Wednesday, June 17, 2020
The Letter "Y" -- Weekend Roundup and Reflections
The twenty-fifth issue of Weekend Roundup for this year, 2020...
(THE TWENT-FIFTH LETTER FOR THIS SERIES)
- the Letter "Y" Prompts are:
(A) Contains the Letter "Y";
(B) "Yellow";
(C) A Favorite; and
(D) Reflections.
_ _ _ _
(A) Contains the Letter "Y": "Yard" even starts with "Y". Here are a couple of photos of our Backyard, it was landscaped when we bought it and this is our version five years later.
(B) "Yellow": Egg Yolks are Yellow. These aren't the eggs with the Yolks broken and then fried until both the Yellows and the Whites are cooked hard.
By mistake and for using my smart phone instead of my broken computer, I had thought the Yellow items were eggs. Sandie got it right, they are corn chips with melted Yellow cheese and Salsa that I made for a snack. Sorry.
How do I eat these hard fried eggs? Either with pancakes and syrup having fried sausage and catsup; or an egg, ham, and Yellow Cheese sandwich with toasted wheat sandwich and ketchup.
Today it was the sandwich but I don't have a picture of that. And Mrs. Jim fried these. I make them in the Microwave, I stir them just enough to be pretty and swirly when they are finished
(C) A Favorite: One of my favorite walking places, a good posting for the Yellow flowers. The fingers are mine.
Generally I don't pose for full body photos because I've pretty well lost my youthful figure (See it here).
Click on any picture to make it bigger or smaller.
(D) Reflections: This isn't the end of my walk, I am across the street and over as little from my home.
(F) A Lagniappe: We have to cross this street before we can turn left a block to get my home street. Had there been a rainbow, we would live at the left end of it.
_ _ _ _
My Two Questions (you can answer just one if you wish):
(1) What is your favorite "Yellow" thing? I Mine will be a yellow car or pickup truck. I've never owned a yellow car but my oldest granddaughter had a yellow Mustang for college and on until quite a while after she married.
Bananas are next.
(2) When was the last time that you saw a very pretty sunset? We have them quite often but there are houses across the street west from us. Even from an upstairs window we cannot enjoy the full sunset picture.
Bonus Questions:
(1) What is your favorite "Y" Word? That would be Ysleta, El Paso, Texas (Wikipedia article)(google pictures). For three while I was in the U.S. ARMY military service, we lived near where Ysleta started, east out of El Paso about on I-10. I would ride my Vespa Motorscooter up and down the levee and in the nice grassy area between our home and the levee and border with Mexico.
(2) When did you last have a nice sunset to watch and where were you (like snowflakes, no two people see the same sunset). It was the one I posted above.
_ _ _ _
The fine print:
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews)
- I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos).
- The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
(THE TWENT-FIFTH LETTER FOR THIS SERIES)
- the Letter "Y" Prompts are:
(A) Contains the Letter "Y";
(B) "Yellow";
(C) A Favorite; and
(D) Reflections.
_ _ _ _
(A) Contains the Letter "Y": "Yard" even starts with "Y". Here are a couple of photos of our Backyard, it was landscaped when we bought it and this is our version five years later.
(B) "Yellow": Egg Yolks are Yellow. These aren't the eggs with the Yolks broken and then fried until both the Yellows and the Whites are cooked hard.
By mistake and for using my smart phone instead of my broken computer, I had thought the Yellow items were eggs. Sandie got it right, they are corn chips with melted Yellow cheese and Salsa that I made for a snack. Sorry.
How do I eat these hard fried eggs? Either with pancakes and syrup having fried sausage and catsup; or an egg, ham, and Yellow Cheese sandwich with toasted wheat sandwich and ketchup.
Today it was the sandwich but I don't have a picture of that. And Mrs. Jim fried these. I make them in the Microwave, I stir them just enough to be pretty and swirly when they are finished
Generally I don't pose for full body photos because I've pretty well lost my youthful figure (See it here).
Click on any picture to make it bigger or smaller.
(D) Reflections: This isn't the end of my walk, I am across the street and over as little from my home.
(F) A Lagniappe: We have to cross this street before we can turn left a block to get my home street. Had there been a rainbow, we would live at the left end of it.
