Give me Liberty...........

Oh hell, buckle up...  he's either a Snowflake or a Deplorable and he's gonna enlighten us all in one blog.

Ahm, no.  I'm old.  I grew up in Liberty, long ago. I do lean a certain way, but, it's due to this goofy affliction I got a few years back.

I'm talking Give me Liberty because I happen to like Liberty, MO.  Like anything, it's changed.

Last night was our, the LHS Class of 1970, fitty-fifth reunion.  That makes one tired in and of itself eh?  One common theme was, Happy.  I mean, if you're lucky enough to be lucky enough to still be around, ya gotta feel happy.  En route to the fancified place we had our mini party it's assured many a yard'a bones was passed.  If that tweren't enough, there was a table of tribute to those in our class that no longer walk on our planet - good people, may they all RIP.

When we, those who rolled outta the womb in either 1951 and 1952, the population in Liberty was one or two snotnoses over 5,000.  Presently, there are over 12,500 little urchins that march off daily to various schools within the district.

When we marched in our cap and gowns long ago, there were 211 in our graduating class.  I ain't got exact numbers... but, if you divide 12,500 by thirteen...  helps me Mrs. Schumacher, ah... that means this year, carry the one, drop the five, some 981 will flip their tassels.  Most of which, live in Kansas City, Missouri.  NUH UH.  Uh huh. 55.4% live in KC, MO.... 43% in Liberty..   1.3% live in Kearney...    .1% live in Glenaire..  (checking the Schumacher math on all this... VICTOR, that don't add up..  that leaves .2% unaccounted for..  

Well...  I've hearda Vibbard... and Mosby..  Nebo... Minneville, etc... but I aint never hearda 'Other', but, that's where the district says that .2 unaccounted ones abide.

So............ how was everyone?   Happy.  Again, they were happy.  Every graduating picture tells a story, and within, it's a certainty to have included a mixture of happy, sad, glad, ugly, loss, illness, heartache, success, failure.  We're unique, just like you.

If you're not a 64068'er this may bore you so feel free to go to Facebook, Snapchat, Parler, CNN, Fox, back to bed, whadever.......  

Today is "The All School Reunion" on the Old Town Square in Liberty.  All School means, "The Old High School" to us... those of us graduating from 1934 to 1985 (the next year, the 'new' high school opened, the HS became the Jr. High. .then, a few years later, a Middle School.)  It still sets, grandly, on a sunset hill of glory.

Today there will be 6 foot tall 'cardboard cutouts' of Bluejays, each, labeled with the year ya graduated.  Numerically, they'll be strung around the Square.  It's a happy/sad thing.  Ya start on the corner with the Graduating class of '85, large crowd, then to '84, a tad smaller, '83 yet even more a tad smaller and so on...  until you make it around the square to where there's growing pile of Bluejays because there simply ain't no graduates remaining from those early years. Sad, but, that's life.

Ya walk around the Square (*More on that in a sec) if ya go one way, the folks get younger, turn around, go the other way, they get older.  Ya may see a sibling of a classmate... an old neighbor... or, in my case, the guy who, when he was a Senior, and I was a Freshman, on Halloween, he 'funny ha ha'ed' cracked an egg on toppa my ugly mug. I'd like to punch him but he can still run, I can't.

Ya might see the guy or the gal that broke your heart... or, "whew, glad WE didn't get together".. life, walking around the Square, is like a box of chocolates.

It truly is a fun, unique (I think anyways) idea.  In a forty foot walk you can see everyone you went to HS with.  Bring your chair, drop anchor, relive what you can remember.

There is comfort in knowing you're among the folks who only watched the three major networks... sampled Captain Kangaroo... learnt to cuss, smoke at the pool hall...   and all of the above put our fingerprints allover the Dewey Decimal card file and ain't none of us got cooties, herpes simplex, Mono, etc.

We knew buddies phone numbers, and if we forgot, SW Bell hooked us up with a book. It not only told us the friend's number, but their address.  Daring, weren't we?

Virtually everyone in our little room last night no longer works, or, if they do, it's a 'want to', or to supplement SS with a few bucks.  More than once last night I listened to many relating of their huge exhale when work finally ended...  and while we all certainly somewhere within our Big Chief tablets of yesteryear we listed "When I grow up, I wanna be............." - but agin', time after time, I overheard  that all changed to "being successful isn't about money, fame, status, position, title, yada.."  Funny how old dogs still learn eh?

Honestly, as I carefully got outta the shower before going last night... (taking real, live, Tim Conway baby steps so as not to fall).. the song "Well this could be the last time" went thru my gourd.  That's life (right Frank?) in a nutshell for all of us.

I've noticed, youth today gladly tosses around the word "appreciate"... as in, "appreciate ya... appreciate it".. etc.  I likes that.

Seeing folks come hither and go tither... who've seen much the same of the things you personally have seen in life... at the same age... is pretty cool.  And, it's appreciated.

Some did not, could not attend due to health issues...  Some did not attend for various other reasons I'm sure.. too far, too much travel/cost, school wasn't a happy place mebbe, I dunno.

I enjoyed but I didn't stay real, real late.  Your affliction Victor?  Nah, no band.  HUH?  Oh, yeah, I went out front of the joint to smoke several times..  each and every party that approached the bar/restaurant, I held out my hand "$5 cover charge", they all happily obliged, but, I figured I had to leave early 'cause there wasn't no band.  Made me $85 though.

jk.

I'd better go now too.........  

VICTOR!  You never addressed "Ya walk around the Square (*More on that in a sec)"

Oh, yeah, sorry.  Today at the all school thingy. I live 3 blocks from the Square. Hell, cars will park infronta my house to attend the event, no sense in me driving.........so......... I'm driving, riding my mobility scooter up........ jualah.. instant lawn chair too!  I am way over worrying about who sees me riding it... it's me, where I is..  I Phil Collins "I don't care anymore"..... Me thinks my chick hunting days are long over anyways.

Enjoy life, certainly beats the alternative.  Appreciate ya,

Love, Victurd