Heavener blogs

Blizzzzard!!!

2011-02-02T23:21:00.002-06:00

Well we are snowed in again. There are 6 families that live along our country road and for two days now none of us has tried to get out of the neighborhood. The snow is just too deep! The forecast is for continuing cold days for the next week or so so it appears we are not going anywhere for some time. We only lost power for a few hours and have all utilities up and going now so we are doing

Trip to h*** and back

2010-12-18T17:48:00.006-06:00

What began as a leisurely drive to San Antonio to spend a week in a cabin at Medina Lake and visit grand-kids turned out to be a trip to (pardon my French) hell and back. First of all, I can’t even take a leisurely drive due to so many pit stops, not to mention all the aches and pains I tend to go through these days. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the weather each day was bright and sunny, cloud-free,

The OU Experience!

2010-11-14T23:37:00.008-06:00

What I have to say about our OU Experience on Saturday can be summed up in one word: Wonderful! And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. You know, wholeheartedly.Cynthia and I went to the OU game on Saturday, to witness the Sooners drop a 45-7 shellacking on Texas Tech. That in itself was great, but it was the first time for either of us in Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium. I’ve seen lots of

Slavery Connection

2010-10-01T21:21:00.002-05:00

Some time ago I was able to contact a lady that was a descendant of a slave that had been owned by my ancestor. If you would like to read her account of how we got in touch with each other read her blog at the following site:http://african-nativeamerican.blogspot.com/2010/09/coming-to-table-choctaw-reunion.html

OU-Texas time

2010-09-27T20:06:00.004-05:00

Well, it’s that time of the year again. The week that was, or is, in this case, down here in this part of East Texas. Oklahoma versus Texas. The Sooners versus the Longhorns. The Sooners are unbeaten in four games and the ’Horns are 3-1, after last week’s drubbing by UCLA. A lot is at stake, mainly bragging rights, for myself and a few hundred others. Most people in this part of the country refer

Scorekeeping ain’t so easy

2010-09-12T18:36:00.004-05:00

There we were, two old friends from the Heavener High School class of 1965, both ex-sports writers and sports information directors, as well as official baseball scorers, at one time, yet we were rooting for opposite teams, sort of. He for the Texas Rangers, me for the New York Yankees, who just might wind up playing each other when the MLB playoffs start next month. Never mind, the Rangers won

Vera Owen 1917-2010

2010-09-03T19:33:00.005-05:00

We’re supposed to go to school to learn the three Rs. You know readin’, ritin’ and rithmitic. Vera Owen, bless her soul, was an English teacher for 42 years and she probably taught me as much as any teacher I had during my time in Heavener public schools, through all the grades, 1st through 12th. The last time I was in Heavener for a funeral was J.F. Johnston and I sat next to Mrs. Owen. Just

Tribute to Elvis

2010-08-16T16:44:00.002-05:00

One regret that I have, when I moved to East Texas in the early 1970s, is not making the short drive to Shreveport to see Elvis Presley. It was his last appearance anywhere close. Here’s one of the great recording artists of all time within driving distance, and I didn’t go. What a fool.I didn’t, however, miss him when he was at the Gilmer (TX) Civic Center Saturday night. Of course, it was only

Leftovers from Memphis and beyond …

2010-07-31T16:31:00.007-05:00

Hearing that the Pyramid had closed down in Memphis surprised me. I remember it as being a thriving downtown venue for some big-name basketball teams. Of course, that was when I was last there years ago. The Pyramid, by the way, has been leased by Bass Pro Shops and will be transformed into a delta swampland atmosphere complete with restaurants and a bowling alley. ... It also stirred some

East Tennessee and Memphis sights

2010-07-29T16:38:00.008-05:00

As previously mentioned in another blog, Cynthia and I spent a week at a Thousand Trails campground -- Cherokee Landing – in west Tennessee and just went on “day trips” from there. One was to Jackson, about 35 miles north where we saw Casey Jones’ old home place and Cynthia took a tour of the museum. Her love of trains is much greater than mine, so I just sat and rested. (we had already walked

Visiting old friends never gets old

2010-07-28T23:18:00.004-05:00

Lots of places we haven’t seen and tons of relaxing is something we badly needed on our trip to Tennessee. And although we didn’t get to go as far and see as much as we would have wanted, because of some unfortunate RV problems and the extreme heat, the trip still involved visiting with some old Heavenerite friends and that was something we wanted, too. We traveled 1250 miles, going through five

Kudsu rules!

2010-07-26T20:53:00.004-05:00

Glen could probably be a little more clear on this since he lives in Tennessee, but one thing Cynthia and I noticed on our trip into the Volunteer state was not only how green every thing seemed to be, but how everything appeared to have some sort of growth all over it. Being the curious newspaper reporter I used to be, I had to inquire about what exactly it was that we kept seeing. It reminded

Traveling with the Inman's, Part 4

2010-07-23T22:26:00.004-05:00

SERENITY, TN – Actually, we’re not in Serenity, it only seems like it. We’re in a little place called Saulsbury, at a Thousand Trails campground. When last we spoke, er, blogged, we were in Memphis, but, alas, we had to put the I-bus in the shop for

Traveling with the Inman’s, Part 3

2010-07-12T22:14:00.003-05:00

It looks like I’ll forever be known as Papa John. Not that the moniker is a bad thing. There could be worse, I suppose, but none come to mind really quickly. Maybe “Grandpa.” All my grandkids, however, know me as Papa John. Karen’s boys, Brandon

Grandkids are … well, just grand

2010-04-07T00:20:00.004-05:00

Last week, Cynthia and I spent a week in San Antonio with Kenny and Tammi, plus their two little girls. Since Michael and Ora also live in the Alamo city, we got to spend an ample amount of time with Micah, our fifth and newest grandson. Micah

Just for you, Peggy

2010-03-21T20:05:00.004-05:00

One comment on one of my blogs caught my attention. I blogged that I encouraged a couple of coaches to “go for the gusto” back in the day when I was a sports writer. They were both female coaches of women’s team, and though their teams were obviously comfortably ahead, I told them to leave their starters in and to go for a national record for points scored. Though it may sound as if I was

Jerry’s world

2010-03-15T21:03:00.007-05:00

The secret is out, Jerry Jones wants the best. Actually, it is hardly a secret to anyone who remotely knows anything about the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys Stadium is a testament to that. Cowboys Stadium has the largest TV in the world, the largest crowd in NBA history for the NBA All-Star game, just recently the largest crowd to see a boxing match in I-don’t-know-how-many-years, a Paul McCartney

Name of the game is scoring

2010-03-11T21:01:00.003-06:00

As the state basketball tournament here in Texas gets underway in Austin, there are a few people upset about the undefeated Houston Yates (32-0) team scoring too many points. Seems Yates has beaten some opponents like 148-69, 139-51 and 127-26. Yates has set a national record by scoring over 100 points in 14 consecutive games en route to its current average of 117.2 per game, also a national

Who’s No. 1?

2010-03-10T17:15:00.008-06:00

No, I’m not talking about the topsy-turvey world of college basketball, where apparently no team wants to be ranked No.1. I’m not convinced any of them could beat the UConn women. I mean, the Lady Huskies have won 72 (at last count) in a row and show no signs of slowing down. I’m talking about whose going to be the numero uno pick in the NFL draft coming up. Draft pundits say it will be either

David hard at work in Chile

2010-03-05T12:02:00.003-06:00

(This article was sent to me from Janie Hinds Naylor. It has her brother David, (originally from Heavener, named in the article.)3/3/2010By Tristan TaylorSANTIAGO, Chile (BP)--Despite logistical difficulties, Southern Baptist workers are responding to help those suffering from an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked central Chile early Feb. 27.With highways cracked, bridges collapsed and the

Life and Death

2010-03-02T15:15:00.007-06:00

Today I learned of the death of another classmate, Frankie Kannady Taylor, from the class of 1959. He husband Jake and son Steve were with her at the time of her death--a blessing in the midst of sorrow. Having just read the uplifting blogs about the Chilean earthquake, this news, although not unexpected, caused a contrast in my feelings. We all

Nobody escapes a ‘storm’

2010-02-28T21:30:00.002-06:00

Death, devastation and destruction, at some time or other, have been part of everyone’s life. When we have lost a family member or been through a terrifying storm, something has affected all our lives in some shape, form or fashion. Just this

David Hinds blog "I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet"

2010-02-28T07:10:00.003-06:00

src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">David Hinds is serving as a missionary in Southern Chile. He sent this message on Facebook."We are trying to let as many people as possible know that we are ok, no injuries. Our apartment is

The ‘eyes’ have it

2010-02-23T16:38:00.001-06:00

Over the years, I’ve been cut on, opened up and been wrapped in bandages from foot to head, literally, but my most recent experience with the scalpel was the first time I’ve had anything done to my eyes. And I think I can now say, losing my eyesight

Think my grandsons didn’t have fun!

2010-02-14T12:39:00.003-06:00

The snow came and is already gone, but at least my grandsons got some enjoyment out of it, not too mention a day of missing school. This was a first for Garrett, who’s only five-years-old. Brandon, 9, however, was a crusty old veteran. He had

Look, what is that white stuff?

2010-02-12T22:34:00.009-06:00

Finally, it snowed in Tyler, TX. Cynthia and I went to bed last night and it was actually snowing outside. I kid you not. This morning there was around 3-4 inches on the ground. The weathermen I see on regularly on TV – Mark Skirto of channel 7 and John Adams, his competitor on channel 19 – were so proud of themselves last night on the news. Mark even went outside for his news (weather) cast.

The Yankee Shrine

2010-02-06T15:19:00.005-06:00

Change is often good, or so it’s said. In my case, it is. For instance my Yankee Wall has changed, so much so, I now call it my Yankee Shrine. The new additions are ones that I would like to share with you, my Heavener bloggers. See, I’ve had several pictures on my previously-named Yankee Wall. They included photos of mostly Mickey Mantle. My “new” Yankee Shrine includes mostly more photos

Cold, but no snow, yet

2010-01-28T21:27:00.000-06:00

Just finished reading a blog from Gwen. Who’s Gwen? I don’t know but she lives in Heavener and says she’s a transplant from Kansas. Maybe it was the fact she lives in Heavener that I was reading it. Wonder why she isn’t a Heavener blogger,

Lessons from Your Bird Dog

2010-01-28T21:16:00.004-06:00

src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">Daddy always had a bird dog, and the dogs were the best friends Dad had except for maybe T. A. Roop. And probably he would have chosen the dogs over T. A. at times – those two men played the

Engine Flush

2010-01-27T09:59:00.002-06:00

I just returned to the house from a visit to Bixby to have the oil changed in my 2005 Dodge Pickup. After the technician that did the oil change had finished the oil change he came over to me and told me that now that my truck was 5 years old and had nearly 50,000 miles on it that I needed on my next oil change to have them also do an engine flush. I asked him what that involved and he said an

Lost in the storm?

2010-01-23T23:45:00.005-06:00

Tornados were swirling all around and sirens were blowing Wednesday night. It was the sort of night that reminded me of when I was stationed at Altus AFB in the early 70s.We received telephone calls from one of our friends, Robert Swinney, and another from a long-time friend, Wayne Driver, inquiring as to how we were holding out in the storms. Robert is a local guy, but Wayne lives in Missouri.

My hat’s off to you, Colin

2010-01-17T16:35:00.000-06:00

Well, you were right Colin, I was wrong. Brett Farve is for real and he showed why with four TD passes at 40-years-old. The Dallas pass rush did a fair job, but Minnesota’s did an outstanding job proving to Tony Romo he isn’t ready for the big time.

The ’Boys will prevail

2010-01-16T10:29:00.002-06:00

This is mainly for Colin, but Kathy and Glen, or anyone else, for that matter, is welcome to tune in. And anyone that does, please leave a comment. Those of you that blog would like to know who is actually taking the time to read them.Colin gave his

Bloggs must be broke

2010-01-14T18:36:00.002-06:00

I reckon this blog site must be broken or maybe it is just my old pc that is froze up.Just to see if it still works, I'll throw ole John a pass and see if he catches it. Hey John, Ithink Bret is twice the quarterback Tony is and the DALLAS COWBOYS will bite the chalk dustthis week. And all three of Dallas's running backs together don't make one Adrian Peterson.Dallas 3--Vikings 34....

