INCOME TAX TIME

For years, I paid to have my yearly income taxes  prepared for me.  About four years ago, I discovered that a  group of experts had volunteered to prepare personal income tax forms for free for A A R P members.

This was a "GOD SEND" for me, financially and personally.  (I have always detested filing these forms annually).

I go to a library close to home, and some very friendly and highly qualified individuals patiently and expertly file these for me. AT NO COST !!

A Mr. Irion LaFargue is very helpful and I am indebted to him and the others for helping me with this yearly CHORE.

SOUTHSIDE WILL SHINE TONIGHT

MANY MEMORIES ---SEE SONG ABOVE.

This was the "official" school song at Southside Elementary school in El Dorado, Arkansas for many years.  I attended Southside from 1934 to 1939.  We all sang this song and STAR SPANGLED BANNER at every assembly and PTA meeting.  

The faculty members were:  Grade 1 - Miss Roarke,  Grade 2 - Mrs. Mouton, Grade 3 - Mrs. O'Laughton, Grade 4 - Mrs. Bishop, Grade 5 - Mrs. Emma Joe Colvin, Grade 6 - Mrs. Eula Goode Goodwin, and Grades 7 -8 - Mr. Alva Waddell (he was also the football coach and music teacher), and the Principal was Miss Nola Ellis.

Some of my classmates were:  Dale Gray, Raymond and Ferris Bullock, my brother Wren Worley, Veldon Mc Knight, Nolan "brick-head" Harris, Teedy Lowery, Willard Forsythe, Graham Ellis, and W. B. Justiss.

G E MAKES THEM TO LAST

1950 was a good year!  I was in L. S. U.  taking 19 semester hours and working part-time in sales at an appliance store  called Globe Discount on Florida Street.

Occasionally the store would have special prices on selected appliances.  A small electric hand-held mixer was put on sale, and we needed one at that time.  With the sale price and my employee discount, I bought the mixer for $4.00.

Believe it or not, we still use the mixer today (60 years later)

DO NOT BE WHAT YOU SEE

My older sister Louise, was very interesting.  She and my older brother, Wren, and I were driving to Branson, Missouri when we approached a car pulling a horse-trailer.  The horse's tail was naturally hanging out the back of the trailer as usual.

As we approached closer to the trailer, she very solemnly looked at us and announced,  "Arthur Gene and Wren Allen, do not be what you see".

(Wonder what she meant by that?)

SIXTY-TWO YEARS AND COUNTING

One of our wedding presents from my mother and sister Louise, was a Presto Pressure cooker!  The date was August 5, 1947.  This August will be  anniversary number 63!  And the pressure cooker is still cooking like new!  I told Virginia that if we had a nickel for every pot of turnip greens that she had cooked in that pot, we would both be millionaires.

ROLLING OUT THE COOKIE DOUGH

As a very small child, I would watch my mother roll out biscuits and cookie dough with her favorite rolling pin. And they were THE VERY BEST!

I always wanted to watch and help her roll them out. She sometimes would pretend that I was the cookie dough and then would allow me to stretch out on the table and she would "roll out the cookies", while very lightly rolling the pin on my tummy, and make me laugh!

I shall never forget that!

I can now say that I have used her same rolling pin on both son, David and daughter Patricia, their kids, (Christopher and Kari Lynn), (Craig, Mary Claire, and Ben Delony and Parker Delony - Craig's son), and now David's grand- kids (Caleb and Alexis).

Hope they enjoyed this as much as I did.

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM EATING CHOCOLATE

Some people are "semi-sweet";  others are just plain nutty.

Don't cry over spilled milk - unless of course, it's chocolate milk.

There is a fine line between vice and addiction.

Blind dates are like chocolate - they're usually chunky and they quickly disappear.

When life presents you a rocky road, just eat your way out of it.

Money can't buy you love - but it can buy you chocolate. (24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year).

Keep your fingers off other people's bon-bons.

Mother-in-laws are like chocolate syrup: a little goes a long way.

Flowers and champagne may set the stage, but it's chocolate that steals the show.

An ounce of truffles is worth a pound of anything.

Milk chocolate - for all it's worth.

You never really know a person 'til you've shared a box of chocolates with them.

A kiss is just a kiss but a chocolate kiss is bliss.

True love will remain long after the chocolates have gone - provided there's another box.

The best things in life are not fat-free.

Nothing is worth getting sick over - except, of course chocolate.

When  all else fails, fudge it.

And remember ... if life is like a box of chocolates, take a bite out of everything.