Posted on by Phil Strawn

Memorial Weekend News From The Cactus Patch And Other Worthless Information 5/27/2023


Hey Folks, It Was More Fun Being A Kid Back In The Day….

Back in the 1950s, also referred to as ” Back In the Day,” we played with toys that should have either maimed or killed us. Cherry Bombs, a firecracker equal to a 1/4 stick of dynamite, yet our parents let us blow up things with these lethal fireworks. My ingenious cousin, Jok, decided to put a Cherry Bomb on top of the front tire of his older brother’s new imported MG. It was a swell blast, and after the smoke cleared, the metal fender had a huge pooch-out dent. He got his little ass paddled by every adult at the July 4th gathering. I got it too, just for being present at the scene of the crime. We also played with things like the picture below. We weren’t satisfied with letting them hit the sidewalk and pop the cap, we threw them at each other hoping that the pin would connect with one of our buddy’s heads. It was a great time to be a kid.

Give a kid a lethal weapon to play with and you can bet they will find a way to hurt someone. I know from experience these things hurt when they connect with your noggin.

Reading Keeps The Young Mind From Wandering Into Reality

“Fun with Dick and Jane” was the best book for us kids. Two parents, two kids, a boy, and a girl, and a Cocker Spaniel that bit everyone in the neighborhood. The all-American family long before the Cleavers came to television. This particular book was one of my favorites until I started reading Micky Spillane’s noir paperbacks.

This was our waiter at the lakeside restaurant here in Granbury. I intended to order a fat juicy burger, but after looking at this walking tackle box, I ordered the catfish. I asked him if the fish was frozen or fresh. He said, ” I jump in the lake every morning and walk out with enough fish for the day.” Wow, I was impressed.

This is a picture I drew of my bluegrass band back in the late 70s. We called ourselves the “Trinity River Band,” after the infamous stinky river that runs through Dallas. It seems the Trinity also runs through Fort Worth and is a clean and swimmable body of water until it reaches Dallas. I can’t remember who in the band wanted that name, and how in the hell did the rest of us agree to it? That would be me on the banjo.

MoMo and I wish you a safe and pleasant Memorial Day. Remember what the day is about. It’s not about sales at Lowes and Home Depot, or Amazon. It’s a day to honor the men and women who gave their lives and or served in our military to protect our country, and most of the world from evil. Today, in this time, we need them more than ever. Evil is on the move and we are the only nation willing to face it.

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6 Replies to “Memorial Weekend News From The Cactus Patch And Other Worthless Information 5/27/2023”

  1. (1) We used to light an M-80 and roll down into the drain from the street into the cavity below the manhole cover. KABOOM! As for cherry bombs, those went inside metal mailboxes. KABOOM!
    (2) I don’t recall the Dick and Jane books, but I’ve seen “Fun with Dick and Jane” (George Segal / Jane Fonda) a couple of times. (The movie is fun to watch, but, of course, I’m not going to defend their political views.)
    (3) Tattoos and piercings are a turn-off.
    (4) After nearly 17 months, during which time my songwriting partner and I worked on a website (still in progress), I was given two new melodies. I finished the lyrics to one song yesterday, and will work on the other song over the next several days. We’ve collaborated on nearly 100 songs over the past 13 years.
    (5) Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

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    1. Thanks to you. Hope the songs go well. It’s not as easy as folks think to put melody and words together. Fun with Dick and Jane were books that first graders were issued in order to learn to read. I read them at 5, thanks to my Aunt Norma that found some in a garage sale. Cherry bombs blew up everything. A friend dropped one down a sewer manhole and the gas exploded upward burning his face and most of his hair. I believe they outlawed them in the late 60s. You should publish some of your songs or put them on the blog.

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      1. (1) My lyrics are on Facebook, but I don’t post them until they receive an ISWC number from SACEM (French performance rights organization, or PRO).
        https://www.facebook.com/LividEmerald/
        I wrote the lyrics to three songs on Chris Almoada’s 2010 CD (“Come to New Orleans”) and all the songs on his 2014 CD (“On the Great River Road”). I also wrote the lyrics to Side A of a 10th Anniversary Squoodge 45 rpm vinyl record (2014). Right now, we are writing songs to market to other bands (like the Cactus Candies, who used two of our songs on their “Candle-Light Rodeo” CD/vinyl albums).
        (2) On a different subject, I finally uploaded the last of a total of 18 illustrations on my thumb drive. The two detective novels should be on Amazon sometime in July.
        (3) And, yes, firecrackers can be dangerous. But I never injured myself.

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  2. I was talking to another blogger this morning about cherry bombs. I think they outlawed them before I could get my hands on one…I’ve read where they were destructive as hell….and would stay lit under water…so one flush down a toilet would pulverise pipes.

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