Happy New Year

Well Christmas is over and the new year is about to begin! Judy and I went to Oak Ridge yesterday and had lunch with Emily and delivered the kids' presents. I think Sara and Earl are going to see National Treasure 2 today and eat at Five Guys.
Corey, the Kingston High school basketball team is winless. They have about 5 games left so they may have a school record!!

Everyone have a safe New Years!!

there hasnt been anything on here in awhile

so i thought id post something its a concept blog where i use no capitalization or punctuation its gonna be pretty awesome when im finally done with it so whats new nothing really interesting going on down here christmas came i got rock band which is like guitar hero but with drums and vocals in addition to the guitar i also got the movie hot fuzz hilarious if youve never seen it i got a bunch of gift cards i bought street fighter 2 which jason should remember i ordered a cd from borders with the card i got from him its call 1 by simple kid its really good you might recognize him because he sings the song you which resides in the player at the top of this page speaking of when is an acceptable time to delete all the christmas music i figure new years maybe anyways what else is new nothing much really i guess ill just wrap this thing up ok bye

tyler

Happy Holidays

Ice Skating

We are probably going ice skating on Mkt Sq. on Christmas Eve (mon.) I've already talked to Andre'a and the girls, they are probably going. So whoever wants to go is officially invited! I'm not sure what time, I 'm sure Ray will want to eat at Mkt Sq Kitchen if its open.

22 Liter Coke -- Why not 30? :)

OK Judy, This is for you.
Big Coke

Christmas Eve

What about drinks for Christmas Eve? Is everybody bringing some drink? I'm going to bring vegetable tray, maybe chicken strips/dip,a dessert.

Bacon Cereal

Bacon, chopped, with salad dressing.

What a sick freak. That's amazing.

Tyler

Corster Update?

What is team record? How is the Corster doing?

CoCo's Yuletide Greeting

This is CoCo's Christmas card that he is sending out this year!!!

Judy's Saturday Breakfast

Sara, Joyce, The Twins and Judy ate at Cracker Barrel on Saturday afternoon. Judy said she was going to order breakfast since she hadn't eaten one that morning. Here is what she ordered.

Christmas Eve

Since we are doing "finger foods" for Christmas Eve, why don't we all bring one appetizer & one dessert?? Then we could each also bring plates, napkins, cups, plasticware, and drinks. Do we bring our own trash bags? I'll bring my food, trash bags, & some drinks. Does that work 4 everyone? And we are def. doing "White Elephant" with everyone that wants to participate bringing a $25 gift???

Elf Children

Hello there family!

My mother made this for the girls and she thought everyone might wanna see it.

Here you go!

Happy Holidays

Tyler

Now We're Getting Somewhere

Thursday's Webcam in Cooke City -- Anyone ready to move there yet? You can visit me when I move there. (Click on image to enlarge)

Final Fall Fun

We were a bit late in piling up the fall leaves but here's a photo of a full-on leaf fight.

Feline Fun

This video is the funniest cat video we have ever seen. I think Earl and Marley will like it.

Boone Question

There is a plethora (Jennifer's favorite word) of Western North Carolina webcams at http://www.highcountrywebcams.com/ .

Are there others that the Western Carolina people know about? If so please post links so I can update my webcam links.

Flowerly Branch Update?

OK, a few things:

1) How is the Corster's basketball team doing?
2) Give us more info about the new breakfast place you found
3) Did Ray really try to pay for his new auto with a $1 million bill (he wasn't the guy in Ga. who tried to also open a banking account with one is he?)
4) Did you find the race track?
5) Has the water level risen since the rain this week?

Christmas

Well, Thanksgiving seemed to go rather well at Bradbury, so we decided to do Christmas there too. Also, we decided on "Dirty Santa " for the adults. Each adult brings a $15 to $20 unisex gift. Of course we will all buy for the kids. Pappy said he would go ahead and pay Bill for rental for the 24th from 5until9.
I have a request this year, I would like for the kids to unwrap one gift at a time, taking turns. I never see what any of them get or who gets them what!! I know it will take a little longer, but I think it would be better. Any thoughts?

