Mine Creek Revelations by Louie Graves
Thanks: Retirement is in Sight
THERE MAY BE more Mine Creek Revelations in the future. Maybe not. I am tip-toeing into retirement and have told the owner of the newspaper, John R. Schirmer, and my co-workers that I’m on the way out.
I’ve cleaned out my desk, mostly. I may be able to continue to write occasional MCR columns, and I’ll do some other writing for the newspaper for a couple of weeks.
It has been wonderful, especially working with JR, Pam McAnelly, Tracy Denny-Bailey and John Balch to produce a meaningful newspaper in this community.
Thank you for being a reader of my column and sharing (I hope) some chuckles.
I have had a long and rewarding career with your hometown newspapers. I always thought I’d die at my keyboard.
I’ve written or taken pictures of many happy or sad or important events in our community, and in doing my job I’ve met the finest of people. And some not so fine.
I make no apologies for being a ‘homer.’ I’d much rather write about something positive about our area or our people.
Because we’re a small community I’ve also been able to serve on some boards and even serve in elective office while also doing my job as a newsguy.
Some of my newspaper friends from large towns rightfully asked how I could be objective about county government, for instance, when I was on the quorum court (two terms). I also got to be on the chamber of commerce board twice. I got to be on the Industrial Recruitment Committee when we ‘landed’ a chainsaw company from Shreveport. I had no problem with writing about economic development and doing something to make it happen.
In the scheme of things this retirement may be a very small thing, but to me it is huge! I am both looking forward to it, and dreading it.
Thanks again.
Now, here’s the rest of the column I prepared for today.
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WHERE AM I? This is a true story.
By text a local woman contacted her son. She was hoping he could help her remember where she had put the extra house key because someone was coming to do some work in her house while she was gone.
She just couldn’t remember where she put the key.
Her text to the son was asking if he knew where the key was.
He replied “Momma, R U alright”
She replied, “Of course, why U ask”
He replied, “No, really, U feel alright”
She replied, “Why U ask”
He replied, “Where R U”
She replied, impatiently, “Home, why ask”
He replied, “Look at your first text”
She did. In her original text she only left out one word. “Key.”
Her text asked, “U know where my house is?”
Son was understandably worried. In fact, he didn’t find their misunderstanding at all amusing.
She told me that she had to get down on the floor.
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ANIMAL CRACKERS. I don’t know a lot about horses, so someone will have to tell me if this is unusual. And by the way, this was witnessed by about a hunnerd people Monday night in the Christmas Parade. There were some horseback riders and …..
Right smack in the middle of Main Street, at the intersection with Clark Street, a horse decided it was time to pee (excuse my gross reference). This horse stretched his legs back and leaned forward. His relief went on and on and on and on for I know at least 10 minutes. By the time he finished, the parade had left him behind by about a block and a half.
People in the parade behind the horse didn’t know how thoroughly he had rinsed down Main Street at that spot, and even Santa may have wondered why no one was rushing to pick up the pieces of candy thrown at the intersection.
But about a hunnerd of us knew.
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HEARD FROM. A young lady named Amy Jean Ball sending email from Arizona about the death of her father in Michigan. We have the obituary of Roland Ball in today’s paper. He was the son of a Howard County man killed in WWII and he was several years older than I, but I knew him because he and his mother, Mattie Ball, older sister Jean, and little sister Brenda lived in my neighborhood.
Roland was a comic and he played trombone in the Scrapper band. I was really impressed when he’d bring his horn home from school and sit out in the back yard playing. Matter of fact, he may have been the reason I signed up for band in the 7th grade. His backyard classmate and buddy from the neighborhood was David Webb who later changed his ways and became a minister. David was also in the NHS band, but he played the tuba and couldn’t lug it home from school.
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WORD GAMES. Another set of triplets: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Royal Baby gifts from some wise men who had journeyed from afar.
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HE SAID: “Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.” Dave Barry, American comic
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SHE SAID: “Before we took down the tree each year, Dad would always say a prayer that we would be together the next Christmas. I cling to that prayer, which serves as a reminder that it’s important to be grateful in the present for the people you love because, well, you never know.” Catherine Hicks, American tv actress
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
