Wake Forest, Gosh its a pretty nive place to live!

Posted 03-09-2009 at 08:59 PM by dansdrive

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Wake Forest, NC. located in Wake County NC. Some call it Wake's Forest of the Triangle....Ok maybe that's just me. But if you come from the North East, Wake Forest seems to fit. It has some rolling hills and many farming areas.

It has a small town feel but close to Raleigh, you could be down town Raleigh, depending on time of day in about 15 to 30 minutes. You can be at the Virginia border in less than an hour.

It has old Historical homes and some new subdivisions. It certainly worth a look see if your looking and seeing the area. It has transplants from New Jersey, New York, and many other NE State and Mid West and California and....well you get the idea people from all over this great country now calls Wake Forest home!

C'mon down, over, left, or right and check it out you may just like what you see. :D

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1. Wednesday July 25, 2012 and its a vaction-ie 71.2 degrees outside heading on up to 91 degrees and the day as they say 'Go West young man!'. Except for the young part you could be talking about me. Anywho, my last post for awhile as I visit my Son's out west. I will leave you with this short story that has been attributed to George Carlin, Jeff Dickson, and the Dalia Lama just to name a few. But it was actually written by a pastor in Seattle, Dr. Bob Moorehead. It is such a good read I had to share. Story of the day: The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete... Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Happy Wednesday and Be Well, Be Kind, Be Thankful!

   Posted 07-25-2012 at 06:12 AM by dansdrive

2. Saturday August 4, 2012 and its 87 partly cloudy degrees down from a high of 90 degrees. Vacation has about come to a close and what a wonderful one it was out in the mid western heat. The daily temperature over the 10 days we were there was no less than 106 with typical days being around 109. No rain to be found. But for the dry hot heat the people of the mid west, more precisely Wichita Kansas were extremely nice and as warm as their daily temperatures. Had a great time with our Son's. For a hot place we had a really cool time!! Our flights were on time and very comfortable both ways so thanks to the fine folks at Delta Airlines that made that possible. Those 10 days went by as if they were all rolled into a single day. But it was sure glad to see the boys. Now to catch up around the house back here in NC! Quote of the day from Mother Teresa: “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” Happy Saturday and as good as it is to travel and see family and friends, Dorthy summed it up best when she said; There is no place like home. Less the slippers and the person behind the curtain....there is no place like home!!

   Posted 08-04-2012 at 07:34 PM by dansdrive

3. Monday August 6, 2012 and its a bit cloudy out and 74 degrees heading on up to a showery 88 degrees. A funny thing happened on the drive into work today....it was dark! Miss 10 days of driving in and the light forgets to come up...must be that time of the year again. The dog days of summer are nearing their end and the call of autumn will soon be here. Hard to believe how quickly it is flying by. Being off for the past 10 days and traveling to see the boys made me think how quickly time is flying by. It was a great time to reflect on the time off and how every moment is such a gift we all need to cherish and enjoy. I for one surely enjoyed those 10 days not in the activities we did or the things we saw but the time we spent together was truly priceless for me. But now it time to begin again, back to work, worship, and welcome all that I encounter. Speaking of summer passing reminds me of the days when as kids we knew summer was winding down. When we would sit in the shade of an August afternoon and talk about the coming school year. If we would get any new kids in our school, who has changed, what would 'she' look like this year. It was an all boys group we had so 'she' was the topic of most conversations. We also talked about when we would turn 16 years old and be able to drive a car and what kind of car we would have. We also talked about the year we would graduate and sometime talked about what life in the year 2000 would be like. Little if any of those thoughts and projections came through but the time spent on talking about them was well...enlightening. This time of year also meant the fruit trees were ready for picking. Now most of us growing up in our neighborhood had gardens and fruit trees, that just the way it was. But the fruits and tomatoes from neighbors tasted 'Oh so good!' So, at dark we would go year hopping and get our pick of fresh ripe peaches, pears, apricots, and tomatoes. It was the thrill of the chase that made them taste so good. We had many alley ways in our neighborhoods that went behind homes so people would pull into their homes from the alleys. This one night me and my cousin were picking out some nice ripe tomatoes from a yard with an old concrete pool in it. The tomato plants were along a walkway that went from the driveway to the house between the garden and the pool. We always carried a mini plastic jar of Morton salt because what good is a fresh tomato without salt? ....not good! Anyway we were about to pick the tomatoes of our choice when a car pulled into the driveway. The yard was fenced in and we had no way out as we would have been seen. So we took the plunge into the pool. Luckily for us it was empty and we hid on the deep end until the owners passed and we leaped out and booked out of that yard like Smokey and the Bandit from Sheriff Buford T. Justice! Quote of the day from C. S. Lewis: "A blessed spirit is a mould ever more and more patient of the bright metal poured into it, a body ever more completely uncovered to the meridian blaze of the spiritual sun." Happy Monday and Happy to be back and today's song says it all.............Sit back, turn up the volume, close your eyes and let the words sink in.........Louis Armstrong - What a wonderful world - YouTube

