5 Years Gone By....

As I mentioned awhile back, I was going to slow down the "blogging" as I approached the five year anniversary of "prh....a day in the life"...and I have indeed done that.  Some 1300 posts have gone into cyber-space since July 27, 2007, and I have enjoyed writing much of my life in review....of late, however, like anything else, it has become a not so entertaining look at my daily routine, and frankly, it even bores the Hell out of me at times.  So if I stumbled through the 2 or 3 posts per week of late, it is nobodies fault but mine.  Besides the last few days have seen the plate filled.

Latest Happenings_____

Mom went into the hospital on Sunday, and there she remains...she had some chest pains and the ambulance was summoned by my brother Mike early Sunday....so far we are still in limbo as to what the story is....she seemed better this morning, but is still weak, and unable to stand for any length of time, and remains on oxygen, hopefully the next day or two will see enough improvement to let her head home...although she will most likely need plenty of looking after for a few days....as strong willed as she is, she is still 88 years old, and will need the family to keep an eye out on her for awhile.

Patricia, niece Megan, and I, have been heading over in the early morning when the doctor makes his visits, Mike around Noon, and sister Marty later in the day....niece Lori, a RN from Columbus, visited with her and got some details last night, and Hal came up to visit for a couple hours.  While he was at the Hospital, we got to sit with grandson Kasyn..."The K-Man" loved the backyard....checking out the grass and trees at 8 months appeared to be a big thrill for him.  He will be back for a few hours again tomorrow afternoon, then Thursday Patricia will head to Centerville to sit with him....I will most likely stick close to home to monitor the situation at the hospital, or see if mom is to be released that day.

Other than that, things are about the same....waiting out the time between the end of baseball and the beginning of my football work, is relaxing....August 7th is our crew's first full Varsity scrimmage, and August will be almost as full as September, then October is busy before winding down the last week, the wait on basketball will again be welcome.

Only three weeks before Patricia heads back to school....I am not sure she is ready for that...meanwhile the plans to replace the kitchen are underway...but it will take awhile before all is done...floors, done from the water leak, then the cosmetics that we choose to do...Walls, New Windows, Cabinets, Island replaced....a costly venture, but once done, it will likely be the last major work done on the old Church Parsonage until we move away{not likely} or assume room temperature{more likely}....

That's is the scoop for now....back later>>>>

Photo-Grandson Kasyn growing like a week, nearing 30 pounds at 8 months and wearing 18 month old clothes....taking after his dad, without much doubt...."The K-Man with Grandma discovering the trees and flowers in our back yard late yesterday....he was intently interested in those and the feel of the green grass....and finally, the Kitchen, now bare naked...the floor was needed replaced, and now the rest will go, cabinets, new looking out in the backyard window, wall paper replaced with paint, and new island replacing the old....it may be next Spring before it's totally done, but hoping by Christmas.

Lake Festival, K-Man, and 7 on 7 Football...

The Drought Eases.....

Not a lot of rain in Celina, but we have had some....once again more to the south, east, and north...but what we have had, has eased the dry conditions, and some spots of green are actually showing up on the neighborhood lawns....allowing for some spotty mowing to begin anew.  After a humid day yesterday, this morning dawned cooler and cloudy, that however won't last long, as the thermometer will once again rise to the lower 90s by early in the coming week.

Busy Week past....

On Thursday Patricia and I headed to Centerville, and spent the day watching the ever increasing active grandson Kasyn....at 8 months and nearing 30 pounds, the "K-Man" is becoming quite the chunk.  Walking with the help of the furniture, I suspect he is only a few weeks to a month away from walking under his own power....no hurry on that front for sure.

7 on 7 Football....

Yesterday Sam and I joined 4 other area football officials in working the first annual 7 on 7 scrimmages/tournament for the Grand Lake Festival....things went well for the first try, and it was an easy way to sweat off a few pounds while making $100 bucks, and getting a tournament T-Shirt for maybe 4 hours work.  One official worked on each of the six 50 yard fields...no tackling, no blocking, no running plays....7 on 7 passing and one hand touch.  I worked one of the JV practice fields and things, I thought, went very smooth.

Lake Festival.....

Despite the problems with the Lake, the Lake Festival goes on....other than the football tournament, I didn't make it downtown, and frankly, after football, cooking out, and a handful or more of Miller Lite, I was in the sack before 10pm....slept for over nine hours, and I have to say, it felt pretty damn good....

The Festival Fireworks went off last night, and the Grand Parade will take place from 6 through 9pm tonight....I will miss that as well....parades, much like that gay and political correct bullshit that opened the Olympics, just don't hold my interest...some folks like them and that is fine....just not my thing.  The Olympic Opening on the other hand was enough to make one puke....the world has gone to Hell in a hand basket....and you just wonder how long before somebody tries to put it out of it's misery.

The Week Ahead.....

To be frank, I'm not sure what is on my plate.  Patricia is removing wall paper from the kitchen...the plans for the floor replacement, destroyed by the water leak last month, and the new kitchen, which we have wanted anyway, are becoming more clear, although not grounded in cement just yet.  If things go ahead, the Kitchen work will get started in October and hopefully done, floors and all, by Christmas....some $15 to $20 thousand later.

