in the southeastern section of oklahoma there lies the ouachita mountains and the winding stair mountains, these mountains are absolutely gorgeous and basically undisovered to the tourist crowds.
there is a 54 mile road called the talimena scenic drive and it follows the mountaintop and has numerous overlookswe drove through there last year on the way back from the dallas apostafest, and were really impressed.
this year we will try drive through there again.
I spent my childhood in the Ozarks. Deer Arkansas. Population 40. Kingdom hall had outhouses (men's and women's) til '73. A lot of people there still do. Great area to visit. Magical with the bluffs overlooking the valleys.
TimB
Edited because I just realized that I hit 1000 posts. Wow! Don't I get a toaster or something?
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sometimes i hear someone say: "hold on just one cotton pick'in minute....".
i'm wondering, is a "cotten picking minute" a "bored" minute that feels like a long time or is it a "busy" minute that seems to fly by?
I was at a party this week where some one used the n word. They weren't talking to me so I'm not sure what the context was. (not that it matters) OMG I thought the hostess was going to rip his eyes out, and she is white. The south is changing but there's still a need for more people to speak up and make it known that some words and phrases just won't be tolerated.
TimB
PS. Sparkplug,
I loved your piece about being hit on by "happy" girls. LOL
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sometimes i hear someone say: "hold on just one cotton pick'in minute....".
i'm wondering, is a "cotten picking minute" a "bored" minute that feels like a long time or is it a "busy" minute that seems to fly by?
I'm from the south and have lived in rural areas where older blacks and whites could tell you stories about their cotton picking days. When I was a kid in East Texas there were a lot of people who used the phrase but I never got the impression that it was a derogatory phrase. Now Cotton Picker is a different story. Cotton Picker was usually used to refer to someone the speaker considered worthless whether black or white but when used in connection with a black person it was taken as a racial slur. When used to describe a white person it usually meant the "white trash".
In my world, which is probably near the origin of the phrase, Cotton Pickin' was just a colorful addition to a southern story-teller's vocabulary.
How long is a cotton pickin' minute? Just long enough to git a word in edgewise.
TimB
good people, i've decided that my days as a moderator are over.. it's been an interesting 3 years.
some highs, some incredible lows, some weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
some hilarity, some tears.
Glad to see you're going to be just a civilian again. It'll take some getting used to though. Good luck.
TimB
i have been lurking for quite a few months.
i have been trying to get up enough nerve to tell you my whole story but am finding it painful and scary to write about.
so here's the shorter version until i get brave enough to spill all the details.
Evita,
I'm glad to see your post.
I lost my mother to cancer in December also. In the last few years since I left the JWs, our relationship had suffered but when she was dying I felt her love and I'm sure she felt mine. It was the kind of experience that helps you to forget the all the bad things in your life. Dwell on the positive things like being there for your mother and the relationship with your sister and keep surrounding yourself with more positive experiences until you've accumilated a lifetime of happiness. Don't hang on to the negative stuff. Leave it behind like McDonalds table trash.
Love
TimB
maybe a stupid question but what happens to the leftover emblems after the memorial?
are they given any significance outside of the memorial (like the bread and wine that has been blessed in a catholic mass) and saved for next year?
or taken home and consumed by someone?
Good question. This is a section of my memory that's still in intact. :) I can remember as a kid that when the memorial was over my dad (who purchased the Manashevitz) took the bottle home and we all got a sip. A few of us kids were given the crackers after the ceremony. They tasted like cardboard.
I somehow felt annointed by partaking of the bread and wine. LOL ......I'm not sure how to explain it but for a day or two I felt kinda like I had won the immunity charm on Survivor. :)
TimB
If I could ask God one question? Ha
I've asked him hundreds. I think you should have said: If God decided to answer one of your questions which one would you want it to be?
TimB
can you imagine suddenly never hearing from gumby, blondie, metatron or simon again?
think about never hearing from your favorite poster or online friend.
Ha ha ha. Grip......I get it.
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was it the looks.....the way he/she talked to you, a certain chemistry?.
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I don't have a spouse at the moment but I do have a girlfriend. What attracted me to her??? Hmmmm It's been a while but she did offer me tickets to the theater. Maybe she should comment on this one since she's the one who asked me out.
can you imagine suddenly never hearing from gumby, blondie, metatron or simon again?
think about never hearing from your favorite poster or online friend.
If I'm the poster that vanished, and I have vanished a couple of times, I find that I miss the intellectual stimulation. Friendships???? I don't know. Without the personal connections, it's hard for me to develop deep friendships. Also, it just seems like those that I do consider friends will be there when I come back.
Most of the people that are missing are the ones I enjoyed debating with. It's hard to be a debater on this board without being labeled as a troublemaker. For that reason, I'm suprised that Abaddon is still around but I'm happy that he is. There are others who don't mind speaking rationally and intelligently but still push the limit of our JW trained conciences and I think that's where the best healing occurs.
Here's to all those who come and go making our world a kalidescope of colorful friends.
TimB
