I WAS A HAMILTON TIGER CAT FOOTBALL PLAYER FOR TEN MINUTES

In 1983 I was entered into the Chedoke Hospital Evaluation Centre in Hamilton, Ontario for a six week program. They would put me in different work situations to evaluate what I would be good at when and if I entered the work force again. I had been in a severe car accident in September of 1980, ( May 27th posting ) and had sold my Dempsters Bread franchise as I could no longer do the extreme physical work it entailed. I stayed in a motel for the duration and would return home on the weekends. While in Hamilton I would go to various eateries for my meals. One night I decided to have my supper at a restraunt in this big hotel. As I was dining I noticed two young women continually looking at me. I was a little self conscious because in the past several years I've had a lot of "plastic surgery" and dental work. I had also done a lot of exercise and weightlifting to come back to a bit over 200 pounds from 135 pounds. Anyway the next thing I knew these two women were at my table and asked me if I would give them an autograph. I told them that I didn't know why they would want one. They said that they knew that the Hamilton Tiger Cat football team was staying in this hotel and that by the looks and size of me I must be one. I told them that I was not a player and did not want to fool them. They were sorry that they had made the mistake and bothered me. I informed them that they had not bothered me but instead had paid me a great compliment. After they left I sat with my coffee and had a smile from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat, but not a Tiger Cat. I was on the road to recovery.

YAHOO FOR MOUNTAIN DEW, POP BOTTLE COLLECTING

Remember when we used to go pop bottle collecting so that we could get a few cents to buy penny candies. I do. A friend of mine from California recently reminded me of the times when we would walk along the sides of well travelled roads searching for bottles that were thrown from car windows. Two cents was the worth of each bottle. Five bottles would pay for a chocolate bar or 20 blackballs. Mountain Dew bottles were a favorite back then in the 1950's and 60's. I came across this bottle a few weeks ago at a Flea market. A lot of us kids bought this pop because of the silly commercials on TV. This is for you Bobby of California. This bottle was filled by Jim and Clara.


Trivia:   Question; What is a natal cleft?
            Answer: The medical term for butt-crack.

Did you know?  When prospector Ed Schieffelin told a soldier he wanted to prospect for silver in an area controlled by Apaches, the soldier laughed and told him the only thing he'd find there was his own tombstone. When he found a giant vein of silver in 1878, Schieffelin named the mining camp Tombstone to spite the soldier. That is how Tombstone, Arizona came to be named.

MY GARDENS, JULY 2012, "GARDEN OF EDEN"

Just thought I would update some pictures of our home and gardens. We didn't want the usual layout that people do, such as placing flower gardens around the border of the property. Sometimes you just have to go "out of the box". Hope you enjoy as much as we do.

Trivia: There are 15 Starbucks coffee shops in O'Hare International Airport. There are only 6 in all of South Dakota.

Did You Know?   The original Starbucks logo featured a mermaid with naked breasts. (almost makes you want to get addicted to caffeine)

THE MILKMAN AND THE BREADMAN HOME DELIVERY, MILKBOX

Remember when the milkman and the breadman would go door to door selling their wares. I do because I was a breadman. In 1964 when I was 12 years old I would help Bob Myles (and later John Hartwick, 2 terrific fellows) every Saturday on their bread route. I wore a "pouch" around my waist to collect money for whatever the customers would purchase.We would fill up our "basket"(2 feet by three feet with a handle) and carry it to the door of the home. Boy, that was heavy work for a kid back then but I was sure glad to get my $1.50 at the end of the day and maybe a "twofor" for myself and a choice of a nearly stale loaf that would be thrown out that day, for my family. We would then knock on the door and shout  "baker" to announce that we were there. I shouted "baker" so much in those years that it started to sound like "beggar". We sold breads of all sorts and sizes, dinner rolls, pastries, butter tarts,eccles bars, cinnamon rolls and what we called "twofors". They were little packets of 2 butter tarts, 2 cupcakes or 2 of any snack for 10 cents. Some people would put signs in their windows saying,TOASTMASTER the name of the bread company (which meant they wanted bread or something) or a sign saying NO BREAD, to save us stopping. A lot of times we would check the milkbox (remember those?) for a note as to what to leave and we would mark in the "book" how much they owed us when we came to collect at the end of the week . I learned math real quick. The milk man had his hands full also. He too used the milkbox for messages so he would know what to leave. The wooden,5 inch by 5 inch adjustable order plaque is what some customers would use. I snatched this out a rummage sale and it brought back GOOD memories. Enjoy

Trivia:  Storage unit? You can fit 600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms in a thimble.

Did You Know?  Hawaiians once used coconut husks as toilet paper. OUCH!!!

J.F.K. flicker ring,President John Fitzgerald Kennedy dime store or gumball machine flicker ring 1962

This is a flicker ring featuring a picture of John F. Kennedy and the American flag. Kids loved these in the early 1960's. I still do. He was the 35th president and the youngest at 43 to be elected into office. He is most commonly known by just his initials, JFK. I still remember the day(November 22nd ,1963) when he was assassinated by Lee Harvry Oswald. They let us out of school early so I knew this man must be important. Over the years I see him as a man that did not back down from other oppressive regimes or countries. He had balls. It would be nice to see other leaders in the free world take after him. That is my opinion and I'm stickin' to it.

Trivia:  Question: What do your coccyx(tail bone) and your appendix have in common.

            Answer:  Nobody knows what they're for.

Did You Know? A 54 year old man from Fort Worth, Texas, died on December 29, 2008, from complications of a gunshot wound he had sustained 35 years earlier.

MARX NUTTY MADS "THE THINKER" . 1963

Another silly creation from the 1960's. They are still cute and bring back fond memories of that time in my life.


Trivia: On average, men spend 45 seconds in a public restroom stall. Women typically spend 80.


Did You Know?   In Switzerland, it is illegal to flush a toilet or pee standing up after 10 p.m. ( I bet that's a crappy rule to enforce)

WEIRD-OHS CAR-ICKY-TURE OF BASKETBALLS "FRANCIS THE FOUL" THE WAY OUT DRIBBLER, 1960's

A terrific model from the 60's. These models were the rage back then.

Trivia:  A single tiger can eat six tons of meat a year......the equivalent of 60,000 hamburgers.


Did You Know:   Several security screeners at Denver International Airport were reprimanded after they sent themselves through the X-ray machine "to see what their brains looked like." (I think it was an empty space)