Friday, February 3, 2012

The Star Spangled Banner

Can It Be Sung Correctly
It seems like a lot of famous singers cannot sing our National Anthem without messing it up is some way. But this video is proof, I think, that it can be sung correctly. Just listen to this version by Robert Merrill. He sings it with the respect it deserves.


Jim & Mary01My sister’s Birthday
is this weekend on Sunday. That’s February 5. I want to wish her a very happy birthday.

This picture shows Mary and me as youngsters. We are standing beside one of Dad’s trucks that was used to deliver poultry and eggs. Our Dad was the owner of White Bros. Poultry & Egg Co. that served the Knoxville area.

Mary and I had lots of fun together when we were growing up. We have lots of fond memories of the good old days.

Mary, Happy Birthday! 

happybirthday_animated
~~~
Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
The weekend it upon us again.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

~~~
Quote of the Day
One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men.  No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.
~Elbert Hubbard

~~~
Joke of the Day

A man's wife was complaining to their friends about her husband who was spending all his free time in the bar.

So this one night he decided to invite her along to the bar with him. "What'll you have?" he asked. "Oh, I don't know. The same as you I suppose," she replied.

So the husband ordered a couple of Jack Daniel's and threw his down in one shot.

His wife watched in amazement, then took a sip from her glass. She immediately spat it out. "Yuck, that's TERRIBLE!" she spluttered. "How you can drink this stuff!"

"Well, there you go," said the husband. "And you think I'm out here enjoying myself every night!"



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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Cheer Up!

It’s A Wonderful World
Someone sent me the link to this uplifting video, and I enjoyed it. I think you will enjoy it. We do live in a wonderful world. Our life is a precious gift. Enjoy life, and help other to enjoy life. And don’t forget to smile.

~~~
Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
It’s Groundhog Day.
And I think groundhog day is just another day.
And what about all those predictions for how bad the weather was going to be this winter? Those heavy coats on the wooly worms probably don’t mean anything either.
More on the weather from Alaska:
I have a friend who was just off the phone after talking with another friend who lives in Alaska. She said that recent snow storms have dropped eight feet of snow on their town, and it is still falling. The temperature has fallen way below zero and the north winds have increased to gale force. Her husband has done nothing but look through the kitchen window and just stare. She says that if the weather gets much worse, she may have to let him in.

~~~
Quote of the Day
The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.
~Mother Teresa

~~~
Joke of the Day

A University of Alabama student was visiting a Yankee relative in Boston over the holidays. He went to a large party and met a pretty co-ed.

He was attempting to start up a conversation with the line, "Where does you go to school?"

The coed, of course, was not overly impressed with his grammar or southern drawl, but did answer his question. "Yale," she replied.

The Alabama student took a big, deep breath and shouted, "WHERE DOES YOU GO TO SCHOOL?"



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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Amazing Murder Mystery

Murder Mystery
This is supposed to a true story from Associated Press. I have not been able to confirm, but in any event it makes an interesting story with a really weird twist.

gunFor those who have served on a jury...this one is something to think about. Just when you think you have heard everything. Do you like to read a good murder mystery? Not even Law and Order would attempt to capture this mess. This is an unbelievable twist of fate!!!!

At the 1994 annual awards dinner given or Forensic Science, (AAFS) President, Dr. Don Harper Mills astounded his audience with the legal complications of a bizarre death. Here is the  story:

On March 23,1994, the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head. Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit suicide.

He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency. As he fell past the ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window, which killed him instantly.

Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete the suicide the way he had planned.

The room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. They were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun! The man was so upset that when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife, and the pellets went through the window, striking Mr. Opus.

When one intends to kill subject 'A' but kills subject 'B' in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject 'B.'

When confronted with the murder charge, the old man and his wife were both adamant, and both said that they thought the shotgun was not loaded. The old man said it was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, assuming the gun had been accidentally loaded.

The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun about six weeks prior to the fatal accident. It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.

Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn't actually pull the trigger. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.

Now comes the exquisite twist....

Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus.

He had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's murder. This led him to jump off the ten-story building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the ninth story window.

The son, Ronald Opus, had actually murdered himself. So the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.

~~~
Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Here’s a beautiful picture of earth from space.
Enjoy life. It’s a gift.
earth

~~~
Quote of the Day
Happiness in intelligent people is the
rarest thing I know.
~Ernest Hemingway
 

~~~
Joke of the Day

As a pastor was visiting an elderly lady in the hospital he noticed a bowl of peanuts by her bed. He began to nibble the peanuts as they visited and by the end of the visit realized he had consumed the entire bowl.

Feeling badly he bought a bag and brought them to her the next day. As he gave them to her he explained they were to replace those he'd eaten the day before.

"Why you didn't need to do that Pastor", the lady explained. "The thing is, I don't have any teeth, so when my nephew brings me chocolate-covered peanuts. Well, I just suck the chocolate off and spit the peanuts in the bowl."



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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Inspiring

From A Friend
This is a nice story sent to me from a friend last week.

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree.

Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies.

Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast....because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

'He will cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you will find refuge.' (Psalm 91:4)

~~~
Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
When you can't control the wind,
adjust your sails!!!

~~~
Quote of the Day
It's so hard when I have to,
and so easy when I want to.
~Annie Gottlier

~~~
Joke of the Day

Joke today is a video from the Carol Burnett Show. It shows a no frills airline. It must be 15 years old and was giving us a look into the future.



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Monday, January 30, 2012

A Birthday Today

My Wife’s Birthday
IMG_4844Today is Beverly’s birthday. We started celebrating on Saturday with a nice meal at Outback and then ice cream cake at our place with Kevin, Lesley, Kara and Zachary. This picture shows Beverly with Kara and Zachary.

