HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CONNIE!

HELLO MATES!

SORRY I'VE MISSED YOU GUYS LATELY. BEEN FISHING IN THE GREAT

AMERICAN SWAMP! YAP! I'M AN OFFICIAL SWAMP PEOPLE! I WANT TO

GROW UP TO BE A GISE BROTHER! (I THINK THAT'S THE WAY THEY SPELL

THEIR NAME!) ANYWAY, I'M A WANTING TO BE JUST LIKE THOSE GUYS!

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS EVER WATCHED THE SHOW SWAMP PEOPLE

BUT ITS A GREAT SHOW. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE NOT. ITS A

SHOW THAT CAME ON THIS SUMMER FOR ABOUT 6 WEEKS ON THE HISTORY

CHANNEL. AND AS THE NAME IMPLIES ITS ABOUT THESE FAMILIES IN

SOUTH LOUISIANA THAT HUNT GATORS, SNAKES AND MOST ANYTHING

ELSE THAT WILL STOP LONG ENOUGH TO GET SHOT! I HAD NOT THOUGHT

OF THESE PEOPLE FOR YEARS UNTIL THIS SHOW CAME ON TV A COUPLE

YEARS AGO. THE SHOW HAS BEEN A LOT OF FUN TO KEEP UP WITH DURING

THIS SUMMER. THE FOLKS ON THERE ARE REAL PIECES OF WORK.

WHEN I WAS IN "THE NAM" I HAD ONE OF THESE GUYS IN MY PLATOON

AND HE WAS WORTH HIS WEIGHT IN GOLD! HE WASN'T AFRAID OF

ANYTHING OR ANYBODY. HE WAS WITH ME THE WHOLE WHILE I WAS

THERE AND WE BECAME VERY CLOSE. HE WOULD TELL TALES OF HUNTING

GATORS, SHRIMPING, FISHING AND HUNTING IN THE SWAMPS! IT'S AMAZING

WHAT SOME FOLKS LIVE AND WORK IN. I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM SINCE I LEFT

NAM FOR THE WORLD. MAYBE ONE DAY I'LL GO FIND HIM.

ANYWAY, IT WAS A GREAT SHOW AND GREAT REMEMBERING!

LATER GUYS!

07/25/11 04:56 PM

#2336

Greetings and salutations one and all! And a happy Monday! And a special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jesse Allen! May your day be filled with much joyous celebration with friends and family. Jim, I enjoy watching Swamp People also. I believe that's the GRICE brothers! Just kidding, though there is a family resemblance. Yeah those two are a hoot! They would be featured more often if they ever did anything. I mean, how exciting is squirrel hunting from your own front porch? At least they put on their shoes to go squirrel hunting but not to go frog hunting - bare handed and bare footed! A lot of the reality spin offs are terrible! I guess you just have to pick and choose. Fortunately its the end of the season so everything is a re-run. Plenty of time to catch up on the ones you missed. Not much going on around here, just wanted to wish Jesse Allen a Happy Birthday and all a blessed week. Later.

07/25/11 05:05 PM

#2337

HEY JESSE! SORRY I MISSED IT! I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT ONE BUDDY!

07/25/11 08:50 PM

#2338

Connie Morgan (White)

Very happy birthday wishes to you Jesse Allen!!!!!!

Yes Jim, I have seen Swamp People. Was visiting with a son and he and grandson were watching it. Interesting!

Diane, I read that mosquitos "got ahold of you". Sure hope that is better. That can be miserable.

If you remember Scarbrough's dept. Store in Crawford when we were in school, then you probably remember the sweet, dear couple that owned and ran it - Ms. Louise and Mr. Earl Scarbrough. Anyway, Ms. Louise died last week. They both loved and served the Lord for as long as I can remember. Their 2 sons, Mike and Dean were younger than us in school.

Diane, I know that you and Nancy had so much fun visiting together. I wish I could have come too! Has she gone on to her next summer adventure?

I hope all of you folks are going to have a good week.

