A New Trash Can

We were just delivered a new trash can. Our old one had a hole in the bottom and one of the wheels came off and vanished. I'm guessing a kid in the neighborhood stole it. But now we are fixed up. Such are small victories in the domestic life in Shelby County, Alabama, 2009.

Chance of Rain Later On?

It is sunny in Pelham as I write these words, but there is a threat of rain and bad weather later today. The weather forecast doesn't seem to change.

Seeing Lynn Raburn

Seeing my childhood friend Lynn Raburn in Winfield Saturday was so much fun. We had much to talk about.

Lynn told me what has happened to him since high school. After college at Walker College and Montevallo he ends being called into the ministry. He spends 12 years as a missionary in Africa. Now he lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, training missionaries for his Missionary Baptist denomination.

It sounds like he's had quite a life. He has been in 60 foreign countries. He speaks fluent Swahili. He married a girl named Brenda from Winfield whom I do not know. They have a son who is an army chaplain and a girl who lives in Baltimore.

We remembered, we swapped stories, we told each other things that the other did not know. Two and a half hours went by in what seemed like 2 and a half minutes.

There we were at Jack's in Winfield. Lynn's mother is in the nursing home in Guin. She is 91. Maybe I'll see Lynn again one day.

Family Pictures

Moyna's Mother and Fred's Mother in November of 1980

Fred and his Mother in November of 1980.

May She Will Stay

May is one of the slow months of the year for me. The other slow month is January. It's OK for May to be slow because once June comes the summer starts speeding by in a hurry.

It's early and the rain is pounding in Pelham as I type these words. No one can complain that we haven't had enough rain in Shelby County.

I spent yesterday in Winfield, my hometown. It was exhilirating meeting up with an old, old friend. Lynn Raburn and I grew up together in Winfield. He was a year behind me in school. We had not seen each other in about 41 years.

Thru the miracle of Facebook we became friends again. When I saw that he would be in Winfield seeing about his Mother---Grace Raburn is 91 and is in the nursing home in Guin---I said hey let's get together and so we met at Jacks in the afternoon.

How wonderful it was catching up. I will add more to this story later in the day.

Can it get any better than this?

I had a satiating evening.

After work, I went to yoga class. This was my first experience with yoga. It was relaxing and worked my entire body. I will probably continue attending these yoga classes. Then, after dinner, I drove home listening to Bob Dylan's new album, Together Through Life. The best song so far is "Life is Hard."

Work, yoga, dinner, Bob Dylan - can it get any better than this?

Birmingham Police Beating

It seems that police brutality occurs all too often. One of the latest cases is right here in Birmingham, where police offers beat an unconscious suspect with fists, feet, and a billy club. Such behavior is shameful and horrid. I am tired of seeing police officers use excessive force. All the Birmingham officers in this incident have been fired, and I think each should face criminal charges and be put in jail. These people are despicable. What they did is inhumane and morally indefensible. See it below.

Birmingham police beating video

Cool Morning

It sure feels good this cool morning in Shelby County, Alabama. The rain is gone and the sun is out and the sky is blue. What more could you wish for on a Monday morning?

Soda Can Trick

-

May 15

It looks like we'll have a lovely Friday in Shelby County, Alabama. Yesterday Freddy and I had lunch at Newk's in Tuscaloosa near the campus. Our colleges are between semesters right now. Tomorrow is the Do-Dah Parade at Caldwell Park. Mr. B always wanted to march in that parade but he never got the chance. It's hard to get a cat to march in a parade!

Lost?

I understand that last night was the last episode of the TV show "Lost." We hope our friends the Denisons enjoyed it.

May 13

Doo-Rail sees his specialist, Dr. MacDonald. We continue treating his red spot with pills and shots. Will the spot ever clear up?

At Trinity Hospital this couple talks about how bad Shelby Hospital is. I hope I never have to go there if what they say is true.

Maybe the rain has stopped for a while.

Mother's Day

Moyna seems to have had a good Mother's Day. You can sure tell something's up with all of the restaurants out there seemingly crowded!

It Seems

It seems that the rain will never stop. More rain is forecast for today. It's muggy outside already. Another bad hair day! The new Star Trek movie is getting good reviews. I have never been a Trekie. Sorry. Somewhere we have a box of Star Wars cards. I wonder if they are worth anything. Alabama's First Lady is autographing her recipe book at the Summit B & N today. Moyna is sending me for a copy.

So this afternoon I get the signed copy of Patsy Riley's book from the Summit. I must say that Alabama's First Lady seems like a really nice Southern belle. You can't help but like her personally. Moyna seems to like the book. She is thumbing through it as I write these words.

The Summit was packed with an artist's show going on. Parking is at a premium.

I am back safe and sound.

MOYNA'S MUMBLINGS (7)

I have decided to write this BEFORE the graduation & wedding season begins. Usually by the end of the summer, I am half-crazed because of today's youth - AND their parents!! I have written about this once before - actually, about someone in particular, but this will be general comments. It has already begun to bother me because I know the time is coming.

