My Older Brother

As a child growing up you are always looking for a role model. I was fortunate enough to have 2 to look up to. My older brothers were a big influence on my life. I will say they picked on me a lot. I think that served to toughen me up. I always knew that they had my back when push came to shove. My oldest brother that passed away in 1984 would have been 56 on the 22nd of this month. He was an intimidating guy at 260lbs. Of course I was all of about 110lbs myself so he definitely could whip me. He used that weight to his advantage a lot. I remember this time of year we would be out in the yard tossing the football playing a game of catch. He would tell me how to catch it and let me know if I was doing it wrong. We would watch the big game every Sunday. He taught me to love the sport. Maybe deep down that's why I love it so much, because it reminds me of him. I don't apologize for being a Dolphins fan but I know I root for the Cowboys first and foremost because I know he's not here to root them on. I feel like since he showed me the love for the game I owe him that. He taught me to love music. We could talk forever about it. He trained me well. He would find a random radio station and quiz me on Artist and song. Cynthia hates when I do that to her.  Sometimes we would do it as a group of sibling and make it a contest.  He would always ask if I wanted to go with him on an errand he would be running. I loved his 69 Ford Torino. He was proud of that car. I remember fondly a trip to the mall one Christmas eve.  Just hanging out with him made me feel cool. He was one of the cool kids. His friends never seemed to mind that we were tagging along. 
   I remember my first job working for my Uncle. I was maybe 11 or 12. He had already graduated high school and was working there too. It seemed like every day on our lunch break it would be to pick on Kenney time. For some reason he seemed have a lot of rotten bananas. He would tackle me and rub it in my hair.  I would be yelling get off of me fatso but that didn't make him stop.  I remember one day another co-worker wanted to mess with me and big bro was quick to step in and diffuse the situation. That someone would have to go through him to get to me. That would be a huge task and would not bode well for anyone opposing him.  I remember how much he loved to play golf and how we played many rounds together. He let me use his set of old clubs when he upgraded. I loved those clubs. One birthday he took me shopping for a present. As I got out of his car he handed me a 10 dollar bill. He said he had sold my clubs and the 10 came from the sell. He had no idea how much I loved playing with the clubs and I never told him. I remember our makeshift wrestling ring in the backyard. How me and my younger brother would tag team him. In the end it was both of us trying to ride him like a rented mule. We tried to get him down but he would throw us around like rag dolls. We never beat him.
    He was quick to let me know when I was out of line. He had tremendous respect for his parents and his elders. He was the perfect role model. He would not allow me to talk back to mom if he was within earshot. A slap to the back of the head was usually enough. A week before he passed I heard a song on the radio while we were both working for my dad. I had just graduated high school and was all of 17.  The song was "Desert Moon" by Dennis DeYoung.  I got to introduce one more song to him. We were always recommending music for the other to hear. He got to hear the song and he loved it. As we were on our last lunch break ever, there were no pranks just him cooking us some grilled cheese sandwich in a skillet in his kitchen. We talked about life. Although I don't really remember the conversation I do remember him not looking at me like a kid brother. We were co-workers and I had earned his respect.
    I still get misty eyed when I hear "Desert Moon" I think of him a lot.  I think that he would be proud of me and I know he would love Cynthia. Some days the hurt is stronger than others.  I know that all that is here is the memories we shared.  I miss him a lot and wish he was here to root on his Cowboys. Guess I will have to do it for him as long as the good Lord gives me.  Miss ya bro  go Cowboys.

Hello Fall

One of the things I enjoyed about working outdoors were the seasonal changes in the weather. I especially liked when summer gave way to autumn. You could see the blue-gray clouds in the distance as a front blew through. You just knew the temperatures were about to drop. Sometimes it would be accompanied by rain. Sometimes it was just a shift in the wind. I love that feeling and it always gives me goosebumps. You can feel the air as it gets drier and the temperature drops maybe 20 plus degrees.   It’s almost like you could feel summer release its grip and hand the reins over to good old fall time.

   I have to say I am prejudice to Texas up front. I am sure that there are a lot of pretty places in the fall time. I just love the weather here. I love the days when you can be comfortable in a sweatshirt and jeans. I love the days where the windows are raised up at the house and rolled down in the car.  The crisp air does something to the sound waves because everything just sounds like it so much closer. The leaves changing colors are a sight to behold.  The pumpkin patches and Halloween just around the corner. The air smells fresher outside.  The sounds and sight of our beloved pastime, football in Texas there is nothing like Friday night lights in the crisp fall evenings. We have our State Fair and everything fried to a crispy golden brown.  Fall time is when we celebrate one of the greatest holidays. I love Thanksgiving with all of its traditions.  I have so many fond memories growing up in a big family and celebrating Thanksgiving holidays. I am sure we all have our stories and memories of fall time in Texas. Can you remember raking the fallen leaves into the big pile to run and jump into?  I can remember me and my older brothers along with their friends playing Sunday afternoon football.  I remember chopping wood and gathering kindling for when it would start getting colder.  I remember how we had to adjust as the nights came earlier with the darkness. We really had to rush to get our chores done after school.  One of the things I hated most was feeding the chickens. I especially hated it when it got dark out. There is nothing like sticking your hand in a 55 gallon drum full of corn feed to feel a mouse or rat run across your arm.  That was not a favorite experience, but I will take some bad with the good. 

