I can still see CJ, our Persian Cat, waiting anxiously at the back door to go outside, while I’d be setting up my telescope on the deck or in the backyard. 

She would walk around, climb the deck, play like she was catching something….pouncing and clawing the ground. However, after a short while, she’d end up on my lap, either due to being cold, or to just feel safe.  

CJ was going to stay with me for only a couple weeks, and then would be moving to California, but that two weeks ended up being almost 17 years.  I’m really glad the move didn’t work out.   

Astronomy from my backyard will never be the same.  

Debbie and I held her in our arms from 11:30 AM till 8:15 PM.  I had my hand on her chest when her little heart beat the last time, after 19 years.  It was a very sad day.  

CJ had a wonderful life.  We treated her like a Princess!    

The following photo at the bottom of this post was made in January 1965:

A cold month with a lot of snow and school days missed. During this particular snow, there was more than 12-inches of snow on the ground at one time with extremely low temperatures.

Temperatures dropped into single digits for several days, which caused havoc on plumbing for many, and to make matters worse, deep-snow and ice persisted.

During January of this year, the First Broad River froze solid, something I’d never seen before or since.

This was just one of several snow falls that would occur….extending into the months of February and March of 1965.

In the following photo, L-R, are three of my brothers: Ronny, Phillip and Jimmy who are clearing snow with a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood.