HOW TO FEEL LIKE A ROCK STAR

Take your grandchildren to grandparents day at their school.

Many days before grandparents day rolled around at Woodrow Wilson Elementary school, where my granddaughters attend, they were filled with excitement that we would be there!

Brooklin and Breanna kept reminding us every time we saw them, to make sure we wouldn't forget.

Come on, how many times is ANYONE that excited you're gonna do something with them, unless you're Mick Jagger or Eric Clapton!

I remember back in the olden days when I went to grade school, very few people showed up for the family type days.

However, lots of women didn't even drive back then, (yes, I'm that old) especially not grandmas, that's if your grandparents were still alive. (The life expectancy was much lower back then.) (Yes, I'm very old, thank you)

With this in mind, I was blown away by the hundreds of grandparents that showed up at W.W. Elementary for their grandkids!

Wow! The line went from the front door,  all the way down  the long sidewalk to the street, and then curved down another sidewalk for a long way!

Fortunately, we were second in line, because we are the type who are ALWAYS disgustingly early. The irritating kind of folks that show up for your barbecue 2 hours early, so you can't get anything done. It's a sickness!

Rock stars! That's how we felt when we entered the school, as Brooklin and Bre Bre proudly and loudly introduced us to all their teachers and principles, and any staff members in our path!

We were herded into the gym where tables were set up with donuts! We all grabbed a delicious donut (although that's a no no for a diabetic like me, but I didn't want to disappoint the kids, HA!), and sat down at one of those tables that is hard to slide into, like a park bench.

It was fun watching the different styles of grandparents. Some in nice clothes, some in slobby clothes, and my favorites were the long haired hippy granddads with beards and headbands! How cool is dat!

The grandkids didn't even seem to notice that their hippy grandparents were weird! They acted like they loved them, and they hugged them just as if they were "normal!" 

Just kidding folks, I used to be a hippy many moons ago! 

It was so cute to see the kids faces light up when they saw one of their little friends, like they hadn't seen them for years! I didn't take my video camera because I wasn't sure if cameras  were allowed with all the security stuff going on now.

Sad, isn't it?

My wife took Breanna to her classroom, and I took Brooklin to hers. Brooklin is in second grade and Breanna is in kindergarten.

Just a sidebar...Why do all the teachers look like super models nowadays? My grammer school teachers looked like old hags, with long dresses, deep voices, and warts on their noses, if memory serves me correctly. 

On the other hand, it could be that I'm so ancient and blind, I'm just imaginating the teachers to be so "hot!'

I read that smells bring back memories more than anything else, and I believe that's true.

Brooklin and I were coloring at her desk, and the smell of the crayons brought me right back to my old elementary school 57 years ago.

57 years ago!!! Chihuahua, that's over half a century! It can't be!!!

One of the coolest things was when the announcement came on the loud speaker for us to say the Pledge Of Allegiance! 

Talk about memory overload! 

We stood there with our hands over our hearts and said the Pledge together ( I remembered the words), and thank God, it still included "under God!" That was AWESOME and emotional to me!

Another really emotional thing was as I was leaving a little boy grabbed my hand and wanted to go with me. 

His grandparents were not there.

Then, it really broke my heart when I turned around and noticed that Brooklin was crying, because I was leaving! 

My wife said that Bre Bre was cool about her leaving, but Breanna is extremely extroverted and happy to be with her friends, anyway! Especially her boyfriend Landon, who she always has to be separated from, because they are talking too much! She is 6, Oh, dear! Ha Ha Ha!

Yes, going to grandparents day has to be one of the best experiences for building up your self worth, because your grandkids will adore you no matter how wrinkled and ugly you are! 

Even if you're an old biker, or a recycled hippy! HA HA HA HA! 

Silly Saturday

I'm a fan of really silly people!

I don't mean comics on television, but REAL live people who are not afraid to act silly.

My radio friend, Greg Batton, comes to mind first and foremost!

As most of you know, he hosts a radio talk show here in Peoria called The Greg and Dan Show. (No, I'm not that Dan)

https://www.facebook.com/TheGregandDanShow

He can be very serious when he talks about serious stuff, but then he can be so silly, and even kind of bizarre at times. 

