Update from Brother Joe

Joe sent Sue the following e-mail with news about his family and his birthday:

"Subject: blog 5-17-13

Busy around here so I will give it my best shot to report the latest happenings.

 

Bittersweet 79th birthday as it was our daughter Beth's retirement party today at Ozark Technical Community College, also our son David's last day as an instructor at OTCC. He and another graduate of  Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly the University of Missouri-Rolla, known as  one of the world's leading technological research universities, (right Bebe, Mark, et al*) have gone in business for themselves. Granddaughter Lydia came home for her mom's retirement party, then headed back to Liberty, MO for the graduation of some of her college friends. She will return home again this weekend.  Next year (2014) she will graduate.

 

Yesterday's was Beth's birthday, next week is her mom's birthday and June 6th is our other daughter Lisa's birthday. Lisa's husband jack still has his leg in a cast but is recovering on schedule.  His dad, a WWII vet, is in a retirement home. Maybe Lydia posted his picture on the blog during Christmas holidays?

 

My biggest birthday gift was "to me from me".  The new GMC Terrain is doing fine except all the new electrical gadgets are challenging.  Sticker shock hit me twice, first was the car cost, then the sales tax. Now I am going to buy a smart phone so I can use it in the new vehicle.  It also has on star but so did the van I traded off.  I never used on star.  Dave calls my new car a truck.

 

Another unexpected gift coupon was a free (up to $15.00) entree at Houlihans Restaurant.

 

The birthday cards and wishes are the best of all though!

 

Our latest volunteer at The Railroad Historical Museum is Brian Madden**.  He picked the two busiest days of the year for coming on board. He noticed a new ? painting on display.  It is of a Campbell 66 Truck line tractor/trailer and it looks like the artist is the same one that did the Marshfield Square paintings.  Further research continues.  We have what someone on the www dubbed the ggggf of the smart phone on display.  It is the telegraph key like originally used when the Morse code was state of the art.

 

Where I worked 36 years (TAMPER out of Columbia, S. C.) the service manager had a painting of an old cowboy, beard and all, and a notation.  "There is a hell of a lot they didn't tell me when I signed on here" Very timely for Brian and the museum also. 

 

The Springfield Cardinals Baseball team and also the St. Louis Cardinals both won games tonight, I think?

The Springfield Cardinals played in Arkansas.  Several of the former Springfield players are now full time players on the St. Louis Team.

 

goodnight all

Bro Joe"

*Joe is referring here to Bebe (nickname for Sabrina, daughter of Margaret and Norman) and Mark, Sue's stepson, who also graduated from the University of Missouri at Rolla, an engineering school.

**Brian Madden is our cousin, the second (of three) son of Curtis and Virginia Madden.  Curt was a brother (one of two) of our mother, Margaret Marie Madden Felin.