Wednesday, August 31, 2005
To Donate
To donate to the AMERICAN RED CROSS, click HERE. You can designate hurricane relief, or other programs.
Monday, August 29, 2005
OH YEAH!
Marilyn was in the big town twenty five miles south of us last week. It was one of her pick up and delivery days for the kennel. She usually picks up 8 to 10 dogs in the morning and takes them back all groomed and dolled up that evening.
One lady who was a little over nine month's pregnant, met her at the door with the dog. She shoved her dog at Marilyn and said, "Boy, am I glad to see you. This dog is a mess". They agreed that Marilyn would return the dog about 6 P.M.
That evening, she met Marilyn at the door with a rather sheepish look. Seems that after handing her dog to Marilyn, she took the kids to school and came home to find her dog missing. She was frantic that the dog was nowhere to be found and reported the disappearance or possible abduction to the pound, the city dog catcher, the Police, the neighbors and everyone else she could think of.
I'm sure her forehead is a little flatter from that moment when she 'remembered'. Hormones are a wonderful thing.
One lady who was a little over nine month's pregnant, met her at the door with the dog. She shoved her dog at Marilyn and said, "Boy, am I glad to see you. This dog is a mess". They agreed that Marilyn would return the dog about 6 P.M.
That evening, she met Marilyn at the door with a rather sheepish look. Seems that after handing her dog to Marilyn, she took the kids to school and came home to find her dog missing. She was frantic that the dog was nowhere to be found and reported the disappearance or possible abduction to the pound, the city dog catcher, the Police, the neighbors and everyone else she could think of.
I'm sure her forehead is a little flatter from that moment when she 'remembered'. Hormones are a wonderful thing.
New Blogger in the Family
My son Dan, bodyshop owner and all around funny person, is trying his hand at blogging. His premier post is about my two boys, trying to break into the upper crust of society. Go HERE to check him out.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Can You Multiply?
Our neighbors and very good friends, had three kids, all now married and in their 30's. (1 boy and 2 girls)
A few months ago they had 3 grandkids. As of yesterday, they now have 8. Two sets of twins and a single, all born this summer.
The new kids are fortunate. They'll all be raised with good parents and grandparents.
CONGRATULATIONS NEIGHBORS!!
A few months ago they had 3 grandkids. As of yesterday, they now have 8. Two sets of twins and a single, all born this summer.
The new kids are fortunate. They'll all be raised with good parents and grandparents.
CONGRATULATIONS NEIGHBORS!!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
This little four year old calls me Grandpa. She is bold, precocious, and engaging. She introduces herself to everyone she sees and always smiles. She spends all of her waking hours chasing farm cats and trying not to get caught doing things she isn't supposed to be doing. The consensus is, she's a good little girl if you don't take your eyes off of her. But then again, why would you want to.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Our Newest Morrow
This Picture is from our Morrow Family Reunion. Our newest inductee, Ralph, with a couple of the Morrow's. We think this recruit into our family, will significantly increase the family's speed, agility, and overall quickness. We don't, however, think it will help our basketball team, well, at least not in the paint. If he can shoot like his daughter who plays college basketball, we'll let him play anyway.
Monday, August 22, 2005
An Observation
This is the time of year that crickets and grasshoppers invade the heartland. When the ground gets so dry that it begins to crack (sometimes 1 inch wide) in the fields, lawns and along the foundations of buildings. These insects use these cracks for a home or a respite from the heat. They cover our country roads and then the low hanging bumpercovers (learned that term from our bodyshop boys) on our minivans, become heavily speckled with black, green and brown. Insects who have given their lives to make sure I never run out of something to do. If you bother to look at crickets or grasshoppers closely, which I have done on a couple of occasions, you will notice one common malady. Their back legs are never the same size. One big and one small, or one missing.
I believe that is why you always see them walking around. If they hop, they don't have a clue as to where they are going. I call it the 'popcorn effect'. When they hop, they must get the same thrill I used to get, as a child, on the 'Tilt-A-Whirl' at the County Fair. There's an inaudible (to humans) bug yell "SOMEONE'S COMING" and then ooowwwhhheeeee. Or maybe not.
I believe that is why you always see them walking around. If they hop, they don't have a clue as to where they are going. I call it the 'popcorn effect'. When they hop, they must get the same thrill I used to get, as a child, on the 'Tilt-A-Whirl' at the County Fair. There's an inaudible (to humans) bug yell "SOMEONE'S COMING" and then ooowwwhhheeeee. Or maybe not.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
The Hitchhiker
Last April 10th I posted Hanky Panky on the Farm. It was about one of my older brothers seeing one of our farm cats riding on the back of one of our horses.
