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yeah. Oh, me either. All the bugs and stuff But I, I try I hate to be on all that stuff But, but I try, you know, to, uh, to get out there and enjoy everything. Oh, yeah. But what was so fun though is that I had to take my son to the doctor this morning because he went out camping with some friends and he got poison ivy, Oh. and it's all over him. The poor thing, you know, so, there's definitely hazards to going camping if you don't know what you're looking at Yes, yes. Oh, shoot. Oh. But now, I enjoy it every once in a while, I mean, it's not something I'd want to do real often. Uh-huh.
I'm a sissy. Yeah. I either want to do it in the fall or spring. Right. Right. You know? Definitely when it's cool. Yes. Well, have you done much camping around Texas? Well, not really because usually it's when we go off, you know, like for a couple weeks or so. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. It's usually like that. Yeah. Well, have you camped all over the United States? Just about. Wow. Just about. See now I haven't so that, I bet you that's an experience there.
Oh, it really is. Uh-huh. It really is. Uh-huh. Also I said we mostly did ours before we started a family. Right, right. It's a lot easier then. Well, I know my parents like to camp a lot, and they, uh, they've been going to Gulf Shores, Alabama. And, uh, which is really, really neat. Oh, uh-huh. They said they've got the white beaches and the sand, Yes. and it's not real populated so they can, they feel like they're in the outdoors and still close to the ocean. Uh-huh. And, uh, from what I understand from them it's really, really pretty there. Oh. I'd like to go anywhere. You know, I just like to go. Uh-huh,
uh-huh. I really do. Well, have you done much camping up in Kentucky and, and those parts, in the mountains? No, not really, not that much. Um, we've been, well, we've been to Wyoming, you know, and Kentucky and Montana and, you know, places like that. But usually if we're with a group of people we really don't stay any one place very long. Uh-huh. You know, like if we're just going through and they camp one night and then head on. Right, right. But now that we have children and we go every blue moon, I'd rather just go to Galveston. You know Yeah Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, Yes, yes. Yes.
But we're, uh, we're getting more into it and we've done, uh, we've done quite a bit and, uh, uh, the kids like to go out, you know, as often as they can. Uh-huh. Um, so that's good. You know, they're, they're becoming enthusiasts then of camping. Uh-huh. It is. My children really enjoys it. They really do. But by the time we really get a chance to it's July, you know, Right. and it's so hot. Uh-huh, uh-huh. And our camper doesn't have an air conditioner. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's one of those pop-ups. I'm sure you could put one in probably,
Uh-huh. but we hadn't did that. Uh-huh, uh-huh. Yeah, well, that's really neat. Yes, Well, we all enjoy camping. And they're, you know, they're in like and scouts and stuff like that, you know, so, they get to go camping in those organizations also. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. At least their Daddy goes with them, I don't, when they do that. Yeah. But, That really is. Yeah. Oh, that's neat. That's really neat. Well, how old is your boys, your children?
Well, I, well, I have, um, a son that's, uh, going to be eleven here pretty soon, and then a daughter that's thirteen. Uh-huh. So, they're, they're getting old enough to where they can help out with a campfire and, cooking and, and all that kind of stuff too. Oh, yes. Yeah. Yes. So, that's, that's really neat. It really is. Mine's eleven and eight. Uh-huh. So, they really enjoy it too. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I, I agree with you. They like to get out there and, but this wasn't so fun this last time for Nathan to, to get out there and he didn't realize he was touching poison ivy and it got all into his eye and it was really swollen
and, uh, so they had to give him shots and everything, so. oh, well, maybe next time he'll stay away from those particular trees, or what, bushes, whatever they are Yeah, yes. Yes. Oh. But I have, uh, brother-in-law and a sister, you know, that just really just camp. You know, they love to go camping. Uh-huh. They could, they would all the time they wanted, you know, wanted to because there's nothing holding them back. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. But I'm just not that involved in it. No, now I like to go out like several times a year. Yeah. But not on a, on the regular basis. I have some friends who go out every single weekend, when, you know, in the season. Oh.
Uh-huh. Uh, and, and I just couldn't do that, you know. Me, I haven't really as far as entertainment, I don't know what you would do every you know. Yeah, yeah. But I guess, my entertainment's, television, I guess Just getting away. Yeah, right, right, see, I see, they just want to get away. Uh-huh. But every Friday night they'll go home, you know, straight from work and they'll pack up and, you know, and then they'll leave, and I'm just going, you know, by Friday night I just want to crash, you know, and I want to go home and, you know, do all that, and then, uh, get out on the road to boot, Oh, I don't either
so. Uh-huh. But anyway that's their life Yes. But they probably live in a city also, don't they? Yeah, yeah, that's true. Well, see, we're in a real small county area, Uh-huh. and, you know, that makes a big difference. Now that's true. That's true. Because if we want to go camping we can just go just a few miles, you know Yeah That's true. That makes a difference. Well, it was nice talking with you. It was nice talking to you too,
Okay. and we'll probably be talking to you again. Okay, well, take care. okay, bye-bye. Bye-bye. So, do you have any credit cards? Yes, I do. I keep, uh, I have an American Express, and a Visa card that I keep, you know, kind of for emergency purposes, and I have, you know, I use a gasoline credit card which I, you know, pay off every, every month. Uh-huh. Okay. But I've, I've gotten rid of all of the credit cards, you know, that I possibly could, and my balances are practically zero on the ones that I have. Especially since, you know, it's no longer after this year, or after tax year nineteen ninety, there's no deductions for, you know, credit card interest that you pay. Uh-huh. So it's a, you know, gosh,
credit cards run, what, anywhere from, up to eighteen, nineteen percent, I guess. Yeah. It's just a bad deal. Course, there are emergencies, you know, that you, you know, probably need to have a card. Yeah, I have one card. Uh-huh, that's, that's probably enough. And I try not to use it, but right now, it's maxed out Absolutely. It's, it's very easy to, you know, to do that or, you know, to abuse it, it really is. Uh-huh. It's so easy to pull out the plastic, but we're trying our best not to, not to add any, you know, credit card debt to our structure here. Yeah. Um, I have, uh, the thing that bothers me worse than the credit cards, I think, is, uh, you mentioned the gasoline credit card. Uh-huh.
I don't have that, but I've got, you know, one of the the, the instant teller cards that you can use for point of sale purchases. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. And we use that usually to buy gasoline, and it's just it's really amazing how quickly that goes. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. I'm sure you're right. I don't, I don't, I don't participate in that, but, you know, a lot of folks do. Uh-huh. Yeah, at least with the, uh, gasoline company credit cards you have, you know, up to thirty, twenty-five, thirty days, you know, interest free for it. Yeah. But, you know, the instant thing may be, may, may be the way of the future to, you know, to replace checks and every other thing. Yeah, that's what they've, they've talked about it. Yeah. Course it eliminates any waiting period.
It certainly does. God help those people who have to float checks occasionally because you won't be able to with that. Absolutely. That's right. Do you get any sort of discount when you use a card like that? No. I see. Oh, it was, well, they consider it to be the same as cash well, cause it actually is. I see, I see. It certainly is, yeah. Yeah. It's better than cash Uh-huh. They don't even have to deposit it, it just goes straight in there. That's right. No returned checks or anything.
Right. Yeah. No, I, I understand it's becoming, you know, the popular thing to do. We're not participating in that particular program at the moment, and I don't really perceive doing it unless we absolutely have to. Uh-huh But, uh, I have in times past gotten into a bit of trouble with credit cards. It's just, you know, too easy to do. Yeah, but I'm so glad he told me that when, that they, they got to such a point with their credit cards they didn't want to cut them up because they were afraid sometime they might actually need them. That's right. They paid them off, and then they stuck them in a thing of water and froze them. She said at least before she could use them she'd have to thaw them out. I mean, that's funny. Well, that's a novel idea. Yeah, that would cause you think a little while, wouldn't it. That may not be a bad idea.
