Darke County Ohio Senior Scribes

Musings of a Senior Scribe... Virginia's Question, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! For you faithful readers (thanks, again!); you'll remember me introducing Virginia to you. For you new readers - Virginia was really sick when I first met her. She is much better now - she has a few more hurdles to clear. She has this uncanny way of appearing when I least expect her. Her visits are always most welcome - public or private. This last one was public. As we walked and talked in a local store, she touched my arm to slow me. A couple of people... read more

About Gordon, © By Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was born in Gordon, Ohio in 1934. Just over 69 years ago Abe and 22 students from all eight grades posed for a school picture with their teacher, Beatrice Brown. In August of 1994, “Abe” noticed the date of his picture “1944” and wondered what had happened to the kids from Gordon school over the last half century. He spent a lot of time and money sending letters and making phone calls to former Gordon school students and asking... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…The Heart of the Matter, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I've been working with my poodle. She is 11.5 years old. A couple of months ago I learned she had Lymphoma. I chose an alternative treatment option. It is a more detailed method. I started calling her "Miss Q2H" For those of you knowledgeable of the medical lingo - Q2H means "every 2 hours." A prescription of this type is usually associated with one-on-one care - like "turn the patient Q2H" - every 2 hours. Or; "walk the patient Q6H" - every 6 hours... read more

Darke County Senior Scribe… Rx For Success, By Lois Wilson
Once again Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is on top of the issues with her insightful look at the important events of the day. This time it’s the demise of teaching “cursive” in school. Wilson offers three poems, each addressing a different look at the trend away from handwriting to a more computer-generated look. Wilson's completed set - four volumes - of published poetry is now available and is offered as a fundraiser for the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund... read more

Speaking my mind on entitlements, By Sharon Hopper
It is not often when I speak what is on my mind to the public, but I feel that the time is right for this thought. I am a senior citizen and even though I have a rather good pension compared to many I still need my social security to live a modest lifestyle that can afford me a few pleasures, like going to the theatre, or out to dinner occasionally with friends. I do not consider my Social Security an entitlement, however I do feel that the word entitlement should be considered... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe… Attention Young Ladies, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! It seems a number of young ladies have spoken to me recently. One 14 year old girl made me "Pinkie Swear" to keep her secret. I did. And, I'll keep her secret. (WOW. Pinkie Swear is alive and well!! I would have thought it would be replaced by some trendier moniker.). The basic gist here is the girl has a boyfriend - 14, I believe. He brought some girls with him to her house - then left with them. She was upset - and; rightfully so, I believe. He showed up... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…What Profiteth a Man? By Mona Lease
Hi, all!!! You all know that words swirl in my head - forming themselves into my columns. I've wondered about this column for awhile now. Then I decided the worst that could happen would be a) my Editor says he will not print it - b) my Editor says to go away and never return - c) you readers quit reading the column entirely - which would put me back to option "b." So - here goes - I've been hearing about "The Wall" that our Government closed. I mean no... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…Our Miss Brown, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! Johnny awoke and looked out of the window. Yup - it was cold. And it looked like snow. He'd better hurry. He had to carry coal into the school and start a fire. It was his turn. He'd have to clean out the stove first. You could just know that Bobby did not do it. Bobby took every chance he could to make him feel stupid. It wouldn't be so bad if he did not already feel stupid. He tried - he really did. He grabbed the lard sandwich off of the table and walked out... read more

Tobacco ©, By Abraham Lincoln
When I was a little boy, I used to go to George Myers’ Gordon Coal Office and listen to the men tell stories. My mother didn’t want me to even go there but I did. Old wooden chairs were lined up against the wall and a tobacco spittoon was located between the chairs. Some spittoons were once brass, that still shined, but now most were a brownish black where the tobacco juices and spittle had dried. I was careful not to bump those spittoons because they ... read more

Hunting Arrowheads, © By Abraham Lincoln
http://www.flintridgeohio.org/ - When I go hunting for arrowheads I know what I am looking for and I expect to find something. I will stop and examine a piece of flint; a mere chip from an arrowhead that is several thousand years old and has been on the ground on this spot for ages. Finding a chip is the first clue that most beginners miss. I always look for a unique color when I go onto an old cornfield or a one that was plowed and rained on. The... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe… Tradition of Homecoming, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back the alumni of a school. It can include student and alumni activities and a parade through the town. Usually, Homecoming consists of a football game played on the school's home field. The parade features the school's Marching Band and the Coronation or Crowning of the Homecoming Queen and sometimes a King. When Homecoming is attached to a football game, Homecoming... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe… Lost Arts, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I sat writing out thank you notes and addressing envelopes - by hand. My mind drifted - as usual - to my teen years. That's 40+ years ago, now. There's a tattered book on my book shelf. The back cover is gone, too. It's roughly the size of a post card. In it are signatures - many who signed it are gone as well. I was 11. I handed this book to everyone I knew in school, at home, or around the neighborhood. I handed it to my Uncle Bobby. He asked me if I... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…In Memory, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! He said, "Tell the One who leads you to stop. We are dying. We can't take this. We can't work and deal with all of this trouble and strife." The citizens banded together for strength, moral support and the "helping hand." The "One" listened and stopped causing the trouble. It did not take long for the people to forget how bad the trouble really had been. Somehow - Time dulled the memory of those who had died. It dulled how much of a threat to life - on a... read more

Introducing Billy… Grandpa’s Chemo, By Delbert Blickenstaff
I haven’t written anything recently because we’ve all been worried about Grandpa, and I didn’t know what to say. But I’ve heard a lot of new words recently, and Grandpa and Dad have explained them to me, so I think that I can tell the story. Words like chemotherapy, which means treatment with chemicals for a serious illness. And that’s what is happening to Grandpa now. Grandpa was in the hospital because he felt weak and he lost weight. There... read more

Darke County Senior Scribe… An Afternoon with Sharon Hopper
On September 15th at 3:30 PM Sharon Hopper will present a combination concert of gospel, show tunes, and testimony. Sharon has performed for many years where she used to live and since moving here has not played publicly till now. Because of health issues and other reason this may be the last and only time to hear this talented person. Sharon will be playing the Roland Digital Piano with orchestrated backups, which promises to be a total experience in the... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…OOPS!!! By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I want to apologize to the D.A. Nealeigh Family...most especially to Luke. I had said I'd get my article about them in my column 8/24/'13. I did not do that. When I was raising my son, I realized that if I expected the truth from him all of the time - I'd have to tell the truth, too - all of the time. In the beginning it's easy - yes is always yes and no is always no. As the years rolled by I realized I would need to change a few ideas. First - I had to realize, admit... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…To Give or Not To Give, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I've been listening to people talk - it amazes me!! There are more words in our spoken language to NOT tell the truth. Lie, embellish, mis-speak (this can be a real accident having to do with saying the wrong word like "prostate from the heat" when it should be "prostrate from the heat"), noble lie, polite lie, etc. Credence is defined as - "acceptance or belief, especially with regard to the truth of the evidence of others - I can not give credence to ... read more

