Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Liz's Mom

My mom, Barbara, would have been 89 today, but died in 2016 at age 85.  I am so glad that all three of us kids were with her for her last Mother's Day that year.  We were there for my Aunt Louise's 90th birthday party in Mt. Olive, North Carolina.

But, the three of us, Bob, Julie and I, had not been together for a Mother's Day probably since out twenties (I'm going to be 69 in two weeks).  Julie lives in Georgia, Bob in North Carolina and I live in Illinois.  So, I know this was extra special for her.

She died in June.

So, like I said in the last post, watch the Summer's End" video by John Prine, and do whatever you can in these days to say you love her to your mom.  Another song that brings Mom to mind is C.W. McCall's "Roses for Mama."

You never know when it is going to be your last time with her.

Liz's mom, Frances, would have been 104 today.  I got along with her very well, even if she was my mother-in-law, which I kidded her about much of the time.  We did a lot together even when Liz wasn't with us.

Whenever she would come in to see me deejaying, I always played Ernie K. Doe's "Mother-in-Law" and, in honor of her speeding ticket "Little Old Lady from Pasadena."

I Sure Do Miss My Moms.  --RoadMissingMom

Here Are Ten Sings for Mother's Day 2020: Mother and Child Reunion

And, what a strange Mother's Day it will be.

These songs were played on Bob Stroud's Ten at Ten show Friday, May 8 on Chicago's WDRV.

MOTHER'S LITTLE HELPER--  Rolling Stones
MAMA TOLD ME (NOT TO COME)--  Three Dog Night
MAMA--  Genesis

MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION--  Simon & Garfunkel
MAMA KIN--  Aerosmith
MOTHER--  John Lennon
MAMA I'M COMING HOME--  Ozzy Osbourne

MOTHER--  Pink Floyd
YOUR MAMA DON'T DANCE--  Loggins & Messina
NO SUGAR TONIGHT/NEW MOTHER NATURE--  Guess Who

A Big Happy Mother's Day Out There To All You Mothers.  --RoadDog

And, if you want to see a good reason to call or get together with your mom right now, go to You Tube and view the late great John Prine's "Endless Summer" then watch the video of how it was made.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Tell Me A Story About How You Adore Me."  Answer below.  --RoadDog


"Have You Seen Your Mother (Standing In the Shadow)"

June 12, 2016: Mom's Death

It just dawned on me that this is the one year anniversary of Mom's death.  I was thinking it was the 14th or 15th.  But, I am not good at special dates.  Just look at how many times I got bin trouble for her birthday.

Hard to believe that both of our parents are now gone.

My advice to you is to enjoy your parents as much as possible while you have them.

A Sad September 14th for Me: My Mother Is No Longer Here

This is a hard day for me as my mother, Barbara, would have been 86 today.  But we lost her suddenly back in June.

Visiting Goldsboro just isn't going to be the same.

However, she lived a good life and a long one.  My dad died at age 69.  Plus, other than some age ailments, she was getting around and doing what she wanted to do (and that was a lot).  She was involved in many things in her beloved Goldsboro, N.C..

She was born in the house she died in.  Not many can say that.

I Sure Miss Her.

Missing Mom Today; Blue Skies

For the years after 9-11, I always remembered my mom's birthday which comes three days afterwards, September 14th.  This Wednesday she would have been 86, but she died back in June.

She first found out about it while watching TV.  Later she had a doctor's appointment.  The doctor's young  daughter had been sent home from school when it closed and she was waiting in the waiting room and visibly upset.  Mom comforted her.

I just looked out the window and the sky looks a lot like it did that Tuesday 15 years ago.  That was the clearest, bluest sky I had ever seen.

North Carolina Summer 2016-- Part 10: Leaving the Beach and Beach Music

JULY 28, THURSDAY

Read the paper and had breakfast on the front porch and took a walk on the beach.

July 28th, Thursday.

The appraiser came over and looked at the condo and took a lot of pictures.  Before and after he came I worked on Mom's memoirs, making corrections.

