Definition of Opinion:  A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof.

Please be respectful to others with differing opinions. 

Dennis Moran

Well, Bill I guess with the Scotch you won't be able to make it to Sees.  Seeing how you provided a place for your sons furniture I don't feel alone.  Since I don't drink anymore I don't feel like an easy mark for my daughter has become a true Moran.  And your glinlivit (even spelled correctly) wouldn't last very long.  My daughter also, works in the Weed industry and knows her products.  I feel like I let the world down and feel like a trip to Sees to drown my sorrows in chocolate. Maybe, some day we can have a get together at Sees..  After a few individualy wrapped bourdougs I become a wild and crazy guy.  Well, arrow headress optional.

Its funny having my kids household belongings; so much, I had a storage room added....sheeee the home owners association doesn't know..  And I have set traps in our large backyard.  I just don't feed the bears, I look at it free handout or for that matter leg out.

Happy Birthday..damm I'm younger than someone from Camelback High.

Now is the time to have your son take you to Sees.  Vitamin C keeps us out of the rest home.

Haven't done weed in along time...a lid is no longer five bucks.  But, bourdow, has helped improve my memory. Ukk, just remembered the Nuns.  I think just outside of Disneyland their is a sign; NO NUNS yep thats why its my happiest place on earth..sorry, I can still make it into Sees cheaply.  No rides but a customary piece of chocolate is provided.

Dennis.

Frank Wiley

Sunday Funnies--1. If someone from Holland married a Filipino their kids would be--Hollapinos.  2. My Wife texted me, "What does  IDK, LY, TTYL, Mean?  I texted back, "I don't know, I Love you, Talk to you Later."  She texted back "O.K. I'll ask my sister."  3. The first drone I ever heard about was Dennis telling of an eraser thrown by a Nun.  4.  A Friend told me he had an appointment with an audiologist.  He said it turns out his hearing loss is the exact frequency of his Wife's voice.  I ask, "What did your Wife say about that?"  He said, "I didn't hear her!"        Now a couple of puns from Bill Rihs.  He just turned 77------proves you're never to old to have a sense of humor!  5. I've always wondered if chickens communicate using fowl language?  Maybe when they're egg cited?  6. I didn't think the Chiropractor could improve my posture but-----I stand corrected.  7. A young man took his new girlfriend to the ice rink on two for one night. She called him a Cheap Skate.----Hey Bill, if you ever forget your age, just think, "77 Sunset Strip"!

Patty Meyers (Anderson)

Frank, #4 is exactly right.  For years I complained Buzz was ignoring me but when he finally gave it up and got hearing aids, the audiologist said it was women's frequency he didn't hear.  I told you so!

Frank Wiley

Hi Patty, In guess, in that case, I won't be wasting my money on hearing aids?  Ha! Ha!

Jim Coats

Michael Kelly

Great Jokes Frank W. Katie B. That is a very good story about the young man who suffered from Dislexia and was able to adapt and learn skills useful in earning him an income. A Teacher gets inspiration from such things that happen before their eyes.

You might be interested in Temple Grandin, who is Autistic and despite her own disabilities, she has made great strides in understanding Autism. She is also known for her work with Horses and humane treatment of Animals.

Earl Harris III

Thanks, Katie, for your post this morning, #11275. It’s nice to be able to occasionally read a post from former classmates that is both heartwarming and inspirational. Your recollection of time spent as a special needs’ teacher helping Phillip feel he wasn’t stupid, coupled with your chance meeting years later, when he found success as a mechanic, was touching. 

More than a year ago, I shared with all of you a tribute to Russell Eugene Harris, a counselor at CHS who went the extra mile to help set me on the right track. Similar stories that have appeared on this message forum are a welcome reprieve from the many back-and-forth partisan battles that so often fill these pages.

I hope that others in our graduating class will think about reaching back into their memory banks to pull out experiences from high school or in later years to share! I would welcome reading them, whether simple antidotes or life changing events, either positive or negative, that impacted your life in a memorable way.

I think that the sharing of growth-inducing interactions with others is particularly valuable, and should be a major part of an alumni site such as ours. 

Most of us are in the twilight years of our lives. Most of us will not live beyond our mid-to-late 80s or early 90s, if the mortality tables for those born in the mid-to-late 1940s are to be believed.

