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.