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.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Confederate Cemetery. Fayetteville, Arkansas

Cemeteries of the South. Beautiful picture. A similar picture was on the cover of the AAA Magazine "Southern Traveler". The cemetery is located on the site of the Battle of Fayetteville, Arkansas which was fought in 1863.


Goodbye Silly-it was good to know you.

Silly was having trouble breathing and was put to sleep last night.




Neighborhood house. Spring and Fall.

This an interesting house in Vienna that I drive by every day. This picture is in the spring.


Here it is in the fall.


It looks to me like the woods are closing in.

8/30/11 244.4 49.9 132 64 66 96.6 4300 97 72 0


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The four sons of Daniel Munson.

This group of guys caught my eye when I was going through Volume I of The Munson Record. They all have facial hair. They all look serious and prosperous. They all did various things but all listed manufacturing among their pursuits. From buttons to cotton goods. From the left their names and birth years are;  Daniel 1825, Charles 1830, Stephen 1818, and Garry 1810. Their careers were in the northeast and central United States,

My branch of the family, after leaving Connecticut, were farmers in Kentucky. My great grandfather Abner was born in 1825 in Kentucky. I bet the Munsons in this picture had cleaner fingernails than the Kentucky Munsons.


Another tea spill at Jefferson Corner


As usual John Roebuck jumps up and starts mopping the tea, Donald Willett is cheering him on.

8/29/11 245 50.1 130 60 63 96 1300 96 73 0


Monday, August 29, 2011

Abner L Munson did not need viagra.

Abner L Monson is my 1st great grandfather. He was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky in 1825. The Cynthiana Democrat printed this human interest story.

In the war with Mexico, Cynthiana furnished a company of calvary. The boys straddled their fiery steeds. The call was made on May 22, 1846, and on June 6, the start for Louisville, the rendezvous, was made. One hundred and fifty men were enlisted. As the company passed through Cynthiana the streets were lined with sympathetic spectators. When the then Fowler's Cross Roads were reached, neighbors and friends were on hand with refreshments, and the same generous treatment was extended along the entire march through the country.
At Leesburg, Abner Munson, was seized with a sad case of nostalgia, occasioned by recollections of a sorrowing mother and demonstrations of the girl he left behind him. Arrangements for a substitute were effected and Abner returned.

Abner returned home to his sweetheart. I am glad that he did. He and my great grandmother, Emily had ten children. The fifth child is my grandfather, James Mart Munson. Incidentally Leesburg is about 11 miles from Cynthiana.




Jewette Farley, Fisherman.

Jewette is a member in good standing of the Jefferson Corner Liars Club and a good fisherman. Recently he caught a fifty pound catfish on Lake Bistineau. The picture indicates that he is a proud and happy fisherman.



8/28/11 245.4 50.5 129 74 64 96.6 1800 96 71 0

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Munson Millionaire. The first one in America.

Alfred Munson was born in Connecticut in 1823. The Munson Record states that he was the first Munson in America to become a millionaire. I am sure there have been more. He started out manufacturing buhr-millstones and ended up the owner of steamboat lines on Lake Ontario and owner of coal-lands. His last years were spent in Utica, New York and he was a leading citizen there. At one time he was the richest man in Oneida County. He sorta looks like a millionaire, huh?


Silly Report, so sad.

My old buddy Silly is not doing good. He has been under the weather for several weeks. John and Kerry have had him to the vet and are taking good care of him. He is not moving around for a couple of days. He does not seem to be in pain. He stays in the same position now on Kerry's bed. They carry him to the cat box and bring him food and water.



Katie put him on my lap a week ago and he stayed for a little and then walked away. I have not seen him move since. He used to run to the couch when I appeared in the evening and get on my lap for maybe an hour. I miss him. He is a sweet guy. He is maybe 17 years old.

8/27/11 245.4 50.6 138 65 69 96.3 2000 97 68 0

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Samuel Munson 7th great grandfather.

Samuel lived from 1643 to 1693. He only lived eight years after his father's death. I had assumed that his grave was in the Grove Street Cemetery where his father is buried. I have discovered that he is buried in the Center Church of the Green in downtown New Haven.