        I get antsy this time of year because I know it’s just around the corner and I can almost feel it.  I know that there are some that hate the cooler weather. I will say as I get older, the aches and pains are far worse in the colder months.  I will say once again that I will take a little bad for all the good.  i realize that we are all different and there is no way to make everyone happy at once. So for all of you Summer lovers it's over you have had your pool time and sitting outdoors sucking up margaritas and ice cold lemonade and the like. Us non summer people have humored your kind and sat outside pretending we are having fun all the while being eat up by what I can only guess is a cross between a piranhas and a mosquitos. We have all thankfully dodged West Nile Virus . Did you ask if we were okay? We have partaken in what you non nonchalantly call a hike in the wilderness. I refer to it as a sweat fest. The camping trip with no electricity or running water, that was a priceless gem of a trip.

We have done it with style and grace just for you, our summer loving freaky sweaty friends. So I say suck it up put your man pants on and maybe a parka a sweat shirt, thermal underwear a big fuzzy sweater, a stocking cap and ear muffs, maybe then you will get an inkling of what we feel like in the summer. I'm only kidding sort of. You can take off the ear muffs. I want you to hear that we still love you our summer loving friends. I hope you enjoy Fall.  

The Last Summer Get Together

Labor day weekend comes but once a year. It typically marks the end of Summer. The long hot afternoons, the sweltering humid Texas nights are soon to be forgotten. They will be replaced by early morning frost and chilly afternoons.  We all come together this weekend to celebrate summer. While it is miserable for most, it doesn't come and go without bringing some our favorite times of the year. There are holidays like the 4th of July. We usually get to take family vacations and make memories that last a lifetime. There are Summer concerts, and finding a pool to stay cool in. Then there are the things that seem to be available only in the Summer time. Ice cold watermelon is definitely a favorite of mine. So as much as some us hate the Summer months because its just plain miserable, we will definitely miss certain aspects of the hot grueling months. We will focus our attention on new memories. We will be getting the kids new Halloween costumes ready. We will be preparing for High School homecomings. We will cherish the moments that we come together as a family and thank God for the years blessings. We will celebrate Christmas and pictures and memories will abound that will last our lifetimes.  We will enjoy another football season and State Fair. Don't shed any tears for Summer those Hot Dog days of July and August will be back before you know it. Let's just celebrate all the good times in the upcoming months. Oh and lets go Cowboys.

Three Wishes

Have you ever thought about the story with the Genie freed from its bottle?  There were three wishes granted to the individual responsible for releasing the Genie. Have you thought, hey what if that were me and I could have three wishes to do or have whatever I wanted. I wonder if we would wish for selfish wants or for something that would help all of mankind.  Would it be money, power and fame?  So go ahead pretend let’s take those three wishes and see what we can come up with for the betterment of mankind.

   I think my first wish would be a cure for all types of diseases. It would be just one single cure that would erase all of it. I would wish for something that would make every disease as scarce as the plague.  It seems this year in particular, I’ve lost a lot of great friends and family to cancer.  I lost my mom as well back in 2004.  There have been billions poured into research for this illness and yet still no cure, or if there is one it’s staying under wraps.  Do you know how much money is poured in yearly for cancer treatments?  I am not sure about the success rates for chemo and radiation. I know there have been a lot of people go down that road with no success.  So my first wish would be a legitimate cure for every disease not just cancer. That disease in particular has just hit too close to home this year and that scares me a lot. There would be a lot of doctors and oncologists without jobs as the need in those fields would dry up like a covered wagon salesman. I think that’s okay,  I would take that trade off if it meant someone’s family member got 50 more years tacked on their life.  I know that no one is going to live forever. Something will eventually get us all, hopefully old age.

           I think my second wish would be no crime. How great would it be to live in a world without locks on the door?   Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to worry about your teenager’s safety when they go out at night?  I would love to not ever again hear about a drunk driver taking someone’s life on the news.  Then think about this, no crime no need for the news. What would they report?  No sad stories no murders, the prisons all empty. Once again jobs would be lost, law enforcement officials, prison employees, newscasters, reporters just to name a few occupations.  Think about living in a world where you felt totally safe all of the time.  Your kids could play outside and you would not have to worry about where they were.  Talk about a utopia.