Here's my soapbox issue: it makes me so blazing mad that today's youth have not been taught or just don't care about proper etiquette. I can't even count how many times I have given a graduation gift, wedding gift, baby gift, etc., and have never received a thank you note - or even a VERBAL thank you!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH TODAY'S YOUTH?!! I also blame the parents. They are not teaching their children or following up to see that the kids have written a thank you. They don't seem to care either. Doesn't anyone care anymore what kind of impression they are giving? I've actually been so bold a couple of times to nag the parents to make sure their kids sit down and write a note - how SAD is it to have to do that? I think one of the reasons it makes me mad (besides the poor example of manners) is that I give nice gifts. I gave a wedding gift to one of Freddy's friends a couple of years ago - a gift that's in the famous blue box - you know, from the place where Audrey Hepburn had breakfast (Tiffany's for those of you who are too young to remember the movie). At the last minute, the couple called off the wedding. Not only did they NOT return the gift, they didn't send a thank you note either. I'm still steaming about that! We have also given other gifts where we did not receive a thank you note. And these people that received the gifts can't even give us a verbal thank you when we see them in person. Some of these kids act like it's their right to get these gifts - they are entitled - so why should they thank us for it - we should be grateful for the privilege of giving to them!

Boys seem to be worse than girls at writing thank you notes. Is this because people don't expect boys to have manners or know proper etiquette? This year I might be lucky, I'm only buying for girls!! Hopefully, they have been raised well.....we shall see.

Let's all try to remember our manners - even just a simple thing like a "THANK YOU."

Thank You all for listening to my rantings --- 'Til later.

At Fellowship Yesterday

At Fellowship Cemetery in Lamar County, Alabama, yesterday I was there with my cousins Charlie and Eloise Alexander and their daughter Linda Hester. The first Sunday in May is always Decoration Day at this church, my mother's church, a short distance from where she grew up in the Vernon area. She and my father are buried there along with my Mother's parents and Rube Burrow, the famous Alabama outlaw of the 19th century to whom we are related by marriage.

Decoration day started in the South after the War to honor the Confederate war dead. It continues even today when we place flowers on the graves of our departed, usually parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles once a year. The first Sunday in May is always this church's day in the Southern sun.

So there we all are decorating the graves and visiting. Charlie and Eloise are pushing toward 80. I do not know how long they will be able to come up from Mobile to this annual event.

Linda and her family---husband Clay, son Dusty, daughter Melissa---are settled in Pensacola after Clay's Navy career had taken them to the Azores and to Maine. Clay will retire from the Navy after 30 years sometime next year. Clay wanted to come yesterday, but has the flu or something and had to stay home.

Linda will be a grandmother by the end of the year as Melissa is expecting, due in September. They already know it will be a boy, and his name will be Jacob Alexander. She is excited and all her family seems to be doing well.

We had fun thinking about Faye, my cousin, who passed away last December. I am reminded that Faye loved the Boston Celtics and the NBA and she really got into the NBA playoffs this time of year.

It's so good to visit with family. It may seem strange to be visiting in a cemetery, but this is one of the ways of The South.

MOYNA'S MUMBLINGS (6)

FACEBOOK - how many of you have a page on Facebook? Fred signed up a couple of months ago and was having so much fun, he decided I should also be on it. I said NO, but he signed me up anyway. So, for about a month now, I have been on FB. It's OK, I have connected with a few classmates from high school and others I know now. It's almost quicker to send someone an email on FB and get a reply than just a regular email. People seem to check FB all the time - 24/7. I have noticed a couple of things, though, since becoming a member of this "community." Not so much on my page, but more on Fred's, are all of these "adults" that are acting like a group of preteens. Facebook has I don't know how many "sites" you can go to and play these "games" or take crazy "tests" - like which philosopher are you like, what are your top 5 restaurants (or top 5 whatevers - there is a topic for almost anything), are you a southern belle or a redneck princess?, what movies do you watch over & over again, how many bedazzles can you win, what are you a fan of, what president are you most like, what are you favorite 5 presidents, and the list of "sites" is never-ending!!! How do the people that do these "sites" come up with all of it?? You can also "send" things to people - like hugs, flowers, sweets. smiles, special words, etc. The list of what you can "send" people also doesn't end. And then there's the "become a fan" groups.....become a fan of whoever or a fan of whatever - like a place or thing. IT'S ENDLESS!!! Maybe the previous stuff doesn't interest you; you can also just create "lists." There is a place to stay organized and put everything in "lists!" What has amazed me is that the MEN seem to be "into" doing this more than the women!! It's like seeing a bunch of pre-teens. With all of these "sites," I would think it would appeal to women more than men, but the men seem to outnumber the women in going to these "sites...." I've always said men are just a bunch of boys!! So much for Facebook.....I do enjoy keeping in touch with the "friends" I have, but I don't know if all of those "sites" is something I will be doing....but then, never say never...!!

My friend Moe and her ENTIRE family plus friends, are spending the day today - as they have for the past week and a half - at one of the hospitals in Modesto. Moe's father went in a few hours ago for valve repair/replacement and bypass surgery - either a 3, 4 or 5 bypass. It's a little more serious than usual (if that's possible) because of his age - 78. He has also had a little fluid on his lungs and a couple of other health issues. We are praying he comes through this and his recovery will be without complications.

I haven't mentioned this in any blogs because it has been hard for me to accept. On March 11th, a friend from my Wadsworth days passed away - he actually committed suicide. He had just turned 59 in January. Unfortunately, he had suffered from chronic depression and just couldn't pull out of his latest depression. It's always hard to lose someone, but this way is hard to comprehend. He had so many friends and will be missed forever. We love you MARTY T. KAST.

On a lighter note, I'm ready to get away for a few days!! I told Fred we will take a long weekend in June. We have to wait until then because of his busy season - getting that last minute business!! I am hoping I will still want to get away then - I'm likely to change my mind! Fred will be ready to go; that way, he won't have me "nagging" him about the summer projects - yardwork, cleaning the garage, etc. - all of the usual stuff!!

That's about it for this blog - or at least all I can remember!

'Til later, take it easy.