Just another Monday.....Weather Changes....

Saw a bit of it all over the weekend, weather wise, but for the most part the conditions remain better than your average winter weather.

With no game on Friday, I spent the majority of the day cleaning the wood floors in the 3 living room spaces of the house....the wood floors,  hard pine, have been without wall to wall carpet for about 5 or 6 years now, and despite Reagan the Airedale, making her marks with paws on them, they remain a plus over the carpet which covered them for many years.  The house, build as the old Church of God parsonage, was constructed beginning in late 1923, with the kitchen area and second half bath added in 1945.  For the first 60 years it was the home of many a pastor and their families, including one Tennyson Guyer, the former Mayor of Celina during the World War II years, and  a pastor at the First Church of God back in the late 1930s and 40s...before turning his attention to politics full time, and eventually becoming the US House of Representative member from this district, serving until the time of his death:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennyson_Guyer

The church moved to the north and farther west side of town, rebuilding in the 1980s. We became the 2nd owners after the church sold it....purchasing it in 1995.  We ripped out the carpet a decade or so later.  Anyhow, the floors needed cleaning after the wet winter thus far, and I worked a few hours on them Friday afternoon.

Once done with that chore, I decided, with the sun out and the temperatures near 50, it was time to smoke my first Cigar since October, being I seldom partake in the winter months...after all it is not enjoyable, at least to me, to freeze ones backside off standing outside smoking a good cigar...and I don't smoke inside or in the car.  So seldom do I fire one up from November until about May, unless the conditions warrant and I have the time to waste an hour or so.


The weather stayed nice for a couple of hours in the late afternoon, so I lit one up, and enjoyed a couple of Mad Hat Winter Lagers, and a 1876 cigar, over remainder of the afternoon and daylight hours.

Saturday____

After the sunny and mild Friday, it rained overnight into Saturday morning....then the snow started.  We may have received an inch or two, however when that ended, the melting started, and by the time I headed out to Antwerp, some 50 miles north, at 4:15, the majority was gone....until I got to the game site.  It seems Antwerp had received 3 or 4 inches, and that had not melted.  The JV games was a fast mover, afterward I showered and didn't stick around for any of the Varsity contest, leaving by 7:30 and pulling into the drive by 8:30 Saturday night.

Sunday____

Patricia, Anissa, and I waited out the early morning fog, which had formed on the wet ground and roadways, it seems that was only in the Celina area and south, north of town was sunny and clear...we left for Indiana, and Rick and wife Toni's place some 70 miles north and west, about 10:30...we drove out of the thick fog 10 miles north of town, and nothing but sunshine, and pleasant conditions would remain for the rest of the drive and day.

We spent a few hours, with Toni giving Patricia the tour of the new home they built on 17 acres within the last two years....I had been to the site many times over the past several years, both before and after construction, this was her first trip.   After the tour, we ate lunch, talked for a couple of hours, and, having to get Anissa back to her place, where her care giver was waiting, took the road home...sunshine all the way.


I managed to catch the end of a disappointing Duke game, where the Blue Devils came from 16 points down to Miami, only to lose in overtime by going a sorry 0 for 6 from the free throw line...doesn't get any easier for Coach K and Company, as they are at North Carolina on Wednesday.

The Super Bowl came on at 6:30 and for the second time in 4 years, the NY Giants defeated the Patriots on a late TD....the final was 21-17.  I didn't have a dog in the fight, but preferred the Giants, although, let's face it....professional sports has become a sideshow for millionaires and the jet setters, and seriously, I don't waste much time on it.

 Dartball tonight, basketball back on the agenda, tomorrow at Spencerville, and a Baseball Rules meeting in Van Wert on Wednesday....that is how the week begins, along with more spring-like temperatures and sunshine, at least for today....

back later>>>>

Photos-The weather was back and forth, give and take over the past 72 hours or so...Sunshine on Friday Afternoon, snow Saturday Morning, and back to Sunshine for Sunday and again this morning....Meanwhile I took the opportunity to clean the 88 year old wood floors in the downstairs, smoke a cigar on Friday afternoon, and sip a couple of Winter Dark Lagers in the afternoon sun that was bright in the backyard.

A Quiet Friday......

Still resting the back, however I may drop down to the basement and do some weight lifting this afternoon....but first on the agenda, a trip uptown to get a a few items on the agenda taken care of...including a first anniversary card for Hal and Lisa, hard to believe it has been a year ago this weekend that we were heading for West Virginia and the lodge to celebrate with them on their wedding, February 5th of last year.  Boy has their lives changed since then....as Grandson Kasyn is now 10 weeks old....we will be down there with them next weekend.

Some bills to pay also today, then home to work on the hardwood floors....the muddy winter has made them a mess, and I will try to restore some luster to them....and clean the muck and dog tracks off....with no game tonight, I should be able to get that done before Patricia returns home.  With a rare Friday off, I will return to the court on Saturday night at Antwerp, for a boys HS/JV game.....

That is about it....a not so interesting or exciting day or two is in store for PRH...however, the weather will remain sunny and warm for today, before a bit of rain and snow arrives early tomorrow...the next 10 days or so, look calm with temperatures rotating from the mid 40s down to the mid 30s...

Enjoy the weekend, I will be back later>>>>


Photos-Hard to believe it's been a year ago this weekend that we were in the Mountains of West Virginia, with Hal and Lisa, as they were married....a lot has come and gone since last February, including the new Grandson Kasyn....

Groundhogs and Old Leather Coats

It appears that "Phil" saw his shadow this morning, meaning six more weeks of "Winter"....so I'm thinking, if we have 6 more weeks of winter, like the past 6 weeks....Hell I'm all for it!