Even with the unplanned 7 on 7, I remain two weeks out from the first of my football scrimmages....and I do need to order some gear before things get started...damn!  The sun just  came out....which means no doubt the heat and humidity will be close behind.

back later>>>>

A Welcome Rain....

Of late we have had a few showers, some places to the north, south, and east of us have gotten plenty of late...finally, last night and today we have received our fair share....much too late to do the crops any good, especially the corn, but the farmers will survive, most always do.  Whether it be from the money they get on the crop shortage, or from the Fed...those around here, stay in business...so I tend not to worry much about them.

With the rains of late, although we are still in a shortfall and need more, I expect the grass, long dormant, will start to grow, and I will get back to mowing on occasion...for the past 6 weeks, I think I have mowed the weeds in each yard, one time a piece.....

With the baseball season over, it's time for me to get a few things off my plate....

Painting:

      I still need to re-do the garage, and a few touch up spots on the homestead....just too damn hot, or maybe I just too damn lazy....?  I will get it done, however, I won't paint in the 95 degree heat with matching humidity.

Back on the Diet:

     It's been almost three years{September 2009} when I discovered that I was pre-diabetes 2....I lost nearly 40 pounds and got down to 180 on a fairly simple diet...cutting back the calories to 2000 a day and the carbs to about 200.  Over the past year or so, I have gained some of that (18 pounds) back.  Dark beer, and not counting calories on a regular basis seem to be the issues.  I have remained active, despite the Carotid Artery surgery in March...but some weight has found it's way back....so, as football season arrives, I intend to get back down to 180 or so before the end of football and the holiday and basketball season...usually this has not been a problem to lose the weight, so here we go again.

On a related note:

     I had an appointment to meet the new Doc who took over for retired Doc Bergman this morning....seems like a nice enough fellow, not young, probably in his forties.  I found it amusing that when I took my Blood Pressure this morning before I left for the office, it was a solid 115/73 with a pulse rate of 55 beats per....the medication has worked it seemed.  However, when I arrived at the office and checked in, it was up to 155/104....he came in, we talked and he told me that when he was an intern, he was told to wait for awhile before taking the BP...so it would be down to nearly "normal" levels...when he re-took mine, it was up to 205/110....now somebodies machine isn't telling the truth.

      The results suggested I come back in 90 days...rather than the usual 6 months.  Since I have blood work scheduled in August, and an appointment with the cardio in September, so what the Hell?  The thing is once I got back home, I re-checked and it was back down to the 115/56 and 55 pulse...I had Patricia take her readings and she was actually a bit higher than mine at 120/75.  The Doc wants me to bring my device in next time I come in to check if versus his...I will, but I'm pretty sure my is working well, as Patricia's is usually low, and her readings are just about what she usually takes.  My problem, IMO, is the old "White Coat Syndrome"....and I've had it for awhile, at least since my back issues a few years ago...I don't seem to have any outward signs, but something is different when I walk into that office and plop myself down...and I won't increase medications to drop if further.

Five Years Ago:

     Five years ago, this week, I started writing this blog.....my plans to slow down to 3 or 4 times a week are on course.....more on occasion, less at other times....if I have something I deem worth writing.

     Patricia and I will head for Centerville on Thursday to sit with Kasyn....who turns 8 months old today....the boy is growing like a week...eating jars of food, and wearing 18 month old size clothes...at 8 months!  He is moving well, and my guess is he will be walking within a month on his own....he already can maneuver himself around by holding on to tables and whatever else he can get his paws on....he will be a challenge for Hal and Lisa, bigger than he already is.

back later>>>>

{Baseball} Season Ends....

Much as it started, above normal temperatures, the Spring/Summer Baseball Season came to and end for me last night....

State ACME Tournament at Bryan_____

After watching the last choking holes for Adam Scott at the British Open, giving Ernie Els his second BO win, first in a decade, I packed my gear and clothes for one more baseball double headed, into Patricia's Nitro, and headed north out of town.  The road to Bryan, some 65 miles from here is a straight shot, right up US 127, where Van Wert, Paulding, and tiny Sherwood, are the only towns on the route.

I arrived well before 4pm,  with my two games slated to start no earlier than 5pm, I had plenty of time, and took in the Lima Shawnee game against host Bryan....Shawnee scored 3 in the top of the 7th and stayed alive in the tournament  with a 6-5 win...the other area team, Wapak also stayed alive in the losers bracket with a win over Springfield 12-0....that team was outscored 33-0 in it's two game run at State. 

My partner Duane, from Napoleon, would do the first game behind the plate, since his hometown team was in the nightcap...due to the length of the early games, we got underway at around 5:35, and finally finished up at 10:40...I pulled into the driveway at 12:20 this morning, my season finally completed.  Defiance edged Perrysburg in our first game 6-5.  I took the dish for the Dayton Northmont vs Napoleon game, and after Northmont spotted Wildcats two runs in the top of the first, the scored five of their own, and never looked back in a 11-4 winner's bracket contest.  Defiance and Northmont remain undefeated in the double elimination State Tournament....four other teams have one loss, and I got to believe Wapak, if anybody can come out of the loser's bracket, they are the team....however, the winner of the Defiance/Northmont game will be in the "Cat Bird's Seat".

