Donald Chandler

“I'm about as old fashioned as I can be... And I hope you're lik'in what you see… 'Cause if you're lookin' at me… You're lookin' at country”                    (Loretta Lynn, 1971)

The “birthweek” celebration for Liz continues even though we are still three days away from her actual birthday on Monday.  We are leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend in Nashville.  We have tickets for Saturday night’s Grand Ole Opry which will be performed in the Old Ryman Auditorium downtown, the original home of the Opry until it moved in 1974.  The show is there again temporarily because the current Grand Ole Opry House was heavily damaged during the Nashville flood earlier this year. We have been to the Opry a number of times, but this will be the first time we’ve seen a show at the Ryman, and we are really looking forward to it.  The Saturday night show will be headlined by the legendary “Coal Miner’s Daughter” herself, Loretta Lynn, but there will be plenty of artists, old and new, to support her.  There should be a good mix of Country, Bluegrass, and Gospel Music.  The legends will include Jim Ed Brown, Connie Smith, Stonewall Jackson, and “Whisperin” Bill Anderson (a UGA grad by the way).  The newer artists will be represented by a great bluegrass instrumentalist, Sarah Jarosz, and a young duet on the rise called Steel Magnolia.  Should be FUN!

Sunday morning we will probably attend services at one of two churches that we have been to before.  One is Christ Church Nashville which is the home of the Christ Church Choir, one of the BEST choirs in the country.  The other is Nashville Cowboy Church, led by the ministry and music of Harry Yates and Joanne Cash Yates (Johnny Cash’s sister).  It is not unusual for some of the members of the Grand Ole Opry to show up there on Sunday morning and sing during the service.  Have any of you ever been to either one of these churches?  Whichever one we choose… it’s gonna be GOOD!

Well, Braves fans, it was not a good 3-game road trip.  Atlanta got swept in Chicago by the red-hot White Sox.  But our guys will be back in Turner Field for a nice long home stand, and maybe they can turn things around starting with the Detroit Tigers over the weekend.  Gary… I try not to go to either extreme… I don’t get down when the Braves lose 9 in a row, and I don’t have the urge to burn down Atlanta when they win the World Series.  It’s just a game… one that I happen to enjoy very much… win or lose.  I was a baseball fan and a Braves fan long before they started winning.  I would love to be at Monday night’s game against the Washington Nationals and see the Nat’s rookie pitching phenom, Stephen Strasburg pitch against our own rookie sensation, Jason Heyward.  Strasburg is supposed to be the NEXT GREAT major league pitcher.  He sure has looked good so far.

One more sports note (sorry)… Did you see where the LONGEST professional tennis match in history was finally won yesterday in the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon Tennis Tournament by an American, John Isner, who also happens to be a UGA grad and former member of the Bulldogs Tennis Team before going pro.  GO DAWGS!  The match lasted 11 hours and five minutes and had to be spread out over three days.  I guess that match wore him out because he lost today in the next round.

Here’s wishing all of you a GREAT Summer weekend, whatever you have planned. 

Michael Jackson is dead?  

Donald Chandler

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANIE!!!  Hope you check in today and leave us a comment on your special day.  It is so easy to remember your birthday now since I know it is the same day as Liz's birthday.  I pray that God would pour out his blessings on you.  Let us hear from you more often.

Janie Etheredge (Harris)

Hi Class of 68,

     Yes I'm another year older . Next year I can retirer , but might not.  Boy the number keep getting larger.  Next year Charles and I will be married 40 years.   We are planned a Cruise to Alaske (11 nights) .  So I might continue working and plan another  Cruise etc..    I don't work on my Birthday  so I enjoyed a day  of crafting and doing nothing.  

     Diane and Don thanks for the Birthday greeting.  Don tell Lis I say Happy Birthday.         

Connie Morgan (White)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANIE!!!!!!!!  I hope you have had a great day.    I really was glad to get a note from you recently.  Have missed hearing from you on this message forum.  Please plan to come to Ga. the next time we have a get-together.

