Merry Christmas to all

Viola and I send our warmest Merry Christmas to each of you out there.

May your day be a pleasurable experience, and may your new year be full of pleasant surprises and warm friendships.

We are thankful for all the new friends we've met over the past year, of the times we have spent with brothers John and Ed, phone calls to family out of state.

So thanks to Ron and Amy, Pat and Kathy,  Wes and Sabrina, John and Ed, Ed and Jen, and all the others.......

and more golfing in the next year.

Tom & Viola

ps:  Memphis on New Years Eve here we come, watchout BigFootLodge, we're a coming. although I doubt I'll try that 72 ounce hamburger..............

YOUR NEW YEARS EVE ASSIGNMENT

OK ALL YOU FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS..........

THE BARNGODDESS HAS SPOKEN............

YOUR ASSIGNMENT ON NEW YEAR'S EVE IS TO TURN THE TELEVISION ON,

FIND THE FOOTBALL GAME BETWEEN

THE TULSA HURRICANES AND THE IOWA STATE CYCLONES

THIS GAME WILL BE PLAYED AT  "THE LIBERTY BOWL" situated in Memphis, Tenn.

THE GAME STARTS AT 2:30 PM.

WHY??????

Well you will be looking for the Tom Lee clan ......... we'll will be on the Tulsa side.

Alas to say that I would rather be on Iowa State's side (as the Gentleman farmer was a graduate of that great college).

Grandson Shawn Norman (# 11) is a member of the Tulsa Hurricanes Varsity Team.

Viola and Tom are driving up from Florida.
Michele and Kevin and Travis are heading down fm Kansas City.
Stephanie, Jaycee and Derek are coming in from Marionville.

Shawn comes in early with the team to get climatized to Memphis.

So we will be somewhere in the stands watching.  

Let me know if you see us!   The last time I was on national TV, Steph and Jaycee were watching and saw brother John and I at the racetrack.

Later all, and keep us posted if you see us...................

tom and viola

ps: I am bringing my carharts so I can stay warm.... maybe a couple blankets toooo.
I hear it snows in Memphis.

Tornadoes in our life

Now the Barngoddess and I moved to Florida for the warmth and sun.

WE are aware that hurricanes sometimes come through, but they are easy to get ready for and you have a few days preparation.

So what happens????

Night before last a front came through that reminded us of the weather in the Ozarks on the farm. Lots of rain, 2 3/4 inches in 3 hours, lots of wind and at times I reall thought it was hailing. But just big rain drops. So then a tornado hits down near ORlando.

So to keep everything in perspective.... here are a few pictues of the farm.... yep, the farm with a tornado........

Jeep - let your crew know "THIS IS A TORNADO IN THE MAKING!"

 

 

it starts this way, and then it goes on to this

 

 

and pretty soon, it is becoming this

 

 

 

and it gets better....... it's about 2 miles northwest of us in this shot

 

 

notice how we keep getting more of the buildings in the pictures,

well we are heading for the tornado shelter

 

 

lucky for us, it turned and headed north of us.

Barngoddess and Little Assistant finally came out to look.

 

Just to show what really happens when it hits:

this is our hay barn in the previous two pics,

 

here it is after getting hit

 

 

So keep them tornadoes out of the east coast area of the

Oldest City in the Nation.

 

we've had our share.

 

tom



What did you do Thanksgiving Weekend, 2012????

This ole Horsefarmer  and his lovely bride the Barngoddess ventured down the vehicle packed Interstate Highway 95 from the Nation's Oldest City to the Birthplace of Speed.   (hey olelongrooffan = how was that for paraphrasing your style of writing???).

Anyway, thanks to my little bigger brother, I was able to get an infield pass to the annual Thanksgiving Weekend Turkey Trot at the Daytona International Racetrack.  That means that I was able to drive my little mule into the center of the action, where there were more hotrods, restored old cars and trucks, unrestored....you name it, it was probably there and all were for sale.

So I went down Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.  WALKED MY legs off.  Figured I walked over 5 hours each day.  Needless to say I had to take Monday off to rest up.

Here are some of the pictures I took over the course of the weekend.
First was Friday night we went to my brother John's house and met up with him for the annual "Gaslight parade" down Highway A1A thru Ormond Beach.  We got excellent seats on a 3 ft rise that allowed us to see every vehicle that went by.  WE also met up with a good friend of John's from over at "Hooniverse.com"  he's web name is "The Mad Hungarian"  funny, I never did get his real name, but between Theolelongrooffan (John) and the Mad Hungarian, Viola and I were treated to the name and year of every vehicle that went by.  Really neat, just like ABC or NBC doing the Rose Bowl parade (sic).

