My Way of Saving Energy

Every Christmas season my neighbor Terry does an excellent job decorating his front yard with brightly color Christmas lights.  And around the corner on the hedge, on the street we live on he puts a big MERRY CHRISTMAS in bright lights up until New Years Eve, then he changes the lettering to say HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I thought more than once putting a small sign up pointing to our dark little house and on the sign say "And that goes for us too!"  No need for both of us to do the same right, right?

Be Careful and Responsible Tonight!

Remember, Be careful tonight!  Statically, one out of every 10 drivers will be drunk tonight, probably more.

Deaths in 2015

These are deaths of people in my mind's community in 2015..  Some of these people I was close to and some I would not know them if I saw them on the street which I probably have  (its a small world) but they had a relationship with people that I do care about.   They are being missed.

Ann Kuzy, friend and adversary.

Arnold Parrrish, lilfe long friend.

Billie Tyson,  1st cousin, once removed.

Billy Joe Royal, formative years friend

Bridgette Scarborough, friend

Clarence Robinson, friend, and father's coworker.

Dona Henderson's mother, friend and ex-neighbor

Donna Lawrence,  daughter of friends  Neal and Jane Lawrence

Dot Croy, mother-in-law's friend

Gibson Poston,  Anna's clubmember's husband

H.A. Hensen, life long friend.

Hope Frances Hunter, couisn, twice removed.

Jack Benson,  high school friend

Joe Kirby, Facebook friend

Kim Russell Lee, 4  Anna's fiend and coworker

Larry Moon, 2nd cousin, in-law

Lucille Chastain,  Anna's friend's mother

Marie Foster Prance, Anna's mother.

Nan King Cobb,  First cousin in-law Ann Meek's mother

Rebeka Naomi Ray May, age 103, distant Ray relative

Robert N. and Mary Mayes Suhr, parents of David Hunter's wife Nancy.

Sarah Alma Sullivan  life long friend Dick Sullivan's wife.

Zucker, Larry, Adam friend Savvt's grandfather

Knowing me, I probably left somebody off.  If so, I'm sorry.

Repeat: GOBAGS 7-31-2012

A More Mileage Rerun on the GOBAGS July 31, 2012.

JOY at the Movie Tavern

Yesterday we went to the Move Tavern to see movie JOY.

JOY is a pleasant movie, a rags to riches kind of movie about a young lady who invented a mop that one can wring out without having to actually having to touch the mop strings with their hands.  The name stars in it are Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper.  You would expect Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper to have a romance.  Nope, their relationship was all-business.   The movie based on the true story of Joy Mangano, a self made millionaire who had to fight all kinds of odds to get where she is.  It also gives the entrails of the home shopping networks.

It was good.  Very good.

What was not good while we were watching it was constant chatter of little old ladies.  I think a lot of elderly retirees use the Movie Tavern in the daytime as their social outlet.  They had no idea they should have been quiet during the movie.  

There was a request on the screen before the movie to please  cut off your cell phone, but I suppose they thought talking didn't count.

Also, at the Movie Tavern there is no concession counter.  Instead there are many white shirt waiters and waitresses buzzing around with their round trays held high as a waiter at the Waldorf-Astoria  might do.  The prices are high, considering mostly it is finger food or comfort foot they offer.  The waiter we dealt with and others in earshot were very courteous. Also, the wide walk strip that runs the width of the theater that separated the upper seats and lower seats was the walking area for the waiting staff.  I noticed that each time they crossed from one side to the other then bent over and hurried to the other side like there might be a snapper shooting at them.

When we left, parked at the curb in front was a shuttle bus for assistant living home.  Of course! 

Rerun - Auctioneer's Crensendo

Do I hear $200?  Giveme $95...99?  A lot has happened since I first made this video.  I wouldn't have recognized the man the first time, but now I see the man holding up the items for the bidders to see is one of the antique dealers we dealt with Marie's estate.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

This is another re-run, getting more mileage... of the aged wild bunch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WANDA JUNE CAKE

We thought over the possibility of making a cake for this season.   Or, I reasoned, it might be easier to buy one. It might be too late to order one or buy one from a bakery

Then I thought of Wanda June.   I suggested we call a bakery and ask them if they had any WANDA JUNE BIRTHDAY CAKES.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WANDA JUNE  is a play written by Kurt Vonnogut.  It was made into a movie in1971.

