Personally.... Joy

Humble High School 76th Annual Banquet

2008-06-22T21:55:00.002-05:00

(L-R) Geraldine Crockett Slaughter, Virginia Crockett Willis, Charles Holcombe (in back), Joy Norris Vyoral, Molly Crockett Ott

A few of my cousins and I who were at the 76th annual Humble Alumni Association Banquet at the Civic Center in Humble Saturday night, June 14th.

Class of 1965 - Alumni Luncheon

2008-06-22T21:42:00.005-05:00

(L-R) Roy Threlkeld, Kay Nealy Kempken, Forrest Steagall, Joy Norris Vyoral, Joan Wood Samuelson, Charles Hardage, Naomi Henderson Curry, Cherie Hornback Austin

Eight members of my high school graduating class met at noon, Saturday, June 14 for lunch at the Humble City Cafe on Main Street in Humble, Texas. This has become a tradition with our class and some folks who can't make it to the alumni banquet on Saturday manage to make it to this get-together. This is the first year Joan Wood Samuelson has been with us.

We had a great time visiting and catching up. We'll be there again next year!

Pompeii-The Exhibit at MFA Houston

2008-06-01T20:12:00.004-05:00

On August 24, 79 A.D. the world´s most famous volcano, Vesuvius, erupted with pyroclastic fury, burying the city of Pompeii in a mountain of hardened ash. In the only eye witness account, the Roman Historian Pliny the Younger, described the event:

"A fearful black cloud was rent by forked and quivering bursts of flame, and parted to reveal great tongues of fire. You could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men… Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined there were no gods left and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness."

Fortunately for us, the darkness proved not to be eternal. In the late 1500s workers digging a canal uncovered slabs of marble and painted fresco walls. In the 1600s more ruins were unearthed. In 1763 an inscription was found that identified the town as the Pompeii written about by Pliny. The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius preserved an unprecedented number of works of art and objects from daily life, as well as remains of about two thousand residents who had not fled at the first signs of trouble.

The above text is from the program of the Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption currently an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston. The exhibit closes June 22 so Mishaelle, Haden and I went down to the museum district last Friday to see it. I've never been disappointed when I made whatever arrangements necessary to have the time for an exhibit at MFAH and this occasion was no different.

My earliest memory of the history of the Pompeii eruption came in grade school via the Weekly Reader. I don't remember much more from that early introduction other than being horrified and, at the same time mesmerized by the whole event. It was much later that I was again exposed to the information and appreciated the loss of life and the historical opportunity the study of the sites offered.

The exhibit at the MFAH consists of casts of the cavities formed when the ash covered the victims. When the bodies rotted away, the pockets were left. From the time of the first discovery, the techniques for casting these pockets and the materials used became more sophisticated. The first display on entering the exhibition is a grouping of several dozen victims who were huddled in a boat shelter waiting evacuation from the city. The casting is so realistic as to shock the visitor with the desperation the victims must have experienced.

The remainder of the exhibit consists of other castings, artifacts, including gold and silver jewelry, precious household items and other objects the people took with them when they fled the eruption.

The exhibition is made more enjoyable by the audio tour aids enabling visitors to enter a number corresponding to a particular display into a small digital player to hear about that display. I recommend it.

Rhett, My Furry Grandson

2008-02-29T20:11:00.003-06:00

We've had many cats in the past. Some were just strangers passing through, having seen our "SUCKER FOR CATS" sign (the sort visible only to the feline kingdom), and some came to be part of our family and still dwell in our hearts long after their passing.

My daughter, Mishaelle, has two cats in her home. They were woefully neglected and starved when a friend from Mishaelle's work rescued them more than six years ago. As is typically the case with people who rescue cats, the work friend already had a house full of critters and Mishaelle took in the babies.

I want to share photos I took this afternoon of Mishaelle and her furry son, Rhett. There's also a photo of Haden and Rhett. Haden is my human grandson and Rhett is my furry grandson.The cute thing about these photos is that Rhett is getting his armpits scratched which is just about his most favorite kind of attention.

Photo 1: Mishaelle and Rhett... the one armpit scratch. Photo 2: Haden and Rhett... the double I'm-SO-into-this armpit scratch. The look on Rhett's face is pure ecstasy!

The Hurricane Humberto Refugee

2007-09-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

"Grandbaby"

In my office this afternoon...

Hurricane Humberto.... SURPRISE !

