11-22-2007

I ran across a list of the 10 longest running TV shows and wanted to share them with you. I have placed an asterisk beside the ones I was fond of:

10. Knotts Landing* (1979 -93) 9. Dallas * (1978-91) 8. My Three Sons (1960 -72) 7. Law & Order (1990 - ?) 6. The Simpsons (1989 - ?) 5. Bonanza * (1959 -73) 4. Ozzie & Harriet (1952 – 66) 3. Death Valley* days (1952 – 1970) 2. Lassie (1954 – 72) 1. Gunsmoke * (1955 -75)

As a young lad growing up in the mountains of Virginia during the ‘50’s, our selection of TV programs to watch were very limited. We received one station out of Huntington, West Virginia. That was all we had. There was never an argument over what program we would watch. If you didn’t like it, you did something besides watch TV. I had a vast collection of comic books and, if it was still daylight outside, there were many options. It was always easy to round up some friends and play “Kick The Can”, or, “Tag” or, some other game we had played a gazillion times. Sometimes, less is more I think.

That darn garage door opener is still giving me problems. The opener has been installed and works quite well with me using the switch mounted on the wall, but the two remotes refuse to work. After getting my son to look at it, and then calling over my next door neighbor, I gave up and called the Sears Guy. He arrives here next Wednesday to solve the problem. If it is my fault I pay, if not, there is no charge. Guess I’d better get my wallet out.

I went to NC to visit my brother Jerry the other day. He and his wife, Patty, are doing ok. His health is about the same. He has been in a wheelchair for close to 5 years. It is always good to visit him. Our connection goes back so far that when we visit each other old memories start flowing. Both of us have changed a lot since we were kids, but in a lot of ways we are still the same. Both of us have had our ups and downs, but life has treated him more severely than me to this point. Hey, if you add up the good times and subtract the bad times we still come out winners. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

My next project will be overhauling the carburetor on my lawn tractor, affectionately known around here as “Big Red”. Big Red is a 1974 Wheel Horse. I have owned it about 10 years and, up to this point, has never given me a minute of trouble. But now, it is having trouble breathing properly. It continually wants to stop and rest and, on close inspection, has revealed that its throat is sore and needs attention. If I am unable to fix it, out comes the old wallet again and a new carburetor will probably be the cure. Can’t complain, everything wears out sooner or later, heck, look at me.

Our local high school football team (Poquoson) made it to the post season playoffs. They defeated the #1 seed last week and advance to play a team about two hours away (Brunswick). I am seriously considering heading off to the game, scheduled to start at 1:30 pm on Saturday. It has been a very long time since I attended a high school football game. I’m looking forward to it. Heck, I think I’m going !

Tomorrow, Jerilyn and I will be eating Thanksgiving Dinner with her youngest son (Mark) and his family. Her other son, Dean and his family, are spending their TG weekend visiting relatives in NC. Mark & Rachel invited my son (Rusty) and my daughter (Debby) for dinner, but they had other plans. I’m hoping to get up with them this weekend and spend some time together. Before I retired I used to look forward to the 4 day weekend during TG. Now, I have a 7 day weekend. Ain’t life great!

I had the opportunity to visit a friend the other day that I have not seen in 35 years. She is 70 now. I would not have recognized her and she did not recognize me. I walked into her home, escorted by her son, and say “Bea, do you know who I am?”. With a puzzled look, she says “no”. Now, I see my mug in the mirror every morning. I think my face is the same as it has always been, just with more etching(character lines I like to call it). Bea clearly had no clue as to my identity. “I’m Tommy Hale”, says I. She quickly corrects me, “Tommy Joe, is that you?” Unknown to her I dropped the “Joe” years ago. Seems, only mountaineers use their middle name. Folks around here never use their middle name, so I dropped mine. If someone calls me Tommy Joe, I immediately know where they are from. I also know they know more about me then they should. Anyway, Bea and I had a wonderful reunion. It is always good to see an old friend.

I hope you're enjoying whatever season it is in your part of the world. Happy Thanksgiving!