The ending of the Season____

My season began late...on the day I was supposed to work my first scrimmage, March 16th, my 63rd Birthday, I was getting my Carotid Artery surgery...I would sit for two weeks, then I would slowly get back into the game, albeit with steel staples in my neck.  The season would be virtually without rain, and I missed only two games, one in the Spring and one in the ACME season...last night an hour and a half drive north, that long season, some 90 games umpired, came to an end....I now have 2 weeks or so to get some relaxation before football scrimmages begin, I am not ready for that, just yet.

This season has given me reflection on just how long I want to continue with umpiring and officiating...it has been a grind at times.  Baseball, I will probably continue with for many years, as long as I am in reasonably good shape....at least Spring ball, Summer baseball, especially in seasons as hot as this?  That is in doubt....especially at the lower Junior ACME levels...I have already made the decision to cut back on that level for next season.

Football?  We will see how this full season goes, before I commit to another varsity round, although I plan on working for at least a couple of more years.  As for basketball?  That I have contracts for a couple of seasons out....but will see how this season goes, it will be the first sport I give up.  My least of the three sports I work, it is a good workout, but some levels, especially the JV Boys two man crews, are a pain in the  back, butt, and legs....I am not sure how long I will or can continue....good workout or not!

However it shakes out....I enjoy the sports, and even with my favorite, baseball, done for another year, I can say that I am relieved to see it done....hopefully a cooler month of August awaits, I am ready to work in some cooler conditions.

Photos-Baseball is done for another year,  football right around the corner, and basketball awaits in the not to distant future.....they each have a time and place in my not-so-busy schedule.

Playing Politics With the Colorado Shootings...

Didn't take long for the Lame Stream Media(left wing slugs they are) to start playing politics with this morning's "Batman" shootings in Aurora, Colorado.....

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/20/deadly-shooting-colorado-movie-theater-dark-knight-rises/

Fox News{above} was one of the few that has been playing it straight...meanwhile ABC, CNN, and MSNBC, NBC, and others have been dragging out their collection of left wing loons, early on, to try to blame it on the Tea Party, Right Wing Radio, Limbaugh, Beck, Fox, etc.....it's in their DNA, they can't help themselves.

Right leaning bloggers, and others have been trying to counter point the losers on the left with their own spin....and our beloved President The Kenyan Pole Smoker, was pulling himself off the campaign stump this morning, so he could try to score some political points by "bringing the country together"....lying hypocritical son of a bitch that he is.....

I'm sure the next assault from O'Gangster and the Media Lap Dogs will be for stronger Gun Control....after all, in their warped minds, there is no better time to score political points than during a crisis.....that also is in the DNA and their sick, twisted minds....

Otherwise on this Friday in middle/late July, locally the IC Parish Festival kicks off in Celina, Sam and I work a double headed tonight at Minster, and the  rains have finally put a dent in the drought, not much of one, but a small dent, none the less, and the temperatures have been lowered, if only for a day or two.   It will be back in the middle 90s by Sunday when my baseball umpiring season ends at the ACME State Tournament in Bryan, Ohio.

Enjoy your weekend...back later>>>>

Cincinnati, Lightning, Bobble Heads, and Bad Baseball....

I left Celina at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon, on my way to Centerville, where I would meet up with youngest son Hal...from there we would make the drive to Cincinnati, grab a bite to eat, and hook up with his father-in-law, Tim and some family members.  The trip was a much better show than the baseball game.

We have been in the mist of a drought for sometime....yesterday, much of the state got plenty of rain, more than enough in the Cincinnati area...back home in Celina, just a few drops....even with another round of lite rain this morning, we remain dry for the most part.

We left Centerville at 4pm or so, and headed south on I-75...the skies to the south, as well as east and west, were dark, and the lightning strikes in all areas were coming at an increasing rate...by the time we reached Sharonville, in the northern bergs of Cincy, the traffic had slowed to a crawl, and the flashing amber signs read "Miles to I-74 Seven, Minutes  to arrive 43"....we crawled along and even though I had forgot to pack the Nikon, Hal and I took photos and some video with the cell phones, moving at less than 10mph allowing for that.  The lightning strikes were intense and spectacular before the heaviest of rain arrived...one bolt, some distance from the roadway caused both of us, and I'm sure other, to jump high in our seats.  Meanwhile in downtown Cincinnati, the Great American Ball Park was pretty much under water...Hal downloaded a live photo showing the water in the outfield...the stadium turf drains quite well thank you, and with the storms scheduled to end around 6pm....the game should get started nearly on time....it did, but the Reds probably wish it hadn't.

We arrived at the parking garage at 5:30 and Tim and family had arrived just before us....we met at Rock Bottom, had some drinks, me opting for a strong dark Stout that is the in house breweries speciality, a bite to eat, a Club Sandwich for me, and at 6:30, with just a sprinkle of rain, we headed to the park for the Reds and Arizona on Jay Bruce Bobble Head Night.  The bobble head was about as good as it got.  Matt Latos, who had not lost since mid-April gave up a two run home run in the top of the first inning, and the Diamondbacks never looked back...putting away the home team in the middle innings and coming away with a 7-1, dropping the Reds into a first place tie with Pittsburgh.

Regardless we had a good time, despite the loss, and the lite drizzle that stayed with us for the first 6 or 7 inning....we left in the 8th inning, the traffic had cleared out, and Hal and I arrived in Centerville about 11pm....I got into the Nitro, stopped by the 24/7 Tim Horton's on the route through home, grabbed a large French Vanilla Coffee to help me stay awake....and I headed back north on 75...finally arriving home at 12:45 this morning.

