MEMORIES

 Maybe just because I'm old but distant memories pop into my head every once in a while.  Here's one I may have repeated before but I'm going to do it anyway.  There are two or three moments that were memorable.

The company I worked for decided to have a manager and salesperson meeting in November of 1985. It was held in the Constellation Hotel in Toronto near the airport.  I don't know why there but that's the way it was.  We had supply centers in Ohio and Michigan - of course I was an Ohio guy.  I had only been with the company a few years and was the Cincinnati manager.  We didn't often see the all the guys from other areas.  

We met in the Detroit area for a bus ride to Toronto.  A busfull went, maybe 50 guys.  When the bus crossed into Canada we were stopped by Canadian border guards.  One got on the bus and asked if we all had our passports with us.  Of course, no one did.  He walked slowly down the aisle and stopped by our manaager from Saginaw, Michigan named Art Valls.  He asked where he was from.  All the Michigan guys laughed. Art was quiet and distinctly looked different from the rest of us Anglo-Saxon types.  He looked like an Indian - North American Indian.  Poor Art.  They let us pass. 

At the hotel they had matched all the Ohio guys in rooms with Michigan people.  I can't remember the name of the guy I roomed with.  At lunch the second or third day, I heard him tell someone he had the best roommate in the world.  At night when he went to bed and was fast asleep, I was still out.  In the morning, before he had wakened, I had s - s - and showered and left the room.   They were all jealous. Maybe that explains why I can't remember his name. 

The first night there, we were in the hotel lounge enjoying beverages and stories while watching Monday night football on an enormous TV.  It was the night that Joe Theismann was crushed by Lawrence Taylor broking his leg into pieces and ending a promising career.  

IRISH AMERICANS

 This is the last in my series on Irish Americans.   This one is not quite so lesser known.

  This is dedicated to lesser known Irish Americans.  Everyone is aware of John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie (her mother was from County Clare).  Sure Ronald Regan was Irish as was Maureen O'Hara and Bruce Springsteen has a bit of the "green" in his heritage.  Walt Disney's father was Anglo-Irish.  Bareknuckle boxing champion, John L. Sullivan's parents were both Irish immigrants.  Henry Ford's father was born in County Cork.  Both of Eugene O'Neill's parents were Irish immigrants.  Of course, you know that he won the Nobel Prize for literature and also his plays won four Pulitzer Prizes for drama.

Have you heard of Cassius Clay?  

Yes, that Cassius Clay.  The black man from Louisville who professed to be Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.  The one who won Olympic Gold for the U.S.; who was the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World; who spoke in basic poetry and belittled many opponents.  His style was described as "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee."  Yes, the one who refused to be drafted into military service and was stripped of his title. Still, the one who many called "the greatest".  Yes, the one who was known and honored around the world.  The one who was befelled by Parkinsons Syndrome.  

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born to Odessa Grady Clay.  His great-grandfather was Abe Grady, originally of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland.  Abe left Ireland during the Great Famine and settled in Louisville.  There he married a freed African-American slave just after the Civil War.  

I loved the guy as an athlete.  It didn't bother me that he refused to joint the army and risk going to Vietnam.  I never knew he was Irish until recently.

SUNDAY

In addition to my weekly reminder that this is the Lord's Day, I have an offer. 

I bought a container of Dorsel's PinHead Oatmeal and made a batch for myself.  One package has enough oats for two batches.  I had no idea that it made that much.  I have enough to last me until  Christmas.  The directions for cooking are on the back of the package.  I will donate the half package to any good home that really wants it.

FUN AND GAMES ANSWERS FOR 8/14/26

All statements this week were true.  

1.  The musical instrument statement is backed by archiologists.  They find these flutes made from bird bones that are 30,000 to 40,000 years old.  

2.  What can I say?  Rock Paper Scissors Leagues?  Sponsored by Bud Lite.  TV shows.  Movies.  Songs.  It's all true.

3.  In outer space there is no noise.  Noise for us humans requires air.  We actually hear the movement of molecules in the air.  In space - no air - no noise.  NONE!

4.  Reindeer's eyes do change color.   They do it by season.  Yellow tint in the Summer and blue in the Winter. It helps them see better.

5.  True, Julius Caesar did sleep with Brutus' mother.  Of course, Brutus killed Caesar.  Now, can you blame him?

FUN AND GAMES

More of  my "Truth is Stranger than Fiction" fun.  Here are five more statements.  See if you can discern which are true and which are false.