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/punxsutawney-phil-isnt-always-122732863--abc-news.html

On the other hand, if he's wrong, that's even better....bring on that Global Warming fix....

Old Leather Coats.....

No doubt regular readers of this blog have seen photos of me in a worn out leather coat.....lots of rips, abuse, and scars, from the past 25 years it does have, kind of like me.  I purchased it in Lima, Ohio, 25 years ago...and was weighing about 175 or 180 pounds when I purchased it.  I wore it for maybe 10 winters, but weight lifting and accompanying weight gain, to the 215-220 pound mark, put it in storage.  Eventually I figured I would not be able to fit into it again...so I handed it down to oldest son Sam when he was in High School....he wore it, putting more marks on the leather for a few years, and then he quickly outgrew it....not a chance he would be able to fit that thing over his 240 frame...so back in the closet it went....broken zipper, ripped sleeve cuffs and all.  There is stayed for another decade until the winter of 2009-10, when I pulled it out.  Having lost 25 or 30 pounds I could slip back into it....but the zipper and sleeves made it good for only wearing in mild winter weather, when outside smoking a Cigar or walking the fairgrounds, when the temps were rather warm.....this winter I decided to make one more effort to keep that leather jacket alive and in use.

Just before Christmas I drove the 20 miles to Wapakoneta and took  the coat to the Goodyear Shoe and Repair Store, and asked the lady in charge what she could do..."New zipper, new cuff sleeves, and not much else", she replied.  Today, 6 weeks later, I picked it up...$48.15 was the cost...at the same time, I turned my black leather coat in, and requested a new zipper for that one...after all, I have three leather coats, and if they can be repaired, why not?  A site less costly that buying a new one, at least a new one that is worth a tinker's damn...plus there is something ultimately nostalgic about abused leather coats.

Now the major problem with the old brown St. Johns Leather Coat is...the new zipper makes it a bit more snug, and with my recent gain of 10 pounds, putting me back around 195....I am going to have to lose that 10 back to wear it in comfort...so, a reason is set to lose that extra baggage....and hopefully by the time next winter rolls around, that "snugness" will be a thing of the past.....meanwhile I can still wear it, just it is more comfortable without the zipper being zipped!

Back at the basketball wars tonight, as I travel to Elida, and work a girls JV game, a rare Friday night off tomorrow, and then Saturday afternoon I make the long drive to Antwerp for a boys contest.  After that, just seven more dates of roundball, and the season is finished, and I can rest up a few weeks before baseball comes calling.

back later>>>>

Photos-Top, Today, me the newly repaired and zipper replaced leather coat, that I purchased in 1987...the 25 years of wear and closet storage has, IMO, made the coat a classic, now if I can just drop the few pounds gained over the holidays, to fit comfortably back into it....last winter, with the damage zipper, it wasn't a problem, see photo #2

February...in like a Lamb

Yesterday the high approached 60 on a record setting day in the land of Global Warming.  Sure, any thinking person with an ounce of scientific knowledge knows that the Global Warming Hoax is just that....a dodge, shake down, power control bid, whatever you want to call it, foisted on us and pushed by fake experts like limp dick Al Gore, and paid off "scientists" from around the world....but if this winter really has been a sign of  things to come...I'm all for it! 

As I walked out this morning to give the tree rodents {Squirrels} and invading Sparrows, their morning ration of seed and corn to do battle over, I was docked out in jeans and a t-shirt...February freaking 1st!  Tomorrow we will see if Puxatony Phil predicts six more weeks of winter...?  Give me a break, it appears, other than the record cold in Alaska, we have virtually had NO WINTER, so why would six more weeks like this be a problem?  However there is reason for concern, because there is a big chunk of cold air up north, that is just waiting to dive south....and with my luck, that will probably be at the beginning of baseball season, which for some reason is always cold in Ohio...at least the spring High School season has been that way in recent years.

The next few days look to be warm as well...no sixty degree temps in the forecast, but through Friday, the forecast says near 50 for highs, before some more rain(which we had overnight)moves into the forecast...until then I plan on getting out and enjoying a walk in the park or fairgrounds....

Thoughts of "Spring" Cleaning____

Getting the critter food out of the garage this morning, I looked around the two and one half car size storage area, and thought to myself...."What a freaking mess"!  The 1977 Buick surrounded by boxes of baseball cards from the boys childhood, along with boxes of antiques and collectibles left over from my Grandma Houseworth's place, which have been stored in the garage, along with dressers and bed frames since 1996 when Aunt Eva made her final trip to the Van Wert nursing home....and then there is the basement!!!  Amazing how much "stuff" humans can collect over a lifetime....

Now, no hoarders are we....and there are things that need to go.  The boys things I will keep for now, until Hal and Lisa get a bigger home, and until Sam decides where and what he will do after graduation for Ohio State this spring...but there are other things that I need to say good-bye to.  After all, I turn 63 next month...what the Hell am I saving these things for?  So this spring, after the local Celina Spring Pick-Up...I have to get to work on the rest of the garage and basement, and either have a garage sale{which I hate the thought of} or get a large roll off or dumpster, and clean house.....

I guess the warmer weather has brought these these thoughts and issues to mind.  I'm sure once colder weather moves back in...I will push them out of my memory banks until April...but this is the Spring that I have to make a dent in the garage, so I can take back my space.