   Posted 08-06-2012 at 05:04 AM by dansdrive

4. Tuesday August 7, 2012 and its a rainy 75 heading up to a thunder shower two or four and 82 degrees today. There was some claps of thunder last night rumbling around the heavens. Having just come from the parched mid west I would like to send this rain west to quench the thirst of the farmers fields. I was shocked at all the dried out dead corn fields. The corn was at its mature growth size but was dried out and dead. Bummer! Just finished up a book I took while on vacation it was Revolutionary Characters by Gordon S. Wood. It was a good read, I don't think I learned anything new about the founding fathers but certainly much more detail about them and the amazing times they lived in. To build a nation from the humble beginnings our country stated with is miraculous to me. I wish they had some of these books and readings when I went to school. We generally got the cursory high level pitch on the founders. That is all the time was allotted during our school years I suppose but there is so much more. So much more of what drove these founders to build a nation from not royalty and lineage but from learned enlightened men. Just incredible to me. So off to the library to give this book back and get another. Libraries are amazing places, please make sure you take your kids and grand kids or neighbors kids to the library. Our society and who we are as a people depend on all of us having knowledge about who we are and where we came from. These founders were not perfect and all had their trials and tribulations but they shrived for something better than they had. A government that the people of the country could run based on a set of laws and organization. That is pretty darn cool!! Quote of the day from Alexander Hamilton: "Learn to think continentally. " Happy Tuesday and Mr. Hamilton through a simple sentence made such a profound observation.

   Posted 08-07-2012 at 07:43 AM by dansdrive

5. Wednesday August 8, 2012 and its a cloudy 75 degrees outside heading on up to 86 so they say. I started a new book yesterday by Glenn Beck, 'I am George Washington'. Seems like an easy read and is suppose to be an account of George Washington's life during the Revolutionary times. I read a number of books on General and President George Washington and I enjoy the different aspects of the authors port-rails of the father of our country. We will see how this one goes..... Really fighting a sore throat here the last couple of days can't wait for homemade chicken soup tonight. It cures what ails one so they say. If it doesn't please don't tell me as I feel much better after I have some! I enjoy just filling a mug up with the broth and drinking it that way. Oh so good! .....hmmm that's that chef guy that says that, oh well it fits my chicken soup. Sore throats remind me as a kid the old mumps illness. Somehow goose grease spread on one neck and wrapped with a cloth was to cure the mumps. I remember kids coming to school with their necks wrapped. They also came to school with cotton stuffed in their ears when they had ear aches. There was no busing in my grade school so everyone walked to school, sick or not. There was no car pool line. That was non existent. Dad's were working and Mom in a lot of cases did not drive and had younger children at home to attend to. So sick or not one walked home. If you got sick in school you went to the school nurse who would have you lie down and take your temperature. Unless one was really sick you just rode the day out and walked home after school. Early dismissals were no common at all back in the day. So much has changed in a few decades. Today there is endless buses, car pool lanes, late arrivals, early dismissals, breakfast serving time, lunch lines, remedial learning, advanced learning, ESL class, teacher meetings for problem children, IEP cases, computer time, just to name a few. Somewhere in the school day I know there is time to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic, isn't there? As we approach the new school year my hats are off to the teachers, administrators, and involved parents that try everyday to make sense of our current school system. It is not an easy job and they are not miracle workers they are teachers at heart. Quote of the day from Gilbert J. Chesterton: " Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." Happy Wednesday and ignite your soul as the light of education is growing dimmer and dimmer with each passing generation......it starts, revs up, and completes in the home. The school is the repair shop or detailing center to refine, shine, and soup-up what should have been learned at home.

   Posted 08-08-2012 at 05:07 AM by dansdrive Updated 08-08-2012 at 05:15 AM by dansdrive

