Took a few days off....

First time I've taken 3 straight days off the blog, even when on the road, since I started this thing back in July 07. I've pretty much decided to take the weekends off, my little "fasting" for Jesus Christ....not much I know, but I believe you need to clear you head and soul on occasion. So for the foreseeable future, unless something world shaking happens, the weekends will be off limits.

Over the 72 hours, I drank some beer, smoked a couple good cigars, studied the Bible, and watched, read, and listened, to opinions about the coming Market Crash i.e. adjustment. Of course, not necessarily in order of importance.

The Market and the Bail Out failure was good news yesterday...although for how long I don't know. The country is in for a bad run regardless of how and when the new plan is set before Congress. The stock market hacks both in Europe and here in America are gnashing their teeth...you know? Screw em', they are part of the problem, Socialism is not the way to go, and I believe even if we have to pay with a recession or deep depression, in the long run, our children and their kids will be better off. Take a look back at your parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents that lived through the Great Depression and WW2....tough times require tough people to make tough choices. We are a weak, flabby, society. Europe is worse, and it's time for a reality check.

Would I like to live out my remaining years on the easy path/gravy train? Of course that would be sweet, but I am preparing for something much worse, I think my family, at least, is ready for whatever comes our way. I hope and pray so.

A special thanks to Rubber Faced Nancy Pelosi for "Deep Sixing" the Bail Out. If not for her mindless banter about the GOP and 8 years of bad economic policies, that bloated bailout might have happened....so thanks Nancy, and thanks for the 95 left wing Democrats for voting against it as well....they wanted even more spending payoffs...but whatever works, the bill is dead for now. Those 80% of the American public that didn't want this turkey, needs to keep their powder dry, because it will be back, bigger and even more bloated.

Stay Alert!

back later>>>>>>>>>>>

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photos-You think, one more face life might do the trick Nancy?/TOP-The first sign of fall in west central Ohio...This morning, I put the rag top back on the Jeep :(

Black Friday or Writing Checks Our Ass Can't Cover?

Friday, September 26, 2008.

Will this go down with the Black Thursday and Black Friday on October 24, 25, 1929? If you look at these headlines:

http://bss.sfsu.edu/tygiel/Hist427/texts/crashheadlines.htm

Even when the Market dumped, the headlines held out hope....if you know your history, that hope stuck around until December 1931, when the Markets finally dumped big time. When FDR took office in 1933, the full fledged Great Depression was on.

Of course VP Candidate, Joe Biden, The Delaware Dimwit, thinks FDR was in office on Black Friday 1929, and went on TV to calm the nation....nice guess Joe, one President and 4 years off, and and by-the-way, folks were not exactly with TV back in 1929...or even 1933 for that matter:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/biden-fdr.html

Good Ol' Joe, as Bugs Bunny would say..."What a Ma-roon"

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Politics be damn, the Presidential Debates be damned...was anybody really going to watch a Debate at 9PM EDT on a Friday night, during the best weather month of the year anyway? I doubt it. Football, and eating out with the family are on most peoples agenda. Now they may have a new agenda, like..."Do we pull our money out of the bank"?

Wall Street will be an interesting watch today, and how and if Government works will even more fun this weekend.

Will the US economy go into the tank? Probably. I guess the real question should be...how far and how fast will it fall? Believe me, I have posted stuff predicting this for the past year....I was hopeful that I would be wrong...and I still may be, but at this point, things are not looking good.

Stay Tuned!

back later>>>>>>>>>>>

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photos-Top~A Cecropia Silk Moth, taken in my back yard on a summer night back in 2002. Headlines and photos from October 1929/Wall Street Crashes. And Crazy Joe Biden...the man who would be VP{let's hope not}

Will the "Bail Out" Happen?

First off, just what the Hell is this Bail Out?

In my view, it is nothing more than a boon doggle for the Wall Street crowd, on the backs of the American Taxpayer...a boon doggle of $700 Billion...which is actually going to be, if passed, more like $1.4 Trillion. Folks, this bailing out of Wall Street big shots in nothing more than a escape hatch for them, and a power grab by the politicians and socialists running the country.(As in running the country into the ground).

There is enough blame to go around, but it all got started with the Clinton Administration(who else?) and it's desire to hand out favors to those that supported them. Love her or hate her, Ann Coulter, who rubs the left raw, hits this one right on the head....if you are of the PC persuasion, you might want to stay away from this one:

http://www.anncoulter.com/

Meanwhile George Bush went to the air last night and painted out a dire picture, actually using the R word, as in Recession. With all due respect Mr. President, the R word is not happening, the D word, as in Depression, is a much more likely scenario....one of catastrophic magnatude.

Another "right" leaning American commentator, Glenn Beck, has been way ahead of the game for the past couple of years....he has seen the financial Armageddon coming:

www.glennbeck.com/

Juan McCain suspends his campaign, the Left cries foul. They say McCain is running away, well I would agree, but wasn't it Barry Soetoro Obama who refused to do the town hall meetings?.....This may indeed be a political ploy by McCain....and a risky one at that, but if the economy crashes and burns, who the Hell would want the caretaker job of President? I don't see the country falling for another FDR type bullshit package, where the only way to get out of depression is get involved in another World War.