It's getting spooky now, here on the farm.
We have a lot of cats on this farm. Maybe twenty to thirty. Part live here at our house, the rest up at the end of our mile long lane at my daughter's house.
Last week, my daughter checked for cats, in the box on her big diesel pickup, and being none, she drove down to our place. She parked in the open, away from any buildings. It was just her pick-up, and her, out in the open. She jumps out and three cats, who were up at her place, walk out from under her truck, at our place. They were riding underneath, they caught a ride.
This morning, I drove Marilyn the twenty five miles to the town where she picks up dogs and then brings them back to her shop to groom. We get to the first stop, I put it in park, and one of our farm cats, nonchalantly strolls out from under our van.
The following is my take on this. When the cat stepped out, it was the third time I'd stopped the van on the trip. The other two were stop signs. (not in town) I think the cat hung his head down low enough from under the hood, or maybe looked thru the grill and thought, 'hmmm, this isn't a stop sign, it's a nice place' AND Marilyn's taking the dog! A nice cololnial yellow two story with attached garage. As the cat strolled away from the van toward the garage, he didn't act like he had escaped from a terrible and frightening ride but rather he had the same demeanor as someone stepping off of the State Fair Shuttle. He casually walked with his head on a swivel. "Let's see, the rides are over there, the grilled pork chops over there, and then there's the Quarterhorse Show in the colliseum. What to do, what to do".
Since we had seven or eight dog crates in the van already, Marilyn had plenty of room to let him ride in air conditioned comfort back home.
An old farmer told me once, "Cliff, on a farm, you're either gonna have cats or rats. Cat's are better cuz they don't eat wiring off of tractors and such".
Yeah, but with rats I wouldn't lay awake at night wondering what's going on outside.
It's getting spooky now, here on the farm.
We have a lot of cats on this farm. Maybe twenty to thirty. Part live here at our house, the rest up at the end of our mile long lane at my daughter's house.
Last week, my daughter checked for cats, in the box on her big diesel pickup, and being none, she drove down to our place. She parked in the open, away from any buildings. It was just her pick-up, and her, out in the open. She jumps out and three cats, who were up at her place, walk out from under her truck, at our place. They were riding underneath, they caught a ride.
This morning, I drove Marilyn the twenty five miles to the town where she picks up dogs and then brings them back to her shop to groom. We get to the first stop, I put it in park, and one of our farm cats, nonchalantly strolls out from under our van.
The following is my take on this. When the cat stepped out, it was the third time I'd stopped the van on the trip. The other two were stop signs. (not in town) I think the cat hung his head down low enough from under the hood, or maybe looked thru the grill and thought, 'hmmm, this isn't a stop sign, it's a nice place' AND Marilyn's taking the dog! A nice cololnial yellow two story with attached garage. As the cat strolled away from the van toward the garage, he didn't act like he had escaped from a terrible and frightening ride but rather he had the same demeanor as someone stepping off of the State Fair Shuttle. He casually walked with his head on a swivel. "Let's see, the rides are over there, the grilled pork chops over there, and then there's the Quarterhorse Show in the colliseum. What to do, what to do".
Since we had seven or eight dog crates in the van already, Marilyn had plenty of room to let him ride in air conditioned comfort back home.
An old farmer told me once, "Cliff, on a farm, you're either gonna have cats or rats. Cat's are better cuz they don't eat wiring off of tractors and such".
Yeah, but with rats I wouldn't lay awake at night wondering what's going on outside.
Monday, August 15, 2005
What A Weekend!!
We're back from the Morrow Family Reunion! We do this every other year. Each of my siblings takes turns producing the event, and we move it around the country. Estes Park, Colorado, was this years venue. It was beautiful, and so was the weather. Mother nature had tried to kill off those of us who are Nebraskans, with heat and humidity, the past month, so the cool dry air was really welcome.
Several families rent large rooms and have impromptu party's. We were celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary in one room and the host couple and their kids were hosting another party in their room.
