11

Dear Friends and Schoolmates,
In this Year of the Drought here in the South, any rain - such as the one we're having here now on this grey and gloomy Monday in Fayetteville - is a cause for rejoicing rather than sorrow.

But you may watch The Carpenters perform this hit of theirs all over again - as though it were only yesterday - here on YouTube:

BIRTHDAYS - TODAY AND UPCOMING:
Happy Birthday today to our Three-Fer: Betsy Goodson Covert (June '37) of MD, Donna Price Devers ('66) of NC, AND Diana Price Carter ('66) of WV!

Tomorrow Gayle Fallin Harris ('57) will be celebrating, and on Thursday, so will Jimmy Key ('57)!
On Friday we'll have our last Birthday Two-Fer of November:

Rip Collins ('65) of TN AND Sandi Bateman Chestnut ('65) of VA!

Carol and NNHS Newsletter Family,

Welcome back, "Babe" (Tom Norris - Hampton HS - '73 - of VA) it's good to have company in the nick name game ! They don't go away, not ever; I have been "Dimples" since I was three weeks old. Just like things in cyberspace, it's there forever, but now....."I've Got You, .........Babe!" You to will learn to 'love' your nickname. It is a part of you and in a strange way defines you, 53, hmmmm ! The older you get the more you will accept and nurture it. Believe me !

Sepi Ozora Dinwiddie Prichard......."Dimples" and I only weighed 4 pounds, 7 1/2 ounces when I was born, the name weighed more than I did ! Happy to be........."Dimples"

http://humourcafe.blogspot.com/2007/11/faces-spotted-in-strangest-of-places.html
Can you spot all the faces?

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"Every blade of grass has an angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow! Grow!'"

- The Talmud

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A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing what the dog's duties might be.

"They use him to keep crowds back," said one youngster.

"No," said another, "he's just for good luck."

A third child concluded. "No silly, they use the dogs to find the fire hydrant!"

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Bad Science

When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet, and when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast to the back of a cat; the two will hover, spinning inches above the ground. With a giant buttered cat array, a high-speed monorail could easily link New York with Chicago.

If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of pickup trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite number of highway signs, they will eventually produce all the worlds great literary works in Braille.

Why Yawning Is Contagious: You yawn to equalize the pressure on your eardrums. This pressure change outside your eardrums unbalances other people's ear pressures, so they must yawn to even it out.

Communist China is technologically underdeveloped because they have no alphabet and therefore cannot use acronyms to communicate ideas at a faster rate.

The earth may spin faster on its axis due to deforestation. Just as a figure skater's rate of spin increases when the arms are brought in close to the body, the cutting of tall trees may cause our planet to spin dangerously fast.

Birds take off at sunrise. On the opposite side of the world, they are landing at sunset. This causes the earth to spin on its axis.
The reason hot-rod owners raise the backs of their cars is that it's easier to go faster when you're always going downhill.

The quantity of consonants in the English language is constant. If omitted in one place, they turn up in another. When a Bostonian "pahks" his "cah," the lost r's migrate southwest, causing a Texan to "warsh" his car and invest in "erl wells."

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Household Tip.............

Are the bathroom drains sluggish? Pour a cup of salt into the drain, followed by a cup of baking soda. Then pour a kettle of boiling water on top. The bubbling reaction should break up any clog. Do not run the faucet for several hours.

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Super Quotes

"If there are a hundred steps
In thy path to success
And ye have not reached it
In ninety-nine of them
Do not conclude
That the journey is a failure.
Press on and up...
the prizes are generally at the end of an effort,
not at its beginning...
and not to go on
is to miss them.
Be valiant... have faith in yourself.
Success belongs to him
who dares to win it."

- George S. Forest

"Right from the moment of our birth, we are under the care and kindness of our parents, and then later on in our life when we are oppressed by sickness and become old, we are again dependent on the kindness of others. Since at the beginning and end of our lives we are so dependent on other's kindness, how can it be in the middle that we would neglect kindness towards others?"

- Tenzin Gyatso

"The one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house... God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives... God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war... God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."

- Bono, Irish Musician and Social Activist

"Faith goes
up the stairs
love has built
and looks out the window
which hope has opened..."

- Charles Spurgeon

"Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children."

- Albert Einstein

"Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there."

- Author Unknown

"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, but that you've decided to see beyond the imperfections."

- Sandra Durham

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Daily Dose Of Happiness

From Sepi Dinwiddie Prichard ('58) of NC - 11/25/07 - "Eva and Kids' Prayers":

Eva,

Chuckled and laughed outright at the wonderful things kids say. When my granddaughter was three we were in the grocery store to pick out the kind of birthday cake she wanted me to make for her. Stopped in front or the cake mixes she wanted me to read them to her, the year before it had been the 'pink' one, this year names. She would point, and I would pull it off the shelf and read her the name of the mix. Point....chocolate fudge. No. Point....Yellow Cake. No. Point.....strawberry. No. Point.....Devil's Food. Tossing golden curls she said "NO !" Point......Angel Food. Hesitate......um, No. Running out of boxes from which to choose, she finally crossed her arms in front of her and said in a very loud voice....." O.K. MImi, Where's the Jesus Food Cake ? All the traffic we had stopped while choosing the proper mix found it impossible to hold back their laughter any longer.