By the weekend we will know more, will this proposed Band-Aid stop the bleeding, will it be a stop gap measure, are the American Taxpayers getting bent over once again?...not by the Democrats, not by the GOP, but by a combination of both parties, political corruption, greed, political correctness designed to help out a supposed underclass....!!

Hold on to your seats and your wallets folks, as Bette Davis once said..."It's gonna be a bumpy ride".

back later>>>>>>>>>

photos- Top Rural Road in Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, Ohio, on a foggy November morning in 2001--Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck, 2 right thinking Americans who the left loves to hate.

Kill the Bail Out!

Not my words...but exactly my thoughts.

With the yard work looming, I am in a little hurry today, so will make this short and let one of my favorite Bloggers Michelle Malkin tell what's in store, and what is being added by the Democrats to our little $700 billion, er $1.2 trillion, wait $2 trillion dollar bailout. And the Euros want a GLOBAL SOLUTION! Lead by France no less. Give em' Hell MM:

http://michellemalkin.com/

Socialism 101 my ass....this is a full blown 400 level ass kicking of the American Taxpayer.

Of course liberals, being the narrow minded asshats they are, hate Malkin....of course moderates hate her as well, and some of those calling themselves conservatives, but are too Politically Correct to really be, kind of shy away as well....why? Because she calls it like she sees it...and I tend to agree with her views. Much like Sarah Palin, liberals hate women who dare to think for themselves, and don't follow the Hollywood and New York line.

My thoughts on the Bail Out:

If we don't pay, hard times will be coming you say? I've got news, this expensive band-aid will just delay the inevitable...and make the coming bust, that much harder on us all.

THE U.S. TREASURY=The Money Store(our rates of interest are outrageous)

Off to Wally World, for yard supplies and ammo!

back later>>>>>>>>>>>>

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photos-Snow in Northern Utah? Nope, I took this shot driving in the Utah Salt Flats on I-80....and Michelle Malkin, hard talking honest Conservative commentator.

Socialism 101/Early Fall Yard Work

What to do....? Sit here and listen to Glenn Beck while doing the blog and reading others, or head outside and begin the mammoth yard work project(at least for me, its mammoth). Let's start with Beck's program this week concerning the economy and the pending "bail out".

First off, the $700 billion dollar government "rescue plan" in reality will cost more like $1.4 Trillion. Second, when the Government takes over, you can bet your sweet bottom, the results won't be good long term. We are quickly falling into a major recession, Hell let's call it what it's going to be...A Depression. There are those out there that disagree with me and my attitude regarding the economic crisis, but the long wolves are becoming a pack. The ending results will not be what we are hoping for.

1929_____ Yes, the world and markets and economies are different than they were back in those days....remember also, October 1929 is when the Stock Market began it's slide....a few rallies here and there, and then the bottom was reached in December 1931....the economy hit rock bottom in 1933, thus setting the stage for the New Deal, the FDR takeover of the Government with his socialist agenda. Sure the New Deal helped the "Common Man" out, but the Depression stayed with us throughout the 1930s...finally ending in the early 1940s, thanks to good ol' WWII.

2008______? It appears(at least according to news reports now coming out), that last Wednesday night, the Federal Government was close, real close, to going belly up in a financial sense. I am sure we will see our ups and downs in the coming weeks and months, regardless of who takes the November election and wins the White House. The question is: When, not if, will this house of cards fall? Take a look at our aging population, our increased spending, the value of the dollar, Social Security, entitlements, retirement funds, FDIC, etc, etc. I may be wrong, but don't take your that bet to Vegas.

Fannie Mae and Freddie and their corrupt CEOs were the catalyst for this mess with willing help from Team Obama and Team DNC...the Bush White House gets no pass either. The government let itself be blackmailed by the poverty pimps into giving mortgages to unqualified people looking to buy houses they couldn't afford. But even without that corruption, this disaster was in the making, those things just moved up the timeline.

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OK, enough of this financial know nothing and my opinions on the future of the nation...on to some really important stuff.

The Back Yard_____

Now that Summer is done, and the fall weather cannot be far behind(so far it's been warm and dry however), I've looked at the house, the yard, and the surrounding foliage....I've come to the conclusion...It, like the American Economy, is a freaking mess!

Time to stir up my house paint, oil and fire up my chair saw(some of these projects are much to large for a simple trimmer)....and begin to do some cutting and painting. I've got evergreens that have gotten out of hand, a couple have to go(I hate killing off trees and plants, but it's been a long time coming). Ivy that needs culled and/or killed off. Shrubs trimmed, eliminated, and a driveway that is full of grass and weeds growing through the gravel....the weather looks warm, but less humid for at least another week, and this is as good as time as I can think of to get this started and done.

Did I mention, I hate yard work....but I like a decent looking yard, although I'm no yard snob.

Back Later>>>>>>>>>>>>>

photos-At the Top...Dona Bay, Venice, Florida

The Market...Bust or Bust Lite?

At the Bottom: PRH and the Back Yard Jungle that awaits....

Yankee Stadium=Turn Out the Lights!

