have To Say I Made A Bad Decision. Unfortunatly Looking Back Is All I Can Do For My Brother Loyal. There Will Be No Future Moments Of Time To Share. If I Could Do It All Over Again I Would Have Atleast Called Him On It And Loyal Was The Kind Of Person Who Would Be Honest In What He Told You. If In Fact Loyal Had Given His Soul To The Devil I Would Think We Would Have Seen Evil. His Son Gage Is Now An Angel In God's Loving Arms. I Pray For My Brothers Soul. May God Have Mercy On His Soul.
Today's Lesson Learned Was Not To Take Life For Granted. In The Blink Of An Eye Your Life Will Be Changed For Ever. Live Today As If It Is Your Last. It Could Be......

Just Call Me Mac.......

My Butt Went Flat

When You Deal With The Aging Process You Are Likely To Run Into Something You Are Unable To Prevent. For Example When You Have Wrinkles There Is Botox, Or Wrinkle Cream. When Your Hair Falls Out You Either Buy A Wig, Use Hair Growing Tonic Or Opt For Hair Implants. Maybe By Admission You Declare Bald Is Beautiful!
When Your Teeth Falls Out You Can Replace Them With Dentures Or Have Dental Implants.
When Your Body Becomes Dependant On The Earths Gravity, The Elderly Body Could Get Down Right Scarey! For Example; The Flat Butt Syndrome. This Disorder Has Attacked Both Young And Old. Ordinarily If You Keep Your Body In Good Shape You Have A Good Chance Of Delaying The Flat Butt Syndrome. If Not In Good Shape You Avoid Full Length Mirrors In Rooms You May Find Yourself Naked.
I Have What Some Refer To As A Beer Belly. I May Have One That Resembles One But I Can Assure You That's Not Why I Have One.
In My Past Good Shape Body I Could Wear My Pants At My Weist Line. When I Began Broadening In The Middle, The Belt Line Lowered. Now That My Butt Went Flat I Find It Harder To Keep My Pants Up. It Has Been Rumored That Our Fair City Of Danville Could Fine You For Not Pulling Up Your Pants. I May Have To Rearrange My Daily Activities So I Can Only Be Seen At Night.
This Is One Of Those Things In Life You Have No Control Of. You Can Either Live In Denial Or Admit That Father Time Is Keeping In Step With You.
By Acknowledgement, You Realize There Will Be Other Old Age Syptoms To Come.
In The Meantime You Just Take One Symptom At A Time. Today It Is The Flat Butt Syndrome. Tommorow,.......The Moon!!
Just Call Me Mac......

Awww, Our Annual Sweetcorn Festival

It Seems As Though When I Pay A Hefty Price For My Enjoyment It No Longer Becomes Fun Anymore. Example; The Last Time I Went Fishing I got A 75.00 Ticket For Not Having A Fishing License. I Have Never Went Fishing Again. It's Not That I Don't Like Fishing Because I Do. To Be Quite Honest About It I Really Don't Have The Time. It Was A Spur Of The Moment Kind Of Thing Anyway That My Daughter Asked If I Wanted To Go Fishing. Since There Was Only A Couple Hours Left Of Day Light What Harm Could Come From It? Pfffft!!
That Brings Me To The Hoopston Sweetcorn Festival Held Annually On The Labor Day Weekend. It Has Been Atleast Five Years Since I Last Attended This Event.
One Of The Crowd Attractions Is Free Hot Buttered Sweetcorn. Everything Else At This Festival Is Quite Expensive. Don't Arrive Hungry Unless You Are Prepared To Pay Dearly From Your Wallet. I Remember I Was A Little Hungry That Day So Since The Sweetcorn Was Free I Could Always Get My Fill With That.
I Think I Ended Up Eating Anywhere From 6-8 Ears Of Corn That Day. After Walking Around Viewing The Different Vendors We Decided To Head Back Home And Call It A Day.
Shortly After Arriving Home I Began Having Stomach Pains. As The Evening Went On The Pain Got Worse. I Told Billie Jo I Could Not Go On Much Longer With This Pain. I Knew I Could Never Get A Wink Of Sleep Unless I Could Rid Myself Of This Unbearable Pain. Going To The Hospital Was Not An Option Unless It Was My Last Resort.
After Being Bent Over With My Head Between My Legs I Knew I Could No Longer Live With This Another Minute.
I Shot Out The Door And Jumped In My Pickup Truck And Headed To The Nearest Gas Station.
I Purchased A 2 Liter Bottle Of 7Up And Quickly Exited The Business.
I Quickly Opened Up The Bottle And Began Belching And Farting. Belched Some More And Farted Even More. Did I Feel Better? You Bet I Did! After I Arrived Home I Was Able To Spend Some Quality Time In The Bathroom Where My Final Relief Was Accomplished.
Haven't Been Back Since And Don't Plan Anytime Soon.
In The Meantime I Learned A Valuable Lesson That Day. Always Eat Your Corn In Moderation. Over Indulging Can Be Very Dangerous To Your Health!
Just Call Me Mac

