Bernard Brady

To all yall-

Me and my bride Susan are going to make our best effort to attend the family meeting

at the Iguana Grill on the 22nd.

Richard- My next door neighbors - Ricky Fitzgerald and his family attended Oaks Pres

all the time that I knew them.  Talked by phone to Mrs. Fitzgerald a couple of years ago

and she still attended as well as some of my Father in Laws's fmly -The Pitts. Lovely

church.

Hope everyone is well refrigerated and ready for Spring. I always heard West Texas has

"dry cold Winters". It's a lie straight from the pits of Hades.  Right now it's 12 degrees with

a wind chill of minus 2. I'll probably be complaining in August so you can remind me........  BJ

Richard Meek

BJ, if we didn't have the weather to discuss and cuss there would be a lot less conversation.

Richard Meek

Good afternoon and Happy Valentine's Day to all you Waltripians. Be careful when you're emailing Valentine's greetings. I saw one example of someone sending a good wishes, trying to abbreviate as is current practice. they're greeting was Happy VD. . . .hhhmmmmm.

I hope  you enjoyed as beautiful a weekend as we had in Houston. I went over to Oaks Presbyterian Church Saturday morning for the planting of the trees in the Prayer & Meditation Orchard honoring my mom & dad. Since they had 40 trees and bushes to plant I thought it would be an all day project. They had a nice turn out and when I had to leave around 11:00 they had every thing planted, mulched and were watering it in. They also had two benches in place. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Keep on dancing,

Rich

Talley Hudson

Oh rats!  I fly out of Austin on the 22nd at 6:15 p.m.  Will just miss the Iguana group.  Will be a Gruene Hall on Monday night if anyone wants to join us there!

Richard Meek

THERE IS A CALLED MEETING OF THE WHIRLD AFFAIRS AND BURGER EVALUATION COMMITTEE NEXT WEDNESDAY, 11:45, AT FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES; N. SHEPHERD AT LOOP 610. EVERYONE IS INVITED. IF YOU LIKE GOOD COMPANY, GOOD FOOD AND SOLVING WHIRLD PROBLEMS, YOU'RE ON THE COMMITTEE. SEE YOU THERE!

James Ira Brown

 Happy birthday to Kay,Sue and John . I remember

Kay and Sue switching classes with each other.

Richard Meek

Lousy with ghosts . . . hhhmmmm  . . . . . seeing ghosts after lunch. .  . . . .hhhmmmm. . ..could it be tee many martunis or special mushrooms . . . .. hhhhmmmmmm????

Kay Watters (Greene)

Hmmmmm.....interesting group today!  Robby, tell us more, about the ghosts that is.  You must be taking a round the country trip.  I wish I could attend the Ranch Road Iquana Grill group tomorrow night.....playfully thinking how I could do it.  I could take off from here right after work, with Sister Sue, attend, spend the night and go on to Wimberley to visit Dan Baker's gravesite, which I do want to do and intend to do so sometime in the near future, as I couldn't attend the funeral. 

Sis Sue and I are still fooling them, that is if she will put her long hair up in a cap, mine is short now and if I wear a cap we can still fool them or attempt to, and anyway we have a lot of fun doing it to our senior friends.

Bernard Brady

Robby- Your kind thoughts are worth a ton. Sorry to hear about the private

jet issues. I'm having caretaking challenges on this end with Mom and Pop.

Just could not get out of town today, but still want to see all at the Iguana

real soon. Susan and I send our love to you all !! Bernard

Richard Meek

Hey BJ sorry to hear about your caregiving problems. I've been there and done that. It's a constant deal when your parents are in that state of decline. Tighten up your cinch because it's a tough ride. If I can be of assistance let me know.

Rob sorry to hear that your plane is in the shop. I'd loan you mine but it's already committed for humanitarian relief trips to Key West. Running low on Margarita mix and Tequila.

