What the list really meant

A few days ago my daughter over at puppykisses828.blogspot.com had blog titled "For Dad" with a list of things that conjured up memories for both of us and I thought I would share some of what that list has to do with our past.


There have been movies that I will admit that I got into and watched probably too many times. The first on the list was "War Games" a movie with Matthew Broderick that I still like to watch about a school age boy that gets into trouble with government by hacking into a huge computer system that initiates war while he is just playing a game.


Next on the list is another of my all time favorite movies "The Last Starfighter" about a boy in a trailer park that feels his life is going nowhere and will be stuck in that trailer park for ever until he breaks the record on a video game that triggers an alien to come and collect him to save his planet from bad guys piloting a starfighter.


Then there was old pal MacGyver that I used to watch all the time and would even record the shows on my VCR. He could solve any problem with whatever was close at hand and I thought he was so great. Another hero of mine was Michael Knight on "Knight Rider" with his super trans am that talked and was bullet proof as well as being able to scan anything. It's name was KITT. Then of course there was Stringfellow Hawk on "Airwolf" piloting a helicopter that could fly super fast and could even go into the upper atmosphere.


One of my real heros has been Slyvester Stalone as "Rambo". I have seen them all and have recorded them as well to watch over and over again. I am still hooked on them.


She included "stuffed peppers" on the list because it was something that she probably thought I cooked a few times too many. I still love to cook them and it is a good way to stretch a meal with the rice I would put in the pot with the peppers full of hamburger & onion. Great flavor.


You really had to have been there to appreciate "Pete's". A friend that I have known forever. Pete operated a diner in my home town of Nashville, NC and had the best hamburgers. He also was always whistling and happy. If something happened like getting burned by hot grease he would say "praise God" instead of the usual bad words that others might say .


Growing up in Nashville meant also shopping in "Joyner's Supermarket" operated by Cliff Joyner. All the employees were like family because we had known them for so long and he had the best stuff in his deli department. You could get subs for a fraction of what Subway sold theirs, and the largest piece of lemon or chocolate pie for $1.25.


OK, "Medoc Mountain" refers to the Medoc Mountain State Park about 25 miles from where we lived and has many wonderful trails that we enjoyed walking and just being together in nature. I am sure she still remembers the day we went off the trail and found a growth of blackberries that we ate on for quite a while. A very good memory.


"Happy little trees" brings to memory the many times we watched Bob Ross paint pictures in 30 minutes and he would refer to trees that he created on the canvas as happy little trees. I remember him as a kind, compassionate and very talented artist that is still amazing people on TV even though he is no longer with us.


"Cicadas" of course are the insects that make such a noise in the trees during the summer months. It is also referred to as the "17 year locust" meaning that it burrows under ground for 17 years and comes out and climbs up a tree, molts out of it's outter shell and turns into a winged creature that bores a hole into the tree, lays its eggs and dies. Don't seem like I see them as much since I moved from Nashville.


"National Geographic" was on the list because for many years I collected them and still have them although they are boxed up and in storage since there are so many of them even dating back to the early 1920's. I used to love looking at the ads in there for products that no longer exist like models of automobiles or huge mechanical adding machines.


Now "Camel Crickets", you had to have been there. I have heard them called cave crickets as well. We had them in the old two story house we had in Nashville and they were actually very fragile but looked ferocious with long legs and a mid section that was arched. I was glad to leave that experience behind me when I left Nashville. Haven't seen one in Halifax County.


"Watching thunder storms on the front porch". Yes I find thunder storms calming and soothing and would sit on the porch and watch the sharp lightning light up the sky and listen to the falling rain. Somehow I never felt that it was dangerous.


"Newspaper Route" of course meant that Karen did have a paper route and made some real friends including a voice teacher that gave her free voice lessons which helped her use her beautiful voice singing at church, rest homes and even kareoke with Bucky Covington before he became famous.


"Pool Hall Cheeseburgers". Mr. Joyner who operated the pool hall in Nashville recently died. I make so many trips down the street to his establishment to get his famous cheeseburgers with home made chili that tasted sooooo good. That was the only reason I ever went into his place but it was worth it.


"Alice's Beauty Shop" was a place downtown that we all used to get our hair taken care of and operated by a very nice lady. I will have to say I don't really remember very much about "Mr. Warren's cats".

The last thing on the list was one of all time favorite characters. "Mr. Wizard" and I still use some of his tricks that I learned watching him. The best one is where I take a piece of 8 1/2 X 11 inch copy paper and cut a hole in it big enough to jump through with the piece of paper still in tack. Really, no joke.


This turned into a longer project than I thought it would be but felt it needed to be shared. Have a great rest of the week everyone.