The whole movie is about a man full of himself; inflated ego, played by Rod Steiger.   And much of the movie/play takes place in deep profound discussions in the  living room.  It is Rod Steiger's character birthday.  I think it was his wife that ran out to a bakery to buy him a birthday cake.  They were out of birthday cakes but they had one unclaimed one.  The cake said HAPPY BIRTHDAY WANDA JUNE.  She bought it.

It was unclaimed because that same day Wanda June was ran over by a car and lost her life.  As the play progresses Wanda June and Jesus is high above in Heaven playing shuffle board and musing over the family members interacting that got her birthday cake.

Tuba Skinnyi - MILENBERG JOYS

Look!  Shaye Cohn is keeping beat with her bare feet!

We have some bad news.  Well, it isn't not news any more, I have been putting off telling it here, so I am probably the last to announce it:  Erika Lewis the blues singers that has her own unique style is leaving.  Not all at once, she will still come back and play a few times...but it is sort of like half quit and half staying...working fewer gigs... and fewer....and one day POOF!  No more Erika with Tuba Skinny.  I doubt if she will be out of sight long.   She is too gifted to keep her talents tucked away.

Stan Lee 93 Today

Today is Stan Lee's birthday.  He is 93 years old.  He was born December 28, 1922.  He is credited with creating SPIDERMAN, THE HULK, and many other MARVEL comicbook Super Heroes. 

I think now Stan is MARVEL comics.  He is the force behind all of it, including TV and movie rights (if you look closely you will see Stan making a cameo in all of the MARVEL Super Hero movies).  Many years ago, as a young man he was hired at Marvel as an editor.  His uncle owned the company.  He developed into a great comic book writer, editor, and creators manipulator.

He gave a helping and getting started to one of my favorite people Harvey Kurtzman when Harvey was trying to get his start in comics.  Harvey later created MAD Comicbook at E.C. Comicbooks.

In more recent years I think Stan was the boss of  my first cousin-in-law Mark Bagley, one of the SPIDERMAN artists.

My happy 93rd birthday message to Stan Lee is, "Keep up the good work Stan, but remember, you can be replaced."

Monty Calhoun Paints a Park Bench

One time Monty Calhoun decided to re-do a park bench in Glover Park in downtown Marietta.  Why?  I don't know.  It is in the area of his favorite place he likes to sit during concerts, so maybe, with his busy churning mind, one time at a concert he sat there and looked at that bench and thought how nicer it would look if it was water pressured and painted..

Adam's Family Portriat

click on above to enlarge

In front is Daisy, Adam's dog, behind Daisy is Tuba, Savvy's dog, Savvy, Adam's girlfriend, Adam, our youngest son, and Mr. Bones, who hangs out on their fireplace hearth.  I would not have been surprised if two bone fingers were like horns behind Adam's head.  Mr. Bones has a very dry wit.

2010 Varner Reunion

Another flash back in time to the 2010 Varner Reunion.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! Night Before Christmas

It is still the Christmas Season, right?  I think it will be my Christmas season as long as I have an upset stomach.  When that stops it means I have quit eating Christmas junk food.  Here is a Christmas take off on THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. This PANIC comicbook story was banned in Boston (ture).

Click on picture to make it larger and readable.

Illustrated by Will Elder

The last page is EC Comics creative staff wishing its readers a Merry Christmas.  For a big fan like me, this last page was worth the price.

Benjamin Hosts Christmas Day 2015

Varner Reunion, Denard's

Joyce and Melvyn Denard have been married about as long as they could be at their age.  Here is a tribute paid to them at the 2013 Varner Reunion.

Christmas 2015 with Benjamin, Sabrina, and Rocky

This tree was delivered and trimmed by Elves!  Really!

Benjamin checking out his great aunt Bonnie

Benjamin and the Old Man

Sabrina and Savvy

A present for Benjamin, which Savvy hand made.!

Bridgette Scarborough & Janis Brown

Our dear friend Bridgette Scarborough died two weeks ago in a unit of nursing home that took of Alzheimer patients.   Here she is at a concert talking to Janis Brown, another one of Anna' coworkers.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

First Ride on THE PINK PIG

His first ride on THE PINK PIG, Benjamin, that is.

