A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-27-05...On the discovery of the Freeper Archives

LadyX, jwfiv, Billie | written by jwfiv and LadyX

[Billie]

(4-28-03)

Signed - sealed - and delivered, Miss Billie.
To you with love - - - Johnny and Maggie

On The Discovery of the Freeper Archives by LadyX and jwfiv

I t began as a rather ordinary day, our small cubicle just as any other one, kinda cramped and poorly lit, with just enough space for our desks and chairs and computers and supplies, and the requisite bottomless coffee pot.

Johnny Mac and I, Maggie Malone, we are - sometime reporters for The Finest Gazette - and we'd been waiting for a new assignment from The Editor, Billie - just 'Billie,' the name.

Johnny arrived first, and as I approached, a "What tha?!!" exclamation arose. A puzzled look on his face, he held something strange in his hand - a playing card - - - this one, folks:

I'll tell Intel was the source listed on the envelope in which it was delivered; the accompanying note saying only "Subject last seen reported as fleeing across Syrian border, wearing a blue burqa and riding on camelback."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On our computer screens was a message from Billie: "Get on it, guys - Aeronaut will pilot you wherever this one takes you - -"

"Wow! The jumbo jet!" Johnny exclaimed! Bit premature, we realized, boarding the Cessna, and tightening the belts on our usual severely limited expense account. Shoulda known......

And there Dear Readers, began the grand adventure that took us to three other continents, our most amazing assignment yet!

With the able assistance of fellow Freepers dansangel, MeeknMing, SpookBrat, The Thin Man, and the most helpful one, in Capital City - D.C. - FreeTheSausages - we followed an exciting trail. Further clues led to the next message in Cairo - - one was under the Rock of Gibraltar, of all things - - another dangled and was snatched from Pierre's hands atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris...... ( sorry, Pierre..) another challenge was locating the one in Scotland Yard, finding it in the trunk of an ancient oak there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

However, we finally discovered algore had first headed back to his old homestead in Tennessee, rather than the new Tara digs where he and Tipper Canoe currently reside. Intrigued, we found only a handful of caretakers at the old property, the rental house empty and still a mess, for it seems the Secret Service detail had refused to rent it from the Gore family.

Searching the grounds of the farm, we came across a waterfall, and further exploration beneath it, led to a locked Secret Room!!

Summoning our ally, and Freeper friend, Dubya, with his Marine Corps expertise, the door yielded readily enough to our 'Open Sesame!" command. And therein was found the most extraordinary thing imaginable - a library in a sad state, volumes strewn randomly under debris, cobwebs and dust covering everything.

Just as we picked up a few torn-out pages, voices were heard from beyond, apparently in another room in a tunnel. Alarmed, we beat a hasty retreat with what we had in hand.

Not stopping until we reached the warmth and safety of the elegant lobby of the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis, we finally had a gander at our 'treasure.' Astonished, we thus learned algore in utter frustration and fury had stolen some of the ancient archives of his archenemy - - The Free Republic website!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The purloined book we held in our hands was old and yellowed with time and neglect, but we were delighted to discover that its pages revealed long-forgotten research on the biographies of early Americans who just might be the ancestors of some of the Freepers we see here at the Finest most every day. We had found the long lost first volume of the Freeper Chronicles!

Here we share some of the biographies with you:

Seth Robinson, 1848-?.
19th Century political activist and pioneer.

About this early American publisher, trailblazer, and wagon master, very little fact is recorded, though rumor and story abound. Fortunately, several photographs of him have survived the decades, of which I have located copies of four.

One fable of his early years concerns the beginnings of his passion for politics and the news, which was born in the fall of 1860, when his father brought him to see a debate between Abe Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, held in a shady square in front of City Hall, in the town of Springfield, Illinois.

Young Seth was so inspired by Mr. Lincoln's stern and wise demeanor that he resolved then and there to always revere the good, the beautiful and the true.

He would sometimes speak of his youthful resolution being validated later in that fateful debate, when Douglas referred to a lockbox in which he would keep a state's right to secede the Union safe from those who might hold the Union itself sacred. The boy couldn't help but laugh out loud at this "darn fool notion," drawing the attention, and scowl, of the confusticated Mr. Douglas which, Seth would proudly say, he rather enjoyed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first part of his adult life he passed in quiet anonymity, tending 120 acres of corn and tobacco in western Ohio, raising a family and publishing, at his own expense, a weekly gazette which he called The Free Republic. It was a slim 8 pages containing both opinion and news of the day, which he acquired from conversation with workers and passengers, as well as newspapers, cablegrams and rumor gathered from the sidewalks and gutters of the local train station and riverside docks.