_ _ _ _
My Two Questions (you can answer just one if you wish):
(1) What is your favorite "Yellow" thing? I Mine will be a yellow car or pickup truck. I've never owned a yellow car but my oldest granddaughter had a yellow Mustang for college and on until quite a while after she married.
Bananas are next.
(2) When was the last time that you saw a very pretty sunset? We have them quite often but there are houses across the street west from us. Even from an upstairs window we cannot enjoy the full sunset picture.
Bonus Questions:
(1) What is your favorite "Y" Word? That would be Ysleta, El Paso, Texas (Wikipedia article)(google pictures). For three while I was in the U.S. ARMY military service, we lived near where Ysleta started, east out of El Paso about on I-10. I would ride my Vespa Motorscooter up and down the levee and in the nice grassy area between our home and the levee and border with Mexico.
(2) When did you last have a nice sunset to watch and where were you (like snowflakes, no two people see the same sunset). It was the one I posted above.
_ _ _ _
The fine print:
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews)
- I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos).
- The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
Labels: Army Life, Flowers-buds-plants, Food, Friday's Weekend Roundup 05, Reflections, Walk pictures
Friday, November 29, 2013
29¢ Gas — Six Word Saturday — Now $2.92
..
my Six Words:
my Six Words:
Remembering: when One Dollar filled Motorscooter
That and half pint of oil
It lasted me a whole week
[click on any picture for larger size viewing]
These are cast iron toy Vespa Motor Scooters. The one on the left is one I bought at a toy store in Italy. The others are for sale at the gift shop in the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.
My Vespa was a green Sears Roebuck "Allstate" brand 1958 model made by Vespa. It was $350 +/- and payments fit our charge card nicely.
I had that in El Paso, Texas, while I was in my last three years (of five total) in the U.S. Army and rode it to work most every day. It followed me to New Hampshire in 1961 after my discharge.
Six Words Saturday:
Describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words for Six Word Saturday. Click here or on the box at right to visit Cate's blog with Mr. Linky showing all the other blogs participating this week. Cate is the boss at Six Word Saturday. She would like for you to participate.
My Vespa was a green Sears Roebuck "Allstate" brand 1958 model made by Vespa. It was $350 +/- and payments fit our charge card nicely.
I had that in El Paso, Texas, while I was in my last three years (of five total) in the U.S. Army and rode it to work most every day. It followed me to New Hampshire in 1961 after my discharge.
Six Words Saturday:
Describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words for Six Word Saturday. Click here or on the box at right to visit Cate's blog with Mr. Linky showing all the other blogs participating this week. Cate is the boss at Six Word Saturday. She would like for you to participate.Labels: Army Life, Jim's Life, Six Word Saturday
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Thursday Memes -- Things in a row -- Two Questions
.
I paid $5.00 for this old Underwood electric back when the college where I was teaching phased out typewriters in favor of computers with keyboards.
And now for my Thursday Two Questions: (See Thursday Two Questions by Poetic Shutterbug for more reading. You could also make your own by checking in at this link.)
Last week the consensus of readers in your comments wanted to make sure that the kids didn't get spoiled with giving ice cream to help them stop their crying.
But most did have some sort of 'change the subject' type diversion which is great. There are too many kids with good reasons to be crying in this world of Seven (7) Billion folk to add ours who really shouldn't be unhappy and crying for all the advantages they have.
This week I did some reminiscing after finding my old typewriter on the floor of our utility room. I haven't used it in ages, not even after repairing a stuck ribbon shaft to restore it to operation.
I bought it mainly to fill in forms that really shouldn't be handwritten. Seems the computer is complicated in that matter although there are programs to help make this possible.
My two questions:
1. Did you learn to type? If so, was it on an electric or a manual, or even a computer keyboard?
2. Will your kids learn keyboarding in school?
I learned to type on the old manual typewriters. I preferred the Royals, perhaps our school had newer Royal machines that the others.
My class of 27 (if I remember right) consisted of 25 junior and senior girls and two of us fellows. This paid off for me when I went into the Army as I was slated for Clerk Typist school.
Of course I passed and could type well over 45 words per minute corrected. Fifteen WPM would get a fellow a Clerk MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) and over 45 got one a Clerk Typist MOS.
After graduation they kept me at the school to teach typing and personnel record keeping. I taught for a year until the school shut down. Then I was transferred to the Fort Bliss (at El Paso, Texas) Fifth Anti-Aircraft Division personnel office as a records clerk.