Closed the place up (and only left my I-Pad charger and wash cloth and bath towel).  I went to the Topsail Beach Town Hall and had the water/garbage bill transferred to my name and then closed out the cable, telephone and wi-fi at Holly Ridge.

Stopped at Paul's Famous Hot Dogs (a family tradition) in Rocky Point, N.C..  Drove back to Goldsboro.

later that night, my brother Bob and I went to the Center Street Jam downtown and saw one of the hottest beach bands around these days, Jim Quick and Coastline, and ate at Torino's Mexican Restaurant.  One mighty good steak nachos.

--RoadDog

Summer North Carolina 2016-- Part 2: Mom's Death and the Aftermath

This would be the usual time I would go down to North Carolina to visit with Mom and Bob in Goldsboro, but since last month, things have gone topsy-turvey with Mom's unexpected death at age 85.

This means a whole lot of work going through her papers and talking with people about this and that.  I mean she kept records of all sorts dating back to 1998 when Dad died. And, I have to look at every single paper.  It is slow going.

I also stand to inherit the condo at Topsail Beach.  It is paid for, but there are association dues, electric (no gas at least) water, garbage, cable, land telephone and wi-fi to take care of and that is a job in itself.  Since I live about 1200 miles away and long a go we decided not to have a second home somewhere, we can afford it, but don't want the hassle of owning two places.  One is bad enough.

Of course, this means getting an appraisal, dealing with the condo association, fixing the lower level after the floods from several months ago, listing it and so forth.

Plus,we don't won't to be tied down to just one place we have to go every time.

I Am At  the Condo Right Now.  --RoadDog

A Happy Birthday to Mom

My mom, Barbara, turns 85 today.  That's a lot of years.

And for an 85-year-old, she is still quite active.  Actually,it is hard to get in touch with her by phone.  Seems like every day she has several meetings and functions to attend.  I'd sure like to be going so well at that age.

Love You, Mom.

Happy 82nd, Mom

Yesterday, my mom turned 82.  It sure has been great to have her around all these year, 61 for me.

She celebrated by driving several hundred miles to visit my sister in Savannah, Georgia.  I sure hope to be doing that well when I get to that age.

And, she just recently got I-Paded and knows somewhat how to use it.  And that is after having huge problems using a laptop.  That puts her considerably ahead of me as I sit here still using an obsolete pc.

So, Mom, Happy Birthday.   Your Son

Allen Vick's Beach Boogie & Blues Show WNCT-AM

Most every morning, I tune into Allen Vick's Beach Music show on WNCT 1070 AM, from 6-10 am EST, out of Greenville, North Carolina. Great music and local news and weather; my family lives in Goldsboro, Mt. Olive, Kenansville and Warsaw.

Yesterday, I enjoyed Allen talking about his mother which reminded me of my own to an extent. His mother had been very anti anything and anybody having anything to do with computers, just like my mom.

However, his mom got a laptop and high speed access and now is Ms. Computer Head and can't get enough of it. She is even into Facebook. My mom, however, still abhors anything to do with computers. She says she wants to learn, but won't take the time. She'd rather see her friends and family face-to-face.

Plus, Allen believes that modern music is pretty bad (like myself), but his wife is into the new stuff and lets him know when there is a song that could be classified as Beach and he played one by Train.

My wife doesn't like hardly anything after the 1960s.

Myself, I liked most everything in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Starting in the 90s, it dropped to about 50 per cent and still stays there now.

So. Allen Vick Might Be My Brother from Another Mother. --RoadDog


EVER WONDER...Why they don't make the whole plane out of the stuff they use to make that indestructable "black box?"

This Card's for You!!

Sunday's Chicago Tribune has a Flashback page at the end of the magazine. It always features an old picture and interesting facts.

This one was a photo from 1931 of a bunch of girls from Bowen High School practicing for a Tribune-sponsored Bridge Tournament.

It goes on to say that today, when people hear the term bridge game, it conjures up genteel old ladies playing the game, but back in the 1920s and 30s, it was the HOT game.