If you were bored, and with no one to talk to, you could just walk the hotel and find a gathering of people whom you knew, and hadn't seen for about ten years. I hadn't seen my cousin from Iowa, for a few years. We have kept in touch but we're both busy, busy, with our own families. She ran into Ralph who was standing outside of my room, (he is no relation but since my brothers and sisters always ask if the Ralph's are going to be there, I invited them) , and asked, "are you one of the Morrow's"? Ralph said "yes, I'm Cliff's younger brother". He'd been had. He ran into a first cousin who knew that I was the youngest in the family. Her eye's narrowed and said "Oh no you're not, Cliff was the youngest in the family". I stepped into the hallway just in time to say, "I see you've met Ralph". How appropriate, that she should meet Ralph under these circumstances. Trying to have some of his fun.
It seems that my brothers and sisters have taken to Ralph and his wife as Marilyn and I have. At our banquet Saturday night, each family had sent a representative to come to the front and introduce themselves and their immediate family, and how they were related to the Morrow Clan. I had the microphone in my hand to introduce my three children and their families and/or friends they had come with. I pointed to Ralph and his 'lovely to look at' wife, and said their names and said, "They've endeared themselves to"...and before I could say "this entire family", one my brothers inserted "the enire hotel". No truer words have ever been spoken. One of the lawyers in the crowd reported the 'juris prudence' committee had found the Ralph's eligible for adoption and in fact recommended it. I said all in favor say aye. A resounding and unanamous ballot made it official.
Ralph's college bound daughter sums up their family's attitude better than anyone. She was standing in a large group of Morrow's who were trying to decide who was going where, and in what vehicle. We asked her, "do those plans sound okay with you"? She replied the same way Ralph would have, "as long as I get to eat a couple of times a day, I'll go along with anything".
Over the last decade, my family has gotten together a lot. Reunions, funerals, holidays, Nebraska football games, golf tourneys, or just traveling thru. Whatever the occasion, whatever the excuse, we think family is most important and worthy of our efforts to cultivate that unity. Our youngsters come and play. As they get older they come and ask "who is that"? And then finally, as they age, one morning you ask them "where were you last night? "Oh we were with Uncle this or in Aunt that's room or with some of the cousins playing cards or we went swimming and then to a movie". It keeps the family strong and most of all teaches our kids by example. The questions will start in about a month. "Dad, where's the next family reunion gonna be, and are the Ralphs going to be there"?
Several families rent large rooms and have impromptu party's. We were celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary in one room and the host couple and their kids were hosting another party in their room.
If you were bored, and with no one to talk to, you could just walk the hotel and find a gathering of people whom you knew, and hadn't seen for about ten years. I hadn't seen my cousin from Iowa, for a few years. We have kept in touch but we're both busy, busy, with our own families. She ran into Ralph who was standing outside of my room, (he is no relation but since my brothers and sisters always ask if the Ralph's are going to be there, I invited them) , and asked, "are you one of the Morrow's"? Ralph said "yes, I'm Cliff's younger brother". He'd been had. He ran into a first cousin who knew that I was the youngest in the family. Her eye's narrowed and said "Oh no you're not, Cliff was the youngest in the family". I stepped into the hallway just in time to say, "I see you've met Ralph". How appropriate, that she should meet Ralph under these circumstances. Trying to have some of his fun.
It seems that my brothers and sisters have taken to Ralph and his wife as Marilyn and I have. At our banquet Saturday night, each family had sent a representative to come to the front and introduce themselves and their immediate family, and how they were related to the Morrow Clan. I had the microphone in my hand to introduce my three children and their families and/or friends they had come with. I pointed to Ralph and his 'lovely to look at' wife, and said their names and said, "They've endeared themselves to"...and before I could say "this entire family", one my brothers inserted "the enire hotel". No truer words have ever been spoken. One of the lawyers in the crowd reported the 'juris prudence' committee had found the Ralph's eligible for adoption and in fact recommended it. I said all in favor say aye. A resounding and unanamous ballot made it official.
Ralph's college bound daughter sums up their family's attitude better than anyone. She was standing in a large group of Morrow's who were trying to decide who was going where, and in what vehicle. We asked her, "do those plans sound okay with you"? She replied the same way Ralph would have, "as long as I get to eat a couple of times a day, I'll go along with anything".
Over the last decade, my family has gotten together a lot. Reunions, funerals, holidays, Nebraska football games, golf tourneys, or just traveling thru. Whatever the occasion, whatever the excuse, we think family is most important and worthy of our efforts to cultivate that unity. Our youngsters come and play. As they get older they come and ask "who is that"? And then finally, as they age, one morning you ask them "where were you last night? "Oh we were with Uncle this or in Aunt that's room or with some of the cousins playing cards or we went swimming and then to a movie". It keeps the family strong and most of all teaches our kids by example. The questions will start in about a month. "Dad, where's the next family reunion gonna be, and are the Ralphs going to be there"?