It strikes me that it might be best to try to live out our remaining years with as much love, peace, and goodwill that we can muster. 

Regardless of all of the differences and disagreements we can point to, regardless of all the accusations and recriminations that have and may continue to play out in these posts, we should, in my opinion, do as much good with as much grace and humility as possible before the lights go out. 

Earl Harris III

Mike,

I remember quite clearly the post that you shared with us many months back regarding your own experiences with horses. I think I’ve referenced it several times. It represents the kind of stories I enjoy reading and refer to for inspiration.

Temple Grandin’s autism and her pioneering work in the area of advocating for the human treatment of animals is another good example of how the human species can triumph against great odds.

Thanks for sharing.

Earl Harris III

Michael,

I think my short hand, "Mike", might not be the way you would like to be addressed on this forum. I have a younger brother named Michael, but we always refer to him by his nickname.

Would you please tell me again the preferred way that you would like me to address you? Thanks.

Earl Harris III

Richard,
 
I would like to welcome you back, as others have already done, to this Message Forum. I appreciate the extent of your efforts to try to shed as much light as possible on a wide range of topics, always with the idea of trying to be as objective, informative and civil as possible. I look forward to reading more examples of your keen "investigative journalism" in the future! Cheers!

Jim Coats

Struggling to get your wife's attention?  Just sit down and look comfortable.

I just sold my homing pigeon on eBay for the 22nd time.

I grew up with Bob Hope, Steve Jobs, and Johnny Cash.  Now there are no jobs, no cash and no hope.  Please don't let anything happen to Kevin Bacon.

Earl Harris III

Jim and Frank, 

Thanks for the current flurry of jokes and funnies! It's great to get some relief from all the hard news of the day with funny quips that make me smile or laugh out loud. I don't know whether these are borrowed or ones you've made up yourselves, or both, they are good for the soul. Thanks.

Jim Coats

You're welcome.   BTW, Frank....I had to back up about 11 feet to get to your Funnies Post....But I loved the one about Dennis and the drone!!

P.S.  I have got to get me a scarf!

P.P.S.  I just watched Rio Grande, a 1950 John Wayne movie.  His character was Col. Kirby York.  Col. York's estranged wife,Kathleen York, played by Maureen O'Hara came to his post to try to retrieve their 16 year old son from the Army.  One of the sweetest love songs performed by the Regimental Singers (Real life Sons of The Pioneers)  was I'll take you home again, Kathleen in her honor, much to the discomfort of Col. York.  The song featured a 34 year old Ken Curtis (Festus) as the lead singer.  It was a wonderful scene and the emotions displayed were really something.  Those were the days.  Too bad they're gone.

Richard Deshong

Earl, thanks for your welcome back message.

I had the pleasure of meeting and communicating with Temple Grandin in the days prior to her being considered autistic. Until then her clinical diagnosis was Turner’s Syndrome, a very rare and misunderstood condition that only occurs in women and, among other very serious physical symptoms, manifested as extreme anti-social behavior. It wasn’t until as a young teen her family could no longer deal with her that she was shipped off to live with an aunt who owned an isolated cattle ranch and it was discovered what she lacked in people skills she more than made up for with an infinity to animals, especially cows. This change in her life lead to an almost single-handed overhaul of the cattle processing and meat packing industries, the vastly more human treatment of the red meat animals we consume, and the savings of untold millions of dollars to the food industry and hopefully the American consumers. All from a woman most everyone who knew hated. With a lot of love and help, Temple has gone on to become a recognized university professor and advocate for women’s disorders.

I reached out to Temple when I discovered I had a niece with Turner Syndrome. I admit, until I got closely involved with my niece and her condition I, like everyone in our family but her mother, and everyone who encountered her thought she was a royal pain in the butt and someone to be avoided at almost all cost. When even her own parents, my brother and sister-in-law, kicked her out of the house at the age of forty-four, did I find myself in the moral position of becoming her last hope. I then dedicated what became a three-year journey to research everything there was to know at the time about Turner Syndrome and to open channels of communications with the three most knowledgeable doctors in the world on the subject. One of these doctors was head of the department that studied Turner Syndrome at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and thru her I was able to get my niece enrolled in what they call a “protocol” study intended to diagnose the condition, especially in women who live beyond the age of nineteen, the average age of death from it. This led me to learn of a doctor in South Korea and another in London who were studying various aspects of autism and were convinced Turner Syndrome was another condition on the autism spectrum. The doctor in London wrote the first published paper on the subject which quickly passed peer review and withing two years was accepted by the AMA. While all this was going on I had applied twice with the social Security Disability board which accepted autism as a disability and she was denied both times. Finally, I sought counsel and filed a lawsuit against SSD which was in process when the AMA published their update on autism and included Turner Syndrome. In less than a week SSD dropped their opposition against my niece’s claim and a day later the state of Arizona dropped their denial of granting her coverages under AHCCCS. I am happy to say today my niece lives a happy and enjoyable life. But even now, there are people, including some close family members, who refuse to accept the fact that she suffers from a condition that is beyond her control.