Pappy Is Far More Than Just A Name

It Was In The Early Years Of The 1970's When Pappy's Gas Station Pumped Their Last Gallon Of Gasoline. Located On The Northwest Corner Of Vermilion At Woobury In Danville Illinois. This Filling Station Was Owned And Operated For Forty Years By The Henry Brothers. Forrest (Pappy) And Willy Henry Had No Idea The Impact They Left On Children For Generations To Come.
Whenever A Conversation About The Old Neighborhood Takes Place It's a Sure Bet Pappy's Is Always Brought Up.
I Have Many Acquaintances From The Old Square On The West Side Of Danville. Some I Never Know Their Name While Others I Know By Nickname Or First Name.
I've Only Known Her As Becky For A Number Of Years. She Is A Florist Here In Town.
Have You Ever Heard The Expression What A Small World This Is?
Becky Overheard A Name While Visiting And Asked Me About It. I Told Her She Heard Correctly. She Had No Idea The Can Of Worms She Had Just Opened. Just By That Small Amount Of Information It Revealed To Me Who She Really Was!
I looked At Becky And Said, Pappy Was Your Grandpa! She Said No Pappy Was My Pappy!
In Just The Short Time We Shared At That Moment Seemed Like Time Had Been Frozen In Time. She Shared With Me The Side Of Pappy I Never Knew. I Knew Pappy From The Filling Station While She Knew Him From The Family Side Of Things. Pappy Was A Very Respected Person. I Could Remember Him Standing There Talking To This Nicely Dressed Gentleman. I Really Never Understood All The Things They Were Discussing Because It Was All Grown Up Talk And I Was Just A Snot Nosed Kid At The Time. One Day As I Sat There Sucking The Last Drop Of RC Cola Out Of My Pop Bottle He Turned And Looked At Me And Said That Man That Just Left Will Be Somebody Someday. I Didn't Quite Understand It Then But Today I Do. That Man Was Representative Bill Black From Danville. Black Just Announced He Would Be Retiring After His Term Has Expired. He Has Spent Umpteen Years In The Illinois House Of Representatives. He Had Taught At Danville High School As Well AS Danville Junior College.
That's One Of The Things About Pappy I Remember. He Told You Like It Was Whether You Wanted To Hear It Or Not. Becky Told Me She Had Never Known Him To Raise His Voice At Anyone In Anger. She Did Remember Him Flipping His Finger On Her Ear Whenever She Got Out Of Line.
All Of Pappy's Children Had Muscular Distrophy. Her Mother Died When She Was In Her 30's. I Can Remember That Period Of Time Because Pappy's Gas Station Was Closed The Day Of The Funeral. Pappy's Gas Station Was Open 7 Days A Week. They Gave Me The Desk And Chair That So Many People Sat In Over The Years.
Today All Of My Grandchildren Know Me Only As Pappy. The Name Is A Friendly Reminder That A Name Is Not Just A Name. The History Of It Can Be Reminisced For Years To Come.

Just Call Me Mac.......

Do You Remember Me?