REALLLY BIGG SHEEWWW

Well, here's my reluctant Webcast debut...fortunately the first guest was a talkative sort.

To access..log on to wataugademocrat.com

Click on DBDA update.

Then, see why Andeson Cooper is quaking in his shoes.

Thanksgiving Update

Pappy says he will take care of the $30.00 rental fee, since he wasn't bringing a turkey.
Bill says there is a big ice machine there so we don't have to worry with bringing in ice.
Somebody needs to bring paper plates,napkins, plastic forks and spoons and cups. Any takers?

Patriots Win!!!

Yeah....we finally found a team we could beat!! Corey played some in 1st & 2nd half..he was actually the 2nd sub the coach put in.

That guitar solo of on the playlist is beautiful...is that me playing..I can't remember???? It is very pretty.. I guess we need to add seasonal music to our playlist.

Bradbury Fun and Games

Shelby was wondering if there will be any live music/jams while at Bradbury. She wants to clog if there wil be and is asking about packing her shoes.


If there will be a jam, I'll pack the harmonicas.

Bradbury Things

Here's a random youtube video I found from Bradbury.



In other Bradbury events, I think I might have convinced Mr. Jacob Brumbaugh to try out Bradbury. Apparently he's been getting into a lot of bluegrass stuff, so I suggested he attend one of the Tuesday jam sessions. I dunno if he will, but it would be cool. I told him no amplified instruments and he asked if a non-amplified electric/acoustic guitar would be appropriate, but I'm not sure.

Also, why doesn't Bradbury have a website or something? I know it might go against the Bradbury philosophy or whatever, but the current generation of Bradbury attendees are quite elderly. When they're gone, who will continue the tradition? I googled "bradbury community center" and all I pulled up was this article. It's the most information about Bradbury available to the general public. It gives no times or contact info or anything. I don't know. Think about it.

Tyler

Playlist

Tyler's Edit
Hi everybody!!!

Anyway, adding stuff to the playlist is pretty simple.

Step 1. Go to www.projectplaylist.com
Step 2. At the top right, there's a button that says "Log In". Click it.
Step III. Type in the username (reaganfam) and the password (meemaw) in the spaces provided, then press the log in button.
Step 4. After you log in, click "search for music" on the blue menu bar.
Step 5. Type the name of the artist or the song you are looking for in the space provided, then press search
Step 6. Find the song you want on the list. Next to the song should be 2 buttons.

This one will sample the song to make sure it works.

This one adds to the song to the playlist.

Once you are certain you want the song, add it.

Step 7. It will ask if you want to preview it again. You may if you've forgotten to before, but if not, just click "It works! Add it to my playlist"

DONE!!!

Finally got a guy at work to figure out why I could not post here from work. I think I can get in now. Since the girls love the stories so much I thought maybe on Thanksgiving more of you could share some of your stories with them.

Ga. Crackers.....

Ray is going to Nashville this wkend to see his parents, So I think the boys & I will probably head up that way Fri. afternoon. Tyler has already called all his peeps to let them know..I'm just telling my "daughters and my sisters..or was it mothers and sisters???"

Supper

Sara and I ate supper with the Reagan twins tonight(and parents). The girls wanted me to tell them stories the whole time. Their favorites are of someone (anyone) getting into trouble as a kid. Unfortunately I had quite a collection. They particularly like the one where I ruined mayonnaise for Jennifer for her entire life. Also the one where I put apple jelly in a spoon, then told Jennifer that it was her brain that I had scooped out of her ear. (Jennifer was such an easy target) The ones where I ended up getting a "paddling " from Pappy were quite a hit too.
Andrea' said that Jeff, Natasha,Nanna and Campbell will be coming up for Thanksgiving at Bradbury.
Well time to turn in. I am going to Nashville tomorrow to a banquet where Earl becomes a Master School board member. He's not sure what that means, but he is one. Sara is coming over to stay with Marley Pug, as she doesn't like nights alone.
First thing tomorrow I will go to Courthouse for the Kingston Veteran's day program. Sara is in charge of it this year. I'm not really sure when she became a veteran, but.....

Holy Crap! Scorpion!

So yeah, I have to sleep tonight. In the basement. Where I found the scorpion. Yeah it's tiny, but a tiny scorpion still equals a tiny amount of poison.

