July 15, 2008 - Msg 64075: You slipped in on me, NN...guess I won't put anything on the floor, thanks. Yes, please email me when you get a chance. I appreciate it.

Boo
July 15, 2008 - Msg 64076: romees I have not ben on here for three days is someone used me name on the porch.
I stay outszde all day and by the time I come in it bedtime.

TOM

July 15, 2008 - Msg 64077: Argghh! The TAGS ep that's on right now is probably my least favorite. It's the one that has Aunt Bee baby-sitting with her niece's baby (I think), and the baby cries whenever Bee picks her up. What annoys me most about the whole ep is Andy's behavior. So help me, if I were Bee, and he walked out of that bedroom all sleepy and tousled one more time, whining the very obvious "Evie Joy's crying again" - I'd have hit him with a leg o' lamb! The kid is screaming, Bee is at her wits' end, and Mr. Grumpy is feeling stepped on because he can't sleep. So he had to stay up working all night. Big deal, get over it. Lots of us do that, right, Spot? Sometimes I get to sleep the next day and sometimes I don't. If I don't, I sure do hope I don't act like that.

Not only that, but the very experienced Bee gets all bent out of shape over the blueberry pie on the baby's mouth. If I couldn't tell the difference between a cyanotic baby and blueberry pie on her mouth, I'd hang up my auntie hat, and I'd bet my socks that Bee wouldn't have really reacted like that. For cryin' out loud!

I think the writers were getting tired by the time they got to this episode. --Romeena
July 15, 2008 - Msg 64078: Romeena. That vein is stickin out of yer neck. :)

Asa
July 15, 2008 - Msg 64079: Thanks, Asa. Guess I'd better simmer down, but it just gets my dander up when Andy gets all whiny and pitiful-like. Big old baby. --Romeena
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64080: I hear you, Romeena. Andy can be a real "Whinestein".

Hey there Asa, that was a hit-and-run post.

The kids talked me into taking them to see the movie "Wall-ee" about the robot. Pretty boring, in my opinion. Even the kids lost interest. The up-side was that it had a pretty good message to it and had no questionable content, that I recall. Good animation, too. Tonight was free popcorn night and we ate too much of the stuff! If you bring your own bowl, they give you the popcorn free. Not a bad deal. Of course 3 drinks cost me 11 dollars...

Better head to bed. Tomorrow is another day...and I want you to all please be thinking about something...We haven't done this in awhile but since it is summer, why don't we share some of our favorite summer childhood memories? I will start by saying that I remember staying out and playing with my friends until the street lights came on, then we had to be home. It was great playing outside until 9pm!

Goodnight Mayberry,

Boo
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64081: Mornin' Y'all! I agree,Ro- Andy was certainly a big grump in the color episodes,wasn't he? If the baby's crying was disturbing him that much,why didn't he just get in the squad car and drive his tired bones over to the Courthouse? There's a cot in the back room he could've conked out on- Barney did it all the time! Good grief!

Today is my daughter's (Laci's mom) 28th birthday -hard to believe she's that old. She & her husband will be going out this evening and Laci will be spending the night here at my rock. Last time she stayed over, she was so wild and playful- didn't go to sleep at all! My daughter had taken her husband to the emergency room with a misdiagnosed hernia and I knew I could call and leave a message on the answering machine for when they returned.They could tell I was at my wit's end with that child and so my daughter came over at 2 AM and took Laci home! I've never had a night like that with her! Hopefully,she'll settle down for me tonight.

Asa, I just want you to know I am still praying for your dear wife.Y'all take care.

Nice story about your friend dancing to that TAGS episode,Dud.Glad he enjoyed it.

Boo, hope things improve with your mom. I wish I knew what the solution was. Hang in there.

Summer childhood memories? I have so many. I loved catching fireflies at dark. We called 'em " lightnin' bugs. Ah,the good old days!

Lots to do around here,so I'd better get off of this computer. Y'all take care!

*****SMILES*****
possum under a rock


July 16, 2008 - Msg 64082: Hey Possum, hope all went well last night with Laci. "Lightnin' bugs", that's right, that's what we called them I think. I never caught many, just watched them at night. I remember lying in the grass at night, looking up at the stars and then feeling really itchy from the grass. I am so thankful that we didn't have video games and all the TV kids have now. We had one TV and usually mom or dad were watching it at night (when dad was home, that is) and there were soap operas on all day, then the news (yuck, no kid wanted to watch that). I did start watching soap operas with mom when I was a teen, out of sheer desperation for something to do during the day. I really got into Young and The Restless for a couple of summers. I haven't watched a soap opera since my teens...can't stand them now. Also, I remember Petticoat Junction coming on in the afternoon before the news and I loved watching that. Mom was always cooking dinner at the time and I remember things like the smell of fresh cantaloupe as mom was cutting it up, and the smell of the air conditioner being turned on for the first time each summer. I run my air off and on throughout the year now, but when I was growing up, it went off at the first cool front and didn't come on again until the beginning of summer. Well, those are enough memories for now...

I don't have to go to Mom's this morning so I have plenty to do here at home. I left a load of clothes in the wash last night so they probably will have to be washed again! groan..I hate when I do that.

Time to check the calander and take care of that laundry!