Of course I Don't, Would Be My Answer If You Ask Me That Question Recently. One Thing I Found Out After Reaching The Age Of 50 Is My Memory Problems. I Find Myself Jotting Down Little Reminder Notes So I Won't Forget Something Important. Your Face Is Familiar But The Name I can't Recall. Of course One Tries To Remember Names To Keep From Hurting Feelings But Sometimes It Just Can't Be Helped.
I Had A Lady Stop Me In County Market This Past Weekend. She Looked Directly At Me And Asked Me The BIG QUESTION. Do You Remember Me? I Looked At Her And Said Of course I Do, How Have You Been All These Years? Now To Be Quite Honest, I Didn't Know Her Name But I Did Recognize Her As A Friend In Grade School. So Yes I Do Remember Her. I Have It Narrowed Down To Two Different Girls. At This Point It Really Does Not Matter Unless I Run Into Her Again Anytime Soon.
So Tell Me What I Am Doing Wrong! Am I Suppose To Be Drinking Green Tea, Or Eating A Leafy Herb Off A Shrub To Maintain My Memory? Is It All Downhill From Here? "They" Say The Memory Is The First To Go. Oh My God Tell Me What's Next!
Yes, Yes I Was One Of Those Lucky Fella's Who Got One Of Those Over The Hill Surprise Birthday Party's. I Got WD40 To Keep My Bones And Joints Lubricated. A Cane To Keep Me Upright And Walking Straight. All The Great Gag Gifts For The Man That Has Everything Else But A Good Memory.
Sometimes I Make Up A Name So I Won't Embarrass Myself When I Am Scanning What Little Of Brain Matter I Have And End Up Calling Him Bubba. Bossman, Big Guy, Buddy, Or Hey Dude Are My Most Common Pet Names For Others.
I Say Accept Me For Who I Am. Anybody Who Knows Me Know I Am Past 50. For Those Who Are My Age Or Older Should Be Able To Understand Where I Am Coming From. For Those Fortunate Ones Who Haven't A Clue As To Why I Am Fussing Over Unimportant Issues, I Say Your Turn Will Come.
I Really Don't Have Any Major Problems With The Aging Process. I Have Reached The Age Where I Need To Wear Glasses In Order To Read.
When I Quit Smoking I Got Rid Of The Shirts With Front Pockets. Now I need to Carry My Glasses Along With Me So Now I Will Have To Go Buy Me Some Shirts With Pockets For My Glasses.
When I Was Just A Kid Looking At An Older Person Like Myself Today Seemed Really Really Old. Looking Back It Doesn't Seem That Long Ago.
So For Those Youngen's Who Consider Me Being Over The Hill?
Well It's Better Than Being Under It!

Just Call Me Mac.....

What Makes The Wind Blow?

I Am Addicted To The Weather. I Try Never To Miss A Local Weather Report On Television. Alot Of What I Do In The Summer Months Depends On What Kind Of Weather We Have Here In The Midwest.
I Use To Love To Watch Tornado's. I Would Listen To The Police Scanner During A Thunder Storm. Weather Watchers Would Report Funnel Activity And Out The Door I Went In That Direction. I Have Always Loved Storms Of All Kinds.
Some Years Ago I Entered The Small Town Of Georgetown Illinois Right After They Were Victimised By A Hail Storm. It Looked Like A War Zone. Leaves Blanketed The Main Street Of Georgetown. Tree Branches Were Dangling And Glass Was Everywhere. Softball Size Hail Destroyed Automobiles Windshields, Back Windows, Side Windows As Well As Dents On Hoods, Trunks And Tops. Windows And Siding Damaged In Both Businesses And Homes. I Would Have To Say On That Day I Saw More Devastation Left Behind By Mother Nature Than Any Other Day In My Lifetime.
I Have Seen A Few Tornado's Through The Years. I Never Got Too Close So I Did Not Witness Much Damage As A Result.
So What Exactly Makes The Wind Blow? I Say It Must Be The Leaves On The Trees. Have You Ever Watch The Trees Then Feel The Wind Blow? Just One Of Life's Mysteries Solved Right Here In An Everyday Blog By Somebody In Danville Illinois.

Just Call Me Mac......

Strike or Nothing!