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
TO GOOD FRIENDS!!
A few years ago, our family was preparing for a wedding. As the time drew near, our good friends from 600 miles away, kept emailing and calling about when they would arrive to help. Did we need them for a week, days, hours, what? We settled on them coming out on Wednesday before the Saturday wedding. One of our main duties, as the parents of the groom, was to be in charge of the rehearsal dinner which we cooked ourselves (cooked some and purchased some) and served it in the community room in the little town where the wedding was held.
Our friends worked tirelessly. They drove after stuff, cooked, made mints, paid for things they shouldn't have, learned everybody's name in my family,(the ones they didn't already know), hauled chairs, hauled tables, hauled food, carried food, cooked some more, and were always right there to say, "stay put Cliff, I'll go get it".
They seem to have done this many times over. When we needed them, they have driven out and helped. They came last year to help get Tekamah ready for a Cowboy Poetry show that my brother from New Mexico gave and I produced. And they helped the following night at our "Lonestar" concert we had. The next day he stood by the keyboard and held the music for my daughter for our community concert in the park. He even came out last fall to drive a tractor for a week during harvest.
Our connection with them is our wives were school buddies in the Wheatridge and Jefferson County schools in Denver.
So,,, Here's to good friends we love, and love to spend time with!!
OH Yeah, I forgot to mention. They did that four days of work for the wedding even though they didn't get an invitation. They never made it from our list (grooms) to the final list. I asked why on earth are you here if we didn't have the courtesy to send an invitation. "Oh we knew you meant to send us one, besides we wanted to help".
We're headed to a family reunion and our friends will attend part of it because they have become friends with our entire family. Your connection with these great folks is Here!!!
Our friends worked tirelessly. They drove after stuff, cooked, made mints, paid for things they shouldn't have, learned everybody's name in my family,(the ones they didn't already know), hauled chairs, hauled tables, hauled food, carried food, cooked some more, and were always right there to say, "stay put Cliff, I'll go get it".
They seem to have done this many times over. When we needed them, they have driven out and helped. They came last year to help get Tekamah ready for a Cowboy Poetry show that my brother from New Mexico gave and I produced. And they helped the following night at our "Lonestar" concert we had. The next day he stood by the keyboard and held the music for my daughter for our community concert in the park. He even came out last fall to drive a tractor for a week during harvest.
Our connection with them is our wives were school buddies in the Wheatridge and Jefferson County schools in Denver.
So,,, Here's to good friends we love, and love to spend time with!!
OH Yeah, I forgot to mention. They did that four days of work for the wedding even though they didn't get an invitation. They never made it from our list (grooms) to the final list. I asked why on earth are you here if we didn't have the courtesy to send an invitation. "Oh we knew you meant to send us one, besides we wanted to help".
We're headed to a family reunion and our friends will attend part of it because they have become friends with our entire family. Your connection with these great folks is Here!!!
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Toilet Water
FORWARD: Every other year the Morrow's get together for a reunion. There are 7 siblings and we each take our turn producing the event. We move it around the country. We meet next week in Estes Park, CO. One of the highlights of the event is the banquet, followed by entertainment. Our family has more than it's share of people capable of 'stand-up routines'. We have cowboy poetry and stories from memories. But best of all we read our updates. Each family will bring a letter, detailing their family's changes in the last 2 years. These get put into a booklet, thanks to a Sister of mine, and she mails each family a book. Very, Very Nice. My update from 2001 follows and nearly got me shot. I have edited it to remove family names who may not want to appear in this blog. Here it is.
