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.....