The Tiffees- A Memorial

2009-12-30T11:34:00.001-06:00

I just now logged on to "Craigs" Journal and read where Ellen Tiffee had died and I of course remembered that it was only a few days ago that I had read in the "Journal" that her husband Harlan had died.. I know that it is not all that uncommon for that to happen; that is for a husband or wife to die soon after the other has passed, but it always touches me when it does happen. I am reminded of

A Blizzard for Christmas

2009-12-25T08:56:00.002-06:00

Here at our little place out in the country this Christmas Morning our world is covered over with approximately a foot of snow. The news people kept repeating yesterday that this was the first time ever that a "blizzard warning" had been issued for this part of Oklahoma and there was much talk about traffic hazards and street closings and church services being cancelled and story after story on

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T14:50:00.004-06:00

Here it is Christmas Eve and we haven't had a new blog posted in over a week. I guess most of our bloggers are resting up for the big day tomorrow. I'm in that mode, myself.I figured, though, that since I learned this little dance....and since

My Christmas gift to …

2009-12-17T23:16:00.002-06:00

Christmas is my favorite time of the year, because I love to give presents to people, especially to my fellow Heavener bloggers. With that thought in mind, here is what I would give all my favorite bloggers (drum roll, please …)To my best friend,

CHRISTMAS PAST by Peggy A. Kelley

2009-12-12T01:16:00.011-06:00

(We're going to get Peggy her own posting credentials soon, but to get this online sooner, I'm posting this one for her)When I was but a child (in a family of 8 children), I looooooved Christmas! Some months before, my Dad went hunting to harvest

One man's opinion of college bowls

2009-12-10T07:52:00.001-06:00

All a college football team has to do to qualify for a bowl game is win six games. It can then be considered “bowl eligible.” That’s because there are so many bowls these days, a team only has to win half of its games, for goodness sakes. It’s no wonder Notre Dame elected to not attend a bowl game this season, because the Fighting Irish were barely a .500 team. Notre Dame was certainly a big

The Legend of the Christmas Tree

2009-12-07T21:28:00.002-06:00

I don’t really know anything about any Christmas Tree legends; I just thought that it would be a "catchy" phrase to introduce this blog. I think that I read somewhere once upon a time that decorating evergreen trees was a heathen practice of some kind but I don’t actually know anyone I consider a heathen and almost everyone I know puts up a Christmas tree and I pretty much just associate with

Wait 'til next year!

2009-12-03T21:43:00.001-06:00

Okay, so my Sooners let me down this year. Disappointed is probably a better way to describe it. Injuries to key players – namely Jermaine Gresham and Sam Bradford – took their toll on Bob Stoops’ 2009 team. At least I can look forward to both of

The big K.O.

2009-11-22T19:36:00.001-06:00

Basketball was not a sport in which I excelled, nor am I ashamed to admit it. There’s no sense in lying about it. Anyone that has ever seen me with a roundball immediately came to that conclusion. You’ve heard the old expression about walking and

When football was king

2009-11-18T17:29:00.001-06:00

Cynthia and I attended a high school playoff game last week for the first time in over five years – Malakoff vs. Winnsboro, because my daughter is the cheerleader sponsor and her husband coaches at Malakoff. Somebody in the stands behind us yelled,

Camping with the deer

2009-11-11T21:48:00.013-06:00

Three weeks at Medina Lake was, well, in a single word, wonderful. Medina Lake has become a popular destination for Cynthia and me, since her kids have moved to San Antonio. It’s only a 30-minute drive to Tammi and Kenny’s house, since they live on

Remembrances of Jim Hall

2009-11-11T09:55:00.003-06:00

(Editor's note: This blog was written by David Hinds, who lives in Chili now.)Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my first playmate and best friend Jim Hall. I don’t remember when we first met, it seems like I just always knew him. We

A Season to Remember Our Blessings

2009-11-10T22:29:00.002-06:00

As Thanksgiving draws near this year, I will have an enriched outlook about the blessings of my life! This past year Harry and I learned a lot about blessings from our brother-in-law, Jim Hall. Jim was

Good-bye old friend

2009-11-10T16:32:00.001-06:00

It’s almost eerily ironic that Jim Hall passed away while Cynthia and I were out of town a little over a week ago. I have always considered Jim a good friend. The Class of ’65 was always close and I have always tried to be there for one of my

Allegiance to Old Heavener High

2009-10-26T21:14:00.001-05:00

CAN ANYONE FILL IN THE BLANKS FOR ME???Allegiance to old Heavener HighThe dearest school in all the world We’ll fight for Heavener High Wherever we may be Our allegiance we want All the world to see 1.???_______________

Life Lessons and the Green Packard

2009-10-24T14:13:00.004-05:00

I recently reconnected with Felda Looper on Facebook. We haven’t talked in about 35 years, so there is a lot to remember and a lot to learn about each other! We reminisced about learning to drive on the west side streets of Heavener. Dad taught Judy and me really young, about 12 years old I think. In fact, Judy had her first wreck with Dr. Fair when she was about 14. Anyway, I knew how to drive,