But I'm kind of getting a little more leery of credit cards, you know, as time goes by. Unless you just absolutely have to. Now, there are times when you'd at least think you do, anyway. Yeah. Yeah. I, I want to still have just one just in case. Yeah. But, I'd sure want to get the, get it paid down and not use it for a while Uh-huh. Yeah. That's right. My wife and I really, I guess are fortunate. We're really not compulsive shoppers, you know. Uh-huh. We, we plan purchases, you know, pretty well, you know, watch for the best buys, things like that. But, uh, some people have a real problem with it. Yeah. Well, our, our limit is, you know, fairly low Uh-huh. and, uh, so that's, that's one thing that's good.
Sure. Absolutely. Yeah. Oh, I've got another call. Oh, I'm sorry. Was nice talking to you. Okay. Take care. All right. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. All right. Well, um, we lived, I grew up in San Antonio, and I was used to the heat, and I was used to what couldn't grow down there, and we had a small, um, farm house out in Castroville which is just, uh, to the west of San Antonio Uh-huh. and we in did a lot of gardening out there, and, uh, mostly in raised beds so we could keep the, uh, soil nice, because basically out there it was mostly a clay soil, very hard to, to grow, very hard to cultivate, and when we came up, here, uh, to California, uh, we're in the Monterrey area,
and it's very, uh, nice sandy soil, rich soil, and the weather is perfect for growing just about anything you want to grow so we've been out here, well, really in the house since December, How fine. and we've been uh, planting flowers that we could never plant, in San Antonio because the heat would just dry them up after, you know, about three good weeks of nice weather before the heat started Um. and here they are supposed to last year around so we have some really pretty flowers growing, Oh boy. and, uh, we're at the edge of a forest area, so there's a lot of pine mulch Uh-huh. Just about anything you would want in Texas as a gardener is here just around us. We got here at the end of about a four year drought. We've had a whole lot of rain. Uh, it's been raining pretty much continually now, uh, off and on, maybe one day of break, for about a month. So, Oh really. Yeah, we're getting replenished, and so there is, when I first came here everything was yellow, the grass was dead everywhere.
And now with all the rain everything is just gorgeous, lush and green and beautiful, and I hope that it holds out here after the summer. Wow. But, uh, that has been the major change that we have noticed in gardening, and that's about the extent of what we've done, just a little bit on the patio, and waiting for the rain to subside so we can mow. We, after about a month, we finally got to mow this weekend. But, um, we're just so happy to see green. It's just so nice. We haven't really done too much else other than that. Um. Well we just moved to our first home, and we had lived in a condominium before. So we didn't have any lawn and garden type duties. So we're just learning the ropes here and, Uh-huh. But when we moved in, um, our backyard has so many tall trees in it that there there wasn't even a blade of grass in the backyard. Uh-huh. So we're, you know, going, talking to some of our friends that are landscapers and things, and learning about different kinds of grass. We trying to go, grow grass,
and it just seems so funny to me that, when I grew up in Missouri, and you didn't have to worry about growing grass there. It just happened automatically. So do you have to get a shade tolerant grass? Is that what you're, Yes. We are. We tried, we planted some fescue last, um, fall Uh-huh. and it's really, really pretty, it stayed pretty, pretty green throughout the winter, and it's pretty it's not as thick and as nice, it doesn't look like it can withstand too much, you know. Oh. Does that last through the summer, too? It's supposed to die off like in August, and then you replant it in September and, So, but we don't, Oh.
the Saint Augustine and all that supposedly was back there just wasn't, like I say, there really wasn't even one blade of grass in the backyard. Uh-huh. And, um, so mostly, you know, we're not even to the point where we're getting into flowers, and flower beds or even gardens, that, we're just saying, let's get some grass Just get grass to grow. Let's get grass so that the kids can play in the yard and not have to be worried about the dirt so much. You know. Well, when we had our house, um, out in Castroville, the problem with ours is that the, uh, plots there are a third of an acre And trying to keep grass alive during a summer on a piece of ground that big was expensive Uh-huh. Oh yeah. To water it and, uh, and eventually, well, especially when it was so bad last year, well, I guess it was the year before now, uh, it was so hot that year, that was the year that I think it started out a hundred in February. Oh no. Um, we were just watering all the time. Finally what we did was we said, we're going to have to let the back yard die. It's going to have to do whatever it's going to do because, we can't really afford the front yard. On its own, Uh-huh. And so when we left, you know, the back yard had some, um, I think it was Saint Augustine that we had.
It had held onto a small portion, but primarily once the weeds start in the back we were just, you know, resigned to, well, the only way we were going to fix this one is that if you plow it all under and put everything back on top of it again. Uh-huh. But, I don't know. That's the bad thing there, is, that we spent so much money, or you would spend so much money trying to keep a large lawn alive. That was the only thing I didn't like about lawns, and we were sitting there wondering, there must be a better way to landscape so that you don't have to spend so much money trying to keep the lawn alive and green and the weeds out. Yes. So. It's pretty remarkable because growing up we've always had a beautiful, lush green lawn, and we never, there was no such thing as watering your lawns in Missouri. Uh-huh. It just happened. Uh-huh. And, um, so it's been real fun here to see, there's a big market for the nurseries and for the landscaping companies, and a lot of people, um, we live in north of Dallas.
Uh-huh. And, um, Arlington area. Plano. Okay, Plano. Uh-huh. Uh-huh, up north And so there's a lot of market up here since it's kind of the area that people are moving into in the Dallas area and big market for, for yards, yard work. Uh-huh. Yeah, I imagine So, well everybody, it seems like everyone is so particular, especially in the Dallas area. Uh-huh. There, there's so much money and everyone can afford, they have enough leisure time to afford a nice lawn. And, another thing I've noticed is that the lawns in some of the homes the area is so small that they take great pride in being able to use whatever lawn they do have to look really nice.
Uh-huh. Yes, they do. I noticed that they're really putting in small back yards, because they have these, most of the houses have the alleys that run behind, Uh-huh. and, so that really cuts into your backyard space, and. But we don't do our work here out of enjoyment so much as voice in right now, we're just, this is, we just moved in in September, so we're just still at the point where we're talking about the necessity. Right, I know. Oh, it's awful the first house. Our house in Castroville was the first one, too. And we had no idea the expense that lawns and gardening would run into and the time that it took, especially when you start mowing, Uh-huh. and then when it comes to fertilize, then it would come to raking, and then when it comes to making sure that somebody had put the timer on the water. And the one thing that I did notice is that people that have the underground irrigation systems, the sprinkler systems, just, that was the way to go if you could do it. Yeah. People that were building the new homes that put those in, that was, that was the only way to go because it was just so convenient.
