It’s four months until “Talk Like a Pirate Day,” so I thought it might be a good time for this oldie from ten years ago this spring. I’m back at my desk and easing into the routine again. I’m going to look around and see if I can’t find something different to show you in the next few days. I figure I owe it to you. Meanwhile, at least the doors are open! Come on in.
Personal Touché
By Jimmy Johnson
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242 responses to “Personal Touché”
Sandcastler, thank you, but it truly is the reason. I even include those who fought in the Civil War….and I thank you and the others here who served our country. God bless you all.
TR…you piqued my curiosity…I remember the title “Peter and the Wolf”, but never delved into it….so I did today. What I remember from my past is the tune of ‘Peter’. So I U- tubed it….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ueGfjBKbiE
Will you be recording this? And if so, will you be posting it to U-Tube? I am sure that others here would be interested in watching and listening to your narration.
Debbe, while recording things is easier than ever today, it’s going to be a children’s concert held outdoors (weather permitting). Without the aid of a professional to set up the right kind of mics in the right places (or with no noisy children running around and screaming!) the results can be frustrating.
The truth is I’m still smarting over the pathetic quality of the smart phone recording my SIL made at our 2012 Christmas concert where I had a duet with our lead clarinetist. If anyone does manage to post a decent video to U-Tube, I’ll give the link here.
I raise my glass to all the patriots who support this great country – those who served to defend our freedoms – and those at home who support them in their effort.
Judy, I too raise my brown, bottle glass to all the patriots….so what color is yours 🙂
Nancy…YOOHOO!!!!
Hey Debbe – I live in Texas, so mine is usually Shiner
Debbe and Judy, this retired Army vet is drinking Czechvar from a brown bottle. Na zdraví!
Joining in Judy’s toast to patriots and those who support them, I raise high my glass and my thoughts. (Thank you, Dad! I wish you were still here so you could tell me about the atomic bomb tests, the friends you lost in the Pacific, Japan after WWII, and the truth about that bar fight and the MPs…all the stuff you couldn’t tell me when I was a kid.)
Thanks for the shout-out, Debbe. I’m here, and I join the Village in their toast. Both husband Jim’s brother and mine were naval aviators in Vietnam Nam.
Jean?????!!!!!! Where aaarrrreeee you?????? (I don’t think that’s how to spell a long are….)
Sand-
The faces are remembered in my dreams, so many of the real names escape me.
I wish I had gathered more stories from Dad about the attack on Oahu he survived and the missions over Japan. Sometimes, with a cold beer or when he would fly with me, it would open the memories and the stories. Wonder if my son thinks that of me……
God bless
Chill,
My dad opened up more in his last week about the Normandy Campaign and rolling across France, Belgium, and Germany. Most I really knew was he had the CIB and Bronze Star from WWII. Even after I joined the Army we never much discussed things military. Mom was just worrying about Vietnam, having had to deal with dad and Korea, plus having had five brothers in WWII. Now she was dealing with both husband and son being in Vietnam. While dad never made it there, his crazy son did two tours.
My wife knows little about my tours. What she does know is from a buddy who is a close friend. While she was hesitant about how it might affect me, she agreed to visit Vietnam with me a few years back. The trip was a positive experience for both of us.
Happy Memorial Day to everyone and a special salute to all those that served in any capacity and those that supported them. I was fortunate enough to have served during peace time. God bless us every one.
My family has no recent military service. My grandfathers were born too late for WWI but had their families and farms established before WWII. My maternal grandfather did manage the farm at a POW camp for German troops in Arkansas. My dad was too young for WWII and wasn’t 18 until the Korean conflict ended.