2007-09-13T19:23:00.000-05:00

Okie-dokie.... I want to thank all you folks who, indeed, followed directions from last evening's blog entry and crossed your fingers.... I asked for your digit intervention so that here in Liberty County... and, what the heck, big, bad old Houston nearby... wouldn't see a repeat of Tropical Storm Allison's 2001 devistation in the form of rainfall from Tropical Storm Humberto. Great news! It worked!

But, I woke up this morning thinking it odd that I hadn't been awakened in the night by the sound of horrendous rainfall.... promptly turned on the tv to catch the 6:00 am news.... and saw that TS Humberto had upgraded to a cat 1 hurricane, taken a hard easterly track and slammed into Beaumont, Texas, about 50 miles east of here.

Holy SH**, Sherlock !!!

MY GRANDBABY IS IN COLLEGE IN BEAUMONT!!!!!

Fortunately, before I could get worked up into a serious case of Granny fit-throwin', my daughter called to tell me she'd just talked to aforementioned grandbaby and he was doing fine... none too happy his mom had awakened him, but fine all the same.

Yesterday, the college had cancelled classes for today, told the students to move all automobiles to the south end of the large dorm complex (higher ground) and to stay inside. The college has a very proactive severe weather plan, having suffered heavy damage in the landfall of Hurricane Rita two years ago. Grandbaby felt his truck was high enough that it would be okay parked in the higher center of his dorm parking lot. His dorm building and others around his suffered minor damage... loss of rain gutters, shingles here and there, downed trees and the like. The worst problem being no electricity, and none expected through the weekend, classes were also cancelled for Friday. Grandbaby is at home early this weekend.

Here on the upper Texas Gulf Coast, we have again dodged the bullet. Whew............

Humberto, the Rainmaker

2007-09-12T21:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, folks.... here he is..... Tropical Storm Humberto.... it's about 9:25pm, Wednesday night. Here in Liberty County (see "Liberty" on the radar map) we are warned we will get 5-10 inches of rain in about a 8 hour period tonight starting at midnight. We could get as much as 15 inches. It's a slow moving storm and will do its worst damage to the Liberty County, Texas area with the rainfall.

Through my employment with the county, I have access to early emergency management planning AND I have to go to work, even if the county shuts down. Ahem.... Of course, If I can't get there, I can't get there.... a day off to sit on the sofa and write would be lovely.

Cross your fingers that we don't get a repeat of Tropical Storm Allison which, in 2001 brought the greater Houston area to its knees. If you're not familiar with Allison and the flooding she caused in Houston.... Google her..... the photos were awesome.

*TS Storm Humberto radar photo from KPRC-TV (Houston) weather radar

At Goal Weight Watchers Member

2007-09-09T17:01:00.000-05:00

At my weekly Weight Watchers meeting yesterday morning, I realized that, since I became an at goal lifetime member, six months have gone by. I only realized this because I'd just gotten the last weigh in sticker on my WW book. There are 24 such spots for weigh in stickers so.... 24 divided by 4 is 6..... therefore, I've been lifetime for six months.

Six months is significant to me because it's the six month mark where, in the past when I'd managed to lose a significant amount of weight (but not all I needed to lose), that I began to slip away from the method, diet or otherwise, that had been responsible for me losing the weight. I've said all along... I'm pleased beyond words to have lost 83 pounds, but I'll be MORE impressed when, at six months or a year out, I've managed to KEEP it off. And here I am... six months out and I'm still at goal weight! Woooooooo-hoooooooooo!

Endurance, Toning and Cardio Workouts

2007-08-03T13:50:00.001-05:00

I have no firm measurements to back up my belief that the endurance and toning exercises and the cardio workouts have helped with "firming" but the fit of my slacks seems to confirm that the workouts have helped tighten up my tummy muscles. I've been at it for almost three months. Beyond the fact that I am able to do more and the workouts are helping keep my weight under control, I do believe it's working. I don't see any difference yet in the "wings" on my upper arms, but hopefully that will come in time. I'm not anything if I'm not patient.

Cardio Training Commences NOW...

2007-07-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

After about eight weeks of endurance and toning work outs, I've moved to the next step in my exercise program. I'm into cardio training now. The basic difference, Rick the center trainer tells me is that I was using the machines with no negative resistence before now. This was to build up my endurance. I suspect it was also to make sure I wouldn't drop dead from the new activity before I move on to the harder stuff. The cardio training is done on machines that offer negative resistence and therefore build muscle. I need to build muscle now in order to tighten some of my saggy areas... abdomen, arms and legs.

