Winter and Social Media

It's been a long, snowy, cold, Winter...long, long, Winter...sitting here this morning waiting for the plumber to show up to unclog my basement grey water drain...don't know what the Hell happened with that...cat, maybe dropped a ball or something down it...I did, after using the household "snake" to try to fix the problem, find a rusted jar cap, a ping pong ball, and a detergent cup....but it's still plugged...making showers and washing machine work not doable at this point.

The long winter continues....did I already say that???

Spent Monday watching Grandson Kasyn...the "K~Man" is certainly growing and at 2 years 3 months old he is in the top 5% height wise and top 10% weight wise for his age...despite a few ear infections and such for this "long, snowy, cold, winter", he is growing like a weed....did I mention it has been a long cold winter???

Saturday we head to Centerville and hook up with Hal, Lisa, Kasyn, and Lisa's family and head towards Cincinnati where we will find out what sex Grandchild #2, due is August, will be....bets are it might be a girl this time....but as long as the  next 5 1/2 months go well, I am really not concerned which sex the baby will be.

Concerning the cat that showed up at our house on Christmas night, it has been living in our basement in the cold weather....and since it's been a long, cold, snowy, winter, that has been much of the time....rotating between the house, basement, and garage....lol!  Yesterday however, I took her in to get her "fixed"...if she is going to stick around the house and yard....I want no offspring hanging around with her.....

Facebook...Banned Again!

Some asshole on facebook, a typical gutless liberal male, name "Russel", gawd, is that a perfect name for a faggot left wing pole smoker or what....keeps ratting me out for posts I made toward him over a year ago...and each time he sends the same posts, the Nazi Gerbils at facebook under the direction of Fuhrer Kookenberg, ban me for 12 to 24 hours....I suspect one day to get the full month long ban....probably for saying something derogatory about his Majesty Barry Obammy....the Dicktaker Wannabee Dictator. 

I'm not sure how a sweet, kind, person, like me could piss off so many far left types?  {insert smart ass smirk}, but I guess I should consider it a badge of honor....nothing funnier that watching liberals, especially gutless, dickless, white liberal males get their panties in a wad.  My guess is most liberal men, were either abused by their mommy when children, maybe forced to wear girls clothes, and ended up the pathetic wrecks that they become as adults....a more sorry group of people never existed on Planet Earth than the American Liberal White Male.

Did I mention it's been a long, cold, winter??

Basketball season, for me at least, is done....I finished up last Friday at Wapak...and now I wait for Baseball Umpiring to begin...my first scheduled game is a Varsity Scrimmage on March 18th at Parkway....what are the chances of getting that one in?   Doubtful at best...I don't think the snow will melt{we are expecting 8 to 12 inches Sunday and Monday} by then...nor the fields dry....in fact with the temperature scheduled to drop to -7 by Tuesday{Don't think I've ever seen anything that far below zero into March}....and the extended forecast, acurate or not, does not seem promising...but it will work itself out, one way or the other.

Did I mention it's been a long, snowy, cold, winter????

back later>>>>

ADvrider...Banned Again!

Another bit of snow overnight....and I see the "warm-up" for next week has been downgraded.  Instead of some rain and a couple of days in the 50s, they are now saying mostly in the 30s, maybe low to mid 40s by Thursday...then back to the winter cold....gonna be a slow warm up before baseball season begins...and as it stands now, the spring high school baseball season will be much like last year, wet, cold, and cancellation filled.

Worked at Delphos St. Johns last night, officiating the JV contest...a 59-42 wind by visiting Lima Bath...we worked quick and with a minimum of fouls, finishing up in 62 minutes....my kind of game!!  Just one more to go, a final JV Boys game at Wapak next Friday and thankfully the long roundball season, for me at least, will be over.  Spring, warm weather, and baseball season, can't come soon enough.

The ability to rub people{mostly Liberals} the wrong way!