They would just turn it on and the timer would run and it would water their lawn and they didn't have to worry about it at all. Um. And that was so nice. But, we didn't have that luxury, so we were dragging the sprinkler around everywhere. And so, I hope you can find, uh, I don't know what type of grass grows in the real shady areas. I remember the guy that was on the radio, um, they had a gardener, and he, I don't know, I had this one, well I've still got the book. It's, um, I think it's just called TEXAS GARDENING, and it talks about the different grasses to use for the shady areas versus the really sunny areas. Hm. We, But there is a grass that you can use that is shade tolerant,
but I don't remember what it is. But it's got like a boot, on the front of the book. Uh-huh. It's just a real fancy decorated boot. It's like TEXAS GARDENING. And it talks about, you know, different problems that your lawn can have and how to recognize it and it goes into the full gamut of gardening. You know, everything from flowers to bulbs to perennials to grass to weeds to trees and to, uh, how to prune. But one of the things I do remember was when it talked about the grass, and there being the shade tolerant types of grass, Grass, and I think one of them was a blend of two types of grass that they had used. Um. But I don't I don't remember if it was Raleigh and Saint Augustine or, or what. Or what it was. But I do remember they had used a blend. Well, we're going to have to do that because we have the shade, the trees, this is an established and older home that we moved into, and, um, the trees are just so tall and there must be ten or twelve big tall trees out there so that like even if its raining, you can go out in our back yard and not get wet Oh, but that's so neat, because so many homes don't have that. So you'll be cool all year around,
in the summer, that's great. Well, that's what we're looking forward to, and that's what they say the payoff is but, It makes the biggest difference, when you have the big old trees. Well, we And the people that moved in next to us, they built a new house on the empty lot and they just had their brand new little trees. They didn't have any shade They, any time they had people over they had to do it on the patio because it just got too hot during the day. Too hot, yes. So, oh, that's great that you have them. Are they oaks? Well, there are all different kinds. Oh that's even better. There are some oaks, magnolias, and like plum trees, peach trees, there are some big tall oak trees ... Uh, so, you have children I take it? like she is cooking, i. e. banging pots, water, No,
I don't. You don't? No, huh-uh. So, it's not a very valid topic. No, it's not. Do you have children? Uh, yes. Uh-huh. One. One. Stepdaughter. Uh-huh. Ten. Ten. And, uh, you know how they are at that age, I guess. you having been ten once, yourself. Yeah. Once upon a time I was. Well, I have two dogs,
those are my kids. Oh, we have one. What kind is it? A Keeshonden. Oh, really. Yeah, Uh-huh . fuzzy little thing. A what? A fuzzy little dog. Yeah, yeah, they're cute. Rather, rather odd personality, he, he's fun. Uh-huh. Anyway, uh, time we spend with our children. Uh-huh. It seems almost as though children hate it. Do they?
Yes. Time spent with Mom and Dad is, uh, next, is probably one of the worst punishments spent on earth to them. Yeah, especially when they get like into the teenage stage. Yeah. I guess. Yeah, I remember when I was that age. They, you know, parents are a curse that they just have to live with. Uh-huh. So, it, it's interesting. Yeah. But we do spend time driving in the mountains, and ... Uh-huh. Oh, how nice, I would love to live up there. Well. Do you work for T I?
Uh-huh, uh-huh. You're working then? Yeah. With every passing day we wonder if we will be. That's what I heard. like running I've always thought about maybe transferring up there, and I thought if I do that, I might not have a job so It's, it's better to be employed. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Especially these days where there is not a job right around the corner. Uh-huh. I know it. And that creates family tensions. Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure it does. So, you only have the, you only have the stepdaughter at home?
Yes. You all don't have any other children around there? No, no. I don't have any, children. Uh-huh. So, how does she feel about going out and doing stuff with you all. Uh, well it varies what it is, of course, but usually, Mom and Dad are a curse. Uh-huh, uh-huh. You know, they, they'd much rather be with friends, Oh, yeah . friends are cool, parents aren't. No, huh-uh. Well, I remember, well I'm sure part of it is a male, female thing, you know, Uh-huh. I, I remember whenever I was growing up, often times spent with my Dad was, oh, just wonderful, you know, go, go hunting, or go to the races, or, or, oh, any number of things.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. And we'd have, um, great times, Oh, yeah. and it seems that well now the bank's not available. Yeah. Um. Uh-huh. And, entirely too much time is spent, my wife and I were wondering what if, and, and what if's always rough. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But, you know, we do have our trips and we do have our fun and, I don't know, little girls aren't interested in lot of the same things little boys are or were. Uh-huh. Like fishing and ... Hunting and, and, Looking for arrowheads, and ... Yeah.
My husband will say that he'd like to have a little boy to take hunting and fishing and I said, well, you can take a little girl hunting and fishing just as easily. Uh, but they don't like it. That's probably right. There, there, there is a difference there. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. And, and ... No, if my Dad had done that when I was a kid I probably wouldn't have liked it. I go now, with my husband. And, I enjoy it, but ... Well, girls at that age, Video games, boys and malls. Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah. Not necessarily in that order, and friends of course. Uh-huh. And, that's a little tough for fathers.
Uh-huh. I imagine. Fathers don't even like malls, they despise shopping. Uh. So, is that quality time? Huh, no, I think not. Yeah, if, but there is camping and we both enjoy that. Uh-huh, she likes to do that? Somewhat, yeah, yeah . Yeah , yeah. Well, that's good.
Getting up in the mountains and getting away from it all and, that's somewhat fun. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. She ... It's , Huh? so what do you think about child rearing? Is, how, how would you spend time with kids? Probably doing outdoorsie stuff, and keeping, trying to keep them away from the T V, I guess And, McDonald's Oh, yeah. I, I always said that if I had a kid they wouldn't know what McDonald's is. Yeah, but But , they learn from their friends, don't they? Well, yeah, and amazingly a lot of times it's real easy. Uh-huh.
You know, a lot of times, whenever we head out of town on a trip or something, it's real easy to swing in there for breakfast. Uh-huh. Yeah. Breakfast and run. Yeah. And breakfast is a kind of a funny meal anyway, Yeah. It is. and, uh, kids eat funny. This lady in our bass club, we had a tournament yesterday and she was talking about her daughter, said, one week her daughter will, uh, be on a no meat kick, and one week she'll eat nothing but Twix candy bars, you know, she just eats weird. And little girls are worse about it than little boys. Yeah, yeah. They ... They're always wanting to go on a diet or something. Or, or something, yeah. Uh-huh.
Go on a diet or they, they have a, well, to some extent the public schools, or the schools in general, influence them, the eating meat kick. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah. You know, like it's really morally wrong to eat meat or something, I, I'm not sure. Uh-huh. Of course, that's not the way I was raised, being raised in West Texas. Yeah. Oh, is that where you're from? Oh, yeah. Uh-huh. Born in Denton, raised in Lubbock. Oh. Um. So, I understand about bass. Yeah Huh. But it, but it is interesting, Uh-huh. I, I will tell you,
yeah. Every person out there should have kids, at least once or, or have some they can borrow for a time, because everyone needs some torture in their lives. That's the kind I like. My Mother used to put that curse on my sister. I hope you have kids just like yourself. And, my Grandmother must have put that on my Dad because he got my sister, she's just like him. Uh. But, Jenny is a sweet kid. Yeah, I'm sure she is. And, yeah, we do do things, Yeah. and, it, it's funny, it's almost like a lot of things that were available to us as children, to go do, Uh-huh. Uh-huh. The money's not available. Uh-huh, I know,
I don't know how people can afford kids. I mean ... You know , we were talking about how much it cost to go to Disney Land. Uh-huh. Golly! A couple, three hundred dollars. Oh, yeah. You know, for just, for just a day, not you know, a day or two, not including lodging and food and all that. Uh-huh, uh-huh. It's, I don't see how anyone can afford it. Uh. And, I understand Six Flags is real expensive now. It's, uh, I heard it's twenty bucks a whack. For adults. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
That is awful high. Oh, well ... Twenty bucks a whack now. Yeah, or twenty-one. But, at least once you pay your way in there, at Six Flags ... Yeah, yeah . yeah, everything's free except for the food. Yeah, yeah, food and junk to carry out. So that's, that's not as bad. Yeah. Yeah. But, golly! You know, Disney World or Disney Land. Uh-huh. Well, our problem is that, you know, a trip to Six Flags or Disney World or, uh, Disney Land, or God forbid, Disney World, would take forever.