I still type very fast on the computer keyboards. Probably about 60 WPM when things are flowing right. Of course I'm a little slower than that when I am composing poetry for my other blog.
Bonus Question: Should keyboarding be a mandatory course in high school?
It has become that way in quite a few. Some even in junior high or middle school. I'm all for learning the keyboard to type with all five fingers without looking for them. At least 15 WPM would be nice, I think.
Lastly, you can count the keys on this LARGE PRINT typewriter pictured below. Please also note that it is a manual and not electric.
Labels: Army Life, Jim in his Younger Days, School, Things-in-a-row, Thursday-Two-Questions
Friday, November 12, 2010
Flashback Friday # 19 ~ Veteran's Day, 2010
Yesterday was Veteran's Day, so this Flashback Friday give us and you, the readers, an opportunity to reflect on the veterans we knew and loved in our early years. That might include our own service.
Some place I have at least one picture of me in uniform. If I could find it I would put it here.
.
Linda asked several questions about us and how we related to family members in or who had been in the Military. Click her icon, right, if you want to read others or participate in this with a blog post of your own.
Linda's questions and then my answers: (you will note that some of these I did not answer as they did not apply to my family situation--they may apply to you)
Were/Are either of your parents or other family members active military personnel or veterans? What branch? When did they serve;
was it during wartime or peacetime? Did they share much about their experiences with you or others? When you were growing up, was the USA (or your country, for those outside the US) involved in a war? What do you remember about it and how did it impact you? Are you, your spouse, or any of your children veterans?
I will start with my parents and uncles. None of them exactly fit the military as their years were mainly between WWI and WWII. For the latter war I do remember that they all had to register for he draft but because they had families and were in an essential industry of farming (later farming would not warrant a deferment) the were passed over by being placed in a category which was mainly never needed.
Two of my cousins were old enough to serve. My cousin, Don, went first, into the U.S. Army. I don't know if he was drafted or enlisted voluntarily. I do remember when the war was over he came home real soon. And he bought a new 1946 Ford Club Coupe as veterans had first priority for buying the new cars. Don then used his GI Bill college opportunity and became second of us nine cousins getting a degree. My cousin, Jean had gone to college and was a school teacher near the time Don came home.
Bud, my other cousin, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. I remember tales of his training more than of his service. During training camp he had to do a 'desert survival' training regimen. He parachuted into a desert, Arizona or New Mexico, without provisions. He has his knife and could have had matches, I don't remember. He survived. When he was discharged he moved to Colorado and became a barber near the University of Colorado campus.
Jean's husband, Dwain, was drafted into the U.S. Army. He trained at Fort Bliss, Texas, for communications. After that he spent the rest of his time in Korea. He came home and became a prosperous and well respected farmer.
I do remember how our family, us younger kids too, respected those guys who were serving. We were so proud of them and we thanked God that they came home alive and with no major injuries. I still get quiet when I think of their service.
Mrs. Jim's brother was not so fortunate. His plane was shot down over Italy. After the war his body was found and returned to New Orleans. Mrs. Jim was not aware of the burial until last year. She had inquired of the Department of Defense thinking his body remains were at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. He was much older than Mrs. Jim and died a few months before Mrs. Jim was born.
I was the next cousin to go into the service. That service time was most of the time between Korea and Viet Nam. While in college I had a draft deferment for that. Then when I dropped out there were many volunteers for the draft and our county quota was always filled.
Wouldn't you know it, but two weeks after I got married I received an order to report for my Army draftee physical. Had I informed the draft board of getting married I would have been deferred again. But they said no 'take-backs.' It wasn't too bad because Korea was over and people weren't even worried about Viet Nam.
When my term was over there was a depression that has been said to have been worse than the one we are in now. I don't think it lasted so long though. That and the end of the war were responsible for the closing of the Elgin National Watch factory in which I worked. And jobs were not to be had.
So I re-enlisted int the Army, this time for a 42-week electronics school. I became a NIKE Missile Control Systems Maintenance person. That helped my self confidence as I graduated third in a class of 143. Two Warrant Officers were ahead of me.