Yep, The Bowling Season Is Back And It Was Great To See All The Familiar Faces Once Again. I Just Love Bowling. There Aren't Too Many Sports I Can Participate In As Father Time Has Been Giving Me Repeated LQQks. Ofcourse There Is Always Golf But I Really Don't Have The Time To Pefect My Game Since It Is Only A Seasonal Sport Anyway. I Can Kick Myself In The Butt For Not Sticking To Baseball. I Was Very Good At Baseball And Had The Opportunity To Excell In It If Only I Applied Myself. It Must Have Been The Girls:)
Back To Bowling......Some Bowlers Prefer Not To Bowl Their Potential The First Week Because It May Become Difficult To Measure Up And Bowl Your Average The Next Week. If You Don't Bowl Your Average You Are Hurting Your Team If Handicap Is Figured In The Scoring. My First Week's Average is 169. My Team Only Benefits When I Bowl 169 Or Better. I Think My Team Scored 3 Points On Thursday. Both Teams Had Absent Members So Handicap Must Be Figured In Before Totals Can Be Tallied.
On Game Three It Was Strike or Nothing For Me. I Could Not Pick Up A Spare To Save My Soul. The Bottom Line For Me Was A Score Of 190. I Thought That Was Really Cool To Recieve A Good Score For Doing So Poorly. Hahaha!!
All In All I Have Met Some Really Good People On That Old Folks League. I Am No Longer The Youngest Pup. There Are Two others That Are Younger Than I.
I Am Nowhere Close To Being What You Call A Good Bowler. I Do Consider Myself Average Who Has Alot Of Lucky Breaks! I Hope I Can Live Up To The Average I Earned, Plus More! I Have A Feeling It Will Be A Funfilled Season For Me. Besides, This Game Is Right Down My Alley!

Just Call Me Mac...........

Danville High School Medley's

Don't Make The Mistake In Mentioning High School Yearbooks, Or You Just May Have To Bring Your Sack Lunch.

Sammy Handed Me 3 Danville High School Medley's One Day. Books Dated 1929, 1930, and 1931 That's All It Took To Get Me Hooked On Collecting Them. One Of These Books Contained The Photo Of My Grandfather. I Started Picking Them Up At Rummage Sales, Auctions, Etc.

The Medley's Began In 1904, And It Being A Hard Cover Book. Years That Followed Were Made Of A Felt-like Cover.

Danville Honored Jerry Van Dyke With A Parade In Downtown Danville. Ofcourse I Had The 1950 Medley That Has His Senior Photo.

With The Help Of My Son Bobby, I Videotaped Him Taking The Book Up To Him For An Autograph. I Did Warn Bobby In Advance To Watch Him Closely So He Wouldn't Draw A Beard Or Goatee On The Photo.

He Autographed It Nicely And In Return My Son Handed Him A Bumper Sticker Which Said; Yes I Am A Movie Star. His Wife Placed It On Jerry Back. The Following Week Newsweek Magazine Did The Story On Van Dyke's Homecoming. It Had A Photo Of The Bumper Sticker On His Back. Way To Cool!

Another Medley Memory Was When I Lost The Opportunity To Have Dick Van Dyke Sign His High School Photo. He Was Not At Home When I Vacationed In California.

When I Returned Home A Newspaper Article Telling Of Danville High Drama Club To Recognize Dick For His 50 Years of Entertainment.

Bye Bye Birdie Was To Be The Choice Of Broadway Hits That Starred Dick Van Dyke. Articles That Followed Reported That Dick Would Be Sitting In The Audience.

I Had Been In Contact With Danville High's Principal To Arrange My 1944 Yearbook To Be Autographed By Dick. He Agreed And Told Me He Would Call Me Once It Was Signed. That Call Came And I Wasted No Time In Retrieving That Book. After I Opened It Up And Seeing That Signature, My Day Was Perfect. As I Turned To Walk Away There Stood Dick Himself. I Thanked Him For Signing My Book And With That Being Said We Shook Hands. I Went Directly To My Wife's Work And Showed her My Hand. Ofcourse I Wouldn't Let Her Touch It But She Could Look At It All She Wanted. Hahaha!!

I Am Missing Some Years In The 1990's And Some Years In The New Century. I'm Not As Concerned About Those, Because I Figure They Would Be More Easier To Find Than The 1907 And 1909 Books.

Those Two Years Have Been Giving Me Fits For Years Now. If I Ever Have The Opportunity To Get Those Years, I Will Be Very Close To Having A Complete Collection. I Have Told Billie To Be Sure The Books Go To Only One Person After I Pass Away. It Took Me Alot Of Years To Gather These Books And I Want Them To Go To Someone Who Really Appreciates My Endless Search For Them.

Just Call Me Mac.......

Bowling Practice

Yesteday I Met My Dad At The Bowling Alley. Our League Will Begin It's Season Next Week. If My Practice Session Is Any Indication Of What My Season Will Be Then I Will Be Very Pleased. I Expected To Do Poorly In Practice But The Results Were The Opposite. I Hadn't Picked Up A Bowling Ball Since Last April. Could My Good Practice Session Be Because I Have Lost 17 Pounds Since Then? It Really Felt Good To Roll That Ball Down The Alley Once Again. I Am Really Looking Forward To Another Great Season Bowling With The "Old Folks".

