Friday, September 29, 2006
A Friday Night at Grandmothers
Never look at the trombones... it only encourages them.
Ricard Strauss- Noted German composer, conductor, and bandman.
Okay, back to the trip in reverse. I mentioned that we decided to make Lincoln, NE the last night of our trip. We needed to retrieve one of our autos and one other thing needed to be done. Visit Grandmothers.
Our son Tom had called me a while back and said "Dad, you and Mom need to come down here on a Friday night before a home game and we'll go to Grandmother's Restaurant." "Sounds fine to me but what's the attraction on that night?"
Turns out the attraction is that at 10:00 pm and again an hour later, the Nebraska Pep Band rolls in and does a twenty minute performance of every kind of music. Mostly music that makes football fans, and the marching band groupies that are with them, go a bit crazy.
We arrived with our boys and their wives at 8:00, ate in the bar side of the establishment, visited and waited.
At about 9:30 the place began to fill up. When I say the place I mean the area between the tables which had been full of people like us who had planned to stay for the performance. Our waitress offered to give us refills at 10 minutes till and warned us there would be no more service until after the performance.
Now folks, we are talking major excitement here. As with any major college band, each individual is very accomplished and confident. Such was the case here. The first thing we heard was a cadence pounded out by a distant drum. That started the screaming and singing and the waving of arms and the hand clapping and every other ceremony imaginable that came with each song.
The band began playing and plowed their way through the crowd on the perimeter of the room to stand in their usual location at the far west end of the bar. Every other band member was standing on a chair. They were talented, loud, and having more fun than most college kids can find on a Friday night. On a few songs they would split up and traverse the room to return again to formation.
I am envious of anyone who is really good at playing a musical instrument. I am also aware, that their talent came disguised as hard work. The fun these kids are having in this bar every home game Friday night (and other divisions of this same group in other bars across Lincoln) is to be admired. A reward for hard work. Even old farmers can enjoy this stuff.
We were seated near the back left. (I was going to tell you about the pictures here. I have been unable to post them on Blogger or Picasa)
Nebraska has 'sold out' their 80,000 plus seat stadium every game since November 3rd in 1962. That's an ongoing national record. The traditions surrounding that football team and 'the show' are numerous. This is just one of them.
Ricard Strauss- Noted German composer, conductor, and bandman.
Okay, back to the trip in reverse. I mentioned that we decided to make Lincoln, NE the last night of our trip. We needed to retrieve one of our autos and one other thing needed to be done. Visit Grandmothers.
Our son Tom had called me a while back and said "Dad, you and Mom need to come down here on a Friday night before a home game and we'll go to Grandmother's Restaurant." "Sounds fine to me but what's the attraction on that night?"
Turns out the attraction is that at 10:00 pm and again an hour later, the Nebraska Pep Band rolls in and does a twenty minute performance of every kind of music. Mostly music that makes football fans, and the marching band groupies that are with them, go a bit crazy.
We arrived with our boys and their wives at 8:00, ate in the bar side of the establishment, visited and waited.
At about 9:30 the place began to fill up. When I say the place I mean the area between the tables which had been full of people like us who had planned to stay for the performance. Our waitress offered to give us refills at 10 minutes till and warned us there would be no more service until after the performance.
Now folks, we are talking major excitement here. As with any major college band, each individual is very accomplished and confident. Such was the case here. The first thing we heard was a cadence pounded out by a distant drum. That started the screaming and singing and the waving of arms and the hand clapping and every other ceremony imaginable that came with each song.
The band began playing and plowed their way through the crowd on the perimeter of the room to stand in their usual location at the far west end of the bar. Every other band member was standing on a chair. They were talented, loud, and having more fun than most college kids can find on a Friday night. On a few songs they would split up and traverse the room to return again to formation.
I am envious of anyone who is really good at playing a musical instrument. I am also aware, that their talent came disguised as hard work. The fun these kids are having in this bar every home game Friday night (and other divisions of this same group in other bars across Lincoln) is to be admired. A reward for hard work. Even old farmers can enjoy this stuff.