That's when the show gets really good! 

This is never scripted! I know, because I've been on his show twice, and it's "fly by the seat of your pants" time!

I don't know what the seat of your pants has to do with flying, but everything on the show is totally impromptu, and it's loads of fun just "winging it!"

Another flight reference that doesn't make much sense to me.

What was my point?

Uh..um...sillyness...that's it!

Greg and his sidekick Dan make the show fun to watch, because they act silly! ( And that's really an accomplishment since it's hard to sit and WATCH a radio!

However, I have a lot of other silly friends who are not watched on the radio!

Cheryl (Yellow Rose) Merritt makes me laugh every single day with her blog and comments, because she has no fear of being silly!

http://mimcherylanne.blogspot.com/2013/09/just-stuff-n-seasons-with-drop-of.html?spref=fb

She will write things like "hugsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss," and "coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool," and be so giggly and as enthusiastic as a little girl! 

I LOVE THAT! It tickles my innards!

In fact, almost every one of my YouTube friends are super silly! 

The Daveman

Gounderus

Kate

JIM

And Manolis

Silly people that I love,

Who always make me smile,

I wish the whole wide worm was silly,

Then there would be no war!

Hey, that didn't rhyme!

I am postponing my regular blog today for something way more important.

My friend made a video to give hope to anyone who has, or is, suffering from abuse of any kind.

Please watch this if you have gone through what Cheryl went through...It's called HOPE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IqAvZIUTzM&feature=em-uploademail

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

THE OAK TREE AND THE YELLOW ROSE

A yellow rose in the garden,

Delicate as it could be,

Beautiful and innocent

Beside an old oak tree.

The tree said, "I'll protect you,

And guard you from the wind,

You're such a thing of beauty,

And need a mighty friend!"

The rose, she smiled and thanked him,

Then bowed her head and prayed,

For the strong and giant oak tree,

Who made her unafraid.

The oak tree kept his word to her,

He loved her like his child,

And guarded her from driving rain,

And when the wind blew wild.

A little girl would come each day,

To see the yellow rose,

She said, "You are so very pretty,

Like my lovely yellow bows."

The little girl could plainly see,

The love between the rose and tree,

And how they kept each other growing,

With love alone, with sweet life flowing.

So when her father came to fell,

The great oak tree, the wood to sell,

The little girl stood in between,

The lovers in the woodland green.

The little girl began to cry,
"If you kill this tree the rose will die,
I love this flower, this you know,
Because you call me Yellow Rose."

Her father shed a caring tear,

His daughter was so very dear,

And spared the oak tree, still it grows,

Rescued by a Yellow Rose.
By Danny Maness

OUT OF THIS WORLD WEDNESDAY

When you view the magnificent, gorgeous planet of Glirka, that has existed for hundreds of billions of years, it makes your little heart beat faster, and causes you to tingle all over with exquisite chills...maybe I'm thinking of something else that does that, but seeing Glirka is pretty close!

Although many enemies have tried to destroy this ancient blue planet and it's inhabitants, the Glirkazoids, all attempts have been foiled by the legendary heroes from it's glorious past! 

Now, to be honest, Glirka was totally destroyed in my book, Hitchin', God's Way...HOWEVER, later on, Gary the Glirkazoid and Yellow Rose went back in time to stop the evil Oglama from blowing up our beloved Glirka!

I'll have to tell you that exciting story one day!

Actually, time travel is the basic way Glirkazoids travel throughout all the dimensions in the universe.

They do have spaceships, shuttle craft, flying disks, pink bicycles, hover scooters...but time travel is their favorite mode of transportation.

Some of the legendary warriors that saved the great planet of Glirka were 

Mork and Mindy...

 Laverne and Shirley...

 Alf... 

The Smothers Brothers...

Ian Anderson...

The Moody Blues...

Chris Martin...

You thought these were just T.V. characters and entertainers, riiight? 

El, no no! These are ALL time travelers who have existed for billions of eons of time to save and protect the innocent, lovable creatures around the universe, and their awesome, diverse planets!