Could This Season Be The Best Season For Me? Time Will Tell.

Just Call Me Mac.......

I Was Complimented On My Blog Today. It Gave Me A Different Perspective On How I Should Write.
I Desire Nothing Less Than Honesty Within All My Writings. I Hope I Never Have To Post A Negative Post About Another Soul. I Want Nothing More Than For You To Have A Cheerful Feeling After You Read My Words. I Try Not To Partake In Gossip Like Behavior. It Is Highly Unlikely You Will Have To Surf Through Any BS To Reach My Point Of View. I Am A Firm Believer In Some Things Are Best Not Said.
What Does A Person Have To Gain By All Of The Drama In Their Lives?
Every Time I Experience The Death Of A Friend I Get Reminded How Short Our Lives Can Be. Here Today And Gone Tomorrow.
I Am Beginning To Live Each Day As It May Be My Last.
I Have Been Known As A Worrier For Many Years. I Worry About This And I Worry About That.
Why Worry? There Are Only Two Things To Worry About. Either You Are Well Or You Are Sick. If You Are Well, Then There Is Nothing To Worry About. But If You Are Sick, There Are Two Things To Worry About. Either You Get Well Or You Will Die. If You Get Well There Is Nothing To Worry About. If You Die There Are Only Two Things To Worry About. Either You Will Go To Heaven Or Hell. If You Go To Heaven There Is Nothing To Worry About. But If You Go To Hell You'll Be So Damn Busy Shaking Hands With Friends, You Won't Have Time To Worry.

Just Call Me Mac........

Mid Life? Oh My!

I Think It's Perfectly Normal For A Fifty Something Man To Question The Gradual Progression Of The Aging Process.
I Think It Hits You When You Realize You Are Most Likely Not To Live One Hundred Years. If This Is The Case Then You Must Conclude You Have Lived Well Over Half Your Lifetime. This Alone Can Be A Depressing Thought.
I Can Remember As A Child Looking At An Older Person And Thinking How It Must Feel To Be That Old. I Had No Idea Because I Was Young And Didn't Have A Clue.
Today, Looking Back At Those Childhood Days It Seems Like It Was Only Yesterday.
The Days Of Franklin School And Pappy's Gas Station Are Etched In My Memory Forever. All Of The People I Have Met And Had The Opportunity To Grow Older. Downtown Danville On A Saturday Morning Meant Library Time, Then Off To The Movies We Go!
Tonight As I Sit And Try To Imagine How It Must Feel To Be The Age Of My Father. I Think I Understand The Sand Through The Hour Glass Better At Mid Life Than Any Other Period Of My LifeTime.
Have You Ever Sat And Try To Think Of Your First Moment Of Life?
This Week I Had Two Friends Pass Away. Both Men Came From Differents Walks Of Life. Both Have However Left Their Mark In My Lifetime.
Fred Halls Has Passed Away. Mankinds Loss But Heavens Gain! He Will Be In Song For Eternity. His Mission On Earth Is Complete.
His Achievemeant Was Music For The Soul. I Will Never Forget The Friendly Smile He Gave When Words Weren't Necessary.
As Each Day That Passes I Will Expierence More Death Of Friends Or Family. I Believe I Have Entered A New Segment Of Time. A Time When You Look Past Then Again You Look Forward. Hopefully There Is As Much Future As There Was Past. In Any Case Long Story Short. Live Your Days As If It Were Your Last. It Could Be.

Just Call Me Mac......