Terry's Christmas Lights

Repeat: More mileage of my videos.  I took this video of my neighbor's Christmas lights a year or two ago.  It is like that this year also.

Company Christmas Dinner at Longhorns

We had lunch at Longhorns yesterday.  We sat in a booth.  In the center of the room was several tables pushed together making a long table  in the center that almost ran the length of the big room.   I counted 11 people on our side, so I think that and equal amount was on the opposite side, which would be 22 people.  There were 4 girls and the rest were men.   I overheard some of them ordering and they were ordering the most expensive things on the menu, like lobster and steak, etc.  They were having their company Christmas Dinner.  We asked them what company were they with and it was a heating and air conditioning company.  

I bet next year their company Christmas Dinner will be at the Varsity.  You can slide tables together there too.

What is interesting was to listen to some of their stories.  One guy told of one of his customers he serviced went to great lengths  to get out of paying him six dollars.  Others had stories to top that one.

It made me think of  the heating and air conditioning company that serves us.  It is a mom and pop family owned outfit.  I think the whole staff is Mom the bookkeeper, Paw, the  supervisor, and the two sons doing the grunt work.  They come twice a year to inspect things  and quickly if anything  goes wrong.

I wonder if they sat around their dinner table and talk about us  like the ones above did today?

Play It Again, GOBAB 2011

Nothing like a Good Old Boys (and girl) get together.

National Cemetery, Marietta, Ga, Dec 22. 2015

We drove through the National Cemetery yesterday videoing this.  These people protected us or our forefathers.  Look to the Heavens and thank them in any style you choose - it is a personal thing.

Also, I discovered not all the graves had wreaths.  On the Roswell Road side, the  graves down the hill that you cannot see from the road had wreaths.... also, in the far back near Rogers street had no wreaths.

I am guessing they only had so much money to buy the wreaths.

2010 GOBAG

The Sky's Falling!

We recently read that fairly new chicken fast-food  store got a Grade C from the county's health department visit. 

We have been there twice and they seemed to be getting plenty of business.    I wondered if the grade C will cause them to lose some  customers?

Then I thought they could take advantage of it and advertise a GRADE C, BOGO  sale.  It would be interesting to see if  the greed to take advantage of a good price would outweigh a low health score.

Benjamin 5 Months Old

Gerber Baby?  Campbell Soup Kid?   No, the Hunter Blended Carrots Baby., 5 months old.

Willow in Snow

Being this is the first full day of Winter I thought Willow should do something appropriate, earn her food, so to speak.  She balked and refused, so I pulled out an old video of her playing in the snow.

First Full Day of Winter

Welcome to the first full day of Winter.

Arnold

Here is Arnold of Marietta.  He knows everybody in Marietta and( their daddy and mama) and they know him.  He gets around.

Repeat: Angles Running Amuck Singing in Nursing Home

Anna's late mother Marie was in a nursing home during the 2014 Christmas season.  One evening we were there and we heard a strange noise down the corridor.  It got louder and louder.  It was a Christmas music being sung!  It was a religious group singing Christmas carols!  

I can understand that this would be a pleasure for the people that live here.

Today is National HUMBUG DAY!

Cover of  first issue of HUMBUG magazine.

Today is National HUMBUG DAY!  Really!   From time to time I look at a little website telling what  National Day or International Day is.   Well, today is National HUMBUG DAY, plus about 3 or 4 other National Day.

HUMBUG is a special word for me.  It is a word rarely used. 

I think I first heard of it in an old movie that Ebeneezer Scrooge uttered in disgust when people were celebrating the joy of Christmas in Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

The next time I heard it was when Larry Bradford, I, and some others were kicked out of the Strand Theater for life.  I even forgot what we were doing, but the usher and manager thought being kicked out of the theater for life was appropriate and  would make us less troublesome.  When Larry 's mother heard our punishment  she said, HUMBUG!" then she stormed down to The gleaming sparkling Strand Theater and took the manager and usher on.

I don't know what she said but management retreated and reduced our theater suspension down to a week.

Not long from that incident at the Strand a new publication hit the magazine stands called HUMBUG Magazine.  I thought it was the best magazine ever.  I felt that way because the original creating staff of MAD comicbook chipped in their own money and started it. 