6. Thursday August 9, 2012 and its 67.3 heading on up to a 92 degree day. We got some good rains yesterday evening, good gracious got stuck where we were till the rains let up. Lots of lightening and blowing rain. Once got out onto the roads a number of them were flooded. The section of Falls of Nuese where they are widening it <RDU runway North> was like a raging river. Glad I had the paddles in the back seat and my helmet handy. Some sections were class II white water conditions. Fortunately I was able to navigate the severe waterfalls! Gee-gads! The chicken soup was excellent and the sore throat feels better. Not gone but feels a bit better. So the score is sore throat a 1/2 and chicken soup a 1/2. If your keeping score that is. Hooray for chicken soup! The gold medal of soups. I am thinking a good bisque is the silver medal of soups while tomato or other cream of something or another comes in with the bronze! That is my Olympic moment! Speaking of the Olympics, it still is an awesome moment when you see the US athlete at the top of the podium and the star spangled banner playing as they raise the three flags. WOW! Chills every time I watch the ceremony and I am not even the athlete or a family member. It must just be incredible for them. Thanks to each of the athletes and their families for making us all proud to a member of the Red, White, and Blue! Quote of the day from Abraham Lincoln: "I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him." Happy Thursday and Abe nailed it! Song of the day...enjoy and sing along all these people did! 2012 London Olympics Gold Medal Ceremony Women's Beach Volleyball--USA - YouTube

   Posted 08-09-2012 at 05:43 AM by dansdrive

7. Friday August 10, 2012 and its 73.8 degrees outside heading on up to a stormy 88 degrees. Be careful out there today as some maybe sever. I for one is glad Friday is here. Typically the weeks roll by quicker than a roller coaster car going down the initial hill but this week seem to last and last...looking forward to the weekend. Chicken soup didn't solve the sore throat but still was good. In fact still some leftover for lunch today. Can't wait! Quote of the day from George Macdonald: "If, instead of a gem or even a flower, we could cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give." Happy Friday and George cast a thought worth heeding. Have a wonderful weekend!

   Posted 08-10-2012 at 08:11 AM by dansdrive

8. Monday August 13, 2012 and its 68.8 degrees outside striding on up to 92 degrees. The weekend has come and gone. But it was great while it lasted. It was topped off last evening with a long walk and a picture perfect sunset. The walk was refreshing from a mental standpoint. From a physical standpoint it was full of sweat! But by the time it was finished the sun was deep into its setting cycle. It had no more than 20 minutes to disappear over the western horizon. To disappear only to reappear on the other side of the globe. The endless cycle repeated itself as it has done since the beginning of time. But last evenings sunset was spectacular as they all seemingly are. It is amazing to me how each sun rise and sun set are exactly the same less the timing change throughout the year and if there are clouds about during the event. Yet each one to each of us are vastly different. Most days they go by unnoticed. Our lives are so busy we don't have the time to see one of natures truly beautiful events. We don't have the time to say thanks to the one above the instant that last glimmer of sunlight goes over the horizon. We get so consumed with us we forget to share a special moment with our family and friends and the one above. I tried to think why is a sunrise and sunset so special when its the same thing that happens everyday of our lives. Why is it so compelling? That it hit me like a brick from a third floor porch. Right between the eyes! The sunrise and sunsets represent new beginnings and endings. They allow us to spring eternal hope for the new day that is breaking around us. To be filled with hope and love and endless possibilities. The time we spend between the sun up and sun down is ours to craft, mold, and play out. Preferably for good and not evil. For growth and not crewel intentions. The sunsets allow us to take stock in the day we just endured and add up our positives and negatives we just fulfilled. Hopefully there were more positives than negatives, but that sunset allows us to reset the day we just had because that sunrise tomorrow will bring a new day in a new light to restart, refresh, and forgive. Fantastic those sunsets! So next time you get to catch a sunrise or sunset take the time to see them in a new light. They are far more than the perpetual rising and falling of the sunshine. They are moments in time to reflect, react, and remind us of the beauty of nature and of mankind......... Quote of the day from Oswald Chambers: "Whenever the insistence is on the point that God answers prayer, we are off the track. The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not of the answer" Happy Monday and Mr. Chambers punctuated the moment of that sunrise and set and our relationship with God. Got light? Song of day, its a repeat but worth a second play, enjoy! Roger Hodgson - Dreamer - YouTube

   Posted 08-13-2012 at 06:26 AM by dansdrive

9. Wednesday August 15, 2012 and its 74.1 degrees outside heading on up to 88 degrees. Mid week already! Yesterday was a pure blur did not even have time to add to my Blog. My apologizes. But today dawn a new day. My Wednesday morning studies started back up and that is always a good thing. So much to learn and so little time to learn it all. This falls study is on one word. Its a simple word but so very hard to say sometimes. Many times its misspoken or only half spoken and sometimes its never spoken. Its a word that defines our lives are a word we run from and hide. That simple word is TRUTH. Everything begins with truth and rarely ends in truth. In our daily lives and culture we have grown to accept allows and rewards in some instances half-truths and almost truths. Today one can't be truthful without running societies filters on truth. Don't say what you mean but what people want to hear. Sad.....Very sad. Truth was once the foundation of our great American experiment. Today that foundation was replaced with pillars of words like tolerance, acceptance, diversity, and self-worth. All good words but lack in integrity and strength. Truth is the cement that bonds those pillars together to form a single solid complete foundation. Without the pillars become weak and unstable and lead to the fall of the structure we call our society. What is your personal foundation made of? Really.....check again please. Quote of the day Mark Twain: "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.? Happy Wednesday and Mr. Twain...thanks that is certainly one to remember. Song of the day and so fitting, enjoy. Voice Of Truth - Casting Crowns - YouTube

