Connie Lee (Ash)

 Hi Randall,

You go right ahead and write, you seem to be the only one that takes the time and has the patience!

Me, myself & I enjoyed your and self's story.

Connie

Ralph Ellerd

Pretty cute video,,,, Randall u can write all u want I read it every time!!!  

Randy Stephens

Thanks sweet Connie and Ralphie B. You don't have to twist my arm hard. Just a little bit every now and then will do. 

This week I'm "DOWN IN MISSISSIPPI AND UP TO NO GOOD!!!" AGAIN!!! Ye Haw!!! That's what I'm talking about and I don't care who you are. Tupelo Mississippi.

Don't you just love typing Mississippi. Go on and try, it feels so good. Almost as good as it feels to spell it but my lap top don't do crocked letter, crocked letter, hump back, hump back. If you don't catch on to that you were sleeping in elementary classes during spelling. 

Been fighting with my Supervisor. Threatened to quit but she begged me into staying and doing the shit I said I wouldn't do. Dam women! Ant it a bitch! Always batting those pretty eyes, pleading and even showing cleavage to get their way. Shit I never learned how to say no to that kind of sexual power! And I can't ever get enough cleavage! SOMEBODY HELP ME! Help me please. It should be against the law!!! Celinda batted those beautiful eyes at me in the Grassy Knoll and I never recovered. Like when Kay wouldn't kiss me. You just don't ever get over that kinda of drama I don't care who you are.

Now my Super ask me to do that shit again this week, so I told her I'm taking the week off. Let some of the young Whipper Snappers you have hired do it. Me, hell, I'll just have a little vacation. I didn't tell my Super but I'll work my second job next week and make twice as much. Hey you just don't piss on Superman's Cape. Know what I mean! Sorry! Sorry! I'm a bad, bad boy! Not. Maybe. Sometimes. Never. Always. Who really knows. But I am Superman. Just don't tell anybody. Ok. 

The music is still gone. Maybe someday I'll recover from all the shit that has happened to me in the last two months and the music will come back. But right now the music has died, dead. Deader than Hell.

PS Court is Monday and the shit really begins. No I'm not getting divorced. It's much worse than that!

Randall

Randy Stephens

Mom just died. We will be bringing her back toTulia to be beside Dad on Rose Hill. I will let you know more later. A sweet Texas Rose has fallen.

Randall

Celinda (Cindi) Ward (Hanna)

Randall: My deepest condolences to you and your family on the death of your mom.  Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Randy Stephens

Were bringing Mom home this weekend. There will be a funeral for her at the Central Church of Christ in Tulia on Donley Ave. Saturday at 5:00pm. Mom and Dad still have long time friends there. 

Randall

PS Thanks Cindi 

Lloyd Singer

Randall,

I'm so very sorry for your loss.  Nothing can replace your mothers love, but memories of her will always be with you.  Today she is at peace. 

With deepest sympathty.

Lloyd

Jimmy Kiker

Sorry for your loss, Randy.  We got to spend some time with my mom on Easter Sunday.  We went out to eat after church and were walking up to the restaurant when my mom tripped on some uneven pavement and fell.  It made me so mad  that I wasn't able to catch her!  I wanted to kick myself for not being right at her side, able to reach out and catch her.  It didn't hurt her too bad, just some scrapes and bruises.  I think that was the start of a bad week for the Kiker family.  On Monday, my dad was trying to make a Dr.'s appointment in Amarillo, didn't see a red light, and had a wreck that totaled his pickup.  No one was hurt, thank goodness.  Then, Wednesday night after bible class, my 9 year old grandson collided with a friend while horsing around, and got a concussion.  Not too bad, except it was the second one in 6 weeks!  That's not too good! 

On a different subject, I've discovered that my dad had an uncle that served in the civil war!  I bet there are not too many people alive today that had a relative that close to serve in that war!  He was about 19 years older than my grand dad, who was born in 1866.  My grand dad came to Swisher county in the early 1900's and bought the farm that is partially in the family today.  He freighted cedar posts out of the canyons to Plainview's lumber store with a team of mules and wagon.  I was raised in the same house my dad was born in, but it was the second one built on the farm, as the first one burned in '24, or there abouts.  My great grand dad Kiker was alive when Thomas Jefferson was alive!  He was 4 years old when Jefferson and Adams died, July 4, 1824. 

Again,  I am sorry to hear about the passing of your mother.

Jimmy

Randy Stephens

Thanks Singer

Randall

Randy Stephens

Kiker...................WOW man! You got history! Interesting! Thanks for sharing man. From the Cap Rock to Planview is a long hall. 