Sutherland's photographs drawing notice

2009-10-17T09:26:00.008-05:00

Jerry Sutherland is not professional photographer. Yet.“I might see if I can sell some later, although I did get paid for doing some calendar pictures,” said Sutherland, whose only connection to Heavener is that he married a girl from Heavener, the former Sherry Linville. The cover for 2010 City of Grand Junction calendar is of a full moon over the Colorado National Monument (above) is one

Continuing on our trip -- Part 4

2009-10-15T07:08:00.005-05:00

Saving the “best” for last, easily the most intriguing people we visited on our trip were Cynthia’s cousin, James Harvey Brewer and his wife Betty. Because of their backgrounds in the Orient we found them so interesting. The moment we walked in the door, he asked if we had been watching the sumo wrestling tournament. He had recorded 14 hours and said it would come on later than night and he was

Continuing on our trip -- Part 3

2009-10-14T08:44:00.005-05:00

(click photos for larger view) Oklahoma City was our next stop after Kansas . There, I got to visit with an old friend from my days at LeTourneau University in Longview . Elliot Johnson is now baseball coach at Southern Nazarene and he and his wife Judy have built a new log home in Northwest OKC, actually Piedmont . It is truly a nice home, or as Elliot calls it, his “cabin.” We were very

Continuing on our trip--Part 2

2009-10-13T07:58:00.001-05:00

The stay in Miami and visit with Jim was very relaxing. Cynthia has tons of photos to share with her brother. Then it was on to Topeka , KS to spend a few days and visit with another Heavener classmate, John Marvin Wright.John Marvin lost his wife Mieko a year ago in July, so he has struggled somewhat and it did him good to see some familiar faces from the old hometown. He was a very gracious

What a novel idea

2009-10-12T08:39:00.002-05:00

This Heavener blog idea was absolutely a great one, I think. Craig, ye of mostly great ideas and an old sportswriter friend of mine, wised up and got out of the newspaper business several years ago. He then went into banking, but along the way came

Continuing on our trip -- Part 1

2009-10-11T09:56:00.004-05:00

Chuck had said before we left on our RV trip, it would be nice if all the Heavener bloggers could “ride along” with us. Meaning he wanted me to blog along the way. We ran into some problems with our wireless laptop, and finding a place suitable where we could get on the internet. We have returned home now, but I will try to catch everybody up – on the different places we visited, that is. I will

Family Foliage Tours

2009-09-28T22:23:00.008-05:00

John Hendricks, a '74 Heavener grad, lives on the Ridge Road above Long Lake Hill, and he runs the Long Lake Resort. (Our e-traveling friends, John and Cynthia Inman, stayed there on the first leg of journey.) John takes the most awesome photos of

The laptop dilemma

2009-09-22T14:39:00.001-05:00

by John InmanCynthia’s suggestion of getting a wireless laptop so I could blog on our travels and check on our emails and bills and maybe catch a Yankees game was a great idea. Most of the RV Parks we would be staying in have the wireless signal, so

Just Checkin' in

2009-09-17T22:05:00.006-05:00

by John Inman So many folks asked us to write a blog about our first extended RV trip after Cynthia’s retirement. OK, “so many folks” was actually two – Chuck and Jim. Of course, I will email this same thing to our kids, Karen, Tammi and Michael, but this is for all the Heavener bloggers who may or may not be interested. First of all, we planned on leaving about 8 a.m. last Tuesday morning.

Heavenerite Test

2009-09-16T22:38:00.002-05:00

Are you a bonafide Heavenerite?Choose the correct answer.1. You call your evening mealA. DinnerB. SupperC. Sunday’s leftoversD. All of the above2. Your favorite drink with your meal in the summer isA. Iced Sweet TeaB. Unsweet Tea with a slice of lemonC. Green TeaD. None of the above3. You describe a person losing their temper asA. Throwing a fitB. Pitching a coniptionC. Having a cowD. All of the

Downhill Ride

2009-09-03T20:00:00.003-05:00

Jackie Linville reminded me of my Pink Schwinn bike today. What a beauty she was! We rode all over creation, and once I even got the nerve to leave home on my bike. It was after school one evening when I left. I got all the way down by Dale Elliott's house before it started to get darkish, and I changed my plans! Another great adventure on the Pink Schwinn was to speed down a hill and jump a

Cynthia's retirement party

2009-08-31T08:42:00.002-05:00

Cynthia’s retirement party proved what I had suspected all along. She was one of the most well-respected and thought of IRS agents, at least in Tyler and Longview . Her retirement party was well attended by her former co-workers -- some from as

2009-08-27T21:13:00.015-05:00

The Grand Old LibertyWhile going through my parents memorabilia, I came across some old newspaper clippings. One of them addressed one of the mainstays of our early life in Heavener. If any of you missed the article or would just like to read it again, I've included it just as Ms. Johnson wrote it. I've included the photos (old black & white), and you can "click" on them for a larger view.