Tyler

Blues Music is Good for You

Patriots......0-3 :(

The Patriots have lost all three games so far...they are improving & they're not really a bad team. So far all the other teams they've played have had height and they don't. Last night they played the middle school that is across the street from the Falcons Training Camp, they had one kid that I think walked across the street from the camp to play!! He was a big kid!
Corey does play alot more, hasn't started yet but he gets more playing time. He played almost the whole 4th quarter(period??) last night. He is still loving it..so thats good!

Ray's mom had to go back to the hospital yesterday because she was dehydrated..they have home healthcare to stay w/ his Dad. I don't know if I told you but his Dad was in the hospital the week be4 his Mom had her surgery w/ bronchitis, which is weird because they didn't send him home with breathing treatments but with a oxygen tank?!Anyway Ray is probably going up there next wkend to see them.

Thanksgiving Food

Hopefully Meemaw will agree to do dressing.
I will bake a ham,
some sort of salad
baked apple casserole
Maybe there is an ice machine at Bradbury

Meemaw the Church Lady

Yesterday, Meemaw and Justin visited Boone Baptist Church (despite its broad name, it is a small church about the size of New Midway BC). The church is located less than 1/2 mile from her trailer.

She enjoyed herself so much she came back for the evening service and I think she is thinking of singing in the choir after they made a fuss about her pretty alto singing. Our elderly neighbor, Oneebelle (sp?) (yes, Oneebelle) Van Dyke attends the church and I think she and Meemaw are connecting.

She said she would be baking today.,.....

Thanksgiving at Bradbury

Pappy is all in agreement with the tentative plans to have Thanksgiving dinner at Bradbury, but Bill Guettner schedules the rent-outs. If everyone is fine with 5:00PM Friday the 23rd of November, I'll call Bill and set this time aside for our gathering. And the cost is $30.00 so everyone bring some green monies with you, we'll take up offering. Let me know.

Patriots.....0-1

Last night was Corey's first b-ball game. West Hall played East Hall(which, judging from their fans, is a pretty rough area). The most impressive thing was that WHMS had 16 cheerleaders!! Corey had already warned us that he might not get to play..since he was one of the new kids. He played the last 2 min. of the game and had 1 assist and 1 rebound. We lost 50-33. I think if Corey had played more, we would've had a closer game! Anyway he was a good sport about the whole thing and is just happy to be on the team.(But he is better than 2 of the kids that started!!in my opinion..) I don't know who the big rivalries are here..they play North Hall away on Mon.

Halloween in Flowery Branch

I have never seen anything like it!!! I went through 10 bags of candy and a lot of kids didn't come to our house because there are only 2 houses on our street.......When Ray came home around 6:00--he said it was like trying to drive through "Little Italy"...each intersection had a security volunteer posted there...then we also had sheriff deputies on bikes all through the neighborhood. At 8:00 the entrance was blocked off by the fire dept and only residents were allowed in. We took CoCo for a walk around 7:30, and it was like walking in a parade.....Tyler stayed home to give out candy. Corey put on a Nets basketball jersey and went out w/ a Zombie friend.

Hallo-Meemaw-Ween

Meemaw and I visited the local senior center today and she seemed pleased. She met the director and took the tour. She said she would like to take a yoga class (yes, I said yoga) and join a diabetes support group — so we’ll see.

Oh, and I think this guy (whom I photographed for the Mountain Times) was hitting on Meemaw. She says he was talking to me instead of her but I dunno….

And, Earl: reciprocity, reciprocity.

R.I.P. Porter Wagoner

I logged into The White Stripes' website and this is what greeted me. Apparently he died a few days ago, and The White Stripes were friends of his. Earlier this year, he opened for them when they played at Madison Square Garden.

More info from Wikipedia

Wagoner's publicist Darlene Bieber announced on October 19, 2007 that the singer had been hospitalized and was in very serious condition. WSMV-TV reported that Wagoner was admitted earlier that week for observation from an illness. Bieber gave no further information but said that the country star was asking for prayers from his family and fans.

