Raymo's Ramblings Archives | Page 16 of 22

RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS – I DON’T NO WITCH HOMOPHONE TWO USE?

I DON’T NO WITCH HOMOPHONE TWO USE?

There, their, they’re. Buy, by, bye. Than, then. Hear, here. Accept, except. To, too, two. Your, you’re. One, won. Its, it’s. Know, no!

I can’t take it anymore! My mind is a mess. I’m second guessing myself, I have no confidence anymore when it comes to what’s called homophones.

I so wish I would have paid more attention to what my dear English teacher Mrs. Nicholson (Avis) taught us in high school. I was mostly asleep in her English class. Really the only thing I remember about her English class was giving a book report and all I did was read the back of the cover for my report. I’m guessing she taught us what nouns and verbs are and about homophones and how to use them correctly.

I have a boss, son, daughter-in-law, wife, good friend and some Facebook friends that absolutely despise incorrect grammar, or the misuse of homophones. They are the gestapo police when it comes to English and I’m scared!

I do consider myself of average intelligence. I don’t know what my IQ is, but I’m guessing average! You know in high school I was a C student, got some D’s, never made the honor roll. But when I was at Alexandria Tech and Community College I was a straight A student! I really enjoyed college and learning while at Alex. I don’t ever remember having a problem with homophones in high school or college. Heck I was even voted “Outstanding Student” at Alex!! I was in Business management and Sales and Marketing. I got some good grades in all my classes, received my business degree and was proud of what I accomplished at college. So why is it that all of a sudden I am having difficulty with homophones? Is it an old age problem? Alzheimer’s?

I have come to a couple of conclusions. I’m surrounded by English majors in my life, all the above people that I mentioned are constantly around me and if I slip up once, I’m corrected on the spot. It’s like I’m gun shy now, I don’t dare write anything anymore for fear of the gestapo coming after me!!

Social media has played a major role in this as well. I make a grammatical error on a social media post and all of a sudden the whole world knows that Paul has a homophone problem.

So let’s set the record straight, I know what to use when it comes to most homophones. The only real problem I have is with there, their and they’re. And sometimes I have to think about how many O’s go at the end of to, or is it too? The others I really don’t have a problem with.

Boy, I’m really exposing myself in this blog, I’m thinking of deleting it, but I won’t because I know there (or is it their?) are people just like me out their (or is it there? Dang it!) that feel the same way about homophones and struggle sometime like me. If anyone wants to start a support group, please let me know. That’s a great idea, a homophone support group, then we can talk about how to deal with English majors that are in our lives.

Posted: August 5, 2017
Under: Raymo's Ramblings

1 Comment

RAYMO’S RAMBLING – WHO DOESN’T LIKE POPCORN?

WHO DOESN’T LIKE POPCORN?

Who doesn’t’ like popcorn? We took our grandkids to the Grand Theater in Madison the other night and while waiting in line at the concession stand I overheard a young girl say that she doesn’t like popcorn. Say what? Well that set me back, I stared at her and thought to myself “hey young lady, everybody likes popcorn!!!” I don’t think I ever heard someone say they didn’t like popcorn, its everyone favorite snack, isn’t it?

Popcorn is my favorite snack, not only is it good, but it brings back some really good memories of my childhood with my grandpa and grandma Raymo. When visiting them on the farm, grandma would pop popcorn for us. She would pop it the old fashion way in a cast iron kettle and grandpa made sure she put a lot of butter on it. That family tradition continued with my dad. I think my dad had his favorite popcorn pan all his life! He often popped popcorn on the stove on Saturday nights and just about every Sunday night.

Saturday nights at the Raymo house in the late 60’s, when I was growing up in New Ulm consisted of my brother and me getting our butch haircuts by mom, then taking a bath, making sure we were downstairs in front of the TV to watch The Lawrence Welk Show as a family and then our favorite TV show All Star Wrestling. All while eating lots of popcorn popped by dad!!