Growing up in Venice, Florida, there really wasn't a major league baseball team nearby to root for. Now this was the 1950s, no Marlins, no Rays, no Atlanta Braves, etc. No teams really close to southwest Florida to call "ours", so you had to make due with what you could off the Saturday Game of the Week, local newspapers, and sports magazines. Didn't take me long, around 1955 or so, to figure out the New York Yankees were the best of the best, they had the original TV Sports Superstar in Mickey Mantle....so Hell, I was a Yankee fan....and I followed the Bronx Bombers until about 1964, when after moving back to Ohio, I began rooting for the Cincinnati Reds....once "The Mick" retired, that was the end of my love affair with the Yankees...but it was a fun ride. To this day, Mickey Mantle, human warts and all, remains my all time favorite player, in any sport.

Last night, I turned on the tube to watch the end of Yankee Stadium on ESPN...without interest on who won or lost. NY won 7-3 over Baltimore, keeping the razor thin chances of making the playoffs alive...this years addition will not be participating in the Playoffs...unless Boston, the hated Red Sox would lose their final 6 games and the Yanks win there final 7, thus forcing a playoff. Sitting there watching Yogi and highlights from the past, I managed to go deep back into my memories, of those childhood days, growing up on the Gulf Coast. Sweet they were.

I did a JV game at Waynesfied Saturday, and a Rec Department double header at Celina yesterday with Sam...the weather is back to dry, somewhat humid, and typical later summer/early fall weather.....now that the weather is supposed to cool down, can't see that in the near future forecast, I have decided to get out and do some "yard" work, and a little painting.

So, I will oil up the chain saw, buy a couple of new paint brushes, and once the humidity drops....start at it. A couple of evergreen trees have to go, some bushes need major trimmings and the Ivy in the back side of the property needs cut down. Then paint the east side of needs a re-do...that side gets a direct hit from the sun, and fades quicker. I will also do the back(south) side and some trim work.....the rest will wait until next spring, summer, or maybe early fall...after all, I'm retired, and can do it whenever I darn well feel.

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Freshman game at Celina tonight. Anissa is home with me with a cold, so will work around the homestead until about 3.

Back Later>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

photos-Me and brother Mike with the Venice Elks 1957....Childhood Hero Mickey Mantle at Yankee Stadium in the 1950s. And Yankee Stadium in the beginning.

9/20/08=Good Morning!

Enjoy the Weekend. Back to the Battle come Monday.

{photo-The Sun rising from the east above the City of Celina,Ohio, this morning at 7:40}

Off to Nappanee, Indiana

Just a quickie before jumping in the shower.

Sam and I are headed for Nappanee this morning, he has to pick up his briefcase and driving records, and drop off a large hitch. I just want to get away for awhile, so the 120 mile drive each way will give me that chance.

This will be likely Sam's last visit to Hoosier Transit for awhile...at 26 years old(27 in December) he finally has his mind cleared to go back to college....and next Wednesday, he begins his classes at Ohio State University-Lima. If all goes well there, the mathematics major will head for Columbus and the main OSU Campus in a year or two....and with the classes he took several years ago at Wright State, he should have his B.S. in some high class math major at around 30 years old....I can't say much I wasn't done with college until 29. Of course I had the Air Force as an excuse, Sam has the family "wanderlust" as his. Either way, his driving days are put on hold, and it's back to the classroom.

With him being "older" and not part of the family financial empire..:) He was eligible for several grants, and with his math scores he got just about enough to pay his way through. Maybe one small loan he will need, but his brain power is giving him a chance to get his degree without a lot of his own money outlay ed, and without mom having to co-sign any loans. Hummm, maybe all kids should either go in the military or wait to head off to college?

We worked a football game, Junior High, at Spencerville, last night, off tonight, but back at that Saturday morning. I'm at Waynesfield and Sam is at Delphos. Sam now begins his basketball license course one night a week as well(starting October 6th). Baseball, Football, and now Basketball, should earn him enough money to pay for any extra expenses, including his gas, since at this time he is going to make the 80 mile round trip from Celina to Lima and back for classes, rather than live up there. Those courses are 4 days a week this fall quarter. Good Luck Sam, we know you can do it.

On the subject of sons...youngest boy Hal called from Fairborn, last night....thanks to the remains of "Ike" hitting the area on Sunday, they are still without power at his apartment. 5 days, these folks in the Dayton area have been without power longer than some of those in Texas....unbelievable. He is showering at a friend's across town, who has power, and eating out, which is putting a strain on his budget....which for a guy in Grad School, that money flow is already on life support. But he will find time to go to another wedding, this one in Columbus, hopefully when he returns on Sunday, it will be to the modern lifestyle, but no guarantees the power will be back up, even then.

Off to Nappanee, back later!

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Hal Stanley Houseworth(L)born 1984, and Samuel William Houseworth(R) born 1981, as they looked 20 some years ago.

The Battle of Chickamauga-145 Years Ago

On a hot late summer weekend in north Georgia 145 years ago this week, the Union Army of the United States suffered it's worst defeat of the American Civil War. The one side of my Houseworth family was involved in this conflict in a most personal way.

Both Gilman Houseworth and his younger Brother Henry, were volunteers in the 26th Ohio Volunteer Army:

http://www.geocities.com/ovi26th/index.html

This battle begin in full on September 19, 1863....145 years ago this Friday. By the time it ended a day and one half later, the Union Army and many of it's regiments were scattered or in disarray, as were the bodies of dead and wounded from both sides. Of the 58,000 Union Troops, 1657 were known dead, 9756 wounded, and another 4757 missing and presumed dead. Among those dead were 18 year old Henry Houseworth, with the wounded was his older brother Gilman, age 20. Both men were my Great-Great Uncles. They were but 2 of 16 known direct Houseworth relatives that served with the Union Army. Others included my Great Grandfather Nelson S. Houseworth(1837-1887), and his diminutive cousin SB "Maish" Houseworth(1846-1944). Maish was the last Civil War Veteran to die in Marion County, Ohio, in 1944, at the age of 98.

Anybody thinking or waxing nostalgic about war, especially this war between brothers and family members, needs only to read the excellent book by Peter Cozzens, from 1996 titled, [The Battle of Chickamauga] "This Terrible Sound"....It is the most detailed story of America's deadliest battle, home or abroad. In addition to the casualty list of the Union, The Confederates did not fare much better. Even though they won the battle. Of the total 66,000 sons of the south fighting in north Georgia that weekend, 2312 lay dead, 14, 674 were wounded, and another 1468 were listed as missing.

A more detailed account of my families participation in the Civil War in general and Chickamauga in particular can be found at my genealogy blog:

http://israelhouseworth.blogspot.com/

Link back to the story on my post of September 20, 2007.

Henry Houseworth never returned to Waldo in Central Ohio...Gilman Houseworth did, but it was not without a price....more on Gilman and his life following Chickamauga can be found at the genealogy blog as well.

A few years ago, in February 2004, returning from delivering a RV in Florida, while driving back to Ohio in the Jeep, I decided to pay the battle site a visit. It was a rainy cold February 15th to be exact. I can tell you the site of the 26th Ohio Battlefield at the Viniard Field would have had a haunted feel no matter the time of year. Even more so on this gray, wet late winter day, you could almost feel the restless souls of the men that fought and died in that bloody battle.....145 years ago this week, the bloodiest battle in American History took place, not on some far away European or Asian land, but right in the American South, where brothers fought cousins, and Americans fought each other. And the real reason they fought has died with those long gone soldiers.

With the political winds of today, are we that far away from another Chickamauga, or worse?

Back Later>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

photos- Gilman Houseworth as he looked in 1885/the cover of Cozzens book/and the site at the Chickamauga Battlefield called Viniard Fields, where the 26th took it's stand, as it looked in the winter of 2004.

Powerless

Hurricane Ike's aftermath continues across southwest and central Ohio. While here in the west central part of the state the wind damage was minimal, basically tree limbs, some trees onto houses, and crops knocked down....we came out with power for the most part. The folks in the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus areas, as well as some in northern Kentucky and west Pennsylvania were not so lucky.

http://www.whiotv.com/index.html

I talked with youngest son Hal down in the Dayton/Fairborn area last night....he was cleaning out his frig, taking the meat downstairs and cooking it up on his neighbors grill...the college boys, Hal and his roommate "Woost", didn't have a backup plan and the stuff in the icebox was gonna go bad, so Hal gave most of it to his downstairs neighbors as a trade off, so he could cook up his T-Bone Steak which he wanted to eat....bottom line is, DP&L(Dayton Power and Light) says the residential areas might not have power until this weekend or even early next week. I talked with my friend Tom down in the Delaware, Ohio(north of Columbus), area, and they are in the same boat...no power yet. The out-of-power count in Ohio is upwards of 800,000 as I type.

So here we are in the lower midwest, over a thousand miles from where "Ike" made landfall on the Texas Gulf, and we have as many without power as they do....granted, not the damage, but in this day and age, it's still a pain in the ass for those affected.

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Freshman football at Celina Stadium last night, with visiting Kenton coming away with a 26-6 win over the host Bulldogs. The weather was finally "football weather"....a cloud cover and temperatures in the mid 60s. Tonight I stay home doing a Recreation game between 2 of the 3 young Celina teams.

Health wise, my back is holding out{Knock on Wood} so far about 1/2 way through football season....it was about this time last year{first week of October actually} that my back went south and I ended up with the epidural the week before Christmas...hopefully this fall will be winter.

Introducing 'The SS OBAMA 08'

Don't need many words to add to this little diddy.

lmao!

Introducing "The SS OBAMA"

Ike Blows Through Ohio

Some 36 hours after making shore at Galveston, Texas, on the Gulf Coast....Hurricane "Ike" made it's presents felt right here in western Ohio.

http://www.whiotv.com/index.html

Oldest son Sam and I had a Rec Department Junior Football game in Celina...we finished up at 3PM, just as the wind picked up into the 50 and 60 MPH range....corn knocked down, limbs blow out of trees, and power out to more than 800,000 thousand in southwest Ohio alone....here in west central Ohio, some power out, but all-in-all we survived without major damage. Talking to my youngest son Hal, in Fairborn(Home of Wright-Patterson AFB), where he is student teaching and doing Grad Studies at Wright State, his power went out around 3pm yesterday, and is still out this morning....Fairborn High School was delayed 2 hours, most of the Dayton area schools were closed.