On October 21, 2007, his publicist confirmed that Wagoner had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

On October 26, 2007, Porter was released into hospice care. He died two days later in Nashville, Tennessee.

Up until his illness and death, he appeared regularly on the Grand Ole Opry and toured actively.

Edit: A pic from his recent concert opening for The White Stripes

Proud Patriot

This is Corey in his "home"uniform...not the one he wears at home..it's for home games!!! The small bouncing object next to Corey is not a basketball, but CoCo in his "Halloween" t-shirt!!!

Earl

It needs no words

Tyler

Boone

The trip to Boone went uneventful. Meemaw's trailer is cute, and in a good location. She seems to be doing great. Getting out into Boone some and doing alot with Jason and crew. We discussed Thanksgiving and thought we might have it at Bradbury this year. Meemaw liked the idea and Pappy had suggested it. We know that Kelsey and Addison are going to see Hannah Montana on that Saturday so thought we might get together on Friday afternoon/evening.
What are everyone's thoughts on that?

Corey Made the Basketball Team

Yes, no one else has posted it yet, surprisingly, but Corey made the West Hall Middle School basketball team. I dunno what else to say. That's about it. Also, I dunno how this hasn't been mention either, but the twins are here. We haven't done much yet except go out to eat, so I'll probably edit this post tomorrow.

Tyler

Woolly Weekend

Here are some photos from the weekend's 30th annual Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk.


One photo is of Meemaw with her Banner Elk namesake, a festival volunteer also named Billie Jean.


Justin and Shelby's worms, Brownie and Nellie, ran a valiant, albeit misdirected, race.

The Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute brought some animals like a red-tail hawk.

Yule Rules?

Hi, everybody:


What are we doing for Christmas this year? I'm never sure who to buy for and how much, etc.


Suggestion: What if we agree to exchange gifts only for the kids (18 and under) and Meemaw and Pappy during the Christmas Eve ceremony. If we want to give a gift for someone else, I'm suggesting we do so in a private setting so as not to set off a chain of reciprocity that will invariably leave someone feeling either stressed or left out, etc. (I swear I am not writing this because this has happened as far as I know — it hasn't).

Anyway, it would probably be nice to at least have some ground rules.

Alternate suggestion: Or, for the adults, what if we each agreed to make something that could be shared with everyone (identical type items). Kids would still get normal gifts as usual. This could be anything that we create ourselves — crafts, poems, writings, a song (liek Joel or Todd could record something??), photography, painting, drawing, whatever.

I favor this idea because I'm biased: I already have something in mind to make.

Suggestions?


I hereby appoint Jennifer as Minister of Fun and Games (Christmas division) and commission her to find some unique ideas for holiday funnery....

The New Larry's Biscuit

Jennifer called twice this morning to me and once to Joyce telling about the "New" Larry's Biscuit place in Lefty's BBQ. Lefty's as she pointed out started in Crossville. (Lefty's son came down to Georgia a couple years ago and started the Buford BBQ place). On left is bacon biscuit from Lefty's/Larry's. (I wonder if Larry is a Lefty?)

Keeneland Weekend

Our weekend at Keeneland was a heck of a good time. Nobody walked away rich but we never expect that.
Earl packed us surprise snack bags which are just the most fun. I even got a flashing candy necklace! There were gourmet hot dogs with bacon, fried bologna sandwiches, lots of chips, chocolate, fruit cups, fried pies, the list goes on and on.
Everyone had winning horses and losing horses, Andrea tried out the 10 cent trifecta and superfecta. I'm not sure of the twinks strategy this time but Kelsey let me know her financial situation was BAD, she was down 40 cents.
And being in Lexington when UK beat LSU was pretty exciting! Maybe not as exciting as the Halloween House with the multitude of Halloween displays and Jesus clown next door to our hotel.
And we ran into a great deal on Webkin purses. Anyone not knowing what a Webkin is will just have to do the research, I don't think I can explain.
Probably the only down side to the trip ( other than Todd's mattress being similiar to sleeping in a canoe) was the shoes that were so perfectly fashionable rubbed raw spots on the girls' feet. I did pick up some travel tips about bad shoes. Take your dinner napkin, fold it several times and stuff it between your foot and shoe to prevent further irritation. Or when all else fails, have Dad carry you.

