A Season{Start} on the Brink....Mercer Murders Solved?

The Sun has been peeking out from various layers of clouds that have rolled in and out of the upper Miami Valley here in western Ohio...with the clouds and still 20 degree below normal temperatures, the half foot or more of snow we had on Sunday night and early Monday is having a hard time melting into the streets and streams..  This has resulted in me going Zero for Seven in pre~season baseball scrimmages.  Garry and I are set to work Saturday in the season opener at St. Marys...but this too looks in serious doubt, the fields were not in good shape before the storm, and now with snow still covering most, if we get started in the next week, with rain again forecast for Sunday, it will be a small miracle.

I drove over to St Marys this morning...some 72 hours before the opener.  Frankly I was bored and with gas at the town across the lake from us at $3.46 a gallon, compared to our $3.65, I  figured, "What the Hell, the Trip is almost Free"...I took the scenic tour to the south edge of town to K.C. Geiger Park, to see how the baseball diamond looked....and as you can see by the photos
attached...it's got a lot of drying off yet to do...Saturday indeed doesn't look good...it's been that kind of early Spring.

Mercer County Murders Solved?

Back around Thanksgiving I wrote about the horrific murders of 70 year old rural Fort Recovery man and his 47 year old daughter.  Robert Grube was wheel chair bound and his daughter, who had, like Robert, suffered a stroke, took care of him....they were found in November 2011 in their farm home, some 12 miles south of Celina, bound with Duct Tape and shot to death.  The case never went cold, but it did drag...drugs, especially with the increase in Heroin sales and Meth labs in the area was suspected.  It appears that was the case indeed.  Two men have been arrested in connection with the gruesome killings.

A 22 year old from Union City, Ohio, a town in Darke County which shares the town with Indiana and Randolph County that state's Randolph County, along with a 18 year old punk, currently in prison for an unrelated crime in Michigan City, Indiana, have been charged...more arrests are pending.  One fly in the ointment is the fact the 18 year old was 17 when the crime occurred and has been sent to Juvenile Court...I suspect and hope he will be charged as an adult...sadly he still won't be eligible for the death penalty.  Both perps have been named in previous cases involving Meth Labs....Murder is rare in Mercer County, and this one, being particularly brutal needs some closure...and the bastards involved need taken out of society, preferably via execution, but I don't hold out much hope for that.

The Update is here:   http://www.whiotv.com/news/news/local/news-conference-regards-grube-cold-case/nW5SY/

I had planned on missing my final baseball rules meeting tonight in Van Wert....but with today and tomorrow's scrimmages already cancelled...I might as well make the trip, the last one until football meetings begin in August...back later>>>>

Photos:  St Mary's KC Gieger Park...not yet ready, or anywhere close some 72 hours before the first game scheduled to be played, this coming Saturday...and the Grube home as it looked back in November 2011 the morning after the brutal murders of a father and his adult daughter.

So This Is Spring?

Sitting here wondering just what the Hell is going on with Mother Nature...(1) For all you Global Warming Idiots...shove up your collectives asses...I know a little about science, having faked my way through studies in Biology and Environmental Health, and I "KNOW" {not guess} that Global Warming is a fake science contrived by Marxist assholes designed to bankrupt and destroy free market capitalism....so let's get that lie out of the way, front and center.

On the other hand, I've seen cold March weather, even in late March in my 64 years...the 1980s come to mind, at least the early part of that decade.  Oldest son Sam was born in December 1981...and it wasn't a pleasant beginning for him...he was back in the hospital within a month with bronchitis, by the first of April of 82 he was back again...same thing...and the weather didn't help, March was lousy with rain, ice, and snow, that year....April wasn't much better.  I was working my last full year in radio, full time at least, at WCSM, and I remember that baseball season, broadcasting high school games from open air press boxes, and freezing my ass off much of the season, the teams were lucky to get a third of their games in...it was miserable...this "Spring" is starting out much like that....

The Forecaster Get One Right...

Much of the early part of the weekend, the Weather Channel, {Global Warming Hoax Central}, was predicting 5 to 10 inches of snow for our area...we in Mercer County were on the northern edge of that line, at least from the predictions...and this time they got it correct...although I believe we were more in the middle of the mess...getting somewhere between 6 and 9 inches depending on where you were in the county...I measured 8 inches in places that were not affected by the winds.

