Gossip Lines of the Past...

   I was looking at the Lehman's site today and I saw this poem. I knew I had to share it....



 

Image via Wikipedia

A Clothesline Poem (Anonymous)


A clothesline was a news forecast, to neighbors passing by


There were no secrets you could keep when clothes were hung to dry.


It also was a friendly link, for neighbors always knew


If company had stopped on by to spend a night or two.


For then you’d see the “fancy” sheets and towels upon the line


You’d see the “company tablecloth” with intricate design.


The line announced a baby’s birth, from folks who lived inside


As brand-new infant clothes were hung, so carefully with pride!


The ages of the children could, so readily by known;


By watching how the sizes changed, you’d know how much they’d grown!


It also told when illness struck, as extra sheets were hung;


Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too haphazardly were strung.


It also said, “Gone on vacation now,” when lines hung limp and bare.


It told,  “We’re back!” when full lines sagged with not an inch to spare!


New folks in town were scorned upon, if wash was dingy and gray,


As neighbors carefully raised their brows, and looked the other way…


But clotheslines now are of the past, for dryers make work much less.


Now what goes on inside a home is anybody’s guess!


I really miss that way of life, it was a friendly sign;


When neighbors knew each other best by what hung on the line.


   So it has been a human trait since time began to peak at your neighbors, and then spread the news. Always in a most concerned way, of course.
 
   Oscar Wilde once said "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

   Just what kind of good neighbor would we be if we let that happen on our block. We are not our brother's keeper, but we are are neighbor's public relations person. It is an important job, that we must not ignore.

   Of course, today we have home owner's Associations' rules banning outdoor clothes lines. This makes the job a lot harder to do.

Facts...

   What are the facts? I looked up the definition of the word fact and this is what I found out...
The FACTS are confusing. I always thought they were so simple. A fact was the truth. But this is the definitions I found...


Merriam-Webster


fact /'fakt/ noun
1 a : a thing done b : CRIME 1
2 : the quality of being actual
3 : something that actually exists or occurs
4 : a piece of information about something presented as true and accurate  
- in fact : in truth : ACTUALLY 


Okay that not too confusing, I guess.


Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary (This is for people who are learning English as a second language.)


fact  /ˈfækt/ noun


plural facts
1 [count] : something that truly exists or happens : something that has actual existence 
▪ Rapid electronic communication is now a fact. — often used in the phrase the fact that ▪ It's hard to accept the fact that she's gone. [=it's hard to accept that she's gone] ▪ What they're proposing is impractical, apart from the fact that it's also illegal. ▪ In spite of the fact that he was sick [=although he was sick], I went to visit him.
2 : a true piece of information [count] 
▪ The book is filled with interesting facts and figures. ▪ Those are the (cold) hard facts of the case. ▪ I know for a fact that he did it. [=I am sure that he did it] ▪ He did it, and that's a fact. ▪ There's no doubt that he did it. The facts speak for themselves. [=the facts make it clear that he did it] [noncount] ▪ It can sometimes be hard to separate fact from fiction. [=to know what is true and what is false]




Now this one I like, it is just what I thought fact was. I should have stopped reading here. But know I had to check out one more...
  


Bouvier's Law Dictionary


FACT. An action; a thing done. It is either simple or compound.
     2. A fact is simple when it expresses a purely material act unconnected 
with any moral qualification; for example, to say Peter went into his house, 
is to express a simple fact. A compound fact contains the materiality of the 
act, and the qualification which that act has in its connexion with morals 
and, the law. To say, then, that Peter has stolen a horse, is to express a 
compound fact; for the fact of stealing, expresses at the same time, the 
material fact of taking the horse, and of taking him with the guilty 
intention of depriving the owner of his property and appropriating it to his 
own use; which is a violation of the law of property. 
     3. Fact. is also put in opposition to law; in every case which has to 
be tried there are facts to be established, and the law which bears on those 
facts. 
     4. Facts are also to be considered as material or immaterial. Material 
facts are those which are essential to the right of action or defence, and 
therefore of the substance of the one or the other - these must always be 
proved; or immaterial, which are those not essential to the cause of action 
- these need not be proved. 3 Bouv. Inst. n. 3150-53. 
     5. Facts are generally determined by a jury,; but there are many facts, 
which, not being the principal matters in issue, may be decided by the 
court; such, for example, whether a subpoena has or has not been served; 
whether a party has or has not been summoned, &c. As to pleading material 
facts, see Gould. Pl. c. 3, s. 28. As to quality of facts proved, see 3 
Bouv. Inst. n. 3150. Vide Eng. Ecc. R. 401-2, and the article Circumstances. 