Now don't get me wrong....we received nothing compared to Texas and the western Gulf Coast area.....but we did get a blow.

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The sun is back out and cooler, sunny, weather will stick around for the remainder of the week. The rain we got from "Ike" was minimal in our area, most of the heavy rain stayed west in Indiana and Illinois, or ran north into Michigan.

Bad weekend for Ohio football...Ohio State proves the experts right...the Buckeyes were not ready for USC....they were defeated in prime time 35-3 by the Trojans and were lacking in every part of the game...back to the drawing board. Meanwhile Michigan continues to fall into the pits of Big Ten Football, Lil' Richey's team got their asses kicked at Notre Dame, by a pretty weak team...and ouch! Charlie Weiss(ND Coach) gets taken out on the sidelines and his knee is blown out. The Bengals and Browns continue to stink up the NFL....although why anybody would care about the over-hyped professional league is beyond me.

Freshman football at Celina tonight.....and a full slate of under varsity and Recreation games this week.

back later

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Photos-The wind and trees blowing through my back yard from "Ike"

Charlie Gibson American Assclown/Hurricane Ike

As we head into the weekend, I would venture to say the most talked about stories on TV/Radio and the Internet are Hurricane Ike and the Charlie Gibson/ABC interview with GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

First on to the Palin interview...you have to ask yourself why "Team McCain" would allow their ticket star to be interviewed by this left wing ass named Charlie Gibson? You knew it would be a hit piece...Hell they might as well put her up against Keith Olberman, at least everybody knows that low talent dirtball is a tool of the DNC. Gibson is a lightweight when it comes to TV Anchors...but from what I've seen he did his best to discredit Palin, by asking questions none of the candidates including Half Breed Barry could answer.....Palin did pretty good in deflecting the continued hate from the Main Stream Press and the Washington elite. No bombshells here, the press is left grasping at straws.

53 days till election day, and the Dems are running scared, scared of a 44 year old self described Hockey Mom wearing lipstick. It's fun to see these jackasses squirm...I don't know who is going to win the upcoming Presidential election....my guess is, it's 50-50 at this point...the one thing I am sure of, if Obama gets elected, Israel will attack Iran before this half assed "Community Organizer" steps foot in the White House.

Ike on the loose
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On a much more serious note Ike has taken aim at the Texas coast...5.5 million folks live in the Houston area alone, including my old Air Force Sky Cop buddy:

http://grandpa-oldsoldier.blogspot.com/

The way thing look{if they don't change in the next 15 hours} a wall of wind, surge, and destruction, like something we have not seen in decades is gonna strike the Gulf Coast of Texas...pray for those folks in harm's way. Do that while you are filling your tank, upwards of 20% of our refinery production could be damaged or destroyed....

Stay Tuned!

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On the home front, we finally got some much needed rain overnight, this coming after I mowed down some weeds in the front and back yard....our wet spring and early summer has turned into a full mini drought, which looks like we will end over the next few days....even predicted to get the remains of "Ike" by early or middle of next week.After a rare off day{that's not a Wednesday or Friday}, I will be back at Football tomorrow in Spencerville, working a JV game, and working for the first time with Sam...we have done hundreds of Varsity baseball games together, but his is the first football contest where we will both be on the same field. We repeat that Sunday at a Rec game in Celina....next week looks pretty full as well.

Have a great weekend, and once again, pray for those folks in Ike's way.

back later>>>>>>>>>>

photo-Hitman Charlie Gibson interviews Sarah Palin/Hurricane Ike heads towards Houston/and the welcome rain finally comes to Celina.

Where Were You 9/11/01?

I'm sure anyone over the age of 12 knows what they were doing(if not sleeping) when the twin towers came down. I was sitting at my desk at the Van Wert Health Department going over my daily list of inspections I felt like doing, when I glanced at my computer screen to see the front photo of the Yahoo Home Page with a burning, gaping hole, and a tail wing sticking out of one of the towers. The original reports were that a "small plane" had slammed into the tower...we knew within a few minutes, that it was much more than that.

Today, 7 years, almost to the minute later, we now know we were at war....we are still at war. Sad part is, folks in the MSM and the liberal blog world think they are at war with Sarah Palin, conservatives, and the GOP...they continue to give the main culprit..."ISLAM" a pass for the evil it is...make no mistake about it...Islam, no matter how you spell it, is evil. To those that compare conservative and fundamentalist Christians with Islam...I say you're nuts, there is no comparison to it's evil.

Time for reflections my friends....just what are you priorities, are they the same as on September 11, 2001? If they are, better wake up...big things are coming, and depending on how the election turns out, it may be sooner, rather than later. I've got my own opinions on what will happen if Obama is elected, if McCain is put in the White House, things are less clear.

Stay tuned...a McCain/Palin win things will change slow, if Barry OH wins, Israel will make a move on Iran before he steps in the White House....they can't afford to let him cut their legs out from under them.....make no mistake, he will attempt to do just that.

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On a happier note, our early fall like weather continues, and it is perfect. No A/C needed, and we may even get a little rain yet this week....have not mowed in a month. No football tonight, back at it Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday....