Rich

Bernard Brady

Richard- Thanks for you kind caregiving words of encouragement. When I purchased the

patio home next door to my parents last June here in San Angelo, my friends in TN, could

not understand why I would want to do such a thing. We moved in 11/4/2010 after having

our home totally remodeled. We're in for the duration. There is just something so right about

doing this. My folks are virtually homebound unless one of us kids take them to the Dr. or

to Sonic for a foot long chili dog, which they love. I take them to the local lake and roll down

the windows and they just enjoy the breeze and listen to the wind. They NEVER complain about

a thing - always gratitude. If my fellow classmates get this opportunity- consider it. I doubt that

my parents at 90 and 89 and in poor health have two years left. It is very rewarding.

Richard I love your latest photo. I knew that was not a birdcall Robby. Let the man alone.

Love both you guys! BJ

Kay Watters (Greene)

Hi BJ, that is a loving thing to do for your parents....as we are all tripping into our last quarter century or two,  it is wise to have compassion for those in front of us.

Robby,  hee, hee, let us all enjoy our individual vices!  Richard probably doesn't light it!

We've had two motorcyclist killed since the end of January....Superbowl Sunday and last weekend.  Both not taking the curves seriously.  They love coming out here on the roads.

Richard Meek

Kay, I would never let a good cigar go to waste. That one was a really nice Romeo and Julietta. Top that off with a bottle of champagne, listening to Cuban music and watching the sunset across Caney Creek. Nice way to start the new year.  Finished off New Year's Day with a quail dinner at  Little Taste of Sargent. Good Lord willin' and crick don't rise the rest of the year will be that good!!!

Rob, I didn't call them in but quite a few ducks flew over. I've never found cigars to be very effective duck calls.

Bernd Tonat

Second try: This is response No. 1000!

Greetings from Berlin,

bjt

Richard Meek

Good morning all. I hope you remember that today is Texas Independence Day. It's important to remember days like today.

BJ, et al, there's an interesting article in the Chronicle today about a man named Donnie Dunnagan. When he was 7 he wa the voice of Bambi in the movie of the same name. He has had an interesting life. He is now a resident of San Angelo. You can probably find the article on line at www.chron.com  Be sure to read the whole article. The last paragraph is an important life lesson for everyone even those of a youthful age like us.

Enjoy the lovely Spring weather. Don't put your winter clothes away yet. My pecan tree hasn't budded out yet! Some really cold weather is still a possibility!

Later dudes and dudettes

Stephen Ray Puckett

Last night we had a Houston-style ice storm, later topped this morning by about 3 inches of snow.  Power is still out for thousands.  Here's my poor bent-over birch tree, glistening with about a half inch of ice this afternoon:

Here's Lil, put out because she was hoping that the shoveling was done for the season:

The birch tree got bent because it has limber wood and the weight of ice & snow bends it over.  Last year it was bent over to the ground because of past winters. We removed about a third, hoping to save the pretty white-bark tree. We'll see how it goes.  Here's how it looked last week after a storm of heavy wet snow:

We had several days last week of 40+ degree weather which significantly reduced the amount of snow in the yard, etc.  It did however lead to a lot of flooded basements around the area - thankfully, not ours.

In our backyard the little Snowdrops bulbs have sprouted so any day we will have the first flowers of the season.  Yay!  I can hardly wait!

Nathan Wayne Hollis

      Gald it is you and not me.  As of Feb. 1st. i retired from the road, am just doing Tx. So i am home just about every night. Might spend a night in Dallas or Odessa once in a while. So hopefully i want be seeing much ice or snow. But it is nice now that i can go places, and ride my Harley more. Hope to be at Fudds tonight,if it is not raining will ride.

                                    God Bless

Richard Meek

I'll say Amen to that Wayne. I'm sorry Steve and Lil are still wrestling with snow and ice but I'm real glad that I'm not. A life lived on the Gulf Coast does not make many cold weather lovers. I'll take Houston in August over January in Syracuse, Durango or just about anywhere north of Ft. Worth. Hope a lot of folks turn up at Fuddrucker's tonight.

Keep on dancing,

Rich

Richard Meek

Nay nay Robert, it was a Churchill not a torpedo. They're longer therefore giving more mosquito repelling protection.

Nathan Wayne Hollis

  No i didnt make it Robby I got hung up in Laporte TX. But I am going to be there April 12th, because that is my birthday. The big 49 HA-HA-HA.

            LOL

Nathan Wayne Hollis

Yes i could tell you a lot of good stories. meet with Carol Thamer and Mary Senske the weekend at PaPa's on lake Conroe had blast.

