Happy Birthday Shawn

 Hope you have a great day today and all year long...

Those Schell Boys

 I find it hard to believe that these two little blond cuties grew up to become burly, bearded Dad's...

Furry Visitor

 Every few weeks we get a visit from a furry friend...

He gets a little bigger each time we see him.  This is his last visit on May 29th.   I wonder how big he will be when he visits again.

Daredevil in Training

 Journiee is the climbing-est child I have ever seen.  She is constantly climbing chairs, foot stools, onto tables or anything else she can find.  Take her to a park and she heads for the tallest monkey bars in the place.

 Jennie says she has no fear.

Our Sleepy Birthday Girl

 

Journiee's 2nd Birthday Cake

 Walmart did an excellent job on Journiee's Birthday Cake ...

It tasted good too.

A Past Memory

Back a long time ago, when Clyde first started the Stalkerclan, I remember putting tales about every time I stayed all night with somebody. When I got back home the next day. Mother acted like I owed her a whole day's worth of work for it.  Here is a tale that should go along with it. 

I remember Mother taking all four of us girls down to Junice's. While Mother took Michelle into the store, Lucille, Jeffery and I went into the house. 

Sandra said that her hair was too curly. 

Patty said, "I wished I could go around saying my hair is too curly." 

I said, "It is." 

Patty said, "Shoot." 

Lucille went over to work on Sandra's hair for a while. When she did I stood up, and the exact same time, Jeffery stood up also. I was in front of her and both of us ran for the door. Quick as we got to the door Jeffery pushed me into it. I said, "Go stay all night." 

Jeffery said, "I don't want to stay all night." 

When I finally got the door opened both of us ran as fast as we could to the car. We both went to a different car door. Quick as we both opened the car doors and slammed them, out of the house came Lucille. When Mother took a notice on coming out to go home, all of us were already in the car.

Story by Sherry

Yellow Hawkweed

Learned this week that the Cemetery Wild Flowers that grow up each year around the headstones of Mom's Cousin Laurla and her children are called Yellow Hawkweeds.

It is apparently a relative of the dandelion.  I don't feel so bad about mowing them down now.

Memorial Day Memories

Memorial Day always makes me think of Mom's cousin Alvis Justice.  He was her double first cousin like his brothers Olen and Aaron.  

Alvis died during the Korean War.  He was captured by the North Korean Army and became a POW.  He survived the "Tiger March" only to be murdered later at the "Sunchon Tunnel Massacre".  

He is buried at the Wilson cemetery near Dad's sister Maggie.

Uncle Teet served in the Army at the same time and fought in the area of the Sunchon Tunnel later in the conflict.  He was much luckier though and came home safely.

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it." — John F. Kennedy

Gravity's Going to Get Grandpa

When Jennie drags me up on those steep hillside cemeteries, she props me up with a stick to keep me from rolling all the way to the road at the bottom of the hill.  I worry sometimes that she needs to use a stronger stick.

I can hear the conversation now..

        Journiee - "What happened to Grandpa, Daddy?"

        Matthew - "Gravity, Honey. Gravity finally got him."

Preparing for Memorial Day

During a break in the rain Jennie and I got decorating done at Fords Branch, Dow Brooks and the Ratliff Cemetery.  Hopefully we can get to Wilson in the next day or two.

Here are a couple of photos from today.

The hillside graveyards seem to get steeper and higher every year.  I don't know how many more years Jennie will be able to carry me up there to watch her work.

Great Grandpa George AI

 Some of you may remember this old photo of Great Grandpa George Stalker...

I ran it through an AI program and got this...

Amazing stuff.  I can't recall ever meeting him so I don't know how accurate a depiction of him this is.

Mr Gatti's Gathering

 While they were here for Mother's Day we went with Matt, Tiffany and their kids to Mr Gatti's.  They enjoyed the bumper cars while I enjoyed the Salad Bar, Cheese Sticks and Spaghetti.

Bumper Cars Video

They played in the arcade and enjoyed the photo booth while I sampled the variety of pizzas, more cheese sticks, dessert pizzas and the endless drink refills.

I think they had fun, I know I did.

Promotion for Jennie

 Jennie recently got a big promotion...

Happy Mother's Day in Heaven

I remember back when we were young, Mother thought it was all right to cook, wash dishes and make up beds on Sunday. She thought it was against the Lords will for Lucille to do any sewing and for me to do any ironing. I am going to guess it was Lucille and me were down Gibson's doing some Mothers Day shopping. I purchased her a picture frame that held eight small pictures. I don't remember what Lucille got her. 

When we got home we decided not to give her the gifts till Mother's Day. 

That Sunday I think it was Clyde who went out to the car and brought in the gifts in a store bag. When I saw the bag I noticed the frame I got her. I didn't think she should see it today. I just thought it at the last second, "Oh! my goodness today is Mother's Day." She saw the frame and said she was going to put pictures of Michelle and all of us in it.

Story by Sherry

AI for Mothers Day

 I ran this old black and white photo of Mom and Aunt Virgie through the AI in Google Photos...