We may be in a town near you...

2009-08-25T15:58:00.001-05:00

Everything is a go right now. Cynthia has gotten a letter from OPM (Office of Personnel Management), that her disability has gone through. The I-Bus is packed and ready to set sail. Yep, in early September, we’re leaving on our very first extended

Sassafras tea, sheep sour wine, rabbit tobacco, and possum grapes

2009-08-22T23:11:00.001-05:00

With the absence of such distractions as television, electronic games, and for the most part even telephones ( and certainly not cell phones) my friends and I who lived on the far SW corner of Heavener (as opposed to the other west siders such as KB-D and JI) seldom lacked for activities to keep our fertile minds occupied. Much of our free time was spent playing, exploring, and competing in all

We Need to Remember

2009-08-20T22:01:00.002-05:00

I have written before about my church orchestra. We are somewhat musically challenged, but given enough “lead time”, we usually can pull off some pretty good music for special occasions. Well, our music minister Tom has

The 'grand' argument

2009-08-17T07:41:00.004-05:00

Our grandkids are as entertaining as heck. When Art Linkletter had the TV show, Kids Say The Darndest Things, he indeed had a winner. Our grandkids – two boys and two girls – keep us laughing most of the time. Then they do something funny on purpose. You know, the best things about grandkids is that you keep them awhile, and they go back home. That’s absolutely correct. All you bloggers out

Did you hear...

2009-08-14T11:07:00.001-05:00

Did you hear that Brooks and Dunn have run fresh out of ideas when it comes to new songs? Wonder if Ronnie Dunn is any kin to Kathy Bain Dunn? She proved she certainly hasn’t run out of ideas. Seriously, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn believe they

Shopping and Loafing in Heavener

2009-08-12T20:30:00.002-05:00

Loafing .... I don't have a definition for loafing, but Daddy and many of his friends did it. Sometimes they would loaf at the pool hall. Sometime they would loaf at the cabin - Dad, Blue John, Mr. Cleo, and T. A. Roop - even Tom Johnson sometimes.

What happened to our bloggers!

2009-08-12T11:12:00.002-05:00

What happened to our Heavener bloggers!

Sunday Afternoons, Training Union and the Beatles

2009-07-30T20:56:00.005-05:00

Every Sunday afternoon for many months in the late 60's we made our trek up the mountain to the Glory Rock (respectfully named so in honor of Gloria Farley) and even back into Kitchen Canyon. I would ride my bike over to Celia Jean Costner's

Beer-can hill

2009-07-30T14:37:00.002-05:00

In my youth days, Indian Rock on Poteau Mountain was a get-a-way place where we used to go spend a day. Or even a night, for those who were brave enough. Another place was beer-can hill. Not at night, probably, but some of us used to go spend

The deer whisperer

2009-07-23T07:41:00.009-05:00

Cynthia and I spent all last week at the Lake Medina Thousand Trails campground, near San Antonio communing with the deer. It wasn’t our intent, but the deer around the place were so plentiful, we couldn’t help ourselves. And I couldn’t resist

Cronkite: my little link

2009-07-21T08:23:00.000-05:00

Walter Cronkite was a legend as a TV voice, a great newscaster. He passed away late last week. I bet you didn’t know he got his start in East Texas , though. He was better known as the CBS anchorman who broke the world-wide news of President

A note to Kathy

2009-07-13T09:44:00.002-05:00

Kathy Bain Dunn, I don't have your e-mail so I'll just say it publicly. I asked my son, Chris, to read the comment you had made about Mother at the funeral. There were many good things said about Mother at the service, but I thought what you had written was the most touching of all. I will be forever grateful to you for writing what you did. Judy Sexton says you are a wonderful lady, she

