JULY 16, 2007 A LETTER FROM CAMP

WHAT LOOKS ONE WAY FROM THE SURFACE MIGHT BE SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT AFTER THE SURFACE GETS SCRATCHED....

FIND A WAY TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN THE TRUTH ABOUT PEOPLE.. WITHOUT MAKING THEM PARANOID PEOPLE.. IT CAN BE DONE...

I TALKED TO MY SON.. AND HE KNEW AT THE AGE OF 5, WITHOUT FEAR OF STRANGERS.... WHAT HE SHOULD ALLOW AND WHAT HE SHOULD NOT.. AND TO TELL ME EVERYTIME.. HE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND ANYONE.. AND I MEAN ANYONE, NO MATTER WHO THEY WERE..

MY AUNT SENT THIS IN AN EMAIL TO ME.. AND WITH ALL THE NEWS STORIES ABOUT THE PAY OUT FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH .... AND WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THAT WHOLE TRAGEDY.. I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE TIMES...

REMEMBER AS YOU READ THIS, I HAVE SPUN IT WITH A SLANT TOWARD HUMOR..

BECAUSE IF I THINK ABOUT THESE SORT OF THINGS

SERIOUSLY, VERY LONG.. I GET MAJORLY PISSED OFF..

THE THE LOCKERRIDGE MAXIMUM OF PISSEDOFFEDNESS..

SO JUST REMEMBER WHEN YOU LET YOUR CHILDREN GO SOMEWHERE WITH PEOPLE ... EVEN PEOPLE YOU ARE RELATED TO.. MAKE SURE, BEFORE THEY TAKE OFF WITH YOUR CHILD.... YOU TALK FRANKLY AND OPENLY WITH YOUR CHILD....

ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEIR DEMONS....

Dear Mom & Dad,

Our Scoutmaster told us to write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and are worried. We are okay. Only one of our tents and 2 sleeping bags got washed away.

Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all
up on the mountain looking for Adam when it happened.

Oh yes, please call Adam's mother and tell her he is okay. He can't write because of the cast.

I got to ride in one of the search and rescue jeeps.
It was neat. We never would have found Adam in the dark if it hadn't been for the lightning.

Scoutmaster Keith got mad at Adam for going on a hike alone without
telling anyone. Adam said he did tell him, but it was during the fire so
he probably didn't hear him. Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the gas will blow up?

The wet wood didn't burn, but one of the tents did and also some of our clothes. Matthew is going to look weird until his hair grows back.

We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Keith gets the bus fixed. It wasn't his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked okay when we left. Scoutmaster Keith said that with a bus that old you have to expect something to break down; that's probably why he can't get insurance.

We think it's a neat bus. He doesn't care if we get it dirty and if it's
hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the fenders. It gets pretty hot with
45 people in a bus made for 24.

He let us take turns riding in the trailer
until the highway patrol man stopped and talked to us.

Scoutmaster Keith is a neat guy. Don't worry, he is a good driver. In
fact, he is teaching Jessie how to drive on the mountain roads where there isn't any cops. All we ever see up there are logging trucks.

This morning all of the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out to the rapids.
Scoutmaster Keith wouldn't let me because I can't swim,

and Adam was afraid he would sink because of his cast, it's concrete because we didn't have any plaster, so he let us take the canoe out.

It was great.
You can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood.

Scoutmaster Keith isn't crabby like some scoutmasters. He didn't even get mad about the life jackets getting burned up. He has to spend a lot of time working on the bus so we are trying not to cause him any trouble.

Guess what? We have all passed our first aid merit badges. When Andrew dived into the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works.

Steven and I threw up, but Scoutmaster Keith said it probably was just food poisoning from the leftover chicken. He said they got sick that way with food they ate in prison. I'm so glad he got out and became our scoutmaster.
He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was
doing his time. By the way, what is a pedal-file?

I have to go now. We are going to town to mail our letters & buy some more beer and ammo. Don't worry about anything. We are fine and tonight it's my turn to sleep in the Scoutmaster's tent.
Love, Tommy

**********************************************************

lockerridge

JULY 15, 2007 MIT MEDIA LABORATORY... THE I/O PAINT BRUSH... WAY COOL!

THE PHOTO ABOVE IS WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL ABOUT PAINTING A PICTURE...

BUT THERE IS ...

THE LESS BEAUTIFUL SIDE OF PAINTING!

MESSY PAINTS AND BRISTLY BRUSHES.. RUINED SHIRTS... AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE THE VISION ,TO SEE THAT FINGERPAINTING ON THE CANVAS OF THE LIVING ROOM WALL... ..?

MIT MEDIA LABORATORY'S, HAS DEVELOPED A "WAY COOL" CYBER WAY TO PAINT WITH COLOR, MOTION, AND TEXTURES.

