Update 1-22-13

 

Hi,

 

Nice Inauguration Day.  Warmer than it was in 1961, the first Inauguration Day I remember.  But at least we got the day off then because of snow.

 

More about weather, from Jean Cohen Oklan:  A very quick note.  It has been warmer in Northwestern Vermont than in Los Angeles!

 

[Rich -- Of course, that was last week.  Today, it was 81 in LA and 18 in Montpelier.]

 

From Zelda White Nichols:  I had to laugh at the flu shot recipe last week.  I was at a restaurant in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, in October, and there was a sign for Flu Shots on each table.  It was so unusual to see in a restaurant I had to ask what it was, and then I immediately ordered and downed this delicious concoction.

    Over ice, pour 1 jigger Pumpkin Spice liqueur, one jigger Smirnoff’s Caramel Vodka, and one jigger Kahlua.  Of course, this flu shot wasn’t very large, so I had to order another, with double shots of each ingredient.  Then I came home and had to introduce it to all my friends at a Flu Shot Party.  I know the winter is still young, but I haven’t gotten the flu yet.

 

From Robert Fiveson:  The reference to driving in Hawaii reminds me of one of the most frustratingly funny experiences on a shoot ever.  We tried asking driving directions there and got big Hawaiian friendly smiles.  "You want to get to Hanapakali and Leaoi, no problem.  Just continue down Hakapapataki, hang a left on Louanakapali, and after Heolipoliloli, it will be the next left!"  Needless to say, we stayed lost most of that shoot.

    By the way, greetings from my being ensconced as a professor outside Pittsburgh. It's 93 degrees back home in Panama, and 27 degrees as I write this.  Mercifully, there is a K-Mart within walking distance, where I found actual winter clothes, none of which I own anymore.  Ccccold.

 

From Evelyn Roedel Read, class of 1959, a note to Valerie Nelson Gillen:  About Pastor Donahue at the Lutheran Church. I also attended confirmation classes there.  Back in my day -- I am 71 -- if Pastor Donahue caught you chewing gum, you had to wear it on your nose during the lesson.  And when the lesson was over, he opened the window, and you had to drop it out on top of a growing pile of chewing gum.  I was wondering if he had continued that practice when you attended?

 

From Booker Gibson:  I hope everyone is doing well... including Larry Miller.  Please say "hello" to him for me.  And I sympathize with his recovery.  Last May, I had to stop my great weekend gig at the Irish Pub after about twelve years.  I can't even drive anymore, for similar health reasons.

 

[Rich -- I'd love to give up driving, especially on the freeway.  But I'm not quite there yet.]

 

From Jerry Bittman by way of Facebook:  Tomorrow, I begin my second volunteer job, and I thank God for giving me the health and ability to serve my community.  Tomorrow, I begin my volunteer work with the Kearney Police Department.  I asked the lady today what my job will consist of.  She took one look at my beak and said that I will be replacing a retiring drug-sniffing dog.  I'll actually learn tomorrow what my job consists of.

    My other volunteer job is working twice a week at Good Sam Hospital.  I love that job.  I sit at the hospitality desk, give people directions, and try to say "hello" to everybody who enters the hospital.  I also wish everybody a good day when they exit.

    I probably exchanged pleasantries with about a hundred people today. They're not at the hospital for good times, so if I can bring a smile to their faces I feel rewarded.  This job will also benefit me in getting over my shyness.  My goal this year is to win both the Miss Hospitality and Miss Congeniality crowns.

 

To which Ellen Sue Brody Pilger commented:  "That sounds really wonderful, Jerry."  And it does.

 

Jerry also wrote:  Rest In Peace, Stan "The Man" Musial.  He was one of the best hitters in baseball history -- 92 years young -- and had one of the most unorthodox batting stances.  My very first baseball glove was a four-fingered Musial glove.

 

[Rich -- Strangely enough, so was mine.  Of course, it was also my last baseball glove.]

 

From Emily Kleinman Schreiber:  I just watched a cool video on YouTube.  It was posted by my son, Mike, and stars me as the Rappin' Tappin' Mama.  I don't expect to be on the Golden Globes.  I just want to make you smile -- or laugh.  If you want to see it, Google dogboy4444 and then go to Mom Tap Dancing.

    There's a second clip of me, dancing to one of Michael Jackson's songs.  It's in the Comedy category -- what nerve!  The first one is considered Entertainment.

 

And it appears it was just Paul Zegler's birthday.  Happy birthday, Paul.  From all of us.

 

Finally, a friend of mine forwarded a batch of these from the Internet, with the preceding explanation:

    Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old two-lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.  They were small red signs with white letters.  Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each containing one line of a four-line couplet.  And the obligatory fifth sign advertised Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.  Surprisingly, a lot of them were about speeding, drunk driving, and death, not what I remembered at all.  But here are a few of the more cheerful ones.

 

She kissed the hairbrush

By mistake

She thought it was

Her husband Jake

 

Listen birds

These signs cost money

So roost a while

But don't get funny

 

Said Farmer Brown

Who's bald on top,

"Wish  I could

Rotate the crop"

 

Ben met Anna

Made a hit

Neglected beard

Ben-Anna split

 

The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65 . blogspot . com

 

The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com / SouthHS65

 

 

Rich