Seth Robinson, far right, at the first recorded 'Freep', held at the
just opened toll-bridge outside the town of Hope, Arkansas,
circa 1873. A notation on the back of the photo identifies the
gentleman standing at the chuck wagon as a Mr. Carlo1A.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 1877, Seth is recorded as the buyer of seven Conestoga wagons, and seven teams of horses, along with tack and supplies, in the frontier outpost then known as Sawtooth Gap, on the west side of the Platte River. Local stories say that he then led a wagon train of friends and extended family (who called themselves Freepers) west across the Great Divide and into the mists of legend.

Their vision and intention was to follow the sunset and found a new community of freedom loving Americans, informed and prosperous. Whether they ever reached their destination and established their town of Freeperville, history has yet to tell.

Mrs. Josiah Heapgood, painted from memory
by her granddaughter, Mrs. Constance Emery Shepherd,
wife of the the famed Lt. Col. Caldicott Shepherd,
who served bravely under Gen. Washington at Yorktown.
Mrs. Josiah Heapgood, 1598 -?.

When the Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower - 102 aboard - to the New World, our WVNan's forebear happened to be the wife of The Reverend Josiah Heapgood.

While no written record exists, legend has it this rather spirited good woman sometimes dressed as a lad and clambered up onto the ship's rigging, hoping to spot land.

On that momentous December day in 1620, it was attributed to someone named NAthaN Tucker as the one who yelled, "LAND HO!!" upon sighting what became known as Plymouth Rock. Fact is, it was she!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She quickly organized the womenfolk to do chores, help with the crops and led a Bible study group. When the Indians became friends, she was behind the idea to invite them to share the harvest in 1621, even directing an elaborate play she wrote for it, every person participating.

We would have loved to have seen Chief Massaquoit and his ninety men following her patient direction, everyone singing Kumbaya! Records indicate the feast went on for three days, the Indians providing five deer and plentiful fowl to supplement the turkeys and pumpkins.

Nan the First, naturally, was thrilled to be in charge of all that cooking...:))

Our own Nan still clings to her Rock - - -

Louis deWolff, Cairo, Illinois, circa 1857.
Louis deWolff, 1831-1923.
19th Century gambler, entrepreneur and adventurer.

Rumored to be the son of the notorious voodoo queen, Marie Leveaux, and a mysterious French-Italian-Spanish nobleman in exile who lived in a mansion hidden deep in the bayou, and was feared by the local Cajuns to be a loup garou, deWolff was raised by his maternal aunt, Tante Bert and her husband, Jack O'Reagan, who favored the young lad, and took him on as apprentice in his New Orleans hat shop.

Lured by the promise of easy money and adventure, on his 17th birthday, young Louis asked permission to leave his uncle's employ at the haberdashery, and, with the blessing of his adopted family, signed on as a stevedore and deck hand aboard the riverboats that plied the mighty Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After two years working as a laborer, his natural flair with a deck of cards, and the ladies, enabled him to step into the role of professional gambler.

His skill at the gaming table, and reputation for honest play and straight dealing, soon won him no little fame up and down the length of those great rivers. Wise with his winnings, and investing in properties with the same shrewd eye that made him an ace at the table, in a few years' time he owned a small fleet of the finest riverboats then afloat, along with several saloons, general stores and liveries in towns small and large along the winding waterways of a young America. Anonymously, it is said, he also established and funded several orphanages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

deWolff's luck took a bad turn just before the Civil War, when, as the story has been told, he refused the attentions of a wealthy widow from a venerable Boston family. After being threatened with his life, and the ruin of his reputation, he quietly made arrangements with his lawyers and deeded his entire fortune and legacy to an orphanage in St. Louis, and then simply vanished from the streets and rivers so familiar to him.