With a day off school my wife, Patricia, was up early and had fired up my snow blower before I had my first cup of coffee...she had the large part done on the stone laden driveway{a real treat with a 5HP Snow Machine}...I finished it off and we headed over to the other part of town to pick up daughter Anissa for her scheduled check up at the Doctor in Minster...some 20 miles south and east...the roads, complete with about a half inch of ice under the half foot and more of snow, were a mess...but steady and slow with the $WD Nitro got us there and back, safe and sound.  Dropping Anissa off at her place, I headed over to mom's...she is in Florida for another couple of weeks, but with older brother Mike living there, I pulled in the drive, and pulled out her much smaller Toro Snow Blower...the 2 stroke self pusher was struggling{frankly even the 5HP machine of mine struggled} through the heavy wet snow..."Heart Attack" snow is what I call it...anybody of age or with a condition has to be a fool to try shoveling this kind of white death out.

Done with that I headed home, and basically holed up for the remainder of the day...working on contracts for baseball and my other sports...although it seems pretty silly to be working or thinking about baseball.  So far 6 scrimmage cancelled without getting near the diamonds...and with Thursday being my final game before the regular season, it appears we will get none in, and who knows when the regular season will begin?  Saturday is Garry and my opener at St Marys, a single game with Bellefontaine...that is doubtful to be played, and I'm not even thinking about games post Easter at this time.  Last season I got zero scrimmages in, not because of the weather, because March was mostly dry and in the 70s and 80s...last season it was surgery delayed, before finally getting in my first game{medal staples in neck and all} in late March...this year Mother Nature has tossed us that curve ball.

So this is Spring?  Yes, actually it is...although a 8 inch snowfall this late is not the norm...it for sure is not all that rare...neither are lousy months of March, sometime even in it's entirety...it's Spring in the heartland and if this year turns out like 1974...we might now see good warm weather until mid June.  I remember that Spring...especially a June 20th when Bob Jones and I headed down to Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati and even that far south the high that first day of Summer was only in the lower 60s, 1974 was a cold ass Spring...

Speaking of Opening Day in Cincinnati, this year it on April 1st against the American League's LA
Angles{talk about tossing tradition out the door}...hopefully by that time it will dry off, and warm up...I have a game scheduled in Delphos on that day....buy 6 days out, I'm not betting on it.. ..I've seen entire first weeks of the season for high school baseball cancelled...so yes this early Spring sucks...but it's just not all that unheard of.

back later>>>>

Photos-The Backyard Birds and Squirrels were having to make their way through the 8 inch snow fall this morning to gather the feed and seed I put out...Patricia had much of the driveway clear yesterday before I got my rear end outside to help...the drive to Minster via 4 lane Ohio 29 and 2 lane Ohio 66 was not easy, even with 4WD....and 6 days out from the Reds Opener on April 1st...the weather still says WINTER!

10 and 6/ 0 for 5 and 4 to 8 inches of Snow

This marks the third time I've started this, don't know what the Hell is wrong with Blogger, but like the weather, it appears to be fickle....so I will make this short, sweet{not} and to the point{s}...

Ten and Six.....

That was my record for the first day of March Madness....the picks were basically crap shoots, a couple of favorites lost, a couple escaped by their chin skin....New Mexico, under Steve Alford was a major disappointment...I had them going to the Sweet Sixteen, getting ousted by Ohio State's Buckeyes, who I have winning it all....another crap shoot.  So the 10-6, while bad, was not bracket busting, and I still have a shot to finish in the money....the second round{first round of games} usually doesn't kill you, unless, you lose a couple of Sweet 16 or Elite 8 teams...I should know more about my chances to finish in the Money by Midnight tonight.  With Duke, the Buckeyes, Miami, and the Florida Gators as my Final Four picks, today will separate the men for the boys....all four teams are in action, and I need them to finish the weekend still in the game to have a shot.

Oh' for Five....

My scrimmages at Crestview tonight and Spencerville tomorrow have already been cancelled....and with the forecast{more on that later} looking the way it does, my 0 scrimmages out of five attempts looks to be even worse by next week at this time...last year it was the Carotid Artery Surgery that put the Kibosh on my pre-season, this year it's the weather.  Speaking of which....