No basketball or meetings tonight, my medical appointment was canceled by the office until next Wednesday, because of an emergency....so today, with 50 as a high, I will do some walking.  I was thinking of gettning back into the basement weight room, but the back and legs are still a question mark, so I will push that back another day or two, and see if things improve....after all, why force the issue and screw things up?, it's not like I'm in competition or preparing for a 15 round Championship Fight....

back later>>>>

Photos-Walking out back and looking north from the driveway this morning, things seemed and looked more like Spring than February 1st....and that gave thoughts to "taking back my garage" from the clutter and years of collecting family heirlooms and kids stuff....I am sure when Winter returns those thoughts will fade until warm weather arrives for good around May.

As January Fades, so does the GOP Chances in 2012...

It might hit 60 degrees in West Central Ohio today....not sure if that would be a record, but it would have to be close if not an outright high for January 31st in recorded history.  Sure it will eventually get colder, but at this time of the year, each day that moves us closer to March and the beginning of Spring, is one day less we will have to contend with Winter....

The back slowly improves...sure it still hurts...but it is improving, so I believe this spell will be just that, a bump in the road, rather than a detour....in fact I am considering heading down to the basement weight room as early as tomorrow to start my lifting routine....or perhaps I will hold off until Friday, we will see how I feel tomorrow...

First thing tomorrow morning however is heading to Minster to my "doctor"...actually my doctor retired last fall, in his 50s, with health issues of his own....thus leaving Patricia and I without a regular physician....however his office is now staffed by a nurse practitioner and she refers major items to one of the regular MD's out of the Health Conglomerate...otherwise she takes care of the office work, and issues regarding subscriptions, etc.  My last visit was back in August when Doc Bergman was still practicing....and I need a refill of BP meds...but the real reason to go back was Patricia.  While my back was acting up, she managed to bend wrong and snap something out of place in her knee....she had one operated on back in the mid 1980s....this is the other one, and it might be that surgery will be needed on this one.  I guess her appointment on Thursday will go a long way towards deciding that....Ain't getting older great?

The GOP stumbles into Florida_____

The Republicans continue to self-destruct as they move into the Florida Primary Election today...Mitt and Newt appear to be all the GOP has left to defend America against the half baked, half wit, half breed, Marxist assclown, named Barack Insane Obama, this November.  And if I had my prediction right now, I say America loses....it appears at this point that this Kenyan Bastard Child will be re-elected by a people either to stupid, too unattached, or too hooked on Government handouts, to actually see what is happening to this once{look around it no longer is great in any sense of the word}great Republic.

But take a look at the Republicans....they have nobody to blame but themselves...the two front runners continue to destroy themselves and their base, by of all things, complaining about each other being too rich or too corrupt, or for gawd sake, too Capitalistic...WTF is wrong with these imbeciles? 

Rick Santorum is still my pick, but it appears that he is running out of time and money, Ron Paul is nothing but a side show freak, who will, if given a third party run, hand the election to Obama....which is likely to happen anyway.  Paul is nothing more than a spawn of the America First group which was in vogue back in the days right before Pearl Harbor was attacked

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_Committee 

....once the war hit American soil, the movement disbanded, and fell into place to support the war, along with the rest of the country.  The "Paulbots" as most call his most rabid supporters are nothing more than 1960s radicals that are cheapskates when it comes to taxes...in short they are the Anti Vietnam War Radicals, some 45 years late.  As I have said until blue in the face....Ron Paul knows economics, sad to say he is naive as Hell when it comes to the evils of Islam and the danger that cult presents to freedom loving people.


So that leaves us with Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.....

Newt is a smart man, who will destroy the Kenyan in a debate....but who watches debates?  On the left nobody except the Political Class, who are already walking in lock step with this interloping sock puppet of George Soros.  The rest of the Obama base are too stupid to take their eyes off Jerry Spinger or Oprah Lard Ass, to even begin to think for themselves...if they do watch news, they tend to watch the evening left wing talking points on one of the 3 major networks, or CNN.  Despite being a good debater and a smart man, Newt Gingrich is still a progressive, who once he got the Speaker's Chair back in 1994, decided to wheel and deal with Bubba Clinton, and prove he really wasn't a small Government man after all....would I vote for him over Obammy?  Sure, but that's not saying much.


Then there is Mitt...


Romney, the former Governor of Taxyer2shits, was a Liberal when Gov....of course in that Kennedy infested crap hole, you have little choice to rule the brain dead majority but as a Liberal...after all, a population that elects and treats the inbred Kennedy clan like some kind of perverse royalty, can't be real bright, can they?  So I tend not to hold him totally at fault for his days in that sorry state....after all, all politicians lie to their base...they have to in order to be elected.

Do I trust Mitt Romney to do the right things?  Not a chance, but like Newt, I would vote for him over the Kenyan Sock Puppet....not that is saying much.  S this is the sorry state of American Politics....money and corrupt supporters handing out that cash.  Whether it be Wall Street and Unions giving cash to the Democrats, or Joe Six Pack and Small Businesses giving to the GOP...cash is king, and the American {working} Public are the pawns.


At this point in time, it appears Obama is headed for re-election, thanks to a people too stupid and uniformed, led by a lying main stream media, in bed with the Kenyan and his policies....a teleprompter reading Queen of the Chicago Gay Bathhouse Scene, who can neither think or speak for himself.  Sure things can change before November, but if even by some chance the GOP Candidate wins....the question remains, "Are we too far gone down this path, to reverse this disastrous course we have chosen to take"?  The old saying is..."We get the Government we deserve"....and no truer phrase has ever been locked into place when looking at the choices we are faced with in 2012.