The cemetery is only a few blocks from the Grove Street Cemetery.


I  can walk from one grave to the other and see downtown New Haven and the Yale Campus. The next great, another Samuel is buried at the Old Burying Ground in Wallingford. Just a few miles away.

Hurricane Irene is projected to pass right over this area. I hope the damage is minor.






Max Shafai and a cool one..

I am glad Max had on a red shirt. Max is a great grandson of mine who lives in Corona, California.


Garage Sale, 1465 Mitcham Orchard, Next Saturday, Sept 3, 2011.

My grand daughter Joy has three sons who are growing out of many toys and possessions. My son in law John is moving into a smaller home. What should be done with all these good things that no longer fit? Why of course--GARAGE SALE!!


Look at the rolling equipment.




And the toys, furniture, and pictures frames.






You had better come by. There will be some great buys!

















No snakes.

Guess John has killed all two of them. We hope so.

8/26/11 245.8 50.1 129 65 66 96 4100 97 76 0

Friday, August 26, 2011

Lumberyard in Leavenworth, Kansas.

My cousin, Seldon I Munson was born in 1828. He was a joiner by trade. He had a lumber yard and planing mill in Leavenworth, Kansas. He manufactured doors, sash, blinds, and furniture. In 1892 the name of his company was "The S. I. Munson Planing Mill, Furniture and Lumber Co."

I bet that JD Harper is envious of that beard!


Munsonville, New Hampshire.

A distant cousin of mine, Alvin Munson was born in 1802. He was a manufacturer of cotton goods in Nelson, New Hampshire. When a Post office was to be  established, he gave $200 for beginning a library, in consideration of which the name of the village was changed to Munsonville. $200 was a lot of money in the 1800s.


Blaze is five months old.

He sure is getting big. He is a pretty horse. When I am in Lexington, Kentucky next month I hope to visit a horse museum. Fun!



8/25/11 245.6 50.3 115 60 67 96 3500 92 71 0



Thursday, August 25, 2011

Economical gasoline on West California Avenue. Ruston, Louisiana.


That is a good price. However, the picture below indicates that the station is out of business. A good question. When did the station close? My guess, 2002.



May-Thurner Syndrome.

Every day my ankles swell. Over night the swelling goes away. I admire my slim ankles in the morning for an hour or so. Then the swelling returns. Lately I have noticed that the left ankle swells more than the right.  One more thing to google. An article on google said that this condition indicates that I have the May-Thurner Syndrome. The iliac vein is compressed by the iliac artery. The make of the body is such that this will cause the left ankle to swell more than the right ankle. This can lead to a blood clot. I take an aspirin a day to thin my blood. I believe that loosing weight and exercise can help. The condition is very minor with no discomfort but I am going to keep an eye on it. A clot is a bad thing.


Notice the leaf on the floor next to my right foot. I must speak to the person who vacuums my home.

8/24/22 247.4 50.8 142 65 65 96.5 2650 97 76 0.4

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

2011 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference

I am registered for this conference that will be held in Springfield, Illinois, September 7-10.

Almost every hour of every day there are several lectures scheduled. I present a typical hour below. I can only go to one lecture per hour. I have about 40 decisions to make for the four days! For the hour presented I am going to the lecture on using a mac for genealogy.


It looks like fun, huh?

I hope that I can stay awake.

Rhonda Blakley's lovely home on Lake Darbonne.

Rhonda is the treasurer of the Jefferson Corner Liars Club and a good friend. This is some pictures of her and her home on Lake Darbonne. The first picture is of the lake side of her home taken from half down the steps to the pier.


This a view of the lake from the deck.


Steps to beach and pier.


Front of the home. Rhonda arriving at home is greeted by six dogs. One from next door, he knows that it is treat time. Rhonda has eight dogs. Some refer to her as the Dog Lady of Lake Darbonne.


Flip Flop is the star dog. I think that Rhonda was glad to see him. I think that Flip Flop was happy too.





8/23/11 248.8 50.6 141 72 70 96.8 5550 99 74 0







Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Farley's Country Store

Downtown Vienna, Louisiana. If Farley's does not have it, you do not need it!

