Cold

I love it when the weather first turns cool. One of the nicest times of the year.

Sad day

It will be a sad day when the American public no longer remembers Hope and Crosby.

This site is a lot of fun

http://www.thepeerage.com/site_map.htm

Sleep

Sufficient sleep is not an absolute component of good health - but it surely does help.

Temps

If it is a sign of aging to have less tolerance for extreme temperatures, then I qualify.

In the right places

What is important is not having friends in high places, but having friends in the right places. For instance, always make sure you know the cook and the maintenance man. They can do you a lot more good than the guy in the front office.

Wodehouse referenced in Wimsey

"His jaw slackened, giving his long, narrow face a faintly foolish and hesitant look, reminiscent of the heroes of P. G. Wodehouse." A quote from Unnatural Death, a novel about detective Lord Peter Wimsey.

Sherlock: Rathbone and Bruce

Absolutely nothing like those great old Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies. No one else has come close. What they lack in special effects, etc., they make up with Rathbone's inimitable style and Bruce's muttering, which, while probably not realistic to Watson's character, make him lovable and memorable.

Lady Molly

I just finished a book of short stories about the character Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, written by the Baronness Orczy, who wrote the Scarlet Pimpernel. Pretty good reading. I would recommend it.

Floor

My new floor looks nice. But now, when I have to yell at my old, deaf wife in the other end of the house, it will be a lot louder in there.

A great mercy

One of the great mercies extended to preachers is that we do not have to listen to our own preaching.

Non-funeral

I am determined that no one is going to have to take off work to come to my funeral.

Youth

Sometimes youth gets the ascendancy over age in influence in a given portion of society. This is not necessarily bad, because sometimes age is in error on certain issues and certainly has botched up many things over the years. However, anytime youth has the ascendancy, it is a potentially unstable situation and should be viewed with a watchful eye.

Nayedhli

There is a young lady who is a waitress in the Mexican restaurant in Booneville whose given name is Nayedhli. It has a unique, musical sound to it. I have no idea if it is common among latino communities, but I could not find it on Google.

Clean Plate Club

Pam, Mom, Dad and I ate out Mexican tonight, and all four of us were Clean Plate Clubbers. For the uninitiated among you, the Clean Plate Club was an award when I was in grade school to encourage children to eat their lunch. I missed making the CPC only one time. I did not notice they had put a pat of butter on the plate, and after all the rest of the food was gone, I just could not bring myself to eat the butter by itself - and the teacher would not count it. I was crushed.

Schultz

John Banner's portrayal as Sgt. Schultz has to be one of the great character roles in broadcast history.

Got it backward

Young men generally overestimate the importance of beauty and underestimate the importance of good cooking.

Jason Sacran

If you don't already own one of this paintings, find one and buy it. It will be worth something in a few years.

Fasting

I think occasional fasting is a good habit for both health and disciplinary reasons. It doesn't hurt us to be able to say "no" to our bellies.

Liars

In the absolute sense, all men are liars, for none of us is utterly free from this fault. However, it is encouraging to think that we do know honest men who strive to be upright in their dealings and whose speech may be said to be honest, at least in a general enough sense that men are not afraid to trust them.

GRAMMAR

Grammar is not a science. It is at least partially fashion, i.e., it changes with the times. However, there should be a constant in grammar as it is taught in schools, and that relates to its ability to express with precision the thought intended. Anything in grammar that facilitates that goal is legitimate and should be maintained in our education regardless of the changing fashions of speech.

from Lord Peter Wimsey

who was a fictional detective:

"It isn't really difficult to write books. Especially if you write a rotten story in good English or a good story in rotten English, which is as far as most people seem to get nowadays."

Lower back

Lower back problems are one of the less pleasant effects of old age.

Cold

The cold got down into my bones tonight at the ballgame, and it is still way above freezing.