   Posted 08-15-2012 at 07:20 AM by dansdrive

10. Thursday August 16, 2012 and its 70.0 degrees heading on up to 90 degrees. Nice round numbers today. Can't say I remember typing that before. The great thing about life...there is always a first for everything. This morning was one of those drives in there I was driving with the pack. Traffic was thick and never did get through it. Usually at the hour I drive in there is typically me and a few others with the occasional Deer heading back into the woods somewhere. Not today boy! Here we are at mid August, do we know where summer went? Speaking of midway points, I am half way through my George Washington book. Excellent read, at times I am having a hard time putting down well that is until my eye lids close up for the night. Fall asleep reading it sometimes. But fascinating man George Washington was. As each year passes we seem to have forget the remarkable things he had accomplished in his lifetime. Out young country needed a true leader and he was there. They needed a true Father figure and he was there. They needed someone to hold the ragtag army together to fight the British and not themselves and he was there. They needed someone who took victory as he took defeat, in stride and always moving forward. He along with his followers sacrifices so much to get this nation moving away from depotism and in freedom. The book has a lot of copies of actual letters George wrote to his wife Martha, he colleagues, and contemporaries. Just the words and style they used back than is impressive enough. George had no more than a 5th grade education yet his vocabulary is eloquent, succinct, and true. He never left the US yet in Europe he was a figure bigger than life. He was loved by the French and revered by the British. He went through battles with his men where in one case two horses were shot out and killed under him and when the battle was over he had four ball shots through his coat yet he was untouched. His three pointed had had a hole clean through it from a gun round yet he was untouched. Amazing! If you have not read about George Washington lately hop on down to the Library and pick up a book about him. A true American Hero...... Quote of the day from George Washington: "Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company." Happy Thursday and thanks President Washington! Song of the day: The Greatest Song Ever Written About George Washington - YouTube

    Posted 08-16-2012 at 05:26 AM by dansdrive

11. Friday August 17, 2012 and its 66.5 degrees outside heading up to 90 degrees. Nice! What is even nicer is its Friday, end of the work week for some. For a few years growing up Friday's in the summer were get away days. Get away meaning to the lake camping. Typical summer Friday was cut the lawn and other chores and than around noon start to get the camping gear out. We had it down to a science. Load the tent, cots, sleeping bags, canopy, stove, folding table, box of pots and pans, silverware, lanterns. Fishing poles and tackle. Head to the local store for bread, eggs, bacon, can soup, stick of pepperoni (Harmel of coarse), case of Shasta Soda and Dad would stop at the Distributor to pick up a case of beer. Once the car was loaded up we would head up to pick my cousin up from his house around 3 PM. We would load up his fishing tackle, sleeping bag, and his food for the weekend. Than it was off to the lake. The lake was about 20 minutes away from home so it was close. Once we got there it was time to set up camp. Out came the tent and within 10 minutes or so it was up and ready. In went the cots and sleeping bags. Next the canopy went up and the folding table came out along with the Coleman stove and lanterns. Pots and pans and food stayed in the car until needed. Kept the bugs and critters out of them. By this time we usually were collecting and cutting up the wood for out weekend perpetual bonfire. All we were missing was the 4th member of our camping team. That would be my Uncle. He for out of work at 3:30PM. He worked in a local show factory. That was the days our town had many shoe, dress, pants, machine shops, and other small businesses. They are all gone now... Anyway, back to a typically camping trip. My Uncles job was to stop on the way to the lake a get the spring water. He has two 5 gallon plastic jugs and would stop at a spring water hole on the way to the lake. Our area was gifted with a lot of spring watering holes growing up. People would put in pipes that would allow the water to flow from them so you could fill your jug and glass with fresh spring water. My uncles other important job was to pick up a Pizza for us guys that set up camp. The pizza was usually cool by the time he got to the lake but it was Oh so good! My uncle was a pretty laid back guy. He always had a radio with him and just loved to chill on a lawn chair listening to his radio smoking a Parodi cigar. Once in awhile he would fish but it was more for show than substance. After camp was set up and we ate and started the campfire it was time to turn our attention to fishing. We would head down to the lake with poles in hand, Uncles radio and proceed to the dock that want out into the lake. Here would would spend the next 4 or 5 hours fishing and mostly talking as the world went by. Being the lake had no electricity the only light was from our Coleman lanterns and flashlights so it was very dark. At night the sky would be awesome, stars lite the nights sky like a firefly's convention. My Uncle and Dad would talk politics, family, and work while my cousin and I would cruise the shore line for whatever we could see. In the dark the shoreline would come alive with frogs and crayfish. Oh yea and sometimes we even got a fish on our poles! Just a fantastic time that played out a many a years.............. Quote of the day from Larry Wilcox: "Another thing I like to do is sit back and take in nature. To look at the birds, listen to their singing, go hiking, camping and jogging and running, walking along the beach, playing games and sometimes being alone with the great outdoors. It's very special to me." Happy Friday and I could not say it any better than Mr. Wilcox. Enjoy your day, weekend, and if your lucky enough...your weekend camping trip!

