I don't freak out if a new place is said to be terrible--by new place I mean a town where you've gone to take a job--because the way I feel about it is --every place has its positives--you just--- as the Marines say " adapt and overcome".
Such was the case when I received my Navy orders out of bootcamp---first I was to report to Memphis Tenn. where i would attend Jet Hydraulics Sch---Then I would go to Beeville Texas,Squadron 26-and be assigned.
I had a chance to talk to a number of old salts who told me about the many great duty stations I might be assigned to---Rhoda Spain--The Phillipines,Hw.,San Diego--etc etc---so Beevile Texas was not on that list--so I went around asking guys--"what about this place" no one knew--and then finally a guy knew!--He said I'm sorry for you --that place sucks--telephone poles, and cows and three eligible girls in town and 16,000 sailors, 3 beer joints and nothin but churches and cemeterys--and the towns people hate sailors!!
Well now that was a ringing endorsement--but my first thoughts were--hey --this is Texas--cowboys--and hunting--horses,fishing--jack rabbits--mexican food--hey this might not be too bad. You see the thought process--girls with southern accents--dark haired beautiful senoritas----
I went off to Tenn. and went to A school--I never really wanted to be a hydraulic mechanic--but the Navy in all their wisdom said I had an apptitude for it--my dad would be glad to hear that--since I never really wanted to learn that stuff from him--I got second in my class--if that didn't beat all!! I couldn't stand mechanics and I go and get 2nd in my class.
I went on leave after A school--dad and I talked Hydraulics and he was amazed I knew so much--that did make me feel good-perhaps he might change his mind on me not amounting to a hill of beans-comment he made back in 1st grade.
My leave came to an end and I flew to Corpus and had to catch a bus to Beeville, only 50 miles up the road--I know one thing--Corpus was pretty--there was a USO right across the street from the bus station and a YMCA--I would remember that--
I was waiting for the bus to Beeville--in my dress blues--and I got a bite to eat at the little rest. next to the bus station--and I heard an expression I had never heard before--the waitress said do you want to cut the beans--I said I don't care I can eat them whole--she just gave me a weird look!
My bus came and north I went--the scenery was not much to look at--dust blowin--raggedy little trees-pickup trucks and cows and barbed wire--that's OK--maybe some good hunting--and fishing--horseback riding--real mexican food--shoot I wouldn't be far from Mexico the country!Think positve---yeah that's right--think positive!

end of part 1==part 2 Friday The Codge

I had a teacher in elementary school possibly 5th grade who told me I should be a writer--I had written a poem about where oil comes from--and she thought it was good and inspired me to write----
In the 10th grade I got 2nd place in an essay contest-"What America means to me" and I wrote a fiction story and was encouraged to write by an english teacher.
I also like art---but my parents told me--artist and writers starve to death--and I should forget that--
In 1992-I wrote some non fiction stories--and sent them to various publishers to say I had done it--and I actually received the famous rejection letters although some were encouraging sounding--and it was exciting to get the letters--they said---good story--not done in a new way--or a different way--
I stopped sending the samples of my work and forgot about it--and then one day a letter of acceptance came for one of my stories--and it was published in a small N.E magazine--and I was actually paid---3 free copies of the mag--and later my Florida home town published one of my works in the city paper---so as minor as it was --I was published. on the first attempt---I mainly write for the family history--have two or three novels n mind--perhaps I will start one here on the blog.---------------------Have a nice day Eric