The Reds are schedule back in action at 1pm today, but the storms are back in Cincinnati this morning, and could put a fly in that ointment.....meanwhile I look forward to my final umpire work this weekend.  Two games with Sam tomorrow at Minster, the a final double header Sunday afternoon at 5pm in Bryan, for the State ACME(High School Summer Baseball) Championships.

Frankly, I will be happy to see it end....just a short break before football officiating begins on August 7th....back later>>>

Photos-(1) Threatening Clouds as we approach Cincinnati on I-75...(2) the Jay Bruce Bobble Head box the first 25,000 received last night at Great American Ballpark (3)The view from our seats in left field as the game got underway and (4) The ACME State Tournament will end my baseball work for the season....that comes this Sunday north in Bryan, Ohio.

July 2012....The Heat Drones On

Hot, Hot, Hot.......

Even growing up back in the 1950s and early 60s on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Venice, Florida.  I can probably say this has been the most uncomfortably hot Summer I have witnessed.  The summer in Vietnam was broken up by two separate summers, since I didn't arrive until July 2, 1969, and left June 29, 1970....of course in South Vietnam, it was basically summer all the time.  Even so, and without Air Conditioning, I don't remember it being this uncomfortable.  This has been a summer to wish away.

Perhaps it is because we had a mild winter, and an unusually warm early Spring in March...but regardless, and Man-made Global Warming be damn, it is Hot.  Hot enough that I will be glad when it is over, and I am glad baseball season, for me and umpiring, will come to an end this weekend.

Sam and I will work the Minster Pony Tournament for the 5th or 6th year in a row on Friday, a double header, he will also work two games each on Saturday and Sunday.....meanwhile, I will take Saturday off, and then on Sunday I will take a hike up US 127 and work the ACME State Tournament for the 3rd straight season...it is always nice for the ego to be selected for post season work.  The past two seasons the State Title has been decided here in Celina...this year it moves up to the northwester corner of the state...a few miles east of Indiana, and 20 miles south of Michigan to Bryan, which is 65 miles north of Celina.

I will work the two Sunday Winner's bracket games at 5 and 7:30pm, meaning it will be a late drive home Sunday evening, probably not arriving before Midnight.  When those games are done, I will likely be finished for the season, unless a sub is needed for one of the late week games...the championship game is set for July 28th.  Regardless, I will be more that happy to see the season end, even though football is just a few weeks away, with scrimmages beginning August 7th.

Tomorrow there is a chance of rain...I have a luncheon meeting at 11:30 in the morning with members of a couple of others, concerning expansion of MRSI...once that is completed, I will head for Centerville, where Hal, Lisa, maybe grandson Kasyn, and a few of their friends will head to Cincinnati to take in my 2nd Reds game of the year....this one vs the Arizona Diamondbacks...if it last as long as tonight's game, which sees a Reds 4-0 lead in the 8th inning, and already over 3 hours old, it will be a long night once again.

Meanwhile, the heat and humidity, rain or no rain, will continue....the extended forecast has very little cooling in store...highs from the upper 80s(bearable) to the mid 90s....I can say for sure, I'm ready for October, then I will take my chances bitching about the cold and wet or snow filled months ahead.

back later>>>>

Photos-A sunset last Friday near Spencerville, Ohio, as I headed back from working the ACME District at Lima Central Catholic....number 2 was taken off my front porch tonight, as I looked out towards the Celina Pool, and County Fairgrounds, a couple blocks away..#3, the Reds for the second time this season are in my plans for tomorrow night....and finally I took this Sunset off part of the Internet photos that come with a program...so can't take credit for that one, but I have always liked it, and a salute to whomever snapped this one.

Arguing With Idiots {Baseball Idiots}

Rodeo Clowns and Arguing with Them......

The heat and humidity levels have returned with a vengeance to Ohio....and while rain soaked many parts of the state, we in the Celina area had just a bit....all in all however, it was an unpleasant weather pattern in which to umpire baseball.  Then you top that off by arguing with coaching morons, and you end up scratching your head and asking yourself..."Why the Hell do I do lower level games?"

Things kicked off Thursday and Friday afternoons at Lima Central Catholic, where I worked the bases on Thursday, then Friday the plate for the Varsity ACME District....it was hot, but not miserable both days.  At the Varsity level, the games seem to move faster, the players of course usually better, and same for  the coaching.  Lima Shawnee, down in the losers bracket, won both Thursday(over Liberty-Benton) and then again on Friday(vs Findlay) to force a showdown with host LCC.  Shawnee would need to beat LCC twice, while the home standing T-Birds needed only one win to move on to next week's state tournament at Bryan, in the far northwest corner of the state.  Shawnee, like they did last season, came back, grabbed two wins, and thus move on, my hats off to them.

I wasn't there Saturday for the finals, instead I had opted to work the Junior ACME South Regional at Celina on our rubber infield turf....which was cooking by the time my double header got underway at 2:30 in the afternoon.  I should have known it probably wouldn't go well, when I noticed the coach from Team B was a larger than life rodeo clown that son Sam had tossed out of a game at Celina a few years back.  Sam had worked their game the night before, but unlike me, his memory tends to block things out, and he says he didn't remember the coach...I did!