HOWEVER...everybody knows that the greatest of all the mighty adventurers is the magnificent team of cute warrior Glirkazoids...Gary and Yellow Rose!!  

Who are secretly in love with each other.

We will be joining them on their exciting, frightening, and funny adventures every Wednesday until the end of tom!

Then when Tom kicks the bucket, who knows!

JOIN US ON OUR NEXT "OUT OF THIS WORLD WEDNESDAY," AND BE SHOCKED AND AMAZED!

Have a nice day!

TRAVELIN' TUESDAY

Speaking of traveling, I would love to be able to visit all of my family and friends before I'm stone cold dead, and they spread my ashes along the St. Francis river in southeast Missouri, where I spent some of my happiest childhood days. (When I told my family I wanted to be cremated, like my native American ancestors, I had to make it clear they needed to wait until I'm dead!)

This is a scene from Shogun, but you get the point.

Of course, I would be doing some traveling when the wind carried my ass, I mean ashes, hither and yon over them Ozark mountain ranges, but it would be kinda nice to actually be able to converse with people instead of just making soot on their clothes.

I have NEVER visited my big brother Dave who has lived in Florida for many moons, but you know the cost of gas nowadays, and flying is out of the question because nobody is gonna frisk me, and take pornagrafical pictures of my magnifico naked body!

My brother, Dick, doesn't want me, and I've visited my sister Dee-Dee recently...I think it was 2009, but I don't wanna wear out my welcome. I do that a lot!

It would be so cool to visit my YouTube friends all over the whole wide worm before I walk through dem pearly gates, or the gates of Hades, which ever comes first. Just kidding, just kidding! I'm a sinner, but mercifully forgiven by a really, really forgiving God! REALLY forgiving!!

Where was I, Oh, YEAH, visiting my YouTube friends in my imagination!

I would love to visit Sara in Norway! It looks so beautiful there, and I'd want to go in winter with all the snow and stuff, pet her dog, Bris, feed a baby sheep, and drink some of that Norwegian booze by a fireplace, and listen to Sara Marie sing. 

Okay, okay, I know I can't drink alcohol without killing myself, and never could afford to fly to Norway, but if I'm gonna dream, I might as well dream BIG, huh?

Traveling to Greece to visit my friend Manolis would be great fun! 

Maybe we could do a music video together, drink ouzo, eat delicious Greek food, and I could meet Jim, Manolis' friend, an alien from outer space! (I wonder if ouzo has any alcohol in it? Probably not.)

I've always wanted to go the the U.K. to "Meet The Beatles" (I hope they're home), visit the tower of London, have fish n' chips, drink Guinness beer (Hey, a stroke won't kill me), and most important, meet my little YouTube friend Kate! She is so nice and would give me a tour around town, I hope.

Arrrg, what if she pretends she doesn't know me, and throws slop water on me while I stand on her doorstep, on an ancient cobblestone street? 

That would still be pretty AWESOME!!

I think visiting my great friend Michael (AKA Gounderus), in New Mexico, would be a laugh a minute riot!

I would absolutely die for an an opportunity to make a funny video with him! (And I just might, if I keep doin' all this imaginary drinking!)

Above all else...more than ANYTHING  I could ever, ever imagine in my wildest imagination, for infinity and BEYOND, would be to visit my BFF, Yellow Rose of Texas, who lives ...guess where?

TEXAS!! Yeah, baby!!! OH, BEHAVE!!!

We love the same movies, music, think alike, have grandkids together...uh..well..not together, like together, we just both have adorable grandkids!

We'd ride around her lake on her pink bike (like in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), except I would ride on the handlebars!

We would battle with snakes, look at her baby birds, drink wine from her garden jug (it would be worth it), sing silly songs, read sections of my dysfunctional books to her grandchildren, do a video to make all our YouTube friends jealous, laugh...UNCONTROLLABLY, cry a little, listen to Coldplay and the Moody Blues, 

watch the Texas sunsets, watch baby turtles hatching, and be so tired by 9 P.M. that I'd have to crawl to my pup tent and go to bed! 

It's so wonderful to dream!