Boo


July 16, 2008 - Msg 64083: Hey, I just thought of something...I have so many pleasant memories connected with mom being at home and making our house a home...a clean house, good food, the smells of mom's cooking and mom always just being there. I guess I am the memory maker now for my kids...its going to be hard to measure up to mom! I am trying, though and I know my kids love their home. It's clean and comfortable and its a safe place. I hope I am giving them good memories. I know I remember the good things, seldome the bad. Hope its the same with them. Someday I will look back at this time with very fond memories...live each day to the fullest and be blessed!

Boo
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64084: Good Morning Porchsters! Good to see you Asa even if it was just a "drive-by posting" I'm glad to see ya! Prayers for you my friend! Ro I hear ya about those color eps. when I turn it over to TVLand & see the color, I just turn the channel, I hate those, even if my name came from one of them. Tom it's been real hot here, so make sure you have plenty of fluids in you when you spend all that time outside. Boo childhood memories, huh? I got so many of them, I'll have to think on that a while. I DO seem to remember being in trouble alot. teehee Since I was the oldest, I got whippings for things I did (cause I was doing wrong obviously) but I also got whippings for things my rotten little sister did! Mom's comment before that dreaded white belt came out--(& I quote pronounced like it reads) "you ort notta let her do that, yer the oldest & you orta knowed better!" Is it any wonder my sister turned out so self centered & rotten?? Well, now to come up with some good memories, be back later to share them.
Where the heck is MerriWeather??? I'm gonna email her!
Off to groom a mean old Shih Tzu, back later friends. Ya'll try to behave & Act like somebody
*Mavis
Gomer, you sure have got a high roof to yer mouth!
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64085: Good morning, all. Mavis, good luck with the email to Merri. I've done that a couple of times, with no response. I'm really worried about her, with all that bad weather that went through her area a while back. I would be concerned that she was hurt or offended by something that was said somewhere along the line, but that's not her style. I think she'd just say so, I don't think she'd give up on us and go away. Prayers for her and her family, that they're all okay.

I'm concerned about Poor Horatio, too. He's been gone a very long time, and I know he had some challenges in his life. I hope he's okay.

We've got a lot of folks missing - I won't try to name them all, but Mary Wiggins comes to mind. I had wanted to purchase another of her husband's paintings, but would need a brochure or something from which to choose. I do so enjoy the three I have. He's immensely talented.

Lightnin' bugs? Oh yeah! My cousins and I must have caught a zillion of them. They were so easy to catch! Not only did they fly so slowly, and sometimes just almost stay in one spot, but they were down on a child's level, and then lit themselves up so you could see them! Now how convenient is that? I haven't seen one in a very long time, and that's too bad. They were just part of summer, and today's kids don't get to experience that. I think I've said this before, but I blame their disappearance on all the DDT spraying that was done in the 40's and 50's. I may be wrong, because some of you who weren't even born then seem to remember them, so guess they were still around, but still - I wonder. If not the DDT directly, then all the other pesticides that people insist on using could certainly have contributed to their demise. All that stuff is just sooo not necessary, if you use an organic program. I use no pesticides, and no chemical fertilizers, and I'll stack my yard up against a nuke pile any old day.

My next-door neighbor (I could have wrung her neck) just saturated her yard with some foul-smelling pesticide a few years back, because of the fire ants. You could smell it three houses away, so you can imagine how pleasant it was in my back yard. She said she was tired of the ants and decided to get rid of them once and for all. Well, the toads and lizards all disappeared along with the ants, and it seemed to me that the birds became a bit scarce. They're mostly back now, three years later, but the fire ants were back in three months! Meantime, I put dry molasses on my yard, and have no fire ants. Try it - it works!

Well, I'm off to find some lunch. Be blessed, all! --Romeena
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64086: Hey Mavis, that is exactly what I was thinking while reading your post; I was wondering if your sister was still trying to make your life miserable?! Does Mr. Neff have a sister you could become friends with? I hate to see someone without a sister to share life with (or at least a friend who is like a sister). Hey, this morning I got a phone call from some frustrated dog groomer asking how I wanted her to trim my dog. I told her I didn't have a dog so she must have the wrong number ! ha..poor thing was having a bad start to her day and now has to try and figure out what the owner wanted, I guess.

Ro, we still have fireflies around here in the summer, especially outside of town. I was out at George West the other night visiting my MIL and she lives in the country. You should have seen the light show out there! You would have loved it. That would have made me mad, too (about the pesticide). There are always better, more natural ways to handle insects in the yard. I try not to mess with nature. Right now, our washer and dryer are out back in a closet-type room on the back of the apartment and I am growing a whole family of spiders back there. There are really amazing-looking with long legs and very small, almost diamond-shaped bodies. I like them because they catch alot of ants and flies. I don't bother them and they don't bother me. I think I have about 10 or more of them back there. Speaking of laundry...I've got 2 baskets here ready to be put away...

Boo
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64087: Oh, I know what you mean about folks being missing, Ro. I wonder what happened to Fungirl, Dixie and Salty Dog, mostly. They used to be regulars here and I miss them. I am wondering how Homemaker is doing. I know she shared that she had some difficulties at home and her posts are very short these days. If you are out there, HM, we love ya.