So here we are at the end of January, things look worse than they did in January 2009, but a nation of sheep is yet to wake up.  Well at least I can thank God for Global Warming.... so I'm out to enjoy the last day of January and 60 degrees in the sunshine.


back later>>>>


Photos-Obammy is the Captain of the Sinking Ship The USS Amerika....but the voters are either too naive, too stupid, or too hooked on handouts to figure it out.  Ron Paul, while a smart man on economic freedoms, is a fool when it comes to National Defense and the dangers of Islamic Terrorism, "Beam Him Up Scotty"...that leave us with Newt and Mitt....unless Rick Santorum has a rebound, the choices we have don't instill a Hell of a lot of confidence in our future.

The Weekend....back to back to back...

A bit of snow early Saturday morning left the roads, at least the back ones, slippery, on my way to Wayne Trace for the 7th grade boys basketball tournament up in Paulding County....by the time I headed home at 1 pm, the sun was out, and the winds were blowing...most of the snow gone with it...only to return yesterday afternoon, as another small 'Clipper' came calling.  That was pretty much the way of the weekend.  A mix of sun, clouds, wind, and small amounts of snow arriving at various times on both Saturday and Sunday.

I was more concerned about my back as I headed to Spencerville on Friday night....it was still acting up, and sitting made it worse, at least by the time I would get out of a sitting position....didn't seem to matter whether the chair was soft, hard, or even the Nitro seats....which I chose to drive over the van, mainly because of the better headlights, and not so much the four wheel drive. 

As I stiffly got out of the car and walked slowly into the Spencerville High School, I wasn't sure how the night would go, back wise.  I wasn't really worried about the game performance, I was more concerned about my back....and whether this would be the beginning of the fall of 2007 all over.  I needed not worry, and least on Friday, or for that matter, the double header on Saturday....the more I moved, the better the back felt...the less I walked or trotted up and down the floors, the more it hurt, so moving was good....and it was to be that way for the rest of the weekend...Sitting or standing, not so good, moving, walking, not so bad.  With back problems you never know what they will bring.

If you've never had back issues, you probably cannot understand, or relate to the issues they bring.  Trust me, there may be people who fake back injuries to collect some sort of perverted reward they might perceive they need or deserve, but if you've ever had major ones, you would know it's no laughing matter.  As for me, I am waiting to see how this round of back pain, one of many over the past 30 years, pans out.  Over the years I have avoided surgery, but with two epidural injections and a hundred trips or more to the Chiropractor, I have had my share of pain in the back, which becomes over time a pain in the ass.

Roundball Slow Down_____

The good thing, if there can be one, with this round of back pain, is that my basketball schedule is slowing down, with just 10 more dates on my calender...sure I might add a day or two, but for the most part, I can see the light at the end of that tunnel, which began with scrimmages in mid November.  Hopefully as the roundball seasons winds down, and baseball looms ahead, my back issues can either clear themselves up, or I can at least have time to use any options I need to get them corrected or resolved enough to move on.

This week I have just three dates to cover....a Junior Varsity Girls match-up at Spencerville tomorrow, followed by the same at Elida on Thursday, and a boys JV game at Antwerp on Saturday night. 

Meanwhile the weather, after a cold start today, will look spring-like for the next few days, with temperatures reaching the upper 50s for tomorrow afternoon, before they start back sliding towards more winter like temperatures and conditions over the weekend.

back later>>>>

Photos-my usual breakfast, along with a banana, has helped me drop most of the 10 pounds I gained over the Holidays...after losing 30 pounds since the fall of 2009, I slipped up and gained a couple of handfuls back this season, but have no reversed that back down to the 190 range...another 5 or 10 to go and I will be ready for baseball umpire work, as my basketball officiating schedule winds down.  Beer tasting was about, other than nursing the back and basketball officiating was what most of the weekend consisted of....and mild winter or not, I am looking forward to watching morning sunrises, like this one, last August as I looked out over Grand Lake...

My "Back" Pages

Bob Dylan wrote, but The Byrds performed the best version of this song from "The Sixties" that hits home in a lot of ways:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FUGzwUTN80

The{my} Back____

However, the back I'm talking about this morning is the one where my spine is situated....

"Soft Chair, Hard Chair, Standing, Walking, laying down"...which seems to be the best for my aching lower back?  So far either laying down or walking seems to be the best, although none are great.  I worked the girls middle school double header last night on the old hard wood floor at the Junior High in Celina...both games were close, with the teams Celina and Marion Local splitting the games, the host Bulldogs winning the 7th grade contest, and the visiting Flyers taking the 8th grade game by 2 points....the teams with the best record lost both games. 

When done, I was scheduled to head to Van Wert for an informal baseball meeting with our association, however the fog had rolled in, and with the back issues, I opted to skip that and head for home....where after a hot shower, I sat for the remainder of the evening, sipping on a couple of dark stout beers...after a decent, but still painful at times, nights sleep, I awoke to more back pain...and frankly wasn't sure if I could work the JV game at Spencerville tonight, or the double at Wayne Trace Junior High tomorrow morning.  After dressing and heading out to feed the birds and back yard Squirrels, things seemed to be loosening up, but the pain is still with me....the longer I set, the more pain I have.

Now mind you this is not in the same ballpark as the back problems some 4 years ago, or those 20+ years, not even close....but the longer it goes, the more cause for concern there is....fortunately I only have 3 nights of basketball next week, and will put on hold any weight lifting sessions for a week or so, to allow some healing time.  I have had a few set backs over the past 4 years since the epidural in December 2007, with this one the worst of those so far.  Being as active as I am, and like to be, as I near my 63rd birthday in March....I can say, I'm not happy about this...at all!

