First Tomato from Dad's Tomato Garden

Beverly and I are in Knoxville at Dad's house. When checking his garden I discovered and picked the first ripe tomato!

There'll be a bountiful crop as I see lots of big green tomatoes on every plant.

From the Past

Something My Mother Wrote
Mary found a paper containing some words my Mom wrote sometime in the early 1960s, probably before Beverly and I got married in 1961. It pretty funny & silly. It reminds me of her sense of humor. I think she was maybe thinking of me getting married and leaving home? I wonder?

I know that I am sentimental
And as silly as can be…
For who sit up till morning
But a foolish one like me.

I’d better get some sleep I guess
Or I will look a horrid mess.
And Jim will be here soon, you see
And I must make some tea.

I won’t worry about our Jim
When Beverly comes to stay.
Their joy will be to the rim
And they’ll be happy every day.

She’s a sweet gal I know…
And Jim has told her so!I
I’m a silly goose,
Oh well, what’s the use.

Here I sit flabbergasted
Looked in the mirror & it blasted.
Head up high, feet so low…
Sing a song, fast or slow!!!!!

~ Written by LaVerne Rieben White

Mom died in 1974. She was a special Mom.

~~~

Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Sometimes you find little jewels from the past that bring back fond memories. The above poem written by my Mom certainly did that for me. Thanks to Mary keeping this through the years and sharing with me.

~~~

Quote of the Day

A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice.
— Ed Howe

~~~
Joke of the Day

 

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

What’s Happening

In Knoxville
Beverly and I spent most of last week in Knoxville helping Mary get moved to an apartment. It’s a lovely place where she will be living.

While we were at Dad’s home we checked on the garden. The tomatoes are growing faster than ever! We saw many big, luscious green tomatoes that will be turning red soon. Due to the recent dry spell we gave them a good watering before we came back to Kingsport.

In Kingsport
Working between two houses 100 miles apart is very difficult. We have had help from my son and a neighbor who has been mowing the yard for us. That meant a lot!

We figure we’ll be spending a couple of days in Knoxville most weeks, and the rest of the time we will be keeping things going at home.

Dad’s Book
It has been selling very good. We are getting down to the end of the books that were in the first printing. Then a decision will have to be made to have a second printing.

~~~

Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
I’m trying to take one day at a time. Sometimes it is difficult. I wake up early worrying about all I have to do. I’m trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope it’s not a train bearing down on me.

.

Seriously, I think I will learn a lot in these experiences. They say clouds can have silver linings.

~~~

Quote of the Day
You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.
~Author Unknown

~~~
Joke of the Day

A farmer saw the vet one Saturday, while in town shopping. He asked "What can I give my constipated cat?"

The vet said "oh about a pint of castor oil."

The following Saturday, the vet saw the farmer and asked "How is the calf?".

The farmer said" It wasn't a calf, it was a cat!"

The vet asked "did you give him the whole bottle?

The farmer said "Yep,"

"Well, what happened?"

"I don't know for sure. The last time saw him he was going over the hill with six friends; two were digging; two were covering up; and two were scouting for new territory!"

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

What do you think? Where do you go?

We Do It All Before God
This came from a friend. Good advice for life. Something to think about. We need a wholesome fear of God in our lives.

Whatever you think, never think what you feel
You would blush, in the presence of God, to reveal;
Whatever you speak, in a whisper or clear,
Say nothing you wouldn't like Jesus to hear.

Whatever you read though the page may allure,
Read nothing of which you are perfectly sure
Consternation at once would be seen in your look
If God should say solemnly, "Show me that book."

Whatever you write, though in haste or in heed,
Write nothing you would not like Jesus to read;
Whatever you sing, in the midst of your glees
Sing nothing His listening ear would displease.

Whenever you go, never go where you fear
Lest the great God should ask you, "How camest thou here?"
Turn away from each pleasure you'd shrink from pursuing
If God should look down and say, "What are you doing?"

Whatever you wear, can you be very sure
That the feelings it quickens are blameless and pure?
Would your face be unblushing and conscience be clear
Should your wardrobe be opened and Jesus appear?

When you think, when you speak, when you read, when you write,
When you sing, when you walk, when you seek for delight,
To be kept from all wrong when at home or abroad,
Live always as under the eyes of the Lord.

Granddaddy’s Blog Posting Schedule
When I first started this blog I posted 6 days a week. Not too long ago I changed my posting to only post 5 days a week.