4 to 8 inches....

Of Snow by weekends end.....at least that's what a couple of the forecast arms...Accu~Weather in particular, are saying.  So, will this be the last?  I don't know, but I had put the Snow Blowers up and back in the recesses of the garage, and was ready to get the lawn mowers out and ready for spring....Not So Fast!  The mowers will have to wait, the blowers?  Well time will tell, but it appears we may have to get them out one more time....DAMN!

So that is what my world looks like....hopefully April will bring real Spring, because ol' Puxetawney Phil missed the boat this year....

Enjoy your weekend, regardless of game results and weather....back later>>>

Photos-Bracket, wounded, but not dead yet....Can my Snow Machine be back in the picture come Sunday?  and Ol' Phil couldn't take the missed prediction, and ended it....

March Madness is Here...2013

It begins a week{6 days) later than last year, but March Madness is finally here...something that will fill the final days of Winter{Spring officially begins tomorrow with 29 degrees predicted as a high in Western Ohio} before we final{hopefully} get some warm weather and dry conditions. 

Today we are seeing some sunshine, too bad it is accompanied by strong northwest winds and cold temperatures...40 today, less than 30 for tomorrow are the predictions, with nothing reaching 50 before the first of April....

Back to March Madness:

The "Play~In" games of the lesser ranked teams begins tonight at the University of Dayton...the "winners" of these games become the sacrificial lambs of some of the top seed teams...but hey, at least they are in the the show.  In addition to the first round games, Dayton will also get to host Indiana on Thursday and Ohio State on Friday, if both advance as predicted, the weekend should see full house crowds as well.

This year sees as wide open race to Atlanta as could be predicted...the top seeds, Indiana, Louisville, Gonzaga, and Kansas, are by no means locks to move far in the 68 team field...neither are the 2s, Duke, Ohio State, Georgetown, or Miami....any one of them could be ousted by this weekend's end...and maybe a number of them will be....so with the field wide open, and no clear cut favorite...my Duke Blue Devils are getting no respect, while Ohio State is....I predict both will make it to the Final Four, with OSU topping Duke and Miami to take their first crown in roundball since 1960...but don't make any bets you can't afford on that prediction.

HERE ARE MY BRACKETS AS I SEE THEM SHAKE OUT:

My first baseball scrimmage was cancelled for this afternoon, and that game moved to March 28th...however if any of the six pre-season games get played, especially given the extended forecast, it will be in cold and damp conditions....80 in mid March last year, 30s this year....I'll take the 80s anytime.

One more doctor's appointment tomorrow, really don't even know what that is for...since I had the ultrasound yesterday and a follow up on those tests in Lima on April 5th...but I guess I had is scheduled, so will do that and then head for another rules meeting....today however I will continue to forego the weight lifting for another day to allow my left shoulder and elbow to heal, from whatever the Hell is ailing those apendaages....

back later>>>

Another Birthday by the Boards....

As opposed to last March, with much above conditions, dry and in the 70s and 80s for much of the month....we won't see a day reach 60 this month, with most remaining in the 30s and 40s for highs, with plenty of rain, some snow, and this morning dreaded ice....which caused the cancellation of schools north and two hour delays locally and to the south.  The first of my half dozen baseball scrimmages, set for tomorrow at Delphos Jefferson, has already been cancelled...and I'm sure that most of the rest will follow suit.  Cold, wet, and no sun to speak of, will not allow the fields to dry anytime soon....and at best the March 30th opener at St. Marys is about the best we can hope for...but last year I did no scrimmages either, but that of course had nothing to do with the weather....I was recovering from a birthday Carotid Surgery operation, which set me back a couple of weeks...this year Mother Nature will do what surgery did last season.

With a two hour delay at St. Henry, Patricia and I slept in an extra hour....she headed off to school and I showered and got ready for my first annual post Carotid check~up...the main roads were clear of the early icing when I headed to Joint Township in St. Marys...the ultrasound was finished early, and I was back in Celina before Noon...I have a regular appointment on Wednesday in New Bremen on Wednesday, and then in Lima on April 5th, I have a scheduled appointment to get the ultrasound read, and see how the last year has treated my Carotid Artery...frankly I don't really have a read on what the results will bare, and just as frankly I'm not overly concerned at this point.

