Thursday, April 10, 2008

Wisdom

J.R. Glasgow sent the following, which gave me a laugh:

After being married for 40 years, I took a careful look at my wife one day and said, “Honey, 40 years ago we had a cheap apartment, a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10-inch black and white TV, but I got to sleep every night with a hot 18-year-old gal.

“Now I have a $500,000 home two $45,000 cars, a nice big bed and plasma screen TV, but I’m sleeping with a 58-year-old woman. It seems to me that you’re not holding up your side of things.”

My wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me to go out and find a hot 18-year-old gal, and she would make sure that I would once again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car, sleeping on a sofa bed and watching a 10-inch black and white TV."

Aren't older women great? They know how to solve mid-life crises.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Letter Home from War

Kenneth Driskill recently gave me the following V-Mail microfilm letter written by my dad, Joseph Schular Powell, to Kenneth's parents 63 years ago. Dad was on a a ship with several hundred other troops headed for Japan when WWII ended. The troops thought the ship would turn around and return home. Instead they became the first occupation forces in Japan. Shular was stationed at Mesawa in Northern Japan. Coincidently my son, Joseph, was an Airman stationed at MEsawa for three years (1994-1997).

To: Mr. and Mrs. V. J. Driskill, Temple, Okla.
From: P.F.C. Joseph Powell 38692769, Co. A 302nd Engrs. BN. c/o PM San Francisco, Calif. 8 December 1945

Dear Friends,

Will drop you a few lines to wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Hope this finds you folks all well. I am doing pretty well, but can't say I like this place. I am not doing much of anything but loafing. Am running a road maintainer pushing snow part of the time and running a dozer part time, and have three men on both rigs and don't work every day so you can see I am not being over worked.

The worst part of this place is the grub. We have been here two months but still get nothing but C rations. Had a good dinner Thankgsgiving and that is all.

The weather here is something similar to Okla. , maybe a little more snow so far, but they say the snow gets about 6 feet deep about Christmas and stays on until April.

I didn't think there was a people in the world as crude as these are here. They are at least 50 years behind the U.S. There is no machinery at all. They do everything by hand, cradle their rice and thrash it with frail poles and let the wind chafe it. I don't see how they lasted so long in the war with the equipment their Army had here when we took over.

I don't know so much to write. Sure will be glad when I can start home. The ones in this company with three children signed for their discharges tonight. Here is until I get to see you.

Your Friend,
Shular

Friday, April 4, 2008

Temple Board Split on Dissolving Police Dept.

The Temple Board of Trustees was evenly split on a motion by Joe Keaton to dissolve the Temple Police Department. Joe Keaton and Bob Mason voted yes, Troy Sellers and Debria Schuler voted no. The vote came in a special meeting on April 3. This means the police department lives on in Temple.

The board also approved selling bricks from demolished lodge-electric building and depositing receipts into the Financial Assurance account.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

News from the Temple Class of '55

Gari Nelson Kyle, Temple High School Class of 1955 writes:

I have two daughters, both grown of course. One has two sons and works as a first grade teacher at Crossings Church School. Her husband works for an airline. The other son lived in Dallas serveral years but is back "home" now, lives in Edmond and works at an insurance company. They and my grandsons are truly treasures."