07/27/11 09:05 AM

#2339

MORNING MATES,

DON DID YOU WATCH THAT BRAVES GAME LAST NIGHT? AND THIS

MORNING? I HAVE NEVER SEEN TWO BULLPENS PREFORM AS THOSE

TWO DID LAST NIGHT. IF YOU ARE FOND OF PITCHING THAT WAS A

TREAT FOR YOU! ANYWAY, FOR IT TO END AS IT DID JUST WASN'T RIGHT!

I GUESS A WIN IS A WIN RIGHT?

GOT TO RUN TODAY. HOPE ALL YOU GUYS STAY COOL TODAY.

LATER

07/27/11 09:15 AM

#2340

Greetings and salutations one and all! Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood ...... until it gets too hot to ...... whatever. Not much going on around here. Most eveyone coming or going on vacation, so constantly having to help cover for someone. I LOVE my new toy! Yesterday - top down with some Frank Sinatra blaring and today top down with Barbara Streisand serenading me on the way to the office. Can't wait til things cool down so I can go topless all day long! Its too bad we have to get so old before we learn to really enjoy life. Nice segway into today's bit of wisdom. I hope everyone is having a very blessed week. Just keepin' in touch with some friends ..... Later.

Bronnie Ware, a nurse working for many years in palliative care, writes about her patients’ most common regrets they share on their deathbeds. Interestingly, in some way all of the most common regrets relate to professional life taking over personal life.

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

07/27/11 09:19 AM

#2341

Hey Jim... welcome back from the swamp! And yes... I watched the game... at least I watched 15 innings of the 19 total innings. Did you watch it all? About 12:30 am I just had to go to bed. You're right, it was a great game for the pitchers!... both bullpens. Christhian Martinez was amazing! I was very impressed! And this morning I watched the replays of the final play at the plate, and our guy was out by a mile, but I'll take the WIN! We've had calls go against us before and it all evens out! Actually I'm surprised the home plate umpire called it in our favor after making so many calls against us all night long, and throwing out McLouth and Gonzalez. I hate to see McCann injured and out of the lineup for 15 days, but David Ross can handle the job... he has to be the best backup catcher in baseball. GO BRAVES!

And Gary... I thought you already went TOPLESS all day long.

07/27/11 03:50 PM

#2342

HA! I got it! Topless. Funny. (Don't give up your day job.)

This lady in my office is struggling right now and said she was looking to me for "the answer" since I am (much) older. The Serenity Prayer came to mind and being the lazy sole that I am, I "googled" it so I could do a simple cut and paste. I didn't realize there was more to it than what I've seen printed on plaques and pictures. For anyone else who hasn't seen the entire prayer, here it is. Later.

The Serenity Prayer

by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)Complete, Unabridged, Original Version.

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

07/27/11 04:40 PM

#2343

Well, Gary... since there is no way for me to make a living as a comedian... and I couldn't be a Country Singer, or a Rapper... and I could not survive in a swamp... and I can't dunk a basketball (I'm white)... and I'm too old to play for the Braves...

Maybe I could run for Congress... or be a photographer for National Geographic... or spin yarns... or be an evangelist... or predict the weather... or be a massage therapist (I have warm hands)... or open a pawn shop... or milk cows again... or...

07/28/11 03:22 PM

#2344

Greetings and salutations one and all. Just sitting around here answering phones and trying to think up a snappy response to Don. No luck. Don, you are the kind of guy that will be a success at WHATEVER you undertake, but I would think twice about running for Congress. From your posts, you know your ancestry, composed of a mother and father that were actually married. You may not qualify unless you shred your birth certificate and have all living relatives move into a convent, taking a vow of silence. If it sounds like I have a low opinion of our "public servants", that would be an understatement. Typically a politician will lie but try to make it believable. Maybe its because most "voters" don't have a clue that politicians have no problem contradicting themselves - in the same sentence. What has happened to this country? Next week could be the beginning of the end - scheduled for 12/21/12. I hope you are all having a blessed week. Later.