I have popcorn every time I go to a movie, I don’t think I could watch a movie in a movie theater without popcorn. I have a box of popcorn just about every time I am in a gym broadcasting a basketball game or volleyball match. It’s part of the game! Last year I tweeted out on my Twitter account that the Dawson/Boyd concession stand had the best popcorn! Well that got a tremendous response from other concession stands in schools around the area. Challenging me about what concession stand had the best popcorn. In Canby one night they weren’t’ going to serve me popcorn unless I tweeted out that they had the best popcorn!! A couple of weeks after my tweet the Dawson/Boyd concession stand workers presented me with my own popcorn bucket, made by them. It was awesome!

The Raymo’s do have a strange tradition with popcorn. I learned this from my grandmother Myrna Raymo. Grandma would take a bowl of popcorn and pour milk over it just like she was eating a bowl of cereal. Don’t gag or laugh, try it first. I love it!

I don’t like microwave popcorn. I’ll eat it, but popping popcorn in oil on the stove is the best way to go. And I love Carmel corn, really any type of flavored popcorn is good.

Would love to hear your stories about Americas’ favorite snack food, POPCORN!!

Here is a link about popcorn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn

Posted: August 1, 2017
Under: Raymo's Ramblings

2 Comments

RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS – JOBS I COULD NOT DO

JOBS I COULD NOT DO

This is going to be a strange blog because of the subject matter. Jobs I could not do. This blog could get disgusting, so if you have a queasy stomach you better stop reading. Lately I observed some of my friends that are getting paid to do a certain job, that to me is gross or something I wouldn’t handle very well. All these unpleasant jobs that I am about to write about, my friends have them. So I tell them often, that I could never do what they do, because I think its gross and unpleasant. Here we go.

A few blogs ago I mentioned that I get pedicures on a regular basis. Mainly because it really helps my feet stay healthy and makes them feel so much better. It’s not because I want them to look good, I don’t even wear flip flops to show my feet off. I always tell my pedicurist that I could never do her job and touch someone else’s feet. She always tells me it’s better than looking into someone’s mouth! She’s got a point there.

I could never be a dentist or a hygienist! Looking up peoples noses and seeing god knows what! Peoples bad breath, crooked teeth, or no teeth…just gross, enough said about that. Maybe that’s why I never complain about my dentist bill like some people do.

I was in a local café lately and got to observe a teenage friend cleaning plates and washing the dishes! Now that was disgusting and didn’t look fun at all. And he had a pile of them to do, I actually felt sorry for him.

I met with a proctologist lately. Can you imagine doing that all day long? I can’t imagine, it’s almost funny. What possesses someone to think, “you know when I grow up I want to be a proctologist?” There’s nothing more to say about this. But thankfully there are people like that around.

I was parked in a motel parking lot this past weekend. When I came to get into my car in the morning, the car next me had vomit all over both doors and windows on my side and on the ground between our cars so that I could not even get into my own car. It was gross. That lead to a discussion with my wife on vomit. She said as a preschool assistant teacher she has cleaned up more vomit from kids than she can count over her 26 years in that job. School janitors would be in that same category. Gross, you couldn’t pay me enough to clean up vomit, because if I did I would be cleaning up my own vomit too.

And I have a very good friend that cleans porta potties/outhouses and lots and lots of them. It’s her part time job, and I admire her for diving right in and getting the job done. She’s good at it. I would have to do that job with an oxygen mask on and contaminated full suit.

These are my friends that have these jobs and I really do admire them for what they do. Some or most of them love what they do and I will never understand that. I thank God every day for my pleasant job at the radio station, even though I have to look at Maynard all day.

Posted: July 29, 2017
Under: Raymo's Ramblings

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RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS – HOT WEATHER & BASEBALL

HOT WEATHER & BASEBALL

When the baseball game started at precisely 4:45pm on Tuesday July 25th, the

temperature was 88 degrees with a dew point of 73! That makes it oppressive or

tropical as the weather people call it. Remember I’m in a small press box with a

number of other people, and it was not pleasant at the start of the game. Didn’t

have a try stitch of clothes on me. You could hear the thunder off in the distance

south of Madison. I was getting reports from text messages and Facebook posts

the Canby area was getting dumped on so the baseball game in Madison was in

question.

