Hmmm, what do you write about when life is ordinarily ordinary and you haven't written for two months?? Well, let's see....
I started a new (second) job as a courier and did it for four weeks. I really enjoyed it, but have quit because of the miles piling up on the car and things picking up with more hours at the hotel.
Two grandsons - Jacob and Connor - are now playing football, on both offense and defense. I know they're having a great time. Emily started middle school this week, Jenna will soon be 14, and Joshua had a great 2nd birthday party.
Jane and I are starting to make bead jewelry.
I am doing pre-stuff for Union College alumni board meeting and homecoming in October.
I saw a man with no nose.
I had a colonoscopy and EGD that came out fine. Still don't know why I have so many stomach or chest pains.
Eyes are improving, but still problematic. Wish I had kept my cataracts.
We are going to have a new great-nephew soon in Florida (Sam and Tori).
Brian is going to Boston for five week's training for a new chef's job in Florida.
We found a new home for Wendy, who seems to be doing fine, and we're concentrating on working with our beautiful Rocksy.
The scam investigation is on again, as the scammers are back working in the area. We had to do a police photo lineup and might have to testify in court.
We had to get a new (used) washer. The old one became biblical....it toiled not, neither did it spin.
We're planning our third annual Blessing of the Animals at church on October 4.
Early May found us back in Barbourville for the Union College commencement. Ashley Judd was the main speaker and received an honorary degree. My speech as Alumni Association president was well received, with applause in the middle of the speech as well as at the end.
Dr. Ashley and Dr. Joe
Naomi Judd and her husband, Larry Strickland (former backup singer with Elvis)
The day we went to Barbourville, I started having major eye problems and ended up going to 6 eye doctors in three cities in 14 days as we traveled on vacation. While they are better than they were, I am still having problems. I go back to the eye sturgeon in 2 days. After leaving Barbourville we headed south to Columbia and Hilton Head, SC, and then to Brunswick, St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Island, GA. We fell in love with Brunswick and St. Simons, and hope to relocate there one day.It was great to meet up there with Jane's brother and sister-in-law (Sam and Diane).
A bored Hilton Head resident
Jekyll Island Boardwalk
John Wesley's stomping grounds on St. Simons Island
Our Brunswick Bed and Breakfast, WatersHill
Sam and Diane at Brunswick's Lovers Oak
The Lady Jane is anchored at Brunswick
Downtown Brunswick (Brunswick has several squares, similar to the ones in Savannah.)
Jane continues to work full time, and mostly from home. My hours at the hotel have been cut, but thankfully I still have a job, as many other positions have been eliminated. I am, however, looking for other employment to supplement my Opryland hours.
This past weekend it was back to Barbourville again for a special Alumni College weekend, which is a new project endorsed by the alumni association. We look forward to growing it significantly in the years ahead. We continue to take care of the household critters and the horses, and are very slowly trying to get some painting and decorating done in the house.
Today I learned that I need a colonoscopy and EGD on the 24th for a year's worth of stomach and intestinal pain. My colonoscopy doc is pictured below, preparing for his next patient. Tomorrow night we are going to a celebrity softball game at Greer Stadium (home of the Nashville Sounds) for Country Music Association week. Quite a few Titans players and country music stars are playing, including Dean Brody (managed by my oldest son).
Last night was a big night for Dean Brody, as he made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry. He did an awesome job, and received a rousing ovation from hundreds of Opry fans in attendance. He did backstage interviews afterward and was surrounded by a group of adoring female fans.
We went backstage and joined in the fun. Even Clark, his manager, was excited (and he usually doesn't always show much excitement)!
We also met Darius Rucker (formerly Hootie of Hootie and the Blowfish) and Opry legend Little Jimmy Dickens. Other acts included Jeannie Seely, Ricky Skaggs, the Sons of the Pioneers, Riders in the Sky and Mike Snider, among others.