Oh, one more summer memory: Mom making pickles. She would take us to the local farmer's market to pick the right sized cucumbers (never liked that part much), then she would spend a day canning dill and bread-N-butter pickles. Mom's were good, though, not like Aunt Bee's kerosene pickles. She always made Bread-N-butter pickles from my Aunt Lou's old recipe and I have a copy of it in my recipe journal. I'm going to make them for mom soon, since she can't do it herself anymore. Not long ago I went through mom's kitchen drawer and found a real treasury of old recipes that she had written herself and some from relatives and old church friends. I put them in a special album with photo slots in it so it is easy to find what you are looking for. I am very happy to have them and they are special because mom hasn't been able to write for over 10 years now. Funny note: I also went through her spice cabinet and found old spices from the 70's and 80's (remember Watkin's stuff?).

Better get going...

Boo
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64088: Good afternoon everyone. It's pretty busy here today so my post will be mercifully brief.

BOO: I have some of thsoe same memories of my mom making pickles, bread and butter and dill. WE grew lots of cukes. I love the smell of dill and have made sure I plant lots in my garden. We don't use but a fraction of it, but I love the smell of teh back yard when the wind blows.

WE call them lightning bugs, too. A couple of years ago I took Nora to a talk at a local park where they told the kids about lightning bugs and then sent them out to catch them. I know I sure learned a lot about them I didn't know! For one thing, you may notice that some stay pretty close to the ground and others fly around at chest or head level. One group are the males and the other the females. I forget which is which. Another interesting thing is that the eggs from last year hatch early in the spring and the small bugs (which can't fly and stay in the grass) feed on slugs and such. Slugs are their food soyurce of choice. The leader jokingly told us that you can tell who in the neighborhood has slug problem by checking out who has the biggest crowd of lightning bugs. It makes sense, since the small ones are in in the dirt, that pesticides and herbicides would take their toll.

Please keep my grandfather in your prayers. He's 87 and has had numerous bouts of several different types of cancer, but managed to bounce back. His wife is in the middle stages of Alzheimers. We found out this morning his heart is 45% accluded (is that the right word?) and he will be getting a pacemaker next week. My dad is travelling to Georgia to be with him so I may go along as well.

Take care.

Me-They
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64089: ROMEENA: I had blueberries for lunch but made sure to keep my face wiped. I wouldn't want anyone trying to give me the Hymlick (sp?) or something. ;)

M-T
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64090: Hey ya'll! I hope ya'll are having a great day today! Here in middle Georgia, it's hotter than grease in a frying pan. Boo - I hope you're having a better day with your mom. Thanks ya'll for the warm invite yesterday in welcoming to the front porch. As a child in the 60s, my father was also a policeman who worked alot of evening shifts and slept during the day. I started watching Andy Griffith because he reminded me so much of my dad with his southern drawl and them both being policemen. Since I didn't get to spend much time with my dad because of his shift work, I looked toward Andy as my "father-figure". Every day at 5:30 for years now, you can find me sitting in front of the tv set watching reruns of Andy. However, when I do miss a day my husband has graciously set up the DVR to record my Andy reruns so I can watch them later that night. Watching Andy gives me a sense of warmth and a longing for slower, quieter, peaceful days that we use to have here in the south but are now long gone. Everyone (including myself) is always in a hurry to get to the next thing we need to do. Do ya'll find yourself feeling the same way?

Donna - the new kid on the block
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64091: Afternoon porch family, hope all is well today.
Been busy at work so I am just now checking by.

Welcome Donna to the porch. It is good to have you.

Not much to report from my end, just busy and a bit harried with things in general. My kids are doing well. They only have about 3 more weeks of summer vacation left. Patrick has to go Thursday morning to have his senior pictures taken. I am amazed they take the senior pictures before school even starts around here. They are very expensive and we have to pay a "sitting fee" as well. Times have surely changed since I was a senior!

I am still working on losing my 30 pounds. I have lost about 5 pounds so I guess I should be happy about that. sure is a lot slower to take off than it is to put on. "Wonder what causes that?"

Dinner menu: grilled chicken, fresh green beans,
SLAW, baked potatoes. strawberry short cake, sweet tea, kool aid.

see you at supper. Prayers and blessings to all.

Big Maude
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64092:
Ro: hence my continued musings that tags was on one more season than it should have been! ha
MDC
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64093: Afternoon, all. Donna, welcome to the porch. We're always glad to have newcomers who share the TAGS philosophy. Do you want to keep your name as it is, or would you prefer to conjure up a "porch" handle? Either way is okay with us.

Big Maude, it's good to see you. we've missed your slaw at the last couple of get-togethers. You do make the best slaw in town!

Me-They, I like the smell of fresh dill, too. I also enjoy rosemary. I've got a couple of rosemary bushes out back, and sometimes when I'm working back there I'll get a stick and just whack the plants a couple of times. It releases that fragrance and you can smell it all over the yard. It just smells so fresh and clean.

I never knew that about the baby lightning bugs. It's amazing, though, when you find out just what does live in the soil and in the grass. Looking out there right now, I don't see any living thing, not even a bird, but I know there are multiplied billions of living things out there that I can't see. I think we're about to have a rainstorm, all the birds and squirrels have disappeared, and the air is very still. I hope so, we can use it. Got a little rain yesterday, but surely could use some more.