I got home last night and after watching an incredibly boring basketball game between Ohio State and Illinois{a mind-boggling low score for major college hoops, with OSU winning 47-39}, I got on the Internet and checked out my facebook page....and noted a major pissing match among  some of my friends about a story of a Muslim indoctrinated cop in Idaho{of all places} shoot some guys Service Dog:

http://www.wnd.com/2014/02/trigger-happy-cop-shoots-familys-service-dog/

Having been a Military Cop{Air Force Security Police} in Vietnam, who worked around Dog Trainers/Handlers, and having raised Airedales for many years...I can relate to both sides...but given the fact this clown is a stinking Islamic, a breed of trash that hates kids and dogs by their very nature, I gotta believe that this bastard shot the dog, because he was indeed "Trigger Happy".  There are some bad dogs,  these dogs were not among that group IMO, there are far more bad cops....saying that, I have many cops and retired cops among my best friends, but like all professions of power, you get the good with the bad.

Booted Again....

My ability to piss off Liberals was put to the point again....just a few days after being reinstated by the Motorcycle Adventure site ADvrider...I was banned again last night.  It appears that Liberlism rules the roost, even in a motorcycle adventure site....funny stuff.  Most bikers I know are apolitical or conservative...but the loud mouths that moderate this site and the usual group of free speech haters on the left, have garnered the power to squash any speech they disagree with...to stray from that line results in a weeks ban....I now am in the middle of my second such ban in less than a month....

http://advrider.com/forums/

Of course I'm a troll....I have posted over there some 150 times in 8 months...while the leftist toads posting political nonsense have as many as 95,000 posts in a number of years...yep, I'm the troll...You Damn Right Winger PRH!!!...

Dartball Tourney....

After 3+ months of the Regular Dartball League Season....we begin{or perhaps end} the Tournament Season this afternoon...

The league isn't what it used to be to say the least...in the 2 half our St Johns Lutheran team finished in 3rd in the first half and 2nd in the second term...blowing our last 4 game to be left out of the Championship Series....I had an unusual year...starting off playing poorly at home and somewhat better on the road, I finished strong and ended with a .314 batting average{still low by my standards} and coming in 3rd in the league in RBIS...midway through the season I couldn't seem to find the single base, so switched back to my old standard going for RBIS and Triples...along with a couple Home Runs, I finished with another trophy season, although, as I said, not really up to my usual standards....

We play Schumm Lutheran in the first round of playoffs at 3pm today...a team that dominated us during the season, even though their record was not any better than ours.  We are do to get some revenge...but if we don't, I'll wait for the All Star Game to finish up the season.

Back Later>>>>

Never Ending Winter

Minus as in -13 below zero for the 2nd straight morning here in Grand Lake Land....this unofficially makes 17 days below zero for the winter...usually in West Central Ohio we may get 2 or 3 days total below the ZERO mark...I have never seen anything close to this, at least not in my part of Ohio.  The last winter I experienced this kind of cold was the first winter Patricia and I lived in Wausau, Wisconsin...that winter of 77/78 produced a string of below zero days that lasted more than a month on the calender...but then again, that was the Northwoods of Wisconsin, where such things are expected...down here in the lower Great Lakes, not so much.

Either way, winter is on the way out...the only question is....Will it be an early Spring or a late one?  And frankly some years we have little spring weather, as we head right into Summer in mid May or there abouts.  Last year was wet and rather cold...getting almost half my spring high school baseball games rained out or frozen out...the year before, 2012, when I got my Carotid Artery worked on on my 63rd birthday, March 16th of that year, it was in the 80s and March and much of April were dry and well above average...I vote for that in 2014, but doubt is it will happen two years out of three.

This week, as basketball season winds down, I am making up games and filling in for the Junior High games that were cancelled...the first 4 days of this week, I am working Girls Junior High...something I usually don't do often, but hey, the Athletic Directors that I am filling in for, usually send good Varsity Baseball contests and tournaments my way....so, why not help em' out?

Off Friday, then a JV boys game on Saturday night at Delphos St. Johns...that will leave me just one schedule game, the next Friday, February 21st at Wapak...End of season, then get ready for baseball.  Speaking of which, our first regular umpire meeting will be held tonight at Van Wert{last week it was cancelled due to the snow storm}....I'll be late because of the basketball double, but with 7 dates left on the meeting agenda, I'll have no problem getting things squared away, meeting requirement wise.