Fluffy part # 2

Dad flipped a coin and my brother won the right to fly in the Stinson Voyager with Dad and I would drive in a car with mom--to be driven by my dads cousin--
The time neared for the trip to Florida, Fluffy was due to have kittens and we couldn't find her--I was frantic--I couldn't leave my cat--I searched everywhere---no Fluffy--mom said don't worry someone will find her and we will have her shipped to Florida--I didn't believe them--she would come to the house--and no one would be living there anymore--I was so upset--I loved my cat this was terrible--My dads cousin backed the car out and headed for the main road--and there was Fluffy walking down the road toward the house--I screamed stop let me out--I ran to her-it was clear she had the kittens somewhere--but I picked her up and headed to the car-and put her in.
Mom started telling me to leave the cat--that she had kittens somewhere--I couldn't do it--I said they are probably dead--she always had kittens in the house--I just couldn't trust that I would ever see my cat again-----
They relented and let me put her in the back--she fell asleep--and we drove for hours and were somewhere in the Carolinas--nothing but woods as far as the eye could see--when Fluffy woke up and was clearly frantic---she was freaking out for her kittens--I had done something terrible---a selfish act--and she like any mother was going Beserk---she jumjped onto the front seat and clawed my dads cousin in an attempt to get out and get to her kittens--he rolled down the window and let her jump out at 70 m.p.h-she rolled and came up on all fours heading for the woods---I screamed at the top of my lungs to stop but he ignored me--saying that damn cat clawed me--soon I couldn't see her any more--he never stopped and I never stopped begging him to turn around--it is the worst hurt and pain I had ever felt--I cried for three days-till I couldn't make tears any more--I just thought of her alone no food heart broken for her babies and it was all my fault---and in a week or two we got a letter from my friend Nancy--she found the kittens in a trash can at the community building--she tried to save them by feeding them with an eye dropper--they all died---I shouldn't have written this cause tears are rolling down my face--selfish little kid who had to take his cat---Codger

Fluffy

We moved to Edgewater Maryland when I was in the 2nd grade_it was an awesome place which I will go into later.
Mom went down into our basement and saw a mouse--that was that---she went straight to a little country store and asked if they had any traps--the proprietor said no mamn but we have this--and he lifted a beautiful kitten above the counter--and mom said I'll take her-and she brought the cat home to me and my brother--and we named her Fluffy--she was our first pet and a great cat.
I loved that cat--and she had great skills as well--when she wanted out she rattled the door knob to the porch--she just climbed up on the chair and started whacking that crystal knob with her paw and we let her out.
She followed us everywhere--if we climbed trees --she climbed trees-if we sat under the huge scotch pine tree to avoid the rain Fluffy was right there with us. We used to watch Fluffy stalk birds--she was an awesome hunter--one day I saw her playing under a tree at the far end of the property--she was batting something around-----I wish I hadn't run there so fast to see what she had--I stooped down to her before I looked--it was a snake which startled me bad--just a garter snake but--I have never had a great love for snakes.
Fluffy was very athletic and a good looking cat---she was white with gray and black markings--just an average cat--but a member of our family.
She had her first kittens in the closet of Mom and Dads bedroom---during a showing on Disney about cats and kittens---Fluffy was a great mom---and took such care of her babies--we were lucky to find homes for them.
Her second group of kittens she had on a shelf in the stairwell to the basement--mom had put down some soft material for her--she had 4 that lived and 2 that died---that was sad--and further more mom couldn't find homes for them and called the S.P.C.A and I cried my eyes out because I thought they would be killed--
When Fluffy had her first kittens she was very protective of them--as she was with all her kittens and she didn't want any dogs in our yard--If one did come she would climb the trellice by the back porch and leap from above onto their backs clawing them out of the yard--it was very terrifying to the dogs--we thought it was something that she would only do when she had kittens-----WRONG--she liked it so much--she continued the practice even when she didn't have kittens.
My moms parents/our Grandparents had two dogs which all us Grand Kids had grown up with--their names were Rusty and Chico---well one Friday Grandad came with the dogs and asked us to watch them while they went away on a trip--I thought the dogs were in danger because of Fluffy and her hatred of dogs----WRONG again--she seemed to know they were in the family--and was shy at first and then got in and played with them and rolled around on the floor with them and slept beside them---thank goodness they were buddies.
We had Fluffy for the 5 years in Edgewater Maryland--and when dad got a job offer in Orlando Florida it was time to make moving arrangements--
Dad had to fly a plane down to Orlando for his cousin who had purchased it--his cousin also was the person who hired him for the Martin Company---------------------continued later the Codge

I started hearing rumblings about sex in elementary school--enough to peak my interest and in 7th grade I was not too knowledgeable to say the least. There was a brainiac kid who I ask--how would a person learn about sex--and he suggested the encyclopedia--thank you friend--I learned a lot--and then I went to Methodist Youth Camp and there was a book called The Facts of Life and Love--and that filled in the blanks and our Church Youth group was actually taken to an old Mansion that Al Capone used to own-in Daytona Beach and they showed movies to the boys and girls about sex and babies.After that I relied on Playboy Penthouse and word of mouth---but NO --my parents never gave the talk--but practically every date I ever went on, mom would say--be a gentleman--I don't won't anyone coming to my door saying their daughter was pregnant---yes mom!!