1.  The Afghan national sport is Buzkashi - their version of baseball.

2.  When a worker bee mates with the queen, it's penis explodes.

3.  A Catholic pope caused the Black Death.

4.  Shakespear invented the girls name Michelle.

5.  Adolph Hitler's nephew fought against him in World War II for the U.S. Navy.

Comment your answers.  My answers will appear in 8 days. 

LISTS

Here I go again . . . Lists!  I love them.    

This one comes from a Global Burden of Disease Study of 2019.   The question is:  "What bones are broken most often by people of any age."   It interested me today, because I had a foot that felt broken.  I couldn't walk on it.  

The researchers divided the body into 12 parts as you will see.  204 countries were involved and 178 million fractures were recorded.  I've included an interesting note at the bottom.

From most to least in millions:

1.   Lower leg - Patella/Tibia/Fibula/Ankle  32.7

2.   Forearm  - Radius /Ulna  30.7

3.   Shoulder - Clavicle/Scapula/Humerus  19.3

4.   Hand bones & wrist - 19.0

5.   Thigh - Femur/nonfemoral neck - 14.6

6.   Hip - 14.2

7.   Foot bones (not ankle) - 10.7

8.   Facial bones - 10.7

9.   Spine - Vertebrae  -  8.6

10. Skull - 7.6

11. Pelvis - 6.0

12. Sternum/Ribs - 4.1

In every category, men had more breaks than women except the ... HIP.

MIDWEEK PRAYER

An old post that I just love.  Make it your prayer today!

1/08/2020

MIDWEEK PRAYER

A prayer of Chief Yellow Lark, a Lakota American Indian.  Recite it with your God in mind. It is beautiful. 

Oh, Great Spirit,

whose voice I hear in the winds
and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me.
I am small and weak.
I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes
ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made
and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand
the things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden
in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be superior to my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes,
so when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my spirit will come to you
without shame.

FUTBOL

Has the World Cup futbol fever worn off?   Are we now concentrating on Major League Soccer?   Here's some facts about our FC Cincinnati team you might find interesting.

FC Cincinnati's current roster lists 27 players: 

2 Goal Keepers, 10 Defenders, 8 Midfielders and 7 Forwards.

One goal keeper and 10 players are on the field at one time unless the referees "red card" someone, then you play with less players for the rest of the match.

FC Cincinnati players come from around the world.  Less than half, 13, show the USA as their home.  The rest come from Ecuador (2), Jamaica, Paraguay, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, Czech Republic, Camaroon, Togo, France and Morocco.  My accounting brings that to 5 from South America, 6 from Africa, 2 from Europe and 1 Carribean Islander.  Can these guys even talk to each other?

They have one guy with the first name "Teenager" and one guy that only has one name "Evander".  You have to be good if you only have one name; Messi, Renaldo and Mbappe had two before they became famous. 

You're right, I don't know much about soccer but I root for the Orange and Blue - and you should too.  

IRISH AMERICANS

   This is dedicated to lesser known Irish Americans.  Everyone is aware of John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie (her mother was from County Clare).  Sure Ronald Regan was Irish as was Maureen O'Hara and Bruce Springsteen has a bit of the "green" in his heritage.  Walt Disney's father was Anglo-Irish.  Bareknuckle boxing champion, John L. Sullivan's parents were both Irish immigrants.  Henry Ford's father was born in County Cork.  Both of Eugene O'Neill's parents were Irish immigrants.  Of course, you know that he won the Nobel Prize for literature and also his plays won four Pulitzer Prizes for drama.

This week I'm reprising an entry of 18 years ago.

5/13/2008

BUTLER COUNTY

Butler County was named for Revolutionary War General Richard Butler. Born in Dublin Ireland on April 1, 1743, Butler's family moved just five years later to Pennsylvania where he learned to make the Pennsylvania long rifles used in the French and Indian War in his father's gun shop. He and his brother, William, became important traders throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. Due to his familiarity with Indian tribes through this work, the Continental Congress named Butler to negotiate with the Indians either for their support or to ask they remain neutral in the Revolutionary War.

Proving himself during the War, Butler was given the honor of receiving from Lord Charles Cornwallis his sword of surrender, almost prompting a duel between Butler and Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, who demanded he receive the sword. Von Steuben was a German-Prussian officer who served as the Inspector General of the Continental Army.