In the meantime, I will "skate" through the rest of the winter and basketball....and hope for a healthy start to baseball season.  Right now I am just getting rid of my first cold of the season...which earlier I though might turn into Bronchitis, like I had last February...but it seems that I will miss that wonderful feeling this time around...hopefully!

<<< And after 20 months...Patricia and I{along with Nick} have finally a new floor in the Kitchen....now a new paint job is needed for that area plus some trimming...but  that can wait till warmer weather.

back later>>>

Photos-Grand Lake...not sure how deep the snow is at this time...but I imagine plenty thick, at least in spots....just don't walk or snowmobile on the southwest corner area.  Baseball is near, but will the snow melt, or will we be stuck with scenes like this?  And finally the darker{shows less walk in dirt} tile floor has been put down in the kitchen, finishing up the water leak damage from the summer of 2012.

Crazy Liberals....Crazy Social Media

Nearly another foot of snow fell on West Central Ohio from Monday night to early Tuesday AM...we did manage to get our Varsity Basketball double header in.  After officiating the girls contest between Celina and Crestview, a close game despite the different records, until the end...the visiting Knights came away with a 44-34 win to move to 16-1 on the season, The Bulldogs fell to 3-16...but put up a good contest...I stuck around for the Boys Game, which was supposed to be a good, close, hard fought battle....and it lived up to the billing.  Top Ranked D4 Crestview jumped out to a 13 point lead late in the 3rd quarter, but had to survive a last possession by Celina to pull out a 62-60 squeaker.  Crestview moves to 16-0, while Celina, still tied for first in the WBL{this was not a league game} falls to 11-5 with a unusually tough schedule.

The lite snow which had fallen when I arrived at the Fieldhouse at 5:15, had turned into a half foot or more by the time I headed out to clear off the Nitro....by morning it would approach and pass double digits in inches fallen.  I felt for my 5 fellow officials...all had to drive 20+ miles home, some as much as 55...mostly on State and back roads....me?  I scraped off the snow and a bit of underlying ice, and headed the 5 blocks to our place...Lucky Me!  The Crestview fans, and there were quite a few, had to slide home the 32 miles via slippery roads as well.

Pissing off the Left....I do my best!

As a poster on several social media sites{facebook, twitter, various sports and political related sites, etc} What else does a retired/semi retired old fart have to do in the middle of the longest, coldest, snowiest, winter in recent memory?...I often worm my way into politics...not so much to put my opinions out for all to view, although I surely do that, but usually to see the Psychotic Reactions for those on the left, and so called Moderates, as well as radical gays, Atheists, excuse makers for Islamic Assholes, and those that worship Obama and Company.  They don't last long before they usually go Ape shit in anger.  Most remind me of little boys on some Elementary School playground...they gang up when confronted and form a front against anybody that dare call them what they are....Gutless, etc, etc, etc....they are indeed like the proverbial playground bullies, tough as a group, as long as they have you outnumbered, but when called out, insulted, and generally made fun of, they go crying to their 'daddy"...usually that is one of the Moderators on the site{much like a playground monitor}, begging them to ban or put on time out the offending Nasty Right Winger.

I've been booted, sometimes permanently, from quite a few sites.  The latest, in addition to several "Time Outs" from the liberal lapdogs at facebook, happened this last week from a Motorcycle Ride site called ADvrider:  http://www.advrider.com/forums/index.php

It's a pretty good site, and since, after 20+ years of being out of the saddle, I decided to get back into Adventure Motorcycle Riding...I figured a good place to check things and ride locations out...and it is.  Lots of good people there...however, as usual on any large social media site, you have your

garden variety left wing fools that want to "rule the threads"...and they just hate anybody that comes into their territory and makes a comment, that might differ from theirs...fine I say, but sometimes I have to poke some asshole in the eye.  So last week I had a couple of "Fat Tire" ales and stopped by the "Ohio" thread...not really Ohio at all...at least not my part of Ohio...this thread is ruled by a group of Eastern Ohio Hill~Jacks and they sure the Hell don't like comments, let alone opinions, from anybody from the flat part of the state.