Dean Brody debuts at the Grand Ole Opry
Jane, Dean, Clark and Joe
Darius Rucker with Jane
Joe with Little Jimmy Dickens
Ricky Skaggs and friends warm up in a dressing room
Dean's single, "Brothers," continues to do well on the charts, and his first album will be in stores on April 28. It's a good one!!!
Well, several folks have said it's time for a new blog, so here are a few odds and ends.
Wendy, the horse with the tumor, seems to be doing better. She's getting fat and sassy, and the swelling in her head seems to be down. Her future is still uncertain, however.
Wendy
Inthe meantime, we have a new quarter horse (someday we'll buy the whole horse!). She's 6 years old and her name is Rocksy. She's beautiful. The photo below after she was in the mud doesn't do her justice. When we put her out, she kicks and bucks and runs like the wind, but she is also gentle as a lamb and easy to ride. Jane is going to be working with her, and plans to both ride her and show her.
Rocksy
We also have four new parakeets, making our 5 dog-9cat-4 bird-2 horse family complete.
Sophie Blossom. Denny Crane, Mrs. Maggie Murphy, Maximilian Blue
Dean Brody, the artist that my oldest son (Clark) is managing, is making his first Grand Ole Opry appearance on April 17th, and his first album will be released on April 28.Check it out!
Dean Brody
As President of the Union College Alumni Association, I will be one of the speakers at the Union College commencement on May 9. I will be sharing the stage with the main speaker, actress Ashley Judd. It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.
Ashley Judd
Finally, these old eyes will be having cataract surgery on April 7 and 14.They tell me I will no longer have to wear glasses for perfect distance vision. Having worn them for more than 50 years, this will be quite a change that I can't yet imagine.We'll see. (No pun intended.)
The National Wild Turkey Federation is meeting at the hotel this week (murderers!). 3,000 people walking around in camouflage with turkey calls.....Today a lady at the hotel was wearing a t-shirt that said "Hug a dog." So I hugged her, and she slapped me.....One lady on my boat today had a huge hairy booger hanging out of her nose. A couple people who saw it said it was a nose ring that had gotten twisted around. I'm sure it was a hairy booger.
People who trust can sometimes get scammed.I admit it.We were too trusting, and we were scammed.What makes it even worse is that we have all heard stories about this exact kind of thing.
We have a lot of cracks in our driveway.
Yesterday Jane and I both happened to be home when a very nice looking, very polite, man came to our door.He said he had completed a driveway installation and had some materials left over which he didn’t want to have to dispose of.He offered to “spray seal” our driveway for $300.I told him we couldn’t afford that.Then he said if we would put one of his signs in our yard to help him get business, he would do it for $250.Jane and I discussed it, and since we are getting a tax refund, it sounded like a good deal, so we agreed.
He made a phone call and a second truck soon appeared with his “son” (?) and a third man, and they began busily sweeping and cleaning the driveway.He said this was a spray procedure and would not take long to complete.
Later he came to the door to get his check, and gave me a receipt that had a phone number on it to call him if there were any problems.He said he had to get a sign from one of his other jobs, and would bring it back and set it up.He said the cracks were still showing, but the sealer would expand over night to fill the cracks.
When he left we went out to look at the driveway and it looked like someone had just sprayed oil on it. So, too late, we began to realize this must have been a scam.
I went to the internet to look up his name, figuring he probably used a fake one, and this would be a dead end.Lo and behold, there he was – GLEN STAMPER – two articles about him scamming people in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
We immediately called the police.While waiting for the police, I looked at my checking account on the internet and the $250 check had been cashed within 20 minutes!
The police officer found his picture and info about him on his computer.He said the man was wanted in several states, and if we ever saw him again, we should call 911 and report him as a fugitive.The officer also called the number that was written on the receipt, and it was a disconnected number.
This is where it gets even more interesting.And very frustrating, as though we were being screwed a second time!