Meanwhile my great part-time job in Greenville has ended, 20 months of easy money couldn't last. Was nothing I did, the company that ACP supplied decided to go in-house, saving some big bucks. Those Jap car plants know how to save a dime, that's why the continue to thrive, while the "Big 3" head towards oblivion.

Perhaps come November I will go back to driving RVs...if the situation get stable in that hurting industry...if not, I will grab on to something else. Forget about the doom and gloom in the job market...there are plenty of full and part time opportunities out there, for someone willing to work....I, of course, am not interested in anything other than a part time opportunity that keeps me busy a few hours a week, and into beer and cigar money.

That is it for this morning.....REMEMBER THE VICTIMS OF 9/11 AND DON'T FORGET JUST WHO THE ENEMY IS

Back Later

4:41AM----Cat Fights/Football Fun and Grave Yards

4:41
_______________



So says my digital clock on my computer desk...what the Hell? Here I sit, Anissa is awake. Our daughter is an early riser due partly to the meds she takes for her various disabilities. She usually gets up at the 4 O'Clock hour, give or take 30 minutes. This morning it was me up early...actually since about an hour ago when 2 neighborhood "Tom Cats" were across the street doing a prolonged battle. After listening to these sonsofbitches go at it for 15 minutes, I donned the PJs, grabbed the baseball bat and walked across the street. Now these 2 didn't give a crap about this old man until I reached them, bat in hand, and took a swing....they hauled ass into the back yard of another neighbor, and continued their go around....should have grabbed the .22 and dispatched both of the miserable creatures....but why bring panic to the neighborhood, or the cops?


Well anyway, that woke up the dog, Anissa, and me.... Getting to bed at 12:15, rounds out to just a little over 3 hours sleep....once up, this old dog can't get back to bed, so it's a pot of coffee, and listening to the friendly nutjobs on George Norrey's "Coast to Coast" on XM Channel 165. Time Travel is this morning's show...."Beam me up Scotty"!


Without a doubt, the past few days have been pretty boring in this "Day in the Life"....but yesterday got more interesting.
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THE GAME FROM HELL!


Or at least the final 3 minutes from Hell....I traveled north about 35 miles yesterday, filling in at a junior high football game for another official. Since this takes me up to the area of my early youth, I go up there on occasion during baseball season. It gets me back to my roots so to speak. Anyway working a 3 man officiating crew with 2 veterans seemed harmless enough....and it was for the first 3 quarters and the first 5(8 minute quarters in junior high ball) of the final period. Then it got interesting:


{so as not to insult most of the fans who didn't act like rabid assholes, the names of both teams will remain ___________}


Game tied at 6 with 3 minutes left, when the visitors gained control of the ball on a fumble at their own 15 yard line...as the home team fumbled, and the ball was scooped up by the defense, I heard a whistle behind me. Knowing from my view, which was the clearest, I let the play go....the defensive player takes the ball back about 35 yards...which would have set them up in good field position. However, with the inadvertent whistle, the play was killed....I informed the Referee that the whistle I heard(blown by him) was post-possession(after the fumble and recovery). Now, this situation was not going to make either team happy, but it was the only "fair" and correct thing to do. We take the ball back to the A____________'s 15 and give them the ball.


A________ runs 2 plays and the clock continues to move, score of 6-6, I think to myself, well we are in for a tie game, no overtime in junior high, unless the coaches and officials agree beforehand...we hadn't. It only gets better!


On 3rd down, A_________,s quarterback tosses a floater down the middle. Intercepted by W________T________, run by to the A__________ 25...I look at the clock, 1 minute 11 seconds remain. So the home team, with no time outs left, and the score knotted at 6, has the ball deep in enemy territory. Long Story longer....the clock runs down to 19 seconds the home team QB launches one over the middle, one of the wide receivers grabs it....falls forward and is down at the 1 yard line. No time outs left, I set the ball, being the Head Lineman, I set the chain crew's marker in place and the Ref winds the clock....all Hell was breaking loose on the sidelines....in a 3 man crew, you can't see all, and who knows whether we may have missed a W_______T________ player run off late. Was there 12 men in the huddle( a 5 yard penalty)? I don't think so, but the visitor's fans were raising Hell in a big way....the home team sets the ball, a quick snap and a push forward....the line judge on the other side signals "Touchdown"....I glance at the clock...it shows 0.1{as in zero point one/one tenth of a second} left in the game. The extra point failed. Time for one more quick play(no kickoffs in JH ball in Ohio)...the game ends with the home team on top 12-6.


We head off the field to the parking lot past the visitors side of the grand stand. To this schools credit they travel well, and actually had more than the home team in number of fans. Many were not happy with this aging crew...I have to say at 59 1/2 I was the youngest member of the men in stripes....Hell we caught, F-Bombs, threats, and other entertaining comments were thrown our way. We walked to our vehicles.


As I went to pull out, a pick-up truck, gunned up next to my Intrepid..the driver, some hayseed about my age, began swearing and waving his hand at me like some idiot....I pulled behind him as we left the parking lot. He was turning right, then would go south on US 127....so just on a whim, I decided to pull up next to him and go left towards the back roads....his driver side window was down and as I pulled up beside, he continued his tirade....cussing, pointing, and telling me about our officiating crew and his thoughts on our ability. I smiled, waved, and mouthed a polite F____ Off in his direction. End of discussion, he "saluted" me one last time and pulled away...I turned left towards the back roads of Blue Creek Township.