Butler was mortally wounded in 1791 during an Indian ambush in what became known as St. Clair's Defeat near present-day Fort Recovery, Ohio. A number of years after Butler's death, Chief Little Turtle, who led the ambush, returned to Butler's widow the Society of Cincinnati medal Butler was wearing when he was killed.
---thanks to John Boehner's newsletter

FUN AND GAMES ANSWERS FOR 8/7/26

Here's the answers.  Hope you weren't fooled.

1.  That's true about the NBA.  That's the way basketball started.  Jump ball after all baskets.  Now they've eliminated almost all except the opening tip offs.

2.  I'm told that this is true.  Woody's last name is Pride.  

3.  This is a lie.  The electric eel actually does give out an electric charge.  The sting is electricity.  I'm not sure how long the extension cord is.

4.  The King of Norway did knight a penguin.  He did it for one of their military units who wanted to use it as a 

5.  True!  Six state capitols are west of Los Angeles.  Get out your maps.  Honolulu, HI; Juneau,  AK; Olympia, WA; Salem, OR; Sacramento, CA; Carson City, NV.  Check your map. 

FUN AND GAMES

 Is truth really stranger than fiction?  I say it undoubtedly is.  Here is another group of true or false statements I've garnered.

1.  The oldest musical instruments were flutes made from bird bones.

2.  There once was a Rock Paper Scissors League and the champ won $50,000

3.  In outer space, on the outside of our capsules and stations, there is no noise.

4.   A reindeer's eyes change colors during the year.  

5.  Julius Caesar slept with Brutus' mother.  

How many and which of these is true and which untrue?  Comment your answer.  

LISTS

Yes!  More lists.  This one is about cities in the U.S. that once had populations over 100,000 but no longer do.  21 cities have that distinction.  I've included the latest current population.

Duluth, MN  86.697

St. Joseph, MO  72,473

Hammond, IN  77,879

Gary, IN  69,093

Flint, MI  81,252

Livonia, MI  95,535

Parma, OH  81,147

Canton, OH  70,872

Youngstown, OH  60,068

Erie, PA  94,831

Scranton, PA  76,328

Reading, PA  95,112

Wilmington, DE  70,898

Niagara Falls, NY  48,671

Utica, NY  65, 183

Albany, NY  99,224

Camden, NJ  71,791

Trenton, NJ  90,871

Fall River, MA  94,000

Somerville, MA  81,045

Portsmouth, VA  94,915

MIDWEEK PRAYER

 An American poet named Joyce Kilmer wrote a 12 line poem in 1913 and now almost everyone would say they have heard the first line.  I'm one of them.  It's just so commonplace.  The poem is called Trees and the first line begins:  "I think that I shall never see, ... " I'm sure you've heard that before. You may have heard it sung as music has been set to it. Many parodies have been written around it.  A friend told me he knew it from the "Our Gang" comedy show.???  Whatever!   Kilmer died at the age of 31 on a battlefield of World War I in France.  Yes, this Joyce was a man.

Because it's so short, I'm going to copy the whole poem here.  I've included it on my "Midweek Prayer" day because nature is a gift from God and you can see he believed that.  Read and enjoy.  

TREES

I think that I shall never see

a poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

against the earth's sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks on God all day

and lifts her leafy arms to pray.

A tree that may in Summer wear

a nest of robins in her hair.

Upon whose busom snow has lain

who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me

but only God can make a tree.

    

WHAT'S NEXT

I've done a series of these "What's Next" entries the past three weeks.  Hope I didn't depress anyone.  I'll finish with a poem inspired by something I found on a funeral rememberance card.  I've refashioned it for myself. 

MEMORIES

I'D LIKE YOUR MEMORY OF ME 

TO BE OF SOMEONE HAVING FUN.

I'D LIKE TO LEAVE AN AFTERGLOW 

OF SMILES WHEN DAY IS DONE.

I'D LIKE TO LEAVE FOR YOU A PICTURE 

OF A PERSON WHO LOVED TO PLAY,

OF GOOD TIMES ON A BRIGHT AND SUNNY DAY.

I'D LIKE THE TEARS OF THOSE WHO GRIEVE

 TO DRY BEFORE THE MORNING SUN.

I'D LIKE ALL YOUR MEMORIES OF ME 

TO BE HAPPY BECAUSE I'VE WON!