There is a Motel 6 behind a Mexican restaurant where we sometimes eat.Some friends whom we had told about the incident happened to notice his two trucks parked at that motel!The friends called us, and we called 911 while our friends watched from a distance.
Police came.They looked at the trucks.They went to the office.They came back and knocked on a door.No answer.They went to the office again.
Our friends decided to talk to one of the police officers to tell them they knew about the situation and see what was going on. The police actually saw that the man was walking around right there in the parking lot, but said they could find no Tennessee warrants, so they couldn’t do anything!This, after the investigating officer had taken our complaint and said there were warrants in several states!!
I called the police station and asked to speak to our investigating officer.They said he was not on duty and they could not take a message unless he was on duty.I looked up his name in the phone book and found three listings.Two were not the right number and I left a message at the third number.
We called the warrants department.They told us they couldn’t find anything.They told us to call the main police headquarters.The police department said to call the Warrants Department!After we explained that we had done that and were now going in circles, they said we should talk to the Desk Sergeant at our local precinct.After figuring out the correct precinct, they said they would call the dispatcher, who would call the desk sergeant, and the desk sergeant would call me back.That was over an hour ago.We’re still waiting.
Being scammed by the crook was bad enough.But after finding him, calling 911 as were told to do by the investigating officer, and then being told they couldn’t do anything….I can’t begin to tell you how that feels!!
Bottom line, we are out $250 due to our trusting (yes, and our gullibility).We found the scammers for the police, who said they couldn’t do anything.And, most certainly, the scammers will be on to a different area tomorrow, if they’ve not left already.
We still want to be able to trust people, and 99 times out of 100 that works out fine.But a lesson learned is that we will never again buy anything from any stranger who knocks at our door. If it’s something we need, we’ll make a call to a person or business of our choosing.
In the meantime, watch out for Glen Stamper and his two white pickup trucks.He might be coming soon to a neighborhood near you!
Today I was able to acquire a piece of art that will always hold a special place in my heart. It is a Boehm porcelain figurine of an old friend – and one of the world’s most famous bassos – the legendary Jerome Hines. Incredibly, there were only 12 of these figures ever made, and this bears the mark of #1.
Jerry, as he liked us to call him, was asked to leave his high school choir because he “couldn’t carry a tune.” But his love for music, and subsequent training, made him the leading basso at the Metropolitan Opera for 41 years. His most famous role was the lead in Boris Godunov, which he sang at opera houses worldwide, including a performance at the Bolshoi in Moscow for Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In fact, he carried a message directly from Khruschev to President Kennedy that affirmed Russia would not go to war over Cuba.
A born-again Christian, Jerry composed I Am the Way, an opera on the life of Christ. He sang the role at the Met in 1968 and performed the role many times around the world. I can never forget when I first met him at a dress rehearsal for I Am the Way in Columbus, Ohio, in the 1970’s. He was in full dress for the role of Jesus, and this imposing 6’6” frame “Jesus” staring down at me with his hand on my shoulder left a most indelible impression!
When I was a pastor in Dayton, I had Jerry do a sacred and secular concert as a benefit for the church, which drew about 1,000 people. He spent three days and two nights in my home, and preached for an overflow crowd at my church on Sunday morning. Every time he was in the area, I would call him, or he would call me, and we managed to spend time together.
Jerome Hines was undoubtedly one of the most committed and sincere Christians I have ever known. He touched thousands of lives well beyond his monumental operatic repertoire. He was active with the Salvation Army, and often could be found singing at rescue missions in the Bowery area of New York City and witnessing to drunks, addicts and homeless people.
Jerry battled cancer for a number of years, and literally thanked God for the disease, because it was another opportunity for him to teach others that, for a true believer, nothing can overcome the power and blessings of God.
Jerry believed that death was God’s “perfect healing,” where pain and sorrow are no more, and where we can finally live perfectly with Him in eternity.