8/22/11 251.4 50.1 158 72 64 96 5460 99 77 1.3

Monday, August 22, 2011

Five generations for tea.

Jairus Munson was born in Wallingford, Connecticut in 1767. He died in 1862 at the age of 95.

The following paragraph was in the Volume I of The Munson record.

Sometime in  1861 the Windham Journal contained the following: Deacon Jairus Munson of this place was privileged to sit down to tea with the grandson of his grandson, and a representative of each intervening generation-himself 95, and the youngest 4. The links in the family circle were-Jairus, Leverett, Major W, Elbert, and Charles H.


With luck and if I lived long enough, I could have tea with the grandson of a grand child.


Ross John Newberry. Football player.

Oh to be seven again and on the team!


8/21/11 251.6 50.8 140 70 73 96.7 1900 101 81 0

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Pretty flower.

John's Koi Pond had a nice flower this morning,


Birthday party for a 30 and a 40 year old.

My grand daughter Katie Mollie Miller is very near 30. My grand son in law David Newberry is very near 40. So we had 30/40 party. Joy baked an apple pie and a red velvet cake. The pie was just like my wife Jackie used to bake for me. I even got a piece to take home. And it was not my birthday!


This is David and his three sons, Ethan, Christian, and Ross.


Aunt Joy and her niece Johnny Lynn.


Grand paw paw John and his grand daughter Johnny Lynn. Johnny is famous for right hand in mouth and left hand in hair.


This is a picture of the old prune picker and his daughter Kerry Lee and her daughter Katie Mollie. The title of this pic is an old prune with two beautiful peaches.













What are those numbers at the end of my blog?

The numbers are my vitals. Blood pressure, temperature, etc. Plus some weather statistics. From left to right the key to the numbers is presented below.


Key to the row of numbers.

1. Date.
2. Weight, pounds.
3. Waist measurement, inches.
4. High blood pressure, pounds per square inch.
5. Low blood pressure, pounds per square inch.
6. Pulse, heart beats per minute.
7. Body temperature.
8. Number of steps I made in the day.
9. High outside temperature for the day.
10. Low outside temperature for the day.
11. Rainfall, inches.

These numbers are of value as medical history. I also take the measurements and list them so that they might shame me into good behavior. You can see from the numbers presented below that it is not working.

8/10/11 245.4 49.9 122 61 66 96.6 4159 100 82 0
8/11/11 247.4 49.9 132 64 67 96.1 3460 100 81 0
8/12/11 247.4 50.4 138 67 67 96 6550 98 76 0
8/13/11 247.8 50.9 139 66 66 96.4 2100 98 73 0.2
8/14/11 247.7 50.2 128 64 66 96.9 2900 97 73 0
8/15/11 247.8 50.5 127 69 65 96.6 4700 97 75 0
8/16/11 246.4 49.9 136 69 66 96.6 2880 101 75 0
8/17/11 247.4 49.9 133 66 64 96 5800 101 79 0
8/18/11 248.6 50.8 147 68 69 96.1 4140 104 79 0.1
8/19/11 250.4 51.1 135 67 65 96.8 4700 104 73 0
8/20/11 250.6 50.9 137 68 67 96.7 3900 101 80 0
8/21/11 251.6 50.8 140 70 73 96.7

My weight this morning at 251.6 is the most that I have weighed in my life. My blood pressure is increasing. I believe that my ankles are swollen larger each evening. My steps per day have been fairly good. It looks like I should walk even more and stop eating so much. I want to be in shape for my trip next month to the East Coast. I also want to be around for a trip to England next  May with my daughter.


Saturday, August 20, 2011

Paul and friends



A clip from their Friday morning show at the Lincoln Library.

Techsters first soccer game of the season.

It was 104 degrees and the soccer players were out in the sun running. I stayed for 45 minutes and then had to get to the ac in the car. I saw the Techsters make two goals. Score 2 to 0. They were playing the University of South Alabama. It looks like we are going to have a good soccer team this year.





8/19/11 250.4 51.1 135 67 65 96.8 4700 104 73 0

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