Friday, January 31, 2014

Buying a candy bar during the depression

This must have taken place during the early years of the Great  Depression.  We  had hauled a load of cotton to the gin and my brother Jesse and I were nearby as the cotton was unloaded.  Someone gave us a penny each and my brother, who was three years younger than I, headed for the little country store.  Jesse didn't know the value of any coin, but he knew money could buy candy.

He walked into the store, pointed to a nickel candy bar and laid his penny on the counter.  The lady clerk  hesitated but my brother was already removing the paper from the candy,  I knew you did not buy a five-cent candy bar for a penny,  "I'll add this," I said, giving the clerk my penny,  She said "I guess that will be all right."

I wish I could say her generosity was rewarded, but people had no money and bought on credit.  When time came to pay they still had no money so the store, like many  others, went broke and closed.

Did I get any of the candy bar?   I do not remember.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Obama fails people seeking jobs.

Is Barack Obama totally ignorant about  the economy or is the only thing he cares about is political gain?
In over an hour of his report of the state of the union, he never offered any real plan to create jobs and put suffering people back to work   He refused to take the opportunity to okay the Keystone Pipeline, which would have added thousands of jobs

Obama claims he has created six million jobs. Where, in China?

We need some one to call the end to the BS the government puts out about a recovery. The truth is we have fewer people at work than we did in 2009.  The media joins in putting out false information, including the real figure on unemployment.  Sure, you can just not count all the people who are not working but desperately want jobs. As long as we follow Obama's policies, the economy will suffer and millions will be seeking jobs and not finding any.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Congradulations, Jen

You've  made it with me for 41 years Jen..  Who have believed it if they had seen you trembling and crying while I waited at the altar? Love always, Roy

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Can't you feel it --Obama says global warming causes our cold weather


When it's hot, the globalists blame man-made global warming and want to add more regulations and costs; when it's cold, the environmentalists (all the same nuts) blame global warming and insist on more regulations and costs.

President Obama is a typical example of one who pushes this nonsense.  With weather  experts calling this the coldest in a century, Obama continues to say we have global warming and need to regulate and spend.
Actions by Obama and people like Al Gore have  badly damaged our economy and cost millions of jobs.  Congress must oppose more regulations and spending.

Jessica preached today

Daughter Jessica preached at Apex United Methodist Church today.  We would liked to have been there to support her, but Louisiana to North Carolina is a little far, although we did go to Ohio last summer  when she preached.  Mark, Julie, Lily and Oliver were present today.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Dad == the pole vaulter

For a period of two or three years I tried pole vaulting, utilizing standards   I made from scrap wood and a section of bamboo  as a pole Obviously, I had poor equipment, I vaulted wrong and not very high.

Once Dad watched my feeble efforts and asked for the pole.  I thought he surely was not going to try something so unfamiliar to him but he took the pole and ran toward the six foot fence around the chicken yard. He hit the fence; it bounced in and sprang back and he wound up on his back and on the ground.

I rushed over to him, afraid he was hurt, only to find him laughing, That, though, was his last try to be a track and field star.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Is pot smoking why Iran is beatting our butt?

Official policy of the federal government toward marijuana is use of it is harmful and unlawful.  President Obama on the other hand in an interview in the New Yorker seems to support smoking pot, saying alcohol is worse.

Can you imagine the anger and frustration of parents whose kids take up using pot and argue the president says it is okay?

The federal government has medical evidence that use of marijuana while young results in permanent brain damage.  Perhaps, that is why Iran  is able to claim they are winning in developing nuclear weapons.  Iran also threatens the oil shipping routes in the Mideast.  Is pot smoking why Iran is winning?

Monday, January 20, 2014

Pete Maravich testimony

Following a link to a site showing some amazing shots by Pete Maravich, I got into a video of Pete giving a testimony at a1987   Billy Graham crusade. Pete spoke about how basketball, fame and money  didn't give him happiness.   Nothing satisfied him until he gave his life to Christ.

I was impressed with his eloquence but was  overwhelmed  and moved by his sincerity and emotion.

Maravich died on January 5, 1988, at 40 years of age, from a heart defect. 

For the three years he played of  LSU, Pete averaged over 44 points a game. No one else is even close to that.  His former coach,  Dale Brown, calculated that if Pete had played with the three point rule, his average would have been 57 points a game.

The jack of spades just slipped away

Several days after the Homer American Legion Post had conducted a military type service for a World War I veteran, getting the National Guard to supply a rifle squad and the high school band to provide buglers, we considered that the Post should prepare to supply squads for future funerals.  A group of us began to practice after each Post meeting.