I put up posters and a banner in the house to decorate things for the birthday celebration.

IMG_4842hearts3I was thinking about my birthday girl. She is still the woman of my dreams, and I can’t imagine living without her at my side.

I am a lucky man!

Happy Birthday to the Love of My Life!

~~~
Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Hanging out with my wife is still
my favorite thing to do.

~~~
Quote of the Day
A handful of patience is worth more
than a bushel of brains. 
~Dutch Proverb

~~~
Joke of the Day

The Talking Centipede -- A single guy decided life would be more fun if he had a pet. So he went to the pet store and told the owner that he wanted to buy an unusual pet. After some discussion, he finally bought a talking centipede, (100-legged bug), which came in a little white box to use for his house.

He took the box back home, found a good spot for the box, and decided he would start off by taking his new pet to church with him.

So he asked the centipede in the box, "Would you like to go to church with me today? We will have a good time."

But there was no answer from his new pet.

This bothered him a bit, but he waited a few minutes and then asked again, "How about going to church with me and receive blessings?" But again, there was no answer from his new friend and pet.

So he waited a few minutes more, thinking about the situation. The guy decided to invite the centipede one last time. This time he put his face up against the centipede's house and shouted, "Hey, in there! Would you like to go to church with me and learn about God?"

This time, a little voice came out of the box, "I heard you the first time! I'm putting my shoes on!"



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Friday, January 27, 2012

Some Riddles…

And They Are Good Ones
My friend send me riddles for me to share with you. They will make you think and help to keep your mind active. The answers are at the end. Good luck!

  1. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?
  2. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
  3. What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away ?
  4. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday?
  5. This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching!

THE ANSWERS TO ALL FIVE THE RIDDLES ARE BELOW:

  1. The third room. Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead. That one was easy, right?
  2. The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry (shot; held under water; and hung).
  3. Charcoal, as it is used in barbecuing.
  4. Sure you can name three consecutive days, yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
  5. The letter e, which is the most common letter used in the English language, does not appear even once in the paragraph.

How did you do?

 

~~~
Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Today is Friday, and I hope to be back on this blog again on Monday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Remember to smile, and please be kind and pleasant in all your interactions with family, friends, and strangers.


~~~
Quote of the Day
Pleasure is the bait of sin.
~Plato

~~~
Jokes of the Day

Alabama
A group of Alabama friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck.

"Where's Henry?" the others asked.

"Henry had a stroke o' some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied.

"You left Henry layin' out there and carried the deer back?" they inquired.

"A tough call," nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one's gonna steal Henry!"


Georgia
The owner of a golf course in Georgia was confused about paying an invoice, so he decided to ask his secretary for some mathematical help.

He called her into his office and said, "Y'all graduated from the University of Georgia and I need some help. If I wuz to give yew $20,000, minus 14%, how much would you take off?"

The secretary thought a moment, and then replied, "Everthang but my earrings."

Louisiana
A senior citizen in Louisiana was overheard saying ...  "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana ."

When asked why, he replied, "I'd rather be in Louisiana 'cause everythang happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the world."

Mississippi
The young man from Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!"

Bubba replied, "Did y'all see who it was?"

The young man answered, "I couldn't tell, but I got the license number."

North Carolina
A man in North Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait.

A passerby studied the scene as he drove by, and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.

The man replied, "I got a flat tar."

The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"

The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back. I never did understand it neither."

Tennessee
A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?"

The driver replied, "Bout whut?"

Texas
The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch. The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head."

"Yep," he replied. "That's why I'm dumpin' it here, 'cause it says: 'Fine For Dumping Garbage.' "

***

Y'all kin say whut y'all want 'about the South, but y'all never heard o' nobody retirin' an' movin' North.



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Thursday, January 26, 2012

A Brain Test Old Gray Matter

Work the Old Gray Matter
My good friend Betty sent me the following “test”. I like brain twisters and enjoyed the test. I won’t tell you how many I missed, and you don’t have to tell me how you do on this test. I hope you enjoy!

1. Johnny's mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child's name?

2. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall and he wears size 13 sneakers.  What does he weigh?

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?

4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?

5. What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly?

6. Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?

7. In California, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?

8. What was the President's name in 1975?

9. If you were running a race, and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

10. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"?

11. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 haystacks in the other field, how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in another field?


Here are the Answers:

1. Johnny's mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child's name?

Answer: Johnny of course

2. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall, and he wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?

Answer: Meat.

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?

Answer: Mt. Everest; it just wasn't discovered yet. [You're not very good at this are you?]

4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?

Answer: There is no dirt in a hole.

5. What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly? Answer: Incorrectly

6. Billy was born on December 28th, yet her birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?

Answer: Billy lives in the Southern Hemisphere

7. In California, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?

Answer: You can't take pictures with a wooden leg. You need a camera to take pictures.

8. What was the President's Name in 1975?

Answer: Same as is it now - Barack Obama 
[Oh, come on ...]

9. If you were running a race, and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

Answer: You would be in 2nd. Well, you passed the person in second place, not first.

10. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"?

Answer: Neither, the yolk of the egg is yellow  [Duh]

11. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 haystacks in the other field, how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in another field?

Answer: One. If he combines all of his haystacks, they all become one big stack.

You can go back to sleep now ....

 

~~~
Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
The Bible speaks of Faith, Hope, and Charity.
All are important to us, but Charity (Love) is of most importance.


~~~
Quote of the Day
A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.
~W.C. Fields

~~~
Joke of the Day

MEN and WOMEN – A COMPARISON

NICKNAMES
If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah. If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Bubba and Wildman.

EATING OUT
When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.

BATHROOMS
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel.
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

MARRIAGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.

DRESSING UP
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!



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