Really. Or you'd have to pay air fare, Uh-huh. and, ooh, for a family, you know, for a family it gets pretty expensive pretty quick. OH, yeah. Rent a car when you get there and all that. Yeah. That's why I lucked out, my Dad worked for Braniff when I was a kid so we got, you know, our air fare free and we got ... Why don't you go ahead and start. Okay, my hobby is, uh, sewing. I, I've just, uh, started learning how to sew and, uh, I've taken some classes and I've made a few, few garments. Do you sew at all? I used to, uh, Did you? I, I sewed, you know, in high school
and when I went to college I think everything in my closet, I had made. But I haven't sewed since then and that's been fifteen years. So, uh, you know, I didn't have access to a machine the whole time I was in college. Oh. And, uh, my sister sewed and she needed the money so I would pay her and she'd make my clothes Oh. And, uh, and then just in the last, you know, ten or I just haven't sewn anything. I would love to, I would like to get back to it. Yeah, uh-huh. Uh, clothes are getting so expensive now in, in the stores and the, the quality is, is sometimes so poor that, uh, it, it really is worth while to sew. Yeah. It is, you know, an even back then, I remember you could make something for, you know, half what it cost to buy and, of course, the quality was just exceptional. Right an,
Uh, now it's a little more expensive to make it, because, you know, you start paying the price for the patterns and the material, Yeah. but it's still such better quality that I think it's worth it. It certainly is, and the patterns have gone up tremendously, too, the prices for them, you used to could get, you know, a pattern for two or three dollars, now, they're like, you know, five, six, seven, eight. You're kidding me. Oh, no, I'm not. See I can remember paying seventy-five cents for a pattern Huh-uh, no, the, the cheapest ones now are like maybe, uh, four or five dollars, six, seven Uh-huh. and then you get into the Vogues, they get up into twelve and fifteen and, on like that. Good night. Well do you have kids and a husband, are you sewing for a whole family or, Uh, right now I'm just sewing for myself.
I, I do have two daughters that, you know, out, they're, they're grown now though. I wish that I had started sewing, you know, when they were younger. Uh-huh. And, uh, it would have helped me out tremendously But, um, oh, I guess, I, I just, you know, I always, I have always tried to sew and, uh, I didn't like the way it looked so I'd never wear anything. Yeah. But now I, I have bought some, uh, new, sewing equipment. I bought the Singer machine and, uh, it really makes it look professional Uh-huh. and I've taken some classes here in, in, uh, Dallas. Well and that always is helpful for starters. Yeah. You know you have to have something that kind of gets you on the right track of where you're going. Right. I know a lot of people where I work make their clothes. It's just, there's just so many people sewing now days. That's true. Uh-huh.
Well do you do anything do you knit or crochet like for sweaters or anything like that? No, I'm not that talented. see, I'm I've not ever been a real craft type person. I have a sister-in-law that, I mean, if it can be done with your hands, she does it. She makes things for the kids for Christmas and nephews and nieces and I look at them and I think, God, you know, I, I should be able to do things like this Right. I have a sister that can, can, uh, crochet real well, or, or knit, I, I guess I mean knit. Yeah. And she knits things like hats, and, uh, sweaters, an, you know . Yeah. Well, when my sister, oh, when my sister had her first, uh, child, my niece, and this is, we're talking fifteen years ago. I was, it was my last year of college, Uh-huh. Uh-huh. and I asked my roommate if she would teach me how to crochet granny squares. So she did, and I crocheted a blanket for my sister's baby,
Oh. and I started crocheting a king size bedspread for a guy that I was dating at the time. Uh-huh. And when we broke things off, actually we were supposed to get married when I got out of college. So when we broke things off, I quit crocheting it and I've never picked up a needle since then, in fact, I think it's still sitting in the top of the closet Oh, my goodness. One of these days I keep thinking I'm going to finish it because it would make a really pretty bedspread But, Yeah, now, now they have the, uh, knitting machines that will do it for you. Fast My problem, I guess is time, you know, I, I talk to my husband, we kind of planning for the time eventually when, you know, maybe I can quit work, while my kids, because, I, my kids are young. I have a three and a half and a two year old. Um. And he says
but Bev, I think you'll be so bored, because, you know, all you've ever done is work. And I said, but there's so many things I want to do, I'd like to start sewing again, I'd like to learn how to do this cross stitch and these, you know, knit these things and I think that would be fascinating. He kind of laughs Are you familiar with what a Serger is, uh, the Serger Sewing Machine? I don't think so. Well you know, in, when we used to sew, we'd sew the seam and then we'd finish the edges, Sure. and we, we would, uh, trim the seams and finish the edges. Uh-huh. Well, this machine does it all in one step. You're kidding, so like as you're sewing the seam, it's finishing off the inside edge. Right, and it's cutting off the, uh, the, there, there are two knives and it cuts off the, uh, you know excess seam allowance.
Well that takes all the work out of it. Right. And, uh, it, it really makes it look professional. Well, how neat. Especially, on, you know, I mean from the inside, you know how you look under, under something that you've made and it doesn't really, Uh-huh. But, uh, the Serger really makes it look professional. Well that's neat. They're pretty expensive. I like, I paid like about eight hundred dollars for mine, For the machine, Uh-huh. Yeah. So, since I bought it and paid that much for it, I guess I'd might as well get some use out of it. You have to learn how to do it. That's right. Yes, I'm going to have to do it.
Otherwise, they hold it over your head forever, right Right. Now I bought you that machine Well that sounds really good. Yeah. Do you paint or anything like that? No. Never. No, I, I play the piano. Oh, so do I. Oh, you do. well I have one here, it's the one that I grew up with, Uh-huh. and my folks gave it to me, and, uh, a couple years ago when they, they sail, and so they sold their home and they, they've been sailing, and, uh, so it's here
but I haven't touched one like since college, so I kind of am picking it all out again and trying to remember how to do it again. And of course, my kids jump in the middle of it and want to pound on it and I'd love to teach them to play, too. Yeah. So, I'm not great, but I remember it. Uh-huh, well I'm not that great either. I used to be a lot better than I am now. I, I have played for, uh, the church choir, and, uh, I played for the choral club in high school Yeah. and, but, I, you know, I don't practice a lot anymore, and, uh, you know, you get rusty. You really, You do, you do. I never thought I would get rusty, but I'm rusty now. Well, I, I figure it takes practice
and I, I don't, I say I don't have the time, that's not true. Uh-huh. By the time I put my kids in bed at night, I don't want to do anything. Yeah. I, you know, I've worked all day and I come home and I do that, I, and, you know, even hobbies and crafts and sewing things like that, I, I think gee, I could do this or that, I have an hour here. Uh-huh. I don't want to do them sometimes, I'm too tired. Yeah, right. So, I try to save that for the weekend. I need to get better at it though Well, sewing does take up, take an awful lot of time, takes an awful lot of time. Now the part about sewing that I never liked was laying out the material and the pattern and cutting it out. If, if somebody would lay it out for me, then I didn't mind cutting it out and sewing it.
I could do that all day long and I, I can remember once in high school, I wanted some extra money, Yeah. and my mom wanted some pants, so she laid out the material and I cut it and sewed it and she paid me I think like two dollars a pair to make her some pants. Yeah. But I, I hate laying out material and trying to get the most out of the material and, make sure it's on the right lines and not on the bias. Yeah, on the, on the, right on the straight grain, and all that stuff, Yes, on the grain of the fabric. uh-huh. It drives me crazy Yeah that, that's, that's the part that I don't like, too. Yeah. Yeah, I, I like sewing, sewing up the garment itself.