     The wife and i rode there after church. Am going to go to Austin soon to that grill everyone meets at  there.

             LOL Wayne

Stephen Ray Puckett

Happy Spring, fellow Waltrippers.  Here the snowdrops have been blooming for a couple of weeks, the crocus & squill are starting to bloom, and the daffodils are developing flower buds.  Yay!  I understand in Texas that the pretty bluebonnets, indian paintbrushes, etc., are out.  Yes, this is my favorite time of the year.   Hope it is well for you also.

A different subject.  As I drove into Work this morning there was a discussion on the radio about school bullying.  I couldn't tell if it is now more prevalent than in our day or less tolerated now.  I don't recall any of what I think of as 'bullying' at Waltrip or Hamilton.  Maybe I never saw it...or just don't remember  I do remember some snide remarks directed at me but that is all.  Anyway, did it go on? 

Richard Meek

 Just a little update on my dog Liz. I haven't posted a pic of her in a long while. To refresh your memory I found her at the park last May. She was about 6 wks. old and weighed 3 lbs. this pic was taken Sunday. She'll soon be a year old and probably weighs  42 - 44 lbs. As you can see when she brings you a stick, she brings a STICK. She's going to obedience school now. I'm not sure who is getting the most training, me or Liz.

Steve, you pose an interesting question about bullying. I'm sure that it probably went on. I think there is just a different reaction now. Back in our school days your dad or my dad would have told us to take care of ourselves because you'll have to do that in real life. Seems that there is an over reaction to everything now. As another example all the hoorah that required legislation to create a special category for "hate crimes". I'm not sure why it is more severe to put someone in jail for a hate crime than to put them in them in jail for the same length of time for felonious assault (which was already on the books). It seems to me that it just gives and opportunity for more attention from the media and the DA and police get more headlines.  So what do you or others think?

The wild flowers are blooming up a storm here. The azaleas are outstanding this year.

Rich

Stephen Ray Puckett

Re bullying, when I thought about it all, I recall that I considered it a 'right of passage' event, something that all boys may have to endure at one time or another. Hmmm, I don't recall considering that girls may have to put up with it also.  Anyway, I don't recall that it happened to me or in front of me, other than a certain amount of 'picking on'.  As an example of this, consider when dodgeball was played in gym class (I was only in gym at Hamilton). Certain boys would be 'picked on' each time, especially the relatively non-athletic, but I don't recall it extending past that dodgeball game.  Possibly today folks would probably consider this a form of bullying - perhaps it is and I need enlightenment.  I'll have to ask around at the office.  Everybody here is younger than me  so I should get more current attitudes.

Let's hear it for a kinder, gentler universe...especially as we move on in Life! 

Kay Watters (Greene)

Good morning all

Steve - just wanted you to know that I am now the proud owner of a "craftsmanlike porch" similar to yours....my pastor built it from your pic....he is so talented! I will send a pic as soon as we have it painted!  and everything  cleaned up.  Will say that on Christmas Day, Michael, our deceased grandson, was all over that porch, insisting to use it even though we tried locking the front door to keep him and the older guys as well, off.  Once they got on, we had to let them in.....so many memories will remain with that porch.  As I had mentioned on that day, my heat went off and refused to come back on, yet no one would leave until dark.....which was so unusual, i guess now, we all know that was the last time all of us would be together with Michael as a full family on our side. ..Isn't life curious, mysteriously intertwined in a design that only God knows....we've had many questions about the use of numbers that keep appearing, as well, and a lot of Michael Greene or Greens keep showing up in several of our lives as occupational people in contact.  Or maybe we are all just so keenly aware right now. To make a long story short the parents are recovering, community still being there for them in every way every day. I have my grandsons and their family staying here with me and we are all helping each other as well.  My cute little "great grandkids" keep me going with their everyday antics tool  Will try to post our Christmas photos on my bio later this week.

We are also nearing the end of another school year with a "Chop some teacher jobs, hopefully not our whole little school off, at the Board Meeting tonight....ouch! I know of two teacher positions that were eliminated before Spring Break, these will be illiterrated tonight, or additional positions eliminated.