Entry for September 27, 2006 BIG MONEY!!!!!!!!

At age thirteen you don't expect to become RICH overnight. Our family would visit granny and pa Barnes on the week ends in Fayeteville.   My uncle Billy who was 3 months older than me would go to the Lincoln theater to watch cowboy movies. Imagine mother and granny being pregant at the same time. Mother with her first and granny with her last child. Oh, the stories they must have shared!! Once at the movies I would have to visit the bathroom. On the way up I kicked something with my foot, it was a wallet. I picked it up and continued on to the bathroom. Inside the stall I locked the door and opened the wallet up; man I have found  a GOLD MINE!! Inside I find three five dollar bills and three one dollar bills. Man $18.00 I'm rich, I was at the time. Sodas, candy bars, peanuts were only a nickel in the 50's. I'm not telling Billy, he would want half of the money. I dare not tell mother and daddy, they would take my new found wealth away from me.  Once back home in Tullahoma I have thought of a perfect place to hid my money. There is a hen house in the back yard. I get a Prince Albert tobacco can to put my money in and will hid it under one of the hens nest that is covered with straw. I will get money out for sodas and candy. I begin treating my friends , buying them goddies. I bet they thought I was dealing drugs. Wait a minute, there are no drugs in the early fifties. After a while I'm scared mother will find my money. I have a brillant plan. I hid the can in the middle of a colvert under our driveway with a rock over it. What if it comes a flood??  YOU BIG DUMMY!! It rained for two days and the can with my money was gone. I begin walking by the ditch which ran down hill to the depot some eight blocks away. At the depot I find the can with my money but a little wet. Back in the hen house goes my money. Mother never finds it and it takes several years to spend all of it.

Entry for September 20, 2006 JURY DUTY !!!!!!!!

Finally after all these years I'm called for JURY DUTY!! I'm really looking forward to this new experince to see our court system in action.  We were given dates that trials are on the docket. We are instructed to call the court clerk office after 4:30 the day before to see if the trial  is still on. On about the sixth trial date we are finally called to duty. I arrive at the court house at the given time and sign in, I'm number 22, hey thats  my lucky number. After signing in we are led into the courtroom and given our instructions. Its 30 more minutes before the opening of the trial. Man that sure was a long, long 30 minutes. 30 people showed up out of 40 called.  9:00 right on the dot and we are instructed, ALL RISE. The judge gives out his speech and ask three questions that all answer together. He swears us all in.  A woman offical of the court begins drawing numbers out of a box with each juror number, the juror is called and seated  in one of the 12 chairs. Number 22 , hey thats me. After a while 20 jurors are seated and the lawyer began dismissing some to get down to 12. The judge tells us when you are dismissed it isn't for any special reason. Once the field is down to 12  the jury is in place, I'm on the JURY!!The case involved a drug dealer selling three rocks to an undercover woman. The DA presented three tapes with the buys from the dealer to the undercover agent. The tapes were of a very poor quality but you could understand some of the words. The DA must have got his law degree for Wal-Mart, he wasn't very good at getting the undercover witness to explain what went down. The lawyer for the accused was just out of LAW  SCHOOL  and went to a real law school . He twisted the witness story around and I felt sorry for this poor girl. She finally settled down and got the story right. The evidence was strongly against the man accused. No question in my mind on his being guilty. At 12:oo we broke for lunch and were instructed not to talk about the case. Back from lunch, the judge tells the jury that a devlopment in the case doesn't require the jury any more. WHATS the deal I'm thinking but the jury is not told why we are dismissed. After all that time and effort on our part you would think the court system owed us an explaination??? NOT!!!!!  I found out later that the charges against the dealer was dropped. I'm still trying to find out WHY???  This is an example of our legal system in action. I don't think the DA ever wins a case, he just gives them away. So much for JUSTICE!!!

Entry for September 16, 2006, MY MYTHICAL ROAD TRIP!!!!

I pulled myself out of bed early this morning  and had my cup of coffee to get this old body and mind in gear. I only drink one cup each morning but in my defense, my cup holds about two cups. I head upstairs to my little world and my Compaq. The weather is cool this morning and I think I'm going to get the 40 Ford street rod out and take a trip before my wife gets up. I want be gone very long as I am going to Decatur, Ill. I will try to find Bluestar Tam. I have some ROSES to give her for the nice poem she penned for my neighbors who have been married 50 years this next week. I'm pulling out of the driveway on my way to Manchester, Tn. to hit I-24. I'll stop and gas up this old ford,  there is a station selling gas at $2.18. Finally I hit the old I-24. The trip want take long as I set the cruise on 90 and hope I don't see MR TROPPER.  Just into Nashville and had to slow down, traffic is tight but I've made it around Music city and back up to speed. The state of Kentucky goes flying by and finally the State of Illinois is under the old ford. Changing Interstates now traveling I-57.  Thats Mt. Vernon, Ill. up ahead better stop and fill up and hit the bathroom. Had a Pepsi and back on the road again. I'll be getting off I-57 and taking Highway 36 to Decatur. Man I should have slowed down , the blue lights are flashing behind me so I pull over . The lady cop ask man I didn't think that old ford could go that fast, I clocked you going 85 in a 45 zone, whats the hurry??? I'm on my way to find Bluestar Tam, I have some ROSES for her and I didn't want them to wilt. Do you know where she lives?? Man you are in luck, I'm her twin sister, Brightstar. Follow me I will give you a police escort to her home. We arrive at her home, they tell us she will be out in a few minutes, seems LIKE she is on her COMPUTER. That don't suprise me I tell Brightstar. Bluestar Tam this is Nick b from Tennessee he has something for you . As I shake her hand I give her a big bunch of Roses. Thanks Bluestar for composing that great poem for my neighbors. Not very often do you ask a stranger to do you a favor and get these kind of results. I know it took some time and effort on your part to do this for me. THANKS AGAIN!!!! This trip was not for real but Bluestar Tam writing the poem for my neighbor was the real deal!! I'm glad to say the trip back home didn't take long at all I just BACKSPACED BACK HOME.  REGARDS

Entry for September 11, 2006 9/11 REMEMBERED!!!!!

There are events it our lives that we all remember, what we were doing and where we were at during the happening of these events. Example; Kenndy's assassination. The 9/11 event stands out in my mind as the number one event in the history of this great country, our greatest disaster in my time. I had went to a cabinet shop to pick up some material for a project I was working on. While there I heard over the radio,they had on, that an accident had occured at the world trade center. A plane had hit one of the twin towers. I was stunned and returned back home to turn on the TV.  In my mind I couldn't see this as an accident. The TV reporters kept calling it an accident. When the second plane hit the other twin tower they finally called it like in was, a terrorist attack. Truly a sad day for many Americans. Five years has passed and many of our American soldiers have lost their lives in foreign lands fighting for our freedom. Too many men and women have lost their lives  both Americans and Foreigners and we should all pray for PEACE IN THIS GREAT WORLD. Light a candle today and say a pray for world peace.