I really like to do that, but the, the cutting and the, all the, even the cutting I don't like. Well what are some of the other features on this machine? It sounds wonderful. Well that's about it really. It's, it has four, uh, four threads instead of, the, the regular basic two threads. Oh, okay. And, uh, it, Is that for designs, or is that for the regular seam in the fabric or, No, you, you can either use three or four of the threads. Oh, okay. Uh, it's kind of, it the stitch is kind of like a knitting machine, like the, they're loopers under the bottom and then the, there's a seam stitch and it's the loopers that form the, the edge, you know that edge finish. Uh-huh. And, uh, that's what really makes it look professional.
You can do a lot with the Serger though. You can make, uh, piping and cording and, uh, you can use all kinds of different, uh, textures of thread. So it has the ability to do just about any type of sewing you want to do. Well, yes, but you, you have to use it in combination with a sewing machine. You can't throw your sewing machine away. you, you need it to do things like button holes, and, uh, seams that need to be really strong, need to be done on the sewing machine. Uh-huh. So the Serger is not a sewing machine, itself. It's something that goes with it? It's, uh, Like an attachment or, No, it's, it's a, it's a, it's a machine, it's not exactly a sewing machine but it it does sew the seam and trim the edges and all that stuff, but there are are other things that a regular sewing machine does that it doesn't do. Like you can't top stitch with it. Oh, okay.
You know, you can't do top stitching, or, um, there's, there's a few things that you just can't do with it. It will also do a rolled edge, um, Uh-huh. Gee, it's just so versatile, I uh. Well I'm going to have to go check it out. That's just something I hadn't heard of but it, So, uh, what do you think? I think we're overtaxed to the hilt. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, we're, we're taxed on taxes and, um, uh, most all government entities are just trying to give us a state income tax for those who don't have it that is. I mean we don't have one yet, but eventually they may try to push it through. Oh really. So they have I didn't realize they had no state tax in Texas.
No, no state income tax. Oh, that's great, because they don't have it in Florida. In New York they have it. Uh-huh. I mean, you know, like I say, I'm in New York and we have a state tax as well. So that just cuts even more. Yeah, I think what needs to be done is they need to control their spending habits. Right, I, I think that I, I mean, I wouldn't be so upset about the amount of taxes paid if it weren't for the fact that they don't, they don't go to any place. You know, you don't see it going to any place where it belongs. Right. Yeah. but given that it, that it's not spent properly, I think it's a major problem. Well we're really overburdened from federal, state and local, that it takes such a size out of your paycheck that there's not a whole lot you can always do with your paycheck. Uh-huh Well that's certainly true. Well what is it they were just talking about, um, sort of middle income, you know, how, how, middle income people,
what winds up happening is, for instance having kids, you know, they wind up having kids as a deduction and after, but the deduction is so little for kids that they wind up having to pay more in taxes than it costs to raise a kid for the year or something. Uh-huh. I think so they want to, you know try I think they're trying, I think I think that most of the politicians understand this. They just don't, they're just not very good at doing what they're supposed to be doing. Well they're kind of put into a trap of being out there to please the special interest groups as well. Right. And, uh, I think the only way that can be changed for us to get a, a better tax revenue that's fairness and all, is for us to limit their terms. Uh-huh. And by doing so, they're not obligated to anybody. I agree, I agree. And, uh, I don't know how we're going to do that right away though, but, what, what in general though that taxes are doing to us is, it's just taking, uh, a bite out of our savings. Right, exactly, and then, and then, uh, I'm, I'm just not sure if I see, you know, if I see it going, like I say to the right places. I mean, it'd be, it'd be one thing if it were taking a bite out of your savings and then you were getting it all back when you got older.
Yeah. You know, but I'm not convinced, that's, that Social Security is doing as well as it should and, you know, and, and, and, uh, and, and that, you know, those people who need it for welfare and so forth, who really need it for welfare, not the eighty-five to ninety percent of them who don't need it. But I mean the real people who really need it, you know, should be getting it but instead I think it's going to the wrong places. And I believe the Social Security tax is a great scheme. You think so? Yeah, it's, uh, you know, right now, they're robbing from it to pad the federal deficit. I know and that scares the hell out of me. Yeah, that's illegal, see. If, uh, most company, uh, C E O were to do that within their private company, they'd be in jail. Yeah So how are we letting them get away with it. Yeah, I don't, I don't, Right. it'd be nice if we sort of, as one, band together and, and, uh, and, an performed a citizens arrest, I guess.
Yeah. To see if we could sort of clean them up and you know, but I don't know if we can do that or not. A lot of people have become too complacent and believe everything is just the norm as to the way things are going and feel absolutely helpless to oppose a lot of the situations going on, in the taxing system. Uh-huh. I agree, I agree. But, um, yeah, like, like you said, I wonder, you know, if, if it's certainly not going to be a slow change process and I wonder if it'll ever be a change process. Yeah. I sort of, I sort of get discouraged when I think about all the things that I think are wrong You know, all those things that really could be changed that aren't, you know, that, that aren't. And tax is one of those things that just sort of sits way up there on the list. Yeah, uh-huh. So, I don't I, I, I have no idea what to do about it. Well there's no quick solution, or no sure fire easy answer. It's just going to take, uh, uh, really, uh, uh, uh, a combination effort, I think, of the majority of the American people to come to a decisive answer, or vote to limit the way it's spent.
Yeah. See, we, we're, we have no say so as to where the money goes in the first place. Right. We don't, I mean, the only say so we have is supposedly by electing people who we think are going to vote one way of another. Right and they are controlled, or pretty much do what they want to do. Right, I've never quite understood that. I've never, uh, you know, even though, um, I, I've never been, uh, sort of politically minded, but it's never been clear to me as to sort of, um, you know, how Congressmen an, can, can just sort of go ahead and vote their own conscience as their own ideas when clearly their constituency doesn't back them up on anything, you know. And often times that will happen. Well they feel invulnerable to, uh, any wrath or, uh, it's, it's occurred so many times that they figure people will usually forget and don't think about it when the election time arises. Right Right. And generally it does work out that way. They do forget, it's true, because everybody, think of what happens is whenever the whenever the one who made that supposed mistake turns around and, uh, his, his or her opponent can say well look, they did this. And they can turn around and say well my opponent did this.
Uh-huh. So it becomes, uh, a general battle of the sort of the election of the lesser of two evils, I think, so. Yeah. I don't know, I just, uh, I'm unhappy with it but. And well, I'm, I'm sort of semifortunate right now, I'm a graduate student, so I don't make that much, Uh-huh. and what I make isn't taxed very highly because I'm still in school. Well when you get out into the real world then you'll know. But it's, my, my, my wife has a real job and, you know, when I get her job, um, you know, we, we look at her paycheck, I'm just floored when I see how little of it we're actually allowed to keep. Yeah. Especially around bonus time. Bonus time, you have a bonus? Bonus,
she, no, my, my wife does. Oh. My I no graduate students don't get bonuses. Uh-huh. We're lucky to get paychecks the way I figure. So you're taxed on the bonuses too, right. My, my wife is taxed on her bonus as well, and that's a, that's usually a big chunk of her bonus check actually. Uh-huh. I mean her bonus isn't that much, but they tax it as, I, I guess they tax it as if that were her weekly check or something. Uh-huh. So she gets destroyed on her bonus check.