An overlooked advantage

I really think that parents who value the moral upbringing of their children need to look at old radio shows as an entertainment vehicle. It is non-visual, which means that the children have to exercise more of their minds to picture what is going on. For the most part, the content is non-objectionable, and certainly much less harmful than modern media fare. If you don't want your kids immersed in TV, but recognize the need for some entertainment, old radio shows are a high-value, low-cost alternative.

vacation

Those of my calling really do not get vacations, but the closest thing to it is the winter time. There are few meetings that time of year, and besides, it is basketball season. I try to attend a lot of games, and I really enjoy it.

from Jack Benny

When most people go to London, they go to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. When Jack was there, he went to the Bank of England to see the guarding of the change.

Driving

The way people drive sometimes is really silly. If I were to average 5 mph faster for he entire hour's drive to work, I would gain only five minutes. And I would have to average that over a curvy two-lane highway with lots of traffic. Much easier and safer just to relax and go with the flow.

Stats

I know nothing about the Stats page of Blogger, but it says that the second-largest location of readers of this blog is Russia. Imagine that!

Mistakes

It is inevitable that we sinners will make many mistakes. Our task is to limit the scope of those mistakes - avoid the really big ones if we can - and learn from them. A man who truly learns from his mistakes will become a wise man. The wisest of men, however, learns from his father and avoids as many mistakes as he can. But most people just do not listen and learn.

Smell

The smell of my wife's sweet and sour meatballs cooking is one of the great delights for the senses.

A sobering thought

Given the fact that our obligation toward God covers our conduct every hour, it is a very sobering thought that most of my service toward God, or at least a sizable portion, has come in a box plant.

What not to do

To a large extent, preaching and serving churches is a matter of learning what not to do.

Tired?

I did not tell the whole truth when I said I as tired of politics. Sometimes I am tireder. Sometimes even tiredest.

Getting up early

I enjoy getting up early, but I have to get up just a little earlier than I like. (sigh)

Study painted

My daughters and my wife painted my study today. Though I neither thought it or sought it, they insisted that I needed an upgrade, and they did a very nice job. I thank them for it and appreciate greatly their efforts. When you are a confirmed slob like I am, it is very convenient to have womenfolks to undertake to your betterment.

Indian Territory

It was no problem for the Indian Territory to get admitted to the Union, because they had reservations.

To be sung to the tune of

"Mothers, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys."

"Mothers, don't let your babies grow up to make boxes. Let them be robbers or egg-sucking dogs. Let them blow bubbles or spray-wash the hogs."

And he thinks he is tough!

From a synopsis of the Mannix TV show from the '60's: "Joe Mannix is notable for taking a lot of physical punishment. During the course of the series he is shot and wounded over a dozen separate times, or is knocked unconscious around 55 times."

Why, Sam Spade of radio fame used to get knocked out every episode. Just wasn't complete without it.

(LINK to more on Sam Spade)

But some folks like elections

Printers, advertisers, newspapers and other media.

Those great old TV westerns

Before the violence got to be too graphic, and while the language was still clean, and when the heroes still had heroic qualities.

Elections make me tired!

Soon it will be over.

Maverick

Jason, Joshua and I are watching the first season of Maverick, which was where James Garner made his name. Great old cowboy TV show.

Someone read this

"It was a dark and stormy night" is an infamous phrase written by Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton at the beginning of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford. It has become a joke symbolizing bad writing.

Why doesn't someone just take the bull by the horns and read this, just for fun?

Humbug!

The worst thing about Mr. Obama losing is that it probably means Mr. Romney would win.

The same everywhere

We watch with horror atrocities committed all over the world, in every generation, by men acting as political leaders, religious leaders, police and armed forces. We are tempted to say, "I sure am glad that the United States is not like that." The trouble is that we are like that. Human nature is the same everywhere. It is our institutions - not our nature - that keeps us in check.

Eli's alter egos

One of the funniest things I have seen is watching Eli (my grandson) with his imagination - particularly regarding Zorro and Roy Rogers. It is great fun seeing kids have old-fashioned imaginations, without getting into the warped characters that are created today.

Great theme music

I just discovered an old radio show called Europe Confidential, about newpaper correspondents. It has some really great theme music.

Retirement

I used to dream of retiring. I have just about shelved that dream.