I need to build chest muscles too, hopefully restoring my bustline somewhat. There's no delicate way to say it: the loss of 83 pounds over all took a serious toll on my bust measurement. Even when I weighed 114 pounds as a young adult, I was reasonably "endowed". It's a sad state of affairs when among the other necessities of life one buys at WalMart, one resorts to purchasing "bust enhancement" as well. I don't think it's that I'm all that vain about it; it just helps clothing to fit better. Okay... whatever you want to call it... I'm now into building chest muscles!

Beginning today, I am to alternate the endurance and toning workout with the cardio training. This is to also keep me from getting bored with the workout. The immediate result today is the workout totally kicked my butt! Toward the end of the third round of machines, my muscles were quivering and I was slowing between machines to catch my breath. When I got home, I stretched out on the bed for awhile then transferred to the sofa and took a short nap. Even three hours later, I can feel my muscles, especially in my arms, quivering slightly. This is bound to be good for me... god, I certainly hope so!

Que Sera, Sera

2007-07-02T22:27:00.001-05:00

A conversation this evening with a friend having to do with the merits of just relaxing and enjoying life instead of continuing to push the same old boulders uphill, had me using the phrase "Que Sera, Sera". That led to the discussion of the song Que Sera, Sera made famous in the fifties by Doris Day and THAT led to the discussion of Academy Award winning songs and the movies in which the songs appeared.

Now, if you don’t have this type of discussion you probably don’t end up doing as much totally useless research by web surfing as I do. My tendency to get caught up in ever-widening ripple-affect and off-the-subject research is probably the reason I excel at Trivial Pursuit and it’s likely the reason the only time my family and friends will play my favorite game with me is on my birthday! But I digress.

My friend accurately remembered the song to be from a movie starring James Stewart. I suggested the movie might be Rear Window but my friend remembered it to be set in a foreign location. I looked it up. The movie was called The Man Who Knew Too Much and was set in Morocco. Stewart’s co-star was Doris Day.

In 1956 when it won the Academy Award for Best Song, Que Sera, Sera was played on the radio all the time and as an entire nation we sang along. I thought myself quite smart as a ten year old when I could sing in a foreign language! (That was to remain my only second-language sing-along ability until Don Ho made Tiny Bubbles popular in the 1960s.)

Just for fun, I’ve included a short list of historical events, dated by the song title that won the Academy Award that year.

Bombing of Pearl Harbor - The Last Time I Saw Paris (film: Lady Be Good)
Eisenhower Elected President – High Noon (film: High Noon)
JFK Assassination - Call Me Irresponsible (film: Papa’s Delicate Condition)
The First Super Bowl – Born Free (film: Born Free)
America’s Bicentennial – Evergreen (film: A Star Is Born)

Luggage Shopping

2007-06-23T23:01:00.001-05:00

Haden and I spent this evening shopping for a refrigerator for his dorm room and for luggage for his trip to see his Dad next week. I bought him two pieces of Swiss brand luggage and he used some of his graduation money on the refrigerator. The Swiss brand luggage is apparently from the same parent company that makes those handy little pocket knives.

I'm quite impressed with this luggage. It appears to be very well-built and tough. I also like that it is Swiss Army red. The larger piece is a 25" bag and the smaller is a carry-on tote. Both are equipped with wheels and a handle. The tote has a padded compartment which will allow it to double as a notebook tote.

(Note: Mishaelle and I went shopping at Sam's on Saturday, July 1st. We picked up a Swiss brand back pack for Haden... very good price! Only $39.99!)

One of those days...

2007-06-22T19:56:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, about 10:30am I was set to make a quick trip over to the courthouse to deliver agenda items for Commissioners Court when I found my car to be blocked in by Jimmy Belt, our local Special Ranger. His truck was blocked in by James Carson's car which should have been parked beside my car. James wasn't able to get into his parking place because Jimmy Belt was parked in the way. I stood around on the sidewalk waiting while the egos sorted out the issue. James finally moved so Jimmy could move so I could get out of my space. I believe the time spent standing around outside waiting for the car jockeying was the beginning of my real problem.

When my car was finally freed, I hurried off to the courthouse which is about five blocks away from my office and as I was about to exit my vehicle, I felt a slight twinge on my left kneecap. Being a lady of mature years, I've become used to various little twinges that come with the territory and I rubbed my kneecap and didn't think much more about it. I hurried up the outside stairs, dropped the envelope of agenda items off at the Judge's office, dropped off an envelope at the Treasurer's office and, in a short five minutes time, was back at my car. I realized then that I was having an allergic reaction to what must have been a wasp or bee sting on my knee. I had a tingling sensation in the skin of my neck and my left arm and I was feeling a little shakey.

