You know I thought about our lives when we were younger and in junior high and high school and how confusing it was. I had a crush on several girls who I never thought they would even look my way let alone like me so I never spoke to them much. I even had a girl that took to the first athletic banquet and I didn't even kiss her. When I did finally get a girlfriend and I was going steady with her, it seemed to be on again off again. So I have come to the conclusion just so that y’all understand perfectly what I’m talking about, the writers of the Big Bang Theory have stolen our lives and put them on television. Now I’m asking you aren’t you upset that we’re not getting any credit for our confused early years of life?
I’m just saying that’s why I love the Big Bang Theory, because it mirrors a lot of the stupid things that happened in my life when I was a kid and who doesn’t love laughing about all the embarrassing moments that happened in their lives. All kidding aside I would I just got through watching a Big Bang Theory that reminded me so much of my life as a teenager. If you haven’t watched the Big Bang Theory you ought to give it a try. It’s now going to be on Monday nights instead of Thursday night’s so don’t for get to program your DVR’s to record it if you’re watching dancing with the stars.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
THE MEMPHIS PARK COMMISSIOn
The Memphis Park Commission was
one of the best I had ever seen. Each community had its own park and they were
landscaped and built with baseball fields and pavilions with bathrooms. I have lived in a few cities but none of them
seem to have the recreational facilities and parks that Memphis had when I was
growing up. We seem to have taken that for granted when we were kids. Memphis, Tennessee was designed for families
and communities. Even in those days that
took quite a bit of doing by our city fathers because some of these lands could
have been used for commercial projects, apartment buildings are other
moneymaking ventures that the city could have undertaken. I’m sure there were
businessmen that had begged and pleaded at times to get these properties but in
our day the city held fast and they became parks, nature trails and recreation
facilities for our youth and the use of the city elders. Again, I wish to take my hat off to those
early developers of Memphis, thank you for giving us the sense of community
that these Parks and recreation facilities gave us thank you. We even had softball tournaments and various
other things that the park commission set up for us in the summertime at these
Parks. I’m sure this took its toll on
the city budget but as long as I’ve frequented those parks, they always had
park commissioners in the summer and organized activities for the kids. They even opened up the gymnasium at Airways
Junior High School to act as a community center for us in the summertime.
I remember that very well because
my parents ran a concession stand out the back of Airways Junior High School. They
opened up a small room that opened to the outside, and put tables to block off
the entrance to that room from the outside and sold cokes, potato chips,
popcorn, candy bars and many other items for at least three or four summers
that I can remember for the Airways Athletic Boosters Club. Now I don’t want you to think that it was
only my parents or that I think that it was only my parents because it wasn’t,
the organization of the Airways Junior High School Boosters Athletic Association
was run by almost every parent that was a member of the PTA as well and it did
more for the school than just the athletic teams and the band. It gave the
school money that it badly needed to give us the education that we got
there. I think we all took for granted
everything that we had at Airways, but you know there were a lot of hardworking
people and most of those were our parents that made our community as strong as
it was. They looked after us, they
worked hard to see that we had the things that we needed to make our
communities a home. They did things that parents don’t do today for all of
us. The selflessness of the parents that
were in the PTA at Charjean, Bethel Grove and Cherokee Elementary Schools gave us
things that no other schools in Memphis had and it was all because of their
love for us and our community that made it so strong. When Airways opened and
we all got together as one community that love and hard work that our parents
put in for those elementary schools continued with this junior high school and
our community. The strongest leaders of
the PTAS from those three communities and schools now banded together to make
one of the most wonderful and outstanding experiences of my life and I’m sure
years too. This 7th, 8th and 9th grade
school that we had was something that the kids do not experience today because
of this new development of something called a middle school.
Personally, I think it was to get
rid of all of the extra costs of having sports and athletics and music and bands
and these type things. Our parents would
not have stood for this in our day they would have fought tooth and nail for us
to have the things that we had in our junior high school. My father not only worked extremely hard for
the Airways Junior High Boosters Club, but he also worked extremely hard with
the coaches’ and the Fairview Junior High School Boosters Club when they parked
cars every year for the Midsouth Fair and any other thing that needed a helping
hand at Fairview. Fairview made so much
money that the Board of Education tried to take the money away from Fairview
and give it to other schools as well. My father and other parents that worked
to help park these cars for Fairview Junior High School were extremely angry
and went to the Board of Education and fought extremely hard to keep this from
happening, however they did not win the fight but did come up with a compromise
that allowed the Board of Education to share some of the money with the rest of
the Memphis City schools but because of the work of my father and other parents,
the largest portion stayed at Fairview Junior High School. My parents continued to work in both of these
junior high schools even after both my brother and I had gone on to high school.
They took their personal time to help the children of parents that they did not
even know. I don’t think that many of
you know that the people that ran the concession stands and parked the cars and
worked so that we could have so many things, were my parents.
There were others that did this too. There
were the Bouchers, the Millers and so many others that it’s hard for me to
remember them all, so if your parents were not mentioned, please, by all means,
mention them. I do not mean to slight them in any way. I just have no
recollections of their names as I’m sure you would not remember my parents, but
I am sure that you remember the men and women that ran the concession stands
during the ball games and the special events that we had at Airways. Again, thank you for allowing me to come into
your life with the memories of my very little life. Your friend always, Keith
House
I just went to the Channel 13 Facebook
page and I saw the old Channel 13 building pictured on it and, of course, it
brought back a memory. Richard and
Angelo Lindsey and I went to a wrestling match in that building when we were
still probably somewhere around 10 to 12 years old. All of the original cast of characters, Toejoe
Yamamoto, the bag lady, Jackie Fargo and the whole cast of characters were there. Lance Russell and Dave Brown were hosting the
wrestling matches in those days. This
was sometime way before the days of Jerry the King Lawler when they had such
names as Haystack Calhoun, Gorgeous George and many others. I laugh sometimes
so hard I cried at the antics of the bag lady beating the wrestlers with her
purse or bag. It was good clean fun and
I loved it.
It was even more thrilling when
they added a broadcast of the live Saturday morning wrestling match. It was even greater to go inside the studio
and see what it took to put on this Saturday show. I’ve been gone so long, I did not even know
that the station had changed its affiliate. It just doesn’t seem right to me
for it not to be ABC and it shouldn’t Fox and not to hear that famous voice
sounding out the call letters of the station like bells ringing “WHBQ”.
Channel 13 did some very incredible
original programming for kids back in our day.
