Who Let the Dogs Out?!?!
Saw the Baha Men singin' "Who Let the Dogs Out?" on The Tonight Show last night right after I learned that our Greyhounds beat Batesville 26-22 to advance to the state playoffs. Who Let the Dogs Out? I'm not certain who left the doghouse door open, but I know it's definitely been wide open since 1970. I haven't seen the brackets for the state playoffs yet, but it appears that our Hounds may travel to, of all places, Arkadelphia for a first round game. If that happens, ya'll come on down. I don't need many excuses to have a party. Who Let the Dogs Out? Woof, Woof!!!
Good news ... Speakin' of old Hound Dogs, many of you know Bobby Joe Forrester entertained a heart attack October 21. Where is the Good news in this story? Got a cybernote from BJ yesterday proclaiming to be "still alive and well." BJ tells me he experienced minimal damage to the heart muscle and that he is following doctor's orders (BJ following orders.....now that's NEWS!). He is being well cared for at home by his "personal RN" Lisa and is feeling better every day. BJ, give Lisa a big hug, but don't over exert yourself. It is apparent that Bobby Joe still has that Hound Dog fightin' spirit in him. I lift my glass to you Mr. Forrester and offer a toast - Friendship is the wine of life, both only get better with age. May we drink of it and to it. Cheers!
More Good news ... Speakin' of the Hound Dog fightin' spirit, Mary Wynne has successfully completed Chemo #4 and is preparing for Chemo treatment #5 scheduled for November 13-14. Grady reports her to be feeling good and back at Jazzercise. Two more rounds of chemo are "on the card." I'm confident that Mary Wynne is going to "knock out" this Cancer with a powerful random punch similar to that punch the Hounds delivered to the jaw of the Pioneers last night.
And even more Good news ... Joe Black tells me Darlene continues to progress and is in wonderful spirits following her surgery. I know that Bobby Joe, Mary Wynne and Darlene have all felt the power of our collective thoughts and prayers. They are bound to know we, their classmates, all are standing by as "sparring" partners with them in their continuing preparation to fight these illnesses. Fight, Hounds, Fight!!!
A visit to the NHS website reveals the Class of '70 now has 46 registrants. Gary and Martha Slayton (I guess I should say we have 47 registered since both are classmates) are the most recent to register. I sent a welcoming message to them and Gary replied bringing me up to speed about the "goings on" with the Slayton crew. With the baseball season just ending at the conclusion of the World Series, Gary's message took me back to getting to know him as a Little Leaguer. With two grade schools (even in a small town) we just didn't come to know others well until we reached Junior High unless we went to the same church or played Little League together. Gary and I were teammates on a Newport Hospital team (a damn good team I might add) along with Donny Appleton, Ricky Wiggins, Ricky Harris, Roy Dale Pigg, Rue Luter and others faded from my memory. Gary is now the clinic pharmacist at that same Newport Hospital. May the circle be unbroken! Gary commutes from his and Martha's home in Fairfield Bay where Martha manages food services in the nearby Shirley School District. I remember Martha's mother being a great cook, so Martha dabbling in food services should be no surprise. It must be in the genes! I also have fond memories of Martha's dad from a brief stint at loading watermelons for Mr. Bobby Miller. I'm thinking my father arranged that job for me as a character builder. Oh well, not all of my dad's experiments worked. Welcome Gary and Martha to the Miles' Files.
And, drum roll please, a big Miles' Files Welcome to Joy Stanfield McDaniel!!! I had the pleasure of sitting next to Joy at the Big Shebang (30th Get Together) in June and she told me then that she would get "on line" one of these days to join in the reminiscing of the Miles' Files. Well, "one of these days" finally arrived this week with a cybernote from Joy. From babyhood and early Sunday School lessons through grade school and into our formative years, Joy and I have shared much. After being away from the Port for a number of years, the two of us moved back "home" about the same time in the early eighties. Spent a few evenings together at the old Punch's Restaurant (at least in our part of the world, equally as famous Alice's Restaurant) during that time. Our kids played together and went to church together just as we had done years earlier. After a few marriages, death, job changes, relocations, we find ourselves here. Joy, true to your existence is the saying written beneath your picture in the 1970 Lakeside, "Nothing grows again more easily than love."
The addition of the Slaytons and Joy to my Class of '70 address list brings the number of those on that list to 61. Over a third of our classmates able to communicate regularly and simply in cyberspace. Pretty good for a class who learned to type on those ancient Underwood manual typewriters. We also have Raymond "Curley" Massey, Raymond "Butch" Duncan, and Harvey Haley (three of our favorite teachers) "listening" in as well as Phil McDonald and John Purdy (UMYF counselors). These guys must have learned to "type" with hammer and chisel on a stone pallet. I urge all of you to get us some more email addresses from classmates and teachers so we can expand our circle of remembrance.
Funny, as I strike the keys to send these words to you, I am listening to the Fab '60s channel on Netradio.com and the song "Get Together" by the Youngbloods from our senior year is playing. "Come on people now, smile on your brother. Everybody get together, try to love one another right now."
Get together Right Now. For those of you who will be in Newport over the Thanksgiving weekend, Cherry Lou Smith and Clay Wright are planning a "get together" at Faye Rubles (John Brownd's House of Fun) on Friday night, November 24. Please contact Cherry if you believe you will be able to make the scene. Kathi and I are going to do all we can to get there.
Since my last communique, my computer screen has been blessed with messages tapped out by Bobby Joe Forrester, Mary Wynne Parker, Joy Stanfield, Gary Slayton, Jenetta Ashley, Margaret Ann Gillihan, Ruth Johnston, Drew Stewart, Peggy Cox, Gail Thaxton, Kathy Spann and the Chief Schemer and Wizard of Wonder, Cherry Lou Smith. Keep those cards and letters (and phone calls) coming!
Hope you all enjoyed more treats than you did tricks this past week. On second thought, a few tricks would probably bring a large smile to my face. What did you dress up as on Halloween, Scott Baker? I found a picture recently of Mary Wynne and me dressed as clowns for Halloween (circa 1961). Oh those memories of Newport neighborhoods crowded with tiny ghosts and goblins, caramel apples, jack-o-lanterns, crazy mischief as teenagers. This year I carved four pumpkins for a masquerade party Kathi and I hosted. The pumpkin carving was good therapy, plus I have discovered it is too late for me to grow up. It may have been the Berry Deadly Punch we served our guests, but Halloween is just as much fun at 48 as it was at 8.
For you newcomers, those connected by the Miles' Files enjoy one another's company in thought and prayer each Sunday evening at 7:00pm wherever you may be. We all need the support and comfort of knowing we have each other. Well I'm going to turn my attention to the Razorback game against Ole Miss. I'm sure Bean and Donny Rooster are there callin' the Hogs. Until our next stroll down memory lane - my heart is as full as my glass, when I drink to you, old friends!
I remain Miles from Nowhere ... with you on my mind and in my heart,
joe
No comments:
Post a Comment