The Little Rascals!

You've gotta admit that this photo looks like something from the "Little Rascals", right? I can see kids that look a bit like Alfalfa, Darla, Butch, Scotty, and even Mickey! (Played by Robert Blake, who was also Berretta)
Anyway, this was the gang in the St. Louis housing projects where I spent my formative years. That is me in front eating something, as usual.


The only reason I showed you this old photo is because I absolutely love old photos! Especially the ones where they don't smile. It looks like they're standing in front of a firing squad in some of those old pictures!, like they're scared to death! Maybe they thought the camera would steal their soul.
The photo to the right is of my great grandma and grandpa who lived WAY back in the Ozark mountains of south east Missouri. They were hard, rough and tough folks who farmed and ran a sawmill. You can tell how hard a life they lived when you realize they were only 29 when this picture was taken. Just kidding.
This is not about them, anyway. I just want you to see the cool old photos.




Here's a good one of my Mom holding my big brother Dave ( Who is 76 years old now), my Grandma and my Aunt Mel. Notice my Mom has a smile on her face?
That was my Mom. Always cheerful, singing, whistling (She could whistle beautifully, that was BIG back then), and laughing. She didn't care if nobody else was smiling, if she wanted to smile nobody was gonna stop her! But, this isn't about my Mom or Grandma, OR Aunt Mel.
This is about the wonderful old photos from the "olden days!"










Don't you love this one? Well, I do. Remember my Grandma in the photo up above? Well, this is my Grandma with the light hair and her sister Alice with the dark hair. Or vice versa. I think that is correct but I'm not really sure. The shoes are awesome, aren't they?
They just don't make people like my Grandma and Aunt Alice anymore. I remember when...
Oh, right, I'm getting off the subject again. This is all about old photographs, not my relatives.









Super cool picture of my Dad in front of an antique car! Of course, it wasn't antique then, was it?
My Dad was the greatest baseball player I ever saw. He tried out for the Cardinals and when they called him back for his final tryout he had broken his collar bone. Then ww2 broke out and he went into the Army and...There I go again! This isn't about my Dad!
I hope you enjoyed the old photos!

Magnificent Mineral Springs Park At Sunrise!

I am blessed to live just a few blocks from Mineral Springs Park in Pekin, Illinois. It is one of the most beautiful parks I've ever seen. No, it is not as big as Golden Gate Park or Knotts Berry Farm in California, but I think it's just as lovely.





I walked to this magnificent park this morning and took a few pictures to share with you. I need to come here more often. I grew up in St. Louis just minutes away from Forrest Park and the Botanical Gardens, and hardly ever took the time to enjoy the beauty within a "stone's throw" from me, to
use a biblical term.


The flowers that grace the park are awesome and BIG! They must use Miracle Grow or something like that because I've never been able to grow enormous flowers like they have at this paradisaic park. Of course, I never put anything on my flowers to help them grow and I usually forget to water them. Oh, and sometimes I accidentally run over them with the lawnmower if I've had too many beers. Let me venture a guess that the groundskeepers here are "tea-totalers because they do a wonderful job!

This is extremely cool! This fascinating park has a great statue of Senator Everett McKinley Dirkson, one of the greatest politicians of all time, who had the greatest deep gravel voice I've ever heard! I thought he sounded like a grown up "Froggy" from the "Little Rascals." Tragically, William Laughlin, the real "Froggy" was hit by a bus while he was delivering newspapers on his motor scooter in 1948. Why was a big star like "Froggy" delivering newspapers?


These are the words that are on the back of the statue. Can you see why he was considered such a great guy? Did the letters just get bigger? Oh, well, Everett deserves big letters. "There is no force so powerful as an idea whose time has come."
It was not until 1964, that many diverse and powerful forces combined with the personal courage of the U.S. Senate minority leader and senior senator from Illinois, Everett McKinley Dirksen, to pass the most meaningful civil rights legislation in nearly a century: the Civil Rights
Act of 1964.

One of the supreme pleasures of Mineral Springs Park is the abundance of waterfowl. Ducks and geese abound at the lagoon. I especially love the baby ducklings and geeselings! ( I can't spell goslings)
Yes, there is a lot of duck/geese "fazool" on the sidewalk around the lagoon but the park attendants keep it cleaned off pretty good.
By the way, does a duck's quack echo?







The park has a huge playground area for the kiddies, with soft wood chips for them to land in when they fall from the equipment. When I was a kid growing up in the St. Louis housing projects, we had a playground but no wood chips. Just hard concrete to land on. I struck my head dozens of times on that concrete and look at me, I'm phyne! I'm just PHYNE! Tee hee!