With none of the special effects that they would have access to today
they were still great programs, but I guess we just weren’t used to all the
special effects that they use today at the television stations so we didn’t
know any better. Some of the special
programming was done for Christmas and other shows were just put on in the
mornings for kids and I remember they tried to have something special on
Saturday mornings for kids, not like the other channels in Memphis. So I really just want to take my hat off and
say a warm thank you from the bottom of my heart for the memories that WHBQ Channel
13 ABC gave me when I was a young man.
I don’t want to belittle Channel
3 WREC, the CBS affiliate in Memphis because they brought us the early movie
which introduced me to a wide world of the old movies, some of them classics,
some of them great and some of them downright bad. But through this small station in Memphis,
Tennessee, I gained a love for movies that I still have today. Any one that
comes into my house today will understand that love because in my study there
are more than 150 pictures and autographs hanging on the wall of old movie
stars and television stars. I have autographs
from such greats as Dale Evans, Roddy McDowell, Keye Luke, Roland Winters, Annette
Funicello, Angela Lansbury, Don Knotts, Sally Field and many many others.
Last but not least Channel Five,
WMC-TV Channel 5, the NBC affiliate, this is the channel that introduced me to
Walt Disney. If you said nothing else at
all about Channel 5, that would be enough to this proud Memphis boy. You see,
Channel Five was probably as involved in our communities as any of the
television stations in Memphis. Their sports coverage of local teams in schools
was as good as any and their coverage of the Memphis State Tigers was bar none
the best.
Hate
You know it seems to me that it’s
so much wasted energy to be mean to people.
I have always tried my entire life to be kind. I know it’s easier to learn to be hateful but
it takes more time and energy to be hateful.
The golden rule doesn’t mean that you wait to see how people will treat
you before you treat them with kindness.
I believe that a kind word will take you further in this life and the
next than saying something terrible to anyone.
And I’ve always been of the opinion that if you try to be nice and it’s
not well received then turn around and walk away. Yes, I’ve had my feelings hurt many times
when I’ve said a kind word and got the opposite reply back. I must tell you that you will get more
kindness from people if you start off being kind yourself. If you want to fight, believe me there are
people out there that will oblige you.
I’ve always liked the saying “I’m a lover not a fighter”, but I must
tell you I am neither, I guess I’m somewhere in between. I have stood my ground many a time when
someone was hitting me in the face with their fists and not defending myself.
It will usually end the same way, they give up and go away. I don’t advise this
method of taking care of hateful people because I can tell you it’s very
painful. Luckily I have found new
strategies to keep me out of those troubles.
I’ve found it’s just not worth the trouble and effort to be a hateful
human being and if I have to be that miserable to hate everyone else I would
have no reason to go on living.
Yes, I’m struggling right now
with some depression from losing my job but there is good news on that front too.
I started at the end of July at Walmart.
All of you who have given me words of comfort and prayed for me and
given me information, you don’t know how much it has helped me. My outlook on life has never changed. I have
always thought that friendship was something you sought after love from someone
and is something that you cherish and the only true thing worth fighting for in
your life is your family. I love my God
and I don’t mean religion. My Savior died for me and anyone else who will ask
me to follow them, I just can’t see following people that say they are the
right one and only religion when there seems to be so much corruption within
every religion. That doesn’t mean,
however, that I don’t believe in assembling with others even if it in a in a
particular religion because just as it is in every aspect of life, there is
good and there is evil. Evil gets more
of the press, and gossip because it’s more sensational than good. If you don’t believe me, pick up any
newspaper in our great country and try and find good news. I will bet you that
over 90% of any major newspaper and any cable or network news you can find is
all over 90% bad news. I have gotten to the
point that I just don’t want all of that negativity in my life.
You see, I’m one of those 1960s
flower children that learned the greatest word in the human language is love
and John Lennon had it almost right when he sang about “all you need is love”
but I would add a good and sincere prayer to God is all you need. I have found out also that people that will
pray for you sincerely can work miracles.
When my prayers were combined with others, no matter whom or what we’re
praying for, it will work. Sometimes it may take a little while to actually see
the miracle of God’s handiwork, or what we pray for isn’t exactly what he has
in mind, but remember he knows more of what’s best for us than we do and those
prayers are always answered. So to those
of you who prayed for me, thank you from the bottom of my heart and I want to
know that I love you not because of what you have done for me this time, but because
you were always there and I was just too stupid or blind to see all the friends
that I really do have. I can’t help but
tell you again how much you mean to me and thank you every single one of you
whether you prayed for me are not, whether you even like me are not, it makes
absolutely no difference to me, you were part of me, you all are part of me and
you’ll always be part of me. I remember
two brothers, both of them older than me and I believe what I heard is that
they have both passed away and I am so sorry to hear that even though I was the
recipient of a broken nose and many black eyes from both of them. I can hold no anger or animosity toward them
because they are part of who I am. I
truly believe that somewhere within them they cared enough about me to be angry
at me for whatever reason it was. They
were not the only ones that ever struck me in anger and I guess I did rub some
people the wrong way, but to anyone and everyone who I have ever hurt or made
angry, you have my sincere apologies. I
just had to get this off my chest because I’ve had my share of bad news this
year and I’m feeling a little down and I needed to reaffirm my heart that I
can’t let bad news turn me into someone I am not.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
A man’s first car is almost a
sacred thing to him, even though he probably got rid of it when it started the
cost too much money, but his love for it never dies until he does. I remember a 1963 olive green Chevrolet
Impala SS Super Sports, two door with a 327 high performance engine. It’s too bad though that anyone who knows me
knows my first car was really a Chevrolet Impala four door, 283 engine with an
automatic transmission, but it was olive green in color. It was passed down
from my father, then my brother to me. I always wanted to have another one to
call my own and I tease my wife that if I ever win the lottery, I would buy one
to fix up and restore. I guess I also
would have to find a red 1970 Volkswagen Beetle with four on the floor and fix
it up as well. Those were the two cars that were my first cars and meant the
most to me. I remember I used to clean
the ‘63 up so much that I thought I was going to wear out the paint and the
seat covers.
I will always remember the first
accessory I bought for that 1963 Chevrolet, even though it was stolen shortly
after I bought it in the parking lot at Tech High School. It was a Radio Shack
eight track stereo tape player. I know a
lot of you also remember every accessory and piece you added to your first car.
These are the memories that make a lifetime worthwhile. I know guys that drove total pieces of junk,
however I bet most of them would trade in a brand new Cadillac for one just
like what they had. It’s almost a bond
as strong as his marriage, but not quite.
I know that many of you can remember the day you traded it in and cannot
figure out why you ever did it. I know that I didn’t get much for my ’63, but I
did get a little red 1970 VW Bug. It was the absolute best fun driving car I
have ever owned.
I not only fell in love with that
1970 VW Bug, but I also fell in love for the first time in my life with a young
lady in that little red Volkswagen Bug.
Sometimes you just have to dream of what used to be to be thankful for
what you have today. That eight track
tape player was the worst piece of junk that was ever made but I loved it dearly.
