~*~CASUAL COMMUNITY NEWS~*~
 

Issue XII October 30th 2002
 

Editorial.

Hi Folks,

WOW Our anniversary edition!! It's hard to believe that we're still going strong after a whole year. Of course we wouldn't have come this far without all our contributors and faithful readers.

I love you all!!!

Well Senior Sprog survived Chicago, or should I say, Chicago survived him. He says he had a wonderful time and he showed photographs  of his "lady friend" , she looks very nice. No details forthcoming of course, I mean what son wants to discuss his love life with his Mother? He said that she is planning to travel over here next year, so we will get an more in depth report from your Investigative Editor in due course I hope <eg>

Remember I told you the great scheme I had to get Junior to improve at school? Well, so far there has been no necessity to issue any additional pocket money. The words "I forgot" being quoted often.

Middle sprog is working in London at the moment (poor London) reports suggest that he is missing Mummy's cooking and dines frequently on pizzas. He arrived home last night for a weeks holiday wearing those trousers that are favoured by cool hip people (or so he tells me), you know the ones, they are so misshapen that if you had seen them a few years ago you would have considered a lawsuit against the manufacturer! The rear pockets that *normal* people wear on their butt are halfway down his thighs, they are baggy and way too long. Kids fashion doesn't usually irk me, but these ones have won the prize, I think they're horrible.

Well, in case your all wondering why this edition is a tad late, I reformatted my computer and loaded XP. I have only now got it the way I want it and with all the necessary programmes on to be able to glue the paper together. I have to say, so far I like XP and my Win98 was such a mess it really needed a makeover. Come to think of it, it's owner wouldn't mind a make-over either! LOL

Best of all, I have saved to the last. I now have a *Broadband* connection!!! Whayyyy it's absolutely wonderful. My old ISP was getting to the point of ridiculousness. They had just sorted out connection problems and it was easy to get online. Then they decided to have a blitz on people who spend a lot of time on line. The idea being to force them to their Broadband connection.  They mailed us all and told us about their fantastic new scheme where we could spend as long as we liked online any day........ so long...as it didn't exceed 150 hours a month!!!    Now, I may be blonde, I may be Irish, but I'm not that stupid (shuddup Cookie). So I went with another company as my small stand against oppression!!

On the home front, I am getting some decorating done. I loathe work being done in the house but it's more a matter of necessity now. The sprogs have spilled way too many things and we need a new look. I've been out looking at wallpaper and paint and hope to report on the new Chez Moi next month!

I don't know what the sprogs did to the heating but once the weather turned cold and I switched it on.... guess what? it wasn't working!  £60 later we have it fixed and all is warm and glowing again!

Our good friend Hubcap isn't too well at the moment, so I am sure you will all join me in wishing her a speedy return to health and return to our little cyber world. We miss you Hubbie!!

So folks, as we enter our second year, lets make it even more exciting that our first, so get writing and mail your contributions to me. We have an eclectic paper and all contributions are more than welcome.

See you all next Month!!

Lynda [Editor]

Any comments. articles, tips etc, please mail to LyndaAtCasual@Compuserve.com

Lynda [Editor]

Contents.

Editorial.........................................................................Lynda

Pas Auf Deutschland (final report)...............................Cruise

Thoughts from the Farm................................................Lizzie

So many changes...........................................................Tracey

"Lil bits" from Ma'am..................................................Maureen

Pas Auf Deutschland (final report)

Oktober Fest is the greatest social event in Bavaria. It was to be the highlight of Cousin Clem's trip.

"Clem, my lieber freund," Fritz stated proudly, "I have today for you some lederhosen gebought. Venn vee go to the grosse party today you must a Deutcher bekommen. Everybody tink you are one of them."

"Afore I'd wear them thar sissy britches, " Clem retorted, "I'll be hornswaggled."

Well, Bessie had bought a very pretty Bavarian skirt and blouse topped with a lace-trimmed apron. She told Clem that if he couldn't dress for the occasion, he could sit right there in the room by himself. They would go without him.

After Clem ranted and raved, pouted and cussed, he begrudgingly agreed. His outfit included the knee length pants, over-the-calf argyle stockings, a white ruffled shirt and bright red suspenders. He sure looked dapper. They all took pictures of each other
                                                                 

(For those of you who have never been to an Oktoberfest, you must imagine a huge state fair with enormous circus tents, rides, and very large crowds. In the tents are row upon row of long picnic tables. In the middle is an elevated platform upon which sits a band of about twelve musicians. The
atmosphere is festive. There are bar maids who pride themselves in carrying ten to twelve beer steins between their arms. It is a custom to link arms with your neighbor and sway to the music.)