    Posted 08-17-2012 at 05:27 AM by dansdrive

12. Monday August 20, 2012 and its a wet 69.7 degrees outside showering its way up to 82 degrees today. The weekend went by faster than a dollar of Federal spending! Zippiddy-dough-da! Or something like that. I don't know about you but I did not accomplish one thing this weekend. Well I tae that back. I did finish the book I was reading on George Washington. What an amazing man. The more I read about him the more fascinated I become of this man. The title bestowed on him as the Father of our Country is fitting. The trials and tribulations this man went through as a person, a leader, and a Patriot were just amazing. Was his accomplishments pure luck or were they Divine Providence? He was either the luckiest man to live on the face of this earth or he had some help from the one above. Even he felt that him and our country was guided by the hand from above. I believe he was right. Fighting in his time was close combat, nothing fancy, load and shot one shot at a time with an occasional cannon ball whizzing around. He had a battle where two horses were shot out under him and when the smoke of battle cleared he was able to take stock in his personal being. And to the amazement of himself and his troops he had been hit four times, hold it, back up....five times with shots. His heavy coat had four slug holes in it and his three pointed had had one slug hole in it! Yet not a single slug found its way to his flesh....not a one! Divine Providence or luck....you can be the judge of that! He loved this land so much and gave up so much of his adult life to serving it. I am always awe struck when I read quotes him or his contemporaries made. The insight and forward looking is astonishing to me. How the framers of our country such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and George Washington knew the birth out our nation and form of government was an experiment. Fought hard for yet could vanish in the quarreling of the colonies and its people. How they stated back than that our new form of government will only work for for a moral people. How debt will break our union quicker than any standing army. These were all prophesies back than and more and more are coming to pass today. Luck, whacked out Patriots, I think not. Quote of the day from George Washington, January 8, 1757: "By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability and expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, altho' death was levelling my companions on every side." Happy Monday, Happy the Patriot, Happy, just being Happy!

    Posted 08-20-2012 at 05:18 AM by dansdrive

13. Tuesday August 21, 2012 and its 70.0 degrees outside heading on up to 81 degrees. Nice! Bit more rain on tap for today give or take a few percentages. I remember late August and early September being pear harvesting time. We had a big ole pear tree in our backyard that would produce a lot of pears. This was the time of the year they would turn yellow and drop from the tree. Before we could mow the lawn they had to be picked up. The trick of picking them up was making sure the bees were off of them. The bees and ants loved pears! Imagine that. I remember being stung a time or two before I caught on to make sure the pears were clear of bees. Bird would come down and peck at them too. The yellower they were the softer they were. We would literally get a bushel full of rotten pears from the ground below the tree at this time of the year. We also got bushel full of good pears picked from the trees. We had a many a jars of canned pears on our shelves on the basement. Plus we would give a lot away to family and neighbors. By early September I was done with pears. We had a peach tree as well as my grandfather had one in his year so was fully peached out by this time too! By this time of the year the garden was coming to an end as well. The Zucchini's were gigantic that were still on the plants. The Bell peppers were plentiful, the onion and garlic plants were still in the ground and not quite ready to be picked but time was getting close. Tomato's were rip and the weekend canning of them had begun. We had about 24 tomato plants and my Dad would still but a bushel or two of ripe tomato's from a local produce store. He would get them for $2 a bushel. Yield was about 80% as a number were to ripe and rotten to be canned. I can remember washing and cutting up into chunks a many tomatoes and tossing them in the big pots to stew. Once the they were strewed for a while they went into the canning jars. Sometime some of the strew went through the tomato grinder to remove the seeds and skin prior to canning. Our basement smelled like tomatoes for the whole weekend and every weekend of the fall. Growing up Italian meant a lot of things and some of them were, pasta every Sunday with extended family. Pasta was always home made as was the sauce. Sauce was canned tomatoes, store bought tomato paste, fresh sage leaves from the garden....getting that Sage leaf was the added treat in your pasta dish, garlic, salt pepper, all ingredients were measured by the Mom method. a.k.a. a pinch of this and a pinch of that. No measurement cups required! Than on special occasions there was a pork chop or two in the sauce pan or a piece of steak. Oh baby!!! Quote of the day from James H. Aughey: "When our will runs parallel with the will of God, no cross is formed; but when our will runs counter to God's will, a cross is formed which is heavy to be borne." Happy Tuesday and what kind of crosses do you have going on? ...think parallel friends...think parallel!

