Doug Clay

Posted on: Feb 18, 2023 at 6:21 PM

Let's play “NAME THAT TUNE!”
See if you can guess the title of the song from a line of the lyrics. Bonus points for including the performer or group. Hint: These songs are from the 1960s.

1. Nobody knows where Johnny has gone.
2. Last night I said these words to my girl.
3. It is the evening of the day.
4. Every night I sit here by my window.
5. Once upon a time there was a tavern.
6. We skipped the light fandango.
7. He goes on the prowl each night.
8. What good is sitting alone in your room?
9. All the leaves are brown.
10. Wise men say only fools rush in.
11. This land is mine.
12. Life goes on day after day.
13. Tall and tan and young and lovely.
14. Yes it's going to be a cold lonely summer.
15. See the tree how big it's grown.
16. Imagine me and you, I do.
17. You passed me by one summer day.
18. Oh yeh, I'll tell you something.
19. Trailer for sale or rent.
20. I think I'm going to be sad.

Scoring - If you got right:
   5 or less – You were too busy getting good grades to listen to pop music.
   6 to 10 - Your car probably didn't have a radio.
   11 to 15 - You sort of listened, but didn't sing along.
   16 to 20 - You were a denizen of the Plant Room.

Personal Observation: We sure had better music than the kids today.

Posted on: Apr 04, 2022 at 11:13 AM

Part of the fun traveling across the US by car is spotting license plates from different states. Each state seems to have their own slogan displayed along the bottom of the tag. After reading a few, questions popped into my mind. Below are a few slogans and my observations:

New York – The Empire State. People are fleeing NY in leaps and bounds now that they can work online. Maybe someday the Empire will Strike Back.

New Jersey – The Garden State. Really? So Newark is now a garden. Slick piece of public relations.

Illinois – Land of Lincoln. More like Land of Audi and BMW. Lexus, too.

Missouri – The Show Me State. I guess I have to show them mine before they will show me theirs.

Indiana – The Hoosier State. Is that like, “Hoosier your daddy?”

Utah – The Beehive State. These folks are lost in the past. The beehive went out decades ago.

North Carolina – First In Flight. Still think New York has more people leaving.

Idaho – Famous Potatoes. Not much of a tourist attraction since they grow below ground.

New Mexico – Land of Enchantment. Didn't work. Been there many times. I'm still not enchanting.

Pennsylvania – The Keystone State. What's this all about? Nobody makes keys out of stone.

Texas – The Lone Star State. Come on! There's lots of stars out there. Look up. They're in the sky.

Oregon – The Beaver State. That's bold! Not touching this one.

Washington – The Evergreen State. Should be the Ever Wet State. Rains all the time.

Oklahoma – The Sooner State. Sooner or later. What's the difference?

Nebraska – The Cornhusker State. Now we're delving into desperate. Couldn't come up with something more intriguing?

Kansas – The Sunflower State. Okay. The sounds somewhat attractive.

Virginia – Virginia Is For Lovers. I guess I've been in the wrong state all this time. They're promising a lot. Wonder what's the divorce rate?

Michigan – The Wolverine State. Are they trying to scare people away? Why not The Skunk State? That should do the trick.

Kentucky – The Bluegrass State. They must be color blind. All the grass I saw was green. Maybe there's a different type of grass they're referring to. Like Panama Red.

Arkansas – The Bear State. I hope they spelled it correctly or I'd be wasting my time packing.

Tennessee – The Volunteer State. Having the state employees volunteer must really keep taxes really low.

Well, that's just a few I've noticed lately. What plates have you observed?

Posted on: Aug 15, 2021 at 4:14 PM

POP QUIZ ON EVANSTON IN THE 1960s.
How many movie theaters were there in Evanston? What were there names?

The original Fountain Square fountain was relocated to where?

What was the name of the music store located on Davis St east of Sherman?

What was the name of the hobby store at Davis and Chicago?

How many Walker Brothers restaurants were there in Evanston? Where were they located?

What was the name of the soda shop across from ETHS?

How many EL stops were in Evanston? What were the station names?

How much did one bus token cost? Trick question.

How many public beaches were in Evanston? What were there names?

Where was Bill's Hamburger Stand? How much grease did each hamburger contain?

Where was the Huddle restaurant?

What was Just For Fun?

Where was the location of the national headquarters of the WCTU?

What Evanston resident was a Vice President of the United States? Who was President? Where was his home located?

Our US Congress Representative resided on Evanston. What was her name and where did she live?

Oscar Mayer resided in Evanston. Where did he live?

What was the name of the pizza place on Foster near the EL tracks?

What was the name of the architect who lived in Evanston and employed Frank Lloyd Wright?

Why are you living in the past?

