Richard R. Clark Senior Center: 10-1-16

/ Jim McDonald / Leave a comment

Richard R. Clark Senior Center

 

The, “Clark Senior Center” is one of four senior centers in Charles County, MD. It’s the cream crop and located at the intersection of Rt 6 and Rt 488 in La Plata, MD.

 

The membership requirements are minimal, you need to be at least sixty years of age and reside in Charles County, MD.

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It offers many activities; such as, large gatherings of card games, an inviting fitness center and three pool tables. All of these are well attended in the mornings. They also offer computer classes and Creative Writing classes and all of the above are free.

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This picture is not at the center, but it does fit the post

You can attend guitar, piano, Spanish, classes for a dollar a lesson. There are so many more activities for free and for nominal fees.

 

My buddy, Raymond and I, walked in at 9:30 am and didn’t leave till 3:30 pm. We met so many nice people, that it didn’t take us long to make this one of our favorite places.

 

How ya like my hat? Hog hat

/ Jim McDonald / 7 Comments

How ya like my hat? Hog hat

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Sometimes I ask people questions that I already know the answers to. If they tell me a lie or act like they know something they don’t, then I can place them in the category they belong.

 

Dad taught me, “You can ask a person who they are and learn what they tell you. Or you can watch a person and see who they are.” I didn’t understand what that meant then; but decades later I realized my dad was wiser than I gave him credit for.

 

I’m a Washington Redskin fan and have been for a long time. I wear my Skin’s Jersey during every game; and, if we win I may not wear it the next day, but if we lose, I always wear it the next day.

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I was at a bar on a Monday evening after a Redskin’s loss, so of course I was wearing my jersey. There was a Cowboy fan there and after following my dad’s advice, I knew what category this guy belonged in, the know it all category.

 

He told me, “If you wear this hat for an hour, I will buy you a beer and give you ten dollars.”

 

Not being one to pass up a picture of any head gear for my hat gig, I said, “Sure.” He ended up drunk and forgot about the hat so I gratefully took it home and the ten dollars.

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Just messin: My grandson, Blake, gave me this hat for Christmas a couple years ago. It’s too hot to wear in the summer, but I do wear it in the winter. I’m sure him and his mom, Maria, bought it as a joke gift, but I cherish it.

 

Note: paragraphs one, two, three and seven are true, but paragraph four, five and six are not.

 

Past, present & plans: 9-30-16

/ Jim McDonald / 5 Comments

Past, present & plans 9-30-16

 

Past

 

My brother, George, and I used to play Cowboy and Indians, but on the farm we were able to use a real horse. The Indian was always on the horse and he would get shot off by the cowboy all the time. We had to be careful though, not to dive off the horse and onto a tobacco stalk. Each of us did that a couple of times and it never felt good.

 

We also had vines hanging from the trees in our woods, so we would swing on the vines pretending to be Tarzan. That was a lot of fun.

 

One time we picked up some tobacco ground leaves and took them to our hiding spot. While in there we rolled the leaves into a cigar and lit it up. After a draw each, we decided that we didn’t want to do that anymore. Maybe, if we had been smokers and needed a cigarette bad, it would have tasted better; but, this was terrible.

 

Present

 

My buddy, Raymond, and I went to the Clark Senior Center today and had a great time. Raymond is very knowledgeable in a lot of areas and I try to be a little funny, so between us we tend to attract some really nice people.

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Raymond next to his grand father’s gravesite at, “Arlington National Cemetery”.

We decided we’ll go back to the center and take advantage of the fun they have scheduled for us. If you’re sixty or older you can join for free in less than ten minutes; and, a lot of the activities are free also. It’s a very worth while organization.

 

Plans

 

Next week Raymond and I are going down to Georgia to visit some of his kin folk. We always seem to enjoy ourselves there. Two of the guest bloggers for, “From my Head to Yours” live down there. It will be good to see and hug them again.

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Gwyn Dooley and I, a couple of years ago. Gwyn is the Author of, “The Little Shoot” in my blog, “From my Head to Yours”.

Your three words, my little story: Bob’s words

/ Jim McDonald / 8 Comments

Your three words, my little story
Bob’s words: duty, honor & country

 

Note: this is a true story based on my family and I am Mack. The fictitious town, Sloan, was given birth deep inside the creative crevice of my mind and continues to grow.

 

George lives in Sloan and never visited another COUNTRY, or for that matter, never moved out of state. His dream was to go to Italy and push on the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Everyone wants to straighten the tower; he wanted to push it over.

 

He loved the fact that his dad gave twenty years of his life to the Army and he felt it was his DUTY to do the same. When he signed up for the draft, they classified him as 4-H, that means he was not eligible for any military service. He had high arches and studies showed that flat feet or extremely high arches were a great risk of injury.

 

George’s brother, Mack, had two preteen sons, Jamie and Billy. Their mother left years ago and he was raising them, but not by himself. Mack, George and their mom Margaret raised the boys together.

 

George drank, but not as much as Mack. So when Mack was at the bar, George was with the kids, either, at their family farm or at Mack’s place. George had bedrooms at both places, which made it convenient for him to either drink at Mack’s place or help his mom with her needs.

 

Helping raise his nephews gave George a sense of HONOR that he wanted badly. He felt being a 4-H robbed him of the life he wanted to live.

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From left to right, Jamie, me and Billy. Taken in ’93 or close to it.

Guest blog: Gwyn Dooley’s poem, The Little Shoot

/ Jim McDonald / 8 Comments

I would like to introduce a good friend of mine, Gwyn Dooley, from Georgia. She will join our, Guest Bloggers and hopefully bring us more of her writings from time to time.

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Gwyn Dooley

THE LITTLE SHOOT

In the garden of the Lord, I stand, an ancient, gnarled tree
I am not fair to look upon but the Lord delights in me
I was just a tiny, little seed when my life first began
So full of hope and promise, tucked safely in God’s Hand
Until one day He dropped me into the loamy earth
And stood by calmly waiting, until it gave me birth
I sprang forth green and tender, just a tiny, fearful shoot
To whom the Father whispered, “Someday you’ll bear much fruit!”
So, under the Father’s watchful gaze I grew up, stout and strong
And thrived beneath the loving sun when summer days were long
I lifted high my branches for all the world to see
I thought the Lord would notice and be so proud of me
But much to my dismay, He cut my fragile stem
And pruned back my long branches and thinned my wayward limbs
I cried, “Be gentle, Savior! I’m just a tiny, little shoot!”
My Father whispered softly, “Someday you’ll bear much fruit!”
As the summer came and went, I feared the autumn winds
That swirled and moaned around me, my branches sway and bend
But I did not snap or break but grew stronger with each puff
It hardened me for winters, when the icy winds were gruff
And so after many seasons, in all kinds of rugged weather
My limbs grew knotty and twisted, my bark as tough as leather
I hung my head when God walked by and looked upon my frame
I could not bear to see His Face, I felt such bitter shame
Oh, what a sorry sight I was, no more that tender shoot
To whom the Father whispered, “Someday you’ll bear much fruit!”
But much to my surprise, I heard Him say with glee
“You’re just exactly what I’d planned my little shoot to be!
For many birds do perch upon your limbs and rest
And feed upon your berries and build their tiny nests!
I AM so pleased with you, My tender, little shoot!
I always knew one day that you would bear much fruit!”

by: Gwyn Dooley

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Taken from Port Tobacco Marina, Maryland

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nation.
Isaiah 61:11