A Day at the Zoo

Here are some photos from Shelby's class trip to the N.C. Zoo.

Shelby snapped some of these pix and we included a little something for Marley the Pug. Enjoy.

What's Up?????

Ray & the boys went to "Taste of Suwanee" this wkend, it didn't have as many vendors(although Waffle House was there)..but they did give you bigger portions as the "Taste of East Tennessee".
The boys are on Fall Break today & tomorrow, Ray leaves today to go to Knoxville until Wed.
Corey has b-ball tryouts starting on Wed. so remember him on that day:)
Thats all of the news from Flowery Branch...Ray & I have signed up to run the 5k Flowery Branch Boo Run on Oct. 27...it's a fun run..it starts at the old train depot( I don' t think they have a "new" train depot!!!)..I think that area is pretty flat.

We Have Returned

...to Georgia. Knoxville was alright. Capture The Flag was definitely the highlight of the weekend. It was hard to play when it got dark, though. At one point, I was getting chased and I jumped over a fence. Right as I went over, my foot clipped the top of it, and I landed on the asphalt, scraping my knee pretty bad. I was still being chased, so I just had to roll out of it and keep running. Surprisingly, only one neighbor came outside to tell us not to be on her lawn (seriously, we were loud. We're lucky no one called the cops). She was very polite, though, as were we. Judy thanks for the CDs. I'm listening to People of The Squares right now. It's really good. I guess that band broke up, though, since Jeremy moved to Japan. Is Simianometry their only album? Since I put them on my MP3 player, I had to find some cover art on the internet, but I only found one page on the entire internet that mentions them. Click here to see it. It's a review of the album. Anyway....I...have lost my train of thought....oh well.

Tyler

Meemaw

I think Meemaw and I will come up either tomorrow or next weekend with her truck and I will move most of the bulky things. Then, we can leave whatever's left in the middle of the living room for Joyce and Judy. This way, she can physically be there to go through some thing (she says she keeps thinking of new items) and we can avoid renting a U-Haul. Joyce, what we leave will mostly be boxes that could be hauled in the back of your Toyota or maybe in Judy's truck (does Juy still have that little truck?).

Alternative Earl

Updated Family Photo

With Earl as a Hamster or Bunny or something.

Moving Meemaw

I have spoken to Judy and although neither of us can move Meemaw's stuff on the weekend of 13 and 14, we both are available to make a trip the weekend of 27-28. I'm confused as to what needs to be moved in a u-haul? Has she physically moved in yet?

Guess what I found!!!

My interview with pappy! Yay! I might post the audio of it later, but i gotta find the right one. Anyway, here 'tis.

Tyler: What branch of service were you in?

Paul: I started out with the 6^th cavalry regiment at Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, ended up in service with the 14^th Army Air Force, the Flying Tiger outfit in Kung Ming[?], China.

Tyler: Were you drafted or did you volunteer?

Paul: I volunteered. You will notice that the serial number of a soldier designates whether or not he is drafted or whether he volunteers. The volunteers started with a one. The draftees started with a three.

Tyler: How old were you when you entered?

Paul: I was seventeen years old, 1940. I’d just graduated from high school.

Tyler: How did you feel about the draft?

Paul: The draft was unpopular, but it was realized by the…I think the entire nation that it was necessary. We had a war to win.

Tyler: Where were you trained?

Paul: I was trained at approximately five radar schools scattered over the United States. They’re listed in that list that I gave you [included], from Hume Fogge Tech in Nashville to the American Television Laboratory in Chicago, and then basic training.

Tyler: What job were you trained for?

Paul: Radar repair.

Tyler: Describe your training experience.

Paul: Well, we started out in Hume Fogge Tech in Nashville. I had already been trained in electricity. I was a certified electrician at the time. I was also with civil engineering at Camp Campbell, Kentucky and then they sent me to Hume Fogge Tech in Nashville for radio, and then to University of Alabama in electrical engineering school, and then to the 6^th service command school in Chicago for more radio training.

Tyler: Describe your combat experience.