In Memory Of Richard

My First Memory Of Richard Was When He Stopped By My Sale And He Had A Wide Screen Television In His Van. He Told Me He Wasn't Sure If It Worked Or Not. That Was The Beginning Of A Friendship That Has Been For Five Years Or More.
Yes Richard Was A Dumpster Diver. Ashamed Of His Hobby? Not A Chance! Richard Had Told Me Many Stories Of His Days In The Chicago Area Dumpsters. I Won't Elaborate On The Goods He Retrieved From These Dumpsters But I Will Assure You Many Items Were New With Price Tags Still Attached.
The Past Few Months Were Especially Hard For Richard. With The Midwest Heat We Have Been Expierencing The Past Couple Of Weeks Took A Toll On My Friend Richard. He Was Having Breathing Problems And Had To Be On Oxegen Most Part Of His Days.
Richard Was 68 Years Old. He Never Called Me By My Name. He Always Referred To Me As Junior.
Richard Was Addicted To The Numbers Of The Illinois State Lottery. He Played Every Combination You Could Ever Imagine. I always Considered It A Sickness To Be That Wrapped Up In Gambling. Ofcourse I Never Shared My Opinion Of This Because It Was His Money And His Business.
He Hustled The Dumpsters And Peddled His Goods To His Regular Clientel. He Enjoyed Life As He Knew It. Ofcourse His Life Was Much Different Than Ours, But Isn't That Why God Had Made Us All Different? I was Never One To Look Down On Another Human Being Because I Have Been In Many Different Situations Throughout My Lifetime I learned Never To Pass Judgement On Another.
Richard Was Just A Simple Person And Never Pretended To Be Someone He Was Not. Either You Accepted Him For Who He Was Or You Didn't.
So Here's To You Richard, May You Rest In Peace! I Will Never Forget The Laughs We Shared And The Lessons I Learned From You. RIP....

Just Call Me Mac........

Life's Little Pleasures

Yesterday Was So Blistering Hot Here In The Danville Area It Was Almost Too Much To Bear. Heat Index Were Near 110. Today A Weak Cold Front Is Suppose To Pass Through Giving Us Some Much Needed Relief. The Temperatures Will Be Somewhat High But The Humidity Will Be Much Lower And More Tolerable.

I Always Carry With Me A Sweat Rag So I Won't Be Blinded By My Own Perspiration.

There Is Nothing More Refreshing Than A Nice Glass Of Lemonade, Especially When It Comes From Young Entrepreneur's. This Was The Case Yesterday Afternoon. At First I Thought It Was A Mirage In The Distance.

Lemonade/25 Cents, Small Glass/50 Cents Tall Glass.

I Pulled To The Side Of The Road And Ordered A Tall Glass Of Cold Lemonade. I Think It Was The Best Glass Of Lemonade Since The Days I Too Was A Young Entrepreneur Selling Not Just Lemonade, But Comic Books, Baseball Cards, Indian Beads And Four Leaf Clovers.

After Finishing My Lemonade I Ordered Another One For The Road.

Both Children Thanked Me For My Business And We Parted Ways.

It Gave Me A Opportunity To Reminisce Of The Good Ol Days. One Day Those Two Young Children Will Someday Also Remember Their Lemonade Stand And How Hot It Was In Danville That Day In August 2007.

Just Call Me Mac......

My Buddy Brian

It Was Just Any Ordinary Day In The Life Of My Buddy Brian Sollars.
He Was A Route Delivery Man For Bud Electronics In Danville.
He Most Likely Woke Up, Ate His Breakfast, Shaved, And Drank His Coffee Like It Was Any Ordinary Day. Unfortunatly It Was Not.
Brian Had Just Dropped Off An Order At A Television Repair Shop In Mount Zion, Illinois. He Returned To His Van And Had The Key In The Door When A Pickup Truck Struck Him, And Tossed Him Several Feet Away. My Buddy Brian Layed Motionless In The Street Almost Dead.
Brian Was Rushed To Decatur Hospital With Life Threatening Injuries. He Was In A Coma For Quite A Long Time. Doctor's Had No Idea Whether Brian Would Survive This Terrible Mishap.
The Driver Of The Car Had Fallen Asleep At The Wheel. This Young Man Had No Idea How Many Lives He Changed On That Day.
When Brian Finally Woke Up From This Deep Coma It Was Obvious He Would Require Alot Of Therapy. Years For That Matter!
Brian's Wife Teresa Had Him Placed In The Best Rehabilitation Center In This Area. It Took Brian Years To Overcome This Horrific Tragedy.
Today Brian Has No Memory Of This Life Changing Incident. Brian's Speech, Memory And Motor Skills Have Left Him Scarred For Life.
Brian Loved Life And He Had Two Young Sons Still In School.
Can You Try To Imagine Something Like This Happening To Your Loved One? It Can!
We All Need To Take A Serious Look At Our Lives, Then Determine If There Is Any Unfinished Business That Needs To Be Taken Care Of. Please Tell Or Show The Person You Love What They Mean To You. You May Never Have That Opportunity Again. We All Treat Each Day As If It Will Be Just An Ordinary Day In The Life Of.....
My Buddy Brian Is An Inspiration To Both My Wife And I.
Life Has Alot Of Twists And Turns And Each Day Is Different Than Any Other.
To Brian And A Few Close Friends Who Call Me Wong Ho, But Ofcourse That Again May Be Another Story.
In The Meantime Just Call Me Mac.....