HUMBUG was much better than MAD.   HUMBUG lasted eleven issues before it bankrupted.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! HUMBUG #1 FAR EAST

This cartoon is by Bleachman.  It is on the last page of the first issue of HUMBUG Satirical Magazine which was published in the late 1950s. 

Sadly the same cartoon would work today, about 50 years later. 

click on page below to understand.

Doing the Soft Shoe in Cartersville

Not all old people at concerts get up and do a solo soft shoe dance.  When they do it is worth appreciating.  Here, at a bluegrass concert in Cartersville this past summer.

Take it away Gramps!

Bill Rampley

Bill Rampley died February 2012, but he was so full of life, it seems he was here and there yesterday.

These Butts Are Made For Walking

Out and about for the past several days I couldn't help but noticing that for women boots are the fashion.  At one place I mentally started counting the women wearing boots and lost count. 

Which brings up my memory of Leiters Department Store in the 1950s.  Leiters was located in downtown Marietta at East Park Square and Lawrence Street.  It has since been bulldozed and replaced by a shiny county building.  It was owned and operated

by the Leiter family.  It seems the matriarch, Mrs. Leiter had a hands- on with every operation of the store, sales, merchandising, and inventory.  She knew where everything was at in the huge store. 

I think Mrs. Leiter had ties with the Old Country because  She had an accent.  She pronounced boots BUTTS.  When my irresponsible out-for-a-goodtime adolescent friends picked up on her pronunciation of boots they often went into the store, as a group, and one was supposedly in market for boots.  And she would tell them what kind of BUTTS she had  and where each pair was located in the store.  In her recital of what kind of BUTTS and where in the store I bet she said BUTTS  almost 30 times.   

Her recitals would have my friends shaking, biting their tongues, and grabbing their crotch to keep from  pissing on themselves giggling.

Our  formative years when we were growing into maturity. 

Greedy Faith?

A greedy man of Faith?

Click on above to enlarge

MHS 1960 Class Reunion at Alatoona

More mileage!

click on pictures to make them larger.

Johnny Mercer's Grave

On this Date in History, December 18,1909 Johnny Mercer was born in  Savannah GA, lyricist (Moon River, That Old Black Magic).  Johnny died  in 1976.  When we were in Savannah for a week  about ten years ago I dropped  by Bonaventure Cemetery and visited his family plot several times.  

Here are the pictures I took.

Johnny Mercer's Wife's Grave

Johnny Mercer's wife's mother's grave

Johnny Mercer Plot

Rerun: Marie Prance's 90th Birthday Party at Noonday Church

Speaking of birthdays (today is Anna's birthday) here the video of Anna's late mother Marie's  90th birthday celebration at Noonday Church  Marie died the year year April the 27th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA HUNTER!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA HUNTER!!!

Tellers in a Monitor

Today we dealt with a teller at a bank.  We haven't been in a bank in a while and I found the way banks are now interesting.  You stand in front of a monitor and when the teller is ready for you, he appears.  I have seen tellers in monitors in the drive-through and a couple of times inside, but not often enough that it is a common every day thing.  When the teller, a young neat man, appeared he was most polite.  I noticed he might have used hand gestures and facial expressions more, since he was being viewed on a monitor and wanted to be sure he was understood.

Which I started thinking people cannot be all that smiling and over acting all the time.  It might get tiring and the teller might get irritable at his audience.  And being tired and irritable the teller might want to make some sort of statement..  Like the above: 

The Invisible Man Tangles with the Invisible i-Cloud

Actually I am not sure I was tangling with an invisible i-cloud or a dark i-cloud.

About a week ago we visited an Apple Store and we each bought a new iphone 6s.

First we had  i-phones 4.  I  was always taking pictures with my i-phone 4 .  They were so handy and they automatically loaded themselves onto my i-pad.   It is nicer to view your pictures on the larger screen of the i-pad rather than the tiny screen of an i-phone. 

After I got the i-phone 6, the pictures quit being automatically  loaded to the i-pad. 

I couldn't have that.  I tried calling the Apple help desk twice and they had me run various tests and they could not understand why it wasn't working.

We went back to the Apple Store and I signed up for some time with what they call a Genius.  I think they have several Apple experts that have the title Geniuses.  They are so technical gurus you have to get an appointment with one.  The Genius  checked out my new phone and said nothing was wrong with it.  I also brought my mini-ipad.  He checked it out and said nothing was wrong with that either.