It is rumored he fought for the North, as a scout and rifleman, and that after the War, he travelled westward where he trapped in the Rockies and, later, lived with the Indians of the Plains regions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 1874, he is known to have taken part in a week long poker match in Kansas City. There is no more record of him until a notice in the Tombstone Epitaph makes mention of his arrival in town as the guest of the Earp family, just after the death of Morgan Earp. It is a little known tale of the West that deWolff rode with Wyatt as the famed peace officer sought vengeance amongst the outlaw cowboy gangs, but such has never been authentically documented.

Louis deWolff at the faro table in Brown's Hotel,
Tombstone, Arizona, 1882.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Louis deWolff then again disappears from the pages of history, the only clue to his fate being a small ad which appeared in the pages of a St. Louis newspaper, in October of 1887, announcing the marriage of a clergyman's daughter, who had worked as a teacher at an orphanage for thirty years, to a Mr. Lobo, known only as a prosperous rancher and landholder from the West. Local myth says that he and the lady, Miss Rebecca Davenport, had been acquainted in younger days.

After some months spent in the St. Louis area, the handsome stranger then took his bride, along with four children from the orphanage, away West; they passed their remaining years in quiet retirement amidst the vineyards and rolling hills of northern California.

The only known portrait of the mysterious Mr. Huang Deaux,
in a silhouetted cameo, from about the age of 12 years.
Jean Huang Deaux, 1783-?.

The JohnHuang2 lineage makes, possibly, its first appearance in France, where there is found, in the court records of a small town called Vézelay, in the Burgundy countryside southeast of Paris, a record of the birth of a male child born to a Mlle. Bernadette Huang, she being the daughter of the mistress of an un-named Ambassador to the court of the King of Siam.

At the age of 19, Mlle. Bernadette began working as a hostess at the L'aigle Or Confections & Expresso Salon, an establishment in the neighborhood of the American Embassy in Paris that was said to be a favorite of the political and intellectual classes as a purveyor of the finest chocolates in France.

Benjamin Franklin, while serving as America's Commissioner to France during the War for Independence, is known to have spoken fondly of the candies and pastries for which Paris is famous, and is said to have been a frequent customer at the little salon, stopping by weekly to purchase strawberry truffles and chocolate torts for his diplomatic staff and guests.

Mlle. Bernadette, being yet an unmarried maiden, turned her infant son over to the nuns of the Abbey at the Basilique Saint Madeleine, who raised him until the age of five, when the young mother married Mr. Roland Deaux, a minor official in the city of Lyon, who adopted young Jean as his son and heir.

Jean attended school in Lyon until enrolling in the University in Zurich, but he left after less than a year, saying only that he was going to America to 'get a genuine education', and that he wished to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. After saying his goodbyes to family and friends, he departed from a port on the Normandy coast, and here our story must end, for the trail goes cold when that ship set sail west across the wide Atlantic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps here it is appropriate to note the similarities between the known writings of Ben Franklin, and our own JohnHuang2. An example follows:

Over two hundred years ago, Franklin wrote "A penny saved is a penny earned." More near our own day, JH2 has written, "Sure, a penny saved is a penny earned, but you can have my two cents for nothing - -"

A coincidence worth considering? This reporter thinks so.

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-24-05 Military Monday 01-25-05 Maggie 01-26-05 Inauguration & W2 Ball Pictorial Review

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. Mixer

Click on the photo to view the album. To
submit your photo, please contact dansangel or .45Man
at
danbh59@yahoo.com
and include Freeper Photo Album in subject line.

12-29-04 ~ Finest Hall of Fame #10

[Billie]

[The Mayor]

January 27, 2005

"Consumer Christianity"

Read: Luke 9:18-26

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. —Luke 9:23

Bible In One Year: Job 38-42

---

In his book The Empty Church, historian Thomas C. Reeves says: "Christianity in modern America . . . tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. It does not require self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, an otherworldly outlook, a zeal for souls, a fear as well as love of God. There is little guilt and no punishment, and the payoff in heaven is virtually certain. What we now have might best be labeled 'Consumer Christianity.' The cost is low and customer satisfaction seems guaranteed."

If we were only customers of Almighty God, we could be selective in our faith and reject anything we didn't like. But that's not an idea we get from Jesus. He pointed us to a cross, not to a spiritual check-out counter. He said: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24). Christ died on a cross for our sins, not for our satisfaction. And He calls us to trust in Him, then follow Him with a life of self-denial.