With their team down in the winner's bracket final, the assistant coach continue to make off hand comments, along with pissing and moaning about my strike zone...in the heat, which required plenty of wet towels and water, I finally had enough of his young mouth, and bounced out from behind the plate and yelled in his direction, to basically "shut up", and if I heard one more word, he was gone...asking him if he understood, he says "yes" ...not done yet, I yell down at the head coach on 3rd base, that if I tossed his assistant, by rule, he's in the dugout for the rest of the game....the inning ends, with his team down 10-2, and here he comes.

Telling me that I can't threaten to kick him out{I didn't}, basically I reply, that I could do any damn thing I wanted...as he starts telling me to show him that rule, as he was an umpire for 15 years...I'm thinking ""Must have been a piss poor one at that".  Anyway as I turn to argue some more we bump into each other, and the rodeo clown accuses me of "bumping" him...Bullshit to say the least.  I, with gear on, might weigh 210 pounds, this guy is at least 340...if we had bumped I would have been sent backwards...I wasn't.  So much like someone from the Obama Administration, he was not exactly speaking the truth.  The game ended with his team on the losing end of a 10-4 final, meaning they had to play Coldwater in a late game(with me on the bases) to continue on in the tournament.

In the meantime, rodeo clowns tells the tournament directors that I had bumped him...."He's full of shit" I tell them...needless to say there would be no pre-game handshake between me and him before the next game....that game, with Coldwater up 8-2, was halted by rain for an hour in the bottom of the 5th....Rodeo Clown comes out and bitches that I made his pitcher toss in the rain, and I should not delay the game...by this time the wind was blowing 40 MPH and the rain was driving over the outfield fence....I just looked at the asshole I ordered the pitching mound covered.  He stated to my partner Sean, who was working the plate that if we couldn't finish the game, he would forfeit, as he wouldn't drive back for 2 innings, down by 6 runs.....lucky for his team, we started the game back up within the hour.

Coldwater's pitchers couldn't find the strike zone when we resumed...walking 8 batters in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game at 8-8....Team B won in the bottom of the 7th on a squeeze play....bringing them back on Sunday needing to win two games over Northmont, and somehow they did!  Now Rodeo Clown gets a shot at the Junior ACME State Title next week in Lima....{I call them Team B as to not embarrass the kids on the team, due to their fool of a coach, not to shy away from calling him what he is}

Anyway that was the weekend baseball and rhubarb action....I finally figure I need to cut the Summer lower level games off, beginning next summer....let the kids do them, I have no patience with morons....and even less when it is 90 degrees plus with humidity to match.  If I am going to argue with coaches, I at least want to do it with somebody that knows the game and I can respect.

The Rule as Written_____

Just in case you were wondering if I was correct or the Rodeo Clown Coach was right...here is the rule on page 29 of the 2012 Baseball Rules Book from the National Fedreation of State High School Assocations{which although ACME is not a member, the assocation does adopt the rules of}

"The umpire shall eject the offender from the game, unless the offense is judged to be of a minor nature.  The umpire may warn the offender and then eject him if he repeats the offense.  The warning of ejection shall be made at the end of playing action.  Failure to comply shall result in the game being forfeited.  For coaches who violate g(1-5), h, i, j, k, or l, the umpire may eject the offender.  For violation fo g-6 "both the head coach and the offending coach" shall be restricted to the dugout for the remainder of the game, or if the offense is judged severe enough, the umpire may eject the offender and restrict OR eject the head coach. 

Just so you know PRH knows his rules, and no rodeo clown needs to tell him differect.

back later>>>>

Likes...Dislikes, etc...part #1

I crawled out of bed this morning around 6:15, as I heard wife Patricia pull out of the drive, on her way to Centerville to spend the day watching grandson K-Man....

I tossed on some shorts, shoes, and a t-shirt, and headed out towards the West Bank of Grand Lake St. Marys, to see what kind of sunrise photos I could muster from the point and shoot Nikon.  I snapped about 20 or maybe 25 photos, nothing special came out...I have done better, done worse, but since the sun was just rising above a small bank of clouds when I arrived, I didn't have time to plot or even think about what kind of shots I wanted to take.  A couple however, are included on today's blog.

One thing I did notice was the morning was delightfully cool, as compared to last week...the humidity had not set in which belies what we will have in store for this afternoon...91 is set for today, well above the normal for mid July, but still at least 10 degrees cooler, and much less humid than it was this time last week....hopefully the days of triple digit heat are but a bad memory for the rest of this summer.

I arrived home about 7:30am, downloaded the photos, plus some I had taken last week....then headed out on my morning walk to the fairgrounds and around....I only logged about 35 minutes this morning, but noticed that the air had calmed, and the humidity was already on the increase...home by 8:30,in the shower, then put on a pot of coffee, and here I sit, blogging for the first time in 3 days.

I had promised myself to cut my posting back to only a few times a week, and only if I had something worthwhile, in my own mind, to write about....so here goes:

Things I Dislike____and what to do about them!