Viet Nam was on when this second term was up so I quickly got out. By then I was an E-5 rank (a private is E-1) I had spent my entire five years in Texas, all but six weeks of it in El Paso. Eleven years later I went back to college on the GI Bill. That was a nice benefit.
My training and two years experience with electronics were responsible for me getting a job with Philco Tech Rep as a field engineer. I served with them seventeen years with most of my time spent at the NASA Houston Mission Control Center as a Flight Controller simultaneously in Simulations and in Mission Operations.
I was the last of the nine cousins to be in the military. In the next generation only one Nephew, Phil, who is the son of Mrs. Jim's sister, Velma. Phil spent 26 or 28 years years in the Air Force in the medics. He ended his service having the rank a Master Sargent and is now working in Texas at a hospital. He too had received valuable training for civilian life. Phil met Lisa, his wife, in his early days of service. At that time she was also in the Air Force.
On Veterans day and perhaps on Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day I feel proud of serving. At other times I have to tell myself that I got more than I put in with the training, and the job itself when the economy was rough. Plus helping with the finishing of college. That generally keeps me from feeling as if I had spent five years for no great value to my country.
Since I was not going to reenlist my work life changed. I as assigned a three-quarter ton truck every working day. I reported to a farmer's barns and horse pens to start hauling horse manure. This manure was for our sergeant's field (in the desert) day room garden. That lasted about two months until I was a civilian. I have a saying when some terrible experience for me is over that getting out of it 'is like getting out of the Army.' Most vets know what I mean.
WE VETERANS ACT MODESTLY PROUD. I DO.
I FEEL SORRY OF ALL OF THE VETS HERE AND IN OUR COUNTRY IN GENERAL WHO ARE HOMELESS AND SLEEP UNDER BRIDGES. SOME ARE ALL MESSED UP MENTALLY AND/OR PHYSICALLY DUE TO THEIR SERVICE. SO MESSED UP THAT THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW TO SEEK HELP. AND EVEN THOSE NOT HOMELESS, SOME ARE SO POOR DUE TO INABILITY TO WORK OR TO FIND WORK.
Some place I have at least one picture of me in uniform. If I could find it I would put it here.
.
Linda asked several questions about us and how we related to family members in or who had been in the Military. Click her icon, right, if you want to read others or participate in this with a blog post of your own.Linda's questions and then my answers: (you will note that some of these I did not answer as they did not apply to my family situation--they may apply to you)
Were/Are either of your parents or other family members active military personnel or veterans? What branch? When did they serve;
was it during wartime or peacetime? Did they share much about their experiences with you or others? When you were growing up, was the USA (or your country, for those outside the US) involved in a war? What do you remember about it and how did it impact you? Are you, your spouse, or any of your children veterans?
I will start with my parents and uncles. None of them exactly fit the military as their years were mainly between WWI and WWII. For the latter war I do remember that they all had to register for he draft but because they had families and were in an essential industry of farming (later farming would not warrant a deferment) the were passed over by being placed in a category which was mainly never needed.
Two of my cousins were old enough to serve. My cousin, Don, went first, into the U.S. Army. I don't know if he was drafted or enlisted voluntarily. I do remember when the war was over he came home real soon. And he bought a new 1946 Ford Club Coupe as veterans had first priority for buying the new cars. Don then used his GI Bill college opportunity and became second of us nine cousins getting a degree. My cousin, Jean had gone to college and was a school teacher near the time Don came home.
Bud, my other cousin, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. I remember tales of his training more than of his service. During training camp he had to do a 'desert survival' training regimen. He parachuted into a desert, Arizona or New Mexico, without provisions. He has his knife and could have had matches, I don't remember. He survived. When he was discharged he moved to Colorado and became a barber near the University of Colorado campus.
Jean's husband, Dwain, was drafted into the U.S. Army. He trained at Fort Bliss, Texas, for communications. After that he spent the rest of his time in Korea. He came home and became a prosperous and well respected farmer.
I do remember how our family, us younger kids too, respected those guys who were serving. We were so proud of them and we thanked God that they came home alive and with no major injuries. I still get quiet when I think of their service.
Mrs. Jim's brother was not so fortunate. His plane was shot down over Italy. After the war his body was found and returned to New Orleans. Mrs. Jim was not aware of the burial until last year. She had inquired of the Department of Defense thinking his body remains were at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. He was much older than Mrs. Jim and died a few months before Mrs. Jim was born.