My life will never be the same because of him. Jerry died peacefully in 2003 at 81 years of age, two years after his final operatic performance.
So you see, it’s much more than a porcelain figurine. He’s come to stay with us again, as a reminder of his powerful love for Jesus Christ - a shared faith and a shared friendship.
We had two largetour groups of Methodists and Baptists at the boats today. Each group had too many people to fit on one boat. The extra Methodists stayed dry by waiting for a second boat. The extra Baptists nearly drowned from trying to walk behind on the water.
Water and music are two of the most powerful forces in the universe.....If you like boogers, they are better the farther north you go.....If you close your eyes and hold your breath at the same time, you can't see or breathe.....People who hurt animals are the same people who tend to hurt children, women and old people.....BOSTON LEGAL was one of the best TV shows ever made.....I still miss my dad after 40 years.....The best cake is chocolate with white icing. to be continued
Ever since I was a kid I've loved horses. I watched Fury on TV and I watched old timey westerns mainly because they rode horses. I read Flicka and Black Beauty, always imagining that one day I would own a horse of my own. I rode imaginary horses with friends to and from school. After years of living I had given up on the dream. But about 3-4 years ago an opportunity came to me to finally be able to own a horse.
Actually to be part owner in a horse, and his name is Log. A spunky, Tennessee Walking horse he is and a lover of people. Stephanie and Mike had a house and six acres about 40 minutes east of Nashville. Well, we realized in a short time that Log didn't do very well alone so we searched for a second horse. Another TN Walking horse and the price was pretty good so we brought him home to share the pasture with Log. Not a good idea!!! They eventually hated each other and Cash (as he came to be called) was a biter. I started looking for a different horse and thought perhaps a mare would be a better choice since Cash and Log were both boys.....gelded boys...but boys just the same. My pastor's wife, Laura, said she had an appendix mare she would be willing to trade for my walking horse and we'd try it out and if either one of us didn't like the arrangement we would switch them back. Well, I had no idea what an appendix was other than an often disposed of body part so I said we'd give her a try. An appendix horse, by the way, is 1/2 quarter horse and 1/2 thoroughbred. She was sassy from the git-go. She let Log know that she was in charge but he liked her a lot and was quite willing to put up with her disposition as long as she'd hang out with him.
As time went on Log and Wendy became the best of friends. Wendy is a curvaceous sorrel mare and I guess Log just couldn't help himself. They were always together. They ate together, walked together, grazed together....you get the picture and they were the perfect pair. But unfortunately things often change. It became apparent that Stephanie and Mike were not able to keep living there mainly because the gas prices were soaring, and their house payment had done the same. Decisions had to be made to find the animals all new homes. We were all blessed because the miniature horses, the potbellied pig and Sam, the goat, all found homes quickly. We thought a lady was going to purchase Log but that fell through and Log went to a home nearby Steph's home in Smith County. I tried boarding Wendy in a boarding stable but I wasn't satisfied so I looked for another and found Butterbean Hill Boarding stables and it was near our house. I was thrilled. Wendy could be nearby and I could see her often. She would live in a pasture with several other horses and live out her life with occasional visits from me. Debbie, the lady who owns Butterbean, is a true lover of horses and I knew Wendy would be watched over by her.
This is where making every day count comes in. About two months ago Stephanie and I were visiting Wendy and everyone was joking and laughing about how fat she was. Several horse experts who come to the barn there were saying...."She's pregnant." I said no way....she hasn't been exposed to a stallion at any point in time. "No," they insisted, "she's got to be pregnant." Well, my friends, she is not pregnant. I just wish she was. It is now two months later, and she has lost a lot of weight and has been tentatively diagnosed with a tumor in her head. We're just waiting for the final prognosis from the University of Tennessee. So you see how important it is to make each day count. I will be there almost every day spending time with the dream that came true; before she has to go away. It's always strange when you get bad news...part of you is sad to be losing a loved one and part of you is glad for having had the experience.
