prune picker

This is the blog of a prune picker. (Native born Californian) Retired oilfield. I am an old man. I blog a lot about my body and getting old. As I approach death life gets more interesting. More interesting is not good. I still drive. I attend sports, music, and civic events. I am writing my memoirs. I attend swim class three times a week. Some of my blogs might be interesting. A lot of my blogs are silly and trivial. None are very long.

Friday, December 31, 2010

John Adams, Deer Hunter

John has been raised in the deer hunter tradition like almost all of his fellow residents of this area. The men, women, boys and girls of this area go hunting from an early age and continue to old age. I have seen news articles about children under ten shooting their first deer. I estimate that John has shot several hundred deer in his life. The three heads in his garage that I photographed and posted in a recent blog were shot over about a week. He was keeping them to impress his daughter and son in law who shoot at his lease and were due here soon.

Deer hunting is really a big thing here in North Louisiana. The area is mostly wooded. It is full of deer leases, deer feeders, deer stands, and people in camouflage clothes with guns. At the Jefferson Corners Chevron Station where I have morning coffee you can see dozens of hunters passing through early. They want to get to their deer lease and up in their deer stands before daylight.

Most hunters take their deer to a processing plant. The plant that John uses in Arcadia processes 3000 deer per season. There is a plant the other side of Ruston that processes 7000 deer per season. And the woods are still full of deer. People fill their freezers with venison, deer sausage, and ground venison. Several members of the Jefferson Corners Liars Club drive to Jackson, Mississippi to have gourmet deer sausage made.

Deer hunting is highly regarded here and has many dedicated devotees. I shudder to think would would happen to the woods and to the deer if there were no deer hunting.

Christian's 2nd Birthday Party.

Christian had a great 2nd birthday party. The party was held on his birthday, December 30. I think that he really enjoyed tearing the wrappings off the many presents. He is a serious present opener.



He enjoyed his four wheeler.

He took time out for a cup cake.

He looked good in his new pajamas.

It was a very nice party. Christian is now officially two years old!



10.12.30 246.4 50.5 132 59 72 96.7 2601

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Four very important women in my life.

From left to right; Neway Dinwoodie Smith, Helen Smith Ireton, Jackie Ireton Monson, and Nancy Ann Monson. They are great grandmother, grandmother, mother. and baby. You can see that Nancy is curious about the box that her daddy is pointing at her.

Picture was taken in 1946 in the side yard of Neway's home in San Luis Obispo, California. I was married to the beautiful girl in bobby socks for 63 years. Today is Jackie's 85th birthday. It is also Christian Newberry's 2nd birthday. It is a day of tears and joy for me.

The reason that John's garage is so full!

He kills a lot of bucks and does not throw any heads out. It is going to be hard to walk through the garage if deer season does not end soon! John is a good shot. Has any one seen Dasher, Dancer, or Prancer?


10.12.29 245.6 51.2 106 54 79 97.7 709

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Possum Grape Jelly

This is a gourmet treat! Jewette Farley gave this jar to me for Christmas. The grapes for this jelly were picked by a friend of Jewette on Mayhaw Hill north of Arcadia. Possum Grapes grow wild in much of the South.



10.12.28 246.2 50.2 117 61 79 98.1 1383    (Had a virus, upchuck, weak for 3 days.)



Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Cousins

This is Christian 24 months old and Johnny 17 months. They are two of my GREAT great grandchildren.

They are usually clean.

Blood sample day.



Today I drove to the VA Clinic in Monroe. Prior to my next Doctor visit I am required to give a fasting blood sample.












10.12.27 246.8 49.5 129 62 66 95.9 830
 Only 830 steps! That is a long way from 10,000. I was feeling weak from an upset tummy.
The numbers in the list are:

Date Weight Waist High BP Low BP Pulse Temp Steps



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Monday, December 27, 2010

Bringing in the firewood.

John is bringing a load of firewood to the house. He is being helped by three grandsons and two dogs. The white at Ethan's feet is Mister.


10.12.26 246.8 49.5 129 62 66 95.9     


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Physical data and exercise log.

On future blogs I plan to post my daily physical data at the bottom of my blog.  A line of data will give the date, weight, waist size, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and number of steps I made that day. The data will probably be for the day before the day of the blog.

This will make it possible to make a graph of some this data for use in doctor visits. But my main reason for doing this is to give me an incentive to eat right and to exercise. I was born hungry and lazy. I like to eat and sit in a recliner. If I was allowed to follow my natural inclinations I would be very overweight and would be in such bad condition that I could barely walk. (I am just about in that condition now). Being committed to posting the data should help me to bring my weight down and to walk.

I hope to get my weight down to 210 and to be able to walk 10,000 steps per day.