Well, I have to work tonight, I think I'll try to catch a little nap. Be blessed, all. --Romeena
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64094:
Mt- prayers for your grand dad and grandma, for sure
Welcome donna! I was on vacation last week and missed your debut. I am also a 50's-60's kid now all "growed up." I wish there were a REAL TV Land of TAGS, Beaver, Maverick, Brady bunch, Davey Crockett, F-troop etc! It looks like you need to watch "Man in a Hurry" a few times! haha
Big maude, good grub as usual! thanks.
Also MIA lately are Opiemom, tick-a-lock, Ray, Dr P,Miss Peggy, Mary grace, Happy Nut, Lake loon etc. I guess we all get busy!
Prayers for all you precious people!
MDC
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64095: Oh boy, Donna, you certainly belong here~! Thanks for sharing your childhood story and fondness for TAGS...we all share that fondness and it's nice to be a part of a group that understands. I have shared before that sometimes at night when I can't sleep or am feeling a little anxious about life, I think about Mayberry and even imagine what it would be like to set foot on Andy's front porch, knock on the screen door and be invited in for coffee with Aunt Bee. Maybe she would invite me to stay for supper and we would have her wonderful fried chicken and apple pie for dessert. Then maybe sit out on the porch after dinner and listen to Andy play his guitar....Yes, we feel the same way that you do. Welcome to the porch.

Well Me-They, it seems we all have elderly family members in need of our concern. Prayers for your grandfather. May the Lord hold him in the hollow of His hand.

Better go work on dinner...

Boo
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64096: Evening Family:
Just dropping by for a quick Hello and welcome to Donna. Yep, there's a rocker next to mine,just sit a spell and rock. This bunch around here will keep you entertained. (there are a few you have to watch out for)teehee. Well, Boo- I'll get your email to you in short order. I have to calm the savage children for a minute! Something has stirred the kettle and things are run-a-muck!
Be back later ~New Neighbor
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64097: Oh, take your time New Neighbor. Whenever you get to it is just fine.

Boo
July 16, 2008 - Msg 64098:
Hello porch family

Just got in from a concert in Kennebec, Me. It went great.

Welcome Donna....So good to have you on the porch. Spot and Lucy are from Ga also. I'm from SC.

M-T...prayers for your grandparents.

Ro....I've caught tons of lightning bugs over the years also. Wow that brings back memories.

Gonna get to bed....Night all and praying for all the porch family.
-REV.
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64099: Morning porch! Hope everyone is up and ready to go today. Just stopping by for a minute before I get my work day started.

Good to see Rev. Glad your concerts are going well.

Romeena, our dog likes to "try" and catch the lighting bugs. She is so funny watching her jump anc chase them. She never catches them but she surely tries.

Breakfast menu will be: scambled eggs, toast, apple butter or jelly, crisp center cut bacon, cantaloupe slices or grapefruit halves, juice and coffee. You all eat up and start the day of with a full tummy.

Prayers for Me-They's grandparents.

Back to work. Prayers and blessings to all.

Big Maude
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64100: Good morning all. Just have a sec to say hello. I'm up at Checkpoint Chickee catching speeders. YOu know them truckers; give 'em 5, they'll take 10, give 'em 10, they'll take 15...

I'll stop back later.

Prayers for all.

Me-They
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64101: Thanks for breakfast MAUDE. Speaking of full tummys, if you want a cringe and a laugh, check thsi story out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25464987. KInda takes all the fun outta eating.

Me-They
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64102: Man, the porch is empty today. I've been having trouble getting on the porch. Maybe others are, too. Why do I feel like I"m talking to myself?

M-T
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64103: You're not talking to yourself, M-T. I had trouble getting on this morning, too. I guess others have as well and will check in later.

Nothing very exciting to share, just doing the chores.

Be back later...

Boo
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64104: Hey, M-T, you haven't shared a summer childhood memory yet, have you?

Boo
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64105: Good afternoon everyone....The "Dud"
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64106: Good afternoon everyone....The "Dud"
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64107: BOO: I have many good ones, but on hot summer mornings I still remember shooting out of bed to play with friends, only to have my mom send us out to the garden to do chores first. I still can weed pretty fast. ;)

I'll try and think of a good one for tomorrow (still busy).

DUD: I checked out that T. Boone Pickens guy. Seems to make some sense, at least on the surface. Heck, any guy who's plan is endorsed by the natural gas interests, the auto industrialists, and the Sierra Club deserves a second look.

Take care.

Me-They
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64108: My mother is doing better and she went out to eat with her church luncheon club and she made it to services last night...

Me-They: Prayers for your father..Welcome again Donna... Rev: Good to hear from you, everytime I go out to eat here in Monroe La., I wonder If the Rev has eaten here...We do have a new Concrete short track oval called Monroe Motor Speedway right by Pecanland Mall off of I-20..It is going great guns...TAGS Marathon tonite on TV LAND 7-11:30.