Darke County Senior Scribe… My battle with El Toro, By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
In May of this year I started losing my appetite and generally feeling weak. I did feel a lump in my abdomen which was mildly tender. A CAT scan suggested that the mass was a lymphoma, and a needle biopsy on May 31st confirmed the diagnosis: Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma. My weakness gradually increased, and on June 7th I called my family physician, Dr. Menendez, and asked to be hospitalized. It was then that I decided that any lump causing that much... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe... What a Wonderful World, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! The ending of the Great Darke County Fair has always been the "unofficial end" to summer. As a kid, I remember making bean bags with my cousins - old sheets cut into little squares, stuffed with Navy Beans (dried ones), and sewn shut. We'd stack washed out soup cans partially filled with stones and practice knocking them over - "The Fair was coming." We used to practice target shooting with the old pump-up air rifles. They shot out little metal... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe… Of Milk and Honey, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I've been trying to figure a way to make these words come out rightly - to make them convey what I want to say without it being slanted one way or the other. I've always wondered why anyone would want to come to the US to live and work. I mean - we have no language of our own. Piqua (Ohio) is a shortened form of a Shawnee Indian word. While sitting around a council fire, an apparition rose from the flames...and our Piqua, Ohio was born. Our use ... read more

Darke County Senior Scribe…Funn at the Fair and More, By Lois Wilson
Once again Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is on top of the season with her insightful look at the important events of the day. Once again it’s the Great Darke County Fair! This time with two fun limericks. Wilson's completed set - four volumes - of published poetry is now available and is offered as a fundraiser for the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund. Enjoy great poetry and help a local youngster attend college. For additional information, contact ... read more

WOW! What a summer, By Sharon Hopper
I live out here in the county and it is amazing what I see all about me. The tallest corn in several years and soy beans thick and tall waving in the fields like green water in a lake. The wheat and oats were pretty good and hay has been made three times by my neighbors. But the gardens……….full of big beautiful vegetables and the grass in the yard has been green all summer. The downside was all my flowers bloomed so early and they are looking a bit haggard ... read more

Darke County Senior Scribe… The Great Darke County Fair – 2013, By Lois Wilson
Once again Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is on top of the season with her insightful look at the important events of the day. This time it’s the Great Darke County Fair! Wilson's completed set - four volumes - of published poetry is now available and is offered as a fundraiser for the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund. Enjoy great poetry and help a local youngster attend college. For additional information, contact editor@countynewsonline.org... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…An Interesting Concept, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! The following is in my August, Darke County Right to Life newsletter. I draw your attention to phrases like "attuned to and respecting body signs", "learns self-control", "working within the body's (God's) design", and "material happiness is short-lived." My husband Gregg and I were married 10 years ago. With the upcoming wedding, we looked into Natural Family Planning (NFP) as a way to space children. NFP is working to understand the ... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…Nothing New Under The Sun, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!!! In 1917, a soldier was drafted into our US Army. He wrote letters to his family from "across the big pond." In this case, it was Germany..WW1. In one of his letters to a brother, he writes that he is in the infirmary - a hospital. He tells of 600 guys being brought in minus arms or legs or "just insane." The "insane" part intrigues me. I'll explain. From WW1, the "insane" went through some name changes - to our modern day "Post Traumatic Stress. ... read more

When Children were Children…Something to Ponder, By Sharon Hopper
7/30/13–I have really been thinking and that in and above itself is a real surprising feat for me. Lately I have been just lopping along in hopes that a miracle will come to me and I can once again be the happy go lucky person that I always believed myself to be, but I have finally concluded that the miracle is going to have to be generated from me. The truth is that I have had a pretty wonderful life full of seeing wonderful places, working with great people, and never... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…Virginia and the US Army, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! Virginia surprised me with a visit last weekend. I noticed that I start to breathe shallowly when she appears. Don't get me wrong - Virginia is most welcome - where ever I am - publicly or privately. She just has this way of showing me things that I should have seen - or, I think I should have seen. We ended up watching her neighbor spray weed killer on piles of tree clippings laying on the ground. With the wind blowing, he sprayed weeds that were ... read more

LA CUCHARACHA, By Delbert Blickenstaff
I asked Louise what she wanted for Christmas and she said “A poem for me.” So I’ll tell you what I wrote but first I have to tell you a story. When Louise was born on December 31, 1922 her parents had not picked a name for this baby, the fifth child in their family. So the attending doctor wrote “Jane” on the birth certificate. But Louise didn’t know about that until she went to the Darke County Recorder’s Office and asked for a copy of her birth certificate. She needed it to get... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…Open Letter to a Granddaughter, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! Consider the following letter. My Dearest Granddaughter: You are 14 years old today. A long time ago, age and birthdays would have been a big affair. 13 was the age when a girl started wearing nylons instead of the bobby socks. Long before the age of 13 - a girl started planning her life - husband or college? - children? - pets? - home? - car? Her girlfriends would pay attention to her choices - favorite color, china patterns, laces, silver service, and the ... read more

Senior Scribes... Summer's Weekend, By Sally Amspaugh
Editor’s note: Sally was a founding member of the Senior group. She passed away July 21, 2011. This is being published in her memory. Ah, some of the happiest days of my life Fat roosters crowed long ‘fore the sun Just “one more weekend’ at Grandpa’s house Before the new school year begun At Grandpa’s house we gathered brown eggs And “helped” to milk the cows I’d begged for a tin cup of frothy warm milk Fed corn to pink pigs and fat sows... read more

Senior Scribes... PASO DE OVEJAS, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Paso de Ovejas (pass of the sheep) is the name of a town of about three thousand people in southern Mexico, between Mexico City and Vera Cruz. The American Friends Service Committee, Quakers, developed a public health work camp in the surrounding area doing malaria and hookworm control. I became involved in the project in 1942, spending five ½ months in Mexico. My twin brother, Bob, went down first, and then Glen Fisher and I went two weeks later... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…Meet Virginia, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!!! I've known Virginia for the last 5 years or so. The last conversation I had with her was pretty interesting - so I thought I'd share some of her wisdom - hard earned by her. When I met her, Virginia was very ill. Her husband started cheating on her with the neighbor woman. Virginia knew the truth - she told me at the time. Now the cheating is finished. Virginia and her husband are trying to get back on track. The neighbor woman had a child out of... read more

The Frenchman I Never Knew, © By Abraham Lincoln
In the early days, finding one new calligrapher was quite a task. This was a long time before personal computers were available so telephones or personal letters were used to locate people. I was looking for calligraphers — people whose reputation in handwriting was on levels beyond ordinary handwriting. Raymond Franklin DaBoll, the author of Recollections of the Lyceum and Chautauqua Circuits, lived in Batesville, Arkansas. His book introduced me to... read more

President, Senior Scribes... Joys and Concerns, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Pastor: Now is the time in our service for joys and concerns, and we ask that you keep your comments brief. Please come up to the mike. Mother: Our son had his appendix removed yesterday and we ask for your prayers for a speedy recovery. Thank you. Pastor: We’ll pray for your son. Young person: Grandpa has some heart trouble and will be going into the hospital for evaluation. Please pray for him. Pastor: Your grandfather is in our prayers... read more