Well it so happens the other night, soon after the Kenyan Fool put on his scripted "State of Disaster/ Union" message...some nimrod on the "Ohio Ride" thread compares Obammy to Hitler...good comparison I thought, except Obama just isn't that bright...neither are his backers.  The ripping on this poster started...mostly from the effeminent Gay male crowd...well I assume they were gay, aren't all male libs?  Gay or live their lives ruled by wives, girlfriends, or mommy...either way I just gave the guy a "nod" icon and said, "Some folks just can't handle the truth"...all Hell broke loose and a few of the little leftists, led by a girlyman calling himself Z@ck, another clown with a photo of a fake big titted Sarah Palin, wrapped in the American Flag, with 23,000 or so posts(talk about no life, how the Hell does he find time to work or ride?} naming himself dragoon, and some fat porker who has not liked any post I chipped in with since I joined, calling himself MeefZah, came unglued....well, having poured my 3rd,  or was it 4th "Fat Tire", I joined in the flame war...before somebody cried to one of the Head Cheese types, and the thread was buried, and I was booted for a week...

Back on, I can go back to enjoying the ride reports....but won't grace the assholes with my opinions or comments on the "East Ohio Hi~Jack" thread...however with the new fun involved, I will make a few comments on the "JoMomma" section, where politics and flame wars are front and center...this morning I already jumped in on the Phillip Seymore Hoffman death....hoping to stir a few of the lefties up....they have been posting of what a great tragedy this is, and what a talent he was...Huh???  Yes it's sad the dumb son of a bitch died from sticking Heroin in his veins...but great talent?  No, he was a dumbass....and if not for his so called fame and fortune, nobody but his immediate circle of family and friends would give a shit!

As for ADvrider, I will stick around, comment some, but mostly enjoy the photos and "trip reports"...well at least until I crack open a few Fat Tires, and get my ass booted...there is always that chance{likelihood}  ... 

Games back on tonight....heading for Antwerp to work a Boys game

back later>>>


Photos-It's been quite a few years since this part of Ohio has seen over 50 inches of snow in a season...sure, that doesn't come close to my days, post Vietnam, that I spent in Upstate New York where the Mohawk Valley received over 300 inches of Lake Effect snow that winter of 70/71....but for West Central Ohio, it's been plenty, giving the new Snow Machine a good workout.  Worked my first Varsity Basketball game at the Celina High Fieldhouse(built in 1937)...usually only work lower level games in all 3 sports during the school year here in Celina, but with the snow outs, and cancellations, I was called and enjoyed both games..working the Girls Varsity and staying for the boys game.  Lots of years and a couple of nasty wrecks since I first began riding Motorcycles, after my Air Force gig...rode from 1974 through 1989, but with the crash injuries and a family growing, it was time to take a break....that break is coming to and end this riding season, if all goes well....photos are from 1975 with the Dual Sport Kaw 250 and with youngest son Hal back in 1985 on the Yamaha 650  or is it the Suz 550?  Seems I can't recall, but pretty sure it's the Yamaha.

Finally the Flooring gets put down!

I see it's been two full weeks since I last posted....another record breaker in length between posts, a credit to being busy or bored?  I choose the later of those choices.  It's been a long, cold, snowy, winter, and here I sit, waiting for the next version of the Winter of 2013/2014's "White Death".  Another 6 to 10 inches has been predicted by the NBC owned Weather Channel, and it's "Al Gore is Gawd, Global Warming is our Bible", Bullshit...the gerbils at the WC have gone to actually "naming" the projected winter storms these days....this one is a N...Numbnutz or something along that vein....either way, I'm not sure how much snow, ice, or whatever, we may see...but it will continue this season, without so much as a sniff of a a January or February "Melt" .....hopefully it will turn into a early Spring.  God knows, I only have a limited number of seasons left on this earth, and the warmer{and dryer} the better.

20 months later...finally getting the Kitchen Floor done....