BOO & Summer memories....Well due to my mother being ill, I have moved back to my childhood family's home on the banks of the bayou. I used to roll out of bed and go fishing or go by boat to golf...afternoons are at the REC Center ( mother gave me 15 cents for big candybar and 12 oz glass bottle coke) also by boat, right in the neighborhood..behind the REC center was the baseball fields and either played or practiced the rest of the day or night...saw little of my parents unless I had a game that night...I do miss the frogs...Being amphibians they asorb everything through their skin and they say the reason there is no frogs is because of the DDT sprayed on the cotton fields and the mosquito spraying by the parish GOVT..I would not be so upset if the turtle & mosquito population went down, but not the mosquito eating frogs..They say the reason all of us around here are getting cancer is because we swam and we get our drinking water from the Bayou that for years had DDT runoff chemicals swimming in it...The summers of the 60's sure were great...

The "Dud"


July 17, 2008 - Msg 64109: Hey, have any of you Andy Griffith Fans visited Tresa Crain's New website???

Her husband is an Andy Griffith Show Tribute Artist, he impersonates Gomer Pyle!

Anyway, Tresa painted the Andy Griffith Show cast in April to help a charity auction raise money for kids with disabilities. Her portaits are amazing! Not to mention very reasonable rates, $300 for a portraiture!

To See Andy Griffith, Barney Fife, Aunt Bee, Opie, Goober, and Gomer Pyle, Visit Tresa Crain Portraits' "Andy Griffith Show" Page at: http://www.tresacrainportraits.com/Andy_Griffith_Show_Portraits.html

I know she'll be thrilled to see you stopped by and sign her guestbook on her homepage before you leave!!!
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64110: If you have typing the above address like I do, just visit www.TresaCrainPortraits.com and follow the links to "The Andy Griffith Show" Page!!!
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64111:
People talkin' to themselves, double posts, I think the fireflies got into the server! haha
No lighting bugs in Phoenix, too dang hot for 'em!
One childhood memory that i have of Phoenix summers is this, but i think i shared it already last year: When we would get ready to go on our summer vacations to Minnesota to visit relatives, my dad would use two luggage racks on top of our '56 Ford stationwagon. Then us six kids(all at the time) would start putting 'dibs' on where we would sit, either in the small space behind the back seat that wasnt packed to the gills, or on the seatbeltless back seat itself! My dad would go to a crystal ice machine that would dispense big blocks of ice, and then icepick the blocks into good 'sucking' chunks. We'd leave at 3 AM when it was a little bit 'cooler' and head out for a three week adventure up to Minneapolis! No ipods, no dvd's, no gameboys, just lots of imagination! "I'm thinking of a vegetable..." my mom would start out with once we were all awake. We also see who could spot the most different state license plates. We'd suck on our ice chunks, let it melt on our skin and stay "evap cooled!" We'd stop at parks and eat sandwiches, run, play tag and then back into the car. We'd camp each night, no motel rooms as KOA had baths and showers. Then after days of wheat fields and corn fields we'd roll into Minnesota, stay in grandma and grandpa's two story farmhouse, watch her cook on a big black woodburning stove, eat corn right off the stalk and fresh apple pie, go fishing and hiking, extract bee honey with my uncle (photos on ro's site)and then about a week later, pile back into the stationwagon for the trip home. It was a magical time that when i get to heaven, I will ask Jesus if I can 'observe' those days again in a kind of 'video', they were that fun.
Thanks Boo for rekindling those thoughts once again! they were truly great times.
MDC
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64112: Hi, my name is MILK DUD. I am daughter of the DUD. I am 11 and have just been swimming in the pool. I do not like to fish or watch football. I like to play sports. Ilike to ride in the boat and go to the movies. We are going to get my puppy this weekend. My daddy wants to name it I don't think so!
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64113: Hahaha...Milk Dud, I love it! Great name. Good call on not letting your dad name the puppy. Welcome to the porch, kiddo.

MDC, I absolutely loved your vacation memory and to make it even better I was picturing those photos of you and your family on Ro's site. Boy, I wish we could go back for a few weeks and I could live it over with you and your family. What fun! I remember as a very young child, visiting some family friends somewhere in North Texas, I think, who lived on a farm in a 2-story, white farmhouse. They had cows and chickens and the lady of the house would just go out and wring a chicken'n neck for dinner! I remember her table all set out with fried chicken, big homemade biscuits, and fresh tomatos from the garden. Those folks ate what they grew and both lived to be quite old. They also drank well water and they kept a big pitcher of it in the icebox. It was the best water in the world. I also remember that the house was simple, wood floors, tall windows, everything painted white and ceiling fans..no air conditioners. It's a great memory and I would love to live like that (except for doing without the air conditioner). Speaking of...we are on the move finally, and Bruce is as we speak meeting with a plumber to get a bid. We are in the process of digging a trench for the water and electricity. The house we are planning to build will be a KISS house (keep it simple, stupid), and much like the farmhouse I just talked about. I am working toward simplicity and self-sufficiency!

DUD, I wasn't aware that you were taking care of your mom, good for you! I am glad to hear she is feeling better.

Well, time to go feed mom..

Boo
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64114: Some nice memories of summers' past here.

Dropped off the wife at the airport shuttle earlier today, as she is going over for another 3 weeks. This might be the last time she is going over because, sad to say, the doctors said her dad has about 2 months left to live. Then again, what do doctors know?!
After we returned home, Kai and I both took a much needed nap.