P.S. I said Don could do anything - that was before I realized he is now a Tropical Storm, headed for Texas. Will you become a Hurricane or a Himicane? Now he's even had a storm named after him!!!!

07/29/11 09:48 AM

#2345

When I proposed to "predict the weather" in my last post, I did NOT suggest that I actually "BE the weather". But I do understand that TROPICAL STORM DON is not expected to develop into a hurricane. So, if I must be a storm, maybe I can be a "benevolent storm" (is that an oxymoron?) and bring some much needed rain to Texas.

Have a great weekend, mates! It's gonna be a hot one! Reporting live from the weather center, this is DON.

07/29/11 02:55 PM

#2346

Greeting and salutations one and all and a HAPPY Friday to ye!!! Okay so I'm getting a little jealous. Not only does Don have a strom named after him, everyone is praying for its arrival!! But, well deserved Don, you old "oxymoron" you. I had a GREAT nostalgic ride in this morning, serenaded by Bobby Vinton. I am really enjoying my little Mini. I was told its name is "Q", like from the James Bond series, though I doubt I'll purchase such a name plate for it. I guess that's as good a name as any and it does have a certain Bond'sy flair. I postponed cutting grass last evening so I fear that task awaits my attention sometime this weekend, and I'm SURE Sherron can find something else to keep me from vegging in front of the ... I almost said boob tube, but that doesn't apply anymore. You know that moving picture gadget. Anyway, I hope you all have a very blessed and safe weekend. Keep it cool! Later!

07/31/11 08:46 PM

#2347

Sunday Evening Greetings, Mates...

Gary, my friend... I take exception to you calling me an old moron... I'm NOT old!

And I'm the one who's jealous... of you riding around Athens like James Bond in your Mini Cooper. Now, if I hear anything about you zipping in and out of traffic with Halle Berry wearing an orange bikini in your passenger seat... I will really be impressed!

Not exactly a "007" weekend here in Marietta. I mowed the lawn Saturday, dropped a hot pizza face down on the kitchen floor, and went to church today.

BTW... DON (the Tropical Storm) was a real dud! He just fizzled out once he hit the coast. Sorry about that, Texas!

And GO BRAVES!... we are finally getting a good center fielder!... maybe.

Have a great week, mates!

08/01/11 09:02 AM

#2348

DON YOU FORGOT TO mentioned HALLE IN A (YOU READY FOR IT?!!!)

LITTLE BLACK DRESS!!!

LATER

08/01/11 09:11 AM

#2349

Darn it! I was about to post "LITTLE BLACK DRESS" just to wake Jim up. Gotta be pretty quick around here. Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONNIE!!! May your day be fille with MANY BLESSING and much cheer. Now back to Don - I was going to post that the bikini was "Tangerine" but Little Black Dress sounds better. I guess I'm just an old coot trying to be cool. Not knowing what "cool" is these days, I came across this "cool" test and thought it would be a good thing to share with the guys! I scored "very cool". It really is quite accurate I think. So men, give it a try and see how "cool" you are. I hope everyone has a very blessed week. Later.

Cool Person Test

This test is based on how cool you were years ago.
What crowd you ran with, what car you drove, who you dated, etc.
It’s pretty accurate.
You may want to send it to your friends to see if they’ve changed.
To see if you’ve changed.
Click on Cool Person Test below.

Cool Person Test

08/01/11 02:57 PM

#2350

HAPPY! HAPPY! BRITHDAY CONNIE!!!

08/01/11 03:08 PM

#2351

YOU KNOW---THAT WAS NOT NICE GARY!!!

08/01/11 08:37 PM

#2352

ATTENTION, Gary Grice... Mrs. Fleming would like to see you in the Principal's Office.

08/01/11 08:40 PM

#2353

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CONNIE!

Here's wishing my fellow OCHS "catfish" a great day filled with smiles and hugs and an abundance of God's Blessings. May you spend your special day doing whatever you want to do. You have my permission to take the day off.