Dog Days Of Summer

Tommorow Will Be The Last Day Of July. Typically July And August In The Midwest Are Known To House "The Dog Days Of Summer". When Ever You Hear Expression Like This It Makes One Wonder Where It Originated. For Example One Night Billie And I Went To Bingo. There Was This Particular Game We Always Enjoyed. Billie And I Always Played Six Cards A Piece. Every Week I Would Approach The Older Gentleman Who Would Be Selling These Cards. Every Week I Always Put My Order In To Him Which Was A Request For A Bakers Dozen. He Would Always Laugh And Ofcourse Give Me Twelve.

One Week This Gentleman Shared With Me Where the Bakers Dozen Originated. He Informed Me That The Bakers In Paris, France Were Cheating Their Customers And Not Giving Them The Entire 12 Of The Dozen They Ordered. The King Warned All The Bakers From Here On Out If They Were Found To Cheat A Customer They Would Behead The Baker. From That point On It Became A Custom To Always Give The Customer An Extra Loaf Becoming 13 Instead Of 12.

So Back To The Topic Of Summer And The Dog Days Of Summer.

Consider This; But Where Does The Term Come From? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?”
In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture: The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.
They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus), and others, including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).
The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, it is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. Look for it in the southern sky (viewed from northern latitudes) during January.
In the summer, however, Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.
The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the “precession of the equinoxes” (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11.

So, There You Have It Folks. No Longer A Mystery. As We Struggle To Get Through These Dog Days Of Summer Always Keep In Mind To Drink Plenty Of Fluids And Avoid Alcoholic Beverages As Well As Any Beverage That Has Caffeine. Most Importantly Always Check On Your Outside Dog And Provide Them With Plenty Of Water AS Well As Shade.

As For Me, I Will Continue Doing My Every Day Thing During These "Dog Days" And Carry My Sweat Rag And Will Be Business As Usual.

Just Call Me Mac........

In The Beginning God Created The Heavens And The Earth.

Oh My, How Could I Ever Top That? This Is The Beginning Of My Blog And For Those Who Read Them I Hope You Enjoy! Please Allow Me To Give You A Brief Look Into My Life As I Know It. I Was Born On April 21st, 1955, The Second Child To Harvey & Shirley Miller. I Have Two Brothers And Two Sisters. I Am Married To My Childhood Sweetheart Billie Jo. In October We Will Be Celebrating 30 Years Together. I Have A Grown Daughter And A Son And Four Grandchildren..I Live In Danville Illinois. I Currently Live In The Home I Was Raised In. This Year Our Home Has Been In The Family For 50 Years. Ok, Enough About Me Already!

This Day Brought Sad News Of The Passing Of My Uncle John Davis. Uncle John Had Been In Bad Health For The Past Year Or So.A Death To Me Not Only Brings Sadness But Joy As Well. I Feel Sad Because I Will Miss His Earthly Being. I Feel Sadness Because He Leaves A Loving Wife And Three Wonderful Daughters, And Grandchildren Who Will Miss His Upbeat Personality. I Am Sorry To Say I Never Got To Know My Uncle John As Others Have Over The Years. He Resided In Lafayette, Indiana. It Was A Joy To Be In The Presence Of Uncle John. As A Young Child I Avoided My Uncle Because He Always Punched Me In The Upper Leg In The Charly Horse Area. It Hurt Every Time He Landed His Well Aimed Poke. I Still Liked Him Because I Knew He Was Displaying His Fondness For Me. Uncle John Never Had A Son. Today Looking Back At Those Days It's My Opinion Uncle John Wished He Had A Son. I Think It's A Natural Wish That Men Always Had.He Did However Have Three Wonderful Daughters Who Will Always Cherrish The Memories Of The Years They Had With Their Father. I Will Pay My Respects To My Uncle John This Tuesday Evening In His Hometown Of Lafayette. In The Meantime It Is My Hope To Be Loyal In My Writings. I Subscribe To Some Existing Blogs Of My Brother And My Mother. I Check Their Blogs Daily To See If They Added To It.In My Daily Journey Through The Cycle Of Life I Hope To Find Some Humor Even In The Worst Of My Days.

No Reason For Formalities, Just Call Me Mac..........