PrunePicker: November 2019

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Over the river and through the woods...

Over the river and through the woods to grand daughter's house the old PrunePicker goes. That reminds me of a poem. Here are the woods.

Here is the PrunePickers grand daughter Joy.

One of my fondest memories is my holding Joy (as an invalid) in my arms on a ferry boat ride across the Rhine River in Germany. She has been in her new house in West Monroe less than a week and she invites me to Thanksgiving Day dinner! Here is the house.

What a wonderful meal!

Some of the prep work.

The meal was enjoyed by David, Christian, Ethan, Papa Chuck (PrunePicker), and Ross. Pic by Joy.

The meal was relaxing.

What a lovely Thanksgiving Day! Thank you Newberrys.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Mark is two weeks into his trip from the Pacific to the Atlantic..

Mark is in Gila County, Arizona. Apaches, Geronimo. and Cochise. Him better be alert!

Mark is beyond Hope. He needs our prayers.

Different scenery form the trip to Canada.

What else?

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The old maple table.

Jackie and I bought this maple dinning room table, eight chairs, and a large hutch in 1965.

Four one foot wide leaves came with the table.

I have many happy memories of the table at full length at many holiday meals surrounded by up to a dozen people. We kept the leaves under our bed. It was exciting to get them out and install them. (There were usually some in the table) The six in our family would be joined by relatives (sister Donna in particular), and neighbors (Carl and Becky in particular). And friends of our children. Many people ate with us at the table over the years In later years Jackie and I (as guests) ate at the table.

The table has given yeoman service for the last 49 years. Three families (Jackie and I, daughter Kerry, her daughter Joy) put the table to good use. Now it is headed for other pastures. Joy has to sell the table because she is moving into a smaller house and does not have room for it.

It has been and is a traumatic experience for me seeing this furniture move on. I wish the the new owners well and another 49 years.

Good looking table huh? It came with a tough plastic coating which has served its purpose well.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Bone Broth

I wen to the Ruston Farmers Market today, After a delicious Mexican omelet at a picnic table in the morning son I attended a lecture on Bone Broth.

Bone Broth tastes good and is good for you, The lecture was given by Daniel Smith of Smith Farms. He gave out samples. Good.

Bones and vegetables are cooked for 48 or more hours. It is not fast food!

While at the Market I enjoyed music by Ricky Pittman. The Ruston Farmers Market is fun. Picked up some cookies and popcorn. You know, the staples of life.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Mark is a 100 yards into Arizona. (more now)

These photos by Mark are of country that Jackie and I traveled many times. Pulling a 35 foot fifth wheel trailer. Camped out many times in this country. Hey Mark how did you like Quartzite?
That is the heart of southwest RV land in the winter.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

2019 Veterans Day program in Choudradt.

A social club in Choudrant hosts a Veterans Day program every year. I have gone several times and it it is great. The name of the club is the Choudrant Restoration and Beatification Society. What a nice group of people. They plan and put on a patriotic program and serve lunch to all veterans who show up. They even mail me an invitation and a lunch ticket every year.

Choudrant is the next town east of Ruston.

Mayor Bill Sanderson, Village of Choudrant.

Friday, November 8, 2019

I love geography.

I love geography.

I love travel.

I love travel photos.

I love the photos that Mark Wright puts on Facebook.

Mark is my third oldest grandchild. He is a retired computer engineer. Starting in May Mark rode his bike up the Pacific Coast trail from Mexico to Canada. Mark posted pictures almost every day I would put a select group into a blog about once a week I really enjoyed it. It was like riding along with him. Many of the places Jackie and I had been to in our RVing days. The pictures brought back many happy memories I was so sad when the trip ended.

Oh happy day Mark is taking a trip from California to Florida I will be back in the picture and nostalgia business

The picture below shows him on his bike ready to leave comfortable Dana point California

The last view of the Pacific Ocean the next ocean will be the Atlantic

It is some 2500 miles between the oceans. I hope the trip will bring him by my home and he will stay with us a few days. This place has many nice tent sites. I might be able to meet him along the road and ride with him a day. Me in my Ford and Mark on his bike.

Monday, November 4, 2019

200 Pounds on October 17. Oops! 211 pounds today!

After 18 months of dieting I was well on the way to my ideal weight of 197 pounds. Victory was in sight! Only three more pounds to lose.

Then I relaxed and started eating again like the old days. In two weeks I gained 11 pounds. At this rate I will be back at my pre diet weight of 250 pounds by Christmas. I have noticed that my blood pressure has increased some 20 or 30 psi.

You can see that I am impulsive. Back to the diet!

October 17

My niche in the Blogosphere.