From Cliff Morrow on the preceding 2 years. Aug. 2001
On July 13th of this year I was cultivating soybeans just south of my house. The mood I was in was nearly euphoric. Corn had climbed about 30 cents per bushel in the preceding 30 day period making it seem that with another 30 cent rise I might be able to postpone the inevitable. I needed to stop in the house for the type of nature call that farmers go inside for, if at all possible. I finished and as I stood at the sink washing my hands my eye was grabbed by the color of the water circulating in the toilet bowl. A dark reddish purple. I stared at myself in the mirror. The first thought was of Evelyn and the night she called to say that "your Dad wants you to come down, he has a lot of blood in his stool". The beginning of the end for him, I thought. Then my mind went to Marilyn and our planned outing to couples golf that night. Maybe I could just not tell her and go through the weekend silent. Could I survive that long. It doesn't do any good, I thought, to go to a hospital on a Friday, they would wait till Monday to see me anyway. As I stared back at the face in the mirror, I observed that it was thinner than a year ago. I thought, maybe my Mother in law was wrong when she told someone "No he's not on a diet, he's just working for a change". Just great, my corn is finally going to get to $3, and some attorney will get to sell it for that. Well I thought, nevertheless, It's been a pretty good run. At least I was able to see my oldest son get married to a really nice gal, they seem so happy in their house they are buying in Lincoln. I think some times they work too hard but won't time and maturity take care of that? My family had all traveled a good distance to attend their wedding and it was good to have seen them one more time.
And of course our daughter, what a Joy. She is also hard working and I have no doubt that she will go far. Our Grandson turns up the brightness in the room by several shades when he walks in to Boppa's House (as he calls it) It's hard to imagine what life would be like without him living just down the lane
And hasn't my youngest Son been a pleasure to be with. Since he graduated high school he has kept himself busy driving a semi trailer, finished his first year of a transfer program at Northeast Comm College. Bought his own car, jet ski, and is putting himself through college. Oh how I loved playing golf with the kid.
And man, I've saved the best for last, Marilyn. The kennel, our Grandson, golf, and church activities keep her so busy. She is always there with a cheery greeting when I come in from the field or from trucking. And of course she just loves gardening. Why just last night, she fixed a great home-grown meal of fresh creamed peas and potato's, chickens she had raised, green beans, sweet corn, and of course that huge helping of fresh beets from the garden. Dark reddish purple beets. Oh yeah, beets. Never mind.
From Cliff Morrow on the preceding 2 years. Aug. 2001
On July 13th of this year I was cultivating soybeans just south of my house. The mood I was in was nearly euphoric. Corn had climbed about 30 cents per bushel in the preceding 30 day period making it seem that with another 30 cent rise I might be able to postpone the inevitable. I needed to stop in the house for the type of nature call that farmers go inside for, if at all possible. I finished and as I stood at the sink washing my hands my eye was grabbed by the color of the water circulating in the toilet bowl. A dark reddish purple. I stared at myself in the mirror. The first thought was of Evelyn and the night she called to say that "your Dad wants you to come down, he has a lot of blood in his stool". The beginning of the end for him, I thought. Then my mind went to Marilyn and our planned outing to couples golf that night. Maybe I could just not tell her and go through the weekend silent. Could I survive that long. It doesn't do any good, I thought, to go to a hospital on a Friday, they would wait till Monday to see me anyway. As I stared back at the face in the mirror, I observed that it was thinner than a year ago. I thought, maybe my Mother in law was wrong when she told someone "No he's not on a diet, he's just working for a change". Just great, my corn is finally going to get to $3, and some attorney will get to sell it for that. Well I thought, nevertheless, It's been a pretty good run. At least I was able to see my oldest son get married to a really nice gal, they seem so happy in their house they are buying in Lincoln. I think some times they work too hard but won't time and maturity take care of that? My family had all traveled a good distance to attend their wedding and it was good to have seen them one more time.
And of course our daughter, what a Joy. She is also hard working and I have no doubt that she will go far. Our Grandson turns up the brightness in the room by several shades when he walks in to Boppa's House (as he calls it) It's hard to imagine what life would be like without him living just down the lane
And hasn't my youngest Son been a pleasure to be with. Since he graduated high school he has kept himself busy driving a semi trailer, finished his first year of a transfer program at Northeast Comm College. Bought his own car, jet ski, and is putting himself through college. Oh how I loved playing golf with the kid.
And man, I've saved the best for last, Marilyn. The kennel, our Grandson, golf, and church activities keep her so busy. She is always there with a cheery greeting when I come in from the field or from trucking. And of course she just loves gardening. Why just last night, she fixed a great home-grown meal of fresh creamed peas and potato's, chickens she had raised, green beans, sweet corn, and of course that huge helping of fresh beets from the garden. Dark reddish purple beets. Oh yeah, beets. Never mind.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Ah....AUGUST
With all of it's drawbacks,(mostly heat related) August is here with it's food. We are eating,,,
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Onions
Potatoes
Sweetcorn
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Green Beans
How about you? What's for dinner???
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Onions
Potatoes
Sweetcorn
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Green Beans
How about you? What's for dinner???
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