Well into my 63rd year of life there are things I just don't like and have pretty much decided to if at all possible to avoid them.....among them are obvious things, like avoiding discussing politics with Liberals and Democrats, supporters/excuse makers for the Islamic trash that now infests the nation and the world.  Also  New York Yankee fans, and fans of the NBA in general, such a wasted stupid sport it is...white people that listen to Rap Music.  In my mind, there is nobody dumber than some white punk, decked out in "tats", with window rolled down, hat on sideways, listening to some inner city talentless racist spew out garbage about hating whitey, and banging hoes...and the white fool thinking he is cool by blaring that crap as loud as he can.  You can only think one thing..."well there is a waste of taxpayers money, this guy will never have a job, or contribute to society, and here he is, trying to be something he will never be, and really, who the Hell would want to be, a wannabe?  Idiots and fools need to be avoided if at all possible, and these clowns are at the top of the list.

Among other things I would like to avoid if all all possible...realizing you can never say never.

Flying:

I never have like flying, even in my Air Force days.  Not really afraid to fly, I was just never comfortable doing it....the take offs and landings suck.  But even that is not the reason I would rather avoid it....these days it the bullshit you go through to fly.

After my retirement from the health department and I took up RV delivery, I had to return fly at least weekly to Dayton or some other nearby airport, and while Dayton was nice enough, the flights out, whether it be from Vegas, Tampa, or LA, were like the the modern version of a Greyhound Bus Terminal. 

Few people have class when flying these days....smelly, fat, loud, rude...and that's just the passengers.  Between the aging Stewardesses and the flaming gay male Stewards, many with attitudes, flying sucks in the 21st century.  So I will attempt to avoid it and drive...at least, as dangerous as it is, I'm in my own element.

OK...those are a few things that I dislike these days....and despite my best efforts, the list seems to grow with aging.

back later>>>>

Photos-
(1) A Sunrise this morning made Grand Lake look much better than the water quality does...the lake is pretty quiet this July...few boats, no swimmers, and very little fishing, going on....as you can see from the final photo(5), taken yesterday. (2) Kasyn, the grandson approaching 8 months, is growing up fast...(3) Not many flowers due to the heat and dry this Summer, but once in awhile one, like this yellow beauty, pops up.(4) Flying these days is certainly not what it was back in 1969 when I flew Braniff to beautiful Saigon Vietnam.

Changes.....both the weather and on this blog

The weekend, at least Friday and Saturday were brutally hot and humid, Sunday improved nicely, and now we are looking at more "normal" conditions for most of this week.  "Normal" being the upper 80s to near 90 degrees with less humidity.

Friday, I umpired behind the plate at Lima Central Catholic, and by the time the 6pm game got underway I knew it would be a particularly hot time on the old ball diamond....it was, in retrospect, the hottest I have ever experienced behind the dish...at least the first three innings...things slowly improved, but I was spent by the time things ended some 2 1/2 hours later.

Last night at Parkway, working the opening of the Junior ACME District, a double header, wasn't nearly as bad...did the plate in the first game, and the bases in the second...those combined lasted nearly 6 hours, but, despite the length, the cooler conditions made the time move along.....I am done until the District ACME Tournament back at LCC on Thursday.  After that...who knows?  But a game or two is about all I will do, and frankly, the ending of the season, which began for me back in late March, shortly after Carotid Surgery, is welcome.  Football is 4 weeks away, and I need the rest before that comes calling.


Changes_____

The recent heat, baseballs bouncing off my body, and other factors have gotten me to thinking{usually a mistake on my part}...how much longer do I want to abuse myself physically working sports?  As well as how much longer do I want to post on Blogger on a daily basis and type stuff out, that means little to most out there, including those reading this?

Things begin on this experiment five years ago {later this month} with this short and simple{in more ways than one} posting:

http://patsdailyrant.blogspot.com/2007/07/july-27-2007.html

So that was the beginning....no photos, just a start....and not much more.

Five years later, I have posted nearly 1300 times, usually these days at a rate of 5 days a week, taking the weekends off.  Much like officiating however, I am wondering if my time is about spent on doing this as often as I do.  After all, it seems it has come down to little more than a daily diary these days...which was what it started out as.  Over the handful of years I have posted on politics, Vietnam, my past life, including locations lived,  complete with photos, opinions, and other assorted BS.

Frankly though, how much can I post about my past and current life, without boring even myself to tears?  So it's time for a change, or some changes at least.....

Less is Better_____

So instead of 5 or sometimes 6 posts a week, starting this week, I will cut it down to two or three, unless something comes along where I need to post more...or less.  Politics has become a bore, after all, so why bother?  You have at least 45% of the people that are nitwits, that will vote and support the illegal Kenyan Polesmoker, regardless...another 45%, like myself, wouldn't piss on the son of a bitch if he was on fire screaming for somebody to put him out.   That leaves 10% who have no clue, and they end up deciding the course of  our Republic, and I doubt many of those are reading this blog.  So no minds to change there.

For the first 4 years I posted many photos and stories of my times...whether it be growing up on the Gulf of Mexico in Venice, Florida, or my Air Force years, especially my time in Vietnam as a Air Force Sky Cop(nee' Security Police}...a quick trip through my past posts and you can find those photos and stories.   These days it is mostly about the weather, health, or sports officiating...and nobody really gives a damn about those things...step outside, you know what the weather is, looking the mirror, and that gives you an idea about your health...sports?  Pick up a newspaper or ball glove...