As I sat in the car seat, whatever had gotten me on my knee to begin with got me three or four more times on the back of my thigh as I sat on it. I realized it was in my pants and I squirmed around to try to get rid of it. I drove as quickly as was safe back to my office with the intent of getting some help. As I pulled into my parking place, the insect in my pants got me again two or three times on the knee before I finally trapped it in the fold of my slacks material and squished it to death. Getting out of my car, I shook it out of my pants onto the sidewalk and found it to be a small red wasp (see photo) about 3/4 inch long. By this time, I was experiencing tingling in my neck and face and numbness in my left arm.

When I entered the building, I encountered James Carson again and told him I needed to go to the ER because I'd been stung multiple times by a wasp and I was having an allergic reaction. A co-worker who is a trained medical first responder drove me to the hospital which is about a mile from my office and I was quickly treated for the reaction.

Before the benedryl administered by ER staff had time to take effect, I experienced a headache, very high blood pressure, swelling of my left arm and itching of my neck, face, and scalp. Fortunately, the medication halted those symptoms quickly and by the time I was ready to leave the ER about an hour later, I was only very sleepy.

I have a history of bad reactions to wasp and bee stings but I haven't been stung in over thirty years. It's been a long time since I carried emergency medication with me but I believe I will again do so. I was lucky this time because I was able to get medical help quickly.

Where the Boys Are

2007-06-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

Saturday I sat down to watch TV. I came across one of the channels that runs old movies and settled on Where The Boys Are, a movie released in December 1960. I don’t recall having seen this movie since I saw it in its original release.

Where the Boys Are starred Dolores Hart, Yvette Mimieux, Paula Prentiss, Connie Francis, George Hamilton and Frank Gorshin. It follows four Midwestern college girls who headed off to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for spring break. They were hoping to have a good time and possibly meet “nice boys”. The story follows the four as they meet a variety of guys who become the girls' dream come true and in some cases their worst nightmare. This movie is a glimpse at the beginning of change in sexual attitudes that would result in the “free love” attitudes of the late sixties.

Most interesting to me was a chance to see the actors and actresses who were in this movie. I had forgotten how young and handsome (untanned) George Hamilton was! This movie also marked the acting debut of Connie Francis who sang and made a hit of the title song… Where The Boys Are. Paula Prentiss and Jim Hutton who were matched in the movie as “Tuggle” and “TV” later went on to appear in several comedies together: The Honeymoon Machine, Bachelor in Paradise, and The Horizontal Lieutenant. Frank Gorshin played a jazz musician and later became a staple character actor with a long career in movies and TV appearances, most notably as the Riddler in the Batman TV series. Yvette Mimieux, a tiny blonde actress, had success earlier that same year with the release of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine with Rod Taylor.

By far, the most interesting of the actresses in the movie was Dolores Hart. By the time she made Where the Boys Are, she had already appeared in two movies with Elvis Presley. In fact, in Loving You, she was the first actress to receive an on-screen kiss from the handsome young singer. Several years later, she appeared in the Elvis movie King Creole. A short three years and three or four movies later, Dolores Hart left Hollywood behind and became a nun. She has resided the years since in a convent in Connecticut and is now known as Rev. Mother Dolores. She recently made an appearance before a congressional committee to support legislation that would fund research into a disease called peripheral idiopathic neuropathy. It’s a painful neurological disease that affects many Americans and Mother Dolores herself.

How remarkable it is that a young woman of that time would turn her back on a world she had reportedly fallen in love with when she was seven years old to spend her life in the quiet solitude of a convent!

Left: Dolores Hart c.1960 Right: Rev. Mother Dolores today.

Class of 1965, Humble High School

2007-06-13T12:28:00.000-05:00

L-R: Charles Hardage, Patty Lou Herron Sheffield, Kay Nealy Kempken, Cynthia Marsh Fletcher, Joy Norris Vyoral, Margie Tullos Parker, Seated: Naomi Henderson Curry, Roy Threlkeld, Forrest Steagall

L-R: Ellen Young, Kay Nealy Kempken, Charles Hardage, Patty Lou Herron Sheffield, Joy Norris Vyoral, Carl Panzarella, Naomi Henderson Curry

I graduated from Humble High School maaaaaaaaaaaany long years ago. Humble High School boasts the longest continuously held high school reunion for all alumni of the schools in the state and possibly in the nation. It is traditionally the second Saturday of June and is held in the Humble Civic Center. This year the Alumni Association celebrated the 75th annual banquet. I'd say that's quite an accomplishment.