Great Great Grandpa Anderson and his brothers fought in the civil war before they went to Texas and Oklahoma. After the war Great, Great Grandpa Anderson was referred to as the one who lost an arm, his younger brother was the one who lost a leg and the youngest brother was the one who lost nothing. He was to young to go and fight. The Andersons were all Cherokees from North Georgia. My Memaw Stephens was an Anderson before she married Grandpa Stephens.

And thanks Kiker. It's been a rough 24 hours but things are a bit better now. Don't know about tomorrow thou. We have a Alabama memorial tomorrow at one and then begin the trek West. It will be good to feel the Texas wind in my face again. To see my beloved Panhandle again and who knows maybe a friend or two. If I should be so lucky. No enemies please.

I got to try and sleep. Couldn't do that last night. Maybe I'll get lucky tonight. No! Not that kind of lucky! Gutter minds! Lucky sleep. Just some lucky sleep.

Randall

Connie Lee (Ash)

 Randall,

Really sorry to hear about your mom.  I know from reading your stuff that she was very, very special to you.  I wish I could tell you that time makes it better, but it only makes it more bearable, you will always miss her, I know I miss mine.  But then again, maybe that is the way it should be.

Love ya,

Connie

Jan Minchew (Sparks)

Randall,

So, so sorry you lost your Mom.  I know you are full of fond memories and hope you are able to focus on that.  My heart be with you!

Jan

Kay Lee (Culwell)

Randy,

Sorry to hear about your mom, you and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Kay

Lonnie Treadway

Kathy Basham, wife of Larry Don Basham, passed away May 11, 2011.  Her furneral was May 14, in Borger, TX.  She was a corrections officer at the Neal Unit in Amarillo.

Denice Rossi (Gerber)

Randy,

I'm sorry about your mother's death and know what a great loss it must be. I lost my dad about 3 years ago. Memories about the "good ole days" come to mind frequently. However, I wouldn't want dad to still be alive in the shape he was in. Death is much easier to handle than to see those we love suffer. But it is never easy saying goodbye.

Denice

Lonnie Treadway

Randall

So sorry to hear about your mother.  You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Randy Stephens

Hey ya'll and you guys. Not much time this morning. Got to get Kathy on the plane in Amarillo and then and then drive back to Tulia to see some of the gang.

Thanks Connie! Thanks Menchew! Thanks Kay! Thanks Tredway! Thanks Denice!

I got to see one of my cousins that I thought was long dead. What a shock. He is from Californication and into family history. Man did we have a time sharing stories. I learned on Mom side of the family we are Eiraqua and German and I already knew we were part Dutch also.

Got to go. Tell ya more later. We had a run in with a Road Runner and Wiley Coyote. Stalemate! Or maybe it was more of a stand off. Just glad it didn't turn into OK Corral! 

Randall

Mike Wesley

Randy and Don,

So sorry to hear about your losses.  My mother passed away in 2006 and I still miss her.  Do not know how I would handle the loss of my wife. 

My thoughts go out to each of you. 

Deborah Nelson (Ferriter)

Randy, so sorry  to be so late in offering my thoughts in the passing of your Mother, but I haven't been on website in awhile.  Mom are very special people and they are irreplaceable... I miss my Mom everyday... and just know she (your Mom) is up there watching over you.. Deb

Steve, I can't believe that Malcom passed away, when we first moved to Tulia, I used to play with him...he loved the G.I. Joe (dolls)..

Randy Stephens

Thanks Westley! Thanks Nelson!

It makes me feel better to know that she is at rest at Rose Hill. Dad is beside her on the right and her Father and Mother is beside her on her left. And Bob, Wynetta, Patsy, Lonnie, Virgil and the House's are there also.

Resting in AK. tonight on the way home.

Randall

Randy Stephens

We were near the end of our grinding over night fifteen hour drive (over 950 miles) from Alabama to Tulia. What a ride! What a ride! We took the Claud Crossing and were just five miles from the Family Farm. So, we drove over to have a loving yesterday look at the old place. Even though a lot had changed there were still good old memories of yesteryear flooding into my conciseness. I could hear the voices of past memories. I could see again the family and fun times dancing in my head. It still does my heart good to see the old places, 2,000 acres of farm land and pasture where my family toiled cheerfully just making a living. Why did I ever leave it? What was I thinking.

"I know what I was feeling but what was I thinking."

Oh well.

After a couple hours of driving, walking, looking and remembering it was time to drive on in to Tulia and take a nap. So as we left the old Family farm and headed to Tulia there was a Road Runner darted across the road in front of us. Kathy screams stop, stop, stop I have to have a picture. So I stop in front of the neighbors house as the Road Runner hops on the Chain Link fence and over into the yard. The neighbor was an old friend and lived less than a mile from our old place. One summer Dad thought it would be good for me to work for someone else other than him. So, un-be-knowing to me they worked out a plan. I think dad even paid my wages that summer even though our neighbor wrote me a check every week.