We were seated near the back left. (I was going to tell you about the pictures here. I have been unable to post them on Blogger or Picasa)
Nebraska has 'sold out' their 80,000 plus seat stadium every game since November 3rd in 1962. That's an ongoing national record. The traditions surrounding that football team and 'the show' are numerous. This is just one of them.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Detour Ahead
I plan on doing several posts about our little jaunt to Wisconsin. That will have to wait.
The detour is because this day, Sept 26th, is pretty special to me. It's kind of the reason we took our little trip. To celebrate our 35th year of marriage.
The following story will show you how I am held in high regard here in our family. About two weeks ago our oldest son was here and looking through some of our old photos. Some pictures were of Marilyn and I, taken back in college where we met. He stared as his Mom for about thirty seconds until I said, "What?" "What are you staring at?" He replied, "Man Dad, you must have had a good personality when you were young, to attract a babe like Mom."
I held my tongue and didn't ask the obvious question like "What's wrong with the way I looked, and what's wrong with my personality now?" I took the high road. I said, "Go to your room." He replied "Sorry Dad, I don't have a room here anymore, I have a wife and kids and live in Lincoln." "Good idea." I said.
Well folks, here are a few pics of when we were young. The first one was of when we were first married and my bride is in a horeshow near Omaha. She is a very good rider/trainer. She doesn't have time to do much of it anymore.
The other is of her taken with our eldest. That little girl is now 30 something and the big smile on Marilyn's face is because of her new saddle she got for a Christmas present. Guys with lousy personalities must try to win favor with fine gifts. I guess.
She could have done better than me but is nice enough to claim otherwise.
I couldn't have done any better than her. She left the city of Denver to live life near the Missouri River with me. She became a farm wife. She claims to have never looked back and I believe it. We've had a blast and I would do it all over again.
Both pictures indicate how much she likes to horse around...
So do I, the only difference is that I don't like horses.
If I were in grade school again, I'd carve 'I Love Marilyn' on my desk. I might get in trouble but it would be worth the risk if only she'll notice me.
Hey Babe, lets try for 35 more!!
The detour is because this day, Sept 26th, is pretty special to me. It's kind of the reason we took our little trip. To celebrate our 35th year of marriage.
The following story will show you how I am held in high regard here in our family. About two weeks ago our oldest son was here and looking through some of our old photos. Some pictures were of Marilyn and I, taken back in college where we met. He stared as his Mom for about thirty seconds until I said, "What?" "What are you staring at?" He replied, "Man Dad, you must have had a good personality when you were young, to attract a babe like Mom."
I held my tongue and didn't ask the obvious question like "What's wrong with the way I looked, and what's wrong with my personality now?" I took the high road. I said, "Go to your room." He replied "Sorry Dad, I don't have a room here anymore, I have a wife and kids and live in Lincoln." "Good idea." I said.
Well folks, here are a few pics of when we were young. The first one was of when we were first married and my bride is in a horeshow near Omaha. She is a very good rider/trainer. She doesn't have time to do much of it anymore.
The other is of her taken with our eldest. That little girl is now 30 something and the big smile on Marilyn's face is because of her new saddle she got for a Christmas present. Guys with lousy personalities must try to win favor with fine gifts. I guess.
She could have done better than me but is nice enough to claim otherwise.
I couldn't have done any better than her. She left the city of Denver to live life near the Missouri River with me. She became a farm wife. She claims to have never looked back and I believe it. We've had a blast and I would do it all over again.
Both pictures indicate how much she likes to horse around...So do I, the only difference is that I don't like horses.
If I were in grade school again, I'd carve 'I Love Marilyn' on my desk. I might get in trouble but it would be worth the risk if only she'll notice me.
Hey Babe, lets try for 35 more!!
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Our Vacation in Reverse Order
The last day of our vacation we decided to divert thru Lincoln to spend the night with the kids and pick up one of our cars. We had left it there to be repaired while we traversed the country side. When we got there we found out that the local airbase was having an air show the next day and that planes of various descriptions had been flying over all day practicing for the show. Before we got to Morrow Collision Center our boys just about had the pee-water scared out of them when these guys flew over at about 200 feet above the shop. The big doors were open so they ran to the door to see them. They are the Blue Angels and they conveniently turned around and came back over the shop for an encore. When it was over the boys went back into the body shop, picked their wrenches up off of the floor and continued repairing cars.