Sitting on 64.....

Saturday morning, Patricia and I awoke early and headed for the Dayton Area.  We were to watch{with Grandma participating} grandson Kasyn take his swimming activities in Centerville....the youngster really enjoys the water, and I'm guessing he will learn to swim early, which is a good thing.  Once done with that we returned to Hal and Lisa's, where they fixed me a Birthday of Beer Can Chicken and Scallop Potatoes {yes Liberal dumb asses the plural is spelled like Dan Quayle had it}...then after the "K~Man" finished his nap, we headed south to the north Cincinnati berg of West Chester for a visit to the outstanding Model Train outlet and village, called EnterTrainment Junction:

http://www.entertrainmentjunction.com/

The place is a hoot, for youngsters and any adult that is interested or loved model trains in their youth.....the designs and villages, mountains, etc are something to behold.

We spent 2 hours or more there, and then Patricia and I headed by to Celina, plenty worn out, and plenty pleased with the activity on my 64th Birthday....

The Rest of the weekend was pretty much spent in front of the tube...watching league tournament basketball....I gotta admit that March Madness is tops on my Tube Watching list...even teams other that Ohio State, Duke, and Ohio U, I can usually watch, especially come this time of the year.  Anyway Ohio State won the Big Ten Tournament for the fourth time in 5 seasons, while Duke got knocked out early by Maryland...both received #2 Seeds, the Blue Devils going to the Midwest and Ohio State heading West, but playing it's opening games at Dayton.  The Ohio University Bobcats were knocked out by Akron in the MAC finals games, but still are headed to the NIT to take on Denver.

So if the baseball games are cancelled by rain and or cold...I've got plenty of roundball to watch beginning Thursday at Noon....and I will be doing just that.

back later>>>>


Photos-Saturday was my 64th birthday, and unlike my 63rd which I spent in the Lima Memorial Hospital under going surgery, this one was much more enjoyable....spending it with youngest son Hal and his family...watching grandson Kasyn enjoying swimming and a afternoon at the Entertrainment Junction....meanwhile March Madness has arrived, starting a bit late this year, but the brackets are set to begin Thursday.

When I'm 64.......

Back when this Beatles Song came out....who would have thunk it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCss0kZXeyE

Not me for sure.....so anyway, tomorrow I become, "When I'm 64"

At this point it appears it will sure beat the Hell out of "When I turned 63"...last year, on a Friday Morning I arrived at Lima Memorial and eventually was wheeled into surgery and had my throat cut open and a stint implanted in my Carotid Artery...frankly, I've never felt the same since.  Tomorrow on my 64th Patricia and I head south to spend the day with youngest son Hal, his wife Lisa, and grandson Kasyn....after seeing the "K~Man" only one time since Christmas, this will be our third visit with him within a 7 day period....last Saturday at the Dayton Vietnam Reunion he spent the day with us at the AF Museum and Hope Hotel, Tuesday I had him all day here, while his mom did some work with our daughter, and tomorrow, we will watch{Patricia will jump in with him} him take swimming lessons, then off to Entertainment Junction near Cincinnati.

Today will see temps rise near 50....the warmest since Sunday, hardly like last March when this entire week was bathing in sunshine and 80s...I remember when I left the hospital last St. Patrick's Day, despite the fog I personally was in, the temps made even my condition seem less so...no such luck this year, cold for the weekend and most of next week, with plenty of rain.  Unlike last year when we only had one rained out baseball game, this season looks like it will be "iffy" to get in half the scheduled contests...but time will tell.

Last year this weelk the March Madness had already began....this year, it, like our baseball season, will begin a week later....however, the Conference Tournament games are already out in full force...so after a quick half hour walk to the post office and back....I'm gonna do a little house work, and then sit on my butt and watch hoops most of the day.....

back later>>>

Photos-"When I'm 64" came out on the Beatles 'Sgt Pepper's" LP....We will spend the 3rd day in this past week with Grandson Kasyn, and happy to do it, and Spring Baseball in the Midwest...you gotta be prepared for any type weather!

Working Out....