    No I didn't miss anything. The definition started with 2. You can see for yourself if you look here. Leave it to Lawyers to really screw something simple up.  It remindes me of a joke I heard.


   "What do you get when you cross the Godfather with a Lawyer?'
   "An offer you can't understand"


   I now have a headache and am so confused... and that's a FACT.






This clip is what got me on my search today. It was one of my favorite lines from a Television show.




This is Walter Brennan in "The Guns of Will Sonnett" a show that was on from 1967 to 1969.


  Oh yes and the Fact of the matter is blogger decided to mess with the colors of my post. I just hope the blue goes back to the white it is suppose to be when I post it. I tried changing it on the Posting page but I couldn't see the white on white. Ah well, such is the drama of blogging.

Happy Mother's Day...

   I am a little late posting this today. I think I over did it at the party I threw my brother yesterday. So with out further delay I would like to wish everyone out there a Happy Mother's Day.

   The mother's of the world are the most important people there are. With out them we would not be who we are. Mom molds us into what we are with love and guidance.

   A true Mother doesn't have to give birth to give love. I am sure all of us have had more than one mother help us along our path. With a gentle touch, a tender smile or a kind word they, they guide you along.

   Mother's are just angles in disguise. When the light is right you can even see their wings.

picture from Flash-screen.com

    Happy Mother's Day to all the hidden Angels through out the world, past, present and future. 

   Momma I love you always and miss you much.

Happy 50th Birthday Alan....

   Yes I just told the world how old my younger brother is. But since he is busy right now partting to celebrate, I think I can get away with it.

   Right this minute on Saturday May 7th, he is having a huge blow out party with count them two, yes two live bands, at his house. WOO HOO, it's time to party.

   Because of the distance, health and truck problems I couldn't be there, so I decided to have a web party for him here.

   Grab a some food...

   A piece of cake....

   And your favorite drink....

And party down, to some of the songs I know my brother will remember from his past.



And of course there was these guys...




This one is for all the Midnight movies....



Wish I could have found the original one for you.

Now it is time to sing the birthday song....



   Thank you all for coming to my birthday party for my brother. Please remember not to drink and blog. I hope you all had a good time.

   Oh and Alan we did get the bail money up so go all out at your party. We got you covered. Love you.

Y and Z...

      I missed posting on Y yesterday so this post is a double header.

      For Y I decided to do those daring youths who rebel against their parents. 

   Like these young ladies, who the cops had to check out for decency sake...

A cop measuring to see if swimsuit is legal.

  Or how about these young men or is it young women, just look how long that hair is...

   Just remember, when you think your pulling the wool over your parents eyes...They have already tried pulling it over their parents.

   In some cases its..."Been there...Done it Better."

Cover of Will Rogers

"Your mothers get mighty shocked at you girls nowadays, but in her day, her mother was just on the verge of sending her to reform school."

 Will Rogers 1879-1935

   And now to wrap up this challenging challenge, I present Z...as in Zero, Zilch left too write. Wait I need a tissue * dabs at eyes, blows nose loudly*. 

   Okay I am ready now. 

   Z is for ZULU...

Zulu Witchdoctor

This one is for both Y and Z....

Young Zulu Couple

   These pictures remind me of the old joke...

   "I just got back from Africa. I was playing cards with the natives."

   "Oh Zulus?"

   "No. I usually won."

I would like to apologize for that joke. I think I might have had just a bit too much A to Z Challenge fun....

And as a final tribute to the A to Z challenge, a picture that goes from A to Z....

Albino Zebra