Then we arrived and got to see the latest improvement to the bodyshop. This is a spot welder capable of factory quality spot welds and of knocking several hours of labor off of some of the bigger jobs. Our youngest, the one who was just married, is demonstrating it to us. The gal in red is his Mom and is a poser.
Next: How we spent that night. It was funner than fun.
Then we arrived and got to see the latest improvement to the bodyshop. This is a spot welder capable of factory quality spot welds and of knocking several hours of labor off of some of the bigger jobs. Our youngest, the one who was just married, is demonstrating it to us. The gal in red is his Mom and is a poser.Next: How we spent that night. It was funner than fun.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
A Discovery
Have you ever set a cement block or something as equally flat and heavy on the ground? And then a few weeks later a weed that was sprouted when you put the block there, forces it's way out from underneath the block.
I've been wearing a cap my whole life.
After about forty years of this, the cap won't let the hair grow on top of my head anymore so the hair is being forced out my ears, neck, back, and the inside and outside of my nose.
This hasn't been a carefully monitored, double blind study. Just an observation by me.
I've been wearing a cap my whole life.
After about forty years of this, the cap won't let the hair grow on top of my head anymore so the hair is being forced out my ears, neck, back, and the inside and outside of my nose.
This hasn't been a carefully monitored, double blind study. Just an observation by me.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
TWO CALENDERS
I've been running two calenders,one in my office and one in my briefcase. I've told other people to not do that. Marilyn also runs a calender for her scheduled clients. It is a full sized appointment calender and is usually almost black from the number of names and notes written in it daily.
We've been wanting to go on vacation all summer but farming, irrigating, our son's wedding and any number of other responsibilities have prevented us from lining up more than 2 days in a row to go do something. We finally got it done. We were going to leave Saturday and come back Wednesday night. A short pre-harvest jaunt. Refreshing. The calenders were cleared. My wife has had a little lilt in her limp (knee surgery) since we got this arranged. She was to say the least, excited.
Yesterday was four days from leaving and I'm sitting at our county board meeting. Someone asks the Chairman, (me) what time is the public hearing for the budget on Monday. "9:00 AM" I say, then I think to myself "We're supposed to be golfing in Wisconsin on Monday at 9:00."
My mind has a 'turbo' setting. When in turbo, I am capable of running 3 or 4 different thought patterns all at the same time. So while I was saying something like "Hearing no discussion we will proceed to vote." I was actually thinking the following all at the same time.
1. That can't be right, we won't be here Monday, I promised my wife a vacation, we were going to rent a room with a jacuzzi, go golfing, tour a cheese factory, where's my calender? (the little one I carry in my briefcase to meetings so I can bring home the dates to my big calender) (don't do this...use just one calender)
2. Hmmm, sure enough it says Monday, 9:00 AM, Budget hearing. "All those in favor say Aye."
3. Maybe I could just skip the meeting. I'm chairman. You can't skip the most important public hearing of the year. That's why I'm Chairman. For times like this. "Those opposed say NO."
4. Which one of these gentlemen seated at this conference table would be willing to go into the next office and call my wife and make up a story that made it sound like Cliff is so depressed by what he just learned about an emergency meeting next Monday that he was just too distraught to call her personally. (I know it's been on my calender for 2 weeks but now it's an emergency) They could tell her "Cliff said don't come in to the courthouse, he'll be alright.....he thinks."
5. The kids have borrowed my shotgun. Good.
6. Yep...I'm in trouble.
Sooo all of this is virtually racing through my brain and I do what any man would do, I say, "Okay, it's break time, we have a hearing scheduled at 10:00 this morning so be back in your seats by then." Aside to our County Clerk, "may I use your phone?"
My side of the phone call: "Hi Marilyn." "How's it going?" "Good" "Uh we have a problem." "Well yes, as a matter of fact we can't go on vacation, how'd you know that." "Oh, I guess we have been married a long time." "Uh, we have the annual budget hearing on Monday that I didn't have on the big calender at home and I can't miss it." "Sure we can reschedule the trip." "Yes we can talk about this when I get home."
"Why yes I do have my little calender with me." "You want me to do what with it?"