Happy wishes also go out to Liz.  Sounds like Don has done a good job of celebrating.

I hope all of you have a safe and fun 4th. of July week-end.

God bless America.

Gary Grice

Class Reunion

Every ten years, as summertime nears,
An announcement arrives in the mail,
A reunion is planned; it'll be really grand;
Make plans to attend without fail.

I'll never forget the first time we met;
We tried so hard to impress.
We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,
And wore our most elegant dress.

It was quite an affair; the whole class was there.
It was held at a fancy hotel.
We wined, and we dined, and we acted refined,
And everyone thought it was swell.

The men all conversed about who had been first
To achieve great fortune and fame.
Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses
And how beautiful their children became.

The homecoming queen, who once had been lean,
Now weighed in at one-ninety-six.
The jocks who were there had all lost their hair,
And the cheerleaders could no longer do kicks.

No one had heard about the class nerd
Who'd guided a spacecraft to the moon;
Or poor little Jane, who's always been plain;
She married a shipping tycoon.

The boy we'd decreed "most apt to succeed"
Was serving ten years in the pen,
While the one voted "least" now was a priest;
Just shows you can be wrong now and then.

They awarded a prize to one of the guys
Who seemed to have aged the least.
Another was given to the grad who had driven
The farthest to attend the feast.

They took a class picture, a curious mixture
Of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties.
Tall, short, or skinny, the style was the mini;
You never saw so many thighs.

At our next get-together, no one cared whether
They impressed their classmates or not.
The mood was informal, a whole lot more normal;
By this time we'd all gone to pot.

It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;
We ate hamburgers, coleslaw, and beans.
Then most of us lay around in the shade,
In our comfortable T-shirts and jeans.

By the fortieth year, it was abundantly clear,
We were definitely over the hill.
Those who weren't dead had to crawl out of bed,
And be home in time for their pill.

And now I can't wait as they've set the date;
Our sixtieth is coming, I'm told.
It should be a ball, they've rented a hall
At the Shady Rest Home for the old.

Repairs have been made on my old hearing aid;
My pacemaker's been turned up on high.
My wheelchair is oiled, and my teeth have been boiled;
And I've bought a new wig and glass eye.

I'm feeling quite hearty; I'm ready to party,
I'll dance until dawn's early light.
It'll be lots of fun; and I hope at least one
Other person can make it that night.
 

Unknown Author

Later.

Connie Morgan (White)

Gary:

LOVED the poem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Donald Chandler

"Am I blue... Am I blue..."  (George Strait, 1987) 

Gary Grice

I'll bet you pay for that one Don!  Later.

Connie Morgan (White)

Does anyone know someone around here that trims trees?

I got one estimate, and it is WAY more than I was hoping for.

Gary Grice

Later.

Donald Chandler

"...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."              (The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776) 

This weekend I will be thinking about this great country and the freedoms we cherish.  May we guard them with courage and faith. 

I will also be thinking about my Mom, Sarah Louise Veale Chandler, born on the 4th of July in 1909.  She would be 101 years old on Independence Day had she not passed away in 1982.  May God Bless her sweet memory.

I pray that all of you will have a Happy 4th of July with your families and friends.  Be safe out there if you are on the roads... don't drink and drive, and don't text and drive.  May God Bless you and May God Bless America!

Jimmy Willis

CONNIE,

CALL ROSS THEY MIGHT DO THAT KIND OF THING! GOT TO RUN

I'M GOING  OUT OF TOWN. GOING TO ST. SIMONS!

HAVE A GREAT 4TH MATES!

JIM

Donald Chandler

Gary Grice

Well Don, I guess everyone else is off to the beach or mountains or somewhere other than HERE!  I guess WE could just exchange jokes but I came across a very interesting study that might apply to those of US who are NOT on vacation.  Check it out and let me know how you score.  Read the full description before looking at the link.

The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress level at St. Mary's Hospital. Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical.