   I think my final wish would be to live in a world where people truly cared about others.  It seems today that it’s mostly lip service.  There are people who call you there friend if there is something that they can gain by being your friend. The minute that they can no longer use you they are gone like the wind. Heaven forbid that you go through a crisis; none of those so-called friends are anywhere to be found. I can remember a time where people took time to get to know their neighbors. In this day and age everyone pretty much keeps to themselves.  We nod at one another and pretend to be friendly, but we don’t know them.  You see someone in need you help them.  More jobs would be lost; places like Goodwill, Salvation Army and the like would cease to exist because there would not be a need for them. If only people would help people.  

         I am not going to lie it would be nice to be wealthy. Along with that wealth comes responsibility. There would be a need to do all of the things that I have wished for.  You would be expected to donate to medical causes to find a cure for this disease or that disease.  You would be expected to donate or be taxed on your wealth to fund your local government for law enforcement expenses. You would be expected to give to the needy. As I look around at all of the money going to all of these causes, it has not truly made a dent in any of them. Don’t get me wrong it all helps but the problems are still there.   The problem here is I am wishing for heaven on earth and all it is in a nutshell is wishful thinking. I truly wish for a better world.  What would your three wishes be? 

Success

I have often wondered about the meaning of a successful life.  What does it truly mean? Does it mean that you have succeeded at everything you ever tried? Does it mean that you never once failed? Does it mean you have no regrets, or that you would have done some things a little different?  We all have a different gauge for measuring success in our lives.  Our accomplishments mean different things to different people.  I believe we all start out setting goals for our lives. Somewhere along the way life creeps in and our priorities change.  What was important yesterday, mmmm not so much today.  I had all sorts of goals I set for my life early on.  Looking back I can see now, maybe some were a bit lofty, but hey you have to work for something. I believe having goals keeps you motivated.  I think the two goals that stick out the most in my mind were firefighter and radio personality. I had a chance to some degree accomplish those particular goals, although I really hope the latter takes me a little bit further. I am not quite done with that one yet. I will say that if it doesn’t I’m fine with that too.  I accomplished what I set out to do.  Here is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

        No success ever came to be without some hard work and sacrifice.  As fun as being a firefighter was there were trainings to attend. There were sleepless nights. When an alarm goes off at 2 am you have to be prepared to get up and go.  There were weekends given up and time with family and friends missed. There is the giving of you to the point of exhaustion. There were hospital stays, injuries and so on and so on. What about radio personality? That was a tough gig for sure.  Ask anyone that has been in the business and they will confirm about a very tough business.  I started as a grunt just lugging equipment around driving the van to and from remotes.  I slowly worked my way into board operator which by no means is glamorous.  From that point once you are proficient as a board op you might get the opportunity if you possess certain skills to do a fill in shift for someone but only if the full time job allows for it.   Hey if not find a full time job that you can fit your dream into, just for the record I did all of that.  Then give up your weekends with your family just hoping for a chance at a full time gig. Then after all of the sacrifice and finally getting your shot at full time have it be built on lies that were promised and never fulfilled and have it all come crashing down.  Yep that was my dream. It was my goal.  Success I think not. But hey I got air time and that was something. I’m just reiterating having goals and striving for success is hard work and requires dedication. 

So all being said how is it that you measure success?  You as a human can only control so much. Sometimes successful things happen because you are in the right place at the right time.  Sometimes goals are reached because you know the right people. Sometimes it’s just plain blind luck.  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work hard to get there, it just means sometimes we have absolutely no control.  Sometimes no matter how hard you work someone else because of who they know gets the position over you.  It’s not fair it’s just the way life is. Sometimes someone wins the lottery. Sometimes someone who has paid no dues slaps every hard working musician in the face by winning some huge recording contract off of American Idol.  There is no rhyme or reason to success.

      Here is what I am learning more and more each day. First and foremost, slow down and look at all that you have around you.  There is in my case, a woman who is madly in love with you ( I do not know why) check mark that is success.  You have children that love and respect you, that’s a big ‘ol success check mark.  You have a very loving family, another check mark.  You have a way to support your family that is success in my book.  For everything we consider goals in our life we have been given those in our lives that will help us be successful and reach those goals.  I honestly believe success comes from the people that you allow to be a part of your life.  I am success because of relationships not in spite of them.  

   Here is the question for you. Do you consider yourself a success?  Why?  If not why aren’t you?  Break the chain of life sucking draining relationships and develop uplifting positive ones that will support and help you be all that you want to be.