Dimples a.k.a. Sepi

New Christmas Poem

This poem was written by a Marine.

The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.

Thanks so much, Dale, this poem is indeed a favorite of mine!

I've reprinted the original version here, along with its history:

"The name most often associated with the poem is is that of Air Force Lt. Col Bruce W. Lovely. He says that he wrote it in 1993 while stationed In Korea.

An article on SpecialOperations.com says the poem was actually written by Corporal James M. Schmidt, described as a former U.S. Marine Scout-sniper and that is was published in LEATHERNECK MAGAZINE in December of 1991, two years before Lt. Col Lovely claims to have written it."

Thanks to Brett Kramer, who wrote us yesterday with the correct information, we have learned that the beautiful poem sent to us some years ago by one of our "web friends" is a modified copy of the original circulated on the internet for some years. The original poem's true author, James M. Schmidt, was a Lance Corporal stationed in Washington, D.C., when he wrote the poem back in 1986.

The true story of the poem, as told by Lance Corporal Schmidt: "While a Lance Corporal serving as Battalion Counter Sniper at the Marine Barracks 8th & I, Washington, DC, under Commandant P.X. Kelly and Battalion Commander D.J. Myers [in 1986], I wrote this poem to hang on the door of the Gym in the BEQ. When Colonel Myers came upon it, he read it and immediately had copies sent to each department at the Barracks and promptly dismissed the entire Battalion early for Christmas leave. The poem was placed that day in the Marine Corps Gazette, distributed worldwide and later submitted to Leatherneck Magazine."

Schmidt's original version, entitled "Merry Christmas, My Friend," was published in Leatherneck (Magazine of the Marines) in December 1991, a full two years before it was supposedly "written" by someone else on Christmas Eve 1993 (and had appeared in the Barracks publication Pass in Review four years before it was printed in Leatherneck).

As Leatherneck wrote of the poem's author in 2003: "Merry Christmas, My Friend" has been a holiday favorite among "leatherneckphiles" for nearly the time it takes to complete a Marine Corps career. Few, however, know who wrote it and when. Former Corporal James M. Schmidt, stationed at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., pounded it out 17 years ago on a typewriter while awaiting the commanding officer's Christmas holiday decorations inspection . . . while other leathernecks strung lights for the Barracks' annual Christmas decoration contest, Schmidt contributed his poem to his section."

Over the years the text of "Merry Christmas, My Friend" has been altered to change the Marine-specific wording into Army references (including the title: U.S. Marines do not refer to themselves as "soldiers") and to incorporate line-ending rhyme changes necessitated by those alterations.

We reproduce below Corporal Schmidt's version as printed in Leatherneck back in 1991:

Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of plaster & stone.
I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,
a sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen.
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more,
so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,
Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,
And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,
because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more.
My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.
I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill.
So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.
And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,
said "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure."
One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

Reports are that after leaving the Corps, Corporal Schmidt earned a law degree and now serves as an attorney in Los Angeles and is director of operations for a security consulting firm.

Now, we must find a treatment/cure for dementia that is affecting so many people at younger ages.

Oh, our '89 Caddy has to have its tires aired up before every outing - something about a leak - and the oil pump and/or fuel pumps are in imminent danger of expiring, and the transmission is..... well, you get the idea.......... Yes, I am holding it together by mighty prayer.

The NNHS Class of 1958 Holiday Gathering will be held Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 6:00 PM
(Dinner at 7:00 PM) at Mike's Place, An Irish Pub, (757-599-5500) 458 Warwick Village Shopping Center, (Hilton Village,
across from the Cedar Lane entrance to the Mariners' Museum), Newport News, VA 23601-3240.
CONTACT: Jwdvt@aol.com

The NNHS Class of 1957 Holiday Party will be held Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 6:00 PM
at Angelo's (Route 17), Newport News, VA.
CONTACT: Pabletz@aol.com

Y'all take care of each other! TYPHOONS FOREVER! We'll Always Have Buckroe!

(The Carpenters, 1971)

Talkin' to myself and feelin' old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

What I've got they used to call the blues
Nothin' is really wrong
Feelin' like I don't belong
Walkin' around
Some kind of lonely clown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

Funny but it seems I always wind up here with you
Nice to know somebody loves me
Funny but it seems that it's the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me.

What I feel has come and gone before
No need to talk it out
We know what it's all about
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

		A yellow rose, stands for friendships of which we may not amend. Pass on to all you consider a friend. To return to your sender means a friendship that won't end. Thank you, Shari! I needed that today - and I do love yellow roses!

Thanks so much for remembering Rosie (Woodard Groff - '65) on her birthday. It seems so long ago now that she and I were having lunch at the old Peoples Restaurant on Warwick Boulevard. She had started gold treatments from NIH in Maryland. Her husband (Mickey Groff) would fly her and the dog down to spend the week with her parents while recuperating from the treatment. They tried a lot of experimental treatment at that time. I wonder if the medicines of today would have saved her life? It did for my mom and gave her another 25 years after Breast Cancer.
		Saturday, May 17, 1969
		Linda Lane Lane ('64) and Rose Woodard Davis ('65)