I tried for an Air Force ROTC scholarship and passed everything but the physical. I knew my eyesight would keep me from flying, but I had no idea that it was bad enough to keep me out of military service altogether! Since then I’ve looked up the requirements today for all the services and realize I’m in that area where I’m correctable to 20/20 but my uncorrected eyesight is too bad for all of them… and it’s true that if I lost my glasses in any sort of combat I’d be useless (I’m at -9.5 diopters in my stronger eye, whatever that means in English)
My FIL served in WWII (he was 42 when my wife was born in 1957). His father was married with several kids when WWI started.
So, not much in the way of military service here.
domaucan1:
I mean no disrespect, but I have never considered Memorial Day to be a happy day because of its origins and purpose.
Instead, for me, it is a day of somber reflection and deep, quiet gratitude.
This site explains it well: http://www.usmemorialday.org/?page_id=2
(To use Christian analogies, Memorial Day is Good Friday, whereas Independence Day is Easter – joyous and happy.)
Village, I have a message from eMb; he sent it to me by email and asked that I relay it to y’all.
eMb explained that his terminal – which would not permit him to post here – was about to go into “the shop” for repairs, so he’d be out of touch for the duration of that visit. Meanwhile, his message to all of us is “Love one another.” I certainly agree, as long as y’all take it as it was meant, so happily comply.
Debbe 😉 Yeah, “naked shows” got to be a thing there for a while. In addition to “Naked and Afraid”, there was “Dating Naked”, which was just what you’d think it was; and “Buying Naked”, which might *not* be what you think it was, which was realtors selling homes to nudists. (You could tell they were nudists because they…are you ready for this…toured the homes while naked.) And another one from Lost Wages about professional body painters that painted nude models for shows and conventions. (I think it lasted about three episodes.)
If “Naked and Afraid” was supposed to be sexy…it wasn’t. I suspect that broiling in the daytime; freezing at night; and eating grubs, rodents and reptiles while still slowly starving for three weeks puts a serious ding into one’s sex drive.
What the starship Enterprise’s new shuttle craft looks like?
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81IoSSpkpcL._SL1500_.jpg
No, it’s a $99.99 wireless mouse Amazon wants to sell me. I don’t think anything I do with a computer is important enough to require a wireless mouse that costs a Benny.
Ghost, maybe we should put a different “Benny” on the $100. I vote for Jack. Encourage thoughtful spending.
Note to the skimpily-clad lady I saw in the big box store this afternoon: The tattoo design…the one you picked out at the tattoo parlor on the Coast that time while you were inebriated…really doesn’t look as good on you as you thought it would. Especially since that was nine years ago and you’ve gained 47 pounds since then.
Yeah Sand, I found stuff like medals, wings, and notebooks while cleaning out moms house that would have made great talking points years earlier. There was a little pocket notebook that he had carried in every flight and noted dates for combat sorties or others with notes on the mission and where. Only actual bomb runs were counted as combat, the others were air/sea rescue, navigation, whatever. Told me they would meet up with fighters and lead them to combat, then lead them home since bomber had navigator. Always said us single engine types couldn’t find our own way anywhere. Said with a smile. We miss them, glad they survived….
I have lots of books with pictures. I don’t need to put any on my skin. I also have all of the holes that I need in my body including a couple in my skull that most people don’t have. I don’t plan on getting any more. Considering how many millions have been killed in war over the ages it’s amazing that you and I are here. A lot of strong people had to live long enough to have children in order for that to happen. Let’s each of us try to leave this place a little better than we found it.
Good morning Villagers….
As GR 😉 once said….”I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go” 🙂 And your last post made me shudder…sometimes I think people don’t look in the mirror and truly look at themselves.
gotta go……
ya’ll have a peaceful day
Cxp…thank you for letting us know about eMb…I was getting concerned, email him back and tell him “the Village is thinking of him”.
=^..^=
Yesterday, the pastor wished us all a Happy Memorial Day, as he did last year. I asked him why he considers it to be a happy day, and he replied, “Sorry, Rick. I made a boo boo. Simple as that.”
Then, in the evening, a couple of families decided to set off fireworks.
Am I the only one who cares about this?