Words from Tommy Maddox
Tom is a gentleman from Mississippi whom I "met" through our mutual interest in
daylilies.He has a unique way of putting things and a style that is his own.Here are a
few tidbits from Tom on various topics as posted to the AHS robin, used with Tom's
permission.
daylilies.He has a unique way of putting things and a style that is his own.Here are a
few tidbits from Tom on various topics as posted to the AHS robin, used with Tom's
permission.
Tommy on alarm clocks
" Daylilies have about quit down here in hot part of the world. I'm getting
tired cutting off old blooms anyway. The rest of this happened to me today.
My life is an open book to the world, as pathetic as it is. Don't get me
wrong I'm not too proud of it either.
My wife is always buying new alarm clocks, why ? I don't know. She explains
very little to me, she claims it takes too long. She had to spend the
night in the hospital last night and we had to get up at 4:45 in the morning
so we could get to the hospital by 5:30, so they could put her on a
stretcher with wheels at 5:30 so she could lay on that stretcher until 8:30
in the hallway. It's some kind of test I think, I don't know, they didn't
explain it to me. I really don't know for sure about this, but if I were a
doctor I would hesitate at putting someone under, who has lain on a
stretcher in the hallway for 3 hours.
I told her later that I sure prayed for her mighty hard even though it was
for a simple procedure, she was having done. I was afraid all her Church
time could go down the drain after 3 hours tied to a stretcher in the
hallway. I'm not sure a person is ready to go see the Lord MAD. If it had
been me, I know I would not have been in the proper attitude to be talking
to St. Peter, I may not recognize him and take that 3 hour wait out on him,
thinking he was the doctor in his all white uniform and all. Man, I sure can
find some things to worry about. Have you ever worried about going to meet
the MAN, full of beer, and MAD. I do.
About this time I'm sure you are wondering about the alarm clock. Well to
tell the truth.( which my wife contends could get me a lifetime achievement
award). I lost track of where I was going. I find that since I reached 70
years old, the side tracking part of my brain is working a smidgen past
overtime, and the truth gets fuzzier every day. My Mother always said, I
didn't lie that much, I just got a little reckless with the truth. My wife
gets on to me about the 10 Commandments I have trouble with at times. I told
her I didn't understand you had to keep ALL of them AT THE SAME TIME. Man,
that does make it hard to do. Back to the alarm clock, I promise.
Well. while she was over nighting in the hospital, at 4:45 this morning
that thing went off, LOUD. I finally had to get up, turn the lights on and
see the thing had at least 75 buttons and knobs on it. So I have to hunt my
glasses to see what all the 75 knobs and buttons said. It had OFF buttons in
4 places. None turned it off. So I unplugged it along with every thing else
on her side of the bed. Some of you may know this already but alarm clocks
won't stop when you unplug them. So about this time I take it to the utility
room. (In the South the utility room is where you put things when you don't
know where to put it). I go back to bed, I told you it was loud, I still
hear the thing. I'm getting in one of my moods that it would not be in my
best interest to meet St Peter in. I get outdone and put it in the washing
machine and closed the lid. When I heard the splash I remembered I was
supposed to push the ON button on the washing machine when I got home.
I think I got it dried out before she got home today. I feel sure it will
cease to work soon or make a gurgling sound when it tries to alarm. Either
way it's out of here. Life is hard for people who can't hear, can't see,
can't remember, and can't seem to keep the truth in plain focus. I have
been up since 4:45, so I'm not in a great mood anyway. Gotta Go
Tom
" Daylilies have about quit down here in hot part of the world. I'm getting
tired cutting off old blooms anyway. The rest of this happened to me today.
My life is an open book to the world, as pathetic as it is. Don't get me
wrong I'm not too proud of it either.
My wife is always buying new alarm clocks, why ? I don't know. She explains
very little to me, she claims it takes too long. She had to spend the
night in the hospital last night and we had to get up at 4:45 in the morning
so we could get to the hospital by 5:30, so they could put her on a
stretcher with wheels at 5:30 so she could lay on that stretcher until 8:30
in the hallway. It's some kind of test I think, I don't know, they didn't
explain it to me. I really don't know for sure about this, but if I were a
doctor I would hesitate at putting someone under, who has lain on a
stretcher in the hallway for 3 hours.
I told her later that I sure prayed for her mighty hard even though it was
for a simple procedure, she was having done. I was afraid all her Church
time could go down the drain after 3 hours tied to a stretcher in the
hallway. I'm not sure a person is ready to go see the Lord MAD. If it had
been me, I know I would not have been in the proper attitude to be talking
to St. Peter, I may not recognize him and take that 3 hour wait out on him,
thinking he was the doctor in his all white uniform and all. Man, I sure can
find some things to worry about. Have you ever worried about going to meet
the MAN, full of beer, and MAD. I do.