Well, here we were at the neighbors house. I looked and saw someone in the garage. I pulled the car up to the garage and got out.

"Are you Mr. McDonald?" I asked.

"Yes I am but who are you." He enquired.

"I'm Randy Stephens."

"Let me sit down." He said.

We talked and visited for a long time.

 Old McDonald had a farm e i e i oh!!!!

Kathy had left the car door open and while we were talking the Road Runner walks over to the car and looks at the open door. Kathy sprints to the car to shut the door just as the Road Runner hops inside. When Kathy arrives at the rental she finds the Road Runner perched on top of the drivers set and gets a picture before she convines him to leave the car. Luckily there was no damage done to the car. I'm just glad I had the keys in my pocket so he couldn't drive off. That would have been difficult to explain to the rental people. Beep! Beep! 

Then as we were leaving we came upon Wiley Coyote just a little ways from Old McDonald's Farm. He was lying in the middle of the road. There was no mountain around for him to fall off. There was no rocks to fall on him. There was no broken Acme rocket parts laying around. Only thing I could figure is that a Texas Cattle Truck must have ran him down. Road Runners Cousins, the Buzzards, were gathered around for the banquet feast and Wiley Coyote was the special for the day.

Cross my heart. Even though this sounds like a made up story it is true. We got pics of the Road Runner but Wiley's family ask for a little respect and it was too gruesome of a picture to take. 

Kay Lee (Culwell)

Randy,

I must admit, I don't usually read your stories (sometimes they are way to deep for me), but I did read the road runner/wylie coyote one, and it did make me chuckle a bit.  I guess it's par for the course, the road runner always did win, didn't he?

When we were at the reunion last summer, me, Connie, and Dallana drove out to Nazareth to have a look at our old homesteads.  The only thing left at the Lee farm was the quanset barn, the house, corrals, pens, they were all gone and replaced by corn fields.  Dallana's place and Perry Hall's place were still standing, but just barely, looked like no one had ever lived in them since we all left.  We took some pics anyway, and it did bring back lots of memories.

Randy Stephens

HEY KAY.................................. good to hear from you. 

No girl I'm not deep I'm just amusing.

Kinda like "HE'S NOT HEAVY HE'S MY BROTHER."

Now that's deep I don't care who you are.

It makes me happy to know I make you chuckle. I'm glad you could laugh at my little crazy adventure. They say it's good for the soul to chuckle and laugh. It relieves stress and makes you live longer. Oh, but the side effects are hell (shortness of breath, gasping for air, coughing, wheezing, slobbering, choking, snot running, tears, abdominal and side pain and even puking). Now if it takes all that to make you live longer do you really want too. I can only take so much slobber, snot, choking and pain in a days time. How about you?

It makes me sad to hear about your home place. Sounds like mine. It may crumble, rot and fall but the memories never will! Never!

In my minds eye I rebuild my home place every time I go back to Texas and visit it. Hell, I rebuild it every time I think about it. There are just some things that you never want to leave. Something's you never want to change. Something's you never want to forget. Something's you never want to crumble. Something's you want to always stay alive and vibrant even though you know down deep they won't. But we fight on and on to keep that alive which we cherish so very, very much. And it's so special that in our last weeks and months of fading life we remember. We go back. We revisit. We relive. We retouch. We reconnect. I listened to my Grandpa Stephens relive those special moments. I listened to my Dad and then my Mom relive those precious day of family, childhood and youth. Yes it was simple, special, precious, adventurous, new, crazy, enduring, heartbreaking, funny, devastating, affirming, mesmerizing, blinding and special. It was death defying, unbelievable, challenging, tender, curious, embracing, scary, tingling, difficult, mind boggling and loving. It was our life and we were living it to the best of our ability without a clue as to what we were doing, where we were going, or the million of things expected of us. Kinda foot loose and fancy free. Ant it great! We were living and experiencing life while it slapped us in the face and we didn't even give a shit how much it hurt or cost. Rock and Roll!

"WHEN I HEAR THAT SONG I GO BACK"

Randall

Kay Lee (Culwell)

Randy,

Made me smile again......and everything you said is so well put.  Yes, the memories are still there even though the houses are not.  That is the important thing. 

Glad you made it home ok, talk to you later.

Randy Stephens

HEY GIRL!.............Happy to muse you.

Ant it true. Ant it true. Maybe so but true. Never forget. Keep one remembering and rebuilding. One of these days I'm going to get that kiss that I missed way back then. Look out!

"YOU GOING TO KISS ME OR NOT, WE GOING TO DO THIS OR NOT."

Randall