Uh-huh. So, she works with in, in, in sales. So a good portion of her, you know, her salary is, is quarterly bonuses. Uh, sales is lucrative but then you're paying really high taxes when you're doing a lucrative job. Yes, well, yeah, she's not entirely sales, so it isn't, it isn't as lucrative as one would hope, but, it, it keeps us supported temporarily, until I can get a real salary and then get taxed more. Uh-huh. So, I don't know, I I guess, I guess at this point in time we're just sort of going to have to live with it, and hope that it gets better Yeah. Well, I have, I guess about said what all I can think of to say. Same here, tough topic so. Yeah, it's a rather touchy topic at that, but
I I, I, I do agree with you, most, most wholeheartedly. Well that's great. It's been a pleasure talking with you. You too, and, uh, Thanks for call. have a good day. You too. Bye-bye. Okay he did really decide to go? Uh-huh, sure I'm familiar with it, and it was a very difficult choice And he, well, he must know, is he interested in law or medicine, he must have a definite profession in mind. Oh, okay, Medium size,
aren't they? Is he excited? Very excited, Wow, I can, I, Uh-huh while they're east coast, I mean, I don't know anything about their football, but there you go. Well, they're, they're, they're really very strong academic rather than, you know, big sports, Yeah, that's, where, where you at? We're outside of, uh, Washington in Maryland. How about you? Oh, okay, I'm in, uh, suburban Dallas. Uh-huh, do you have children in, No,
I don't, I have a husband We don't have any kids yet. Okay, um, About all I can say is I guess about picking schools, um, I guess, uh, if you don't know what you're going to do, liberal arts program is a good idea. Well, I, I, one of the, the advices we've given our children is that you can always learn a job This is true, uh, but what you can't learn, uh, on a job, is a good solid well-rounded education. Right, the humanities, the history, yeah, That's right, you know, the Renaissance man Right, right, no, no, no and, uh, and if you get that you can, and if you do well, you can, you can learn a job,
Yeah, but they, you know, if they learn the job and they can go into graduate school usually a company, it will, if it's worth it's weight, will subsidize, That's exactly right. That's right. And, So the advice we gave to them was, number one, visit the colleges that you're thinking about describe first of all, the size school that you might be interested in Uh-huh. This, this is true, Yes. And if you want to go away, right, do you want to go away, how far from home do you want to be. Right. What do you want in a college. Now my son is a national level competitive swimmer Good. so he wanted to swim in school, but he did not want to be in a swim factory. Okay.
So he wouldn't have gone to something like where we're at, they'd, in Austin, Texas, University of Texas, That's right, that's the University of Texas at Austin, or Stanford or something like that so he didn't even consider those. Right. Texas yeah, Okay, well that's, I think the other thing is, too, um, I know I went to a, uh, city high school in Chicago Uh-huh. and a lot of the kids weren't as fortunate as say, my brother and I were, and economics was the choice Uh-huh. um, sounds like your son has academically the standing to get into that type of school. He is very, very strong academically, yeah, so, we've just, but, you know, he had to look to see what kind of environment he liked, Uh-huh. and yet he, he did wind up having to make a choice. He did apply to a large, you know, large group,
Yeah, University of Penn, I'm originally from Pennsylvania. University of Pennsylvania, It's got about nine thousand undergraduate. Yeah, that's strong, I mean that's you know Yeah, Yeah. and it's, it's, well, it's a little bit, I don't want to use the word wilder, that's not the word I want. Um, more diverse Yes, and it, but it does have the under, you know, that's total undergraduate with five hundred graduate school, so that the, uh, the college of arts and sciences is, you know, I guess about four thousand. At Williams or Pennsylvania? At Williams, At Pennsylvania. At Pennsylvania. Well how large is Williams? Williams is an undergraduate school only
Right. um, and it's a total of two thousand. Well that's not bad. Yeah, so he knew the feeling because my other son is at Amherst which is fifteen hundred Which is a lot, Yeah. and he had visited his brother at Amherst and knew that he liked the environment Uh-huh. Uh-huh. but he did go on college visits, and he liked, That's the thing to do, I mean, I, not having any children, my husband was an Ohio State person, and, uh, that has something like either the first or second largest student population, like fifty thousand. Yes, yes Combined . it's large, and they, both boys had decided no, that they did not want that.
Yeah, that is too much, and I mean, I, um, I can only say it's strange your son picked those kinds of college because I spent a year at Bennington in Vermont, Oh, it's, so you, Um, and that was, this was twenty years ago Uh-huh. Showing my age, And did you ever eat at the Blue Bin Diner? Yes. Oh my God, where are you from, well, let's not talk about that No but we've been there when whose gone up there. It's, um, in that area. I mean I just can't say enough about it. Oh, it's, it we went and he was, you know, impressed by the clean air
and he, he met the students at both schools and he liked them. Well you know, um, my husband's an engineer and a strong , a strong liberal arts background with, uh, a graduate degree in a technical field will get him much further than say like a, a strong, um, business administration degree than with another M B A on top of it. Uh-huh. That's it. The thing is if, if a person really knows very early on that they want to go in a technical field, than you're not, then it's probably good to go to, you know, to apply to a school with a good technical program, Uh-huh. and they usually, Yeah, but they usually don't. but, uh, for, if you're going into, if you know engineering is the thing if, then you've got to at least take engineering. Right, but they, no but who does. I mean, I think, I think all, I think the majority of people just don't know. That's right. No he looked at criteria such as location, size of school uh, Uh-huh.
No he didn't apply to any school further, the furthest away was Bowdoin, in Maine which is about twelve hours. That's still pretty far though. I mean a lot of kids just don't even want to go, Yeah, that was the furthest and then Kenyon in Ohio which was about six and a half hours and Williams is about seven. Oh, that's not too bad. Yeah so, well, I mean he, so it wasn't, he, you know, then the University of Pennsylvania is like two hours from here by train and then Bucknell in mid-state Pennsylvania. Yeah, he will enjoy Williams I think and is a good academic, Yeah, and he will, and if, it came down I mean, as he, he came, he's been talking to them
and, and he came down and one of the things that he said is, he went to Pennsylvania this weekend and he had an absolutely marvelous time Uh-huh. he had a great time but then he said, you know, it was such a good time that I almost got the feeling that their emphasis is on having fun. That could very well be and, So he's developing his, his, uh, internal instincts right now. and he said it almost I think it backfired. That's good because I mean I'm sure what he said was true, that, uh, you, So. well actually that's one of the reasons I went to , Kenyon, he he made a good choice. I went, I, well I was supposed to, but I spent a year in Vermont, my freshman year, it was just too far away, it was too different uh, the level of income of lot of the students Uh-huh.
and their attitudes was just, um, beyond my, um, in terms of drugs, et cetera, which I thought was shocking. Yeah, yeah. Of course, that period too was probably difficult. Right, yeah, you're right but then I went, But I did, uh, my advice to him, and my was that, uh, he had to really decide what he wanted out of college. Yeah. He had to look at himself. Uh, in a larger school he had to realize that if he was going to screw around it, he could probably slip and it wouldn't be caught up until it was too late where in a smaller school where, especially in a Kenyon or a Williams, where you see the professors around town all the time, you skip class in the morning and they see you, Uh-huh. And you're going to get a little bit more input than discipline That's, yeah, yeah. yeah.