WE MAY NEVER HAVE TO WASH ANOTHER WALL AGAIN!

THIS IS JUST .....WAYYYYY COOL!... I LOVE IT!

MIT MEDIA LABORATORY

RYOHAI AND MARTI

COPYRIGHT 2005

lockerridge

JULY 13, 2007 FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH, FLOODWATER FOOT FASHIONS, FOR FEMALES...

Due to recent weather phenomenon shoe fashion has changed!!

In Arkansas at least!
Coming to a Department Store near you!

lockerridge

JULY 12, 2007 GREAT THINKERS OF OUR TIME..

THIS IS REALLY GOOD ... I THINK YOU WILL AGREE!

lockerridge

JULY 6, 2007 INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM THE BACKWOODS OF ARKANSAS.. YEEEEEHAWWWW!

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS IN THE OZARK MOUNTAINS OF ARKANSAS..

THIS IS A PART OF THE FAMILY GATHERING AT THE GOOD OLD TRUCK STOP, FOR THE FIREWORKS DISPLAY!... ( TAKE IN CONSIDERATION THAT THIS IS A VERY SMALL TOWN.. LESS THAN A THOUSAND PEOPLE!)

THE BIG OPEN FIELD DOWN BY THE TRUCKSTOP IS A GREAT PLACE TO HAVE THIS CELEBRATION OF OUR FREEDOM IN THE UNITED STATES AT!

IT IS REALLY CLOSE TO THE FIRESTATION, FOR THOSE YEARS WHEN IT IS DRY! DRY@ DRY!

HI.. MY NAME IS DESTIN.. AND YOU SURE ARE FUNNY LOOKING JEFF... CAN I EAT YOUR HAT?

WHICH IS NOT THE CASE, IN THE YEAR 2007... WE HAVE BEEN DROWNING OUR FISH IN ARKANSAS! STRANGLING THE TOAD FROGS, AND THE POOR EARTHWORMS ARE TRYING TO GROW LEGS... BIRDS ARE HAVING A FEAST THOUGH! HEHEHE

SOME OF THE FAMILY EATING AT HOMERS MOM'S HOUSE BEFORE WE WENT FISHING.. AND THEN FIREWORKS WATCHING... HEHEE YEP! THIS IS LIVING EASY IN THE COUNTRY .. BIG TIME.. AND I WOULDN'T LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

AUNTIE J. AND GRANDAUGHTER RENEE

WELL ... ON WITH IT LOCKIE!

I TRIED TO TAKE WITH MY LITTLE KODAK EASY SHARE CW330 A DECENT VIDEO, BUT THE INTERFERENCE OF A STREET LIGHT.. SIGH..

I UPLOADED AND GOT THE CODES SO YOU CAN HEAR US AND SEE US HAVING A FANTASIC TIME

ALL OF THE PEOPLE SITTING IN THE PIC ABOVE ARE THE OVER 25 GENERATION.. THE REST OF THE DINGLE BERRIES ARE IN THE BACK OF TWO PICKUP TRUCKS IN FRONT OF US.. AND WELL YOU CAN HEAR THEM.. OR MAYBE IT IS THE BUSCH YOU CAN HEAR TALKING! HAHAHAHA

IT IS ABOUT 3 MINUTES WORTH OF A 20 MINUTE DISPLAY..

AND THE 9 MONTH OLD WAS SIMPLY FASCINATED ...

YOU CAN HEAR HIS MOM AND I TALKING ABOUT HIM ON THE VIDEO.. " HE IS HAPPPYYY!" " NOPE NOT SCARED AT ALL!"

I HAD HIM IN MY LAP AND THE CAMERA IN ONE HAND ... AND SHE BRINGS ME A PEPSI ( THIS GIRL IS WITH THE PROGRAM NOW... BRINGS ME ICE COLD PEPSI .. I LIKE HER!)

HOMERS DAD'S RESCUED DEER. IT GOT SEPARATED FROM ITS MOM DURING HAY BALING THIS YEAR.. SO IT NOW LIVES IN THE YARD.. AND GETS HER BOTTLE 4 TIMES A DAY.. THEY CALL HER COOKIE...

DESTIN AND COOKIE... COOKIE SAYS," I THINK THAT KID IS LOOKING AT ME LIKE I'M LUNCH.... ZOOOM!"

DESTIN SAYS, " FOOOOOOOOOD!"

HIS DADDY SHOWS UP ABOUT THAT TIME... BOTH OF THEM EXPECTING HIM TO BE, SCREAMING SCARED...

HA! HA! I SAY AGAIN.. NOTHING SCARES THIS NEW AMERICAN.. 9 MONTHS OLD AND ALREADY RECOGNIZES THE WONDER OF BEING A PART OF THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH!