Bridge can lead to arguments and even loss of friends on occasion. But here's a good story. In 1929, Myrtle and John Bennett of Kansas City, Mo., were partners in a game with another couple. His play in a key hand led her to call him a "bum bridge player." He hit her and she went into the other room, returned with a gun and shot him dead. And, she was ACQUITTED!!!! I'd sure like to know how she got out of that one. What a bum's rush. The Tribune wonders how many bridge players were on the jury.

Then, some interesting facts:

Number of bridge books on the NY Times Best-Seller List in 1938: 3

Billionaire bridge players pushing the game: Warren Buffett and Bill Gates

Number of weeks the Tribune discontinued its bridge column back in 2005 before reader protest brough it back: 1.

Liz says her mom Frances was always trying to get her to play, but that never happened. Frances and her friends Vivian and Kay were major bridge players.

My mom plays bridge about once a week as did my grandmother. My cousin Joe is a big-time player in the Virginia/NC circuit.

I do not think I've ever played.

HEARTS, SPADES, and a Little PINOCHLE

However, in college I used to play Hearts and Spades a lot. I had never played them before I got there. This caused me to miss a lot of classes. I signed up for early morning classes as a freshman. I didn't know any better. How was I to know that the Hearts games at Northern lasted until 3 or 4 in the morning. That made it VERY difficult to get up a few hours later for that 8 AM class.

Hearts were popular at NIU. The year I went to Georgia, the game was Spades.

Remember Who You Don't Want to Get in Hearts Unless You're Running? --RoadDog

Hey, Mom, Welcome to the Real Internet

Mom just might get on the internet today, and I'd like to be the first to welcome you. Make sure you thank Bob and Judy for getting that laptop for you, ESPECIALLY after all they went through. Hopefully Annsley and Julie taught you enough about using it to get you started.

No more Web TV for you, or excuses as to why you couldn't get something. Make sure to send along your new e-mail address.

My blogs:

http://downdaroadigo.blogspot.com this one
http://sawtheelephant.blogspot.com Civil War
http://roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com the road, history, and preservation.

No More Web-TV for Mom. --RoadDog

Mom and My Lincoln Highway Cruise

Several years ago, I think 2004, Mom and I drove back to Illinois from Goldsboro, NC, so we could attend the gathering to honor Don Schrickel in Green Bay, Wi. He was a BIG-Time Packer fan and it was held at Brett Favre's Steakhouse. Don worked with Dad at Quaker Oats and the family lived about seven streets over in one of the biggest 1960s subdivisions, Winston Park in Palatine, as built by the Winston-Muss Builders.

We stopped in Mt. Airy, NC, Andy Griffith's hometown and what he based Mayberry on in his popular TV series. She's been there on a bus tour and we stopped at Snappy Lunch, which was mentioned on the show. I had the best porkchop sandwich ever. This place has not changed since the 30s, and the owner grills right at the window so you can see what he's doing. It's only open until 2, and you'd better get there early, as there were probably thirty people waiting for the 30 seats when we left at noon.

Anyway, to get back to the Lincoln Highway, we drove the superslab (roadie term for the interstate) to Canton, Ohio, where we spent the night. I had my first visit to a Faoli's, the poor man's Olive Garden. Great food.

We then got on the Lincoln Highway the next morning and drove through Ohio to Indiana. This is what brings me to why I'm writing about this trip.

The Ada, Ohio, Herald says that ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) is going to put Lincoln Highway markers up along the various alignments. I sure wish they had them up when we went through as we lost the alignment quite often. Fortunately, it usually followed current US Highway 30, but even so. Mom got very good at spotting the unique Lincoln Highway markers that were set out by the Boy Scouts in 1928, after US-30 had replaced LH.

Also, this past weekend, Van Wert, Ohio, had their annual Peony Festival. Evidently, there are a lot of commercial peony operations in the area. They had a parade, vendors, elected a queen, and had a tour of homes featuring the plant. One even had a peony tree dating back to 1917.

Mom and I had an excellent dinner at the 1920s Balyeat's Restaurant in Van Wert, and had a very interesting talk with the waitress who was in her 80s and had been a German war bride, having met and eventually married an American GI, and moving to the US. She had been working at Balyeat's since 1947.

Been Cruisin' the Old Lincoln. --RoadDog