After arriving at the Fest, the ladies decided to visit the craft buildings while the men chose the cattle arena. They agreed to meet back at the Lowenbrau tent in two hours. The men enjoyed a bar-b-qued ox sandwich, watched the Belgian horse pull and best of all Clem learned what a honey wagon was. (Only folks in Europe know about that.)

It was about six in the evening when they all entered the Lowenbrau tent. They were lucky to find seating in front of the platform where the band was performing. Their bar maid was exceedingly buxom and broad of girth. She was also full of fun and took an immediate liking to Clem. As she served a stein of beer to Clem, she snapped his suspenders and gave him a bear hug that nearly did him in.

After the maid left, Clem said to Bessie, "Now lookie here ole girl. Don't you git yoreself all puffed out of shape. That thar maid is hankerin' fer a man like me. These here German lads jest ain't got what it takes."

Bessie just laughed knowing that Clem was having so much fun.

As the maid was serving them their third beer, Clem leaned over to Fritz and said, "Fritz, ole buddy, you reckon you can talk that thar fraulein into having a dance with me?"

Fritz whispered in the maid's ear and she beamed a mile wide smile. She picked Clem up off his bench and said, "Mein Leibling, du bist mein shatzie."


And with that they headed onto the platform just as the band began a polka. Now Clem couldn't foxtrot but he sure could polka. Around and around they went while the crowd shouted their approval. And then it happened. Somehow Clem's suspenders, in the back, came undone from their buttons.
Before he knew what happened his lederhosen were on the floor! Now normally, this wouldn't have been a great disaster until you realize that Clem always wore long johns. But when he dressed in the hotel room, he couldn't wear long johns with the lederhosen so he didn't have anything on protecting him from the roars of laughter coming from two thousand screaming people. The band was laughing so hard they stopped playing.

Clem pulled his hosen up and the maid refastened his suspenders and with a wave of the hand and a big grin the two resumed their dancing. After it was over, the bar maid planted a big kiss on Clem's lips, gave him another bear hug and they sauntered back to the table. Everyone hugged each other and Clem didn't need to buy another drink all evening.

Back in their hotel room next morning as they were packing to leave, Clem said, "Thank goodness, only those thar folks last night, will ever know about my embarrassment."

Bessie smiled as she safely tucked the roll of film into her suitcase.

Cruise

 Thoughts From The Farm
 

Well, here it is fall agin an we are like the little ants, storing up against winter. It sure has been a scary summer for the farmer and city folks alike. What with Mother Nature turning the fields dry early in summer and letting all that heat loose on us, makes a person wonder if we are being punished for something. Course, it hurt city folks the same as us, but the crops suffered the most. Considerin how many people of the world the farmer feeds, it might could cause some problems down the road.

If that isn’t enough, then we had those fellars driving up and down the road, shooting folks for no dang reason at all. It makes a person wonder what has happened to our once great country. Now what could possibly motivate 2 men to just casually pick out a person and shoot them? They didn’t even have the gumption to look them in the eye, they just took the cowardly way out and drove away. Now Paw has been down to the general store and listened to all the gossip about this problem. There were a lot of suggestions as to what to do with these fellars but the outcome was always the same, a very short life. But most all the group on the liars bench agreed that maybe we have gotten a little soft around the edges and those folks know they first have to be caught, then they got to have all their rights protected, we all have to provide them with a lawyer, and some fool will volunteer to do it cause they are probably somebody’s misguided child and it is really the fault of me and you that made them do it. All those folks on tv will fill a lot of time talkin to their school teachers and first cousins and the clerk at the candy store. Then them same folks will conjur up some fool notion about their deprived childhood and danged if it won’t all make sense that those boys just need some kind and loving care and a little rehabilitation in some country club prison. And then, of course, there will be 3 or 4 books written from interviews with these fellows and maybe even a movie. They will, of course, be re-imbursed for use’in their story. Some where along the path, the victims will be long forgotten and their families will be old and grey by the time they come to trial cause the govment will have to prove double that they did it. Reckon they can follow that their political fella and say it’s accordin to what is is.

It’s kinda hard to follow all those rules out here on the farm. If a fox gets in the hen house, then there is only one solution. If Sonny don’t pull the weeds in the garden then we may come up short on food next winter, so he has to have some motivation to do a good job, and the least of which is a whack across the backside. Now that would prolly be considered child abuse by some, but we just put it down to a learning experience. He learns that if he doesn’t do his part there is a consequence. Now I ask you, is that too much to expect? I’m wonderin if maybe that is a large part of the problem, we just do not expect enough out of our youngins and they don’t expect much from us. If we didn’t get good grades in school, it was not the fault of the teacher, and we knew what to expect, if not from our parents then from our older siblings. We knew what to expect if we were dumb enough to sass our parents or a neighbor. Every family had a lilac bush and you knew what to expect. Is it time again to have higher expectations from one and all. I expect I better think about this some more. Until next time.