And it produced this photo of Michelle with Aunt Dib...

Maybe I need to quit using the free version of AI and use a paid version.  (Nah, I'm too cheap to speed money on this nonsense.)

Happy 104th birthday in heaven Uncle Junice

I remember back when I was in the sixth grade. I needed an encyclopedia set. Every Thursday, Mother would send me over to Mrs. Stapleton's house to call off a store order for Junice and Hula's store. I would ask to borrow about two volumes of their encyclopedia sets. 

They will always bring the groceries and the books. When they come I will always have the books I borrowed from them last time and give them back and take the ones I asked for the day. 

They will also take mother to church and bring her back.

One day as I was taking the books back, Dad said, "What's going on here?"

I said , "I am borrowing some encyclopedias off of them to do my lessons." This went on for two years. Dad said, "Gert, we are going to have to get that child there an encyclopedia set." 

Before school started back, I was in the eighth grade, I got the set. Michelle and Jeffery got to use the set also.

Story by Sherry

Unnatural Bridge

Twenty years ago today, May 6, 2006, this grouping of strange creatures was spotted at Natural Bridge State Park.

Juanita Hawkins was with us, I assume she took the picture.

Family Traditions

 Some family traditions just won't die, even if they probably should.

Bryan, Emerson and Journiee, three generations of bathtub photos.

Random Journiee Pic of the Day

 A pic from May 4, 2025...

Lucille's Sewing Years

I remember back when we were growing up, Lucille would do a lot of sewing.  I remember either Jeffery or I would be somewhere around her when she sews. She would ask whichever one of us was around to go and get her something.  

The first question was "What does it look like?" 

She will describe it and the next question was "Where is it?" 

She will tell us where it is and we will always go and get it for her. One time she asked me to get her something. I asked, "What does it look like?" 

She described it and said she didn't know where it was. 

I said, "I don't know where it is either." 

Jeffery entered the room. She asked Jeffery to get it for her and told her she didn't know where it was.

 Jeffery said, "I don't know where it is either."

Story by Sherry

----------------------------

Follow-up by Clyde

I remember Luci's sewing days too.  I recall asking her to sew me a black vest once.  I had seen movie stars and several cool rock stars wearing them.  Of course, I wanted to be cool too.

She whipped one up for me. It was a pullover made of a faux leather fabric.  It looked really cool, until I put it on.

I don't know why it didn't work for me.  

I wore it a few times and it hung in my closet for a while.  Don't know what finally happened to it.

Sneaky Sweet Smile

 You may have seen this post by Tiffany on Facebook recently...        __________________________________________________

She’s got my deodarant lol 😂 She’s like, "Mom, I’m up to no good, 😂😂😂  But if I smile I won’t get in trouble." lol 😂

__________________________________________________

This is one of my very favorite pictures of Journiee.

AI Wedding Edit

 I've had this photo from Jim and Michelle's wedding for quite some time.  I never was satisfied with the focus and the woman in the foreground was distracting, (Is that Sandra Kay?)

I thought I would run this through Gemini AI in Google Photos and see if I could correct some of the problems with it.  This is the result...

Well, the woman in the foreground is gone and the focus is better, but now it looks like Jim is marrying a different, better looking woman.  Did Michelle ever look that good?  AI still needs some work I guess.

Rugrats Everywhere !

 This is Matt and Tiffany's herd of Rugrats.

Clockwise from the upper left are Skye, Adyn, Sebastian, Ariel and Journiee.

These are the first charcoal portraits I printed.  I gave them to Tiffany and Matt last Christmas.  I've done a lot more since, mostly Rugrats.  People seem to love them, I can't figure out why.

Grown-Up Rugrats ?

 Here are a couple more Rugrats that are grown-up now, or maybe they just think they are.

This Stalkerclan post from 2005 goes back even farther.

Coloring the Past

 Another thing that the Artificial Intelligence in Google Photos can do is colorize old black and white photos.  Do any of these look familiar to you?

I can't explain why Dad's old Plymouth is maroon in one pic and dark blue in another.

Charcoal Rugrats

When Jeff and Randy visited recently they brought a couple of Rugrats with them...

We are glad they finally learned that Aunt Jennie and Uncle Clyde are real people.

Charcoal Memories #5

This collection of memories wouldn't be complete without our favorite teacher.  Here she is about the same age little STANLEY was when his DADDY brought him to school.

The original photo is HERE.

Charcoal Memories #4

Can anyone remember this little girl carrying a "Scrap Bucket" around the neighborhood?

The original photo is HERE.

Charcoal Memories #3

Here's the Coupon Queen before her first Double Coupon Day.

The original photo is HERE.

Charcoal Memories #2

Anyone recognize the "Six Million Dollar Woman" before the doctors replaced all her joints?

The original photo is HERE.

Charcoal Memories #1

Here's an old photo that I have converted to a charcoal print using AI in Google Photos.  Can you guess who it is?  Here's a hint, it's from 70 years ago.

The original photo is HERE.