When son Sam graduated from The Ohio State University, at the ripe old age of 30 back in the Summer of 2012, we headed down to Columbus for the hot, humid, air of the Horseshoe, and watched the ceremony.   Susan Rice was the commencement speaker...the joke of an UN Ambassador, spinning her lies about family, the glory of queer marriage, and worship of her boss, the Half Wit/Half Breed of a Kenyan fool in the White House....after taking Sam and a couple of friends out to a post graduation dinner, we headed home...once back we discovered that newly installed fixture{done by a plumber, not me} had come loose under the kitchen sink, doing major damage to the kitchen floor, the crawl space next to our basement, and some areas next to the kitchen entrance....several thousand dollars damage to be exact.

Nationwide paid what they thought was a far settlement{we probably should have held out for more but wth?}...and we began the task of deciding what to do...new kitchen, new cabinets, blah, blah, blah...

Well after the fire/water restoration guys finished...my buddy Nick and I replaced the insulation under the kitchen...Patricia and I checked out the cost for new kitchen, new bay windows, etc, etc...after some soul searching, I decided to nix the whole damn project....$25,000 to $30,000 to upgrade at our ages was doable, but being the cheap bastard I am....I let the floor sit for over a year and a half...time flies indeed!

Well with the winter conditions leaving no time for outdoor activities, Nick, Patricia, and I, finally got around to picking out the flooring and material to at least get the kitchen floor back to some semblance of normal....the project began with cutting sub-floor plywood, sanding, gluing, measuring, and finally laying down the Armstrong Tile....as of Super Bowl weekend, we were about 85% finished...just a few more edge and corner cuts to go, and we will finally have our kitchen back to (better) what it was in June 2012....and at a Hell of a lot less cost that we bantered about.

Back Later>>>>

The Floor from June 2012 until this morning.....finally nearing completion....

Dragging thru Winter

11 days since my last post....that is the single longest period, by several days, of the longest gap between posts.  Not sure if it's the boredom of winter in Western Ohio, the lack of any "real" news going on...my current despising of anything politics, both from the left, and the so-called right...let us face it, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Donut Boy Christie, and the so called leaders of the Republican Party are every bit as pathetic as Pelosi, The Clintons, Reid, and the Kenyan Born Fool in the White House.  We are in deep shit, and the majority of fools don't have a clue concerning the dictatorship and Government Rule that is heading their way....in every aspect of their miserable lives.

Anyway, that aside, this lack of posting, is the longest since I began this blog some 6 1/2 years ago, in the heat of the Summer of 2007.  Back then I was posting, for the most part, 5 days a week, taking most weekends off...that lasted until a year or more ago, when I slowed down to 2 or 3 posts a week...it has went downhill since then....having told my life story, from growing up in Venice, Florida, the High School Days in Celina, Ohio, my Air Force time, both in and out of Vietnam, and the wild days post Military, into college.  These days, as I approach my 65th birthday, the everyday things are routine, and of interest only, for the most part, to me...the things I look forward to are much simpler, and yet just as fulfilling, perhaps not as interesting or "exciting".

Watching the Grandson, Kasyn, grow like a weed is one of the things that confirm that life indeed does pass by in the blink of an eye...and now with a sister or brother{we will find out March 1st} on the way, another chapter will be written...how long I remain on this planet to watch them grow remains something only known to God.  I plan on sticking around as long as he wishes, and forever speaking out on things I like, despise, and agree or disagree with...whether it be politics, the world, sports, religion, or everyday life.

2014 will be a challenge...my medical needs will now be in the hands of the VA and Medicare, gawd, how I hate to rely on the Government for anything other than keeping the sewers and water flowing, and the highways in repair....but it is the way of life these days, we have become a nation and society of slaves, whether we like it or not.  As of now, despite a back ache at present, I am doing well physically.  Still lifting weights, still up and down the basketball court, and eating well, and keeping the blood pressure low.  I've kicked myself off one Cholesterol Med, and slowly cutting down on one of my two BP lowering drugs...did I ask the doctor about these cutbacks?  Hell No!  I refuse to go through the final chapters of life, taking drugs that most likely do more harm than good, just to last until I'm 90 or 100...give me 70 or 75 and see what shakes out!

So I will continue to post...on occasion, but the days of the 5 posts per week are by the boards...