I was the next cousin to go into the service. That service time was most of the time between Korea and Viet Nam. While in college I had a draft deferment for that. Then when I dropped out there were many volunteers for the draft and our county quota was always filled.
Wouldn't you know it, but two weeks after I got married I received an order to report for my Army draftee physical. Had I informed the draft board of getting married I would have been deferred again. But they said no 'take-backs.' It wasn't too bad because Korea was over and people weren't even worried about Viet Nam.
When my term was over there was a depression that has been said to have been worse than the one we are in now. I don't think it lasted so long though. That and the end of the war were responsible for the closing of the Elgin National Watch factory in which I worked. And jobs were not to be had.
So I re-enlisted int the Army, this time for a 42-week electronics school. I became a NIKE Missile Control Systems Maintenance person. That helped my self confidence as I graduated third in a class of 143. Two Warrant Officers were ahead of me.
Viet Nam was on when this second term was up so I quickly got out. By then I was an E-5 rank (a private is E-1) I had spent my entire five years in Texas, all but six weeks of it in El Paso. Eleven years later I went back to college on the GI Bill. That was a nice benefit.
My training and two years experience with electronics were responsible for me getting a job with Philco Tech Rep as a field engineer. I served with them seventeen years with most of my time spent at the NASA Houston Mission Control Center as a Flight Controller simultaneously in Simulations and in Mission Operations.
I was the last of the nine cousins to be in the military. In the next generation only one Nephew, Phil, who is the son of Mrs. Jim's sister, Velma. Phil spent 26 or 28 years years in the Air Force in the medics. He ended his service having the rank a Master Sargent and is now working in Texas at a hospital. He too had received valuable training for civilian life. Phil met Lisa, his wife, in his early days of service. At that time she was also in the Air Force.
On Veterans day and perhaps on Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day I feel proud of serving. At other times I have to tell myself that I got more than I put in with the training, and the job itself when the economy was rough. Plus helping with the finishing of college. That generally keeps me from feeling as if I had spent five years for no great value to my country.
Since I was not going to reenlist my work life changed. I as assigned a three-quarter ton truck every working day. I reported to a farmer's barns and horse pens to start hauling horse manure. This manure was for our sergeant's field (in the desert) day room garden. That lasted about two months until I was a civilian. I have a saying when some terrible experience for me is over that getting out of it 'is like getting out of the Army.' Most vets know what I mean.
WE VETERANS ACT MODESTLY PROUD. I DO.
I FEEL SORRY OF ALL OF THE VETS HERE AND IN OUR COUNTRY IN GENERAL WHO ARE HOMELESS AND SLEEP UNDER BRIDGES. SOME ARE ALL MESSED UP MENTALLY AND/OR PHYSICALLY DUE TO THEIR SERVICE. SO MESSED UP THAT THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW TO SEEK HELP. AND EVEN THOSE NOT HOMELESS, SOME ARE SO POOR DUE TO INABILITY TO WORK OR TO FIND WORK.
Labels: Army Life, Flashback Friday, Holiday Posts, Jim in his Younger Days
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day
Gettysburg National Cemetery, resting place of some of the U.S'. finest, pictures are below.
Please don't forget those other finest who gave their lives for our country. There are also many who are living now whose lives have changed forever in one way or another by their fight for freedom.
Over 16,000 of those living are homeless in Texas. In Houston, one of three homeless persons are veterans.
Please don't forget those other finest who gave their lives for our country. There are also many who are living now whose lives have changed forever in one way or another by their fight for freedom.
Over 16,000 of those living are homeless in Texas. In Houston, one of three homeless persons are veterans.
Fly your American flag in their honor!
Adi and her American flag!
Labels: Adi, Army Life, Dogs, Holiday Posts, Places
Thursday, July 19, 2007
A couple of rednecks, hers and his
first,
.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!
- - - - - - - -
Now, the Redneck Kids:
This was my picture post for Wordless Wednesday yesterday (link). It is a picture, isn't it? A picture with words?
Anyway I put it over here because not many of you came over to see it. That's alright, I'll get over it.
I think this guy is a handsome devil, someone we might want to know. That's just me, I'll ask around.
.
Would you like to meet him?
What do you think about him?
Labels: Army Life, Celebrities, Humor, Jim Does, Married Life, People
