The Weekend is Here/Characters I Have Known

Friday midday is here, the sky's are cloudy, cool temps, a typical early fall day. Things are looking good weather wise for the next few days, look at 70s for highs and 40s and 50s for lows, with no rain. If it doesn't rain this morning, and right now, the rain is north, we will stay dry for another week.

Last night I watched the VP Debate(a draw in my opinion, so a win for "The Ebony Messiah", Barack Hussain Obama), some baseball. Sorry Cubs fans(including son Sam), you are about to get "booted" yet again, and a little College Football, a Pitt upset of South Florida. The market is up this morning, the House of Representatives is facing the "Bombs" away "Bail Out"...I am pretty sure it will pass this time, and our economy will slowly go down the shitter....which it is destined to do either way, pass or no pass. We have spent ourselves, via the nanny state, into economic Armageddon. I am afraid folks like me are being ignored, the vast ignorant masses believe more spending by Washington and the election of a shyster from Chicago will make it all better, it won't. And I have been saying this for a long time. "The Chickens are Coming Home to Roost" indeed....the very racist Reverend Wright was right, just not in the way he believed.

Football last night, and a full schedule this weekend, tomorrow at Spencerville, and back home for a Rec League game Sunday here in Celina...the season is winding down....will figure out what to do with my time this winter later.

Characters I have known

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We are all surrounded by folks throughout our lives we consider "Characters"....I know I have met and been around both friends and family members that fall into this category, Hell maybe I do too. These people are basically good folks that can rub some the wrong way, but most are the happy go lucky kind, who would not hurt a soul on purpose.....just don't cross them. In addition to the "people" in the photos here, I could name a couple dozen others....but these will do for a weekend read.

Here we go:

Top of Page: The tiny berg of Millwood, Ohio, founded around 1825...one of those founders was my GGG-Grandfather Israel Houseworth(1775-1863). Millwood, located northeast of Columbus in Central Ohio is located on Owl Creek and has a population of about 100 these days...a beautiful area, especially in the fall.

top left: My Granddad Bill DeVore(1900-1970), I loved this old man, even though at times he drove my mom crazy. Granddad lost his leg about the time I was born...but after throwing his artificial leg away, he continued to raise Hell for another 20 years. The rest from left to right. Forrest "Smokey/Housie" Houseworth(1912-1966), my uncle, Dad's older brother, shown with Mike and me in south Florida. Housie liked to fish, he was never addicted to work in the years I knew him. Mary "Eva" Houseworth Anspach(1910-1998), Aunt Eva was dad's sister, she lived most of her life in Scott, Ohio, and the last 3 years in a Van Wert, Ohio nursing home...I was her power of attorney her last years....a real fighter till the end. She was a hard core Republican and sports fan, who was the first women I knew that had tattoos. A nice collection on both arms, long before they were popular with women. A women's libber of the Right Wing variety who could kick most men's asses, the liberal women of today would have been no problem to her.

John Ponzuric and Rick Tester....2 old friends, Ponzi was a biker from the old days, who I spent a few evenings at coon dog trials....he is still getting around, probably not raising as much Hell, but trust me, JP could run with the best/worst of them. Tester was my bar tending buddy at the Red Door, still crazy as ever, we all got together at this past springs 40 year RD reunion.

Maish Housworth(1846-1944). Maish died 5 years before I was born, a cousin by birth. I only know this Civil War veteran from my family genealogy research. Maish joined the Union Army at 15, was booted out, for being underage, and rejoined at 17....He was a popular figure around Waldo, Ohio, where he rests today in the town's cemetery. Then we have me and Tom Browning. Browning was a pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds, along with the late, great, Joe Nuxhall, they were/are my favorite sports figures to hang with and interview. Browning was as crazy as they get, once sitting on the apartment roofs outside Wrigley Field with the fans, while the Cubs-Reds game was in progress. He was also a damn fine pitcher, tossing a perfect game no-hitter, one of less than a dozen in Major League History, in September 1988.

Not all of my Characters are human....my first 2 pure bred Airedales, Rag and her mate Max were characters. Before we had kids, these two were our "Children". Patrica and I dragged them everywhere...from camping trips to in laws houses(which I just shake my head about these days), to our various moves in my early radio days. They rode like well behaved children...unless they would see a cow in the roadside fields....Rag would go bonkers. Here she is with me at Higgins Lake, Michigan, in 1975.

Finally my old barber buddy Jerry Fortney(1947-2005)....Jerry was a non-stop talker, especially when it came to sports, our politics were never on the same wave length, but our friendship and sports teams were. We took in many a professional game, and "Skeeter" was my color man while doing Cable TV Play-by-Play of the Van Wert Cougars during the 1980s and early 90s.

Well, guess that was long winded enough....have a great weekend, damn the Stock Markets and Politics.

Back Later