I remember the first eight track tape I purchased was Helen Reddy and, it’s
funny, I can’t remember any of the others that I had, but I had several before
they were all stolen. Today I use my IPhone
to stream 1960’s music through my surround sound system in my BMW and it
doesn’t give me any problems at all. It doesn’t eat tapes for lunch, it just
streams music that I love and brings back many memories of the past. Those two cars are long gone, but when I hear
Seals and Croft or good old Beach Boys songs, I feel like I’m driving that 1963
Chevrolet Impala or my VW bug once again with my best girl Ursula by my
side. If you had your first car back,
who would you want sitting in the seat beside you enjoying those old time
memories. Second star to the right and
straight on till morning.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Men are from mars
There has been a misconception in
this world and that is that one must tear down someone else to feel
important. Too many times people step on
others on their way to the top. This
does not have to be; it is not and never has been that one person is better
than the other. We are all different and
every single one of us has their strengths and their weaknesses. Those who prey on others’ weaknesses are
scum. I have always been a champion for
those who are not strong or too old or too young to care for themselves. I have seen it happen over the years. I have seen a good cause become something
less than what it should be. I can’t
figure out why and it tends to aggravate me greatly.
I have a daughter and two granddaughters
and one grandson, so I want you to understand that I want the same opportunity,
compensation and rights for the ladies in my family as I do my grandson. The thing I want to talk about today is what
I perceive to be the wrong that the feminist movement has done to young boys
and men. Ladies, you are as good as men;
you are as smart as men and in your own way, you are as strong as men ever
thought about being. But there are
differences and these differences do not change the fact that women are equal
and necessary citizens of the world. I
also want you to know that I deplore abuse of any kind to any person for any
reason! Rape is a crime not just against
females. It also happens to men and boys and no matter what gender it happens
to, it is a crime not only against that person, it is a crime against humanity
itself!
The de-masculinization of the
male population is uncalled for. The
feminist movement should have never been meant to take away anything from the
male of the species; on the contrary the partnership between men and women has
always strengthened our society. But it
seems that even a boy in elementary school is molded into what the female image
of a boy is supposed to be. Girls are
said to be more mature at a younger age and I question this hypothesis, because
it seems to me that that is only true depending on how you judge what maturity
is. In saying that I don’t want to take
anything away from the young ladies, in their own way they are more mature but
judged in a different light, they are no more mature than their young male
counterparts. When elementary school
teachers teach, they teach to reach the females in the classroom easier than
the males. This is because most of them are female and there’s nothing wrong
with that. However, I would like to point
out that when a young man is approached from a male intellectual vantage point
and taught with a male perspective, they do extremely well.
When young boys are roughhousing
and fighting, it’s not just something bad to be punished for, even though I
deplore violence and always have, it is a part of a learning process for young
men and it develops a masculine outlook on life. When boys were made to suppress their
rambunctiousness and their foolishness that is typically male, it is stifling a
part of a man that has learned to be strong and forceful. I know that these traits carried too far can
be dangerous and can cause problems later on in life. I also know that aggression against anyone is
wrong. I would however like someone to
explain to me why the most beautiful young women are attracted to the bad
boys. I need to know why it is the
female of our species is attracted to dangerous young men. I think I have finally found out why, at
least in my own mind. It is because the
female equates the bad boy image to strength, which is not necessarily true,
but one might think that the bad boy would be able to protect and care for her better
than the class nerd, which has been proven to be false.
I felt like I’d never fit in
because I had gotten mixed signals my entire life from the females that were
around me. Ladies want their men to be
sweet and kind but at the same time they want them to be strong, ruthless and
vicious if necessary. Women want their
men to dress nicely and look good in a suit and tie, but will turn their heads
when the muscular biker dude walks by and, even if it’s inside, they sigh just
a little. The teachers preach and
browbeat and punish our young men for being what they consider unruly and
aggressive. But you can see the young
girls whispering to each other about the young man that was just sent to the
principal’s office because what little girl doesn’t like a rebel. I know what you ladies that I went to school
with are saying. I never liked the bad boys, OK, then let me ask you this. Which
young men did you pay more attention to, was it the one that sat in class and
did his homework quietly and did everything his parents and teachers asked him
to do?
The feminist movement has always
pronounced that men and women are alike.
I don’t think I even have to protest that statement because most of us
know for a fact that men and women are different and always have been and
always will be. We’re not just different
in physical and medical ways, we’re different in mentality as well as the
perception of a male is totally different of that of female. As an example; a husband comes home with a
birthday present for his wife, he gives it to her and he sees that there is
disappointment on her face so he asks her why?
She explains that she had been giving him hints about what she wanted
for the last four weeks. Most women
would take into account that men just don’t listen to them and I’m here to tell
you that that’s not true. I know that
most women think that hinting, beating around the bush, or suggesting something
is enough to make a man understand what they’re saying and men’s brains to not
work that way. We are direct and to the point. We don’t beat around the bush or
hint to one of our buddies, we tell them point blank good, bad, or otherwise. We
say that in the fewest words possible, even sometimes just a grunt.
When next you talk to your
husband and he’s busy doing something, I want you to try this. Say something to
him point blank, in as few words as possible and I do mean as few words as
possible and see what his reaction is. Then I want you to beat around the bush and hint
something and take a long time to say something that should only take three or four
words to say. Now, I want you to look at
is his reaction to the short to the point statement and then how long it takes
for him to completely zone away from you with your long rambling sentence that
is hinting something. The point I’m
trying to make is men will lose interest in even a short conversation when it
is not direct and to the point, it’s the way our minds work. This seems to get worse as we get older and I
apologize to every female in my life that I have done this to but, believe me,
it’s not my fault, it’s the way men are wired.
We are different than women who don’t like direct and to the point. It
seems to hurt their feelings if you don’t go around the world and sneak up on
the subject from behind. I don’t want
you to get me wrong. I don’t want to change that in the ladies in my life, it’s
part of who they are. I ask you, why do
you have to change your boys and men to fit better in this scenario for you,
remember it’s who they are and who they were and who they will be in the
future.
Women can be as physically strong
as men but not in the same way and that may not be a statement that fits every
woman in the world but it does, however, pertain to most. There is a physical difference that makes
women stronger in the lower half of their body than in the upper half. It is absolutely the opposite way with men,
the upper half of their body is stronger.
The one thing that really a
annoys me is this notion of equal pay for equal work. I am 58 years old and every job I have ever
done I have started out making less than any of my counterparts, no matter what
gender on a job. I do know however they
are talking about a man and a woman that both have 10 years doing the exact
same job making an unequal rate of pay.
I have known many men doing the same jobs, with the same amount of
experience, that do not make the same rate of pay. Now you can’t call that
gender discrimination. I don’t want you
to think that I personally think that that scenario is right but both of those men
negotiated what they get in compensation for their respective jobs.
So I want you to think about the
fact that you want all your little boys to be good little boys but you want
your men to have that mystique of foreboding. If you still want to argue
whether it’s true or not, just look at what the Vampire Diaries or Twilight have
made since their inception. I don’t know
how an equal balance of both good and evil makes one a better man, but I’m
convince that women like us better that way. I also ask you why it is that
young women marry the bad boys, and within a few years divorce them and look
for the good boys they ignored while still in school.
If women held all the important
jobs in the world and men were only relegated to the menial tasks, do you
really think that these men would have any self-esteem, do you really think you
want a man that is weak and totally dependent on the women in his life. I don’t think so.
We need strong masculine man and
we need women that can take charge and get the job done, but we also need them
to be our loving husbands and wives. So
I beg of you, don’t overdo the feminist movement to the point that men are no
longer feeling needed and wanted and masculine. I don’t think you’ll like the
outcome.
Just to set the record straight,
I am for total equality for women and always have been. I just want you to know that I am also for
the total equality of men as well.
The day that Disneyland
fell silent and paid homage
I know that we adult Disney nerds
realized exactly how privileged we are to be able to go to a place like Walt
Disney World and Disneyland. There are
so many people in this world and even in our country that cannot afford the
extravagance of going to a Disney park.
There are a lot of people right now suffering through the ravages of war;
there are children that have lost their parents and parents that have lost
their children. We have enjoyed an extremely
long peace within the borders of our country where many others have not. The peace that I speak of was broken on
September 11, 2001. Our country had been attacked viciously and
unprovoked. Those that gave their lives
that day will always be remembered just as those that died on December 7, 1941
in Honolulu, Hawaii.
We were in Los Angeles staying
with an actor friend, Daniel Roebuck, and he knocked on our door that morning
waking us up and telling us that we had to come downstairs to see this. There
had been a major disaster. What I saw
was unbelievable. The horror that went through my mind was extremely
intense. We had planned that day to go
to the real Hollywood movie studios because some of them gave guided tours of
their studios but, of course, none of the studios were open. Even Disneyland
was on lockdown. Later we had heard that
all of the Disney Parks worldwide had been shut down and evacuated. This was only the second time in history that
Disneyland had been closed due to a national tragedy. The first was when President John F. Kennedy
was assassinated. We went the next day to Disneyland and there was extreme
security. Every car was checked thoroughly and we were only allowed to park in
the faraway parking lot. Even in the
opening show, they gave homage to those that lost their lives the day before and
had announced that there would be a national time for mourning on this day and
it would be observed throughout the parks and it was. We were in Disney’s
California at the studio limousine ride when the announcement came over that it
was time for the memorial to be observed. Every cast member, every single person
stepped out onto the street and bowed their head in silence. You could’ve heard a pin drop. The music was
turned off and no one was saying a word. Children were as quiet as they could
be even though it was a very special time at Disneyland.
I hope we never see a moment like
that again. It inspired me that everyone
was still and quiet and paying homage to those that had died. Everyone there at Disneyland had stopped
their day to say a prayer and remember.
So I ask you to just take a moment out of your day to stop and pay
respect to those that are no longer with us because of this cowardly attack on
September 11 2001 and, if by chance you have another moment, I would beg of you
to please remember all of our fallen heroes that gave their last measure of
devotion so that we could have the freedom to be able to share these wonderful
magical Walt Disney Parks we love so dear.
Just a personal side note, our
plane was the fifth plane to take off from LAX after September 11, 2001, and we
felt very safe because the many soldiers on leave had been recalled and flew
with us on our way back to Atlanta.
God bless all the soldiers and their
loved ones that keep us safe and thank you.
Monday, September 8, 2014
PPS Disease
Brenda B., a childhood friend and lovely
person, reminded me of the horrible devastating disease that affects men more
than women. Most men that have this
disease are afflicted with it from birth.
There are many symptoms that maybe noticed early in a man’s life but
cannot be detected with accuracy until middle age or later in a man’s aging
process. The older he gets the more one can
detect the symptoms because they become extremely obvious to everyone around
him. It seems to cost billions of
dollars every year to treat the effects on the men that are afflicted with this
problem. It seems to take its toll on
the spouses of these men more than anyone else.
Women tend to need counseling to help them cope with the disease that
has afflicted there husbands. I myself
have had my wife continually complaining if I don’t take the necessary steps to
keep this disease in check. I know that
you men that are afflicted with it have tried your best to take your medicine
and do the things that it takes to keep yourself from allowing this disease to
overtake your life. There is no cure
that we know about at this point in time and there does not seem to be any cure
predicted in the near future. I know
there has been research done, but it only seems to treat the symptoms and not
the cure. Some doctors say that fresh
air and activities are a way of curbing the ravages of this devastation that
afflicts us men.
Let me tell you what I do to keep it in check. I read and I write my silly little stories so
that when my memory finally is taken over completely, like ravages so many of
us, so that I remember how it used to be.
I love to go to the Disney Parks and walk around and look at others that
are showing the same symptoms that I have.
I sit and watch Mickey Mouse cartoons for hours and maybe a couple of
Donald Duck marathons just so that the Doctor can’t complain. If you are afflicted with the Peter Pan Syndrome,
I beg you, I plead with you to indulge in the strong medicine available today,
and go and listen to the Disney Nerds Pod Casts. It only takes 1 hour at a time
to control this disease for at least one week.
The Peter Pan Syndrome has affected me for much too long. I need to go
to Walt Disney World so that I can rehabilitate myself because, you see, I
don’t want to grow up. First star to the
right and straight on till morning.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Before my mother passed away I
had found a magic in my life that seemed to radiate from me. But when she passed away in 1984 of breast
cancer at 52 years of age I lost that magic.
I had loved all things movies, and especially Disney movies, so I dove
headfirst into an overindulgence of everything Disney because it was one of the
most magical times of my life to sit and watch a Mickey Mouse cartoon or see
Pollyanna. I especially liked the music
that went along with everything Disney, from the amusement Parks to the
animation and even to Disney movies. I
had thought the magic had gone out of my life forever, but I was wrong. I met
one of the most wonderful musicians or should I say magicians, because
everything he and his brother did was magical.
They wrote music that got you through your work day with pleasure. Goodness gracious, they even wrote a song
that helped children take their medicine.
And who do you think made being a chimney sweep sound like the greatest
job in the world.
We went to a Disneyanna Convention at Walt
Disney World and I so much wanted to meet Richard Sherman, yes that’s right,
one of the musical writing team of Richard and Robert Sherman, the Sherman
Brothers, who wrote almost every one of the Disney songs that you remember as a
child. I was so hoping he was as good a
human being as I dreamed he would be.
Remember that a dream is a wish your heart makes and dreams do come true.
Richard Sherman was not only a good person, he was a wonderful man. He seemed
almost delighted to meet us and, believe me, I’ve met plenty of older movie
stars and famous people in my time and they don’t all think very much about
meeting you. Let me tell you, meeting Richard
Sherman was like meeting a beloved uncle you haven’t seen in years. As we
introduced ourselves he was shocked and surprised when I told him I was married
to this lovely lady named Ursula. He immediately stopped the introductions and
I don’t remember how long he said they had been married but he said I am
married to an Ursula too. So you see, we
had a special bonding moment as much as one can with a total stranger, but let
me tell you if you’ve ever met Richard Sherman you know what I’m about to say
is the absolute truth. Richard Sherman has never met a stranger in his life. His
love for people shines about him wherever he goes and God bless him wherever
that life may take him. We were lucky
enough to have met Richard Sherman in 1997 and then again in 2000.
I don’t remember, I don’t think
it was at this show where we met Robert Sherman but it was also another show that
Haley Mills was appearing at and we walked around and rushed around trying to
get upstairs to where we could meet her and they closed the line off just as I
got there. I’ve always been extremely
understanding of exactly how much time and effort a star puts into meeting and
greeting their fans at this kind of a show, so I did not raise a fuss. I just
understood and watched her from a distance but you know I would not have brought
it up if that would have been the end of the story. Lo and behold, a couple of years later she
was scheduled to come to a Knoxville, Tennessee, so Ursula and I secured the proper days off
so that we could go and meet her. As
life plays horrible tricks on all of us that meeting was not to be, you see her
wonderful father, the actor John Mills had just passed away. He too had been in a wonderful Disney movie,
The Swiss Family Robinson. My heart was broken again and this time not just for
missing out on meeting Haley Mills but because the world had lost another great
man, God give him rest in peace, John Mills.
We thought maybe there would be a
slight possibility that she might be there the next year. My prayers were
answered. She was there the next year and my wife and I carried her a bouquet
of pink roses. She was astonished and
did not know how to react to someone bringing her roses and she was so
delighted with that and, after we had paid for our autographs, she gave us
another one free. It’s not necessarily
the magic of Disney that rekindled the spark the magic, but it was more like
the people behind Disney that brought back the magic in my life. So if you’ve ever wondered why my BMW has
Mickey Mouse seat covers, steering we’ll cover and floor mats, this might give you
just a little insight as to why. I have
met at least 100 or more Disney alumni and I’m here to tell you that I do not
remember any of them being less than gracious and taking loving care to give us
the autographs that we wanted. They
usually give up their time unselfishly especially when there is a child
present. I truly believe that the legacy
that Walt Disney himself left behind is not the magic of the movies, it’s not
the magic of theme Parks, what it is, is the love that he had for his creations
and those that helped him create it.
They all, the Disney alumni, take great pains to show this love to all
of us and I personally wish to thank them for helping me regain that childish
love of magic and zest for life that they all seem to have. God has always brought me back from the brink
of despair and depression in some of the most marvelous ways and using some of
the most marvelous people that have ever come into my life. Thank you my Lord and thank you to all of
those that have been a part of my life.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Field Trip To Shiloh
I just got back from a quick trip to Pickwick Dam near Pittsburg
Landing, Savannah, Tennessee and Shiloh National Battlefield Park. It brought back the memories of a field trip
that we took from Charjean Elementary School.
It was the longest field trip that I can remember. We started before
daylight and there had to be at least four buses or more that came to pick us
up and I remember we did not get back until way after nightfall. That’s right, we went to the National Battlefield,
depending on where you were born, it was referred to as the Battle of Pittsburg
Landing or it was named after a church near where the battle started, this
church had a Jewish name that meant “ place of peace “which was Shiloh.
We stopped a few times along the way to see some of the
important sites leading up to the Shiloh National Battlefield. The one I remember the most was a small stone
church, I believe it was a Presbyterian church, and the ladies of the
Presbyterian Church Historical Society invited us all off the bus and told us
of the story of this simple little stone church that was used for a hospital
for both sides of the conflict at various times as the battles raged around
this Presbyterian church. They also
showed us the damage that was done by musket balls in the building itself and
one large dent that was caused by a cannonball.
I’m not sure but I think they gave every one of us a small cup of
lemonade and a cookie and sent us on our way.
It was a long and tedious bus ride so we greatly appreciated these
ladies of the church giving us a rest and a touch of refreshment. I really don’t remember what we did about
food on this long trip but I’m sure we ate somewhere at some time are other,
but I guess that’s not really important to my story so we’ll continue with our
trip.
The bus finally pulled into the Shiloh National Battlefield
and the teachers all got off the buses and met with some Park Rangers. The
teachers got back on board and had some color badges that we put on, and each
bus had its own designated color. Now if I remember correctly we were the blue
bus. A lot of this is sketchy in my
memory so forgive me if I’m wrong but what transpired after that was some of us
went in to see a movie about the Battle of Shiloh there was a lot of recreation
from clubs and organizations that recreate the major battles of the Civil War.
I’m not sure how the girls felt about it but us boys really enjoyed the film
about the battle of Shiloh and it showed us history to enlighten us all why the
battle took place. The north was trying
to take over a major intersection of south to north and east to west from a railroad
junction that was in Corinth Mississippi to stop the supplies and soldiers of
the confederacy from getting to the battlefields of the Civil War. In other buses Park Rangers boarded and then narrated
the trip around the battlefields. They
showed us the Hornets’ Nest where the union soldiers stopped and could not be
pushed any further away.
The confederate soldiers named it the Hornets’ Nest
because it could not be penetrated and the union soldiers were stinging them
like hornets that would be protecting their nest. We also saw the bloody pond where a lot of
soldiers went to try and tend to their wounds but died and bled out in the pond
causing it to be named the bloody pond. There were a lot of other battle sites
around. One of the most strategic points
was at Pittsburg Landing where union soldiers landed to reinforce and tried to
take back the land that they had lost in the early morning hours. I will make a long story short. Eventually
the union soldiers were victorious and pushed back the confederate soldiers. Grant’s forces only numbered about 30,000 but
with fresh reinforcements they inflicted heavy casualties on the 40,000
confederate soldiers that were battle weary and worn out. By the end of this battle it was known as the
bloodiest battle in American history in its time. The casualties numbered more
than 23,000. Monday, September 1, 2014
Time
takes its toll on us as we go through life and we pay dearly some times. I have
no complaints for I have been blessed more than most. Time and life have given
me my memories that were worth it at every turn. That’s not
to say that I haven't suffered or experienced loss or pain, because I have and
I know more is to come, but I have no regrets. I have my health problems just as everyone
has. I have noticed that my health is getting worse as the years go by and I
hope that God allows me to live for a long time yet. I have more to see and do.
If not, don't mourn me, celebrate me, I have loved every breath I have taken
and every step I have walked. The things I have seen, the places I have gone,
the women I have loved and those that loved me back are more than any person
could have dreamed about coming true. I have a loving family and friends that
keep me happy. What more could any man have asked for. My wife of 32 years is
an angel that God made especially for me and she deserved better than me. So
I'm not going to complain about the small things in my life that are inconvenient,
because I have seen what hell is like and I'm living in Heaven, so what could I
complain about that would be worth complaining about.
I
knew that I had to reunite with my very first love and 2nd cousin
Wendy. She was a big part of who I am and why I’m married to the lady I’m
married to now. I was so apprehensive of
even bringing up the subject but my wife was the one that actually brought up
the idea of a reunion so we tried to set a date for the Labor Day weekend at my
cousin Jean’s house. I had just started a new job and wasn’t
sure whether or not I could get the time off and, low and behold, I didn’t
even have to ask for the time off, it was already scheduled that way. Now I ask you, is that not fate or what? I could only hope that Ursula and Wendy would
get along. I thought that the odds were against it but I had faith in my girls.
They are as intelligent as they are beautiful and they also have pretty good
taste in men. Ha Ha! The whole way there I had no clue what to
talk about or what not to talk about with my wife. I hadn’t kept any secrets from her. She knew the
extent of how I felt about Wendy and I also hadn’t kept any secrets from Wendy about
how much I love my wife. I kind of felt
like I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I so much wanted Wendy to
like Ursula and I wanted Ursula to like my cousin Jean (Wendy’s
mom) and her husband Jack, and my (2nd) cousin Wendy. I had never
met Jean before because she had moved to the West Coast while I was still a
small child. I find it almost
unbelievable that I had never met Wendy and her brother when we were young kids
as often as we were over at my aunt Lucille’s and Uncle Luther’s
house. It has to be fate that we never met unitl we were in our late teens as
if it was meant to be a much larger relationship in our life. I am a champion
of fate or that things happen for a reason, so you see if everything had not
worked as God had intended, I would not have the wonderful relationship that I now
have with Wendy and I may not have found my wife Ursula. And we may not have had this wonderful
reunion that we had this Labor Day weekend.
I
enjoyed myself as much as I ever had in my life. We watched hummingbirds and cardinals
and doves at the bird feeder and also watched as several deer were feeding on
the back lawn and one of the fawn’s nursing for a very long time. It was
simply magic and I guess that would be how to describe the whole weekend. It
was simply magic, my wife and my very special cousin seemed to get along
marvelously or maybe it was just the calm before the storm and I just haven’t
felt their wrath yet but I really don’t think so. We talked about family and
the old times and argued about whether it was 1974 or 1975 that Wendy and I met.
I must admit I’ve never been that great with dates so
I will bow to her recollection rather than mine because she seems to be a
little better with dates. We ate two
wonderful meals that Jack and Jean had lovingly prepared. Jean was not feeling
like herself because she has had hip problems and is going for an operation
soon. I pray that all goes well and that
we will all be back together soon because I love and miss my family
dearly. My Aunt Lucille, Jean’s
mother and Wendy’s grandmother, was my rock and my
confidant when I needed her most when I was young. I loved her and my gentle
giant of a man, my uncle Luther, very, very much. It was almost like going home at my cousin Jean’s
house and, of course, all of my aunt Lucille’s girls were always so very kind to me
(maybe it was my curly hair and my blue eyes) and I am so appreciative to all of
them forever.
During
that summer romance oh so many years ago, my cousin Wendy and I had taken a
picture standing in front of my little red VW Beetle and I had to recreate that
picture at our reunion standing in front of my blue BMW. I was so proud of being with my W’s
then and now. You can’t believe how I felt back then and and
how I feel now. Oh, maybe I should enlighten
you on what I mean by my W’s. I drove a little car back then, a vW
and now I drive a bmW and my Women were by side each time, Wendy and my Wife. All
of you people reading this could ask why I would do such a thing as to
introduce my wife to my first love. Well, it was exactly what it should have
been and more than I hoped it would be when they met and I guess the answer you
seek is something so hard to describe that you would just had to have been
there. I will always have an extra
special place in my heart for my lovely cousin Wendy, but I will go home with
and love, cherish and honor my loving wife Ursula. Thank you so much girls for making it so very
special for me.
P.
S. Wendy is as pretty as I remember!
Sunday, August 17, 2014
One of my favorite things to do
on a Saturday as a kid was to get up early enough to catch Superman and get
ready for the cinema serials that would come on later that morning. I would have my jiffy pop ready along with
the Mars candy bar, two original Oscar Mayer hot dogs, back when they actually
tasted like a hot dog and, last but not least, a large sour dill pickle.
I always thought that the reason that they
got their name of serials was the fact that the cereal companies would sponsor
tickets for children who had collected enough box tops from their cereal to
obtain a ticket to the Saturday morning movie theater serials.I can’t remember but I believe it was on channel 13, WHBQ, and there was A show called Adventure Time with Captain Bill Killebrew who hosted the show and you could see such serials as Zorro’s Fighting Legion, Flash Gordon, Tim Tyler’s Luck, Junior G-Men of the Air, and many others.
Most of them were about fighting the NAZI saboteurs that plagued the United States in the thirties and forties serials. I don’t think I could’ve been much more than 10 or 12 at the time. I’ve tried looking online to find something about this series that ran for quite a while on Saturday mornings. Back in those days Saturday mornings were exclusively for us kids and most of the programs were cartoons and live action shows similar to the Mickey Mouse Club, the Banana Split Show, HR Puff’n’Stuff and others. I personally liked the mystery shows and the story style cartoons but I never did get into the puppet style shows like the Sheri Lewis Show or others like it. It was heaven on Saturday morning to us kids who had worked hard all week long on our school assignments to actually have something special for us.
Today there are at least six
different channels running 24 hours a day that have children’s programming with
some of the worst animation you’ll never see.
I personally thought that Hanna Barbera had set the bar as low as it
could go until such great animation and yes, I’m being facetious, Ren and
Stimpy, Two Stupid Dogs, and the absolute worst Adventure Time. I know I’m an
old man and I don’t see the value in making the worst art work ever put before
our children. When I look back at the
cartoon shows that we had, admittedly some of them were rehashed cartoon shorts
from the cinema of the thirties, forties and fifties, but at least a straight
line was a straight line. You can call
this stylistic art if you wish but the problem that I have with that is it
still doesn’t look like quality work, it looks like something someone threw
together quickly to get it over and done with for the next day’s shooting. Some of the watercolor backgrounds that were
used in the Saturday morning cartoons of our day were used over and over for
various cartoons but they were great works of art. Some of them deserve to be
hung in the best art galleries out there.
I wish I had some kind of pull with the Cartoon Network to make them
realize that this stylistic and poorly done art is destroying our children’s
Saturday morning, so to speak.
I still love to sit down and
watch a good cartoon when I can find one. Luckily I have a lot of the Disney
shorts on DVD and a reasonable number of the cliffhanger serials also on
DVD. They bring back so many memories of
our old neighborhoods, running around the old apple orchard pretending to be
FBI agents chasing the gangsters that would destroy our way of life. Those days were so, so short and there will
never be a time for any of our children like that. I remember my dad saying to me that he used
to take 25¢ and go to the movie theater and watch Donald Duck marathons all day
Saturday that would give him entrance and enough money for a coke and
popcorn. Wow, even in my day it was a $1.25.
Admittedly, I had a large coke, large buttered popcorn and a couple of those
large sour dill pickles.
Even today the media that we have
still intrigues me, most of which reminds me of my childhood,
such as Indiana
Jones, Star Trek, Star Wars and Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately, today’s ticket
prices for a family of four make it almost impossible to make it the ritual
that we did, and taking a date to a movie isn’t what it used to be because of
the prices. By the time you pay for the ticket, popcorn and drink and candy for
each of you, you’re lucky if you haven’t spent $50.00. I feel sorry for the
young couples trying to find a way to get to know each other without spending
so much money and not getting in trouble. I’ve thought so much about the way
movies were presented in South America in the 50’s and 60’s. Villages would get
together and project the movies on a blanket from village to village. Maybe we
should start that trend here all over again. What do you think?
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Halloween
This is a
story that I’ve only shared with my close family
members and it was both painful and joyful to write. I hope you enjoy it.
My father
was a good man but he had his downfalls, just like everyone else. Since his
death, I have learned more about him than I did in life and I don't forget but
I do forgive. He was the type of man that was one way, his way, or the highway.
I have heard most people say the same thing about their fathers and, I guess, in
a lot of ways it's true and, then again, it's not really true in other ways.
The one thing that I wish he had never said to me was that I was stupid. Not
for my sake but that of my daughter (who just graduated from college and is continuing
her higher education, I'm so proud of her!!!xoxox) and my grandchildren. I have
fought hard not to say that word to them but it was imbedded in my brain. I try
to stop myself when I use it and say they are not stupid, it is what they did
that was stupid and that they are as smart as they want to be. I will tell them
why I really use that word when they are old enough to understand the whole
explanation. Their Great Grandfather got most of his parenting skills in the
fields where you worked or you were punished, because what was made in the
field kept the family going through the coming winter.
The life
that my father led was normal for most of our parents for the late 30's up to
the 50's. They were in their early twenties when we came along. Not much of a
break to find out who you really were, was it? I proudly tell people that I
started working when I was 13 and I haven't stopped yet. Kind of hollow, don't
you think, when you look at what had to be done on the farm in the 30’s
and 40’s in Mississippi. Even if you played sports, you still had
to come home after and do your chores after the game. The schools in those days
stopped when it was harvest time and at the end of school for planting time and
the children had to help. Some schools today are talking about running all year
long, oh, that was intermission, now back to my original story.
Harvest
time is the time that we celebrate Halloween, All Hallows Eve, when witches and
goblins come out and, speaking of which, this is the gist of my story. My Father
had worked a long day at the refinery and came home tired and frustrated. He
had gone out to get my brother and me Halloween costumes, late as usual, so there
would be very few pickin’s in the store at that time. He bought
my brother what I remember to be a cowboy costume and for me, what was it, oh
my goodness, it was a witch’s costume. I'm a little boy, what was
he thinking!! This had to be a joke, but it wasn't. He tried to force me to
wear it. Can't you just imagine it, a little preschool boy that had been teased
about his curly hair and called a little girl all his life (till he got big
enough to frighten the other boys), in his fruit of the looms having a tantrum
yelling that he would not go out dressed like a little girl in a skirt, even if
it was a witches skirt. (I've always had a fascination for witches ever since,
even my wife has two different colored eyes). I broke away, ran to my room,
flopped down on my bed and cried myself to sleep. This was the worst Halloween
ever. The next morning when I got up, outside my bedroom door I found a bag of
trick or treat candy.
I never
found out if it was my father or my brother that did that for me (or maybe my
mother), but I like to think it was my big brother. Even if we never got along
that much, I have always looked up to him and been proud of him and loved him.
We were over 5 years apart and the times had changed so dramatically by the
time I grew up. A little brother will always need his big brother. Now that I
am an adult, I look back and feel like I understand my father a little bit
more. He was a good man and I loved him too. We never seemed to see eye to eye
either, but I know that he loved me and, just maybe, he didn’t
know how to show it.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Funniest Friend We Ever Had Robin Williams RIP
There have only been three
celebrities that have passed away that affected me so deeply. The first was Elvis Presley, the king of rock
and roll, the second was Annette Funicello, America’s sweetheart, and the third
was Robin Williams, the king of comedy, who died today.
Mr. Williams seemed to be able to light up in
any room that he walked into. He had a personality that exploded with a
vibrancy that had not been seen but one other time before in a comedian that I
know of and that was Jonathan Winters.
If you looked up comedian for our generation in the dictionary there
would be a picture of Robin Williams with no explanation needed. How could you
explain a mind that was so brilliant at comedy and so far above anyone else in
his field. To have called Robin Williams a genius at his craft would not be an
understatement but it still could not describe how great his talent really
was. I have seen comedy club skits where
someone would throw an object onto the stage or Mr. Williams would get an
object from a member of the audience and do 15 minutes of the most hilarious
improvisational comedy that anyone could imagine.It saddens me so that Robin Williams has been taken from us at such an early age when we still needed the laughter and the happiness that he gave us so very desperately today. I tried to think of whom to compare Robin Williams with but everyone I came up with, including Jonathan Winters, just didn’t seem to fit Robin Williams. Mr. Williams was around when the comedy clubs were at their peak. Things like Second City and Saturday Night Live were getting the highest ratings possible for shows in their time slots. Mr. Williams was packing in the comedy clubs at that time and he continued to the pack them in professionally at any venue he appeared at. Mr. Williams reinvented itself and had a brilliant comedic movie career while still appearing at comedy clubs when he could. He also appeared on television shows such as Mork and Mindy and his latest television show, the Crazy Ones. He also proved himself and as a dramatic actor and Julliard proud. I can’t help but think that Mr. Williams needed us, his audience, almost as much as we needed him. So much has been written about Robin Williams and I’m sure so much more will be written and, in doing so, I hope the world will be kind to this comedic giant whose only goal in life was to make us all smile and give us a laugh or two.
So please join me in a prayer or two for our lovely friend Mr. Robin Williams, because he did make you feel as if he was your best friend or a member of your family. What greater thing can one say of another human being than “he made me happy”. Robin, my friend, we’ll miss you.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
I have to tell you I never had
considered the fact that anyone else had never tried a tomato sandwich. We
called them mater sandwiches when I was a kid.