So "The Daily Rant" will become a semi daily rant, or a twice or trice weekly rant....much like sports officiating, it is time to evaluate and re-evaluate things....but regardless I will continue to pour out the mundane moments that I can share, or feel to share, just not as often...until then:

back later>>>>

Photos-From the first month of the blog back in July and August 2007...(1)The Boat Races from the 2007 Governors Cup on Grand Lake (2) Me and one of the smaller RVs on my retirement gig which had me running motor homes of all sizes to dealers across country, this one heading for Southern California, I stopped for a day or so at the Route 66 Casino in New Mexico on I-40. (3) One of the photos I use quite often when recalling Vietnam...this one, taken by my buddy Harry Bevan, who I reunited with last October..this photo was taken at Nha Trang Air Base in August 1969 (4) Old comrad Nick Hromish on a visit to watch the Twins with Jim Olson in the Twin Cities in the Summer of 2007....and one large ass Gator, the biggest I had ever seen, along the old Tamiami Trail(US 41) between Everglades City and Upp Road in Florida.

The Weekend is Gonna Be a Cooker!

102 today, 104 tomorrow, with the Heat Index near 115....

Man-Made Global Warming is of course a Hoax...but on occasion we get Summer weather to the extreme, but nothing like this...but before you go screaming "Man Made Global Warming"...remember, California and parts west are well below normal, this excessive heat and now added humidity, is sticky in the eastern and southern half of the country....for now!

No games yesterday, but we did finally get a shower...however, even with that, most of it missed Celina, it rained for about 20 minutes here, and succeeded in only making things more humid and miserable out of doors.

Here is a quick look at the weekend ahead:

http://www.weather.com/weather/weekend/Celina+OH+45822:4:US

As you can see, Sunday will usher in somewhat "cooler" temperatures, near 90....but by the end of next week it will be back in the mid 90s, with little rain in the forecast.

Sam will be at Crestview tonight, with at least a single game starting at 4:30, while I travel to Lima and a single sectional game at LCC...which may or may not decide the champion of that one....Sam's game or two, will finish off the sectional at Convoy.  The Parkway District, featuring teams from the Mercer, Auglaize, and Van Wert Sectionals will begin Sunday, I am there for the opening two contests beginning at 5pm, while Sam will work the games on Monday night.

Other than that, I am guessing that time will be well spent on sitting in the A/C and waxing nostalgic about the cooler weather, that will come around October 1st.

back later>>>>

Photos-The Blazing Sun rises over Grand Lake, as another hot and sticky day in on tap....102 today, 104 tomorrow...and slice it anyway you want, this heatwave is NOT man-made.

Temperatures, Up, Up, and Away!

The Heat Wave Continues....

105 at 5:05pm was the official high temperature according to the Weather Channel...a record as far as I can tell, for July 4th or perhaps any day in recorded records.

Sam and I headed out to the artificial turf at Eastview Park at 9:30am...a single game, possible double header, was in store....both teams in the Junior ACME Sectional would move on to the District this weekend in Rockford, the the decision of who was to be #1 seeded and the #2 seed, would be settled on the field...Coldwater was undefeated and St. Henry, the 4-3 winner over Minster, had a single defeat at the hands of the Cavilers earlier in the Tourney....a Coldwater win in the first game would end  the tournament and prevent us from playing in the afternoon heat.

Sam and I would double our money by the teams playing two games....but we would be more than happy to play just one, the heat coming off the artificial turf was brutal.  I worked the opener, as Sam had worked the game the night before...we would need only one game, but it was a long one....15-9 Coldwater wins to take the top seed, in a game that took 2 hours and 40 minutes....despite my generous strike zone, the game dragged on.  I probably poured out 20 pounds of sweat....but would replace it with a few gallons of Miller Lite in the afternoon....as I set in the A/C for much of the rest of the day...likely I will be there most of today and tomorrow as well....the heat shows no signs of a let up anytime soon.

Both Coldwater and St. Henry will be in the District Junior ACME at Parkway in Rockford this coming weekend....and both Sam and I will be working that as well...Sam on Sunday and me on Monday, not sure who will join them for the Crestview District, but it is likely to be Crestview and Wapak...but that won't be decided until tomorrow(Friday) night.

A Nation of Wimps?

Nothing really political about that....just an observation that Patricia and I made yesterday while she make attempts to sit outside, rotating between the front porch, and the back steps....

Just how did we survive without Air Conditioned homes and cars in the past?

I grew up in Venice, Florida, back in the 1950s and early 60s...we never had A/C, either at home or school....occasionally we would put a large box fan on the terrazzo floors of our home at the corner of Pineland Avenue and School Street...but no A/C to sit in.

Our forefathers, grandfathers, and grandmothers, mom's and dad's never had Air Conditioners...the former, not electricity...yet somehow they survived...look no farther than the old western movies of the exploits of Cowboys and Indians...they didn't have, or apparently need, A/C...yet somehow we don't be able to survive outdoors in the heat....and don't tell me the heat is worst today due to the bullshit science called "Global Warming" or Climate Change....it doesn't exist, except in the warped minds of clowns like Al Gore and that half breed, half wiitted Marxist that currently resides in the White House.

But wimp or not....I will be spending much of the day in the Air Conditioned abode, that still awaits on the final estimates for kitchen floor, insulation, and new windows, cabinets, and other improvements that make be coming.....