A closely monitored, scientific study of a group revealed that in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress would find differences in the two dolphins. If there are many differences found between both dolphins, it means that the person is experiencing a great amount of stress.

Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you may want to take a vacation. Click here.

Later.

Donald Chandler

Holy Cow!  I need a vacation.

Jimmy Willis

    STRANGE THAT YOU SHOULD SAY THAT DON! I'M SETTING HERE THIS

MORNING,  AS LIKE THE PAST FIVE MORNINGS. I'M WATCHING THE

SUN COME UP OVER THE BEACHES AT ST. SIMONS, GA. IT'S

IMPOSSIBLE TO explain THE BEAUTY! WE HAD A GREAT VAC.

WE'VE BEEN HERE SINCE SAT. AND WILL BE LEAVING SUNDAY

MORNING. IT'S STRANGE I'VE BEEN COMING HERE SINCE HIGH

SCHOOL, BUT IT SEEMS I NEVER TIRE  OF THIS PLACE.

    ALL BETH'S FAMILY HAS BEEN HERE! BROTHERS/SISTERS/CHILDREN

AND GRANDS HAVE ALL BEEN HERE. I GOT IN SOME GOLF, MAN WAS

IT HOT! WADING IN THE OCEAN. AND SOME READING. IT HAS

BEEN GREAT TO GET AWAY! STILL I DO MISS BEING AT HOME.

A WEEK AWAY FROM MY BUDDY IS ENOUGH!

    ANYWAY, GOT TO GO I HEAR EVERYONE STARTING TO MADE

NOISE INSIDE. HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT WEEKEND! IT'S

BACK TO THE GRIND IN A COUPLE OF DAYS! BE SAFE MATES!

LATER!!!

Donald Chandler

Great to hear that you are having a nice vacation with your family, Jim.  SOUNDS WONDERFUL!  Get some photos of those sunrises.  Enjoy those last few days too.  Golf in 100 degrees???  Are you watching any baseball on your vacation?  Our Braves are still on a roll.  Still in first place!!!  And LOOKIN' GOOD!  We've been taking every series here lately two games out of every three.  Bobby Cox's last year is gonna be a good one!  We need to beat the Mets this weekend to go into the All-Star break on a good note.  It's hard to believe the season is half gone.  Will you watch the All-Star Game Tuesday?... five Braves this year!

Well... the weather over the holiday last weekend was great, but the really hot temps are back with us.  And I need to do yard work.  Ugh!

Today, I'm leaving the jokes to the master (Gary)...

Have a great weekend folks.  Reporting live from HOT-LANTA!... this is Don.

Diane Harris (Moore)

Gary Grice

Well its good to be back at work.  I was cutting my lawn last Thursday evening (note picture below) when some of my neighbors took offense.  I was trying to be very careful - notice hearing protection!  Well anyway, after a brief discussion with Officer Barney Fife, I got to visit some friends at the Oconee Sheriff's Hotel.  And I still didn't get my lawn cut.  (I hope you are laughing - and not gagging.)

Been rather busy for the last few days.  Good to get back to work so I can REST.  I had a long list of thing to accomplish on Friday when I took off and completed all but two.  Closed on my brother's land on Friday - PRAISE THE LORD! - and then started working my way through his books.  I have 29 boxes sitting in my neighbors garage (about half of what he had).  Anyone have a friend in the book business?  I'll let them go CHEAP!  Really did have a good weekend and very relieved to get quite a bit off my plate.  I'm envious of all you who have had the opportunity to kick back for a few days - but Sherron says that's not my nature.  Thus, I have a job to keep me from working so hard.  So much going on these days!  Jim, I echo Don's sentiments wishing you captured some of the beautiful sun rises over the ocean.  I was blessed to observe many such unspeakably beautiful events while at sea.  NO ARTIST can touch the works of the Master's hand and I have wished many times I had taken more time to attempt to capture them but alas they must remain trapped only in my memory.   Hope you all have a blessed week.  Later.  (:-)  (Not nearly as good an artist as Diane.)