In a world where the customer is always right, it takes radical obedience to God to keep from buying into "Consumer Christianity." —David McCasland

When Jesus said to follow Him
Regardless of the cost,
He promised He would surely give
Much more than would be lost. —Sper

Following Jesus is not always easy, but it's always right.

[Billie]

First posted almost two years ago, if you missed it then you just *must* not again! Intrigue, romance, suspense, history, humor - it's got it all! LadyX and jwfiv have combined their fine, creative minds in writing this incredibly witty essay about JimRob's and other Freepers' ancestors and how FR was born. I had more fun putting it all together with the words (and pictures) they provided!

[Billie]

Hi, Jim - I don't ping you often, but can't remember if you saw this when I posted it almost two years ago. I think you would get a kick out of it. It is GREAT!

[deadhead]

I love this, a classic thread at the Finest!

[deadhead]

"Following Jesus is not always easy, but it's always right."

Good Morning, Mayor

[The Mayor]

Good Morning, what a great thread.

[Graybeard58]

Member #96 are you?......Newbie.

(Thanks for the post)

[Billie]

Amen to that.

[Billie]

I love this, a classic thread at the Finest!

It's one of my all-time favorites. Had so hoped there would be a sequel, but things changed and the two of them have not had time to get together and work on another one.

[Billie]

Hi, Rus - I think it is, too! One of the nicest things about working with them in getting this one ready to post was that John and Maggie even found the pictures to go with the characters. All I had to do to the pictures was crop and vignette them. :)

[Billie]

Member #96 are you?......Newbie.

LOL - that does sorta date me, doesn't it? There are still a few of us who remember reading FR before registration was *required* in '97. I started lurking in '96. :)

(Thanks for the post)

Hope you enjoyed it. :)

[Aquamarine]

Thanks for bringing back this clever Post written by the very talented Johnny and Maggie. It's a fun read.

[GailA]

Good morning...the sun is shinning..I didn't know prince al the bore returned home to TN, I've not read much about him in our local fish wrapper in several years....seems he's fallen of the face of the earth as far as Tennesseans are concerned.

[Billie]

Thanks for the suggestion. Mail in a minute. :)

[Billie]

Hi, Gail. al *who*? I think he's related to john *who?* kerry, isn't he. :) Now if both the clintons would just disappear, too.

[Temple Owl]

Good morning Billie and FReepers everywhere.

[FreeTheHostages]

[pointsal]

thanks.

[Texagirl4W]

How very interesting. Have a great day Miss ((( Billie ))).

[Pippin]

Hello!

Y'all gonna do a sequel to this classic thread, perhaps about the origins of rthe Finest hobbit? or mahaps miss maggie Malone OR the ever fascinating Yellow Rose of Texas, miss Billie?

Or our resident Goth Vampire, Darks!

[DollyCali]

Just a quick hello & note to say how much I have missed you all.. Power & phone lines back on. light snow falling here. have about 10" + on ground from last "gift".. temps in single digit with doubt digit below w/wind chill.

I do have Internet again.. been 3 weeks+ in series withdrawal.

The inauguration events were awesome. I need to check other threads eventually to see what was posted. Not even Dose has been seen

will be getting my pictorial notes etc on the inaug out in next day or so..via email - I have many of your addresses.

still looking for good server (cheap?) that I can post unlimited or LOTS of items. The info I had saved before Jan 1 was lost on one of the computers. any one with ideas please help.

[lysie]

Nice to have you back, Dolly. You were missed.

[Lakeside]

G' morning, Billie Blue. Number 96?!! Wow, I knew you were a fixture around here but I never ran the cursor over your name to see how really oooold a fixture. :o)

I got my first computer Dec. '97 and found FR (it was Whitewater sumthinerother back then!) in Jan. '98. Back then I was content to just read what everybody else had to say....Thank you, thank you, JimRob, for this amazing forum.

Loved this reprise of LadyX's archive column. Hi Maggie!

[LadyX]

Now you've done it -- last day before Kevin arrives from Florida, and Jennifer and Bill and children from upstate, and, well -- the condition of the abode will have to remain *just a little above* "Condemned by the Health Department"..:))

Far better they see a laughing, happy Mommo savoring this old fun project than a worn out, harried figure who wants only to crawl into bed, exhausted -- RIGHT??
LOL

jwfiv and I had SOOOO much fun crafting this!
He allowed me to draft the narrative, and we worked burning up the email air waves and later telephone lines, new ideas and refinements sparking back and forth, and our raucous laughter no doubt heard across America.