Grandpa at the wedding

We finally got Grandpa to get ready to leave the wedding Saturday afternoon - but he took a handful of food with him.

Success

Usually if you are successful at life in the way that God measures success, you will not be noticed (let alone applauded) by the world. Almost always if you are successful in the way the world measures success, you will be a failure the way God measures success.

Old radio message board

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OldTimeRadioResearchersGroup/

Here is a fairly active message board about old time radio shows.

Butterfield as Wellman

One of the great character roles on radio was Herb Butterfield as the chairman of the Ivy College board of governors, Charence Wellman. He did a superb job. You may also remember him as The Commissioner on Dangerous Assignment episodes.

Uppy

One of the great voices of radio that we tend to forget is Isabel Randolph, who played Abigail Uppington on Fibber and Molly.

Vacation

Each year I try to save a day or two of my vacation for my wife's disposal. We go wherever she wants to go and do whatever she wants to do. It is a pleasure for me to spend a little money on her as a small repayment for her many years of service.

Speaking of slang

Ministers should seek at all costs to avoid slang in the pulpit. In the first place, it is not in keeping with the dignity which should accompany such a great work. In the second place, slang is fluid, and more than once a person has been embarrassed by using a term whose meaning has changed drastically since the time he was familiar with it. Use the queen's English and no one can fault you.

Slang

"Slang - the slum area of the language" - Dr. Hall on The Halls of Ivy

Nostalgia

One of the most poignant of feelings is thinking about something very special and very beneficial in our past lives that, due to changing circumstances, will never be recaptured.

Meriwether

"I never attend weddings. I have an unfortunate tendency to laugh." - Mr. Meriwether on The Halls of Ivy radio show.

Britten

Again - Benjamin  Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is an outstanding composition. Listen to it without narration. Especially the final fugue.

Movie tastes

The difference in movie tastes in my family is remarkable. If I want to watch old singing cowboy movies, I have to do so with my grandsons or my niece Kathryn. If I want to watch swashbucklers, I have to do so with my grandsons. My wife will have neither of them. But she will watch old detective movies with a touch of humor till the cows come home.

Underdogs

It is so much for fun rooting for underdogs than it is to jump on a bandwagon.

Doesn't matter

Six of the twelve SEC schools averaged less than 9000 home attendance. Basketball just does not matter in the deep South.

We are in trouble

I can think of no fiscal issue more important to this nation than reducing the national debt. The Republicans are not in the least concerned with reducing it if it means taking away the military's blank check or raising taxes on the wealthy. The Democrats are not in the least concerned with reducing it if it means giving up any of their expensive giveaway programs. And these are the only two choices we have?

Undeserved

We need to remember prayerfully that whomever we get as the President for the next four years, it will be much better than what we deserve.

Politics

If I wasn't already disgusted with politics before this election year, I certainly am now!

Un-flirting

Any girl above the age of three knows how to flirt without seeming to be flirting. Men, on the other hand, are totally inept at this art. Thus the reason that so many men are trapped without realizing how it happened.

Buttram's voice

Pat Buttram was the sidekick on the Gene Autry radio show, and also Mr. Haney on Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice which, in his own words, "never quite made it through puberty." It has been described as sounding like "a handful of gravel thrown in a Mixmaster."

Speech of the unsuccessful politician

"And so, ladies and gentlemen, I can say to you that I have never stolen anything from the public in my life. All I ask is the chance."

His full name?

Master Sergeant Hans Georg Schultz

Percy Kilbride

According to Jack Benny, Percy Kilbride (Pa Kettle) was the same character offscreen and on: quiet and friendly but principled, refusing to be paid more or less than what he considered a fair salary.

Gas

It is disheartening how much time I spend working just to be able to buy the gasoline to get to work.

USS Arkansas

You might not be aware that the battleship named for our state was involved in the shore bombardment at the invasions of Okinawa, Iwo Jima and the Normandy.

Lyons

I have found a funny new radio show: Life with the Lyons.

Pat Williams - "Come Rain or Come Shine"

If you want to hear one of the absolute best examples of big band arranging, get a recording of "Come Rain or Come Shine" as sung by Diane Schuur. Top of the line, in my humble opinion.