Mercer County is on a Level 2 Snow Emergency, adding to the winter woes, will be another round of below Zero temperatures this mid week...indeed a long winter, and we still have two full months to go.  Games at Rockford tonight, if the don't cancel, then back home to toss darts, the rest of the week remains busy to say the least, with roundball...however I do have Friday off, only the second or third of those since basketball began, back in late November.  Last night we had our first organizational
meeting for baseball....just the 3 officers, Ryan, Ron, and me, attended, the finances look good for the upcoming season, and we kick off our regular meetings on February 5th...my first scrimmage is March 25th at St Marys.  Make no mistake, it will be cold through much of the Spring season, but much better than the current weather for sure.

back later, with more of the mundane....

Photos-Grand Lake in Summer, I am ready for these days to return...plans are to continue to eat healthy and lost the final 8 or 10 pounds back down to the 180 mark.  Missing the flowers in my backyard, especially the wide variety of Sunflowers I grow each Spring and Summer, and yes, cold Spring or not, I am ready to pack away the basketball clothes and whistles, and pick up the baseball gear.

Meal Plan 2014....

We are slowly moving out of the early New Year Deep Freeze....still not above freezing, but that should end by the weekend, when rain may make things a mess....45 by Saturday and showers on the way....meanwhile things still look nice out, with the fresh and pure white snow, but that to will come to an end.

Checking out the Weight....and Bike for 2014....

I lost about 9 pounds over 2013...but of course that is only half of what I gained in the 2011-12 stretch, and in addition to the 40 pounds lost from Labor Day 2009 through 2010...the battle is never won, until it is over....approaching 65, with Blood Pressure down, the meds for same cut back, blood sugar better, and frankly feeling better than I did when I was in my late 30s and 40s I am feeling pretty good about it all...but the final 10-12 pounds to get me down to the 180 range, where I want to be, is my goal in the new year of 2014....I don't make resolutions, but I

do make attempts at doing what I want to achieve.  I have just two major goals in mind for this year.

The first is purchasing a Yamaha tw200 Motorcycle...a low cost {less than $4000} "Dual Sport"
 bike, with fat tires, that rides great off road, and does a decent job{at least from reports I have seen and read}on the slab and concrete highways.  With the seat sitting at only 31.5 inches above pavement, it has the right height for my short inseam, and long upper body...at 5' 10" and turning 65 in March, I have no desire for a tall bike that zips up and down the Interstate Highway...I have been there and done that, and have really no wish to run that route again.  Hopefully by April one tw will be sitting in my garage.


Now on to the Weight....hanging around 190, I managed to lose about 9 pounds the past year...after gaining some 20 the previous 2 years.  Of course this is all on top of the 40 or so I lost when it was discovered I had pre-diabetes 2.  Losing weight is never easy, even more so for a 65 year old, who despite officiating some 200 games a year, and lifting weights three times per week...but who also consumes more than his share of dark beers and ale, and had a fondness for deep fried foods.  The days of the food problems are pretty much past...I eat healthy and have found some great tasting and filling meals...the beers, ale, and even a bottle of Irish Creme, are another issue...those I find it harder to un-ass and cut back on.

 

Of late I have pretty much been eating certain meals at least twice a day....

Oatmeal with Honey and a Banana for breakfast at least 4 times per week, and Egg Beaters, without the fat, cholesterol, or carbs...mixed with fresh Mushrooms, Green Peppers, Red Chili Peppers{home grown at my buddy Rick's place in Indiana} Sweet Onions, and the Southwest version of the Egg Beaters....along with that a Greek Yogurt....all in total, these meals are far less than 1000 calories.  Drop in a few beers and a meat and green veggie meal later in the day, and I still am well below the 2000 Calorie and 200 Carb input per day...usually this is good for losing a pound or two per week{on average}...so, if I stay at it, I should be down to 180 by the start of High School baseball season in late March, just after my 65th Birthday on March 16yh.

Those are the "Goals" for this year.....but time will tell if I succeed in the hunt....

back later>>>>

Photos-Night View taken last night from my back steps....the snow is sticking around, at least for now.  The "tdub"200, the bike I plan on purchasing this Spring...The Egg Beaters Omelet that have become a staple of my more healthy diet.  And some Carolans Irish Cream....only 17% Alcohol, but with Honey and Heavy Cream, not conducive to losing weight....