We deserve each other. We've deserved each other for almost 35 years now.
We've been wanting to go on vacation all summer but farming, irrigating, our son's wedding and any number of other responsibilities have prevented us from lining up more than 2 days in a row to go do something. We finally got it done. We were going to leave Saturday and come back Wednesday night. A short pre-harvest jaunt. Refreshing. The calenders were cleared. My wife has had a little lilt in her limp (knee surgery) since we got this arranged. She was to say the least, excited.
Yesterday was four days from leaving and I'm sitting at our county board meeting. Someone asks the Chairman, (me) what time is the public hearing for the budget on Monday. "9:00 AM" I say, then I think to myself "We're supposed to be golfing in Wisconsin on Monday at 9:00."
My mind has a 'turbo' setting. When in turbo, I am capable of running 3 or 4 different thought patterns all at the same time. So while I was saying something like "Hearing no discussion we will proceed to vote." I was actually thinking the following all at the same time.
1. That can't be right, we won't be here Monday, I promised my wife a vacation, we were going to rent a room with a jacuzzi, go golfing, tour a cheese factory, where's my calender? (the little one I carry in my briefcase to meetings so I can bring home the dates to my big calender) (don't do this...use just one calender)
2. Hmmm, sure enough it says Monday, 9:00 AM, Budget hearing. "All those in favor say Aye."
3. Maybe I could just skip the meeting. I'm chairman. You can't skip the most important public hearing of the year. That's why I'm Chairman. For times like this. "Those opposed say NO."
4. Which one of these gentlemen seated at this conference table would be willing to go into the next office and call my wife and make up a story that made it sound like Cliff is so depressed by what he just learned about an emergency meeting next Monday that he was just too distraught to call her personally. (I know it's been on my calender for 2 weeks but now it's an emergency) They could tell her "Cliff said don't come in to the courthouse, he'll be alright.....he thinks."
5. The kids have borrowed my shotgun. Good.
6. Yep...I'm in trouble.
Sooo all of this is virtually racing through my brain and I do what any man would do, I say, "Okay, it's break time, we have a hearing scheduled at 10:00 this morning so be back in your seats by then." Aside to our County Clerk, "may I use your phone?"
My side of the phone call: "Hi Marilyn." "How's it going?" "Good" "Uh we have a problem." "Well yes, as a matter of fact we can't go on vacation, how'd you know that." "Oh, I guess we have been married a long time." "Uh, we have the annual budget hearing on Monday that I didn't have on the big calender at home and I can't miss it." "Sure we can reschedule the trip." "Yes we can talk about this when I get home."
"Why yes I do have my little calender with me." "You want me to do what with it?"
We deserve each other. We've deserved each other for almost 35 years now.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
It's Sunday Night and It's Raining
Last year we ended up dangerously low on moisture. The sub soil type. We had enough rain this past spring to bring up the crops and then it basically didn't rain for a couple of month's right there when it would have been handy for those us needing to have a crop to survive financially.
At the end of the season the corn that wasn't hit by irrigation water had given up the ghost and it appeared that the rains wouldn't ever come to help the soybeans. Beans can use late summer rains. They will wait for moisture to fill their pods.
The rains came in time to help the beans. In the past three weeks I have dumped my gauge to the tune 3. 8 inches. (an accumulation of several 1/2 inch type rains) Then 1.8 inches and now...it's been raining for more than 24 hours. The gauge said 2.7 just before dark tonight but I didn't dump it out.
The beans did finish filling out and have already started to turn from green to yellow on their way to brown and eventually dropping all of their leaves. So they are done. The big news is that we actually have water standing in low places for the first time in a long while.
I have an 18 foot I/O sitting in the machine shed that hasn't been in the water for two years. If need be, I'll free it from the trailer just in case it keeps raining for forty days and nights. Marilyn and I can sit in the boat and just float out the doors. I've had a dream that told me to take items in the boat with me in PAIRS. So I'm going to take a pair of fishing poles, and a pair of propane cylinders, two cookers, two gallons of veggie cooking oil and a pair of packages of my favorite fish breading.