Here is a LINK to that recording.

HERE is more about Diane Schuur.

Benny

Jack Benny was not all that funny of a comedian (Fred Allen was much funnier), but Jack carved out a hilarious personna for himself, and had a great supporting cast - especially Rochester.

For profit

When medicine ceased to be for healing and became almost completely or profit it changed the whole face of medicine. Now you have to question everything your doctor recommends.

Health

I am as healthy as I can afford to be, and that is about all one can ask.

Agamemnon

Has anyone actually known someone named Agamemnon?

Negative voting

It is hard to generate much real enthusiasm from the electorate when the main reason they like you is because you are not someone else. Such support is shallow and fleeting.

Speaking of Gene Autry

The more I listen to his programs, the more I like them. They are no great shakes, but he had a very professional band behind him; he sang pleasantly, if not well; the songs were simple and enjoyable; and there was always a nice story and some comedy. Just good, wholesome entertainment.

An unusual election

What would you have guessed the chances were for a standing president to be re-elected with unemployment above 8% for his entire term? The other guy/party must be pretty incompetent to let him win.

Speaking of great voices

I could sit for a long time and just listen to Sheldon Leonard talk.

Fred Allen

I love listening to Fred Allen's voice. It was perfect for a comedian.

Decisions

Decisions are very important things, because every one that we make has consequences.

Any toes left?

I certainly will not vote for Mr. Obama, but the Republican party seems to be seeking to set a new standard for ineptness in a candidate and a campaign. Does Mr. Romney have any toes left to shoot off?

Old radio shows as sleeping pills

I just joined an old radio show message board, and after my first post a couple of other people said that they, too, use old radio shows as a "sleeping pill" to go to sleep at night. It really is amazing how many evenings I drop immediately off to sleep without remembering any of the program.

Home efficiency

After 39-plus years of experience, I am unalterably convinced that the efficiency of any home plummets dramatically if the wife is "employed" by anyone other than her husband.

All those addresses!

The memories of the characters on the Philip Marlowe radio show were amazing! They could remember people's addresses almost without exception. How many people's street addresses can you remember?

No way around it

If President Obama wins this election, the only conclusion we can draw is that the Republican Party is a bunch of utter incompetents. They will have given it away.

Safety

What is it that compels people to ride the bumpers of cars ahead of them?

Here is a name for you

Tollemache Montagu Brydges Rodney

Deficit

The chance of the US budget debt ever being repaid - any of it - is not very good. Neither major party really cares about it.

Washington's genealogy

One site has George Washington's genealogy all the way back to this one:

William de Washington


M, #321952, b. circa 1180, d. after 1220

William de Washington was born circa 1180. He was the son of Patrick fitz Dolfin and Derdere (?). He died after 1220

He was also known as William de Hertburn. He lived at Washington, County Durham, England.

Just think

If my wife and I are still watching the same old movies when we are 80 that we do now, we will be watching movies that are almost a hundred years old.

Quip from the Gene Autry show

You're so dumb, if brains were dynamite, you couldn't blow the wax out of your ears.

Strange spellings

I know a young woman whose given name is Shannan. Parents who use non-standard spellings of names submit their children to perpetually having their names misspelled. Nothing wrong with that, but it can be inconvenient at times - both for the children and for those trying to spell their names.

"Sir Bob" ?

Hope always remembered his British origins, kept a picture of the Queen on display at his Californian home and secretly yearned for a knighthood, a wish that was fulfilled in May 1998 when he was given an honorary title at the British Embassy in Washington.

However, as an adopted American citizen from the age of four he was never able formally to call himself Sir Bob Hope.

Into the sunset

I found this on a website:

"When Rex Allen rode his horse Koko into the sunset at the end of a movie called THE PHANTOM STALLION in 1954, it marked the end of the singing cowboy Westerns."

That is a sad statement. Back when good guys were good guys, and you knew they would win in the end.

Breast milk is good for babies!

Isn't that an amazing discovery! Why do they waste space with such obvious statements as that?