A friendly poker game would follow.   It was at one of these games of stud that George distracted  Wardlow and replaced a jack with another card. George threw his cards down, showing a pair of queens. "What you got?" he asked Whitlow, who turned over his cards one by one. George said " queens  beat jacks"  and raked in the pot.

Whitlow kept staring at his cards, finally saying, " I had three jacks but one slipped away."

What a bunch of great guys.  That was a long time ago, but I still think about those times.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Happy birthday, Mark

No,  I am not confused; I know your birthday is Sunday, January 19, but again we are late mailing your birthday card so I am  early on the blog to let you know we are thinking of you.

Also, I am renewing the offer Jen and I have made  for several  years.  We will babysit Lilly and Oliver Saturday and Sunday so that Julie and you can go out and really celebrate.  If you bring the kids by we will return them undamaged to Apex.

Seriously, best wishes for a happy day.



















Thursday, January 16, 2014

Let me hear from you

How rapidly time can pass sometimes!  I was looking at my blog for January  a year ago and saw where a year previously, Bettty Tippins, had written me about her father R, T. Tippins, who was a shipmate on the Pickens. I want to take this  time to wish shipmates and their families a wonderful 2014.  I would like to hear from any and all of you.

I was reminded that this time in 1945 we were headed to Saipan from where we would proceed to attack Iwo Jima.  For several weeks we had been training, practicing, rehearsing with units of Marines tor the invasion.

The Pickens became proficient in getting the boats into the water, taking on the Marines and landing them on a Hawaiian island, the name of which I can't recall.

The invasion to come was no secret.  Tokyo Rose kept giving us dates for the attack, finally getting it right.

Again, I'm interested in how all of you are faring.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Liar, liar, pants on fire

Actually, we've known for more than a year that Obama and his staff lied about Benghazi, but a report by the Senate Intelligence committee just released confirms it.  The administration created a false explanation of the fatal attack, even denying  terrorists were responsible. Not all of the report has been declassified, but we learned that this tragedy would not have happened if  asked for defense had been put in place.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Holder wants two levels of punishment in schools

The mother was informing the teacher of her daughter's many talents and emphasizing how blessed the teacher was to have the girl  in her class.  "And if she ever needs correcting, just slap the child beside her; that will be enough punishment," the mother concluded.

Eric Holder, attorney general,  must have that or a similar story in mind when he called out for different levels of punishment for misbehavior. He urged schools to "back off" particularly in the case of minority students and the federally protected  minority groups.

Schools are supposed to be governed locally, but the feds find ways to  impose their way.  Of course,racism was charged, the claim being that black students are suspended more than white.  Pity the poor teacher who tries to maintain class discipline so some students can  learn.












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Monday, January 13, 2014

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise

"O for a thousand tongues to sing/ My great Redeemer's praise/
The glories of my God and King/  The triumphs of his  grace!"

We sang this great hymn in church Sunday, the first time in several months. At that time I commented on the song and put it on this blog.  It was included in those eliminated.

Why the hymn was included in our worship, I do not  know but it was quite a coincidence because I have been studying Charles Wesley, who wrote this hymn among the 9,989 he produced.  That is ten times those written by Isaac Watts, Wesley's only challenger for greatest hymn writer of all time.

Sometimes Charles is forgotten as important along with brother John in founding Methodism.  Without his hymns,  Methodism might have been less successful..

          "He breaks the power of canceled sin/ He sets the prisoners free/
          His blood can make the  foulest  clean/ His blood availed for me/"

LYNGHAM-O FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES TO SING

Saturday, January 11, 2014

"You're the best friend"

When served a second helping of spinach, my two-year old grandson,  Oliver, gave his mother a big smile and said, "Thanks, you're the best friend."

Mark and Julie with their two children had returned to North Carolina after spending the holidays with relatives in Louisiana. Some of you may remember granddaughter Lily surprising me two years ago when she ate three helpings of mustard greens.  She ate greens again this holiday. Is that normal for children?

I'm worried that Child Services may act if they learn that these children are fed not only greens and spinach but things like broccoli, brussel sprouts and a variety of fruit.   Even a former president refused to eat broccoli.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Wrong economic policies are destroying the economy

Economy in December was even more dismal than expected, with only 74,000  jobs being created.  Meanwhile more than 300,000 dropped out of the workforce.

Cannot Obama and his administration understand that certain actions encourage hiring while other policies discourage job creation?  It has always that way. 

