"Listen to the man. He's clear-minded." - Archie, "High School U.S.A."
Our cat Tiny has passed slightly beyond the age of kitten, but this doesn’t seem to prevent her from behaving in a fashion reminiscent of a two-year old child. I have tried in vain to break her from getting up onto counters and tables, but now even these obstacles are not enough of a challenge for her. She has found new mountains to climb in this jungle gym that I call a house. Read the rest of this entry »
Bob’s mother Sandra Lee Chandler passed away last week on Wednesday, November 29 after a lengthy bout with lung cancer. In the end, she was ready to go and made the decision not to prolong her belabored breathing with artificial means. Although I was never what you would call close with Sandy, my family did have occasion to celebrate various holidays and events with her over the years. She was always supportive of Denise and me and made it a point to be involved with our weddings. Read the rest of this entry »
Even if you don’t know Arline and Carl, you should appreciate these two photos from my vintage slides series. However, I do know them so they are even more special to me. Arline is my Dad’s first cousin, the daughter of Bessie, my Grandma Range’s sister. Carl, of course was her husband. He passed away in 1994. The little boy in the photos is their only son John Shirk. The bottom photo was taken in 1959 and the top one presumedly in 1960. These photos emit a strong sense of nostalgic Christmas’ past. We still see Arline often, especially around the holidays.
One of the first autographs I received after delving into the hobby in early 1985 was from Audrey Meadows, who played the role of Alice in one of my favorite television series The Honeymooners. I sent out the request sometime in mid-May and the photo returned on May 31. She was kind enough to sign a cast shot in bold, beautiful purple, along with a pair of notecards. Read the rest of this entry »