You know, oddly enough some of my fondest summer memories have something to do with the sweltering summer heat. I remember sitting out on the slightly cooler porch on those nights when not even the fans were doing much good in the house, just listening to the crickets; the cicadas(whose sound for a long time I thought was something weird going on in the telephone lines); and mostly the "beeeeck beeeeck" call of the nighthawks, and then waiting for the deep whirring sound as they dived in the air after insects. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be as many nighthawks around here anymore. And when I do manage to hear the call of one, I still haven't heard the diving sound for such a long time. Maybe they don't do that anymore. But they did. I used to watch them for hours in the early-evening hours as they shot earthward, then made a graceful and tight arc back up toward the sky, which is when that characteristic "vvrrrooomm" sound was made.

As for fireflies, even those have diminished around here, but we used to see(and catch) thousands of them. Maybe we need to move back out into the country. But back when I was a kid even after we moved into town we still had a bunch of them around. Now, not so much. Don't know why that is.

-Sterling Holobyte
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64115: Welcome to Milk Dud and Donna!

**Happy Birthday Miss Veda!**

Prayers for all!
AFD
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64116: Hello BOO. I want to call my new dog after Miley Cyrus. What is wrong with Miley? Dad wants to call her Belle. He said I like to eat Blue Bell so much that I should like that name. I like Miley. Gotta go..see ya :) MILK DUD
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64117:
Dear Milk Dud,
Yes, there is a Santa Claus..oops, wrong letter, haha
I think both names are nice. Maybe you could flip a coin and the winner gets to name the dog.
What do you think? Just an idea.
MDC
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64118: Good Evening on the Porch. I see ya'll have met my young'un the MILK DUD. I am starting to like the name MILEY for the Chocolate Labrador Puppy. The name shall be MILEY and peace will be had...Her mom did send some very special DVDs for me and MILK DUD to watch....The "Dud"
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64119: Evening Porch Family:
Just stopping by to say a quick HI, and welcome to MILK DUD! How sweet to have a new generation join us on the porch.
Boo: check your email.

Summer memories-many,many wonderful ones! One of my favorite ones is: We stayed with my grandparents while mom worked. I happened to be the only girl in the neighborhood with 9 boys. I spent MANY hours sitting on the front steps waiting for the boys to come home from the creek fishing,swimming and catching mennows. On special treat days my cousin would come and we would ride bikes for hours. On really hot days the tar in the little single lane country road would bubble and we would pop the bubbles with our bare feet. It was really fun to walk through stones and coat the bottom of our feet with "soles". Grandma didn't think it so funny when she put us in her bathtub and scrubbed our feet with gas from the lawnmower. Bev and I still laugh about that day. Blessing. ~New Neighbor
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64120: Good evening, everyone, and welcome, Milk Dud. That's a really neat name. And I like Miley for the puppy, too. Oh, and Happy Birthday to our own little Veda. Porch kids - what a deal!

I have so many summer memories, I could write a book. Perhaps one day I shall. Anyway, one memory involves a visit to some friends of my parents, who had moved away to a small town, and had invited us to come and spend a weekend. A neat side note - their last name was Wages, and the wife always addressed her husband as Mr. Wages. I never recall hearing her use his first name. He, on the other hand, called her Miss Ruby. Whether they were speaking to or about each other, those were the names they used.

Anyway, we went to visit them, and they lived in the most delightful old house. Huge, with high ceilings, tall windows, shiny wood floors, and a wrap-around porch on 3 1/2 sides, that was a full ten feet deep. Imagine, a ten-foot deep porch completely surrounding the house. They had a son, a dorky little kid about my age, and we actually roller skated on that porch. That's where I learned to make sharp turns on skates, as it was necessary to do so at each end of the course, since the kitchen jutted out on one corner and interrupted the flow of the porch.

It would have been more fun if the kid hadn't been such a twit, but considering he was the only child of "Miss Ruby", his dorkiness was understandable. He wasn't rude or hateful, he was actually quite well-mannered, but I can almost guarantee that he has worn pocket-protectors all his adult life. His mother dressed him in little Eddie Munster suits until he was nearly ten, and at church dinners he wasn't allowed to partake of any food not prepared by his mother, and he never, ever, folded the pages of the hymnbook inward to make the rolled accordion pleats. Told you he was a dork! Anyhow, I managed to acquire a box of candy cigarettes somewhere, shared them with him, and his mother was just horrified. We were never invited back.

Well - off I go. --Romeena
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64121: Thanks everyone for welcoming MILK DUD. She got a big kick out of you responding. She is looking forward to getting her puppy this weekend. They grow up so fast and my Ex and I are both tall so she will probably be 5'10" to 6' as an adult. She is finally in bed after swimming all day and night. Just like her daddy she is growing up living in the water like a fish...SPOT, REV & TOM how did you like the MLB ALLSTAR GAME Tues. night? Starter Ben Sheets went to UL at Monroe my alma mater. So the guys and I had a favorite son to pull for. He sure made us proud...Take care..Looking forward to going on the water with the MILK DUD.....The "Dud"
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64122: Boo: The puppy is almost 12 weeks old and the info I got said after 10 weeks it should be fine to separate from the mother. I been reading and friends have told me that what ever we do, do not overfeed as an adult because they will eat anything, everything and get obese...correct?

