Archives for March 2019

Just some thoughts:

In the late 1950’s and a bit into the 60s’ Dave Gardner was one of the most recognized comedians in the business. A southern comedian of sorts. Often referred to as Brother Dave.

Dave was born poor in Jackson, Tennessee in 1926. In his youth he was ordained as a minister but evidently the ways of the world came calling and he found his vocation while playing drums in nightclubs around the south. He hardly could be thought of as a man of the cloth.

In 1957 he hit tall cotton appearing on the Jack Parr Tonight Show. This ended up being ground breaking for him and he had a huge hit with his first album “Rejoice, Dear Hearts.” This would be followed over the years by a number of other albums. (I have them all) In the early 60s’ he became very successful building himself a twenty-three room mansion in Hollywood and various other perks of fame. In the late 60s’ his popularity faded and he ended up dead broke and sadly in 1983 died suddenly of a heart attack.

Much of his material was anything but political correct. In fact such of his doings led to his demise.But he did have this one bit that he often did in his stand up routine.  I always thought it was pretty interesting. It went something like this.

There was this man who went to Hades (not his word) and while visiting there he saw the horror of people forced sitting at dinner with nothing to eat with but spoons. These spoons were permanently affixed to their arms that were too long for their mouths to reach. From there he went up to heaven and saw that the blessed  they also had the same situation. Spoons permanently affixed to their arms that also were too long for them to reach their mouths.

There was a difference in the two groups, one was doing nothing about their situation the ones in heaven, well they feeding each  other.

Kinda interesting thought isn’t it. Some never got past their situation, they  allowed themselves to be victims. The other group they found a way to over come and not be victims.

Any lessons there?

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March 2, 2019
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted March 31, 2019

Just some thoughts:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) the Englishman was quite a famous writer. Certainly he is noted for  his fame with Sherlock Holmes. Evidently he was also quite a prankster.

He once wrote a letter to forty of his famous and well known friends. It was a very short letter and to the point. It read:

“All has been found out, flee at once.”

Of the forty that received the letter it  was said  twenty, did.

If you should or had received such a letter what would  be your situation?

You staying or leaving?

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March 8, 2019
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted March 30, 2019

Just some thoughts:

This past week I was sitting in an Arby’s in Panama City Beach, Florida eating my sandwich, drinking my ice tea  and yes, curly fries reading a book on the life of one time Detroit Tigers baseball  player Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. Fidrych was a character, some even called him a Flake.

For some reason in reading about his life it reminded me of a kid I once had in class during my teaching and coaching years.  Funny how years later (or is it) one often thinks back and remembers certain people, certain kids.

I once had this kid in class. He was a character. It was not very long into the class  that I could tell  some things were gonna have to change. He was always talking, bothering everyone around him and just in general interrupting the one (me)  trying to teach a class. One day after class I ask to talk with him. I told him, “You’re making my life as a teacher in this class less  than desirable, in fact you are about to make it miserable. And if you are making life miserable for me, more than likely I will  make life miserable for you. Do you get me?” He smiled and nodded.

So I said to him, “How about if we do this, say two or three mornings a week how about if I give you say the first 3-4 minutes of the class. You can tell your jokes, do you stick or just whatever you feel like you need to do. I will give you that time, I will begin the class by yielding to you for those few minutes. You can give your thoughts on sports, current events, the subjects we are talking about, whatever. After those minutes I give you the rest of the class will be mine.” To which he agreed. In his words, “Sounds like a deal Mr. A.”

I will never forget this one morning. I took role and then as I would do on his 3-4 minute mornings I said, “And now I yield to Mr.” To be honest with you as time went on I kinda looked forward to what he would have to say.

On this morning he got up from his desk, walked to the front of the class and  held up a picture. This picture was of his family pet dog. That morning he told us that the previous day their family’s pet dog had died. It had been their family pet for all the years of his and the life of his sister. “We’ve never known a day without that dog. There has never been a morning when I left for school that I didn’t scratch his head.” As he point to the class, he then said something  I will never forget. He then said:

“Someday everyone of you in here are gonna lose

something you’ve come to know and love and it’s gonna hurt.”

With that he sat down. You could have heard a pen drop.

You know sometimes on a given day a pupil can say something more profound than their teacher.

As one of my old high school teacher’s once said after sharing something regarding the two of us. “We both learned from each other.”

You know that may be the best one could hope for in education, learning from each other.

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February 12, 2019
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted March 29, 2019

Just some thoughts:

Recently a guy came in one of Nashville’s libraries of culture where I happened to be …. sat down and said:

“Yesterday my wife came home from work. She was mad and she crying.”

He went on to say, “It’s not good when a woman is mad. No, it’s not good. It’s not good when a woman is crying. No, it’s not good.”