He thought it over, drummed his fingers, and  ran a few tests and concluded that it was the i-cloud.  Ever since I called the Apple help number and did what they told me to do it has been in the state of downloading, or uploading (I forgot which) 163 pictures  for three days.  He said  the i-cloud thinks one thing and trying to do something else.

I thought the i-cloud data was going around and around and tied itself in a knot.

He lined up for another expert to call me at home at a certain time.  She did.  She suggested we wipe out everything and start over, but we were unsure if we wanted to do that.  And she was worried afraid of deleting some important stuff.  I said there is nothing that important on it.  Pictures come and go.

We had an appointment and had to go.  We arranged with her for another Apple expert to call us back at a certain time.  Which another lady did.  We followed her directions and it worked!  Or, as far as we know it worked.  We will see in time, after getting help from six Apple experts.   None had  come across my  i-gadgets' problems and could not figure out how to fix something they couldn't see.... the problem, like the i-cloud was invisible....  which is fitting.  

Repeat: Marietta Civil War Hospital Tour

Brad Quinlin gave us Civil War armature Civil War buffs a run down on Marietta Civil War Hospitals..

Dr No No's

I took Anna to the beauty shop today.  The beauty shop is about a block away from DOCTOR NO'S COMIC BOOK SHOP.  I have a hard time driving by that store without going in and looking at all the comics on display.  And even a harder time not buying a couple of comics.  Today I picked out a few Disney comics.  One high adventure near death action staring the duck and two detective comics , also of high caliber plots starring the rat.   They are good reads   really!  Especially if you like to look at good composition- pictures to go alone with your reading.

Trickle Down or Piss On?

click to enlarge

Book Report: SWEET WATER BLUES

I finished reading the book SWEETWATER BLUES by Raymond L. Atkins.   

Two high school graduates went out drinking on their high school graduation night.  They had a wreck and the one that wasn't driving was killed.  The other one, the driver, was tried and convicted of Involuntarily Manslaughter and was sentenced to prison for a number of years.  

About 85% of the book takes place in prison, his cellmate best friend, one wild man who was out to kill him, and regular day to day prison life.  We have saw all the episodes of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, so we are pretty much up to date on prisons life style... and we concur, the book is true to life.

  This is the 4th book I read by Raymond L. Atkins.  They all take place in northwest Georgia near the Alabama and Tennessee state lines.   It is a good book.  The poor kid had to grow up too quickly.  By the way, I looked Raymond L. Atkins up on Wikipedia and he gave credit to Professor Kent Anderson, who  inspired him to write..... is this the same Kent Anderson I went through high school with?  

I also was in high school with Kent's late brother Tommy.  Tommy and I were natural enemies, we never could get along until the night we found ourselves in the same group stealing watermelons. 

Again, St Patrick's Day Marietta 2011

This was taken on Saint Patrick's Day, but does not have much to do with Saint Patrick's Day.  I had to name it something.

My Songs

Saturday, December the 12th, Frank Sinatra was born 100 years ago.  Last Sunday night was a TV special of notable singers singing Frank's song, playing tribute to him.

Of course, being the self-centered person that I am, I wondered what people plan to do on my 100th Birthday?

To get you started, or the ball rolling let me put some thoughts in your head:

I have not sung any of my songs publicly.  Only in my head.

HOWEVER!  I have written two songs.   Really!  Honestly!

I did not have them copyrighted or anything.  But one person remembers the songs  and he reminded me of them just months before he committed suicide.  (really).

The first song is "SINGING AND DIGGING"  and the second one is "I CAN'T SING!"

Both songs, all the words are in the title.  Also,  in both songs there are only three words in the lyrics and in the title.

I was thinking maybe have the Rockettes, all armed with shovels do a great choreographic river-front type dance and sing, both. 

Repeat: Art Car Palooza in Marietta

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! MAD's THIS IS YOUR LIFE

Remember the old TV program THIS IS YOUR LIFE emceeded by Ralph Edwards?  This is a takeoff on it, in the 1950s.  It was written by MAD's editor Harvey Kurtzman and illustrated by Will Elder.  Elder got a bit carried away on the little irreverent detailed jokes.  That's what we paid him for.  I think this may be considered one of his best detailed works.  Look and see if you agree.

Remember click on the pages to see what is going on.