In my years of officiating baseball and football, this was as ugly as I've seen...coming at the junior high level, these "fans" put another whole meaning to the word fanatics. The home crowd was well behaved and to be fair, so was the large majority of the visiting fans, except a few, who acted the part of fools...making this writing possible.


The Road Back Home
_______________


Taking the back roads the 40 miles(5 miles longer this way) to Celina, I head deep into Blue Creek Township...Blue Creek was the home of family members from 1870 until my aunt died in 1998. My Great Grandfather, Nelson Houseworth, had moved his family from Waldo, Ohio, after the Civil War...see story at my genealogy blog:


http://israelhouseworth.blogspot.com/


After the intense ending of the game, I decided to pay the graves of Nelson, and my dad a visit.....Graveyards are a place you must visit if you are doing serious genealogy work, and I've visited many of them...reading stones, to gather bits of information of family members past. Now don't get me wrong, I don't talk to the stones as if those dead folks are still there...they aren't. Those souls are either in Heaven, Hell, or somewhere in between....there is however a surreal feel to cemeteries, especially those like Blue Creek, which are located in desolate spots in rural America.


Nelson S. Houseworth is buried in the old section of Blue Creek Cemetery, and as you can see by the photos, his stoned, marked with his Civil War unit, is pretty much at the southwest corner, by itself, near a dry creek bed. Blue Creek is dry this summer, due to the lack of rain the past couple of months.


After taking some photos, I headed south 4 miles, to just inside the Van Wert-Paulding County line...the cemetery is the Town of Scott Cemetery, which is the resting place of the bones of many other Houseworth family members, including my dad, his mom, both sisters, and the oldest brother...plenty of cousins "reside" there as well. The Old Man's stone is located in a non crowded spot at the southeast edge of the cemetery.....snapped a shot of his WW2/Veteran plate, and the stone itself, with my shadow towering above and over it. Kind of like that shot. The stone has mom's name on it as well, she is alive and well, Dad has been gone for 36 years this Christmas Eve.


On the Road Home
___________


The visit got me in the proper mood to head on home....the game a distant memory, and the outcome{not who won or lost) actually brought a smile to my face....I knew it would give me a chance to bounce the decisions and outcome off my fellow refs at our meeting in Van Wert tonight.




Now I know, few people read posts when they are this long, and I see I've been at it for over an hour. The clock just changed to 5:45AM......now I can have my 3rd cup of "joe", take a shower and face the day.




Back Later>>>>>>>>>>>>












photos-Cat Fight/Football Scoreboard/Nelson S Houseworth at Blue Creek Cemetery and Stan Houseworth at Scott Cemetery

A Final Look At Mersmans

About a year ago, they started the final dismantle of the old Mersman Table Factory across the street, and I documented the tear down earlier on this blog. For the most part the destruction is complete and the current owners, with the willing help of Celina City Officials, and looking for new opportunities. Those opportunities appear to be building "moderate income" housing or senior citizen housing. Code words for LOW RENT GOVERNMENT SUBSIDISED HOUSING.

Not a good thing for the area surrounding the Mersman property, but we will see how it goes down the road. While they have cleaned out the lot, they have piled up the brick, concrete, junk, etc, on the south side, where my house faces, claiming the concrete will go as "Rip-Rap" for the shores of Grand Lake....meanwhile the brick will stay in place for at least 2 years, where the kids heading for the city swimming pool can play in the debris. Good Move!(NOT).

Anyway, at this time, it does look better than before, when the 100 year old building sat growing with weeds, junk, and rats. We will see how I feel in a couple of years.

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Not doing much except officiating football of late. Last night I did the Celina vs St. Marys JV game....Celina gaining a small amount of revenge winning 28-6. On Friday at St Marys in the varsity contest, St Marys won on a last minute fake Field Goal 25-20...their 10th straight win over Celina...the across the Lake series has been decidedly one sided of late.

Tonight I'm at Wayne Trace(near the old family home area) 35 miles north at Haviland...a Junior High game. Then off until Saturday.

Finally got some rain overnight, not much, but with as dry as it's been, every bit helps. The weather is beginning to feel like fall, and the leaves are now starting to change.

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About it for today....will rack the brain(what's left of it) for something new later in the week.

back later>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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Photos-Mersman at it looked in November 2007, and as it looked this morning, the cleared acres, and the "pile" east and north of my view.

Sunday Morning

After finishing my JV game as Waynesfield yesterday I spent the rest of the day out back...we(Patricia) de-flea ed the dog and cat...and I drank too much been while listening to the Buckeyes barley defeat Ohio University 26-14....it was on TV, but way too nice to sit inside and watch the tube, so it was outside with beer and cigars in hand.

While we were outside, Sam told me a small squirrel had walked down the fence into the yard....not too smart with Reagan the Airedale outside. A short time later he, the squirrel, decided to make another appearance. It was indeed a baby(and yes a male)...he got close, but eventually headed back into the garden area.