Garry and I left early for the local baseball rules meeting last night in Van Wert...one of the outfits that sells "licensed" OHSAA Umpire/Officiating Gear/Uniforms, Flemings, out of Columbus was there selling the new items and complete outfits for those needing "things" for the upcoming baseball season...which for me is slated to begin next Tuesday with a scrimmage @ Delphos Jefferson....looking at the extended forecast I'm not sure how many of the 6 scrimmages I will get in between then and our first game, where Garry and I are slated to work @ St. Marys on Saturday March 30th.  It appears that Garry has replaced oldest son Sam as my main baseball partner, we have a dozen games together scheduled for this season ...with Sam, first off to Ohio State, then upon graduation last Spring, moving to Illinois, gone from the area...he is in the process of switching his baseball and football licenses to Illinois...as for basketball,?  He tells me that he really has no interest in continuing to officiate roundball, like me, the least favorite of the three sports he officiates.

With my schedule pretty well filled for 2013{just 4 open dates, most likely to be filled with make up of rain~outs} I have on my Spring Schedule 30 Varsity Contests, 4 JV games and at least one Sectional game at Crestview....more than likely I will add a handful or more onto that post~season schedule.  My Summer ACME and American Legion calendar is also filling up fast....I am ready for the warmer weather, which also makes umpire, with or without the home plate gear more comfortable, if not more enjoyable.

Getting Ready, Shaping Up....

Always a couple of items that need to be done before baseball season begins....and I use the month between my final basketball game and opening scrimmages to do them.   New equipment is one, and getting my legs in shape for baseball...sure I run up and down the court all winter, but baseball, while not as physically demanding, still requires the use of different muscle groups than does basketball or football.

So in addition to picking up my weight lifting regiment, I also climb on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes a day and use the incline function to get the lower limbs in shape for long hours of standing with 15 pounds of gear on behind the plate, in temperatures that range for 40 in early spring to the 90s in the July heat of ACME and Legion ball....frankly I hate the treadmill, it is boring to the max, and I would much rather walk the streets of Celina for an hour as to spend 20 minutes on the treadmill...but weather dictates what I do, and unlike last March, it doesn't appear this year will see an early, warm, spring....so the indoor treadmill is what I am stuck with for now.

As far as equipment, although I probably use a change, I have decided at least for now, to stay with my shinguards, as protective as they are, are too damn heavy, the same lightweight chest protector, and of course the new full face hockey helmet  for behind the plate.  I purchased that last year, because I felt it gave me more protection for my carotid artery, which was just surgically repaired before the season began...more or less it did, I guess, but I did take at least one hard ball to the throat...one that hit the artificial turf at Celina last summer.

So I opted out of buying anything for now, except the new OHSAA Cap for Spring and our association cap for Summer use....those and a new ball/strike counter and plate brush will do it for now....at 64{this Saturday}, how much should I spend on new gear/clothes and when should I purchase those?  I would like to think I have 4 or 5 years left of baseball, less in both basketball and football, but time and health are promised to no one....even though I try to give myself a shot...I can feel the age catching up with me.

With that thought I decided to see if I could get back on track to lose the 15 pounds or so I gained over the past couple of years....

For those of you who have followed this blog, you know I was at 220 pounds in September 2009 when I was told I was "pre~diabetic" with D2...so I promptly went on a Diabetes Diet and dropped 40 pounds in the next year....that has slowly crept up back to nearly 200 on my 5' 10" frame...I am back down to 195, and will try to ease my way back to the 180 mark...won't be easy, but I have no doubt I can do it again...less dark beers and more treadmill walking hold the keys.....

back later>>>

Photos-The New Logo is required for caps and shirts for 2014, always a money maker for somebody, except the officials who have to buy the items with the new logo...I picked up two caps, the one on the left is for summer, non OHSAA{Ohio High School Athletic Association} events, like ACME and American Legion ball...the MBUA stands for Midwest Buckeye Umpires Association{which I am President-Elect and will be Prez for 2014/15} the right is the new logo for wear required for next season....and finally the hockey style plate mask, which will begin it's second year...I may switch back to the lightweight stand face mask...but not at this time....we will see how it goes.

A Day with the K~Man!