It's six days till my "officially old" 65th birthday. One of the things I've noticed is that I am losing more and more people I know through death. I've also lost lots of other things....(even more) hair, a bit of memory, keys, glasses, some savings, important papers and other things that have surely walked away from where I remember putting them. My visual and hearing acuity ain't what they used to be. I lose sleep and energy. And occasionally my wife, whats-her-name, tells me I'm losing my mind. I've even lost her a couple times, along with my car in parking lots. But interestingly, as I get older I've also found some things. Moments with my family have become more precious. Time with my dogs and cats snuggled around me bring me more contentment than they used to. Sunsets seem more spectacular and rain more soft and gentle. I have found that there is little - including past mistakes, current politics and evolving religious beliefs - worth arguing about. I figure as long as God knows what He and I are both doing and thinking, and He loves me as I am, the opinions of others just really don't matter much. I've found that people who believe that their way is always right, and who have all the answers, amuse me. That in itself can keep me smiling inside most of the day. The bottom line is that none of us know all the answers; none of us are always right; and God alone has control and knows how it will all turn out in the end. I've found that I get far more joy from the most simple things. I've found that my love for my wife grows more and more every day. (She probably won't like being in the same paragraph as "simple things.") A peanut butter sandwich or a can of soup is often far more satisfying to me than a gourmet restaurant meal. Gosh, I'm even beginning to like soccer! Our recent trip to Colorado, spending time with great friends and seeing the glory of the mountains, has become a gift that I will never forget. I'm not thrilled about getting older....but if I keep finding more wondrous things, maybe it's not so bad after all. Tomorrow night we're supposed to go see the Rockettes at the Grand Ole Opry House. I'm looking forward to enjoying it with my wife/best friend. Now if I can just find those tickets...
I am turning 62 on Thursday and I have lived a long while and have seen a lot of history. Lots of changes, lots of great moments, lots of injustice and lots of miracles. I wasn't sure if I would ever see an African-American get elected as President of the United States but tonight that dream has come true. Yes, a dream. I pray for President-elect Obama as he begins this new part of his journey. All this week I have thought a great deal about Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and all the other idealistic leaders we've had in the past who had a vision of America not as it is, but as it should be. It should be a place where anyone who is qualified could seek the highest office in the land and attain it. Tonight that has really happened. We are a great country and this proves it. I have such a sense of pride right now in our country. I always have; but now it is intensified.
I believe that Senator Obama will represent us all. I think it's time that the lower and middle classes have a hero. I have seen wealth being the only thing that matters in this country for far too long. I am tired of money and possessions mattering more than kindness, integrity and charity. I have no way of knowing how he will govern but I pray it is with fairness, level-headedness and honesty. I see him as a man with a cool head and a kind heart. He has walked with the poor and found a need to help. It seems to me I know someone else who did that. His name is Jesus. No, I don't think Obama is the new messiah. I think he is simply someone who has walked in the footsteps of the disenfranchised and knew he had to make a difference.
I'll pray every day for this new leader. I know he won't be perfect but I will try to remember he is a man; and hope he makes decisions with all this country's citizens in mind.
President Joe with Mack the Bulldog, Union College Mascot Well, election time is just two days away. Will it be Obama or McCain? Just think, in only two more days candidates can start vying for the 2012 nomination!
There was an earlier election you probably never heard about. It was an election for a two year term as the President of the Union College Alumni Association. It was my great honor to win that election.
Since graduating in 1966, I have credited Union College with being a part of every success of my life. This United Methodist-related liberal arts college in SE Kentucky was founded in 1879, and today has 700+ undergraduate students and more than 1,000 graduate students from 24 states and 14 foreign nations. Union prides itself on its one-to-one relationships and its dedication to making every student a part of a very special personal learning experience. The faculty-student ratio is 1:12.
Majors are available in more than two dozen disciplines, along with a Masters program. Union College helps students make learning connections. Students are given opportunities for practical applications through a liberal arts curriculum that is academically rigorous. Upon admission to the College, students begin a process whereby career counselors and academic advisors help them articulate career goals, select academic courses of study appropriate to those goals, and achieve suitable placement upon completion of their studies.
A wide variety of intercollegiate sports are available, and academic and athletic scholarships are abundant.
I owe Union College more than I could repay in my lifetime.Union has thousands of very dedicated alumni with similar stories.Perhaps some small portion can be repaid while I am "Mr. President."
Howard, Ben and Jerry are three wood ducks that live at the Opryland Hotel. Wood ducks are different from other ducks, because they don't quack - they just squeak. Unfortunately, Howard is now a dead duck. His little duck body was found last week by a hotel employee. Howard was a good duck. Many people don't know that his full name was Howard John McCain. Howard was often a loner. Sometimes he didn't move so well. He was also a maverick. When the other party of ducks (Ben and Jerry) was mean to him, he often tried to cross party lines to make peace and to cooperate with the other side. He once had a swimming mate named Sarah. Sarah could see another section of the hotel from her house. But, alas and alack, one day Howard was heard from no more. In the words of the poet, Henry Waddlesworth Duckfellow:
Often in the course of conversation I am questioned to why I have so many pets. JANE, HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE SO MANY HAIRY, DISGUSTING ANIMALS IN YOUR HOME? My answer...how could you not?
I have walked the walk of an animal lover since I was very small. I would bring a lost dog home only to be told by my parents to take it back where I found it. Animals and I have always had a connection and I find that they are the purest form of unconditional love in this often loveless world. I have looked into the eyes of countless homeless and abused animals and have seen such need for a simple kind touch or kind word. Pretty simple by anyone's standards and so easy to fill this need. This is why my question to you would then be....how could you turn away from those needy faces and worry more about some dog hair or dirt on the floor?
My need to help these helpless creatures of God is about love...simple, unconditional, unselfish love. Yes, my house is probably dirtier than yours; yes, I have more hair blowing across my floor; but I wouldn't trade any of this for a perfect house. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Nothing more beautiful than one of my cats sleeping in the sun on my table or the excitement I see on my dogs' faces when I return from a quick trip to the store. Few humans have ever shown that excitement whenever I walked into a room.
Contrary to popular belief, I do love humans too. But it's not a contest...I can love humans and animals equally. I thank God every day for that wonderful gift. Amen.
Well, our friends Lilla and Neal in Colorado have a blog. I guess it's really Lilla's blog. She is an excellent writer! (Check out rhymeswithvanilla.blogspot.com)
Lilla has been bugging us to start our own blog, and telling us how easy it is to do, so tonite I decided to try it. After a couple hours of trying, what you see is how far I've gotten. There's a lot to learn, and my patience level varies, so I don't know how fancy we'll be.
It is kind of fun, and an opportunity to be creative, informative and keep in touch.
This will be an occasional production at irregular intervals.
Chances are that Neal and Lilla could be the only ones to read it. But, for what it's worth, here it is.
JOE is a retired United Methodist minister and professional fundraiser, now working as a tour guide on the Delta Riverboats inside the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville. He served on the board of Historic Rugby in Rugby, TN, and is the President of the Union College Alumni Association in KY. He previously served churches in Ohio; was a social worker with maximum security delinquent girls; was executive director or development director for Lutheran Social Services, the American Lung Association, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baton Rouge Symphony, Historic Rugby and others.
JANE has spent most of her adult life working as a health information management coding specialist, and is employed by Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. She is a graduate of Sinclair Community College in OH. She has been majorly involved in animal rescue in three states.
WE are actively involved at Andrew Price Memorial United Methodist Church in Nashville. We have five children and five grandchildren. We also have eight cats, five dogs and three birds and share an unconditional love with them. Our favorite pastimes are traveling and movies.