“But fellas let me tell you when a woman is mad,,, and,,, crying, when she’s doing both….no…no…. it really is not good.”

All at the table ….. without exception…. were in agreement.

I was once asked by a young fella that was not married: “How long have you been married?” I told him:

“Long enough to know the difference between
good silence and bad silence.”

I then said to him, “should you get married someday it would be in your best interest as quick as possible to also learned the difference in the two.”

There are some things in a man’s life that it is in his best interest to learn about …..crying and silence ….are just two in a marriage.

Agreed?

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June 1, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted March 29, 2019

Just some thoughts:

Sometimes about the only thing one leaves are stories.
The stories they once told, and the the stories that are told about them.

“A man like Charlie Bundrum doesn’t leave much else, no title to property, not even letters in the attic. There’s just stories, all told second and third hand, as long as some both remembers.”

Ava’s Man–Rick Bragg

Sometimes all we will ever know about another person are the stories. It’s important to remember stories, equally important they be repeated.

A person can die twice. Once when they actually die. The other  when they are no longer spoken of.

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August 21, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted March 27, 2019

Just some thoughts:

I grew up in rural southwestern Indiana.

Actual grew up in a very small community about nine miles south of Terre Haute. I once tried to look up the population of my little community and I could not fine it, was not listed.

I’m not sure who it was but it was somebody famous I’m sure who said:

“I feel bad and its unfortunate for anyone who did not grow up in rural America.” Now I am sure I have friends that would immediately take me to task on that.

When a boy grows up in a rural setting he goes to work early and over the time of his youth will have many jobs. Most rural boys first job or responsibility of any means is cutting grass. I did that starting at about age eight or nine. Cut Ruth Williams yard .50 cents, Grandma Shepard’s yard .65 cents. (I think she just wanted to say she paid more that her neighbors)  From that such jobs as putting up hay, driving a tractor etc. Then at age fifteen started working in a bank  wrapping coins.  I sure wish all my grandson’s had the opportunity to put up hay. They have no idea.

One of the jobs I had as a kid involved us living next door to the local grocery store. One of my first jobs was early every morning I would go to that store and see that the milk was placed in the big refrigerator. The milk delivery came before the store opened generally around 5 A.M. So someone would take it off the steps of the store and put it in the refrigerator. Likewise with the bread delivery. So every morning before school I went to the store and did work.

A local grocery store in small towns, villages were also gathering places. This old store was first heated by a big coal stove. Behind the stove would be a few chairs, a small table and a checker board. There are enough stories from that setting to fill a small book.

In small communities there would be a cast of characters, With names like Roy Lee, Duck, Donald Ray, Skates, Old Tom, Duffy, Diz and of  others. We had this one guy, kinda a  Ole’ Rivers, Walter Brennan type. In recent times I have began to think more about him. This one ole boy would come in most mornings. First thing he would do is go to the soda cooler. That’s where the “pop” was kept. He would get himself a big RC cola. He would always greet me and everyone else but he would not call me by my name. He called me, “Lester.”

One morning ( I am no more than twelve or thirteen years old) I said to him, “My name’s not Lester, my name’s Larry.” He paused, look at me with a bit of tobacco juice coming from corner of his mouth, half pointed, half grinning and said to me, ” Right, well  Lester.. the way  I figure it…its always good when a fella knows  his name.”

That morning when he left Junior (Jr) who managed the store said to me, “Larry don’t worry about him…he can’t remember anyone’s name anymore that’s why  he just calls everyone Lester.” I thought that a bit weird. Guy can’t remember another’s name.  I began to notice the next times he came around and Jr. was correct, he called everyone Lester.

Well I’ve got a confession to make. Yes, you are ahead of me, aren’t you.

The other day I told my wife ……I’m  getting closer to  where sometimes I think I’d best  just call the person…. “LESTER.”

You?

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June 8, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Just some thoughts:

My old grandmother used to often quote this scripture:

“All things work together for good to those that love the Lord.”

I must admit I have often struggled with that thought. Yet in my lifetime I have seen good come from less than desirable beginnings.

Case in point. He was born February 6, 1895. Six of his eight siblings would die in childhood. His mother would die of tuberculosis while he was still young, his father would die in a knife fight outside his own saloon. He once described himself saying “I was a bad kid.” At age seven he was taken by his father and left at an orphanage, part reform school. There were 850 boys at this school,  all there as a last resort when other schools had failed them. It is said pupils there had no privacy. Everything, thing they did–sleeping, showering, dining, studying was done in community. All students there had a history of behavioral problems.

But while at that school he was to meet a Catholic Brother, Matthias Boutilier who took a special interest in the young boy. This Catholic Brother was very interest and was a very good baseball player. The young boy would later refer to Boutilier “as the greatest man I’ve ever known.”