No time to write a blog yesterday, Daughter-in-Law Lisa was here at 6:30am for a day working with those folks that are in the business of providing services for our daughter Anissa....so we had the grandson, Kasyn for the day...Patricia was already up, and I arose and showered before she headed out to St Henry for the school day.  So it would be me and Kasyn for the next 10 hours or so....Lisa came back at lunch time, and helped, but for the most part it was grandpa and the K~Man...he took a nap at 10:45 for 90 minutes or so, and another just after 5 until his mom and grandmother Patricia arrived home....the rest of the day was eating, and watching him run the gauntlet of toys around, both those they brought from Centerville, and those including the new race station that we purchased over the weekend on our Dayton trip.

At just over 15 months, the grandson is in the 90% height wise and over 75% in the weight class...he is big, smart, and active, but what else would a grandad say?  Even though it is the truth...frankly he is just active enough to wear me out....I was glad to sit in the recliner, and watch hockey and roundball for the evening, Hal and Lisa said this morning, despite the extra afternoon nap that I allowed Kasyn to have, he still slept for 13 hours last night...I didn't get up until after 8:30 myself, and that was only when Hal called to inform me that the K~Man had slept so well himself.

Saturday is my 64th birthday, and unlike last year when I spent number 63 under the knife at Lima Memorial, this year we will spend it south.  The morning watching Kasyn take swimming lessons, and the rest of the day near Cincinnati with Kasyn and his parents at Entertainment Junction...should be another long day....but getting to spend it with the grandson is always entertaining in itself. 

Next week, speaking of doctor visits...I have ultra sound at St Marys Joint Township Hospital to re-check my Carotid Artery, on Monday, then Wednesday at my heart doc in New Bremen....another visit to Lima on April 5th and we should know how the last year has gone, health-wise anyway.

Dartball Final....

Monday night I finished up the Dartball Campaign, at the All Star session at Mendon.  I certainly, in my mind, didn't deserve to be there after my worst season in 20 years...but John from our team picked me up around 7pm and we headed over to the Mendon Church...tossing 5th for the 12 man south squad, I thought they had me to high in the order for the kind of season I had...but I started off with a single and a RBI, followed by a out, then grabbed 6 consecutive hits, 5 singles and a triple with another 3 runs batted in...ending the night 7 for 8 with four runs batted in....by far my best night, was saved for the final night.  We swept the north, giving the South a clean sweep of awards....Mt Carmel winning the regular season and playoffs, and Hopewell taking the Tournament....The Banquet final is next Monday and the dartball can rest until next fall...the opening of the season in early November.

The weather from next week, the opening of the baseball scrimmage season, doesn't look promising...but with 7 scrimmages scheduled, hopefully I will get one or two in....my first game of the regular season is a single game at St Marys vs Bellefontaine, Saturday March 30th, the day before Easter.  Scheduled to work that with Garry, one of a dozen or so times we will travel together for various league and non-league varsity action....rules meeting in Van Wert tonight, one of a couple more of those I will attend.

back later>>>>>

Photos-Kasyn was active and happy most of the day yesterday, Dartball despite the bad personal season, ended well as I went 7 for 8 with 4 runs batted in yesterday, and it appears that this year's birthday #64 will be much improved over last March when I spent the 63rd in surgery for a clogged Carotid Artery.

Back From Dayton

I picked up Patricia at 3pm Friday at school and we left St. Henry for Wright~Patterson AFB and our annual Mini~Reunion of Vietnam and Thailand "Sky Cops" from the Air Force years....we have been meeting at the Air Force Museum at WPAFB since 2007, off and on, and this was our third consecutive year at the Hope Hotel adjacent to the base entrance....it also turned out to be our biggest.  Despite a few cancellations, which happens to groups of our age, with increasing frequency, we had 31 old Sky Cops, 28 wives and children, and three Special Force guys from the base....62 or so in total, with a Pizza Buffet on Friday, the day at the Museum Saturday, and a full blown dinner on Saturday night at the Hope....we also hit the Packy's Pub and Sports Bar both nights, and ate the buffet breakfast there on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

My co`pilot, Bob Griffith had things set up when we arrived Friday afternoon about 5...coolers full of Domestic Beer, and plenty of snacks and wine, etc on the tables...we dined on Pizza and snacks, competed in a 50/50 drawing, and had a nice "Silent Auction" of Mini Reunion and Military related gifts.  The first night went great, and I think all were pleased with the way Bob and I had things arranged...I did the e-mail work, and frankly Griff did everything else....along with help from Lisa at Greene County Visitors Bureau, and Sue at the Hope Hotel.