About this time I'm sure you are wondering about the alarm clock. Well to
tell the truth.( which my wife contends could get me a lifetime achievement
award). I lost track of where I was going. I find that since I reached 70
years old, the side tracking part of my brain is working a smidgen past
overtime, and the truth gets fuzzier every day. My Mother always said, I
didn't lie that much, I just got a little reckless with the truth. My wife
gets on to me about the 10 Commandments I have trouble with at times. I told
her I didn't understand you had to keep ALL of them AT THE SAME TIME. Man,
that does make it hard to do. Back to the alarm clock, I promise.
Well. while she was over nighting in the hospital, at 4:45 this morning
that thing went off, LOUD. I finally had to get up, turn the lights on and
see the thing had at least 75 buttons and knobs on it. So I have to hunt my
glasses to see what all the 75 knobs and buttons said. It had OFF buttons in
4 places. None turned it off. So I unplugged it along with every thing else
on her side of the bed. Some of you may know this already but alarm clocks
won't stop when you unplug them. So about this time I take it to the utility
room. (In the South the utility room is where you put things when you don't
know where to put it). I go back to bed, I told you it was loud, I still
hear the thing. I'm getting in one of my moods that it would not be in my
best interest to meet St Peter in. I get outdone and put it in the washing
machine and closed the lid. When I heard the splash I remembered I was
supposed to push the ON button on the washing machine when I got home.
I think I got it dried out before she got home today. I feel sure it will
cease to work soon or make a gurgling sound when it tries to alarm. Either
way it's out of here. Life is hard for people who can't hear, can't see,
can't remember, and can't seem to keep the truth in plain focus. I have
been up since 4:45, so I'm not in a great mood anyway. Gotta Go
Tom
Tom on Hearing Aids
" I got my new hearing aids yesterday. I don't remember the world being such
a noisy place. I forgot birds still sing so loud. I have not got use to all
the sounds yet. I could hear, just what little I wanted too. I told Joyce
that I didn't remember her being so noisy. I was eating pop corn for supper
last night and I told Joyce that I think I should call our neighbor and
apologize for making all the noise chomping on my pop corn. When I swallow
something I can hear it hit bottom, that is sure new. Of course Joyce said
will all the padding around my middle she was surprised I could hear any
sound get out. I like to turn the TV down so low no one can hear and tell
her, "It's still a little loud for me". She forgets sometimes I have them
and talks so loud, the neighbor must surely know what I thought about most
of them. I guess I have no secrets. There were times today the solitude I
was basking in, was sorely missed. I believe if I lived alone I would park
these rascals for longer stays. The preacher will have to use somebody else
for preaching material now that I can hear him."
" I got my new hearing aids yesterday. I don't remember the world being such
a noisy place. I forgot birds still sing so loud. I have not got use to all
the sounds yet. I could hear, just what little I wanted too. I told Joyce
that I didn't remember her being so noisy. I was eating pop corn for supper
last night and I told Joyce that I think I should call our neighbor and
apologize for making all the noise chomping on my pop corn. When I swallow
something I can hear it hit bottom, that is sure new. Of course Joyce said
will all the padding around my middle she was surprised I could hear any
sound get out. I like to turn the TV down so low no one can hear and tell
her, "It's still a little loud for me". She forgets sometimes I have them
and talks so loud, the neighbor must surely know what I thought about most
of them. I guess I have no secrets. There were times today the solitude I
was basking in, was sorely missed. I believe if I lived alone I would park
these rascals for longer stays. The preacher will have to use somebody else
for preaching material now that I can hear him."
Tom on getting older:
" I never forgive anybody any more, I can't remember what they did. That's
one good thing about growing older you have less friends to put up with.
People don't like to hang around people over 70 and people over 70 just seem
not to mind. Joyce went to get her hair cut, it was about to run her crazy,
in fact I think I sent her. She always comes back in a better mood. One time
I sent her twice in one week. Her memory is almost as bad as mine. She came
back in a better mood that's what counts.
Tom"
" I never forgive anybody any more, I can't remember what they did. That's
one good thing about growing older you have less friends to put up with.
People don't like to hang around people over 70 and people over 70 just seem
not to mind. Joyce went to get her hair cut, it was about to run her crazy,
in fact I think I sent her. She always comes back in a better mood. One time
I sent her twice in one week. Her memory is almost as bad as mine. She came
back in a better mood that's what counts.
Tom"
