Monday morning friends report.

Here are some items of gossip, and some news of friends and family. This is what some of them are thinking and emailing and saying.

MIKE CARROLL (almost from Carrollton) and BILL FROM WNNCO - are both enjoying their birthdays today. If you see them, give them a holler. Both of them have been "up-north" as we say around here, getting away for a few days, but in different places. My advice for them is that if they want to be recognized, they should go to one of those restaurants where all the waiters stand around and slap their hands and sing some joyous version of the Happy Birthday song and then give you some drippy ice cream dessert.

IRENE - is applying for a new job and has found some of the questions on the application form almost impossible to decipher. "Gobbledygook" she calls it. Good Luck, anyhow.

She also sent this "Quote for the Day" about conservatives which I'll let you-all react to if you please: The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. - John Kenneth Galbraith

JOE - forwarded a set of NASA pictures of the Endeavour Space Mission, which included this stunner" (click on the picture to enlarge it):


BRENDA - is now into marriage planning. Her own, that is. It's great to talk to a lady this much in love.

GENDER - is trying to get friends to buy property in Florida. That would be Pat and me, ahem!

MARSHA - was up to her eyebrows in busy-ness and planning and organizing for this past weekend's homecoming at South Carolina. (Carolina did win the game and continues to move up the rankings.) When she finally collapsed into her stadium seat for the game, she snapped this picture of the action just to have a shot of the "perfect day."


FELIX - went hiking, as promised, in Virginia and is now back home. It was, he says, "...a GREAT hike! Wonderful." Blue Ridge Mountains. We're looking forward to his stories of this adventure, because he's a talented writer.

JERRY- sent this wisdom:
'First, you tell your friend that you are having an affair.
Then your friend asks you -- "Are you having it catered?"
That, my friend, is the definition of OLD!!!!! '

STEVE - Is out hunting. But, it's raining today. Looks like hot dogs for supper, and we'll blame the rain not the hunter.

SANDY - is home from her travels to California, which kept her away from her Coffee Club meetings for many weeks. But, it all resulted in great things. One child is now married and one is now settled in a new home. It was great to have Sandy's happy presence and enthusiasm back in the group.

BENNETT - claims he had a car accident and that the other driver was really small, a dwarf. That when the guy got out he said, "This is your fault and I'm not Happy!" To which Bennett claims he answered "Then which one are you?" Everyone who is offended by this story should tell Bennett. He's used to being berated.

SCOT - has written a nice homage to the Detroit Tigers, which I'm stealing and copying here:
ARBORETUM
Bless You Boys
"You know, when I first got here, I took a taxi from the airport and the driver said, 'This is a baseball town that's sleeping. You guys start playing well, the fans will come out of the woodwork.' There's really been an uprising ... and to have the seat I have and to see it soldout most nights, it's incredible." -- Justin Verlander, young Tigers phenom. on the Tigers good-but-not-quite season. Thanks for the thrill ride. (This is Justin who threw a no-hitter while Scot and Trase were in the stands.)



SPARTY - is rightfully agitated about the conflict between the new Big Ten Network and the cable companies. The result is that the Michigan - Michigan State game is scheduled to be shown on BTN which will be unavilable to most people this year.

DASHMANN - since we're on the subject of Sparty, Dashmann wants to know why the Spartans cannot match the colors on their helmets and their jerseys. Are they all color blind? Or just lacking in taste?