    Posted 08-21-2012 at 06:45 AM by dansdrive

14. Wednesday August 22, 2012 ans its 70.2 degrees outside heading on up to 81 degrees with some showers maybe complete with thunder and lightning. We are coming up to the real nice time of living in the south. The extended falls where the humidity is low and the temps are just about right! Where the grass gets to be planted again and starts to grow. Sometimes called spring II. Sweet! It also made me think of change. That is a subject that scares a lot of us. Yet change is exactly what we need in life sometimes whether we want it or not. As a kid change was not nearly as frightening as when we have become adults. We get set in our ways and our habits and anything that disrupts that is usually bad...well at least that is what we think. Let me take you back to a major change in our old neighborhood growing up. It had to do with that old abandoned park. I don't have the history of that park and I tried to look it up but found little information on it. I got bits and pieces from my parents but they did not live in the neighborhood when the park was a park either. But this park was one city block deep and about one and a half city blocks wide. It set on the side of a hill. In fact it had three distinct tiers. Both sides of the park were lined with stone steps, how many I can't say yet for 7 years we traversed those steps to our grade school. Day in and day our up and down the steps. After those steps it was nearly straight up another city block to our school on the top of the hill. Thank goodness it was all downhill going home! Anyway, back to the park, across the front of the park was a wall about six feet high made of the same stone the steps where made from. The center piece of this stonework was a grand staircase that traversed the center of the park....imagine that? The center staircase at the lower end of the park split into a 'Y' and each leg was curved upward to the center. The stone work was really cool. Now guess who did all that stone work....goes back to the great depression. How I know that is; they always placed a stone in there work that had their initials 'WPA'. Now I know some of you know exactly who they were. Works Progress Administration (renamed during 1939 as the Works Project Administration; WPA. Created as part of the new deal to put unemployed people back to work. Our city was full of public work projects by the unemployed. Their legacy lives on. Unfortunately some of it as in the park I am talking about has disappeared. But not all, my next submission will explain what stayed and what went from our neighborhood abandoned park. Quote of the day from Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Confidence... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live." Happy Wednesday and honesty and honor are fine words to live by forever!

    Posted 08-22-2012 at 08:03 AM by dansdrive

15. Thursday August 23, 2012 and its 68.5 degrees outside heading on up to 88 degrees. With chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Just another late summer day on tap. Speaking of late summers day we spent a many of them in that old abandoned park. The stone work as I mentioned yesterday was pretty cool and the workers that made those steps during that era of American history were pretty cool too. As we got into our early teens the park we played in, dreamed in, learned in, and got into trouble in was about to change forever. I can remember walking through the park en-route to somewhere and seeing surveyors stakes throughout the park. They showed up in high grass parts, near tall trees, and in open areas. What was going on we thought? My Dad seemed to always know what was going on in the neighborhood when I was a kid. So who better to ask than Dad. Well Dad knew what was going on. He said they are building a senior apartment building. My heart sunk, I thought; WHAT? Not in our park. That has been fields and trees and open land as long as I can remember. For us city kids having open areas to play were hard to come by. Baseball, football, and tag were all played in our neighborhood street. Our city streets were narrow, they had parking on one side of the street and traffic on the other side. So they were no more than two car widths wide and they were the street, the alleyways were usually one car width wide. By we played a many a baseball and football games on those streets. Uncle Leo's car passenger side mirror was first base. The chalk made square in the middle of the raod was second and the NO Parking on Wednesday's was third base. For football the curb was out of bounds and the parked cars color in we didn't know who owned it was the end zone. Anyway back to the park, the one that would be disappearing from our neighborhood. We would be the last generation to use that park to advance our childhoods imagination! Within weeks the equipment start to show up and the large trees we climbed and made tree houses in were cut down, the paths we took that traversed the park were ripped up. The secret hiding places we had made over the years were ripped out. All that was left was the stone steps on both side of the park. The large majestic center staircase was tore out and carted away. The area laid a wasteland of barren dirt and rock. It was just amazing to watch that transformation take place. Not one more generation of neighborhood kids would have the experience to play and learn in that abandoned park. No more playing cowboys and Indians, Army, hide-n-go-seek, sliding down the hills on plastic sheets and cardboard, hiding high above the roadway that went in front of the park and let snowballs rain down on the passing cars, no more trees to set high up in and look over the city and dream where one would be in 5, 10, or 20 years. That old abandoned park stood as a centurion to our neighborhood youth. It was coming to an end. Next time I will write about the building process and the fun we had during that time. We were in our early teens now and fear we had not learned yet which made for some interesting times. Quote of the day by Betty Smith: " “Dear God," she prayed, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere - be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.” Happy Thursday and Ms Smith said allot and I will echo the Thanks be to God for letting me experience all of the above.