The Class of 1965 is my class. We traditionally have had a very close group even considering there were 80 of us. We mark our five year incrimental anniversaries with a large group gathering but also manage to have eight to ten folks show up for the banquet each year. The girls of the class have been getting together for lunch at noon that Saturday for a few years and we opened it up to the guys who might want to attend this year. Several could make it at noon but couldn't make it that night. The photos I've posted with this blog show the Lunch Group and the Banquet group.

We had a great time at both events and hope to pursuade more of our classmates to make this event a "must" on their social calendars.

Hell-for-stout....

2007-06-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, we had problems with a neighborhood kid running over our mailboxes. Not only did he run them over, he backed up and run over them again to make sure they were good and dead. My husband did what any self-respecting, pissed-off, good-with-his-hands guy would do... he built a stand for the mailboxes that would stand up to an army tank. Well, maybe not an army tank, but a 3/4 ton Ford pick-up, for sure. Today, he proved it.

Husband, affectionately dubbed for blog purposes, "Bear", has been working on our daughter's house with the help of my dad and grandson Haden. Today, he was backing the flat-bed trailer down the driveway. It's a long driveway and the mailboxes are off to one side. One thing led to another and he zigged when he should have zagged. The right front fender collided with the mailboxes and, wa-la, the truck was the big loser. The mailbox atop the hell-for-stout mailbox stand will have to be replaced at a cost of about $40. Lord only knows what it will cost to replace and paint the truck quarter-panel. Our $250 insurance deductible appears to be a bargain once again.

Interruptions to my exercise program

2007-05-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

I was able to exercise only one evening this past week. My dad had to be rushed to the ER for attention due to a bad reaction to a wasp sting. That killed Monday exercise. Tuesday is my regular night for my writing group. I exercised Wednesday but could not Thursday because of Haden's Senior Awards program. Friday is always out because they close at 5:00... too late for me to go after work.

Next week I will have only Wednesday and Thursday available because A New U is closed on Monday for the holiday.

I am still doing only two rounds of the three rounds of machine exercise. The trainer recommends working up to the three rounds. I am pretty tired after the two rounds and I dread getting up to three rounds but I must. I am not getting my heart rate up to the 85% range where I am supposed to be. I'm only in about the 75% range. At this point, I don't seem to go any faster which, I assume would get my heart rate up. Hopefully that will come in time. I am happy enough that I'm exercising. Even short of the trainer's expectations, I'm much better off doing this.

Haden

2007-05-24T23:07:00.000-05:00

Haden is the oldest of my three grandchildren. He's graduating from high school this year. Tonight was his Senior Awards Program. There was a reception for honor graduates before the program. Husband and I attended with Haden and his mom, Mishaelle. Mishaelle is the oldest of our two children.

Haden is an honor graduate in as much as his GPA is above 4.5. He is graduating sixteenth in his class of about 280 students. He's a member of National Honor Society and will be wearing that "collar" along with the gold ropes for being an honor graduate. He will also wear the ropes signifying he is a Gifted and Talented graduate. This evening he received, in addition to being named a UIL Scholar, the Marine Corp. Academic Excellence Award which came out of the blue. It's really just a plaque of sorts engraved with the image of the Iwo Jima statue. He also received an award as the only Senior in his class to have perfect attendance for all four years of high school.

It's very difficult to believe that his high school career is coming to a close. It seems only yesterday we were taking him to the first day of kindergarten. We are all very proud of him.

Arrrgh.... Yau-Man Was Robbed!

2007-05-13T21:39:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the final for Survivor: Fiji and Dreamz went back on his word with Yau-Man in the truck deal. As a result, Yau-Man was voted off and became the last member of the jury. I am so disappointed for Yau-Man. He played the game the best of any of the players. I guess Yau learned a lesson about how much value some people place in "I swear to God" and "I want to be a good example to my son." Sheesh....

Exercise Soreness... Not So Bad!

2007-05-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Amazingly, I'm not very sore today. The only soreness I have is in the muscles on the top of my thighs. When I first got up this morning, I had a little soreness in my lower back, but that went away quickly while I showered and got ready to leave the house. I'm quite encouraged!

The First Day of My "Exercise" Life

2007-05-11T19:13:00.000-05:00

Today was THE day. I finally got off my butt to start exercising. I took half a day off from work to go to A New U and be taught how to use their facility. It's very much like Curves but it seems a little more professional. The guy who showed me the ropes is named Rick and he really seems to know his stuff. I did two rounds and I would have given up after the first round if I wouldn't have looked like a real wuss. I wish this place had better hours. As it is, I will only be able to go there after work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The hours don't work with my schedule otherwise. I'm trying this for three months to see how it goes.