This is where the young boy would first be introduced to the game of baseball. The brother took a special interest in him. At age eight he was playing against boys age twelve, at twelve he was playing against boys sixteen. At age nineteen he was headed to North Carolina for spring training. It would be the first time he had ever been out of Maryland, the first time he had ever been on a train. He knew nothing about major league baseball. That year would see him in the major leagues pitching for the Boston Red Sox’s. The first professional game he ever saw, he was in it.

I think one would have to agree that the  boy had less than a illustrious beginning as a child. But today one name that has lived on through the ages in baseball, all of sports, is  George Herman Ruth.

“He was bigger than the President. One time, coming north, we stopped at a little town in Illinois, a whistle stop. It was about ten o’clock at night  and raining like hell. The train stopped for ten minutes to get water, or something. It couldn’t have been a town of more than five thousand people, and there were four thousand of them down there standing in the rain, just waiting to see the Babe.”

Richard Vidmer sportswriter–New York Times

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Posted March 25, 2019

March 3, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Just some thoughts: :

Sadly died before his time.

Although the longer I live I’m not qualified to speak about the matter of one’s “time.”  Who would have thought thinking of all the great Sun label people–Johnny Cash–Elvis–Roy Oribson–Carl Perkins–Charlie Rich…and who’s the one still walking among us–Jerry Lee. So I do not have a handle on life and the time of death.

So often I think of Croce– I’ll be driving playing one of his cd’s and then his lyrics just jump out at me—like today:

“You don’t spit into the wind”
“You don’t tug on Superman’s cape”
“You don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger”
“He looked like a Jigsaw puzzle with a few pieces missing”
“It happens every time I think about the love that I thought would save.”
“Meaner than a junkyard dog”
“Every time I’m near you I run of things to say.”
“Used to be that I could pretend that I wasn’t really hurt back then”

Far, far too many to write or even remember…

‘Cause memories can be friends
Or they can take you to a place
That you never thought you’d be again
And take you to a place
That you never ever thought
That you would see again

Memories — they can be friends, or they can be something other than…..friends.
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November 6, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted March 24, 2019

Just some thoughts:

What do you think is said to be the number one all time sports movie?  Anytime the word “favorite” is used yes the matter is debatable.

My all time favorite sports movie is “Hoosiers.” I know, not very objective am I.

Here is said to be the  top ten  from the book  The 100 Greatest Sports Films of All Time–Ray Didinger & Glen Macnow

1. ?
2.Hoosiers
3.Raging Bull
4.The Natural
5.Bull Durham
6.Slap Shot
7.The Longest Yard

8.The Hustler
9.Caddyshack
10.North Dallas Forty

Other in the top 100 hundred that are favorites of mine:

11-Field of Dreams– 12-Million Dollar Baby– 13-The Pride of the Yankees  15-Brian’s Song– 17-Chariots of Fire– 19-Remember the Titans=  20-Breaking Away– 22-A League of Their Own– 23-Friday Night Lights== 27-Knute Rockne:All American– 28-Bang the Drum Slowly– 45- Seabiscuit 47-Cinderella Man — 57-Rudy– 68-Blue Chips– 76-The Cincinnati Kid– 87-Glory Road

“No basketball movie had ever made it commercially. And we’re going to make a high school basketball movie? I thought,’We should have our heads examined.'” Quote from Gene Hackman.

Said to be the number one most favorite movie–you guessed it—Rocky.

Here is a little footnote: Sheb Wooley played the kind hearted principal Cletus–ole Cletus is also the guy who scored a huge hit song in 1958 “Purple People Eater.” He appeared many years before in the movie “High Noon,” wrote the theme song for the TV series “Hee Haw” and a  close relative and mentor to Roger Miller. Some years back I was fortunate to meet and visit with Wooley at his home. I told him about the time when I was a teenager that our local/favorite disc jockey–JA–Jim Austin played “Purple People Eater” continuously one Friday  night for hours as we kids drove up and down Wabash Avenue all tuned to WBOW.

Again when it comes to  saying something is the best we might keep in mind that is a matter of opinion. Far too often we think “my opinion” is just better than yours.

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August 3, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted March 23, 2019

 

Just some thoughts:

Was said to me by my adopted dad one summer night standing in my parent’s backyard. He listened to my story. I then  watched him take a drag off his Lucky Strikes and say to me:

“Your ego is not worth fifty dollars.”

On page 557 in my book Just Some Thoughts I  tell that story. The matter was about a piece of furniture (couch), my wife and a decision regarding both. Over the years I have often retreated to those words.

All of us have to ask ourselves that question:

“How much and at what cost will we let our ego take over?”

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January 24, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted March 22, 2019