Diane Harris (Moore)

Gary Grice

Connie Morgan (White)

Enjoyed reading and catching up on the latest posts.  So good to "keep up" with "old" friends!  Speaking of "old"---  early happy birthday Inez!!!   (Just kidding about the "old" part - we are all in that boat together!)

I enjoyed a long week-end with my children and grandchildren @ Lake Oconee.   Very hot, but so good to have some time together.  It seems that Carrie Underwood got married down there last w/e.  My invitation must have been lost in the mail.  :)

I hope you are all having a good summer.  It seems to be flying by.

Take care.

Kathy Carter (Campbell)

Hi all, no news, just dropping by a moment to check in. Had girls 1 1/2 dys last week and have them this week until Thursday. On Friday we are going to Ga. to stay w/family for a few days to visit family we have not seen in ages, Rabun definately needs some time away. He HAS NEVER taken all his vacation time each year that he is allowed since we have been here in 2002. We are going to make pop calls on family in Hull, Royston, Colbert, Winterville, Danielsville and go to Commerce one day. We had planned to stay a week, but don't know if we will have a place to stay that long. Right now our budget just won't allow us to stay in a motel, so we are depending on the goodness of family/friends to allow us to spend the night at their home & they won't even have to feed us. Check back in after our time away.Thanking God for the rain we received today! it has been a v-e-r-y looooong time since we have had any.

WE REALLY NEED THAT VACATION TIME, DON.

Jimmy Willis

MORNING MATES,

    WELL ITS BACK TO THE GRIND FOR ME. IT'S HARD TO believe

I WAITED SO LONG FOR THAT VACATION. NOW IT'S GONE! WELL,

WAS GOOD WHILE IT LASTED!

     BY THE BY GUY'S AND GAL'S DID YOU GUYS SEE WHAT CONNIE

CALLED INEZ?!!! CORRECT ME BUT ISN'T INEZ THE YOUNGEST OF

US? I CAN'T SEEM TO REMEMBER!!! MUST JUST BE GETTING OLD!

ANYWAY, INEZ WE WISH YOU A MOST WONDERFUL DAY ON YOUR

BIRTHDAY! OLD OR OTHER WISE AT LEAST WE'RE GETTING THERE

TOGATHER. (DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE "THERE" IS?!@#$%^$#@)

LATER

JIM

Donald Chandler

Good Morning All...

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, INEZ!  Hope you have a great day full of SMILES and BLESSINGS.  I would make a joke about you turning the BIG “SIX-OH”, but I’m getting very close to that magic number myself.  But you look great, Inez... somehow, you look much younger than many of us (myself included) in the Class of 68.  GOD BLESS YOU on your special day!

FINALLY… I know there are only a few baseball fans here on the forum, but I must congratulate the NATIONAL LEAGUE on winning last night’s ALL-STAR GAME in Anaheim!... first victory over the American League since 1996!  (13 straight All-Star games without a win).  And to make it even sweeter… the hero of the game was our own Atlanta Brave catcher, Brian McCann who hit a three-run double down the right field line with two outs in the seventh inning to defeat the AL by a score of 3-1.  McCann was voted the game’s MVP.  GO BRIAN!… GO BRAVES!... GO NATIONAL LEAGUE!  With the win in the All-Star Game, the National League will now have home field advantage in this year’s World Series.  So, if the Braves and Bobby Cox go to the World Series this fall, they would have the opportunity to play 4 of the 7 games here in Atlanta.  When the Braves lost 9 games in a row back in April, what were the odds that they would be in FIRST place here at the All-Star break, 4 games ahead of the New York Mets!  I have a feeling it’s going to be a great year for Braves fans!

I hope it will be a good election in November too.  I saw a bumper sticker on the car in front of me the other day... an early campaign sticker.  It showed one of those boxes like you see on a ballot with a big check mark in it for... "None of the Above".

Have a great day, mates.