I can attest to the fact jwfiv is as enormously talented and as much fun as you imagine, as well as huge-hearted.
His three positively brilliant biographies are awesome.
I had suggested this direction, based upon "ancestors" of current Freepers, but contributed for that only the bio of my dear Sistah Nan.

I utilized the contrived "I'll Tell Intel" Agency to try to track algore across Africa and Europe and beyond (shame I had to shove Pierre off the Eiffel Tower, but -- sigh...the cost of victory is not cheap).

Yes, Gail, he and Tipper Canoe were back at the farm after the D.C. Chapter Freepers drove him out of "Cheney's House!," I suppose while they were renovating the 'Tara house' they purchased in Virginia.

Must have wanted a proper setting for penning books to Make a few Millions -- have to laugh, because that large tome of their family with photographs they published I saw this fall in our local Dollar Tree store, priced at $1 -- !!

Thanks, dear friend Billie, for saving me from toil - thoughtful of you to make me sort priorities and STOP!! for a while..:))

~ LadyX

[Billie]

Morning, owl! Hope you and Maggie and Ink are staying warm. :)

[Billie]

Morning, Freezie. :)

[Billie]

You are welcome. Thanks for coming. :)

[Billie]

How very interesting. Have a great day Miss ((( Billie ))).

Thank you, Texagirl. Didn't know if you caught it before or not. I still enjoyed it the second time around. :)

(((((((((Texagirl))))))))))))

[LadyX]

Hi back, Lakeside!
Hadn't realized you've been a lurker a long time like I was in 1997 - but I registered in April 1998 and jumped right aboard, even sharing email with 'Trixie' - Lucianne Goldberg - when we had May birthdays a day apart.
Those Whitewater Days were one long and frustrating ride!!

[MEG33]

Such a delight to read!..

The children do not notice the house cleaning or lack of same...a lesson I seem to never learn..Enjoy your visit!

[Billie]

Hi, Pip. I don't think they can ever find the time together again to give us another chapter, though I wish they could. They make a great team - both being such great wordsmiths. Maggie can make a simple trip to the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread an adventure, and John's got this way with words that makes everything sound like a song. :)

[Billie]

So good to see you again today, Dolly. Hope you got to see your cute picture on Lori's thread yesterday!

[The Mayor]

[Billie]

Good morning to you, lysie. Did you go to DC last week? Wish I knew how many were there, and I've been checking the "Official" thread for pictures that Kristinn posted over the weekend each day. Always nice to see the faces of those we only get to post to. Hope you checked Mama Bear's pictures and report here yesterday.

[Billie]

Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Mama_Bear; Dutchess; Dansangel; Aquamarine, and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation’s leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maigrey...................cousin OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Diver Dave.......niece, nephew ConspiracyGuy........2 nephews Pippin..........niece, loved one Pippin...nephew & his fiancee weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw jamaly.................brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon.............grandson WaterDragon...........son-in-law BeforeISleep...................son kimmie7......................brother Armymarinemom............3 sons american_ranger.............son LadyX.........................grandson fawn796.......................nephew Dubya............................nephew StarCMC......................brother ValerieUSA..................2 sons Lakeside......................2 sons LakeLady.....................nephew Spruce.....................daughter Philman_36..............2 nephews bjcintennessee.......son, niece Ladysmith..nephew, friend's son tina07......soninlaw & his friend Katydidnt..........................son MontanaCowgirlCop.......brother Colorado Slim................nephew Tapatio.........................2 nephews Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................active duty LongCut..................active duty cjk..........................active duty Trish.......................active duty ODC-GIRL.................active duty AF_Blue..................active duty Notwithstanding.....active duty thumperusn.............active duty Q6-God.....................active duty Q6-God...................twin brother Veloxherc.................active duty Don Simmons...........active duty wingnutx..................active duty Old Sarge................active duty