    Posted 08-23-2012 at 06:16 AM by dansdrive

16. Friday August 24, 2012 and its 72.6 degrees down from 81 cloudy degrees. Start the presses, its a late post. Laptop issues today...in fact had to get a loaner till mine can be fixed. Right from the get go this AM it was as they say one key less than a full keyboard! But the loaner has worked flawlessly and I B typin! Happy Friday evening! Now where was I with my story of the old abandoned parks demolition. As I said yesterday the park was cleared and all the generational memories of our neighborhoods youth were taken away dunk truck by dump truck. They cut into the now baron hill that was once trees and high grasses. Truckload after truckload took out the dirt until the top part of the hill became a cliff that stood at least 30 feet high from its base. After a few weeks they poured the concrete footers. We now had some idea how big this senior apartment building was going to be. What we did not know was the height of the building. That would come much later. We use to head up to the work site in the late afternoons after the workers were long gone. It fascinated us to see the equipment and how the project was progressing. We never damaged any of the equipment not messed up the work sight. It just was not our way growing up. We respected other peoples property. That virtual was given to us by our parents in those days. How lucky we were. Anyway, we did manage to get into a bit of trouble at the work site one day. On the upper end of the hill when then created a 30 foot dirt and rock wall so the work site could be level to build the structure. The 30 foot wall was just to tempting to not climb. So a few of us started to climb it. This was the days long before the simulated rock climbing wall or all the safety ropes climbers use today. This was just a few 13 and 14 year old's looking for a challenge. We found it. We climbed up the loose dirt and rocks on the side of that man made wall. Some got part way up and either fell or climbed back down. No one made up the full climb. I got about 20 feet up that wall and basically got stuck. I could go no high and I found myself actually to scared to come back down. I was the last one standing sort of speak on the wall. If I tried to go higher I was loosing my grip and my feet were slipping on the loose rocks and soil. I remember being scared to let go of the stone I was holding onto for fear of falling down about 20 feet to the bottom. What made it far worse was that the foundation footer was close to that wall. The footer was pour concrete complete with many steel re-bars sticking out of it like steel stakes to impale anyone that fell on them. Well I was now about 20 feet above those re-bars dangling above them. Not good.....I remember thinking why did I climb this hill? I knew I could not go higher do I took my chances coming back down. I got about two steps down my decent and than then I slipped and came down quicker than a skydiver with and anvil in his parachute pack! <Beep> <Beep> for those that remember the old Roadrunner cartoons. I was on the bottom of the hill in what seemed to be a slip second. The slip was best a measure of time and not body if you know what I mean. Through sheer luck or Divine Providence I landed between two of those steel re-bar stakes! Whew! Other than a few scraps and bruises I made it! Never tried that again. That hill stayed King! We left it alone from then on out. Over time they assembled large steel girders vertically from the foundation corners and various places around the foundations. Those steel girders where put in place with a big crane. They stood at least 40 or 50 feet straight up. They really cool part of this building assembly was coming up with the floors this building would have. That will come next time..... Quote of the day from Robert E. Lee: " We failed, but in the good providence of God apparent failure often proves a blessing." Happy Friday and I felt blessed that day I was not impaled or injured. Mr. Lee could not have said it better for me. With that I wish you a blessed weekend!