And my old School Bus Drivers License just in case I need to drive a bus to help evacuate Tekamah residents in case the Mayor gives the word. This isn't likely, even though they all work for a living they will find the time to see that their own family and their neighbors get to higher ground. (No we are not in danger of flooding...this is one of those PHOR's)
I'm going to get up in the morning to see how much it rained and to remember those who died 5 years ago. I will slowly get so worked up that I will think about arming myself with large guns and doing bodily harm to the cowards who are bent on killing children, women, and men because they aren't Muslim.
At the end of the season the corn that wasn't hit by irrigation water had given up the ghost and it appeared that the rains wouldn't ever come to help the soybeans. Beans can use late summer rains. They will wait for moisture to fill their pods.
The rains came in time to help the beans. In the past three weeks I have dumped my gauge to the tune 3. 8 inches. (an accumulation of several 1/2 inch type rains) Then 1.8 inches and now...it's been raining for more than 24 hours. The gauge said 2.7 just before dark tonight but I didn't dump it out.
The beans did finish filling out and have already started to turn from green to yellow on their way to brown and eventually dropping all of their leaves. So they are done. The big news is that we actually have water standing in low places for the first time in a long while.
I have an 18 foot I/O sitting in the machine shed that hasn't been in the water for two years. If need be, I'll free it from the trailer just in case it keeps raining for forty days and nights. Marilyn and I can sit in the boat and just float out the doors. I've had a dream that told me to take items in the boat with me in PAIRS. So I'm going to take a pair of fishing poles, and a pair of propane cylinders, two cookers, two gallons of veggie cooking oil and a pair of packages of my favorite fish breading.
And my old School Bus Drivers License just in case I need to drive a bus to help evacuate Tekamah residents in case the Mayor gives the word. This isn't likely, even though they all work for a living they will find the time to see that their own family and their neighbors get to higher ground. (No we are not in danger of flooding...this is one of those PHOR's)
I'm going to get up in the morning to see how much it rained and to remember those who died 5 years ago. I will slowly get so worked up that I will think about arming myself with large guns and doing bodily harm to the cowards who are bent on killing children, women, and men because they aren't Muslim.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Cliff's Excellent Adventure
We went to the Nebraska State Fair this weekend. It afforded us the opportunity to see the boys and their families. Dan and family and his Mom (my Bride) surprised me with this.
A 366 page paperback filled with the first two years of my blog. A company in Lincoln did the 'code' for it and had it published. The neat thing is it can be purchased and they'll print and ship it within 5 days. This one made it in just 3 days. Dan had one of my blog pictures put on the cover as he is aware of my love for horses. Not.
I suppose that if I had known they were going to do this I would have frantically gone back and tried to fix all of the errors and may have changed some content and then I guess it wouldn't have been a copy of my blog.
It thrilled me. It cemented my belief that anyone can write a book. Of course Al Franken had already proven that. And I think this is at least as insignificant as anything he ever wrote.
I then went to the State Fair the next day, saw a vacant picnic table, and had a great idea.
I held the first Cliff Morrow's Blog...Book signing. The only signing that went on was a smart alec high school kid when I asked him if he wanted me to sign something for him. Dan found out from Marilyn what I was doing and he said, "Uh Dad, there are only two copies of that book, one is in the showroom of the guys who did the work here in Lincoln. The other is in the car. Let's do this later."
SO...I went in search of someone who may have heard of me. I couldn't believe that someone hadn't recognized me. Where were the paparazzi?? I'm a published author for crying out loud! I went into the beef barn and asked 'Ol Heat Seeker. 
"What's a Blog? Cliff Who? Nope, can't say as I have."
I went into the Cabella's tent and asked 'Spot' if he'd ever heard of me. Nope. By the way, not a very nice Zebra.
My Grandaughter was eating some University of Nebraska Food Science Department ice cream. No she hadn't heard of my book and further more "If you come one inch closer to my ice cream you're going to be eating that camera Grandpa!" She didn't want to hear about my book.
Well I guess you folks who read my blog have heard of me. Most of you are mentioned in it from time to time. It was a quick 2 years and a lot of fun. I told Marilyn that I would love to be able to read a document like this, written by my Great-great-great Grandpa. Someday I guess that might happen. Thanks for sharing my life to here all you Blog Kids. I hope to meet up with someday.
Okay Everyone...All skate.
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