Around GreenVille, © By Abraham Lincoln
Around the bend and far away, the sound of tapping made my day. I knew what it meant and where it was but I had no idea this time was what it was. There was a sound. Men wrenched as if in pain. They had seen people who screamed before, and while it was not a pretty sight, it was, the time forgotten. Flintstone pierce flesh and stick in bones, with shrieks of misery wafting over the forest still. Sounds, like morning smoke, glides over the canopy ... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…An Old Man and a Ticket Stub, By Mona Lease
Hi, all! The elderly gentleman asked me for a ride on my golf cart. "Get in", I responded. He told me about things that happened in the past - the high jinx with his friends and the like. Things like that looked bad then. Now, after a serious health issue - "It's all good" - his words. He said he'd like to be able to do them all again, but the friends are gone on to their reward. He said that looking backwards - they are all good memories. People are people ...good... read more

President, Senior Scribes… THE SEMI DUDE AND ME, By Delbert Blickenstaff
One day I was driving home on a familiar street, following a large semi. I soon realized that something was falling out of the tail end of the semi, and that it was soy beans. What to do? They weren’t my beans. But if someone doesn’t alert that semi driver soon, he’s going to lose all of his load. However, I wasn’t eager to tangle with a semi dude (driver). I noticed a stop sign coming up two blocks away. Maybe if I sped around him after he stops I can get him... read more

The Big City, © By Abraham Lincoln
There are lots of places to eat in Brookville, Ohio — not to be confused with Brookville, Indiana with the big lake. Our biggest lake is in Golden Gate Park and while you wouldn't want to go skinny-dipping there with big snapping turtles, it is nice to sit and look. The place to go downtown for a meal or a cup of coffee is Market Street Cafe. Then for the big sandwiches, give O'Riley's across from the icehouse, a try. You can locate Singer's, still in the basement... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…Archie and the Wright Brothers, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! As I write this, the area is buzzing with anticipation - this weekend is another "Dayton Air Show." I've stared at the little brown, cardboard box for days. I summoned up the courage today to open it. Inside is my replacement router box. I need this to make my laptop work. I've used a desk computer - it's not the same - not my familiar homepage. I opened the box. I hooked up the router. I used the desk computer. I followed the directions - there were two of them. I... read more

President, Senior Scribes… B L O O M I N G T O N, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Living in Grasscreek, Indiana, in 1933 was about as far removed from the big city as you can get without being in the middle of a cornfield. I think that there were ninety-nine residents, on a good day. So when Dad told us that we were moving to Bloomington for the summer so that he could attend Indiana University, we kids yelled for joy. Dad was the principal of the Grasscreek school, but he wanted to earn his Master’s Degree so that he could move to a... read more

Feather Ticks, © By Abraham Lincoln
Sometimes when I woke up, there was snow on my quilt. It blew under the window and settled on the window sill and on my bed covers. My bedroom was on the west side of the house, under a tin roof. Rain on that roof was so nice to hear—I still long for that sound (I hope Heaven has tin roofs). My bed was an iron frame with wire springs holding up a latticework of wires. A mattress was laid on top of this and that was my bed—depending on the age of the ... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…Subliminal or Not? By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I've been watching for the last 20 years or so and I think I'll share this with you. I find this rather unique. Admittedly - I've partaken of the following scenarios to see what would happen. Wikipedia defines "subliminal" as - "Below the threshold of conscious perception - stimuli inadequate to produce conscious awareness but, able to evoke a response (subliminal message). Fred is dead sure that Wilma is cheating on him. The neighbors report what looks like... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Pig Farmer… Not! By Delbert Blickenstaff
At the time of this story Louise and I were living on our farm with our horses. No pigs. In fact the only contact I had had with pigs was when Louise’s dad took his only vacation and we stayed on his farm and fed the animals. When I was invited to relieve Jim and Carlotta of their pig feeding duties one weekend so they could attend a Marriage Encounter Session, I was again introduced to pigs. Louise and I had attended a session and found it helpful. So, why not? Jim... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…The Dad, By Mona Lease
Hi, all! There's so much to write about, some days I don't know what to leave for another column. As I write this, the Whittaker family is gearing up for another "Sara Poker Run." I've written of this in other columns. My reason is that to qualify for a scholarship you must be in FFA and can not have over a B average. Sara was an avid FFA student and struggled to get a B. I've said this before and I'll say it again - and again. Grades are ... read more

Two Moons, © By Abraham Lincoln
“With nearer tinkle through the dust of long ago Creep the Pennsylvania wagons up the twilight—white and slow.” There were bands of Shawnees, Delawares, Munseys, Pottawatomies, Kickapoos, Miamis and Seneccas in and around this area. Among them was the small band whose chief was named, “Two Moons.” They had been peaceful and were trusted but the continued influx of settlers accounted for random killings. Two Moons lived just east of ... read more

Darke County Senior Scribes… Senior Scribes plan for GOBA event, 2014 awards banquet
The Darke County Senior Scribes discussed plans for the June 19 Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA). The group will be hosting breakfast items for the bicyclists in the Greenville High School cafeteria. Plans also began to prepare for the 2014 Senior Scribes Scholarship Banquet. Eight scholarships were handed out this year with 36 students, family members, Senior Scribes and supporters attending at The Bistro Off Broadway. Senior Scribes... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Blough Work Camp, By Delbert Blickenstaff
It was the summer of 1940, and I was not yet nineteen years old. I was living in Chicago, working in the tabulating department of Sears, and taking classes at the American Academy of Art because I wanted to be a commercial artist. Living next door was the family of Alvin Brightbill who had a daughter named Becky, about seventeen. In fact I had one date with Becky, but when she refused my invitation to a good night kiss, I decided enough of that. However... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…Where Does Time Go? By Mona Lease
Hi, all! So - I finally found a point I agree on with Bill Clinton. It really does get easier saying "I'm sorry" - the more you say it. So, for you readers who get a chuckle or bit of wisdom from my writings - I am sorry I did not submit a column last week. The week flew by me. Have you ever noticed how time is relative? The seconds, minutes, and hours remain the same ...a constant in our busy world - tick, tick, tick. Seemingly though, when the situation is negative, or... read more

A Visit to the Dentist, © By Abraham Lincoln
Just when you think your body parts are all working together to push your next birthday to 79, something goes haywire and you can’t fix it. It happens to me all the time. I think it is a sure sign that I am aging—getting old—my ball of string is running out. Whatever you might choose to call it; my secret goal in life is to cheat the undertaker out of another payday. How does one chew softly? Well, I have been chewing on a back jaw took lightly, like a ballerina tiptoes ... read more

When Children were Children… Today a child’s life is another story, By Sharon Hopper
Wow! School is out and summer fun is supposed to begin. I say supposed to begin because today children have to be watched constantly to avoid the maniacs that are out there. I am so glad that I grew up in a much calmer atmosphere. To begin with many days I left home in the late morning, went to the beach and came home at suppertime. No one with me but my friends and other beach bums. That was how we referred to the people who came and laid out in the ... read more