Mama_Bear.........2 nephews ladtx........................2 sons Its_me_K.E.T...................son gator girl.................husband severa.......husband, brother Hostel......................cousin MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA...............................son katykelly......................son cookcounty.....................son SpookBrat...nephew, cousin Doug from Upland...son-in-law Himyar..........................son boxerblues................2 sons the piper.........................son sheeza.......................husband kemathen7.................husband Tiffee4Bob.................boyfriend deadhead......................cousin JimRobinson.........2 nephews TexKat..............son, step-son Consort..2 daughters,son-in-law Darheel.........................niece Donaeus......................nephew dixie sass...................nephew BeAllYouCanBe...................son Repubmommy...............brother AgThorn.........................2 sons homeschoolmama.......nephew kneezles.............................son Rose inRoseBear...cousin's hubby Redhead....step-granddaughter Redhead..step-grdaughter fiance Atomic Conspiracy..half-brother Atomic Conspiracy...nephew Atomic Conspiracy..........niece Sunflowergal..............grandson visualops.......................cousin Alouette..............................son mrstank.......................husband MrsMike31..................husband eaglesiniowa.........................son auboy..................................cousin spotbust1.......................husband Leofl......................................son chena......................................son campfollower.......................fiance LUV W.........................................son painter................................nephew ProudAFDad.................................son TheMayor...........................friends'son mhking.....................................cousin Misty4jc................................husband Bykrbayb......................................son Hope and Glory..........................son

[LadyX]

G'day, Your Honor.
I just love that graphic you created!!

[Lakeside]

Frustrating, yes, but I was sooo glad to find so many like-minded folks. You guys kept me sane and laughing at the same time. What could be better than that?

As for Trixie, I still cannot get over what she said about JimRob. I've never visited her forum. Don't plan on it, either.

[Billie]

Gr-r-r-owl-l-l! NO wonder Louie deLobo is so handsome with a great-great-great-great grandpappy like this! LOL!

Louis deWolff

[Billie]

G' morning, Billie Blue. Number 96?!! Wow, I knew you were a fixture around here but I never ran the cursor over your name to see how really oooold a fixture. :o)

LOL! Yeah - old as some of these 'ancestors'! :)

I got my first computer Dec. '97 and found FR (it was Whitewater sumthinerother back then!) in Jan. '98. Back then I was content to just read what everybody else had to say....Thank you, thank you, JimRob, for this amazing forum.

Amen to that! What an amazing vision Jim had!

[Lakeside]

Algore's home is the environs of D.C. He merely 'visits' TN on occasion. It was never his home. I lived in TN during the 2000 election and literally laughed out loud when AG lost TN to W. Oh, man, that was sweet!

[Billie]

Thanks, dear friend Billie, for saving me from toil - thoughtful of you to make me sort priorities and STOP!! for a while..:))

Well, as you said at the top of your post - much better your kids see you relaxed and happy than just plumb worn out from cooking and cleaning and slaving before they get there.

Get new plug in air fresheners and some carpet fresh stuff. They'll never know. Oh, and EAT OUT! :)

[Lakeside]

Whoops! Just how did I do that? This post was s'posed to go to Billie! I think I need to rest....:o)

[Billie]

Hi, Meg! Sure enjoy seeing you here every day again. This one was a fun one to read, wasn't it!

[Billie]

Whoops! Just how did I do that? This post was s'posed to go to Billie! I think I need to rest....:o)

Post #38? Then maybe I need rest, too. LOL! It did look like Maggie's post you were responding to! (re Trixie, etc)

[GailA]

TN has been my home for the past 18 years. My parents were born in LaFollette, TN.

[dutchess]

Hi sistahs. Just got back for the east coast of Fla. and freepmailed you aqua. Billie...what a delightful "re-run". Gosh forgot all about this thread....you know...I think it's much better the second time around! ((((billie)))) (((((aqua))))))

[dutchess]

Hi Gail. Glad you have sunshine today. Am in Florida with dad for a few more days. It's been cool (60's) but am enjoying the blue skies and sunshine. Cyber treats on their way to Rocky! (is he getting any better with his "peeing"???) Dad and I are returning home Sat. after two weeks and Mr. D. says that Giz and Rusty have been "acting out" since we've been gone!

[dutchess]

Hi Lakeside. Wow...a lurker since 1997. I found the sight about then too and finally signed on in 1998. Yes...this sight helped keep many of sane during the Clinton years!

[Lakeside]

Upon further review I think you are right! Like I said, I neeeeed a rest! (she slinks away hoping no one will notice...)