“So, what” some may ask. Well, out of this experience, and several others, I have learned not to jump to conclusions about people and their behaviors until I have tried to walk a mile in their shoes, or at least listen closely to how they explain what it would be like if I did. Likewise, I find it deplorable when people use a broad paint brush to paint what they label a “type” of people. Saying all Palestinians are Hamas sympathizers and should be treated accordingly, is like me say that all firefighters should be lumped in with those that have been found to be serial arsonists and should be shown the same distain. Or like assuming all lawyers that misuse their clients’ funds and have their license suspended are no different from any other lawyer. Making those sorts of comparisons I find to be intellectual laziness. Until you take the time to understand the individual and what drives them, I don’t believe you have the right to judge them by someone else’s behavior.

I have several other experiences I have considered sharing with this forum, but today’s not the time. I am trying hard to keep my new posts shorter than some of those who claim they don’t care for my length lectures but can give me a run for the money.

However, since you mentioned how much you enjoy humor, I will end this post with just a few thoughts that hopefully bring a smile to your face. Remember, you don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.

Q: When’s a retiree’s bedtime?

A; Two hours after falling asleep on the recliner.

Q: Among retirees, what is considered formal attire?

A; Tied shoes.

Q: What do retirees do all week?

A: Monday through Friday – nothing. On Saturdays and Sundays, we rest.

Michael Kelly

Richard DeShong  That is quite an interesting read on the inclusion of Turner's Syndrome as Autism. It took an amazing amount of persistence, patience, and loyalty on your part to help your Niece and get her to the place where others would recognize that she had no control over what was a real condition and not just her termperament. That added to my knowledge. Thank You. 

Coats  You said something about wanting to get your Wife's attention and the sure way was to sit down and appear Relaxed. Very Funny!  The same trick works with Horses. When a horse doesnt want to be caught, the best way to catch them is to turn your back on them, and ignore them. Better yet, just lean on a fence post, or squat down on the ground, and it is amazing how curious they become. They cannot leave it alone, their curiousity will not let them leave' They have to approach you and see what you are doing. Don't however, change your Wife's name to Old Paint, or Sugar, or Daisy. It should be obvious what such reactions this might lead to.

I had a horse called Rocky, a sorrel 16 hands tall, and about 1300 pounds, Perfect Quarter Horse size. He did not know he was a Horse, he thought he was human. One day I was working  on one of the Water Tanks, round, about 40 inches deep, made of steel, and 106 gallon capacity. I kept these full with a water line off a faucet feed, and running underground to keep it  from freezing during the Winter. It had an Automatic Float Valve which closed the line feed off when the Tank was at capacity. I was out fixing a hole in the side of the tank which sometimes occurred, and not a big deal to fix. I was squatting down triying to fit a wooden dowel in the hole so that it would swell up with water and close off the hole, and stop the leak. I had pliers in my hip pocket, a flat bladed screw driver, and a piece of pipe in my hip pocket. Unbeknownst to me, Rocky had become curious, and being the clown that he was, I had snuck up behind me. I felt just a slight nudge, then another, and finally I felt the tools in my back pocked moving around, I turned around to see Rocky, with what horses do for a smile, my pliers in his mouth departing at a trot because he had stolen the pliers, Yes, laughing, I had to chase him down to get the pliers back. Another thing Rocky would do is to use the back of my shirt to wipe his sweaty face on. After a long, hot ride, we would dismount and walk the horses back to the Trailer to stretch our legs, and give the horses a break from carrying our weight. We would loosen the Cinch and adjust the Saddle to give their backs a breather on the ride back home. Rocky would get up behind me, and would start up at the top of my shirt, near the collar, and wipe his face down to get the sweat off, and every time he would push me hard enough to make me have to stride out a couple of steps to keep my balance. He would give me one of his horse smiles. Mischievous horse. I had that horse from the day he hit to ground, Feb. 29, 1992 until he passed last year in November 2022'. 