Date            Weight Waist    High Low Pulse Temp Steps
                                                 BP    BP

10.12.24 249 50.2 111 58 71 96.3 1250
10.12.25 249 50.5 139 66 65 96.5 1306
10.12.26  248.8 51 138 59 63 96 1837








Sunday, December 26, 2010

True Grit

Joy and I saw True Grit this afternoon. Good movie. We enjoyed it. We sure had a family Christmas. Seemed like it was three days long. Best New Years wishes.

Sent from my iPhone

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas at John and Kerry's.

Sure was lovely. Present were John Adams, Kerry Adams, Joy Newberry, David Newberry, Ethan Newberry, Ross Newberry, Christian Newberry, Katie Miller, Justin Miller, Johnny Lynn Miller, and Chuck Monson.

The high light of the day was when John and Kerry opened a present from Joy and Katie. It was a  beautiful professional photograph of their four grandchildren. The photograph taking required a high degree of planning and secrecy. John and Kerry were completely surprised and delighted. The skullduggery was a success!



Everyone crashed after a delicious meal.

Christmas Eve with Johnny Lynn.

Lots of fun when Johnny Lynn comes to town. She brings her folks too!





She is sure has blue eyes.



c

Friday, December 24, 2010

Lunch at Cheddars.

A Cheddars just opened in West Monroe.  We have never been to a Cheddars Restaurant so off we went. There was a line out the door.

But we went anyway.

We only waited 30 minutes.

My Bacon Cheeseburger was delicious!


There was a pretty fish tank by the front door.

I thought the food was very good. We all enjoyed the meal.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!.

Buddy singing.

Buddy singing for Rhonda and the Jefferson Corner Liars Club on Christmas Eve morning.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christian likes to swing.

                                                                






































This is a picture of Christian Steven Newberry. He will be two years old on December 30. He is my next to youngest great grandchild.




Will I earn my 5 pound tee shirt?

During Thanksgiving Day week I entered a program sponsored by the Tech Adult Exercise Department. I gave them $5. If I do not gain more than 5 pounds by New Years Day I will be awarded a tee shirt. If I gain more than 5 pounds I loose the five bucks. I sure would like to get that tee shirt!

The graph above is of my daily weight since the day before Thanksgiving Day. I believe the graph indicates that my starting weight is 243.5 pounds. Therefore, if I do not weigh over 248.5 on New years Day I get the tee shirt. My weight this morning was 248.4. In fact yesterday it was 249. Woe is me, my tee shirt chances look poor.

I have not given up! Yet.

















Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Ringgold Buffet

Members Farley, Boddie, Roebuck, Russell, and photog Monson were holding a special meeting of the Jefferson Corner Liars Club, Wed, Dec 22, when Farley moved that we adjourn to the Log Cabin Cafe in Ringgold.

The motion was seconded and passed so off we went to Ringgold, which is some 50 miles southwest of Ruston. Russell drove and Farley was the co-pilot. We took the scenic route going.

  The buffet was delicious, especially the apple dumplings.





I know that I was very happy with the meal!



Tuesday, December 21, 2010

My Stay at Mckinley Home for Boys.

When my Mother passed away my Father and my maternal Grandmother kept the Monson household going as a unit for a year or two. When I was around seven years old the three youngest Monson boys were placed in institutional homes. George 15 was placed in the George Junior Republic in Chino, CA. Warren 11 and Chuck 7 were placed in the  Mckinley School for Boys in Van Nuys, CA. I believe that I was there for about a year. My stay there has always been in my memories. It was not a bad place and I had some good memories. During some recent research I obtained a dvd video of a movie made in 1928. My stay was around 1932. Seeing the pictures has been a fascinating experience. These pictures are from that dvd. My memories of almost 80 years ago now had pictures.

Van Nuys is in the center of the San Fernando Valley. When I was there it was mostly farmland. I can remember watching a wheat combine at work. The area now is full of freeways and skyscrapers.

I can remember eating in a dining hall with at least 200 boys.

There was a busy kitchen.

There was stage at one end of the dining hall that was used for church services, programs, and weekly movies. I remember silent Douglas Fairbanks movies such as Robin Hood and the Mark of Zorro. Once the Home took busloads of boys downtown to see a new WC Fields movie. I believe there was a circus in the film.

The  main building was a large impressive building. I remember spending a lot of time in the library. I read the Wizard of Oz on a window bench.

The dorm buildings were also large.

I can remember sleeping in a room with ten or more beds down each side. I remember laying in a wet bed dreading what the House Mother would do in the morning. I do not remember a big scene or punishment.

There was a farm at the Home.

And a print shop.

I got pneumonia while at the Home and was sent to Los Angeles Children's Hospital. Upon my return to the Home I spent a few days in the Clinic. I really remember the large spoon full of cod live oil I had to swallow every day! That is not me in the bed.

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