Posted on: Jun 08, 2021 at 10:29 AM

REFLECTIONS ON GOLF:
Mark Twain once said, “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” I’m beginning to understand.

Par is a method used to grade each hole. In reality par is a C. A birdie is a B and an eagle is an A. A hole-in-one is summa cum laude. One graduates to the 19th hole where pitchers of beer are bestowed in your honor.

Actually Mark Twain wouldn’t be at all surprised that a spoiled good walk had turned into a spoiled good ride.

Name one other sport where a pretty college coed entices you with an alcoholic beverage in the middle of your game.

Name one other sport where one drinks an alcoholic beverage durning the game. (Okay, I’ll give you bowling.)

Golf is like playing fetch by yourself. The ball keeps escaping until it reaches the hole where you can finally retrieve it.

Golf is for those who haven’t had enough frustration in their lives.

Golf is seductive. After a series of miserable hits, all of a sudden you string together several perfect shots in a row and think you’re getting the hang of the sport. Then it all falls apart on the next hole.

What do fishing and golf have in common? Both sports make a liar out of you.

Greens are designed to move the ball away from the hole.

Golf can be an opportunity to view wildlife. In Colorado we have to contend with elk on the fairways. In Florida it’s alligators.

Irons are lightning rods with hand grips.

Triple A (AAA) won’t pull a golf cart out of a sand trap.

In golf, less is more. More-or-less.

I have four clubs I use most of the time. The rest are ballast.

Orange golf balls can hide just as well are white ones.

A golf ball will never be where it landed.

Wouldn’t it be easier and less hassle to just send the course a check once a month and stay home to watch the golf channel?

Posted on: May 21, 2021 at 9:25 PM

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.
Colorado had a tough early winter. An early hard freeze killed trees and bushes and left dead patches at various locations on the lawn. These locations have a history. I've raked them out, supplemented the soil, reseeded with high quality seed. Yet every year they produce the same outcome. Dead grass. However there is a place in my yard that seems to grow grass in the harshest conditions. I'm talking about cracks in the concrete driveway. This driveway grass survives on little water, no shade, terrible soil conditions, and being constantly run over by my car. It even stands up to weeding and the occasional spraying out of desperation. I have dealt with this phenomenon for years mystified by the resilience of this particular strain of grass. Then it hit me. This isn't a problem to be solved. It's a financial opportunity. I have been blessed with an extremely hardy strain of grass literally at my finger tips. I shouldn't be discarding it. I should be pedaling it. I'm now allowing the driveway grass to go to seed. Then I will cultivate this special grass and eventually place in on the market. No more dead spots in lawns. However I need a second type of seed. That's seed money from the venture capitalists among you. Who's in?

Posted on: Apr 17, 2021 at 5:48 AM

For some reason the rest of my post was cut off. So here's the last few:

Young women talk freely to me, not because I'm interesting, because they view my as harmless. They could be right.

I now have a 9:30 curfew. Self imposed.

I watch the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson at 10 pm on Antenna TV because I know all the guest stars. Can't say that about the current late night shows.

Johnny Carson's monologue is like a modern day history lesson. I was around for all those events.

Starting with Truman, I've been around for 14 presidents. All I remember is higher taxes and a boat load of wars.

Why is it now that I'm retired and don't have to get up early, I can no longer sleep past 6 am.

Naps are no longer for sissies.

If I see Joe Namath on one more commercial I'm going to tackle the TV.

Why is this new generation so tall? It hurts my neck just talking with them.

Living forever means you'll be really old. My body barely handles 73.

Finally, I'm glad to still be around. Life's pretty good!

Posted on: Apr 15, 2021 at 7:26 PM

REFLECTIONS ON AGING:

When I tell someone I'm middle aged, I'm lying.

What is the advantage in Funeral Advantage?

You can take it with you if you have a trust. Well, sort of.

If only the good die young, I'm in trouble.

What the hell is a liver spot anyway?

I'm beginning to think there is something wrong with a man in his 70s if he still has his hair.

Why do strangers call me “Sir.” I was never knighted.

Once on Medicare one becomes a medical cash cow.

What did I ever do to my prostate to deserve this?

Reading puts me to sleep.

When I get together with my Men's Group, all we do is talk about what exciting guys we were.

The younger generation is a bunch of idiots, except for my kids.

Young women talk

Posted on: Oct 11, 2020 at 4:03 PM

Summer is over, but the harvest continues even into October. Colorado had a record summer for heat. Most of my garden bolted and lasted only a couple of weeks. Even squash and zucchini cashed in early. However tomatoes flourished. We planted four varieties. Some heirloom, some hybrid. All produced. The small cherry-like yellow tomatoes stole the show. They are all still coming on. I throw a tarp over the plants at night with a 100w light bulb for heat. How long can this last?