Paul: Well, the British were driven out of Burma by the Japanese. The Japanese took Burma and expected to go ahead and invade India. Joe Stillwe…General Joe Stillwell, who we referred to, because of his personality as “Vinegar Joe”, was given the assignment to drive the Japanese back out of Burma. And, to do this, it was planned to build a road from Ledo, India south to Bhamo, which is the west end of the Burma Road. That would connect us up with…that…we could hold materials over the Burma Road then to supply China’s war efforts against the Japanese.

Tyler: What was your rank?

Paul: Well, I was a “Buck” private most of the time. By the time of 1944, I had attained the rank of staff sergeant.

Tyler: Did you believe America should’ve been involved in the war?

Paul: In that war, yes. I was certain that we should. We, I think, had little or no choice, and that was the feeling of the general public and of the servicemen that I knew.

Tyler: What are your feelings towards war now?

Paul: I think that our President Bush has pulled one huge boo-boo like our President Johnson did with the Vietnam War.

Tyler: What do you think about the positive or negative long-range effects of the war?

Paul: I’m well satisfied with our treatment after the war. They financed the soldiers for their education. And, of course that was a great help to me personally, but it was also help to the nation because it put us on a road to large advances in engineering and science.

Tyler: Did you have a family member in the service during this or another war?

Paul: None of my family, close family, were involved in the World War II. My grandfather and nine great uncles…my grandmother’s brothers and my grandfather’s brothers. There was a total of ten in the Union Army in the Civil War. My grandfather, Joel Lindsey Reagan, was a sergeant of Company D, the first Tennessee mounted infantry.

Tyler: What did you do in your spare time in the Army?

Paul: Played bluegrass music, except that bluegrass hadn’t been invented at that time. In basic training, I met a guitar picker named “Whitey” Stanford, Lewis E. Stanford, a guitar picker. I played the mandolin. So, the two of us picked and sang together everywhere that we went all through the war. When the war was over, he came home with me, essentially, and we played bluegrass music with the students at Tennessee Tech until we finished our education in physics and then we came to work at Oak Ridge. Today, that same guitar picker lives about a half a mile from me. I will have breakfast with him Tuesday morning.

Tyler: How was the food in the Army?

Paul: It varied from good to poor. In the United States we ate rather well in the mess halls. In Asia, we had the health…big health problem. The Asia health rules were way below ours and, therefore, we were forbidden to eat any raw fruits or vegetables; nothing we could eat was uncooked. We did not eat very well at the mess halls in India. By the way, Colonel Robert Noland, who used to be the coach of the Tennessee football team, was our commanding officer in India. It wasn’t his fault that we didn’t eat well; it’s just that that’s a big deal to feed that many troops. On the Burma Road, we ate rather sparingly. Coffee made out of muddy water, C ration, and K ration.

Tyler: How did people treat you when you were stationed in their country?

Paul: Well, we brought money and extra supplies in. They looked forward to that we were not particularly welcome there, but it was mostly that we looked down upon the natives in the other…in Asia.

Tyler: What are your overall feelings about the war?

Paul: Well, as was previously stated, the soldiers felt that the war was necessary. If you’re talking about the war now, I’ve already addressed that. No, I have no regrets. It wasn’t a ideal situation; soldiering never is in a time of war. I do not regret having the privilege of serving my country, and I don’t want to go back.


Also, thanks for all the comments on my writings. I've never really considered writing as a career choice, but it sounds kinda fun. If I write something, it's usually better if it's something I'm interested in, and I rarely get to write about such things. Jason offered me an internship at the paper in Boone for next summer, which I'll definitely consider.

What if...

Pappy was an adorable kitty??

Lovingly yours,

Tyler

CoCo & his turtle friend.....

This is CoCo in the back yard , trying to make friends with the turtle.....

Pappy Update

Todd and I took the garbage to Bradbury convenient center last night and waited for Pappy since it was Tuesday night, to give him some leftover black bean & sausage soup. By 5:35 he still hadn't shown up so we decide to go to the house and check on him. But on the way we pass him, he didn't get his soup but I'll make a leftover run later this week. This may be an easy way to check on him,take the garbage off on Tuesday nights and make sure he's at Bradbury or on his way.