The tomatoes taste slightly different at various times of the year. Hothouse
tomatoes and various types of tomatoes also taste different but I have to say
the tomatoes that we got locally in Memphis were the best tasting tomatoes for
the tomato sandwich of any place I’ve ever lived, so I didn’t eat them all that
much after I had moved away, till one day I tried a slice of tomato from the
ugliest tomatoes I had ever seen and they work perfect. I asked my wife if she
wanted one and she said she’d never tried one. I was shocked that after 32
years I had never introduced her to a tomato sandwich. I had introduced her to
fried green tomatoes and fried okra but I had let her down by not introducing
her to the most delicious southern delicacy known to man.
Of course, a lot of people may
differ in their technique in preparing a tomato sandwich but here’s how I do it. It has to be the regular white bread that we
got as kids and real mayonnaise spread on the bread thickly, two generous
slices of tomato a quarter inch thick are better and salted generously and then
enjoyed to your heart’s content. I never
knew how lucky I was living in Memphis and enjoying the cuisine that Memphis
had to offer. I have always attributed
the variety of delicious foods to the fact that Memphis is dead center of the
south and was a major artery for the native Americans along the Mississippi River
that early British, Irish and Spanish settlers and French Canadians used when fleeing
from the tyranny of the British in Canada to Louisiana. Because of the cotton plantations all around
Memphis there were abundant slaves that brought their cuisine from Africa as
well. I even think that my wife’s German family recipes influenced my cooking
talents. So to summarize, we had the best of the Native American influence, the
French Canadian influence, the Spanish influence and the African influence, and
the best of these influences on our food in Memphis. I don’t want to leave out the British and the
Irish influence on the food that we know as Memphis cuisine. I thoroughly believe that our mothers were
influenced in some way by all of the blending of the cultural foods that passed
through Memphis on its way south or west.
I have no proof of this other than to give you certain examples like a
southern buttermilk biscuit. Where do you think the Southerners got the recipe
for the southern biscuit? I will give
you my assumption by asking you to look at the recipes of the Scottish
scone. They mirror the southern biscuits
in many ways. With a couple of exceptions they are identical. Those exceptions are things that would have
been difficult for the early Southern settlers to find, so the mothers and
wives of the early settlers would have had to adapt and change the recipe to
what they had on hand. The same could be
said of all of the ethnic cultures that passed through Memphis and there is
some similarity to all of the foods that we serve on our tables today to all of
the cultures and cuisines that were a great part in making up what I call
Memphis fixin’s.
My family came from farmers,
wheel rites and trades people, but I think the earliest of my family were
farmers and had pigs that they would raise to sell the better parts of meat to
the butchers but they would keep things like the legs and feet, the head and
the ribs that the butchers could not sell to those that could afford to buy
their meat at a store. Now you find such
things like ribs and pig knuckles, ham hocks and other such meats that the
farmers would make meals for their families with. One of the biggest restaurants in Memphis
that’s known worldwide serves the best dry rub ribs in the world. If it had not been for the fact that the
farmers could not sell these parts of the pig to the butchers, we might not
have had the barbecued ribs that most of us love today. So much of our culture has been blended and
processed into what we know now. I know
all of you have had smoked or sugar cured ham and a biscuit for breakfast or
you had biscuits and gravy.
It’s kind of funny when you
travel the United States and look at what the restaurants serve for breakfast
and I’m gonna pick biscuits and gravy to make my example. I have seen in the
western states that they use brown gravy made with either cornstarch or some
other type of thickener for biscuits and gravy.
In the deep south, it’s what we call sawmill gravy which is grease flour
and water, spiced with pork sausage mixed in to make the gravy. As you travel up into the north east, it is just
flour, salt, pepper and grease that makes up the gravy. To give you a taste of East Tennessee cuisine,
one of the main dishes that seems to have been a staple in the mountains of
Tennessee is white beans and onions served together with cornbread and they don’t
seem to use any other spices for their beans and onions. I have to say that the restaurants and your
tables in your homes serve way better food than you get here and like I’ve said
to many people, you can’t get better food than you get in Memphis. I even remember a place in Memphis on Park
Avenue, I think, where they had a restaurant called the Barbecue Palace where
you could get anything and everything barbecued and I don’t mean grilled on a
grill, which brings up another interesting tidbit, in Canada if you put it on a
grill that makes it barbecue and I’m not sure whether their wrong or I’m wrong
but, to me, you can grill anything without it being barbecue. It’s the
preparation and the sauce that makes it barbecue. At the Barbecue Palace you could get their
sample platter which had barbecued bologna, barbecued ham, barbecued beef brisket,
barbecued pork shoulder pulled or chopped, and it even had barbecued spam which,
from what I understand, is a Hawaiian delicacy.
I really loved remembering the
end of this school year picnics that we had at Charjean. All of our mothers
would get together and make their most famous dishes trying to outdo one another
and we, their children, would get the most marvelous meals ever created. I remember the sweets, the meats, the
vegetables, prepared in their family recipes for all of us to enjoy. Our mothers did way much, much more than I
have ever seen since those days for the parties that we had at school than they
do today. I can just smell the sugar
cured ham that they prepared the way that their families had done for years. The
aroma would just burst your taste buds wide open.
They even went all out when we just made
hamburgers and hot dogs with special mustards that they personally made, the
ingredients that they put into the hamburgers and, one time, one mother even
made the buns homemade herself. Who does that today? I do still bake my own bread at times and
there is nothing like homemade bread.
When we sat down to a meal at my house there was always either homemade biscuits
or homemade corn bread and even sometimes there would be homemade yeast rolls. My mother was not necessarily a baker when it
comes to making homemade bread but my grandmother was and, Oh, what bread she
made. There are two smells in this world
that will bring me to tears almost immediately because I remember my mother and
my grandmother through those smells. One of them was homemade bread baking and
the other was homemade fresh apple pie baking.
We lived right behind the apple orchard that later became Airways Junior
High School and we could pick as many apples as we could take home and they
were the green apples that I personally think make the absolute best pies
because the blending of that tart sweet and cinnamon flavors along with the homemade
pie crust were the most heavenly taste, well almost.
I personally think that the old
cranked homemade ice creams that all of us were used to were absolutely the
defining moment in sweet treats.
I know
all of you have your favorites and I’m sure they were passed down from one
family to another or your spouse brought them into your family and it could even
be possible that you picked them up from your neighbors or friends. Food has defined the south as long as I can
remember and I think that southern cooks have always been willing to experiment
and adapt to their surroundings with new and exotic flavors. If you are like me, I still long for the
foods that my mother and grandmother made and that the ladies of our
neighborhoods prepared for us when we were kids.
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