Posted on: Oct 09, 2020 at 4:52 PM

Lately I've been reading and posting items from The New Official Rules. So I decided to try my hand at coming up with adages that are useful for living in today's world. In order to inspire myself, I checked out some of the old ones. It became apparent that these adages needed a makeover. So I've taken it upon myself to shoulder this responsibility. Below are a few that are now fit for the 21st century. If you have one to share, feel free to add to the list.

A bird in the hand can be messy.

A stitch in time will leave a scar.

He who laughs last was the last to get it.

A penny saved will be taxed.

Politics makes estranged bedfellows.

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the national debt.

It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you place the blame.

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but makes a useless weapon.

Birds of a feather may flock together as long are they wear masks.

The early bird misses the traffic.

The best things in life have a fee.

Two's company. Three's a mé·nage à trois.

Good things come to those who rate.

Where there's smoke, there's grass.

When the going gets tough, try something else.

Posted on: Sep 27, 2020 at 9:06 PM

Some more words to live by from The New Official Rules:

Twain's Warning: Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

Turcotte's Law: If we weren't all a little crazy, we'd go nuts.

Unruh's Understanding of Political Alliances: If I had slain all my enemies yesterday, I wouldn't have any friends today.

The Wall Street Journal Rule: In order to learn from mistakes, you have to first recognize you are making mistakes.

White's Medical Rule: The less we know about a disease, the more medicines are available to treat it.

Posted on: Sep 19, 2020 at 6:55 PM

I know you can't wait for more gems from The New Official Rules.

Lovett's Observation on Gift-Giving: If you give a bald man a comb, he will never part with it.

Lopez's Grade Point Principle: In American schools, your popularity is inversely proportional to your grade point average. (Doug's personal observation: It's possible to achieve neither popularity nor a high grade point average with the aid of beverages.)

Lopez's Axiom of Art and Crosswords: Just as some art exists for its own sake, some words exist only for the sake of crossword puzzles.

Joany's Law: The human mind is a wonderful thing. It begins working the moment you're born, and doesn't stop until you have to speak in public.

Green's Law: Life is a do-it-yourself project.

Davis's Discovery: If you want to start a bug collection, paint your lawn furniture. (Doug's Corollary: One can also start a collection staining a porch deck.)

Posted on: Sep 10, 2020 at 11:14 AM

Yes, there are still more gems from The New Official Rules:

Ryder's Reminders: (1) The person(s) who has all the answers understands none of the problems. (2) Never mistake activity for progress.

Sadat's Rule: Never review the troops until you know whose troops they are.

Sauget's Law of Education: Sit at the feet of the masters long enough, and they'll start to smell.

Savage's Law of Expediency: You want it bad, you'll get it bad.

Posted on: Sep 03, 2020 at 5:06 PM

More Gems from The New Official Rules:

Karurinsky's Discovery: It is impossible to know if the refrigerator light really goes out when you close the door because you eat the only witnesses.

Keiley's Law of Bladder Capacity: The bladder capacity of a spectator at a public event (football game, concert, etc.) is inversely proportional to his or her distance from the aisle.

Kernan's Correlation: Every time you lend money to a friend you damage his memory.

Kissinger's Discovery: The nice thing about being a celebrity is that when you bore people, They think it's their fault.

Posted on: Aug 28, 2020 at 9:28 PM

More gems from The New Official Rules:

Levey's Law of Thermogumular Dynamics: If you toss your gum around, you will sooner or later step in someone else's. (As a personal note, I have found this law to be true. Once I realize I was contributing to my own shoe/gum problems, I stopped carelessly tossing my used gum as if it were a cigarette butt. The problem went away. Karma in action.)

Liebling's Revision: Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.

Logan's Beatitude: Blessed is he who has nothing to say and cannot be persuaded to say it.

Posted on: Aug 22, 2020 at 1:26 PM

More gems from The New Official Rules:

Soika's Law: Wherever you park your car in the summertime, when you return the sun will be shining on the driver's seat.

Solomon's Explanation: The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.

Spence's Admonition: Never stow away on a Kamakazi airplane.

Posted on: Aug 07, 2020 at 8:21 PM

More gems from The New Official Rules:

Markgraf"s Observation: Upon switching on a TV set, one will first see a commercial.

Mead's Distinction: You are totally unique, just like everyone else.

Mel's Law: If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done.

Another gem from "The New Official Rules."

Achilles' Biological Findings: (1) If a child looks like his father, that's heredity. If he looks like a neighbor, that's environment. (2) A lot of time has been wasted arguing over who came first - the chicken or the egg. It was undoubtedly the rooster.