Introducing Billy… FLYING, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Did you ever fly? I don’t mean fly like a bird. I mean fly in a plane. Our family took its first plane ride a few weeks ago when we went on a vacation to Hawaii. Of course Dad and Mom had been on a plane before but us kids hadn’t. Before I tell you about that I want to tell you about a new word that Grandpa taught me. It’s rumble seat. I was showing him some of the drawings of cars that I had made and he asked me if any of them had a rumble seat in them... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Humor, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Why do we elderly people often laugh when we refer to ourselves as “getting old?” There is nothing funny about falling down, getting lost, forgetting why we walked into the kitchen, and the hundreds of aches and pains. In fact, one has to be tough to tolerate old age. Of course, some tolerate it better than others, but that’s no different than other stages in life. A friend reminds me that laughing is better than crying, and she’s right. But I still ask why do people laugh... read more

Introducing Billy… Hitch-Hiking, By Delbert Blickenstaff
One day Grandpa was talking about being in college and he mentioned hitch-hiking. I didn’t know what he was talking about so I asked him. He said that he didn’t have a car and when he wanted to go somewhere he had to ride with one of his friends or hitch-hike. Grandpa said it was common for guys his age to stand along the side of the road and ask for a ride by sticking their thumbs out. A few girls would “thumb” a ride but only when they were with... read more

President, Senior Scribes…Hip-Hip-Hooray, By Delbert Blickenstaff
It is very unusual for anyone to cheer for a hip fracture, but I will try. Monday morning started out normal for us. We got up around 6 AM and got ready to go swimming at the “Y.” The Greenville High School swim team works out from 6 AM to 7 AM and we try to get there as they exit. We enjoyed our usual swim and then went to one of our favorite eateries and ate breakfast with Helen, one of our swimming buddies. We came home and rested a bit before our next trip ... read more

Tomatoes off the vine… Flowers, ©By Abraham Lincoln
My mother planted the idea of putting seeds in the ground for a bountiful harvest in the fall. I could always think of dozens of other things I would rather do than plant seeds. Sometimes she started seeds in cups or trays in the house and then we planted the small growing plants in the garden when temperatures had warmed the ground. I didn't mind it as much as I disliked harvesting these peas or green beans. I loved to eat green peas right out of the pod... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe… Is It Really Free? By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! For a long time now, I've been watching and listening - watching the lines form for the "free stuff" - health screens, prescription coverage, church donations, etc. "I have to go to Druid Place and fill out this paperwork"...."Joe said I need three copies of my income"....Audrey wants two years of my rent receipts"...."Creezil needs my Dr.'s signature" ...."Craven said my Landlord has to sign papers stating I am working off my rent"..."Ditzler has to see what... read more

Introducing Billy… Thunderstorm, By Delbert Blickenstaff
When our dog Nelly used to stay in the house most of the time she would hide under my bed during a thunderstorm. I don’t know why she was so scared. I would talk to her and try to get her to come out. But she would just lay there and whine. My sister Emily is allergic to dogs so we keep Nelly outside now.. When a thunderstorm comes she is much worse than she used to be. She howls and whines and tries to break loose. Last week during a storm... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Buster and Me, By Delbert Blickenstaff
The water in this swimming pool is just right, and I used to have plenty of room to swim around wherever I wanted to. But a few months ago I got kicked in the head and I realized that I wasn’t alone. And I remember hearing Mom talk about her little “twinnies” so I decided that there must be two of us. She even called us boys, as if there is anything else we could be. Mom reads and talks to us all the time, so I have learned quite a lot. For example, I know that Buster... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe… Happy Mother's Day!! By Mona Lease
The following is attributed to Dayton, Ohio's own Erma Bombeck. When God Made Mothers: When the Good Lord was creating Mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the Angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one." And God said, "Have you seen the specs on this model? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic..have 180 movable parts - all replaceable..run on black coffee and leftovers... read more

What’s God Got to do with It?... Mother's Day, By Nancy Livingston
Mother's Day Weekend! For some, it's a day set aside to show love and respect to the one who brought us into the world. To show appreciation to her as one who, like a mother hen, took her young under her wing and raised them up until they were able to leave the nest. Yet for others, it's a time only to reflect and hold dear in their heart, the fond memories of a mother who is no longer with them. For those of us who still have a mom, let's remember... read more

Our Little Schoolhouse…Nealeigh #1, © by Abraham Lincoln
Miss Beatrice Brown, my schoolteacher, taught all 8 grades (1 - 8) in my country school. It was a red brick schoolhouse built, before my living memory, on ground donated by the owners of the farm where Milbert and Bonnie Ressler lived. The schoolhouse was red brick with two rooms—the Big Room and the Little Room. When I went to school there only the Little Room was being used—we only had 23 students in all 8 grades. At that time, in my village of Gordon... read more

When Children were Children… Our schoolhouse home, By Sharon Hopper
I had a lot of cousins who used to visit on the weekends or we went to their homes for events, but we never seemed to be missing someone to play with. After my introduction to the one room school house that I attended I realized that my life was quite a bit different from my cousins. They all went to modern schools with indoor plumbing, a lunchroom, and all that regular stuff. They said I was going to grow up to be a dummy. My uncle lived and worked on farms that... read more

Introducing Billy… Henry’s Stories, By Delbert Blickenstaff
My brother Henry likes to tell stories but he doesn’t like to write them down. So I decided to write some of them and Henry said it was OK. When Henry was 5 years old and I was only 3 we decided to run off to the store to get candy. We had been playing in the front yard and Henry knew the way to the grocery store, only 2 blocks away. Of course I don’t remember any of this because I was only 3. The lady at the store knew us because we had been... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Big Buddies, By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
I have discovered that there are others around here besides me and my Buddy. I call them my Big Buddies because they are a lot bigger that we are. One is called Mama, so I call that one Big Buddy Mama, and that one is my favorite because that one gives me milk whenever I get hungry. There are two others and I think their names are Dada and Gwama. They mostly just clean me up, put clothes on me and rock me to sleep. Guess what! I got a good look at my... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe…A Pretty Baby!!! By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! For those of you who know me - you know I am drawn to the unusual - things or people you don't encounter everyday. I'm particularly drawn to those who think "outside the box." With a yawn, I listened to the DJ on the radio drone on and on about mundane stuff - buzzes and clicks to me. Then I heard "Springfield, Ohio and Wild Mustang & Burro for sale." I'd heard and had an application for this in 1979 - adoption, housing requirements, minimal adoption fee... read more

About Country School © by Abraham Lincoln
Miss Beatrice Brown, our old maid schoolteacher, also had rules for playing ball. We were never permitted to use a "hard" ball. It was a big "soft" ball or nothing. And she refused to buy more than one bat and then only after the other one had been broken. By the way, the taxpayers did not have to pay any property taxes for this equipment. The children collected things like scrap metal and old newspapers and milkweed seedpods to sell to scrap dealers—the collected... read more

When Children were Children (3)… School…….., By Sharon Hopper
Well as I said before we lived in an old schoolhouse that was being changed into a home. We now had rooms, furnace, well with a pump for water, and lots of ideas of how the house would be when finished. My mother had her heart set on a blue and white kitchen. My father wanted a garage. Well you guessed it. The garage was being built as I started school. My mother drove me down the road from our house about two miles to a little place called Pavonia. There on ... read more