Kenney Big Skinny Pope 

The Times are Changing

There was a time where people were taught manners. We were taught to respect authority. We were taught to respect our elders. Yes sir and yes Ma'am were expected if we were talking to said elders.  We had respect for our parents. We didn't live in fear of sending our kids to school. We didn't worry about someone with a gun terrorizing our children. We didn't worry about paedophiles in our classroom. We didn't worry about going to a movie theater or making a trip to the mall. Now I'm not saying that worry has stopped us from doing any of those things, but its always in the back of our minds. We are constantly hearing the stories on the news telling us of another incident, another shooting, rape case or improper relationship between a teacher and student. Then there is racial tensions like I've not known in my lifetime. It's become a crazy world.
    I can't say I didn't know it was coming. I remember as a child sitting in church as the preacher would tell us about the end times. He talked about how evil the world would become.  He wasn't a soothsayer or a fortune teller he just got the info out of his Bible.  His job was to let us know what was coming. Our job was to be prepared.  We seem for the most part thrive on being prepared. I have a friend(a survivalist) that I could talk to for hours about steps for preparedness for any event he sees coming that could end civilization as we know it. He tells me about all of the food and water he has stored and the method used for preserving it. He is prepared for the worst case scenario as he sees it. There were folks of the same mindset back at the turn of the century. We all remember how the world was coming to an end Y2K.  Generators MRE'S, all  kinds of survival gear for something that may or may not happen. Well it didn't but hey preparation was the key.
      I'm by no means a conspiracy theory nut. I do not subscribe to that way of thinking. But I do see a lot of what that old preacher H.M. Corey said is coming to pass. I could ignore the signs of the times and pass it off as that's just life. I'm not putting goods away for hard times, but seeing how our stock market is doing that might not be a bad idea. I'm just looking around and wondering how much time is left until God says okay son, go get them. I know some would say this is hogwash and that's fine you can subscribe to your own beliefs. You might even say I'm wrong and that's cool you can believe however you want. If I'm wrong you've lost nothing. If you're wrong you've lost everything.  The times are changing. Look around do some research and see for yourself.  If my religious views offend I won't apologize for them its how I was raised. I don't know how else to be. My grandma always planned her future by saying Good Lord Willing. Hopefully we will see tomorrow Good Lord Willing. 

The Five and Dime

There it stood in all its glory. Just inside those doors was a plethora of candy, not at all unlike the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. There were all colors and all sizes. It was just like a technicolored dream. Just inside those doors was a cure for the common ailment known as the sweet tooth. Okay forgive me I am not sure that it’s really an ailment, but hey it could be.  The store was Mott's and it was our local 5 & Dime. The store had a lot to offer. There were aisles of housewares, toys, some clothes, fabrics for sewing and to the best of my recollection there was an aisle for model airplanes and cars. So I am not stretching the truth when I say they had a little of everything. Like a smaller version of a department store.  They worked hard to make all of the items relevant for everyday life.  If you found yourself in need of something and did not want to have to venture to the nearest department store they could almost always suffice the need. Oh, but I digress, what usually brought me or my siblings into the store was what was up front in those candy bins.

   I can still remember dad driving us up there on a Saturday morning. It was within walking distance. It was about a three minute drive. He would pull into a parking spot, put the car in park, and then he would reach into his wallet and give each of us one or two of his hard earned dollars. I didn’t think much about it then but looking back it was pretty cool that he did that for us. He would sit and wait in the car while we shopped for candy. He never complained or honked his horn, he just waited patiently for us to finish. I remember walking into the store, the familiar smell of the store; Darlene the manager would greet us as we walked in.  Then the shopping began. It was almost like a plane coming in for a landing. You had to circle the bins 3 to 4 times just to see what all they had.  You wanted to spend your money wisely.  I usually avoided the higher priced chocolate bars and stuck to the cheaper hard candies.

       For a nickel or a dime apiece you could load up on some candy.  They had all kinds of suckers and taffy, bubble gums and even baseball cards with the one hard piece of gum in it.  There would always be the newest item that you had to get at least one of, to try it out. I found some I really liked that way.   I remember as I got older I would drop by there to purchase what was my favorite candy of all time the “Lifesaver Swirl” lollipop. Unfortunately they discontinued that one.  Then there was the “Astro Pop”, the “Jolly Rancher Stick” “Charms Sweet and Sour Pops”, “Tootsie Pops” and many others that have fallen by the wayside over the years.  We definitely had a lot broader selection back then.  But things change.

      As progress goes so did the Mott's. I am not sure what happened to the E.B. Mott Company I was unable to find any real info on the web about them.  I am sure that progress and something bigger and better ran them out of business. I have seen a lot of change in my lifetime and sometimes change is good. I know looking back stores like Dollar General and the like, our Variety stores of today got their beginnings from stores like Mott’s.  I will say that I miss those days at Mott’s, cruising the aisles at 7/11 for a candy fix just ain’t the same.   What is your favorite memory of the ol’ Mott’s 5-10-25 Cent Store

Feel free to comment.

Kenney Pope

8/20/15