Stay Cool!  back later>>>>

Photos-Even the hearty Sunflowers have to suffer in this type of environment...the heat will remain brutal for the foreseeable future....The playing surface on the Artificial Turf at Montgomery Field in Celina has to be at least 20 degrees higher than the air temps.  Even my old hometown of Venice, on Florida's Gulf Coast, (photo from 2000 at Venice Beach) can't hold a candle to this summer in the heartland so far....miserable it is, and the gallons of Miller Lite consumed don't seem to put much of a dent in that heat

Back to "Normal"...or so to speak

Since I started to write this "Blog" five years ago, back in July 2007, this is probably the longest string of not posting....the last writing having been last Thursday June 28th....five whole days ago.

The Reasons for the Lapse in Posting_____

Where to begin.......?

First off last Friday morning, after Sam and I had worked a late and hot night game north in Kalida,  I awoke to the sound of Patricia on the phone talking to a Lima doctor about her  abdominal pain, which was quite intense...so it was off to the Lima Memorial ER...some 40 minutes away, the same hospital where I had my Carotid Surgery back in March.  Without going into major details about medical things, it came down to my wife having a sever case of Diatricalitis, and instead of being in 24 hours as we had originally thought, it ended up being 72 hours, with me driving back and forth, between Lima, various baseball menus, for tournament action{way too late to find replacement umpires by that time}, and back home to Celina, which was a story in itself...more on that later.

Finally, yesterday, after a particularly bad day on Sunday, Patricia was allowed to come home yesterday...in hand a new diet schedule, and some nausea meds, along with some other restrictions.  It appears that her summer vacation, is turning into a summer from Hell....or at least one of major pains in the backside.  Water leak, wife in hospital, recovering from my surgery, and on top of this, a major wind storm rolled through Ohio, the Midwest, and the Eastern Seaboard, on Friday.

Heat, then wind, and finally some much needed rain____

After spending much of the morning and early afternoon at Lima Memorial with Patricia, I had to head back, so I could work a game that evening in Celina, with Sam.  I arrived home in time to check out the Radar....and I noted some large red blobs heading southeast through northern Indiana, and straight towards our area....

I turned on the TV a few minutes later, and a "Tornado Warning" came out for Van Wert and Paulding Counties...those being the two counties being just to our north.   My old home town of Scott along with nearby small towns like Payne, Paudling, and Grover Hill, were in the line that was heading west to east across the Ohio State Line from Indiana.  No warning for Mercer County or Celina however, somebody had dropped the ball....

I opened the front door, Sam was in the still to be repaired/replaced kitchen studying for another upcoming Actuarial Exam, that when I knew, despite no warning, we were in for a good ol' fashion blow.  You could see the straight line winds roaring down Brandon Avenue from the north and west....debris was flying and it was heading right for our house at the intersection.  Before I could close the front door, the Plexiglas storm panel "popped" into the living room as I tried to close the door...I yelled at Sam to grab the damn cat and head for the basement...finally getting the door closed, I joined him....

After a minute or two...thinking to myself "Screw this, I'm 63 years old, what the Hell do I care about hiding in the basement"?   I headed back upstairs, with Sam behind me to see the action outside....the winds, which were clocked at over 80 MPH at their peak, were blowing debris, limbs, trash cans, and other junk by the house and into the bushes that lined the yard....the entire episode last less than 30 minutes....and sadly all that wind and eventual damage, didn't bring much rain, at least with the first batch of storms.

As the fast moving storms headed east, the power had been knocked out, and with the exception of a few hours overnight, the next 30 hours or so would be without electricity.....we were among the lucky ones.

The Damage Assessment____

The Fairgrounds, just a block away, received much damage, the rest of Celina had some structural damage, but most was limited to large trees and limbs....the County Fairgrounds had major damage to the Grandstand, several campers were destroyed, and civilian vehicles as well were totaled.....the city crews are still cleaning up the mess.

Convoy, Delphos, and Lima, as well as other locations north into Putnam, Van Wert, and Paulding Counties, were damaged, and some are still without power 4 days later.  The Freedom Days Festival in Celina was delayed, as was the St Henry Picnic...those finally got underway, including the Saturday night Fireworks on the lake....but, with folks cleaning up and power off for most of the weekend, the celebrating was muted, to say the least.

So here we are, wife home, power back on, and baseball back on track...despite the heat, and now the added humidity, baseball has continued in the various ACME and Junior ACME Tournaments....most were delayed, but are now back on track to finish with the Sectionals by weeks end...after games in Convoy,  at Lima Central Catholic, tonight and tomorrow Sam and I will finish up the Celina tournament...with St. Henry, Minster, and Coldwater, still left, Coldwater has clinched a spot in the District, and will face the winner of tonight's Minster/St. Henry contest for the championship...both final teams will head to the District at Parkwasy over the weekend.

Meanwhile we will continue to fight the heat, humidity, and work our way to repairing the kitchen...as the summer continues to weave a web through the curves, bumps, and pitfalls.

back later>>>>

Photos-Shots of Various Damage around the Fairgrounds, located just a block west of our place...weekend campers and some vehicles were destroyed, although thankfully the only injuries were minor...also damage was the large grandstand, and the fallen ancient Oak Trees destroyed the famous Horseshoe Pitching Pits.  Despite the delays, the "Freedom Days" Fireworks went off on Saturday Night....catching fireworks with a point and shoot camera is always problematical, but I took quite a few like the ones shown.