Earf and others you can call me Mike it  is fine. 

Mike Lorts

Richard,

You are an inspiration. I have always thought I lived a full life but when I read your posts describing your exploits I realize I have been a slacker. I must try to do more with the limited time I have left.

Michael Wetzel

Mike K.,

I personally prefer two areas, where I have taken nice Coues deer. ( Incidentally, Most people do not pronounce their name correctly, it's pronounced ' Cows ' ). I could give you their story behind their name, but then, it may resemble some of the other lengthy pages of shit we have to endure that appears on this forum. Anyway, one area I perfer hunting in, are the Sierra Ancha Mtns., behind Pumpkin Center. Lots of deer, bear, and lions also inhabit that same area. My favorite southern areas that I do most of my hunting for white tail, are Unit 35 ( My favorite place ), Patagonia specifically, where I also shot my lion. Unit 36, and the other Units along the border. Wear your .45, because the ILLEGALS, will sometimes come straight through your camp with sticky fingers...Let me know if or when you are going down south to hunt, just maybe, if things are going okay with my back, I could tag along for a guide, or some kind of help for you............

Jim Coats

Mike Kelly.  I appreciated your story about Rocky.  Being uneducated with regard to horses, I never knew how they could become part of your heart like that.  I've always just been a dog person.  That was one sweet story and it touched me deeply.  Thank you for sharing.

Dennis Moran

Kathy, i found your interaction with your student to be a fantastic and loving time.  So many schools and their special education classes lump many kids (who have different levels of phisical and mental understanding)  The student, couldn't sound out the words; so he had to memorize hundreds of words to reach a level of understanding. The school system, had to bus the students to a school quite aways from his home.  He heard the stupid definition from many, including the normal class students. The only exposure to kids that lived near him was in sports. over time the label of stupid wouldn't be used because he had many friends now.  These kids move onto a self contained class at the local high school. Since it was imited and the mix of phsical and mental abilities were various; the class plan used provided very limited chance of sucess was at its best poor.  The student heard about EVIT and had difficultiy getting into a program so he had to prove himself  through multiple basic courses and then moving up to being admitted as a regular student. He passed his courses with flying colors and beame an honor graduate.. He later graduated from MMI becoming a certified motorcyle mechanic and a Kawasaki specialist. He worked his way up from kitchen staff to sou chef to running and managing the kitchen of a large retirement home.  

When ever you see a little yellow bus picking up students to go to classes please don't laugh and think of these kids as stupid...they are not.

many of these kids are visual learners.  And to the teachers who work in special ed they are some of the smallest groups of education.

The student is my son.

Dennis

Michael Wetzel

Dennis, ' God Bless You'..........

Mike Lorts

The stories from MK, Dennis, Richard and Katie were touching and proved that all of us can put aside our political views and speak from our hearts.

Thanks to all,

Mike L

Earl Harris III

Thanks, Michael Wetzel, for your entry regarding coues deer and your interest in hunting. You seemed hesitant to write about this sub-species of the American white-tailed deer that inhabit much of the day Southwest, particularly Arizona as well as parts of Mexico. But since I was totally unfamiliar with coues deer, your post prompted me do a little research on the Internet. Fascinating creature!

For those who would like to know a little bit more about the coues may I recommend: https://worlddeer.org/coues-deer/

I’ve done very little hunting in my life, and what little I did came mostly before the age of 25. I have vivid memories of hunting rabbits as a young boy under the tutelage of my Dad and male relatives in the hill county of Texas. Later, I enjoyed dove hunting in Arizona for a period of a few years and even tried my hand at duck hunting here in Oregon…without a great deal of success, I should add.

Today, I mostly enjoy fly fishing. Most of my experiences have involved wading streams, rivers and paddling small lakes in Oregon where I live. To be perfectly honest, the greatest joy I derive from this pastime involves getting out in nature. I enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors!

What do you enjoy most about hunting? Who introduced you to the sport? What has been your experience in helping others share your joys of hunting?

In another of your posts, you offered a congratulatory note to Dennis regarding his touching story about his son. I couldn't agree with you more! It got me thinking about the many special needs kids I came to know during my 30 years as a teacher and school administrator, many of whom went on to live highy productive and satisfying lives. Sometimes it only takes a helping hand or two from caring adults to help spark confidence and a fighting spirit within those who are struggling.

Have a great day!

Frank Wiley

Parelli  Mike K.--Have you ever heard of Parelli Natural Horsemanship?  They have numerous locations including somewhere in Europe and also including one here in Pagosa Springs.  They endorse a Bit Free method and hand signaling to move the horse and no spurs.  On Wednesday evenings in the Summer they do a bar-b-que, riding demonstration, and the a big campfire with Songs from mostly fourth-fifty years ago.  My favorite is (which I've posted before) "Ghost Riders in the Sky".  It's a good value for $10 a person.  We've done it every year except for the Covid shutdown.  I enjoy the hunting stories, but I was never a hunter because my Dad had a bad hunting experience as a young boy.  In fact, the first time I ever fired a rifle was in Marine Boot Camp.  He was a Trout Fisherman so I inherited that from him but advanced into Fly Fishing.  We have Great Streams here and I love it whether I catch anything or not.  Standing in a stream and feeling the water wash around your waders while listening to the water and looking at Nature is mesmerizing.  

Frank Wiley

So Biden paid cash for his Beach House and now a check for $200,000 has been uncovered from Jim Biden to Joe Biden.  Hmmmm!

Earl Harris III

I have a simple wish, or request, of message forum participants. 

Several years back when I first discovered this site and began posting, I realized that a graduation photo of me automatically appeared above my entries. Back then I began thinking it interesting that an image of me taken more than 58 years ago would be associated with my thoughts today at age 70+.

It struck me then, as well as now, that the ideas that I had as an 18-year-old graduating senior are uncoupled from my current thoughts and how I look today. So many of my thoughts about life, from politics to preferred pastimes, have changed.

For example...

No longer am I restrained by the technologies of the mid-'60s (think transistor radios, hunt-and-peck portable typewriters, rotary dialed party line telephones, blurry color TVs and the like), but also no longer am I the handsome, muscled and swashbuckling, know-it-all teenager of my yesteryear. We'll, maybe I still have a bit of a know-it-all attitude as a senior citizen. After all, when you reach our age, one can lay legitimate claim to a certain kind of wisdom that only comes with advanced age. Am I right?

With respect to my physicality, I am no longer able to run 10k's, let alone, 10 strides comfortably. I've gained many more pounds than the 165 that I carried back in high school. I now have considerable belly fat resembling a mid-torso inner tube that I unsuccessfully try to tuck in whenever a full lenghth photo is being taken of me. 

My eyelids slowly began to droop over the past several decades, though an uplift of my eyebrows ( covered by Medicare) five years ago made me look a little younger while allowing me to see better. I've had cataract surgery in both eyes, also. I must say it's wonderful to see more clearly again. I think I might even have better eyesight than I did when I was 18. Honestly!

More lines now crisscross my face that those found on an African elephant's hide, the results of too much sun and worry, I suspect. And, speaking of too much sun, I have a couple of noticeable scars that now grace my face from reconstructive surgery that removed a malignant melanoma. My smile is a bit crooked. But, it's been 10 years since my cancer surgery and I'm still here, thanks to advances in medical science.

And that's just the outside of me! Inside and out of sight, I could tell you stories about two heart attacks at age 44 and 46 respectively, followed later by quadruple bypass surgery, as well as, defibrillator and pacemaker implants. I could go on and on describing other maladies I've encountered and survived. I suspect I could put you to sleep, but that would only make this long entry more unbearable than it already is. 

So, let me stop here and get to the point of this post.

It would be nice if people could share a photo taken more recently of themselves. Instead of associating your current posts with a photograph of a face and a time that no longer exists, would you please consider sharing one that does? I would prefer if it were part of your post, each time you enter this forum.

Some of you already do this. And, some of you change your image or your message from time to time as your image and thoughts evolve.  If you're one who cannot bear the thought of allowing us to see more accurately the "you of today"  with each post, perhaps you could consider including a more up-to-date photo in our site's Classmate Profiles section.  I'd find it more refreshing and more relatable if you were to do one or the other, or both.

Thanks!