Due to things going on in my life at the present time I plan to stop posting on a regular basis. Instead I will post when I have sometime “substantial” that I want to share with my readers. When I say “substantial” it might just be a good joke, something educational, or just something I thought you might enjoy. So for the time being I will not post just for the sake of posting.

So don’t stop dropping by to check on me.

~~~

Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Live always as under the eyes of the Lord.

~~~

Quote of the Day
Common sense is instinct.  Enough of it is genius.
~George Bernard Shaw

~~~
Joke of the Day

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Enjoy the View

Of Paris France
This is beautiful panorama… Click the link below to enjoy the view:

http://www.gillesvidal.com/blogpano/paris.htm

This Week
I will not be making any posts the rest of this week. So don’t get alarmed. All is OK. I’m just taking a little rest.

~~~

Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Try not to worry about the past and the future.
All we need to do is take care of the present,
but with God’s help.

~~~

Quote of the Day

Many thanks to Betty for sending me the following:

After Seventy

Pamper the body, prod the soul
Accept limitations, but stay the role
Withdraw from the front but stay in the fight
Avoid isolation...... keep in sight.

Beware of reminiscing (except to a child)
To forgetting names, be reconciled.
Despise not solitude, let no one condone,
Cultivate interests, enjoyed alone.

Don't mention ailments, (you'll surely have some)
That is a subject on which to be dumb
Refrain from loquacity, be crisp and concise
And regard self pity as a cardinal vice.

~ George Walker

~~~
Joke of the Day

Smitty was a heating and cooling technician. His assistant was a small chimpanzee he had trained to do all the duct work. The chimp had no fear of heights or confined spaces, and besides, he didn't have to be paid.

One day, Smitty got a call from a customer who said his air conditioner had broken down. Smitty went over and discovered some defective ducting. The customer asked whether it would be hard to fix.

"No problem," replied Smitty, "I have a little duct ape that will take care of it!"

~~~

And someone once said, “How long a minute is depends upon which side of the bathroom door you are on.”

 

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

A Moving Experience

Barn Moving in Nebraska

Read story before clicking on link.
News report from Bruno, NE

In 1981, Herman Ostry and his wife, Donna, bought a farm a half mile outside of Bruno, Nebraska, a small community sixty miles west of Omaha.

The property had a creek and came with a barn built in the 1920's. The barn floor was always wet and muddy. When the creek flooded in 1988, the barn ended up with 29 inches of water covering the floor. That was the last straw.

Ostry needed to move it to higher ground. He contacted a building moving company and was discouraged by the bid.

One night around the table, Ostry commented that if they had enough people they could pick the barn up and move it to higher ground. Everyone laughed. A few days later, Ostry's son Mike showed his father some calculations. He had counted the individual boards and timbers in the barn and estimated that the barn weighed approximately 16,640 pounds. He also estimated that a steel grid needed to move the barn would add another 3,150 pounds, bringing the total weight to just under 10 tons. He figured it would take around 350 people with each person lifting 56 lbs. to move the barn.

The town of Bruno, Nebraska was planning its centennial celebration in late July of 1988. Herman and Mike presented their barn moving idea to the committee. The committee decided to make it part of their celebration.

So, on July 30, 1988, shortly before 11 a.m., a quick test lift was successfully made. Then, as local television cameras and 4,000 people from eleven states watched, 350 people moved the barn 115 feet south and 6 feet higher up a gentle slope and set it on its new foundation.

~~~

Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Today is the yesterday you worried about tomorrow.
.

Don’t worry, be happy.

The best way to be happy is to help someone who needs help. Think about others, not yourself.
Easy to say, harder to do.

~~~

Quote of the Day

Charm is the quality in others
that makes us more satisfied with ourselves.
~Henri Frédéric Amiel

~~~
Joke of the Day

Art Robbery in France Foiled by High Gas Prices
After careful planning, he got past security, stole the paintings, and made it safely to his van.  However, he was captured only two blocks away when his van ran out of gas. When asked how he could mastermind such a crime and then make such an obvious error, he replied, 'Monsieur, that is the reason I stole the paintings.'

I had no Monet

To buy Degas

To make the Van Gogh.'

See if you have De Gaulle to tell someone else this joke.... I told it to you because I figured I had nothing Toulouse.

(Chuckle, chuckle)

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below