So....I have some projects and other things to get done this morning and early afternoon....most likely will try to work the games tonight and tomorrow, then rest up as best I can over the weekend....with no game on Monday hopefully the issue of back pain will be once again in my rear view mirror.

enjoy the weekend...

back later>>>>

Gloomy Weather....and the back feels it

The winter, while mild compared to last year, and most others in recent memory, is still a bit "uncomfortable" to say the least....the past 24 hours is no exception.  Yesterday, while the temperature hovered around the freezing mark, I ventured out to the back yard to give the freeloading Sparrows and Squirrels their daily ration of seed and corn, at that time I noted, while not cold temperature-wise, the dampness of the morning went right through to your bones and inner body.  I also noted that for the first time in quite awhile, my back felt it as well.

Perhaps a combination of weather, and wear and tear from the area basketball courts, but none-the-less, I felt a noticeable soreness in the lower back...and that is never a good sign, as many of you who have visited this blog since it's early days of 2007 know. 

Shortly after starting this "daily rant" that Summer, I came up with a sever back problem that fall football season.  I had, for the most part, given up my other retirement gig of driving RVs across the country, and was settled in with good part time, post retirement, employment.  Officiating football as well as my usual baseball work, I had began driving to Greenville two or three times a week to do inventory for a company that supplied manufactured cardboard and boxes to the Honda affiliate down that way...the extra money was welcome, the walking was beneficial, and the hourly salary for waking, counting, and doing some computer math work, was excellent.  Anyway, about the same time, for some unknown reason, my back went "out".

Having two major motorcycle wrecks, one in 1975 and another in 1987, I am no stranger to back problems...this one however had my previous ones, one which lasted for about 5 years, beat all to Hell....it became almost unbearable.  From October of 2007 until just before Christmas, when I went to Fort Wayne Orthopedics,  I staggered up and down the football fields in major pain, and when home, I couldn't drink enough beer to ease the torment.  After a bout of high blood pressure set my procedure back, they finally set a date for an epidural the week before Christmas...once done, the back slowly improved, and by the time baseball season rolled around in late March, I was once again able to live a somewhat normal life. 

Over the past four years I have had some setbacks, but with the BP down and weight the same, they have been more mild and shorter in length.....hopefully this setback with be likewise.

Back to the Weird Weather_____

I have the Nitro this morning, taking it uptown in the next hour for an oil change...something that I was going to get done, but was sidetracked the day before the appointment, but the wreck in Van Wert.  So Patricia took the van, and I will have the SUV for the day, and tonight for the baseball meeting at Van Wert.  Before that trip however, I am back at Celina Middle School for a girls basketball double header...games at Spencerville tomorrow, and a rescheduled boys junior high tournament at Wayne Trace on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile the weather, which was supposed to be the major subject this morning anyway, continues to be strange.  The mixture of rain and snow started before dark yesterday, and continued through the night...finally changing to all rain before sunrise, well what sunrise, you could not tell by looking out the windows?  Most schools were delayed an hour or two, but not St Henry, so Patrica drove the van before daylight to her location.  The rest of the month looks to be normal or above temperature wise.....with no major storms on the horizon, but of course that can change...Mother Nature doesn't read the Weather Channel forecasts, it seems.

Football Changes_____

Over the past 6 or 7 years I have worked 40 or so football games per season, and usually a handful are varsity, filling in on crews from around the area....I was not really interested in being on a set schedule for Friday nights.  It appears that will change this coming fall.

One of the crews from our association was changing a couple of members out, and inquired if this old man would be willing to join them....since they have a set schedule, and I would be working the same position each week, I agreed...with the provision, that I will be 63 years old come March, and that I would work with the crew one year/season at a time...not wanting to commit myself or them, if the aging back and legs cannot keep up.  

Speaking of age, you would not believe the average age of Varsity Football Officials in Ohio, last I looked the crew members around the state average age was 56!  As I mentioned before on this site, the one crew I filled in for on 3 occasions last season was in total, with me as head linesman, 282 years old, and that included a 27 year old line judge....this new permanent crew will be much younger, with me being the "old man" at 63.  

Enough rambling...time to take the Nitro out and head uptown....

back later>>>>

Photos-The Nitro, shown here last Spring, now looks better than even then, thanks to the repairs, following the early winter icy wreck...back problems, off and on, have been a part of my life for over 35 years...I do not want to undergo another epidural, let alone surgery, so I will do what I can to rest it, when I can....and football officiating changes are in my future, but first there is basketball to finish, and baseball season looms ahead, so I won't be getting ahead of myself.

"Running On Empty"....another Vietnam Reunion beckons

"Running On Empty"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJYRtOPUonA 

And the "Summer of 69"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f06QZCVUHg 

The songs above are two of my favorites...great beats and lyrics....not a big fan of Jackson Browne and his left wing politics to say the least, but I always try to separate the actor or musician from their politics, if they are good....if they suck, then I'm not going to watch or listen to them anyway, and for sure won't spend a dime to buy or watch their products.

One of the reason I like both of these songs is they take me back to my days when the future, while not clear or defined, was definitely ahead of me...if I could manage to survive what lay ahead.  Also the year 1969 was prominent in both....that was the year I went to Vietnam, and like no other, the pre Vietnam tour and the post Vietnam days were the dividing line in my life.  No, not because I had some soul revival, or saw the world differently, but because I was 20 years old....and like Bryan Adams and Browne, the world was coming into focus, and what I believed in was slowly but surely in my forward looking view....both politically and socially...it would take a few more years of raising Hell, but at least by this time I was understanding what I thought life was all about.

Another Vietnam Reunion______

The past couple of years have seen more and more get togethers with fellow Vietnam Veterans, not only those Sky Cops from my Air Force Vietnam Days, but grunts, ground pounders, and squids, from those days as well, guys I have met at the past couple of Kokomo Reunions...