The "Dud"
July 17, 2008 - Msg 64123: Well, I'm no real expert, DUD, but I will say that my lab that passed away would eat as much as you gave her and when she went to live with my sister she was overfed and did get very obese. The dog was really food-obsessed. When she lived with me she only got dry dog food once a day but when my sister took her, she gave her canned and even table scraps and it was very bad for her. To keep the new dog healthy, keep her active and feed her a quality dry dog food...don't give into the temptation to feed her your leftovers! I know that sounds harsh but I read a recent study about dogs that eat only dry dog food having a longer lifespan.

Hey there, Sterling, I forgot what state you grew up in...are you from the south?

NN, I got your email...I am sending a response, thanks...I can't believe you popped hot tar bubbles with your feet! Too funny. I know how hard it is to get tar off the bottom of the feet. There is often tar on the beaches here and we get it on our feet. We use mayo to get it off...(sorry M-T). Your post made me think of the summer memories I have of spending summers with my grandparents in Royal Oak, Michigan. What wonderful times! Royal Oak was very Mayberry-ish in the 60's and 70's and had a neat "uptown" area only a couple of blocks from my grandparent's modest little home. My cousins and I would walk uptown to the movie house, or the bowling alley. There was also a neat book store and a 5 & Dime Kresge. We could also ride our bikes to the A&W rootbeer stand for ice cream.

Ro, it sounds like Miss Ruby was a dork, too. I ate enough candy cigarettes to get imaginary lung cancer and I turned out ok (well, sort of).

I think Miley is a cute name for the pup, MILK DUD. My chocolate lab was named Belle, though, and it suited her really well. She had the most beautiful hazel eyes.

One other thing about the lab pup, DUD, she is going to chew heck off the hinges so make sure she has plenty of chew toys and rawhides.

I watched a color ep of TAGS tonight that was kind of strange...about Helen's niece giving Opie a black eye. Not sure who wrote that one but Andy, Opie and Helen all seemed out of character.

Off to bed...

Boo


July 18, 2008 - Msg 64124: Thanks Boo: Thanks for the update on LABS. I was gonna' name the puppy for Southern Belles and your previous post on your late dog gave me the idea..Miley it will be...I am also watching the Color TAGS marathon at this moment...The Aunt Bea Restaurant episode.

Goober: I'll have the $1.65 chow mein dinner.
Andy: I'm buying Goob.
Goober: $1.95

The "Dud"
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64125:
Hello porch family

Dud.....yep that was a wild All Star Game. And yes, I saw the new race track in Monroe the other week when I passed through on I-20. I was suprised to see it. Looks like a nice small track.

Milk Dud....welcome and my vote is for the name "Miley."

Ro....I want the first copy of the childhood memories book when it is released.

Gotta get to bed.....Prayers for all the porch family. Remember....we belong to a great big GOD and He loves you.
-REV.
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64126: Nope Boo, I grew up in the same state I am in now, Wisconsin. :)

-Sterling Holobyte
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64127: Sorry Sterling, I knew you lived in your hometown, I just couldn't remember where that was. Does it get very hot in Wisconsin in the summer?

You're welcome DUD, hope you both enjoy Miley.

Howdy REV.

Nighty-Night!

See ya'll in the mornin' with my cup of coffee.

Boo
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64128: I will meet ya'll in the morning with Diabetic Friendly, Non-Sugar, No-Calorie, Maxium Caffeine Rocket Fuel...Pepsi Max...Someone plan breakfast & ROMEENA I will bring that Chipolte Salsa for us..Bagels & Cream Cheese for you and MILK DUD..

The "Dud"
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64129: Well, I meant of course Diet Pepsi Max the new breakfast of Champions....The "Dud"
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64130: Mornin' Dears and Honeys! I survived Laci's overnight stay on Wed. evening- barely! She went to sleep @ 11pm then woke up at 4AM! Needless to say,much of yesterday was a big blur,as I tried to catch up a bit on sleep and was in the Twilight Zone most of my "awake" hours. Anyhow,I had a goodnight's restlast night so I'm up and at 'em today. I'll even treat everybody to breakfast- let's head over to the Waffle House. Just wait here and Spot will be along shortly to pick everybody up.He's got that big ol' pick up we can all fit in,so he's the designated driver.

Welcome to Donna and Miss Milk Dud!
*****SMILES*****
possum under a rock
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64131: I WANT SOME RAIN.

TOM

July 18, 2008 - Msg 64132: Good morning everyone. Another busy day here. I wish I could stop for a set, but that will have to wait until later.

AFD: Thanks for your birthday wishes. Veda had a nice bithday. We're having a small party with the grandparents this weekend.

If I recall correctly (and I don't always), today is little Reagan Joy's b-day. Happy big 2! How's the sweetie-pie doing?

Me-They
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64133: Good morning everyone: It is great to be alive on such a beautiful morning...Having the daughter here has brighten my mother's mood considerably....gonna hit the water hard today..no sunburn please...