Then this morning I looked out and see him hanging onto the fence....now with the area hawk still lurking around, this guy won't be long for the world if he stays this open. Anyway took out some ginger bread and small bits of bird feed, put my jersey gloves on and the little bugger actually let me hold him....before crawling up my arm and then in a panic, jumping into the bird bath...back up the fence into the tree.

I got the photos before feeding and handling him.

Off to officate Recreation Football......back later>>>>>>>>>>

Let the Games(Political) Begin

Got home from Crestview last night and ended up watching a combination of NFL(not much), the US Tennis Open(a little more), College Football(the last 10 minutes), and the GOP Convention(McCain's Speech only). The Open Tennis was the most interesting, Andy Roddick losing in a close 4 setter to some Euro Yayhoo from some half assed broken off Russian Republic...good tennis none-the-less.

As for McCain's speech? Not as good as Sarah Palin's...it started out slow, but he finished with a good review of his record...a sharp contrast to Half Breed Barry, the "Community Organizer"....You all know what a community organizer is, don't you? He or she is somebody that gets a group or groups of hate filled left wing radicals together to piss and moan about their lot in life...then these radicals march, loot, and burn, until the government or business leaders, feel blackmailed enough to hand out money to their leaders(can you say Jesse Jackass?), while the so-called "victims" go back to living their miserable lives. Then Jesse, Al, Barack, or whomever, lives the good life on the corporation or taxpayers check book. So there you have Barry Soetoro's "experience" in politics. It will be interesting to see Bill O'Reilly's full interview next week(Monday through Wednesday nights) with Half Breed Barry....Billy O' tends to softball celebrity politicians when he gets them one-on-one.....we will see if he plays hardball with Obama(or whatever the Hell is real name is)?

So the race is on...8 weeks to the finish, and we will see where America and the world is headed. As I've said before, no fan of McCain am I...and I was leaning towards voting 3rd party or leaving the ballot for President __________!~But with the selection of Sarah Palin, I now lean towards the GOP ticket...and being from Ohio, my vote will actually count. Being of large population and a "Battleground State", the Buckeye state will, as usual, be up for grabs.

Now, it's time to turn away from the political BS....I've received quite a few e-mails and messages from vile liberals, who are so scared of the Alaska Governor, they are actually sending me Daily Kos and other far left wing talking points....those folks, friend or foe, can go straight to Hell...I've told them much the same....politics is a rotten game, the libs are playing hardball, the only way to destroy them, is play their game....and play it well.

This blog was never meant to be political, and I've gotten away from that the past few days.....hopefully back to "normal" this weekend and next week

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back later>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Palin Hits a Home Run

By bashing the knee jerk left wing media and it's Messiah, Sarah Palin wowed the GOP Convention in St. Paul last night:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=sara+palin+convention+speech&hl=en&emb=0#

You will find several 10 minute bits out of her rousing half hour speech....she was preceded by Rudy Giuliani...who bashed the Marxist Party(Democrats) with glee:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=rudy+giuliani+convention+speech&hl=en&emb=0#

Just click on the above and there are several 10 minutes cuts of both speeches.

The Marxist Main Stream Media is in full combat mode...the left wing of the American Elite, is complaining about who wrote her speech(did they ask that about Half Breed Barry and his wife when they spewed their socialist vomit?), they don't like her hair, don't like her husband, blah, blah, blah....trust me folks, the dirt digging will get worse, because the powers-that-be among the American media and their puppets in the Democrat Party are running scared.

Being parents of a Anissa, a "special needs"(new PC term I guess) adult, I was happy to see her address her son and his needs.....she "gets it". Unlike the press including NPR Radio as Hermit mentions in the comment, who with our taxpayer money spew their vile. Just why the Hell are we funding NPR?

John McCain gives his speech tonight, can he live up to Sarah Palin?

Stay Tuned!

The News Media Trashes Sarah Palin

WOW! I am really shocked that the NY Times, CNN, MSNBC, US Ragazine, etc, have went after John McCain's VP Choice, Sarah Palin of Alaska. This country, by allowing the main stream press, to be a one sided Marxist haven, is heading down the slippery slope to disaster.

Of course, Barry Soetoro, AKA Barack Obama, stays above the fray, allowing his slaves in the media and the blogsphere, to go after McCain via, Palin. As you know, I am no McCain fan, and for certain no Obama fan. We will see how the Palin pick plays out...the media, with the exception of talk radio and Fox are in bed with the Marxist Party(Democrats) of America. They want McCain to fail, and see trashing Sarah Palin is the way to do it.

I don't need to report or sight the vile stench coming out of the far left...it's all over TV and the Internet. As for myself, I'm not sure Sarah Palin is ready to be Vice-President of the United State, but I know for a fact, Barack Obama and his fellow Marxists, will destroy this country as we know it...I will be watching Sarah Palin speak tonight from St. Paul, if she comes off like I think she will, I will be less apprehensive about voting for John McCain.

Officiated a 8th grade football game last night, cross Grand Lake rival St. Marys defeated Celina 12-6 in come from behind fashion...nothing going on tonight, at Crestview for a JV game tomorrow.

Meanwhile summer hangs on with a vengeance, the heat index at yesterday's game was at 102...actual temps were in the mid 90s, more of the same for today.

back later>>>>>>>>>