My blog is about me, my family, my interests, my opinions, and my daily activities. My name is Chuck Monson. I am a native born Californian. I worked in the oil exploration and production business and am now retired and living in Ruston, Louisiana. I am a 91 year old widower. I blog because I really enjoy it. Posting gives me a schedule and is a wonderful make work project. I like pictures, both the taking and looking at them. I really like old historic pictures. I enjoy a good photograph. I like putting pictures and text together in a way that is hopefully interesting to others and that will be interesting to me in the future. I like to be silly now and then. It is also putting my memories down on paper. My blog serves as a diary. I have used it for a reference quite a few times.

I do mix it up. Some of my blogs are “what I had for breakfast”, some are just pictures, some are items of genealogical nature, and there are items from my family history. I have a history of the Munson/Monsons in America. The study of this history has led me to the discovery of much American history that had previously been unknown by me.

I have had a lifelong interest in history, archeology, philosophy, religion, politics, architecture, technical subjects, music, food, and sports. I spend time every day reading blogs and posting to my blog. I do not pontificate on religion or politics because I do not consider myself wise enough to try to persuade others to my beliefs. My beliefs are quite nebulous anyway.

I was started on blogging by my late son, Christopher David Monson. Chris wrote the blog "snaggletoothie of the Loyal Opposition" There is a link to his blog above. I look at Chris's blog often. I have read most of his posts.

My adult years.

I married Jackie Lois Ireton in 1944 in San Luis Obispo, California. I met her on a blind date when I was taking amphibious training at Moro Bay. We have been blessed with four children, nine grand children, and nine great grandchildren. They are an exceptional group. I love them and I am proud of them.

I was an army combat engineer (infantry with shovels) during World War II. I served in the Pacific. I was wounded on Peleliu Island helping the marines on Bloody Nose Ridge. I was shot in both legs just above the knees. The wound locations indicate that I was not running away.

I received a BSME in 1950 from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. Jackie received a PHT. (pushing husband through.) I retired from oilfield work in 1985. Jackie and I moved into a fifth wheel trailer and enjoyed the RV lifestyle until Jackie's health failed. We traveled across the continent 3 1/2 times. We spent a summer as volunteers at Acadia National Park. For 17 years we helped build an Escapee RV park in Chimacum, Washington. Jackie passed away in 2007. We had been married 63 years. We were married on June 3, 1944. I still live in our fifth wheel trailer. It is parked in the yard of my daughter Kerry's home in Ruston, Louisiana. It is by far the nicest RV park that I have ever lived in.

My teen age years.

I was born in 1925 in Pomona, California. Pomona is on the east edge of Los Angeles County. It is halfway between Los Angeles and San Bernardino and halfway between the mountains and the beach. I thought that it was great to be an hour from snow covered mountains and an hour from the ocean surf.

In my days of growing up, Pomona was completely surrounded by orchards and truck farms. Oranges, lemons, grapefruit, peaches, apricots, olives, persimmons, and walnuts. Watermelons and strawberries. During the depression I had many meals from the orchards.

They say that you cannot go back home. That is true of the Pomona Valley of my youth. Because it is no longer there. Most of it is now covered with asphalt and stucco buildings.

My ancestors.

I am getting more and more into genealogy. I have a trove of information on the Munsons/Monsons. My father is buried in California. His father by adoption (He was an uncle.) is buried in Kansas. His natural father is buried in Kentucky. So I have two grandfathers. I have a grandfather and four great grandfathers buried in Kentucky, one great buried in New Jersey, and three greats buried in Connecticut. I have two greats buried in Rattlesden, Suffolk, England. I have been led to believe that my ancestors before that came from Denmark and Normandy.

Captain Thomas Munson was the first Munson to move to America. He was baptized in Rattlesden, England in 1612. The baptismal font is still in use. He served in the militia in the Pequot Indian Wars in 1637. He served in the militia all his life and reached the status of Captain. His signature is on the founding document for New Haven, Connecticut.

In 2011 I visited New Haven and took pictures of his gravestone. In May 2012 my oldest daughter Nancy Ann escorted me to England and France. We visited Rattlesden and I took some pictures of the Captain's baptismal font.

Why is the old prune picker living in Ruston, Louisiana?

In 2006 my wife Jackie was in poor health. Jackie had kidney failure and was on dialysis. She had heart problems for some time with A-fib. She had fallen and broken her hip. She had broken ribs and vertebra just moving around normally. My family thought that I needed help caring for Jackie. My daughter Kerry and her husband John offered to park our trailer in their backyard in Ruston and help. Jackie and I accepted their kind offer. My daughter Nancy accompanied Jackie in an airplane flight from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington to Ruston. My son Mike took time off to help me pull our trailer for five long days to our new home. We were and are grateful. We enjoyed our new home very much.

Unfortunately and sadly, Jackie passed away in six months. I had sold our truck and was permanently parked. I was ready to give up full time RVing anyway. It is very pleasant in Ruston and I am close to family. So that is why I have been living in Ruston, Louisiana since October 2006.