We had folks from as far away as Alabama and Iowa...plus Virginia, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, in addition to Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.  On Saturday most of us met at the Security Police Defender Fortis Statue at the west grounds of the Museum, Patricia and I had a "guest" as young Grandson Kasyn spent the day with us, and mom and dad were in Columbus at a meeting on some work related stuff....he was the highlight of the gathering.  After the day touring the Museum of the Air Force, we gathered back at the Hope for a fine Roast Beef and Pork Chop Banquet Dinner.  In addition to the meal, Bob had contacted a friend of his, Senior Master Sgt Small and two of his young troops from the Special Forces(nee' Air and Security Police)...no long speeches from the trio, just a short introduction and and one on group conversations with small tables of attendees and wives.

Afterwards, my buddy Big Sam Lewis and I headed for Packy's to watch the annual Big Game between his North Carolina Tar Heels and my favorite roundball team, Duke...wasn't much of a game, Duke led from the get-go and cruised to a 16 point win....a great weekend was finished off in fine fashion on Sunday morning, as those of us who had not taken off early met for one final meal at Packy's and enjoyed one final hour of company and a breakfast buffet....

Patricia and I headed out, saying our final good~byes and after picking up some toys for Kasyn's visit tomorrow at the area Meier Store, we headed home, and arrived back in Celina by Noon.  A MRSI Board Meeting in an hour, and the final Dartball action of the season tonight as I participate in the All Star Game between North and South at Mendon tonight.

back later>>>>

Photos-"The Badges" that the folks at Greene County{OH} Tourist and Visitors provided us for the weekend....23 or so of us on Saturday Morning...seems we can never get all of us at the Statue at the same time...Old Age?  Lost Directions?  Hangovers?  Combination of all?   Part of Saturday Night's meal...here are some of the Pork Chops...we had plenty of veggies, cheese tray, potatoes, Roast Beef, and other things to make it a great meal....The three constants at most of these get-togethers...Me, Big Sam, and Tillman....different worlds, but held together by the past....then me and my Dover Buddy, Howie Pritchard....found Pritch a few weeks back, or he found me, and we get together for the second time in recent weeks, his first Reunion, and then there was me and Patricia...I think I was wondering around with beer in hand Friday, but we did spend much of the day and evening Saturday together....Great Weekend Finished!

March Snowing and Blowing

It appears we got a half foot of heavy and wet snow overnight....clearing off now, Patricia and I took care of our walks and driveway....even with the heavy duty Snow Machine, it was a struggle however, since the snow was indeed heavy with moister.

Schools cancelled and tonight's baseball meeting likewise...

Back Later>>>

Waitin' On The Storm....

A bit of rain, followed by some snow overnight....all in preparations for the big event that is supposed to arrive by early afternoon....but despite the dire warnings from the "Global Warming Is Our God" folks at NBC owned The Weather Channel, I have a feeling, whether we get 3 inches or 10, this storm is not going to amount to anything more than a day of schools cancelled and a few other minor conveniences...March storms, for the most part, seldom do.  They are usually not followed by bitter cold, like January storms, and the snow usually doesn't stick around long...it looks like temperatures will approach 40 by Friday with upper 40s by Saturday, which should melt most of it off the streets at least.

I've seen some big snows in my 64 years, and I am just not convinced that this one is going to last long, or have much of an effect.  The last big March snow I can remember, I missed out on, back in March 2008, some five years ago....Sam and I were taking what would be my last RV run...we got to Nappanee and were in western Illinois before the storm roared by us to the east and north.  Celina ended up getting a foot or so, but it didn't last...by the time we returned to the Midwest from our run to New Mexico and So Cal 5 days later, the snow had mostly melted...such is the way of March storms in the Heartland.