The game started in the oppressive heat, and at the end of the night it

was very cool and pleasant after the front went through and the Madison VFW/Jr.

Legion team had punched their way to the first ever Jr. Legion state tournament.

Let’s talk baseball for a minute and forget about the dramatic change in

temperature and dew points during the District 7 South championship game

between the Minneota Vultures and the Madison VFW/Jr. Legion team. Minneota

came into Madison needing to win both games to make it to the state tournament

in Bird Island. Madison was in the driver’s seat in the winner’s bracket, but the

Vultures took the first game winning 3 to 0 to force a second and deciding game.

Madison jumped out to a 7 to 0 lead, scoring all 7 runs in the second inning, but

Minneota didn’t go away quietly, chipping away at that 7 to 0 lead. The Vultures

cut the lead to 7-6 with the tying run on 3rd base in the bottom of the 7th inning,

but Madison’s pitcher Layton Wittnebel got the Minneota batter to pop out to

end the nerve wracking game. So Madison VFW/Jr. Legion baseball team is in the

state tournament and that was very exciting for the coaches, players and fans.

I think that is one of my favorite things about covering high school sports and

amateur sports in our area. When teams win the District or Section finals to make

a trip to a state tournament. I’ve been very blessed to cover a number of state

tournaments during my broadcast career. But the excitement and joy that comes

from knowing you are going to state is what I always cherish and love seeing the

faces of the kids and parents when that goal is reached. Also the way the

community gathers around the team when they are heading to state is so much

fun.

So I’m looking forward to another state trip, this time in baseball with the

Madison VFW/Jr. Legion baseball team!!! And praying that August 4th its a pleasant 80 degrees and the dew points a comfortable 50!

Posted: July 26, 2017
Under: Raymo's Ramblings, Sports

RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS -LAUGHING IS GOOD MEDICINE

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LAUGHING IS GOOD MEDICINE

Our family golf outing is in the books, another Raymo Cup completed. As usual it was a fun three days of golf, food, drinks, bean bags, music and laughs with the best guys to hang out with. My son Brandon hosted us in Montevideo this year. There were nine of us to compete for the coveted Rosemary K Raymo trophy and the Carrell Coat named after my mom and dad in their memory.

We started off golfing nine at the Madison Country Club on Friday afternoon. Then nine at Hawk Creek in Raymond Saturday morning, and ended with 18 holes at Eagle Creek in Willmar Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning, we finished 18 at The Crossings in Montevideo. We all enjoy the game of golf, and some of us play more than others and some are very good golfers.

But you know the three days of the Raymo Cup is way more than the game of golf, it’s about family and spending time together. It’s the young guys, (under 40 years old) teasing and razzing the old guys (50 and older) about everything under the sun. And the old guys giving it right back for three days!

Since I am the oldest, it seems everyone is always asking me if I am ok, especially in the heat. Are you drinking enough water? Make sure you’re in the shade! 54 holes of golf is a lot of golf in three days, in the heat of summer. This past Saturday the dew point was a 72 on my phone, which is considered tropical, or oppressive. And we did a lot of sweating Saturday. But this old guy did very well, a little sore today, but I can keep up with the young bucks.

It is amazing with Facebook, Snap Chat, and the other social media sites, how many the rest of our family, wives, sisters, cousins, aunts and others always look forward to all of our posts to see what’s going on and who’s leading and waiting to hear the funny stories when we all get home. I just spent the last hour telling my wife all of the funny stuff that went on the last three days.

I guess that is what makes the Raymo Cup so much fun, all the laughing that goes on. Someone is always laughing at something. Always something funny going on, someone is always saying something funny, someone is always doing something funny. And we all laugh, sometimes with tears in our eyes from laughing so hard, and if you know the Raymo guys, we have some good belly laughs!!

I could write about some of the funny stuff, but its better if I tell you face to face, so ask me sometime about all the funny stories, because I have many of them to tell. Laughing for three days straight is good medicine for all of us, and that is what makes the Raymo Cup so special. Love all those guys! Can’t wait till next year.

Posted: July 23, 2017
Under: Raymo's Ramblings

Raymo’s Ramblings