As I have stated on here many times in the past 4 and 1/2 years of postings...I was not a gung ho type military guy....I despised the Air Force and it's rules, regulations, as well as the spit and polish of the Security Police field...which is why I was much better off working Security as opposed to Law Enforcement, they could hide me there, and I could lay much lower in the boondocks frequented by Security than I could ever do in LE.  This makes it all the more strange that my favorite time in the Air Force was the 6 month stint working Law Enforcement, daylight shift to boot, at Nha Trang, RVN.  I was lucky enough to have a solid NCOIC, the late Phil Lange, and a good shift boss in Staff Sgt Melvin Sloan...they kept me out of the brass asses way, and allowed me to live my life and work within the rules laid down, without giving much in return.

Once I headed south to Tan Son Nhut....I was once again in Security, but at night, working 8pm to 6am....I could pretty much hide, whether it be in the bunkers, flightlines, towers, or the beverage and food patrol I ran with Blue Flight the last 3 months of my tour there...when I was discharged at Griffiss AFB in upstate New York in May 1972, I am not sure who was happier...me or the AF brass who were more than happy to see my leave, Buck sargent stripes and all....May 5, 1972, the day I walked out of the gate, was, to that point, the happiest day of my life.

Times change however, and now, some 40 years and more later...I embrace the time I spent in service...no, it doesn't make me wax nostalgic and want to live those days again...I still hate the military life and rules, but I have gained a greater appreciation for those of us, most who would not have joined, if not for the draft coming after us.  It is with that in mind, I really enjoy, and I believe Patrica does as well, these get togethers we have.....with another one coming up in Dayton.

March 9th through 11th_____Hope Hotel

Just 5 months out from our VSPA Reunion in Dayton, which attracted some 200 or more guests, I am in the process of setting up another "Mini" Reunion back at Dayton and Wright-Patterson.  We last met two years ago at the Hope Hotel on base, after skipping a year because of the main reunion in Dayton last fall.   We have decided to toss another party this March.  How many will show, I do not know....but Patricia and I, along with at least Sam and Ruth Lewis from Virginia, and Doug Davis from Michigan will be there, as will others I am sure....once again we will down a few cold ones, break some bread, and let the BS fly.   As our numbers dwindle, these meetings become all the more important, before we all have faded away.

back later>>>>

Photos-The Defender Fortis Statue at the Air Force Museum is our usual meeting, greeting, and photo shooting stop at each of our Dayton Reunions....I doubt if I ever looked that sharp, spit, and polished, as that dude does.....Wayne Dezarn, shown with me at the statue, the late Larry Dotson, Mike Tillman, Rick Adams, my son Sam, and I held the first mini reunion at the museum for a few hours back in February 2007....the next two photos are from the frozen reunion in January 2009, and a bit warmer view from March 2010, inside the museum.  And these next two show my Nha Trang buddy Harry Bevan{right} and me...first in "That Summer of 69" then seeing each other for the first time in nearly 43 years at the Dayton Reunion last October...

Just a quickie...

quickie:  As in a quick post and I'm outta here....

Running behind____

After a Boys JH double header at Celina last night, I made a quick run to Dartball at St. Johns....lucky I did, a couple of the kids were sick and we would have had to forfeit....I was on time and made just enough players to get started on time and 3 games played.

As it was, we played better than last week, but still lost 2 of 3 to Mendon, to drop our second half record to 2 wins 7 loses....I went 9 for 19, all singles, with an RBI, to raise my average to .415, somewhere near the top of the league, depending on what the three guys ahead of me did last night.  Hopefully our players on the injured list, Martin and Cowboy, along with Sam, will be back in time for us to make a tournament run.

As far as the basketball, two good games with Celina defeating Fort Recovery in both the 7th and 8th grade games, both were close, as Celina's 8th grade team remains undefeated.  More whining than I like, by coaches and players, my partner Kathy, "teed" up the Celina 8th grade coach, and I warned a couple of players on both teams for showing too much emotion when a call went against them....but kept my record of no technical fouls called this season....although four of my partners have called "tees"....not that I am against calling them, I dished out five last year, but would rather let the game played out without those, if I can help it.

Tonight I am at Crestview for a girls JH double with their country rival, Lincolnview....off tomorrow and back at it Friday Night at Spencerville, then Saturday a double header boys 7th grade tournament at Wayne Trace....

Gotta go...back later>>>>

The Grandson and Wacky Weather...

The title just about describes the weekend just passed, in full.

Friday afternoon I slipped and slid my way north to Columbus Grove, up highway 66, US 30, and Ohio 65, the 54 miles to Putnam County, arriving about a half hour before the JV game between Grove and Spencerville....the visiting Bearcats led most of the way, before falling by four points to the host Bulldogs, the varsity game went much the same...Spencerville leading early only to fall behind and lose...but by that time I was on my way home.  The roads had not cleared off, and a nasty layer of ice was beneath the 4 inches of snow that was deposited.  The trip usually takes between 55 minutes and an hour...both trips, to Grove and back took about 1 hour and 15 minutes each way, a testament to the roads and there lack of treatment.   I'm not sure what's with the road crews this winter, not enough practice I guess?  It seems that the few snows, albeit not a heavy one in the bunch, they have not be able to keep the roads safe...that goes for in-town and out in the boon docks.

By the time I arrived home I was ready for a beer....youngest son Hal and grandson Kasyn had arrived earlier in the afternoon, so Hal and I had a beer and I sat down to watch more basketball on the tube....shortly after I sat down, the cell phone rang, and it was Jim the Wayne Trace Athletic Director, telling me the 7th grade tournament games at WT for Saturday morning had been cancelled, and could I work them the following weekend?   It happened to be I had next Saturday the 28th off, so I told him I could, cracked open another Black Lager, and knew that Saturday would bring no basketball, just a chance to get out the snow blowers and work on the drive-ways and sidewalks.

