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Reply to "Would You Swim In the Tennessee River If You Knew What Was In It"

Hi Kindred_Spirit and PuckerupFrog,

Funny, now that you mentioned it, I do remember the "green" water. But, at that time of my young life --- who noticed such things. Heck, I used to go down to some creeks that would be brown as mud, because they were muddy. I guess, in my young life, I swallowed enough "green" water and "muddy" water to float a battleship --- yet, I am still alive and kicking, and knocking on that old "70" door in a couple of weeks.

Yet, today, if everything isn't sterile and germ-free --- oh, God help us! In 1959, I worked for a computer company, Burroughs Corporation, in Pasadena. We were good friends with a young couple from North Carolina who had a new baby. No one could get within two feet of that baby without the mother going into a panic. I often wondered if that child grew up healthy, or so susceptible to germs, that anyone within two miles sneezing would give her a cold.

As I slowly walk toward the big 70 --- my memories of my childhood in Alabama become ever more precious. Does anyone remember Morris Auto in Tuscumbia, with the black and white tiles on the outside? About 1940, I lived with my aunt just down the hill, toward Spring Park, from Morris --- and, at three years of age, used to walk there and attempt to con the men out of a Coke from the machine.

At Spring Park, there was a sandstone covered tennis court where my cousin, Christine and her friend played tennis. In the park beside the sandstone structure, every Sunday my cousins, Eddie Byrd and Brent Hardin, would take my brother, Bob, me, and other young boys, to play tag football.

My brother, Bob, and I played on the Green Hornets and Blue Devils pee-wee football teams. I later played for the Red Rockets and Silver Jets pee-wee football teams.

Life was sweet then; but, life is sweet now. What we must always do is to keep a bowl of the good old memories in our mental cupboard to add sweetening to life --- but, live for today; for there is so much to live for today. God has given us so many blessings that we could spend full time just counting them.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray <billdory@pacbell.net>
Alabama bred,
California fed,
America blessed!

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