YOU ROCK DESTIN!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM THE REDNECKS IN THE OZARK MOUNTAINS OF ARKANSAS!

YYYYYEEEEEEEHHHHHAAAAAWWWWW!

BABY!

lockerridge

The Patriotic Pup.... A Life with Mike Story

I think most of you have read my previous story of my dog Mike.

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-FX2YI189dKV2VPrfip4Whemqow--?cq=1&p=567

Mike passed on this January after a loving and most enjoyable life with me as his most loved one.

Mike was a Westhighland Terrier, and the most human like canine ever breathed a breath.. he and I have had many long days of no one else for company but each other. He always forgave my mistakes and ill treatment , with a hearty lick on the ear and a snuggle up as close to me without actually being on me as he could.. if I was in the room and he was sound asleep... snoring even, and went to the rest room, and shut the door.. when I opened up the door, he would be sitting there. At this point, he would act as though I had been gone for a month.. yeah, he loved me best.

This particular story involves my son and his girlfriend... the fourth of july, Kool Aid, Mike the dog, and sneaky underhanded deeds done in the dark!

From the time we had adopted Mike into the family, my son had wanted to color his hair for the holidays.. to which he was told " NO!!!"

in language which not even the most unlearned and dense human could not understand!

This worked until one day after he had moved out of the house into his own rented one and acquired a girlfriend who was just as crazy as he is.

Mikey after my husband passed away slept at the foot of my bed. He was very happy with this arrangement as was I... unless he decided to sleep on me. That was the source of many dreams, in which I was being paralyzed and couldn't move. When I would finally come out of the dream, he would be on my chest ,or snoozing comfortably on the sheets so that they couldn't be moved when I moved... either way.. it was how we passed our sleeping time of the day.

Jamie was in the process of moving his stuff from his room a piece at a time.. you know what I mean.. he would come home and get a pair of pants, a shirt, and some socks and underwear.. maybe a sheet and pillowcase would disappear from the linen closet... that kind of a move out.

So when he came in at 2 a.m. with Mandy(girlfriend) in tow.. woke me up, with loud talking and banging around of things... it did not surprise me at all. He stuck his head in my bedroom doorway and said," Go on back to sleep Ma, I just need some more jeans." I went back to sleep promtly and was really enjoying a nice dream, when the door opened back up a few hours later and he says... " Hey, Ma... just wanted to say love you." I groaned, rolled over and then felt Mikey snuggle up to my feet and all was right with my world.

Until the next morning when Mike and I got up and were in the kitchen making coffee.. Mike whined that he needed to go outside and I, for the first time that day picked him up .... his fur felt different.. I looked

and what I saw just about made me faint!

They had dognapped my pooch and colored his hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The above photo kind of gives you an idea of what he looked like and the one below is what they had put on the other side of his body! Needless to say, it was the Fourth of July the next day... and Jamie had fulfilled his fondest wish of making the dog a decoration!

I got on the phone and called Homer, my beloved boyfriend, and told him that Mikey had been dognapped, in the middle of the night and his canine rights to nonhuman colorized hair, violated!

After he stopped laughing at me.. he said he had to see this, and he would be right there.. I will have to say, Mikes fur had never been so soft or his whites so white.. I wondered if they had bleached him and then used Downy to cover up the smell ,but he did not seem ill or itchey or anything...

After Homer arrived and we had discussed the matter, we decided to say nothing.

Nothing at all.. heheheehee! So when Jamie called me an hour or so later, I said ... nothing... hehehee

Finally that afternoon he showed up with the mentally unstable "girlfriend" to find out what was up. I ran and put Mike in the bedroom when I heard the car pull up.

When they came in, I asked him if he had seen Mike the night before when he came for his clothes.. and if they had left the front screen open at any time during their visit.. hehehehe

He looked at she... She looked at he... and both of them in unison said," No we didn't see him at all, why is he missing?"

I sat there for a minute ... prolonging the agony, and said," He might have run away from home because he was ashamed of what you did to him."

Both breathed an audible sigh of relief, and I let Mike out of the bedroom.. hehehe he actually growled at crazy girlfriend! hahahaahaa

Dog has good sense of character is all I can say!

They explained they had used only doggie shampoo on him and that they had used koolaid to dye his hair.. and promised it would wash out in a couple of weeks according to the guy at Petco... umm hummm...

At Christmas time I was still washing the Fourth of July from his fur.. for some reason it had stopped his hair from growing as fast as it usually did.. it was just going to have to grow out and get cut as it grew..

Either that or cut it down to the skin and let him look like a large mouse for a few months.. I decided to go with the Patriotic Pup look instead...

In retrospect... it was not that bad I suppose...

After all ... the holiday was over in a couple of days.. the decorative paint work on the dog.. will last forever... in my memory.

lockerridge