I put this photo in to show that it was sunrise at this glorious park.
See that little shining light to the right of the gazeebo and above the trash can? That's the sun.
No! It is NOT a U.F.O.! I think you've been watching the History Channel on Thursdays too much, where they talk about ancient aliens, the Roswell Incident, area 51, the alien spacecraft that crashed landed in Aurora Texas in the 1800's...What? I'm the one that's been watching that U.F.O. stuff too much? No, no! You're the one that brought it up, not me! Hey, let's stop arguing and go on with the abduction, uh, I mean, PRODUCTION of this photo tour of Mineral Springs Park.




There is absolutely nothing sadder than this. A lost doggy poster on a tree in the park. I hope they get Daisy back. This kind of thing breaks my heart. I guess there has been a rash of dognappings in the area and that is about as low as it gets. Most people view their dogs as family members and having one stolen is like having a child stolen. What a sad world we live in.










O.K. A gorgeous stroll around the lagoon and we are back where we started.
In all seriousness, if you are in the Pekin, Illinois area, come visit this "gem" in the middle of town and bring the kids!

Meet Me at Constipation And Diarrhea!

I love cute unusual street names, like Bow Wow Boulevard for a street with a doggy shelter or A- Hole Avenue for a few city blocks of proctologists. Psychiatrists might name their street Wacky Way! However, there are some names that seem to be taboo for street names. For instance, Diarrhea Drive or Constipation Court. Hey, did you hear about that accident on the corner of Snot and Vomit? What if you lived on Leprosy Lane or Puke Parkway? So, give me directions to your house! Well, you start out on Spit Street and make a right on Hitler Highway. Go about two miles and make a left on Jeff Dahmer Drive. Make another left on Casey Anthony Court and you're there! Let's see, Lynch Mob Lane, Decapitate Drive, Armageddon Avenue, Poop Place, Sist Street, Booger Boulevard... Now, what disgusting street names can you come up with?

Danny Maness is going to church?

Yes! I go to church every Sunday.
Now, you may be thinking, "But, Danny, you're a big, dysfunctional, wacked out sinner!"
Duh! Why do you think I need to go to church so badly!

Doris Day Is Coming Out With A New Album!

There is still hope for me! Doris Day is coming out with a new album at age 87! Let's see, I'm 61 so I've still got 26 years to to get ready. Whew! What relief! I was starting to think I was over the hill but I'm a spring chicken compared to her!
Oh, how I loved the sweet voice of Doris Day in my younger days. Now, let me think; When she was 20 I was -6. When she was 30 I was 4. When she was 40 I was 14? I had the HOTS for Doris Day when I was 14? I didn't know she was 40! That makes me feel kind of weird. I wonder if I can find a picture of myself at 14. Close enough! That's me, number 72. I was actually 17 but that's pretty close if you ask me. See that boyish, dumb looking expression? Can you believe I was having abnormal thoughts about Doris Day at that very moment. She was 43 at the time, for heavens sake! However, you have to admit she LOOKED 30. That's not so bad, is it?
Anyway, I got away from the main subject; the lovely VOICE of Doris Day. Remember, Que Sera Sera? Pronounced Quay Sarah Sarah. I loved that song almost as much as this one: " I hear the cotton woods whiperin' above, Ta-a-my Ta-a- my Tammy's in love, the old hooty owl hooty hoots to the dove... That one really gave me "feelings" for Doris. Chihuahua! Pronounced Chi-hoowa-hoowa. Maybe I'll include a picture of a Chihuahua here: Close enough!
My whole point being that I can still make something out of myself at 61 if Doris Day can come out with an album at 87! ( God, I hope her voice doesn't sound all weak , quivery and scratchy.) Right? Here is a small sample of my musical talents. Let me know what you think.

A Blogging We Will Go

Oh, a blogging we will go, a blogging we will go, hi ho the dario, a blogging we will go!
I feel GOOD today! Did you ever have one of those mornings that you felt like it was the first day of the rest of your life and you could accomplish anything your little heart desired? Me neither. Although, I DO feel GREAT this morning, if you don't feel good, I will share my joy and happiness with you. Ready...Here it comes:

If You Ain't Been There You Don't Know

That's me in front. The little guy with something in his hands. My guess is a balony sandwich. I loved balony sandwiches.
My sister Dee-Dee is behind me with the adorable smile.
Doesn't it look like a scene from the "Little Rascals?"
Here is something I've learned over the years. It is unwise to judge people, because we have no idea what their lives have been like or how much they've suffered or been abused. They may have a painful disability that you can't see or have lost loved ones recently. Maybe they have been made fun of because of their looks, the way they talk, or even the way they walk. They may have no money to go to the laundromat and wash their clothes or even buy soap to wash with.
Don't you wish your friends would always give you the benefit of the doubt when you are the center of some accusation and have fingers pointing at you.
I write these words because I've been at both ends of this spectrum, as the accuser and the accused. I am ashamed because of accusing my friends of things that were only in my paronoid imagination, and I can have empathy for those who have been accused and been made fun of throughout their lives.
This song and video was produced with the afore mentioned thoughts in mind.