Cooke City

On our trip to Montana one place we didn't go was Cooke City - a small place outside the northern entrance to Yellowstone. However, I do check their webcams often to follow the snow there (It snowed a bit last night). Here is a photo from the Cooke City Exxon station - note buffalo on the highway to the left. (click on photo to make it bigger)

Here are links to the cool webcams in Cooke City. I plan eventually to move there and become a short order cook.

Cooke City Exxon
Cooke City Sinclair
Soda Butte Lodge

KNOX-VEGAS!!!!!

This weekend, I shall be returning to my old stomping grounds of Knoxville, TN. Although, this isn't entirely true. I rarely stomp. I don't have much planned except for a little game of Capture The Flag on Saturday. Yeah, I was playing a video game that featured Capture The Flag a couple months ago and the idea struck me. I called my buddy Jacob and said, "Dude. Next time I'm in town. Capture the flag." He replied, "Definitely". And that was it. I hung up. That's how I roll. So, sometime, somewhere on Saturday, I'll be playing CTF with a bunch of friends. I'm thinking we should play at The Cove, or the place where me and Corey took our pictures last time we were in town. Either way, it's sure to be awesome. But, that's all I got. We're leaving Sunday, so I don't have much time to do stuff. What's everybody doing this weekend? Got any other locations we should play CTF? You wanna play?

I love you and Capture The Flag,

Tyler

P.S. The Music Player: Two songs were deleted off the website and, therefore, wouldn't play, so I removed them. They were Kodachrome and Buttmachine. I added two songs, Minimum Wage by They Might Be Giants, who you may know from their theme to "Malcolm in the Middle", and a Nirvana song called "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", which is a cover of an old blues song by a guy called Leadbelly. If you prefer, I can put on the Leadbelly version, but I think Nirvana do it justice. Also, someone added a song called Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show.

I received a letter from Memaw Friday that included an ad for rental property on Beech Mt. ($848.00 pr month for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath) and the birthday picture of Jason that the paper had run. Said she is going "all over Boone" now and sounded like she is doing well. I guess today is the big moving day and I know we're all excited for her.

Jennifer Calls ...

First thing Saturday morning came the call ..... from Jennifer of course. She wanted to tell me about the Friendship Cafe where they ate breakfast. Then called back later saying they were at the Duluth Fall Festival food court and were eating Kettle corn, grilled corn, corn dogs, gyros, Philly steaks, barbecue, chicken, kabobs, ice cream , funnel cakes, Famous Festival chili dogs, soft drinks, hamburgers, fried turkey legs, chicken wings, onion rings, sweet potato pie, and big pickles!

She even had to tell me about the food court that was bigger than downtown Kingston -- link (.pdf).

Oh well, Joyce and I went to a 50s sock hop and I lost in the first round of musical chairs, but I did have a bowl of chili and crackers.

Spirit Day Turned Into A Pseudo-Riot

OK, this week was homecoming week at West Hall High School, and apparently it is tradition for seniors to pull a few pranks on the last day of homecoming week, Spirit Day. Basically, a bunch of seniors brought water balloons, shaving cream, and silly string to use on the underclassmen. So, at the end of our pep rally, it began. The four classes had each clumped together to form four mosh pits, the aim of which was apparently to try to be louder than the other class or some crap. Having been there for less than a semester, I don't have much school spirit (not to say I had any to begin with), so I stayed in the stands. The classes were throwing crap at each other, spraying each other with shaving cream and silly string. From what I hear, a kid got hit right in between the eyes with a Butterfinger candy bar. I'm sitting up in the stands, minding my own business, and, according to people who watched it happen, a yellow water balloon came out of the Junior class's pit. As it flew, spinning through the air, it started to pull apart into two sections, stretching due to it's propeller-like rotation. One end of it came to rest on my neck and the other part, on my chest, soaking me. I wasn't mad at all, surprisingly. Actually, I was kinda impressed. It had to be a 30ft shot at least. It hurt like crap, though. I still have a mark on my neck. The entire school was in disarray. As I was walking back to class, a kid threw an egg down the hallway. It was crazy. And exhausting.

UPDATE: Apparently, some live crickets were also thrown around. Crazy.

Burnett Schedule.....