So hopefully this storm will be long gone, and cause no travel problems for the 50 or so of us who will be attending the Mini Reunion at Dayton and Wright-Patterson on Friday through the weekend.  The storm is slated to arrive here around 2pm, and should be over within 15 hours....they say it will be wet, and the wind should not be a major drifting factor....hopefully the snow blowers will not be needed, but if they are, I and they are ready to go...and if it amounts to anything worthwhile, I will have plenty of photos.

back later>>>>

Photos-A March 1984 Snow at the old farm house on Coldwater Creek Road...and a March 2012 morning at Lake Shore Drive when it was windy and warmer.

Winter Ain't Done Yet...

First off a small rant....This Gawd Damn Computer gets slower by the day....maybe somebody is trying to tell me something, but it's almost like going back to Dial-Up....arrrgggggh!

March Comes in.....Like a Lion!

Cold with snow flurries much of the weekend {the top photo was taken about 8am yesterday}, but that snow had melted by afternoon as the 32 degree sun took care of business...It looks like we will not be so lucky with the storm headed our way by tomorrow...a foot is predicted in southeast Wisconsin, while down this way they are saying 4 to 8 inches by this time Wednesday morning.   Hopefully it will gone by the time we head for Dayton on Friday afternoon.   The only ones looking to be affected by this, as far as travel to Wright-Patterson, will be my buddy "Big Sam" Lewis and wife Ruth, who are in the ground zero area of the Virginia Panhandle, which is likely to get clobbered....hopefully it will clear out in time for them to make it by Friday afternoon.

It appears my chores today, other than the bank and minor stuff, will be getting gas for the Snow Machine, and making sure Mom's is ready as well...it looks like I will getting those out one more time, and starting them will be the big challenge, since I have not had them fired up since early January.....Damn March!  Last year, despite being laid up with Carotid Artery surgery, March was bathed in record breaking warm weather, 70s and 80s much of the month...it appears 2013 will be more normal, weather-wise.

Speaking of Carotid...time for the yearly check-up...so off I go to Joint Township Hospital in St. Marys for a ultrasound on March 18th and then to Lima for the reading on April 5th...meanwhile back to my regular cardiology doc on March 20th.  I'm not sure what to expect, but at this time I'm already sure I won't opt for anymore surgery of this type...nearing 64 and having lived a good life, I am not likely to undergo any major surgery unless I am on death's door...and frankly, maybe not even then.

The Weekend in Review....

Sam arrived back at O'Hare from Salt Lake City late Friday afternoon, jumped in his Nissan and drove the 225 miles southeast and arrived here about 1:30 Saturday morning....he took care of some business, had a couple of good meals, washed his stuff, picked up his baseball umpire gear, and headed back to the Chicago bergs ahead of the storms yesterday afternoon...it appears his company, like much of America, has began laying off, but he was spared, despite being a new employee...hopefully that will hold, but he is well aware of what's going on in the world of Obama, it's a freaking disaster in the making, as the Marxist Bastard Child of Kenyan and his co-whores are bent on destroying what the Founding Fathers have taken so long to build.

Other than catching up with Sam on his travels and what's going on in his business, I spent the rest of the weekend watching roundball...as Duke welcomed the return of forward Ryan Kelly, who tossed down 36 points as the Blue Devils gained a measure of revenge by beating Miami 79-76....

On Sunday I sat around, eyes, glazing over, and watched Lonesome Dove for 8 hours...I could watch that mini series every week...I have it on tape and DVD, but watched it off and on this weekend on Reelz TV...that way I could head out during commercials...once done with that, I caught a fight filled NHL game between Boston and Montreal, and then headed off to bed, the weekend finished...Damn I am looking forward to the weekend Sky Cop Reunion, and the spring and baseball that will follow.  Cabin Fever has set it!

On that same venue, Nick, Jim Olson, and I, played phone tag, and finally decided on mid July dates to head to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, and re-create Jim and my June 1978 trip to Wind Lake and the Island we camped on in the attached photo.  We will see if our old bodies can handle the strain and pain.

back later>>>>
Photos-The morning snow from early yesterday is gone, but one more major{at least one more} snow event is slated to arrive tomorrow...which will bring out the Snow Blower for hopefully the last time.  Gus{Robert Duvall} from the Classic 1989 Mini-Series "Lonesome Dove"...one of my favorites.  And our Campsite and the Wind Lake Island we last visited in June 1978 is on our "Bucket List" for this coming July.