If this nation is ever going to recover from this depression, we must take the actions that favor job creation. Jobs come from agriculture, mining and manufacturing.  Our tax policies and regulations must make it  attractive for their expansion. For five years Obama'a policies have been completely wrong.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Will Christie recover?

Will Governor Christie be able to get by with his Obama act  -- "I didn't know about  it until I read about it  in the  newspaper.  It was a staffer who did it."

The world knows now that the George Washington bridge had two lanes shut down for four days, causing horrendous traffic problems.  Ambulances were delayed. Children couldn't get to school. The highway was turned into a parking lot.

I turned against Christie when he spoke at the Republican convention.  His speech was all about praising himself instead of support for Romney.  His support of Obama after the storm that hit New Jersey hard was followed by actions of a Democrat  opposing Conservatives.

Can you conceive of a more disgusting choice of Hillary or Chris?  I cannot.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Military decisions made for politics

Hillary and Obama made military decisions based on what they thought would benefit them politically. We've known that a long time, but none of our military voiced it until now.  General Gates, former defense secretary makes this charge in a book just released.

Gates charges that both Hillary and President Obama admitted they opposed the surge in Iraq because they believed it favored them politically.

The former secretary had contempt for Joe Biden, but most people consider Biden a light weight with little ability and no power.

Monday, January 6, 2014

A tale of baking sweet potatoes


A couple  of days ago while eating a baked sweet potato (hot, filled with butter and delicious) my mind reverted back to baking potatoes in the oven of a cast iron, wood burning stove.  After lunch  was over, potatoes and peanuts were placed in the oven, where  enough heat would be retained to bake potatoes and parch peanuts, ready for us when we got home from school.

I do not recall that we ever baked potatoes in the fireplace but some people did.   Dad used to tell the story one of his female cousins told him. She had attended a revival service one night and decided to ask the minister to have supper with her that night, not expecting by any chance he would accept, but he did.

As they entered the house she saw her mother sitting by the hearth, smoking her pipe.  The girl called out,"What's for supper, Ma?" Her mother responded, "I don't know 'bout you, but thar's mine," and pointed to the fireplace where two potatoes were baking in the ashes.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Tom Howe to return as pastor

As we "passed the peace of Christ'' this morning, I realized  "meet and greet" is one of my favorite parts of the church service. I wish a few more minutes was devoted to this so I could speak to more people.

We sang "Go Tell It on the Mountain" this morning, the second time we've sung it this season.  Last December I placed on my blog Jim Nabors singing the song. No one can sing it like Jim, but this and some other songs were removed.  I replaced it with a Sunday School singing the song.

This next week the pastoral committee and Pastor Howe will decide whether he will return.  He said he wants to return and the congregation applauded, No doubt, he will be back.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Jessica returned to Duke today

The holidays are over --Jessica left on a plane this afternoon for North Carolina and Duke University to take up her studies at the seminary.  It may be June before she returns home. Last summer we visited her  where she was serving in Birmingham, Mich.

Too hot for you, Mr.. Gore?

Global warming caused by us humans?  Keep on trying to sell that as the temperature is minus 8 at Green Bay and the wind chill can reach 50 below in Minnesota.  Many scientists admitted they were mistaken when they allowed politicians with something to gain  to sell the bull of global warming to the world.

The United States has wasted billions of dollars forcing changes in the name of global warming caused by human activity.   Hey, get this -- This country spent 7.45 billion dollars in other countries in the name of stopping global warming. I'll bet you Obama will manage to use the  cold weather to spend billions to battle "climate change."

Did you ever climb a tree? Did you fall?

I am accustomed to getting surveys for me to fill out.  If I were naive enough to think my opinions mattered, I would be filling out surveys every  day.  I was greeted the second day of 2014 by the request to enlighten the world  on a Louisiana tree survey.  In spite of myself I was intrigued; was  I supposed  to go the woods and count trees?

Not exactly,  although the first question was did I climb trees as a child, followed by did I ever relax sitting in the shade of a tree. Did I ever collect leaves, pine coins, etc?  Yes, I had two boys in 4-H who won trips and other awards for their collections of leaves, twigs and fruits of native Louisiana trees.

Questions became more serious, like should we preserve rain forests and should Bald Cypress be the state tree.  At the end of the survey was the real purpose.  A donation of ten dollars or more to the Arbor Day Foundation   could bring in gifts, including ten trees and a year's supply of coffee.



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year

As we look ahead at 2014, much  does not forecast happiness, but for today let's be optimistic that the year will live up to Ronald Reagan's view of America as "a shining city on a hill."

May God bless  you in the worship of our Lord Jesus Christ.