We are going to the Duluth Fall Festival this wkend...it's a pretty big one....Corey is wanting a funnelcake......
We will be in Knoxville the following wkend..Ray & COrey are going to the UT-GA game..so Tyler & I will be hangin out on Sat......

Happy Birthday Jason

Hope the trip back to Boone was uneventful and everything is settling in. Had a fun time at Wasabis Saturday night. Have a great Birthday!!

I Don't Like Dollywood

But this makes it better

Latest Memaw Plan

Memaw has decided to go home this weekend. Jason is going to take her in the truck. She will have to come back on Sunday because Jason will have to go back to work. He's taking tomorrow off. She was going to try for next weekend, but we have some childcare issues next Friday, so Jason will need to be here. The kids also have their fall festival at school next Friday night, and they wanted him to be there too. When I left for work this morning, Memaw was getting ready to go out on her first solo outing. She was going to go out to Big Lots.

Mountain Fashion

Here's some photos of Shelby and her friend, Kylie, in the Boone Mall Fall Fashion show, representing the Sports Fanatic. Also, Meemaw checks out a model's goods.

The Mail

I go to the post office this morning and had a note in our mail box to pick up a parcel at the front desk. So I go stand in line and when I get to the front, the guy who is working says "Earl, we don't get much of this sent through the mail". I had no idea what he was talking about until he brought an envelope out that had "do not bend, Chili-Cheese Dog Enclosed :)"" - I immediately suspected Jennifer - and of course I was right -- a photo of a Chili Cheese dog along with a Varsity Hat! What more could a person want?

Meemaw in Boone??

Jason/Stacy
So how is the adjustment going? Did she decide for sure to take apartment? Is she getting out any yet? Does she seem to feel ok? Just wanted an update

My Blogging Whine.......

I had to go & get a shot in my elbow 2day:( ....and he's making me where an ugly wrist brace...and I look like a professional bowler:...(

Thanks Justin for showing us "around" Boone. I've never had so much fun getting lost. And Shelby the fashion show was fun too. You did a great job. We only took one wrong turn Sunday on our way home and ended up in Beech Mountain. Beautiful scenery.

150 Monty Python Sketches

Have fun.

Sunday Meemaw

Meemaw just told me to tell Nancy at work tomorrow that she will take the apartment. She plans to move in the first of October. That's what she says today anyway. She was trying to get used to her surroundings today, but she didn't want to drive anywhere. She did get a haircut, though.

Harvesters Logo

If there were a Harvesters logo, what would it look like and what would the slogan be?

Google Earth 4.2=Google Sky

Mostly for Earl



This version of GE also includes a semi-hidden flight simulator.
http://earth.google.com/intl/en/userguide/v4/flightsim/index.html

Meemaw List

In an attempt to get Meemaw settled, I've compiled a list of move-in tasks. Please add any you can think of...and I'm talking to Meemaw here, assuming she sees the blog.

1. Transfer Doctor. I talked to Dr. Zuber's office. He can take Meemzaw on as a new patient. Right now, his new patient appointments are booked through the year. However, his new partner or PA (both of whom we think VERY HIGHLY OF) can see Meemaw within a few weeks. From there, Dr. Zuber will be able to see her regularly.

2. Oncologist (consulting): I'm checking around for recommendation. The cancer center at Watauga Medical is top-rated.

3. Bank: For a small town, Boone has an overabundance of banks (14 at last count). There are two very close to Meemaw's new house (BB&T and Blue Ridge Savings Bank). Our bank is High Country and it's good.

4. Pharmacy: Although CVS is very close to her new house, other choices include Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Boone Drug, Walgreen, etc.

5. Address: There are at least three options, she can get her mail at the new house or at our house or get a PO Box (easy to access post office next to Kmart).

6. Get library card: easy

7. Phone: I checked with U.S. Cellular. They do not offer coverage here so we will have to cancel and get either Verizon or AT&T/Cingular. I'll ask Nancy Leonard which service works best at her house.

8. Utilities/Satellite at the trailer (Joyce said you guys could handle all that).

Casa de Meemaw 7

The Deck and stairs (padded and railed)

Casa de Meemaw 6