Introducing Billy… Diving, By Delbert Blickenstaff
I’m eight years old now and I can write most of the words in my stories. Grandpa still helps me with some of the words. Henry and I love to swim at the Y and dive off the diving board. So we asked Mom if we could take diving lessons and she said yes. We go once a week and practice for about an hour. There are eight boys in our class and our teacher is a college student who is a really good diver. He can do flips and twists and other complicated dives. I told... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Buddies, By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Wow! This is the nicest place to live. It’s warm and I can swim around anytime I want to or just float. It’s getting a little crowded though. Something poked me in the back. I know it wasn’t my arm or leg (I named them in order to keep track of them.) I’m beginning to think that there is another creature in this swimming pool with me. I’m going to find out. There, I caught part of it in my fist. That’s the far end of my arm. I can move it around and it seems to have arms... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe...For Granted??, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!!! The human body is 96% oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen...a lot of this is in the form of water. The remaining 4% are macro/micro nutrients which build bones & cell structures, regulate the body's pH level, and other duties. The natural pacemaker of the heart is the sinoatrial node. It sends the electrical impulse to both side of the heart, telling it to contract together - in just 4 seconds! There's a natural delay to allow the contraction and the ventricals... read more

Our introduction to “Crazy Cat”…Places to visit, things to do, © By Abraham Lincoln
Patty, my wife of 57 years, invited me to go out with her to the Market Street Café for breakfast. I had an appointment at 8:30 AM to get my haircut at the barbershop next door, so we walked into the restaurant, sat down and ordered breakfast. We saw a lot of people that we both knew and just being there was like a high school reunion. Hello to one, another and still another old friend. I shook hands with folks I had not seen in two or three decades. I told Patty that we... read more

Introducing Billy… Grandpa’s Story, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Grandpa has told me many stories about happenings when he was younger. He’s not going to write them down but I think some of them should be recorded, especially this one. So here goes. Grandpa was the principal at the high school in a small town in Indiana. In those days some people still used outside toilets called privies or outhouses. I didn’t even know what a privy was until Grandpa explained it to me. One of the favorite Halloween... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Dumb Things I Did as a Kid, By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Looking back now I think that we three brothers were at least half monkey, because we climbed everything we could. Every tree was a challenge. And we loved roof tops. Starting at about age ten years my twin brother Robert and I climbed up on about every house we lived in. In 1929 in Kewana, Indiana, we twins and our younger brother Harold climbed on the roof and our mother caught us. She told Dad, of course, and he told us to go to the woodshed. We knew... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe...Health, Wealth and Such, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!!! For you readers and hearers of my writings - Dad's out of the hospital and recuperating. For those of you who know me - you know I've got the "Sap Gene." All we have is each other. No amount of money will buy real love..,.you know - the kind that says - "I cant' change anything, but I can sit quietly with you and wait." And, on to the Boston Marathon Bomber. I've been pondering this one. What kind of a person would endanger so many lives? To me, bombing at the... read more

Baling Wire, © By Abraham Lincoln
Roy Sommers was one of the first persons I met when we moved to town in 1962. It was a miracle that vehicles that could not stop at Wolf Creek Pike had not demolished his store. The old building leaned and the old roof sagged but for its age the place seemed strong enough. The building was badly damaged, at least once, when a car, rammed into the store and came to a stop about halfway through the building. Roy had things like wire in his store and I always... read more

When Children were Children… The Schoolhouse, by Sharon Hopper
Now I have to describe where this schoolhouse was. It was in the country and we used to walk about a quarter mile to the next farm and get fresh milk from the cow. Mr. and Mrs. Kerr was their name. Funny how you can remember some people and cannot remember others. Skipper our dog used to come with us on these visits. Mr. Kerr tried and tried to teach me how to milk that cow but I never did get on to it. She was a pretty cow. I know they had chickens because... read more

Introducing Billy… Chocolate, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Know what I really like? Chocolate. I like chocolate milk, chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, and chocolate candy. If onions were covered with chocolate I would probably like them too. I usually eat what ever Mom fixes for us and don’t even think about it. One of our favorite meals is meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy. Mom usually makes a salad too and some kind of dessert. Maybe even chocolate pudding. One day at school we had a... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Abruptio Placentae, By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Cindy Adams and Craig Nixon finished their Childbirth Education classes with flying colors. Craig was a biology major, heading for the teaching profession, and he enjoyed learning about the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and labor. He was a reliable coach, and Cindy needed him with her as she neared term in her first pregnancy. When they arrived on the OB floor with Cindy in active labor, and two days past her due date, they expected to go directly into the... read more

Senior Scribes… Mammas, Maypoles, Memorial Day, By Sally Amspaugh
Sally was born and lived her entire life in Darke County, however she said she loves to travel… “I’ve been to many states and spent lots of summers in Canada. Favorite places are Rockport, Mass. and Lake Mississagagon, Ontario, Canada. My passion is my Christianity and family ─ a daughter, two sons, 12 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. I am a strong Christian, attending Trinity Wesleyan Church in Greenville, and enjoy being a retired florist and farmer. Love... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe...Stickin" Together, By Mona Lease
Hi, all! Before I start this column, a little "backward glance" is appropriate. I was raised that - "Welfare is a option, a last resort - if you will - not a lifestyle. Work is everywhere - if you are willing - And I, as a human being, had better be willing to do a "menial job" and better my position. I was raised that - "All work is honorable." I was raised that - "We all stick together as a family. We keep our greivances amongst ourselves and if we cannot move forward - we at least... read more

Passwords, © By Abraham Lincoln
Passwords drive me nuts. I have a notebook filled with pages of passwords. In spite of my writing them down at the time I use a new password I manage to get them all messed up. I get so frustrated that I have threatened to toss my relative new iMac computer on the floor and stomp on it. I have at least one episode a day where I can't seem to choose the correct password to get into the program I need to get into or to get out of the program I am already in... read more

When Children were Children… My Home the Schoolhouse --- Part 1, By Sharon Hopper
Litterally. When I was four going on five when we moved into an old brick building that used to be a schoolhouse. My aunt and uncle actually owned the house and did some of the basic home improvement work on the original building but then sold it to my mom and dad for a very good price. It had to be a good price because my dad didn’t believe in financing anything. Cash or nothing was his motto. My parents were products of the depression and watched ... read more

Introducing Billy...RUNNING AWAY, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Last week I did a really dumb thing. Here’s what happened. I really like Mrs. Gilbert, my second grade teacher at school. Last week she got sick and we had a stubsetute – that doesn’t look right – maybe it’s substitute teacher. I decided right away that I didn’t like her because she’s not like Mrs. Gilbert. She didn’t know where anything was. So I decided on Wednesday that I would not go to school. Mom watches me all the time so I knew it ...read more

President, Senior Scribes… Art and Music, By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Why did God invent art and music? Or why did humans invent all kinds of art, including drawing, music, dance, painting, sculpture, etc.? Even the cavemen drew lines on the walls depicting animals and other humanoids. It certainly wasn’t because they were bored with life. They had to spend most of their time searching for their next meal. My only answer is simplistic: our brains are programmed to invent art. Of course, most of us have to learn music, for example... read more