    Posted 08-24-2012 at 08:15 PM by dansdrive

17. Monday August 27, 2012 and its 67.7 degrees outside heading on up to 89 degrees. Bit of a cloudy weekend. I did mange to get deep into a project I had been thinking about since I found the problem. I had a piece of trim molding on my siding that rotted out and needed to be changed. This was the weekend to change it. Also, got the ladders out and emptied the gutters and found a window frame that needed some TLC. But before I could do any of that I had to send a few guest packing..... These guest were spiders! My eves became party central for the 8-legged give me the jimmies bugs! I counted 5 different types that called the upper area of my home....well home! They ranged from little to Holy Schlitz! But the broom, water, and insect repellant had them repelling down the side of the house! Quick-like! This was Saturday's adventure. Sunday's was closer to the ground to repair that defective molding piece. So off to the Home of the Depot, land of the Sunday Carpenters! To fetch the wood, nails, paint, and primer I needed. Grand total for materials needed $65...getting it done Priceless! The molding piece was right were the siding starts at the bottom of the house and just above a decorative piece of 1" x 10" pine board. I replace that while too, I was at it as that was starting to rot as well. I had a lot of help yesterday, the friendly backyard mosquitoes were out in full force. Must of been a shortage in the old mosquito blood bank! Even with the insect repellant they were biting me like Parana's at a smorgasbord! Dang-it! Anyway, I got the bottom 1" x 10" board off and had to get the molding piece off without disturbing the siding as that would of been a major job. So I was successful. I primed the 1" x 10" x 8 foot board 2x on both sides and got it up. Whole job took about 4 hours but now is done less the painting. I will paint it all this week sometime plus the upper winder that needed the TLC. It was a win/win. I got the project done and the mosquitoes ate well! Tomorrow I will pick up where I left off on the senior living building they built in the old abandoned park... Quote of the day from Galatians 5:22 (KJV): " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith," Happy Monday and sometimes all one needs is to think about the above to get through your day......especially on Monday's!

    Posted 08-27-2012 at 05:58 AM by dansdrive

18. August 28, 2012 and its 67.1 degrees heading on up to 91 degrees. Nice! On top of that its Tuesday and that always just sounds better than Monday! Now back to the building of that senior citizen building in our old abandoned park. Once the towering vertical steel supports were all up it was time to put in the floors. They accomplished this in a way I had never seen before that time. They bought in many large compressors and a lot of air lines. The building was four stories if my memory serves me right. The floors was all poured on the ground. It looked like the bottom floor was over a foot thick but they thickness turned out to be all the floors compressed on each other. Somehow and to this day I do not know how, they lifted each floor up to its location with the use of high pressure air. It was a slow tedious job. Slowly and methodically the floor rose from the base to each rightful location. That was really cool. The scientific name for this method was Lift Slab Construction. This method was first introduced in the 1950's. Pretty cool! Once all the floors were in place and secured they began to install the building mechanical systems and miles of wires, pipes, and heating / cooling ducts. Of coarse as 13 and 14 year old's we had to inspect the floors of the building and the view from them was nothing we had no seen from the trees we use to have our tree houses in. But still was pretty neat.... Quote of the day from Walk Disney: “All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” Happy Tuesday and Walt knew a little something about dreaming..........If today is your moment let it last a lifetime!

    Posted 08-28-2012 at 06:47 AM by dansdrive

19. Wednesday August 29, 2012 and its 74.4 degrees outside heading on up to 86 degrees. Good golly the morning flew by like an ant on the way to a picnic basket!! But it is a great day, great in so many ways, how many you may ask...well let me count. 1. I woke up. 2. I gave thanks to the one above. 3. I got dressed. 4. I was able to come to work. 5. I am busy, busy, busy.... 6. to infinity. Really don't matter all that much to me! Do to my tardiness on this post I will not continue my story of the building today....that will wait for tomorrow! Quote of the day from Jacques Prévert: "Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it." Happy Wednesday and Jacques......thanks!

    Posted 08-29-2012 at 09:38 AM by dansdrive

20. Thursday August 30, 2012 and its 70.9 degrees outside heading on up to 90 degrees. Chance of thundershowers today. Now on to the building project.... Once the building rose from its foundation and they closed in the walls we were not able to mill around it anymore. So we watched from the outside. Never did get to see the building from the inside once it was finished. But it now stood as a centurion in our changed neighborhood. Instead of generations of kids using the area to play and expand our creativity, over come fears and learn some new ones, day dream on the hills of that old park about what the future will bring to us. The building was not able to provide seniors a place to live out their years and they to can dream of the future, they too will over come fears and get new ones, they too will expand their creativity if they so chose. So, all in all, the building adjusted the spectrum from us kids to older adults. It also allowed for more people to experience those things than the few neighborhood kids from my generation and all those that came before mine. As they say with age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes less regrets. As a teen that change to our neighborhood was incomprehensible! As an adult that change provided more good than harm. But one thing my generation and all the previous ones that used that park will always have is our memories of a daydream in a tree house over looking our city, a super fast slide down a snowy hill or snow covered stone staircase on a cardboard box or sheet of plastic, a star filled night sky, a bruised knee or elbow from a fall as one ran through the parks seemingly endless paths, catching a girl or two in a game of re-leave-eo....... Quote of the day from Albert Einstein: “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Happy Thursday and Albert oh Albert, how smart you were........has your thinking changed? Song of the day....kick back and enjoy! Wildfire- Michael Martin Murphey - YouTube

    Posted 08-30-2012 at 05:22 AM by dansdrive

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