The walks and drive was passable, so I figured I would get mom's Toro out and do my place then load it up and head over to her place and take care of business....Foiled Again!  For some reason, her machine just wouldn't start.....in retrospect, I have to believe the gas/oil mix for that 2-stroke had settled and I poured a amount that the mix had jelled into it.....so, I gave that up, and pulled out my Big Machine and took care of my place...loaded her Toro up and took it over there, where while it still wouldn't fire, I noted that not much snow had piled up....so took out the snow shovel and made short order of the carport and sidewalks....I will have to drain the fuel in her machine and probably change the plug....at least before the next snow, which isn't yet in the forecast....meanwhile Mother Nature took care of the rest of the snow on her own....early today.

The temperatures rose to 54 overnight, the wind picked up, and a batch of heavy thunderstorms rolled through about 3 this morning, taking care of all the snow, except the few amounts that had been piled up by the plows in town.

The K-man spends the weekend____

With Hal's wife Lisa out of town in Tennessee with friends to prepare for one of those friends wedding, they decided to give the Houseworth grandparents a chance to spend our first long term quality time with the newest member of the Houseworth family.....

Hal, Kasyn, and the two dogs, Kam and Avery, arrived just before I left for Columbus Grove on Friday afternoon, and stayed for almost 48 hours, heading back to Centerville about 1pm yesterday.  While Patricia and Hal took turns getting up with Kasyn during the night, and changing the diapers, I had the opportunity to hold him when I wanted, while spending much of the weekend watching  roundball and playing the racing game on Hal's IPad....a pretty easy and enjoyable weekend, once the Saturday basketball was cancelled, and the snow blowing finished.....

By the time they packed up and left, Patricia seemed just a depressed for a few hours, missing her grandson, after getting to spend quality time with him...truth be told, I missed him as well....but quickly fell back into my routine, as I spent the remainder of Sunday, sipping on a couple of cold brews, and watching two pretty good football games, which both went my way, as the Giants and Patriots move on to the Super Bowl in two weeks.  Not that I'm a big Giants or New England fan, frankly I could care less...except I never have like San Fran or Baltimore, and their two coaches, the brothers Harbaugh, rub me the wrong way.....just something about those two that I don't like.

Anyway, that was the weekend past....now back to the usual routine.  Tonight I stick around Celina, and will work a boys Junior High double as they take on Fort Recovery....tomorrow girls at Crestview, before a final day off for the week on Wednesday.   The rest of the week will be busy, including running up to Van Wert on Thursday after another Celina JH double to attend a Baseball Association organizational meeting....another sign that spring cannot be far off.

back later>>>

Photos-Kasyn, who turns 2 months tomorrow, spent the weekend with the grandparents...while not have a snow filled winter, like last year{pictured here}, the Snow Machine, now about a dozen years old it working fine...while the newer Toro leaves something to be desired....lightning/thunderstorms in January are a rare sight, but for a couple of hours the winds howled, the rains came, and we got a mid winter show overnight....and Grandpa and the "K-man" relax in the leather recliner yesterday before the boys headed back to the Dayton area....

Winter hits it's Zenith

Zenith:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenith

Tomorrow January 21st is what most consider the point historically in Winter, where we hit rock bottom{isn't that the opposite of  "zenith"?}...being on average this will be the coldest day of the year.....As I woke up a bit late this morning{isn't retirement great?} I noted 8 above zero...which in my recollection was tied for the coldest morning of the season....and if this is as bad as it gets, that is not too bad.

They are calling for 2 to 4 inches of snow tonight, which could make my drive north to Columbus Grove{not to be confused with or anywhere near the state capitol of Columbus}, and back 'interesting" again...it seems every time I get a Friday night game a long distance away, Mother Nature decides to toss me a curve ball.  I was hoping that if the snow was coming, it would come early and cancel the game...otherwise, stay the Hell away....because tomorrow early, I have to climb out and head back north for a 7th grade tournament double header at Wayne Trace....and I really am not looking forward to anymore sliding this winter, one crash is already one too many.

Speaking of icy roads....

Despite only an inch or so of snow locally yesterday, it made a mess of the streets and roads.  The inch was the small flakes of ice type, and Celina and Mercer County were slippery as it gets....heading to Convoy to work a girls double header last night, it took me 50 minutes as compared to the usual 35 or so....the trouble was strictly in Mercer, by the time I reached Van Wert County, the roads were better, and the light snow had ended.  Coming home I opted for the main roads, and despite some slippery spots, they were drivable.

The Weekend Ahead____

Patricia is pretty well ready for the coming weekend....Hal and the "K-man" are coming this afternoon, and spending most of the weekend, through Sunday afternoon, with us.  Hal's wife Lisa is joining some friends driving to Tennessee to prepare for their friends wedding in Georgia in March...so the boys are on their own, and Kasyn, just a few days away from being two months old, will spend some time with the Grandparents on this side....it's been many years since we had one that young staying here, his dad being the youngest, so make that some 27 and 1/2 years.

Hal, Kasyn, and watching the NFC and AFC playoffs is about it....the games themselves, without much interest, although I will tend to root for New England and the Giants, just because the Harbaugh brothers, coaching Baltimore and San Fran, tend to rub me the wrong way....