Hilarious Bike Adventure...THE KILLER BIKE, By Marianne Clark
About four and one half years ago I sold my little horse farm in the country and moved into town. Of course, there was a farm sale and all went well except for three bicycles that had belonged to my grandchildren and were no longer in use. I decided to put the bikes out for Rumpke but kept the one girl’s bike as I thought I might like to ride it around in the park. I had been in town for several months and when spring got itself sprung, I decided to get the bike out and go...read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe...Kindred Spirits, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! There's "Je Na Saia Quoi." (French) - a "something that can not be adequately described or expressed" - literally..."I don't know what" - or a "certain something" - "a quality or attribute that is difficult to describe or express" about those people who keep giving and going against the "odds." Life is not about what they need or want. Despite the odds - pain, disease, missing senses, etc.- they get up every morning and set a goal to be better than ... read more

When Children were Children...I was and am a “ham”., By Sharon Hopper
They, my parents, tell me when I was just a little girl we rode the train a lot from Baltimore Md. to Mansfield Ohio where my grandparent and all my family lived. They tell me that I used to sing Mare's Eat Oats and Doe's Eat Oats and Little Lambs Eat Ivy, up and down the aisles of the train and people would give me a nickel for singing to them. I can see my happy face and curly locks bouncing around. My dad had curly hair; however my mom was not so lucky. Anyway ... read more

Introducing Billy… Words from Grandpa, By Delbert Blickenstaff
I’m in the second grade now and I can read better than most of the kids. Our teacher asks me to read to the class sometimes. I know that Grandpa has helped me a lot by teaching me new words. Education is a big new word and it means learning things. I asked Grandpa how he knew so much. He said that he had been a teacher all his life and he was the high school principal when he retired. I asked him what a principal did and he said that he was... read more

Darke County Senior Scribe… It’s Tax Time. Again. By Lois Wilson
Once again Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is on top of the season with her insightful look at the important events of the day. This time it’s taxes. Wilson offers four poems, each addressing a different look at what many Americans do NOT look forward to each year. Wilson's completed set - four volumes - of published poetry is now available and is offered as a fundraiser for the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund. Enjoy great poetry and help a local youngster... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Climbing Mount Hood, By Delbert Blickenstaff
It took me two tries to reach the top of Mt. Hood, which proves that I’m not much of a mountain climber. In 1952 I went up with two other fellows. One was my cousin, Paul, who was a dentist in Portland, Oregon, and who was in excellent physical shape. The other fellow was a young German exchange student who had been climbing mountains in Europe all of his young life. I was a flatlander from Indiana. I have been told, by those with some experience... read more

Darke County Senior Scribes… My Miracle, By Marianne Cox Clark
My miracle occurred twenty-five years ago and I have felt that I have been living on borrowed time ever since that day. I have envisioned writing this story for a long time but until just recently it has not been a serious thought. I should be thanking God daily for his intervention and the saving of my life but, in truth, I am very negligent in that department. I regret to say that life is just too busy. No matter how often I apologize to God for not talking to him enough... read more

Darke County Senior Scribes… Getting older can be fun… sometimes, CNO Submissions
Ten years ago the Internet buzzed with “blonde jokes,” “dumb people jokes,” “off color jokes that couldn’t be published” and more. Today, CNO still gets a few of the “off color” variety – still can’t publish them – but the “blonde jokes” and “dumb people jokes” have been replaced… by “old people” jokes. Good thing us seniors have a sense of humor… enjoy. Forgot my glasses - Yesterday my daughter again asked why I didn't do something useful with my time... read more

Remember winter , © By Abraham Lincoln
Brookville weather borders on the bizarre. Most people say this whole year has been screwy. Nobody seems to know why our summer was hot and dry while Europe was smothering in melting heat. A few weeks ago I stood at the window and watched it pour down inches of rain but did not see water shooting out of the sewers like it has in the past. So in spite of heavy rains, nothing has come close to the rains we had one summer in Brookville. We stood and... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe...Aww, Buckeye Chuck!!!, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! For those of you who know me - you'll know that my family loves to dig in the dirt. Heck, we'll plant just about anything we think we'll eat. I'll freeze anything from the garden I think will freeze. One year when I was a wee kiddie - my paternal Grandpa planted a field of turnips. You guessed it - they all grew. That fall, my Grandparent's porch was stacked a good quarter of the way out from the east wall. There they stood all neatly stacked in their wooden baskets... read more

Darke County Senior Scribes...Story Book Land, By Marianne Cox Clark
If you read Dreamland, you’ll enjoy the slightly more “tongue-in-cheek” look at fairy tales… this time written for an older group: Story Book Land. Marianne Clark is a published author and long-time Senior Scribe. Her credits include many postings on County News Online and her recent book, “Yogi Boy Cox and Friends.” After decades of having his story told to grandchildren and friends, Yogi Boy Cox has achieved immortality through “his” book, Clark said. “You... read more

When Children were Children...The proof of Everlasting Life, By Sharon Hopper
How about that Easter Bunny? Today he sports dark glasses, dressed to the hilt, and carrying a beautiful basket of not only candy but full of toys too. Wow! Kids sure are spoiled these days. I remember the bunny was just a little old rabbit running around with an old wicker basket full of real hard boiled eggs, some jelly beans, a chocolate bunny and marshmallow chickens. That was about it and sometimes we even had to supply our own basket for... read more

Introducing Billy… Arithmetic, By Delbert Blickenstaff
I really like math in school, almost as much as reading. One day I was talking to Grandpa about math class and he said that when he was in grade school it was called arithmetic. That’s a new word to me. He also told me that math is short for mathematics, another new word. Our teacher makes math fun. We do mainly adding and subtracting but we are beginning to multiply and divide. When we work with two’s and five’s I like to think in terms of... read more

Darke County Senior Scribe… Easter… and was Spring an April Fool’s joke, By Lois Wilson
Once again Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is on top of the season with her insightful look at the important events of the day. This time it’s Easter, followed by a look at an April Fool, then spring… if it ever arrives. Wilson offers three poems, each addressing thoughts about this time of year. Wilson's completed set - four volumes - of published poetry is now available and is offered as a fundraiser for the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund. Enjoy great poetry... read more

Darke County Senior Scribes… Dreamland, By Marianne Cox Clark
Marianne Clark is a published author and long-time Senior Scribe. Her credits include many postings on County News Online and her recent book, “Yogi Boy Cox and Friends.” After decades of having his story told to grandchildren and friends, Yogi Boy Cox has achieved immortality through “his” book, Clark said. “You only have ‘one’ good dog,” Clark added. “Yogi Boy was ours. You can have wonderful dogs afterward, and they might come close, but they... read more

President, Senior Scribes… Dad’s Huckster Wagon, By Delbert Blickenstaff
I could hardly wait for breakfast to be over so my dad and I could leave for the IGA grocery store. My two brothers had each had their turns the previous two days, and today was my turn. Dad and I walked to the store and opened up the huckster wagon parked directly behind. It was an old narrow school bus which Dad had converted by replacing the side benches with built-in shelving along the sides. Each morning that summer, 1929, he would take a brief... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe...Iceland and The Man In Black, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I attended a conference last year. I've heard words like "global economy" and "Tiger Mom." I've watched sex be used to sell everything - toothpaste, cars, deodorant, houses, boats, etc. I've heard "bull market" and "Euro-dollar." You get the idea. I even watched a televised interview with Icelandic President Otafur Ragnar Grimsson. He's running for a fifth term, by the way. In a nutshell - Iceland did not bail out their banks. They treated them like private entities. When... read more