Mother Died Today

2009-07-08T18:51:00.002-05:00

Thanking you in advance for your prayers and condolences, I'm letting y'all know that Mother died today at St. Edwards in Ft. Smith. I had gone down for a visit Tuesday morning and while I was there she had a stroke. The ambulance rushed her to Ft. Smith and by the time I got to the hospital she had slipped into a coma and did ot awaken . She seemed at peace the whole time. colin

Colin, You Asked for It

2009-07-07T16:49:00.002-05:00

Colin, you asked about oil grades and the relative merits of synthetic lubricants compared to “natural” oil. Well, not to bore all you guys and gals out there, here is a brief summary. Natural petroleum is a mixture of many

Stars & stripes forever

2009-07-06T06:35:00.003-05:00

Church Sunday morning was red, white and blue. Everybody looked so patriotic. Even Bro. Bennie had on a shirt that resembled a flag. Of course, so did I (photo above). The day was set aside as a birthday celebration – the 233rd – for our nation.

PRECONCEPTIONS

2009-07-04T08:25:00.005-05:00

“And just how fast was he going when he backed into you, Father?” asked the Irish policeman. That punch line from the old joke about the automobile accident caused by the Catholic priest running into the back end of the car in front of him came to mind as I answered the Colorado Highway Patrolman’s questions. Colorado state highway 82 from US 24 over Independence Pass to Aspen is one of the

Puppy prowess

2009-06-29T06:37:00.002-05:00

We welcomed the newest addition to our family with open arms. A puppy. Actually it’s not our puppy. It’s Garrett’s puppy and Garrett is our youngest grandson. So, I guess that makes Brady our grand puppy. Garrett, his brother Brandon and his

We called him "Coach"

2009-06-26T11:33:00.003-05:00

We called him "Coach"The summer of 1962 was a mighty hot one as are most summers in the part of the country where Heavener is. Back then I had a part-time job working for Olive Brothers Grocery which meant I had to work the days the delivery trucks came in and all day on Saturday because back in those days there wasn’t a Wal-Mart up to Poteau and Saturday was the day everyone came to town. The

Witnessing death

2009-06-24T06:39:00.001-05:00

Death, unfortunately is part of living. Chuck wrote a blog about his dad, Lonzo, on Father’s Day Sunday and mentioned it was probably the last Father’s Day he would spend with him. Sadly, he was right. Lonzo passed away Monday evening. Chuck,

Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain

2009-06-22T10:01:00.002-05:00

John's story about the Giants took me back to the hot summer days of my childhood when my favorite past time was baseball. In those days my team was the Braves --Boston and then Milwaukee. The best escape from the heat around our house for a little kid was the shade underneath our back porch. The floor of the porch was about 3 or 4 feet above the ground so there was plenty of room to play

Happy Father's Day II

2009-06-21T08:19:00.007-05:00

I enjoyed reading John's blog celebrating his father on this Father's Day. Rather than add my remarks as a "comment" to his blog, I figured I might as well make my comment a blog all its own...'cause I'm sure I'd get long-winded.Unlike most of

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T06:08:00.001-05:00

What can I say about my dad that I haven’t already said before? I just wish he were here today, so I could personally wish him a Happy Father’s Day on this special day. Unfortunately my dad, Floyd Inman, passed away six and a half years ago, give or

How I became a Giant fan

2009-06-19T20:53:00.000-05:00

Upon hearing of the death of former New York Giant baseballer Dusty Rhodes this week, it brings back a lot of great memories. First of all, his name is one of the great all-time names in sports history.But, it was in the 1954 World Series that he became a household name. He helped the Giants to a 4-0 sweep of the Cleveland Indians in that series with clutch pinch hits in each of the first three

Three L's

2009-06-17T05:41:00.002-05:00

This is the 100th blog I’ve written, so I figured it would be the best time to tell you, since Cynthia and I got married, we have adopted the motto of the three L’s: Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much. We’ve decided life’s too short to do anything

Another Heavener star

2009-06-16T18:48:00.001-05:00

Reading Colin’s blog the other day about a guy who played basketball in a couple of all-star games brought back memories of watching a Heavener girl back in my sports writing days. It was in the national juco tournament at Tyler Junior College ,

Remembering a Friend Downtown

2009-06-15T20:04:00.003-05:00

On Facebook and on this blog site, I have chatted with people who have churned up a bunch of memories. Steve Mattison and I typed back and forth in the past couple of weeks, and I thought back to the Cedar Lake days. When we were really young, Blue