Someone once said, "We ought to be thankful that we are living in a country where folks can say what they think without thinking".....The "Dud"


July 18, 2008 - Msg 64134: Hey Family:
Just dropping by on the way to the clothesline to hang up the 5th load of clothes.
M-T, is it dry down there? We sure could use a little rain on this side of the porch.
Thanks for the breakfast invitation-but SPOT never made it by to pick me up. Did I offend you in some way SPOT?
~New Neighbor
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64135: I think Spot must have run out of gas, NN! Sorry about you missing breakfast- maybe next time!

Happy birthday to our lil Porch girls !!!

Hope you get that rain, Tom.
Well,I'll see y'all later..

possum again
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64136: Gang im here but my web page has been messed up...has yalls?...back in just a bit...got to cary Miss Sherry to pick up her new truck....SPOT
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64137: It was up in the 90's just a couple weeks ago, Boo, and it can get into the 100's as well.
Now, as for the temperatures in winter..., brrrr!:)

We run the gamut on temperatures. Right now it has been pretty nice, in the upper 70's.

-Sterling Holobyte
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64138: Eeww, not a good breakfast, DUD. I had coffee with a little bit of creamer and a peice of cinammon raisin toast with a bit of cream cheese. Pretty good. Good quote, by the way.

Possum, I wonder if Laci took a long nap yesterday or if she just kept going. If it had been Erin, she would just keep going like the energizer bunny. Taking care of children isn't for cowards.

Hey TOM, hope you get some rain soon (you too, NN....you are hanging 5 loads of laundry?! Sheesh, that's alot).

A new truck? Cool, what kind is Miss Sherry getting? Have you seen those new Lincoln trucks? Talk about purty!...not very fuel efficient, though.

Boo



July 18, 2008 - Msg 64139: Good Morning my new Porch family! Ok, I've got to make a name change from "Donna" to something else that's as cool as ya'lls names. How about "Ant D" which rhymes with "Aunt Bee"? The name comes from my trying to save the little sugar ants that occasionaly crawl across my desk here at work. I used to kill all of these little critters until my 8 year old son got an ant farm along with information about ants. I read the info booklet and learned how dang smart ants are. I know, I sound crazy and I don't play with fire ants (I just pretend they're terrorists and I stomp them - :) Well anyway,,,,, do you know that you can't mix ants from a different colony or they'll kill each other? Or did you know that ants have different jobs in taking care of their colony? There are the farmer ants who store food they find; there are the worker ants who build tunnels; there are the pallbearers who pick up a dead ant and bury him; there are the dairy farmers who capture aphids and then milk them by stroking their backs and the aphid produces a sweet substance similar to milk for the ants to eat. I promise I'm normal (whatever that definition is) but I just think non-biting/stinging ants are WAY cool!

Donna (aka Ant D)
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64140: Hey there, Sterling, didn't see you...that kind of sounds like the weather I remember in Michigan in the summer. Sometimes it would get in the 90's during the day but it would cool off in the evenings when the sun went down. My grandparents didn't have air conditioning but we didn't really need it. It got pretty hot in the kitchen during the day (poor Grandma, she was always cooking something) but I can remember sitting out on the front porch in the evening, sitting on the glider with Grandma and mom and wearing a sweater. Grandpa was always on the other end of the porch listening to baseball on the radio. Boy, I sure heard alot of stories on those summer evenings. Some were pretty scary, too. I wouldn't trade those memories. What wonderful times they were. Growing up down in South Texas, I didn't really experience that sense of family because it was just my immediate family, no cousins to play with or anything. When I went to Michigan, there were more than I could count and getting together with family was a daily thing. Grandma would cook and family would drop in and out around supper time to eat and sit around the kitchen table. My mom had several siblings and they all lived in the area. Sad thing is, mom only has one sister left and she is the only family member I have any contact with. I don't even know where the other cousins are, except for one. I wish my children had more cousins. They came along so late, their cousins are much older and more like aunts and uncles.

Better scoot...

Boo
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64141: Hey there, Donna, I think Ant D is a fine name. I recently bought an ant farm for the kids and am currently waiting for my worker aunts to arrive by mail..now I am really looking forward to it. By the way, if you are "normal", you may feel out of place here on the porch...hehe...just kidding, of course.

You mentioned work. What do you do for a living, what state are in, tell us something about yourself if you like.

Boo
July 18, 2008 - Msg 64142: Hey Boo - I just turned 44 on July 4th (that's why I'm such a FIRECRACKER!....hmmm...maybe that should have been my porch name). I have two children and three step-children. My children are my daughter Bailey who is 13 and my son Dawson who is 8. My steps are Christopher who is 24, Jenna who is 22 and Jordyn who is 14. Jenna has made my husband John and I grandparents last year with a beautiful daughter Brooke. I work for a defense contractor for the government and I also own an interior decorating business that employs just me. I've lived in Warner Robins, Georgia all of my life. My father who is 69 only lives around the corner from me so that I can keep my eye on him. My mom died of lung cancer at the very young age of 60 almost 4 years ago. My brother who is 39 is a police officer (followed in my father's footsteps). Before I was a defense contractor I was a Private Investigator for a few years (nothing as glamarous as Magnum P.I. though). Anything else you want to know just ask. I'm pretty much an opened book. :)

Ant D