And a swim coach is going to be right on top of you, uh, so that, and he will know the professors in a small, Well I don't know how to put this either in this way and then it doesn't sound like your sons would need this but I just think the other thing is with the way a lot of the youth is today, I think the refinement that they get I don't mean specifically or culture but just what you're saying, just a solid background because I just don't think at that age I just don't think that young people know what they want to do. You know Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah. That's right, that's right. and, um, And, um, and it's just the personal contact where if you need help That's right. he had, I told him to look to yourself. Are you the kind of person that will go into a large college and if the professor says I've got office hours but you really don't feel that you know him because you're in a class of a hundred that you're really going to look him up Right . Yeah. but if it's a class of fifteen and you need help, you know that it's much easier to do it and especially in the large schools they have lectures This is very, very,
Oh. and even though they may break it up into smaller groups Penn is known for having graduate assistance teaching. They have video lectures. Yeah. Video lectures. They have graduate assistants to teach the smaller groups. This is true, and I mean that is very ironic too that your son just made the, did he just make the decision today? he made the decision, uh, I'd say, about, uh, an hour and a half ago How funny Yeah, I mean, that's so funny. I mean, and, and, in fact, he had just an hour before that two, uh, recent graduates from Kenyon spent close to two hours talking with him That's funny. and, uh, I mean, and he, they were really nice, and, but he said is, that they didn't tell him anything that he didn't know, but they helped confirm his decision that a smaller school was better. It was easy for him to rule out. He knew what he didn't want
Yeah, yeah. that's exactly, yeah. Now is your other, I mean we're talking about what you think, but obviously you're experiencing it. Uh, Did your other son, um, My other son is just as happy as a bed bug. A clam. He, the moment he knew, he, he decided early on that Amherst was the school. He's a classical guitarist Oh, wonderful. and he decided, he also got into the graduate school of music as an undergraduate for classical guitar, Uh-huh. but he decided he was going to go to the, um the smaller now, and then graduate school later. The smaller and the, And they'll do fine in their studies, and I'm sure they'll go on to graduate school,
Well, he's really, my older boy's real happy, and he's minoring in English, and he had thought about economics, and he took a couple of courses in economics and decided that wasn't, or is this early admissions? He's, um, he's going to be a junior. He'll be, he's finishing his sophomore year so he's double majoring. So he's, So he's, yeah, well sounds like you have two talented sons. Well, you know, see the advice we give is to not limit yourself, especially this, you know, go to a school where you're not forced to make too many irrevocable decisions your first year or two. I think, and a lot of people talk about, and it's not the economics I solely zeroed in on, but I think a lot of people think a lot of people think about the tuition level and what exactly are you getting in return Yeah. and I think that a lot of people shy away from the smaller colleges because of that, and I think it's rather sad, Well, one of the things we said is that they should pick the college, this was our advice, too, irrespective of the cost. That somehow we would manage. You are wonderful parents Well, we place a real high priority on education in our family.
No, and I agree, I mean, my husband and I, in fact, I'm taking my L S A T um, I'm thirty something and taking my L S A T on June tenth. Oh, good, that's wonderful. Oh, that's great. The point being, and your sons will learn this from you, I'm sure, that, uh, no matter what age you are, you can learn That's right, that's exactly, and, it sounds like they're going to, you know, they're, Okay, I guess I'll start, um, one, uh, big thing that, the advise that I would give to a parent to give to his or her child is to let their, let their child experience college in a kind of general sense. I like large colleges because I went to University of Texas at Austin, they have fifty thousand students there. And I feel like that now if I went, if I had gone to a small college that only had a couple of thousand that I wouldn't have, have gotten as much exposure to different people and different, uh, I don't know, different languages, different cultures, and things like that just by being around those fifty thousand students. That's interesting, I went to a smaller school, of probably three thousand, thirty-five hundred.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh. And I, I thought that was the best experience in that we had more one-on-one since we seemed to know everyone on campus, Huh. and we had a broad spectrum of languages and cultures and backgrounds, and so forth, Huh. so, I thought it was wonderful to be a bigger fish and not so much a number, Uh-huh. um, one of fifty thousand, I was one of three thousand, and, and, you know, different perspectives, Right. Uh-huh. Yeah. I, uh, but it sounds like we were both kind of looking at the same sort of, sort of thing. Yeah, I, I could see, I could see that point, I could see how it would be. I'm sure your classes were a lot smaller, um, because like we would have biology classes that did, main courses that everyone has to take, I mean, hundreds of students in this class, so, actually, yes, you were a number. Yeah. But, um, I, I just,
I don't know, I'm thinking in a sense of, uh, just being exposed to more. It just seems like in a larger college you, I don't know, your exposed to so many more people from all over the world, and I'm sure a lot of people come to, you know, small colleges also but just that they're more of, of the different cultures there, Uh-huh, yeah. not that it's, not that it's better but I'm just saying that I think that big, That's one thing to definitely consider. Uh-huh, uh-huh. I think, uh, a lot of, a lot of students now would probably be afraid of a smaller college, a lot of the students that I talked to even here in Waco they go to Baylor, um, they, or they're considering going to Baylor, they're also considering going to U T Austin but one of the big no-nos is because of the fifty thousand students, and I have to tell them that just like, just like I live in Waco it's a large city, I can still function, in my own kind of area, in my own group. I have a job,
I have my friends, Uh-huh and I'm really not as, as concerned about the entire city, so when you go to a big, a big university, you're not as concerned about the entire university, but your group of friends, your classes, your interests, your clubs and things like that. Yeah. I think that's probably keyed to me is not so much the size the school, but what, what is the particular needs of the students Uh-huh. and whereas some would immediately feel very comfortable in this, um, larger university setting, some of the students, um, when I was, when I was teaching school would not have been comfortable with that. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. They needed, uh, at least at first, they needed a smaller setting that, that was more like family where they could get one-on-one, from, from teachers, professors and so forth, and then after a year or two move on to a little bit bigger pond where, where, when they had a little more self-confidence built up, oh, yes, I can do this, oh, I've done this before, it's just in a bigger setting, Uh-huh, right. Right. Right. and so maybe to me the key would be what is a the, the students needs, Uh-huh. but it's these other things that you and I are, are keying off on, that, that are really more of an education that, Uh-huh. but they're the things that don't show up in, On paper.
That's right, that's right. Uh-huh, exactly. That's, that's one important thing that I think about school. I'm, I'm not a kind a person that, I didn't, I, I was kind of a B student, I guess you'd say, and I didn't really, I was I strived to be an A student but it wasn't like a real priority. Right. To my, my priority was just being as worldly as I could possibly be getting into as many organizations as I possibly could, and, and one other point I was going to make, was that I can I can see that probably if I had gone to a smaller school, I would probably have more friends, because you, like you said, you know, you know, everybody knows everybody, Huh. Yeah. and so, you probably come out of it knowing, and by friends, I mean, like contacts for when you get out of school, um, you know, you just, you may walk into a company and see someone you went to school with, more so at a small college then a large college. Uh-huh.
Yeah. You may have gone to school with them but you wouldn't, you wouldn't know them. Uh, I guess, let me think of another important thing to look at when you look into college, um, I guess, I guess now I've been out for, I, I'm older than you. I've been out for twenty-one years. Uh-huh. And I was looking at an annual last night, something had it sparked a question, and I went to a small private school, Uh-huh. um, and it was church related. Uh-huh. And I got to looking at my class of sixty-nine, Uh-huh. and I realized that even though that school's two hundred miles from here and I've lived in other states and done other things for the past twenty years, where I go to church now, there are five other people that went to school at the same time in the same class as I, Wow. and it's, it's neat to know that we have that contact that goes back that some of the same memories if not the same education in,
Uh-huh. you know, we weren't all out to be teachers or, or whatever so we didn't have the same classes, but we had a common thread, something that still ties us together, twenty odd years later. Right. Wow. That's great. And it's, it's, it's kind of neat just knowing that those kinds of things, those are what I carry beyond that piece of paper that allows me to be an exempt at T I, Right, right. I have something more important to me than that. That's great, that's great. Yeah, that's what I, that's basically what I, and, when I first, I've been out of college only two years now, so it's still pretty fresh on my memory, um, Uh-huh. but now that I'm out, when I went into school, my parents told, well, my,
okay, let me, let me go back to my, my sister now is in college, and my father was really interested in getting her in a school that would look good on her, on her, uh, diploma, etcetera, and so forth, Uh-huh. Uh-huh. and, and I kept pushing her towards just kind of U T or a larger school, and it was just a big conflict between us because my father wanted the academics and I wanted her to get the life experience, out of it, Uh-huh. and so it was, you know, she went the academic way because she's a straight A student, which is, I was going to ask who won yes, yeah, so, she, you know, that's probably, you know, what she, what she wants anyway but that was the big deal and, In, in that case, uh, regardless of what you or your father pushed for it sounds like she was going for what she needed, and finding a school that, that met her specific requirements, and, and made the best fit for her. Right. Right. And that, that's another point is that, the, a parent should tell their child to be or, or to give their child the leeway to choose their school, not so much choose the school for them but, you know, kind of guide them along but let them more or less choose what they need and what they're going to do.