Winter's Vengence

-9 and a chill factor of 40 below this Noon Hour, after near a foot of snow{with the winds it could be anywhere from 8 inches to a foot or so}...has our county, Mercer, shut down with a Level 3 Emergency...needless to say, no school, no games, not much going on ....after getting the driveway blown and cleared late yesterday afternoon....we are back on "square one" today...the extra snow and overnight winds have plugged everything back up....and this old fool is not that big of one as to go out and bother with the blowing, shoveling, and plowing, at least not yet!


Photos from the windows looking out:  back later>>>

The Post Christmas Blahs.....

Another Christmas has come and gone...64 of em' for me, and frankly, they all seem to blur or morph into just a few....

We spent last weekend with son Hal, Lisa, and Grandson Kasyn, along with most of Lisa's family in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area...visited the Newport Aquarium, ate a meal along the banks of the Ohio River on the Kentucky side, then spent the next 20 hours at the Sharonville(Ohio) Radisson and Co Co Key indoor Water Park....a nice time, the motel and water park were our Christmas gifts from Lisa and Hal, and Patricia and I had a great time, she did especially with the K-Man at the water park....she hit big tube slides on a handful of occasions, I limited mine to one backward slide down, on the back side of the double inter tube with her.  In this case, once was indeed enough.

On the negative side{and there were several}....my neck seemed to get out of whack.  Not sure if it was from the side, the unfamiliar bed, or what?...but 5 days later, it is still out of whack...as is my
weight.  Here I spend from the Kokomo Vietnam Reunion until Christmas week, losing 13 pounds in 3 months, and {no shit} I gained half of it, a full 7 pounds, back in 4 days....and frankly, although I did eat more, and less healthy, than normal...no way I should have packed it back up to 195.

I have been doing well over the past 4 plus years....dropping down from my post {heavy} weight lifting days of 225 pounds, down to 180 in May of 2010...most of those lost in the period from September 2009, when I was discovered to have Pre-Diabetes 2 until May of the next year...nearly 45 pounds.  Back to weight lifting I went...then in 2012 on my 63rd Birthday, I was put under the knife and had Carotid Artery surgery on my neck's right side...eventually I went back to weight lifting and have been pretty steady with that...my weight popped up a bit, back to near 200 by the time Mid-September and Kokomo came around...determined to get back to 180, I began a not-so-radical return to a sane diet{perhaps too much dark ale and beer, but......

what the Hell?}, and was within my goal of hitting the 180 mark by the time I called my first pitch in late to middle March and the beginning of baseball season....this week's set back and next week's New Years Day get together at Rick's place in Indiana, has bumped me back a bit....but I am determined to make that goal....and see no reason not to do just that.

Christmas Eve was held at sister Marty's House....all those family members that were not in Florida, were there....Sam was home from Chicago, neice Mikki in from California, and the rest drove lesser distances from Michigan and locally....Hal, Lisa, and Kasyn, the 95 miles from Centerville...prior to heading across town, we had our gift opening at our house, with Anissa, Sam, Hal, Lisa, and K-Man....we then ate, drank, played cards, and watched the 3 youngest{mom's Great Grandkids} open presents and wear themselves out...before heading home.

Christmas Day we never left the house....and ate some more and watched the annual rite of passes "The Christmas Story" 24 hour marathon on WTBS....Sam headed back to Chicago land at 3pm{had to work yesterday} and Anissa was picked up about 8pm...the only other excitement was a young female cat ran in the house as Anissa was heading out....despite having a flea collar, nobody has yet

claimed her, and she remains in the garage area....another pet I don't want or need, but I won't let it starve either....that is not my way.

Today it's back to basketball for one day...working a Holiday JV Double Header up at Elida...game this afternoon, the 3rd place and championship games in the Junior Varsity division, a nice payday and early home....meanwhile Patricia headed to Centerville and is watching K-man for the day...and part of this evening, as Hal and Lisa will go out to dinner, with the gift that Sam got them for Christmas...