I only got one pic that I can find of the parade, and it was out of focus,

so rather than bore you with more, here are some of the vehicles at the Turkey Trot

as a kid growing up in Jefferson Barracks and later Shrewsbury Missouri, we had one of these Jeep wagons.  I loved it and over the years since retirement, I have entertained getting one, but would rather leave it in my bucket till later

I did find this really neat RV hauler that I was actively looking at.  Put on a early GM one ton frame, it was cool.  The only problem with it, not an extended cab and only had seating for two......... wouldn't work for us.  But it was a really well done rig, including the diesel engine, auto tranny, and ps/pb/pw..... and air conditioning.  

then came this guy, a huge and I mean huge CAT 550 hp engine with an allison automatic tranny.  This rig brought a big smile to my face as I would pull anything, except of course a fifth wheel home like ours.

I joke about items in my bucket, but I really like this year Ford Station Wagon.  It is the ranch special, two seats, two doors.  I just like the looks and the styling.  This one was all original (except it had power steering, a/c, small block 302, auto tranny)  Perfect for the Barngoddess to go shoping with.  Alas 25K was a little too much....

So there are a few pics, the station wagon was taken over by turn 3 and in the back ground you see turn 4, and that area was packed with cars, and I mean packed.  also over the back of the wagon is a 4 door GM that was about 5 feet off the ground.

So enjoy, and one of these days I upload some of the other cars ....
go to this website for a real view:
http://www.turkeyrun.com/Turkey_Run_Home.html

so folks have fun.  Yesterday and today I have off, and the weather reminds me of Gales Ferry Connecticut.  Foggy, cool (in low sixties), and really damp.
So turn on the fireplace and stay inside.

later all and remember to Celebrate Life in everything you do.
tom and viola

Fishing KOA Style

So what happens when you go to Bass Pro shop and get the right lure?

 

 

You catch this monster out of the KOA pond.

 

JC, he caught it from the same place you were fishing from.

 

 

 

 

IT MUST BE AT LEAST 24 INCHES LONG, AND WEIGHS A LOT, THE FISHERMAN IS OVER 6 FEET TALL.

 

don't ask me what kind of fish it is,

IT'S A FISH THAT I DIDN'T CATCH

THAT'S WHAT KIND IT IS!

SO THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS.

DID play golf yesterday and on the par 5, I chipped in from about 50 yards and made an EAGLE.   Yep but rest of game was just ok.

tom

fm THE LONGROOFFAN

A MAN IN A FLORIDA SUPERMARKET TRIES TO BUY HALF A HEAD OF LETTUCE.

THE VERY YOUNG PRODUCE ASSISTANT TELLS HIM THAT THEY SELL ONLY WHOLE HEADS OF LETTUCE. THE MAN PERSISTS AND ASKS TO SEE THE MANAGER.
THE BOY SAYS HE'LL ASK HIS MANAGER ABOUT IT. WALKING INTO THE BACK ROOM,
THE BOY SAID TO HIS MANAGER, 'SOME ASSHOLE WANTS TO BUY HALF A HEAD OF LETTUCE.'
AS HE FINISHED HIS SENTENCE, HE TURNED TO FIND THE MAN STANDING RIGHT BEHIND HIM, SO HE ADDED, 'AND THIS GENTLEMAN HAS KINDLY OFFERED TO BUY THE OTHER HALF.'
THE MANAGER APPROVED THE DEAL, AND THE MAN WENT ON HIS WAY. LATER THE MANAGER SAID TO THE BOY,
'I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE WAY YOU GOT YOURSELF OUT OF THAT SITUATION EARLIER. WE LIKE PEOPLE WHO THINK ON THEIR FEET HERE.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM, SON?' '
GREEN BAY , WISCONSIN , SIR,' THE BOY REPLIED. '

WELL, WHY DID YOU LEAVE GREEN BAY?' THE MANAGER ASKED.

THE BOY SAID, 'SIR, THERE'S NOTHING BUT WHORES AND FOOTBALL PLAYERS UP THERE.'
'REALLY?' SAID THE MANAGER. 'MY WIFE IS FROM GREENBAY.'

'NO SHIT?' REPLIED THE BOY. 'WHAT POSITION DID SHE PLAY ?'

Sunday 12/2

Folks,
Aafter a cold week, the weather has finally cooperated and is now more like Florida weather should be.
TEmp now is in mid 70s, and its 1030 am.
Nary a cloud in the sky,
think I will go to the golf course and see if I can hit that little white ball.

I remember DAD one time told me that golf is a wonderful walk in the country side spoiled by a little white ball.

I also remember my Daughter Sam telling me golf courses are a perfect waste of a good pasture.

So being howse I am almost retired, I think I'll take a walk in the country side thru that perfect pasture and hit a few.

I do remember when Vi and I first got our small acreage near Republic MO, I mowed a golf course in the grass.  I think it was 4 holes, don't remember exactly, but we had the family out and all played golf.
Now taking that ten acre pasture and mowing didn't help, I think we lost about 50 golf balls that day.  Was finding them for months after.

Anyway, what's going on in your neck of the woods????

tom and viola