Yeah. I think it helps, a, now my grandfather was going to pay if I went to, uh, what's now U T Arlington, because it was there in my hometown, Uh-huh. I could live at home. Right. But I chose to go to another school and even though he was pleased that it was a church related school, he was not willing to pay any at all even the same amount of money, Huh. Right, and I think I value my, my education more because I had to work for it. uh-huh. And because I knew all along that's what I wanted, even though I had to buck the family in order to, to do what I needed to do. Uh-huh. So, Right. Well, that was pretty courageous Um, I guess, I guess it was, it was my mother's support that got me through it, that and ten years of, of, uh, loans after I got out Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah.
I'm, I'm dealing with the loans right now, Sounds familiar, huh? Your, it's very fresh in your memory. very, every, every month I, That memory just seeps back in my mailbox. Yeah, well, sorry about that Tanya Oh, well, I guess I'll get over it. I'm sure it was worth it though. Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay. If, if nothing else because I work in training at T I now, Uh-huh. if nothing else just those experiences beyond and, and including your educational classes that help give you the self-esteem to do and achieve, whatever you set your mind on, Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
and the, you, you made the right choice in going to a school that met all of your needs to make, to give you the, the potential to do whatever you wanted. Right, because when you, when you do want, when you do finally graduate that, that's what you need the most. I'm finding out now that what I'm needing the most now is not smarts, not what I can do on paper, it's stamina, courage, uh, , Young lady, you have gotten your education then, words, it, that, that's right. Yes, I'm needing, you know, my, I'm needing to rely on myself, Yeah. And I think I learned a lot of that in school too. Okay, cars, you, you maybe this is a fantasy we can to talk about any kind of car, we want here I want a Rolls Royce and a Cadillac Hey, that sounds like a great deal to me You have great aspirations Well, let's see
I, we just bought, uh, a seventy-three Mercedes that we have restored Oh, that's great. I'm, I'm a hobbyist too, and it, I like to work on cars too. Yeah, it has really been a lot of fun. Uh, we found some guys that actually, you know, worked for a Mercedes dealership and, uh, they also repair them for other the people on their off time so have, we, we have redone that thing from stem to stern, I mean inside, outside, you know, we've redone the body, repainted it, detailed it, so, you know, I really haven't thought much past that it seems like, you know, Oh, that's good. I don't know if I'll ever want another new car again, you know. Was you, why they, they didn't, say buy it they didn't necessarily say buy it new they just said, what would you buy, you know. Maybe not. Yeah, that's true. I, I don't know it just seems like, uh, you know, for what we've put into it I feel like that's something that might retain it's value a little bit more, than, you know, Oh, sure,
a restored, vehicle is, is great, I think, certainly if it's an old Mercedes will be good. yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, right, we, the one thing that, uh, we did decide as, it's, it's, we wanted it to be as authentic as possible but we did break down and put a C D player in it, Well, that's great. that's not quite authentic, but at any rate that, that was one thing that I, one of the features that I did want, I'd passed up on one and put a sunroof in it, Oh, yeah, you all, done a lot more, I had to stop there. when I talk about working on cars I sure don't do that. Yeah, well, of course, we do it ourselves
but, like I said, we were just lucky to find these guys that do it, you know, Oh, okay. they're, they just weren't really expensive, Oh, that is good, acknowledgeable people. and, uh, yeah, you know, right, and they work on it, so, the things that can be done here they just come here to our home and, and work on it or work on it, so, That's amazing. yeah, it's, you know, it's really, it's really been nice. We, uh, I, I do all my own work, uh, so, I, I have Chevies, mostly, Uh-huh. well, that's all I've got right now Uh-huh. Yeah. I've got three Chevy V Eights.
I'm, uh, I'm, uh, a Chevy, I'm an American car person, You're an American car person. but I do like Mercedes. Yeah, yeah, I, I have always had an American, American car and, uh, I had a real, real bad experience with the Cougar that I had, it was an eighty-two Cougar, Yeah. and, uh, I don't know, I think it just soured me on it for some reason because I had trouble with it starting, the engine blew up in it, I had to replace the engine when it was only two years old so, you know, I, I thought what the heck, you know, Yeah. we'll try something different so. Well, I'm not a Ford person and never have been as a kid, Yeah. and, uh, I do like the V Eight engines and I think the,
I went to the auto show with my daughter recently, down in Dallas Uh-huh. and, I, to me the American cars are far superior to the Japanese in styling, engines, right now, I mean, Uh-huh. Really. Yeah, right, I'm not saying that they were, a couple of years ago. yeah. Yeah. I would that that there's, I see a marked improvement, you know, as far as, uh, what I've heard about performance and such, you know, so, uh, uh, hopefully it'll stay that way, I mean, you know, Oh, yeah. I'd, I'd, I would hate to see the American car industry suffering more than it already has you know, even though right now I'm not driving an American car, Oh, yeah. but, uh, I think, I, uh, you know, they said, they said what do we want to buy, I, I'm, uh, not seriously thinking but I, I would like to, put it in that category, uh, by a Cadillac
Uh-huh, uh-huh. but I wouldn't, buy a new one Yeah. and, you know, of course, if I had the money I'd be happy to by a new one, Yeah, yeah. but, uh, I do look for a one year old vehicle, with twenty some odd miles or whatever twenty thousand miles, whatever. Uh-huh. Yeah, twenty thousand, yeah, yeah. Well, that's what my parents are avid Cadillac freaks. They had, uh, and I think my, my mother drives the SeVille now that's, uh, I guess it's a couple of years old, and, uh, she had a SeVille before that that had the odd backs that was, that was so, uh, Oh, yeah, I remember those. yeah,
yeah, and she, it final just wore out they had, they had purchased it, I don't, can't remember how many years they had that car, but she loved the styling of it. That she may want to save, if she, she doesn't have it anymore. No, she sold it and she, That, since they don't make them anymore, she, that could be turned into a classic, in, in ten, fifteen years, uh. Yeah. I know. Yeah, she kept telling herself that and it's sort of a bone of contention between she and my dad because my dad said well, just let me take it down there and find out what's wrong with it, I mean he came back with a new car No, he wanted new one , yeah,
right, yeah. Yeah, I think he had an ulterior motive he could just see, you know, dollar signs starting to flip by as far as repairs went but, uh, they, they really are nice cars, there, there, I'm still a full size person, Yeah. and I like a full size Cadillac, I, I want one of those, I think they are, I don't know, a classic but they're, certainly not, Uh-huh. they haven't changed in about, uh, twenty years, and, and they'll eventually phase them out Yeah, yeah. and I sure would like one ever those, uh, uh, within the next five years, or so. Yeah, it seems funny you how within the last couple of years cars have gotten bigger again, you know,
Right. they had, they've scaled everything down so much and, uh, I have, I don't, I've never owned a really large car, I don't know, I think that Cougar was the biggest thing I ever had and, Well, even the Japanese cars are bigger too but, uh, Yeah, I've never had a now the Lexus are very nice looking cars, you know. I've never had, a Japanese car, I, I've had friends who had them, Uh-huh. and I think they're a lot over and they're is just no styling to them, you can't tell one Japanese car from the other, because they all a like, That's true, that's true. you know, I don't mean that as a joke,

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