That's is about it for the week.....back later>>>>  

Photos- The first 3 photos are of our drive-ways in winter, after an Ohio and Wisconsin Blizzards...By all accounts, as winter, reaches it's mid point temperature and snow wise, this has been a mild one so far...compared to the top photo from 1984(the year Hal was born) when we lived out on the old Andrews Farm on Coldwater Creek...that was a winter!  As were the years living in the boondocks on northern Wisconsin, on a farm located between Wausau and Merrill....the next photos are from a Blizzard in March of 1979, I was lucky to escape with my life driving home that night...it was close.  And finally Hal and Kasyn, youngest son and first grandchild, will be staying with us this weekend while wife and mom Lisa is out of town....we are looking forward to the "K-Man" spending some time with us....

Dogs of War.....Vietnam to Afghanistan

More winter-like weather is here, but even that is not supposed to be anything severe, or to even stick around for any length of time...rain by Monday, and mid to upper 40s by the middle of next week.  On average Saturday is not only the day of the shortest amount of daylight in this part of the world, it is also on average the coldest day of the year...meaning, beginning Monday, the average high and low temperatures will start to rise...the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel{winter}.  I can't say I won't be happy for warmer temperatures, but as mild, as opposed to the dire predictions, as this winter has been, without much snow, I cannot complain so far.  Love me some Global Warming!

Less than two months away from my first baseball scrimmage umpire gig, and my schedule for the coming spring season, is pretty well full....topping it off yesterday contracting for a March 31st Triple Header{weather permitting} at Delphos St. Johns on that Saturday.  Meanwhile, with three of the last four days off, I am back to basketball tonight with a girls JH double at Crestview, tomorrow north to Columbus Grove for a JV boys game, and finishing off the weekend with a morning 7th grade tournament double at Wayne Trace.

The Dogs of War_____

 Being a member of the Air Force Security Police from 1968-72, I had a chance to see the working dogs of war, especially during my time at Tan Son Nhut in 1970, working both perimeter security and the Blue Flight protection of the inner workings of that largest of Air Bases in Vietnam during the war.

When assigned to SP School at Lackland AFB, Texas, in the summer of 1968, we were given the opportunity to be dog handlers, and even though my family had always had dogs, from Coon Hounds, to Airedales, to toy types, to mutts of all varieties, I wasn't inclined to be a dog handler.  One main reason, I knew where dog folks ended up....that would be Vietnam, working the outer and inner crevices of bases such as Nha Trang and TSN...if I was going there, and I did, I wanted to be in a somewhat safe location...dog handlers did not get those "perks".  Being an Air Force SP Dog Handler was among the most dangerous of duties one could draw in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

The regular Sky Cops, both Law Enforcement and Security didn't hang around the puppy patrol guys much during the war, they were their own click, and any conversation we might have had, was usually reserved for my time on Jeep patrol, when I would stop and give the handler a cup of coffee...from what I remember, the dogs provided better conversation, than many of the handlers.


fast forward to 1999 the VSPA____

When I found and joined the Vietnam Security Police Association, I noticed that many of the members, and most of the founders of the organization were from that group of Dog Handlers at Tan Son Nhut and other bases in Vietnam....and to this day, 13 years later, they are still the heart and soul of the VSPA.  John Langley, who signed me up, Phil Savage, and Doug Davis, are among the former handlers that I consider friends, even though we never met until after Vietnam, and see each other only on occasion at Dayton or Kokomo, during reunions.  Yesterday I received an e-mail from Doug concerning the hotel accommodations for this March and our annual Mini-Reunion at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton.....while we were exchanging e-mails he sent me a short video and photos of Remmy.

Here is the e-mail I received, along with photos and a short video of Remmy, from Doug Davis:

"Don’t forget to mention that these Retired Military Working Dogs and Contractor Dogs are available for adoption.

I didn’t have a dog until November 08 since I got out in September 70. My last dog was 831F Bullet at WPAFB 6-69 to 9-70. (Mike M401 6-67 to 2-68 Lackland (dog school)  & SJAFB- Smoke 978X Phu Cat 3-68 to 3-69)

November 08 we got Ringo C261 and had him until 2-11. (unfortunately we had to put him down due to illness) In 6-11 we got contractor dog Remmy. These two dogs have changed our life. They give so much to families with their hearts. Both dogs have at least 100+ friends because we take them everywhere and tell the story about their duty.

These dogs are so happy to be free and able to roam in the house and not be stuck in a run. Most dogs are in a run six months before they end up with their family from adoption. Like anyone, freedom is a big deal and they show it after reaching a home". 

Doug     

 When meeting men like Doug, Phil, and John, you realize that even though it has been 40-45 years since they were Air Force Dog Handlers, they never really stopped being one.  They remember the dogs they trained and handled during the war years, even for a short time(usually less than one year), they never stopped remembering those days and dogs....

Frankly the dogs from Vietnam were treated like shit when it was time to retire them, not by the handlers, but by the Military and the US Government....the same so called "leaders" that treated the men of war like crap, treated the dogs that saved many a life, like so much disposable garbage...just one more reason I have no respect for military authority, or our Government...but most of my regular readers know my thoughts on those, so I will move on....here now is a video of Remmy in the war zone.....

http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x255/garacer/?action=view&current=OEFIV064.mp4 

The cousins of the Vietnam dogs of war are now treated much better than those of my era....and by chance if you would like to give one a home.....I am sure Doug will be glad to help you....e-mail here{no spam please}:

dedavis@charter.net 

Contact Doug if you are interested in helping out one of these heroes of war.

Photos-"Remmy" in Michigan this past fall, and Remmy in Afghanistan  Doug at the Dayton Reunion last fall, and with Remmy shortly thereafter in Michigan, and Remmy with his American Contractor handler in the Afghanistan front.