A heaven for animals? Our Dogs, © By Abraham Lincoln
Our favorite dogs are buried here. Cuddles was an old lady when she had to be put down because of arthritis and the pain she endured from it. She was 22 in human years and the oldest dog that Clayton Animal Care had ever cared for at that time. She came from Denise Sabo who was a student of mine over in Greene County when I taught there—Cuddles was “family.” I often wonder if there is a Heaven for Animals and believe there must be for something as special... read more

When Children were Children...The difference between play and reality, By Sharon Hopper
Guns? Not allowed. How in the world could we have played our cowboy and Indian games, and good guy, bad guy made up adventures without toy guns? Does anyone remember Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Hop a Long Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, and others? My goodness this country was protected, settled, and explored, and taken from the Indians by men carrying guns. Wagon trains, Settlers, and Mountain Men, Plainsmen and Women, all knew how to... read more

Introducing Billy… Violin Lessons for Carlos, By Delbert Blickenstaff
One day my friend Carlos was visiting when Mom told me that it was time for my piano lesson. Carlos asked if he could stay and watch and Mom said of course. He watched my lesson and at the end he said that he would like to take lessons too. Mom asked him if his family had a piano and he said no. Then she asked him what kind of music he was used to listening to. Carlos said that his Dad played and sang in a Mariachi band so he was... read more

President, Senior Scribes… CLARENCE, By Delbert Blickenstaff
“Hi there, clone daddy.” “What the ….” “I know how surprised you are to hear me, a new born infant, talking to you in proper English instead of baby talk.” “That’s the understatement of the year.” “Let me try to explain to you what happened. Nine months ago you decided to try to clone a human using the nucleus of one of your own nerve cells. You paid Mrs. Anderson $25,000 to let you use an ovum from one of her ovaries, which you collected, emptied out, and... read more

What's God Got to Do with It?... Rainbows, Leprechauns, Shamrocks, and… Luck..., By Nancy Livingston
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in towns and cities right across the globe, but it's probably fair to say that nowhere can the festivities match the excitement and atmosphere of St. Patrick's Day in Ireland! People flock to Dublin to see the annual Saint Patrick's Day parade – and this is where the real celebrations begin! With grand parades, community feasts, charity shows, and the Mass, St Patrick's Day is celebrated in Ireland with great gusto. However, the parades... read more

Fond Memories…Smells like Spring, © by Abraham Lincoln
HI know it is getting close to that time of year when my White Oak Tree begins to sprout leaves and those tiny things that look like something that didn't turn out quite right in a recipe for M and M's. After they fall and litter the roof and ground all around, the actual nuts can be seen struggling to grow into full-fledged acorns. It is important to grow fast and hide somewhere before squirrels bites the heart out of them; and their leftovers drop like stones on the ground ... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe… She Said - He Said, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! She said - "I thought he knew. I thought he understood. They pulled the plug. They stood around a hospital bed and said good bye. They all had money in their pockets." He said - "My brother and I got into a fight. He said I will never please a woman." Another "she" said - "It was designed to hurt you. You are a smart young man. You have a good work ethic. You are polite. You have a very good job with a reputable company that is making much money. You … read more

Introducing Billy… Heifer, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Hey, I learned a new word today and it’s “heifer.” A heifer is a girl cow. And I learned this in church! Here’s how it happened. When we got to church Mom thought that something unusual was going on because there was a plastic sheet covering up the carpet at the front of the church. And the preacher was wearing his bib overalls. Soon after we sang a hymn and had a prayer (I didn’t fall down this time) we had a big surprise. Three of the preacher’s... read more

President, Senior Scribes… C A R A M B A, By Delbert Blickenstaff
“Caramba” is a Spanish word meaning “my goodness,” in polite terms. I can imagine that many migratory farm workers in Darke County exclaiming caramba when they realized how difficult it was for them to get and pay for medical care for their families. This was the situation in 1964 when several thousand migrants, most from Texas or Florida, came to work in the tomato fields. The Darke County Public Health Department was concerned about their situation, and held... read more

Musings of a Senior Scribe... The Lost Week and The Little Church, By Mona Lease
Hi, all! I am sorry I forgot to submit the column. Actually - I did not write it. I managed to lose the entire week and the remote to my Bose Stereo. I can't turn it on without it!! I've looked everywhere - under couches, chairs, dressers - under the fridge, the stove - it's just gone. The only thing that could possibly irritate me more than someone following me, looking where I've just looked; is my cat doing that. And, that he did!! And, for ... read more

Global Warming in the News The Little Spring that Could, © By Abraham Lincoln
IHere is a story that gives us some ideas about what may be coming. Global Warming is in the news more each day and the big newspapers are putting some of their best reporters on the story. Television had a program about it; and, I was looking at things I wrote about our environment it back in the 1970s — and the intense heat and the drought we were in. At that time I had a newsletter and sold subscriptions to it — $10.00 for... read more

When Children were Children… Happy Days are here Again, by Sharon Hopper
It is March. I am going into the corner of the garage to get out mybaseball bat, gloves, and balls to get them oiled and ready for thespring season. I am excited because playing 4 man baseballs was one ofmy favorite things to do. Once in a while my dad or uncles would joinin on a family game. When I was young we did not have little league orball diamonds everywhere. Only at school and the boys who played forthe school... read more

Introducing Billy… Senegal, By DelbertBlickenstaff
Do you know where Senegal is? I didn’t until my parents startedtalking about it. It is a country on the west side of Africa, andI do know where that is. Remember when we had a family councilwhen Emily became allergic to dogs? Well, we had another one. Dadcalled us together and asked us kids if we would like to have a brotheror sister. We immediately thought that Mom was going to haveanother baby. But Mom said that they were thinking... read more

KOKOMO OPALESCENT GLASS, ByDelbert Blickenstaff
At 7:30 AM our friends Jim and Donna Fourman picked up Louise and meand we headed up 571 toward Kokomo, Indiana. Our destination was theKokomo Opalescent Glass factory. Both Donna and I enjoy working instained glass and we wanted to see how it is made. The weather wasbeautiful and we had a pleasant drive, stopping briefly at a rest stopon I-69. We arrived at the factory in Kokomo in time for the tour at10:00 AM... read more

Introducing Billy… Mary Beth, By DelbertBlickenstaff
Mom and Dad are back with our new baby sister, and she is just as cuteas her picture. She doesn’t talk much and the words she does sayare Chinese so we don’t understand her. Emily is around 20 monthsold so she babbles a lot but no one outside the family knows what sheis talking about. Well, I mentioned before that I wanted to name herBeth. Then Henry said that he wanted to name her Mary. Momsaid that those two names went together nicely... read more