08/02/11 02:07 PM

#2354

Oh, me thinks someone didn't fare so well on the "Cool Test". My, my, my. And I thought I was having conversation with some Very Cool guys. Well greetings and salutations one and all, especially my fellow "terrorists" on the "dark side"! The most brilliant man in the world has spoken and his minions have bowed down and paid homage. While the rest of us peg our worry meters. Seems that all of the rich folks do not approve with the actions of our "public servants" as evidenced by gold hitting a new high and stocks continuing to tumble. I read an article some months back by an individual claiming to have predicted the previous economic down turns. He was then predicting a "double dip" recession. His arguments were convencing as he provided a list of investment opportunities that would profit in this down turn. I followed his advice .... I wish I had been more committed. GOOD DAY in "most" of my investment world. I guess its like baseball .... you just have to win more than you loose. Looks like things are starting to pickup here in the Classic City as students begin returning for Fall Classes. My office is next door to the Water Business Office and they have really been busy this week. I spend a lot of time staring out my window .... admiring all of the Heavenly bodies God created. Its amazing what can be done with a rib bone. I guess I had better vacate the board before I get into ANYMORE trouble. I hope everyone is continuing to have a blessed week, and Connie is having a Happy Birthday, and above all, GUYS, BE COOL! Later.

08/02/11 08:16 PM

#2355

Connie Morgan (White)

Thanks for the birthday wishes!!! It was a very nice, lazy, relaxing day. I had family here over the week-end, and that was fun. I went to the Atlanta Zoo yesterday with grandchildren and one son and daughter-in-law. Hot, but fun

Gary, The "cool test" was very funny.

No news that I know of here.

love you guys!

08/03/11 12:59 AM

#2356

Diane Harris (Moore)

Gary, Gary, Gary, tsk, tsp, tsp. Sheron, please whack him on top of the head once or twice since I'm too far away ti do it myself!

Since I am om central time right now it is officially still Connie's birthday, so "Happy Birthday, sweet friend!" We all love you.

We spent from Fri. 'till Mon. In Rockford with Greg and Christy, and Chuck and his family joined us there. We have been in Chicago since yesterday with Chuck and fam. They fly back to CO tomorrow, and Dick and I drive there. We have had a ball, but a HOT ball. The heat index was 104 today, and I thought I'd die walking the streets. Will be lots cooler tomorrow, just in time for us to leave.

Better go. Good to catch up with our buds from GA. Hope to spend tomorrow night in exciting Omaha. Why are we driving, you ask? Because we are hauling stuff out to CO for our kids of course. The things we do for love.
Excuse all my typos. I see them, but am to tired to correct them.

08/05/11 01:00 PM

#2357

Greetings and salutations one and all ... and my sincere apologies to Don for prematurely refering to him as "old". So, Don, please accept my apologies. You got what, two, three more days before that word applies? I read on FB that Dick and Diane are chilling it in Colorado where the temps are in the 50's. I think I can say without fear of contridiction, Diane, that makes you one cool chick! And by the way ladies, that cool test was for guys ONLY! But still pretty funny, don't ya think? Another HOT ONE in the Classic City. Hopefully some rain will move through this evening and bring some relief. You know I've noticed that as I get older, I can't tolerate the extreme temperatures like I once could. But there are some advantages to getting older .... my segway to today's wisdom. I hope you all have a very BLESSED weekend. Later.

Perks of reaching 50 or being over 60 and heading towards 70 or beyond!

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

2. In a hostage situation, you are likely to be released first.

3. No one expects you to run -– anywhere.

4. People call at 9 PM (or 9 AM) and ask, Did I wake you?’

5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

7. Things you buy now won’t wear out.

8. You can eat supper at 4 PM.

9. You can live without sex but not your glasses.

10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

13. You sing along with elevator music.

14. Your eyes won’t get much worse.

15. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.

17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either.

18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size.

08/06/11 11:37 AM

#2358