As for me....back on the diet, rest the neck and left shoulder, and see if by tomorrow I can get back in the workout room and do some lifting....but I won't rush it.

back later>>>>

Photos-Various from the Aquarium at Newport, Kentucky, the view from our Ohio Riverside Restaurant, the Co Co Key Water Park, Kasyn with his gifts and the water park with Hal, Grandma Patricia, his golf clubs, snowball the albino crocodile, cousin Luke, trying to out scream each other on Christmas Eve....

The Hawk Makes a Hit.....

Temperature has risen to the low 40s today....first time since Thanksgiving we have been that warm, and with the rain forecast to start tonight...the 10 inches or so of snow on the ground will turn into a muddy, flooded mess...then by Monday we start the road back to winter weather....I would just have rather seen it stay "Winter-Like"....

About 5 or six years ago, a Red Tail Hawk of the Marsh Variety decided to spend it's winters hanging around the neighborhood....every winter the same one{least the markings are the same} comes back around until Spring.  I have seen it feasting on Sparrows, and an occasional Pigeon...while eyeballing the local Squirrels, I have yet to see it make a move on one of them....after all, it's a fight the Hawk would most likely win, but at what cost?  The fuzzy tailed tree rodents, that feed off the birdseed in my backyard, are fat, healthy, and have claws and teeth of their own.

Just before Noon today, I was walking out of the kitchen, and noticed the Hawk in the driveway,
standing in the melting snow, and feeding on "something"...I got out the point and shoot and snapped off a few photos from the landing window, and then pulled down up portion of the window down and asked the Hawk..."Hey, what you got there"?  Mr/Ms Red Tail took a look, sunk it's claws firmly into the carcass, and flew off....I walked out and snapped what was left...some blood, lots of Pigeon feathers, and some undigested corn, not doubt the last feeding the Pigeon was ever going to do.

Wet for the next few days, and temperatures will stick around in the low to mid 40s through Sunday....I've got a Girls game at Wapak tonight, then Boys  JV tomorrow, Junior High Saturday morning, and then Saturday Night, I'm at Cory-Rawson for a boys Varsity game....with the trip to Cincy, Sam coming home, and the family Christmas Eve get together, the next week will indeed be
busy.

Photos-The Hawk and his "victim" the Pigeon and what was left when the Hawk took flight!

and below:  The Full Moon in the Vapors{Jet Trails} above Celina last night..

37 Years...well actually 40 Years Ago...

December 18th in 1973...Patricia and I first met, and were married 3 years to the day later, 12/18/76....yesterday oldest son, Sam, turned 32....time flies indeed!  Nothing special planned, she is working, I have no game tonight, will get with Nick as we measure up the Kitchen floor, in hopes of fixing the mess that the water leak created 18 months ago...???  Yea, I know, what the Hell is with that?

Patricia and I will go out to eat, probably next week....this weekend, on Sunday, we will head to Cincinnati, and spend a couple days on a mini vacation, with Hal, Lisa, and grandson, Kasyn...Sam will be heading in from Chicago, and arrive Friday night...he then will head to Columbus to stay with old Ohio State day friends and his old roomate, we will all be back in Celina for the Family Christmas Eve bash at sister Marty's house...the rest of this week remains busy with basketball.  I worked my first Varsity game of the year last night,  some 60 miles north at Cory-Rawson HS, a game won easily by the home girls over visiting Lima Perry...I thought the 3 of us did a good job, although I do admit to making one real weak call early on that put the Perry center on the bench with 2 fouls....she came back soon after and played the rest of the game foul free, so that call by me, as bad as I think it was, didn't affect the game at all.

Tomorrow WBL JV Girls at Wapak, then boys same at Lima Bath on Friday...on Saturday I drive 35 miles to Versailles for a boys Junior High game at 10am...come home, quick shower and a bite, then drive the 60 miles back north to Cory-Rawson for a boys Varsity game, thus completing a busy week...things will then back off with only a double header Holiday Girls Tournament at Elida on December 27th, to finish out the 2013 sports year....January however, will be my busy month in roundball....with no less than 22 games on the schedule.

Merry Christmas....If I don't post before then!