Blue Laws,© By Abraham Lincoln
When I was growing up the first day of the week, Sunday, was going tochurch day. Some of my friends went to church every Sunday. Most werelike me and didn't go to church. I don't know if that was because wewere poor and didn't have clothes for church, or if there were otherreasons. But mostly, the "Blue Laws" meant everything was closed onSundays and you might as well go to church or stay at home. It wasimpossible to go to a grocery store, a drug store... read more

WhenChildren were Children… Justreal people BySharon Hopper
“Put on your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it” Those are theopening words to the Irving Berlin song Easter Parade. When I was achild it was a seasonal thing to get the J.C. Penny catalog and searchfor the perfect outfit for Easter. My mom and I would go to town notonce, but several times to shop for that perfect outfit and aftertrying on many outfits we would decide on one and then go shoe shoppingand if I had grown to much a new coat. My little brother... read more

D O U B L E BL I N D, By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Have you been advised by a well-meaning friend to take the little pinkpills for your aches and pains because “Aunt Myrtle took them and theycured her lumbago?” There are several things wrong with yourfriend’s advice. Did Aunt Myrtle really have“lumbago?” Would she have improved without taking the little pink pills? Doyou have the same problem Aunt Myrtle had? Your friend’smethodof reporting medical results is called... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… Grandpa'sHand,By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! As I write this, we're due for an ice storm - just to showthat you can never take anything for granted. Time to get the ice meltout - for maybe 12 hours. Friday afternoon it's supposed toturnto rain. It'll be enough to keep us "just off balance." Kinda in thesame vein, I received a phone call Monday evening. A young man I'vewatched grow into a fine gentleman told me that his girlfriend's familydecided to pull the plug on her Grandpa. Some six weeks back... read more

IntroducingBilly... BETH,By DelbertBlickenstaff, M.D.
A few months ago I wrote about Khoidia Wade, our foster child fromSenegal. Now we are getting another child and this time she is going tolive right here with us. Dad and Mom are on their way to China rightnow to get her. I don’t know what her name is but I bet is won’t beMary. Grandpa and Grandma are staying with us three kids.Last week Dad and Mom explained to us kids this adoption of a Chinesechild. They told us that Chinese girl babies are... read more

WhenChildren were Children… Theycall us antiquated BySharon Hopper
I heard a report on CNN that children were suffering from night textingjust like a child would suffer from sleep walking. They do not evenremember texting or what was said during the process. And theydefinitely do not remember doing the text. Can you imagine the thingsthe sub conscience mind could think of during sleep? And the horriblethings one could say to another without any concern for feelings. Andwe think we had it rough when kids called us a nickname ... read more

Louise atLake Louise, By DelbertBlickenstaff, M.D.
Lake Louise in Banff National Park has always been fascinating toLouise and she finally got to stick her toes in its ice cold water onSeptember 21st. 1997. Banff was only one of many colorful stops on ourCanadian trip with son Jeff and his wife, Debbie. She enjoyed themeadows full of blossoms and the distant wildlife. What she didn’t likewas the curved mountain roads and sheer cliffs. Debbie closed her eyes.On the way we... read more

Musingsof a Senior Scribe… ComeOn!!! By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! Do you all remember the "scene" on the Decatur, Indianafootball field in 1999? Seven students were suspended for two years for"brawling." Since black students were involved - it surely was a"racial incident" - right? Indiana is a "zero tolerance" state -period... all the way to a pregnant mother convicted of a drug crime…possession, dealing, etc. They will receive no ADC or assistance of anykind. Someone brought Jesse Jackson up from Alabama for the trial... read more

WhenChildren Were Children… Talkingout loud to paper dolls, By Sharon Hopper
I have been thinking about my paper dolls all week. It was hard torecall all the different favorites I had but amongst the most favoritewere Liz Taylor and Eddie Fisher. I guess that was because they werethe heartthrobs of America at the time I was playing with paper dolls.I don’t think they even have such things now. Probably because youwould have to use scissors and that would be child endangering thesedays. Or possibly a weapon. However you want... read more

IntroducingBilly… FAMILY COUNCIL, By Delbert Blickenstaff
We got together for a family council. There’s another new word. Wenever did this before. It was Dad, Mom, Henry and me because Emilydoesn’t talk yet except to say “mama” and “dada.” Dad said that weshould put Nelly in a dog kennel for a short time so that we can getthe house cleaned up real good. We need to remove all the dog hair anddander, another new word. Nelly won’t mind that because she’s beenthere... read more

President,Darke County SeniorScribes… HorsesI Have Known,By Delbert Blickenstaff
Our first horse was Queen, a Quarter Horse mare. We werelivingin Versailles in 1963 and we arranged to board Queen on Wilbur andMartha Long’s farm on Boyer Road. Queen was well trained andseemed to be especially careful when we put a child on herback. She never bucked or tried to run. We bred Queen to a Quarter Horsestallion and got a beautiful colt, which we named Prince, ofcourse. At the appropriate time our Vet. Dr. Willard Barganeutered him and we... read more

What'sGod Got To Do With It… That’sA'more! By NancyLivingston
While shopping this week, I noticed the very large display ofValentine's Day cards. When it comes to cards there's no such thing as"one cards fits all". You'll never see a person just grab one off therack and go. Neither do I! I'll stand there and read through each one,looking for the one card that not only expresses what I want to say,but that best describes the person I'm getting it for! I'll pick up acard, get to that second line and then put the card back in a hurry... read more

Darke CountySeniorScribes… DooWop Test,Submitted by a CNO reader
For the over 60 crowd… and those who grew up loving the music of the50s and 60s. Answers at the bottom… Don't cheat, now! 1. When did''Little Suzie'' finally wake up? (a) The movie's over, it's 2 o'clock;(b) The movie's over, it's 3 o'clock; (c) The movie's over, it's 4o'clock; 2. ''Rock Around The Clock'' was used in what movie? (a) RebelWithout A Cause; (b) Blackboard Jungle; (c) The Wild Ones... read more

IntroducingBilly… VACATION,By DelbertBlickenstaff
Before I tell you about our vacation I want to tell you about somethingfunny that happened at church. At least I think it’s funny. Remember Itold you that I get bored in church? Well, last Sunday the preacherasked everyone to stand for his prayer. I was standing between Mom andDad and I was doing something interesting. I was trying to stand on onefoot. I lost my balance and fell right down on the floor, during theprayer. I looked up to see Mom frowning... read more

Musingsof a Senior Scribe… Hmmm,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! As I pen this column - 2/8/'13 - people are gathering in thestate capitols across the USA at 10 EST (corresponding time zones,too). Under the umbrella of "We the People," all who are attendingthese peaceful demonstrations are finally putting an organized voice tothe local powers - we are protecting our 2nd Amendment right - owningand carrying a weapon..."We voted you politicians in at our state levelto make our voice heard in our nation's capitol... read more

WhenChildren wereChildren... Whatis Wrong withSimple, By Sharon Hopper
I was pondering over the season we are now in and wondering what it isthat kids do today?I am trying my best to remember what it was that I did as a child ofabout 11 to make the days pass during the winter when there was no snowor ice to play on. I did not have a cell phone so I could not text, noI-phone so I could not play on the Internet, no computer to search outwhatever, and no television in the house. My only outlet was a radioand I used it faithfully to... read more

President,Senior Scribes… RT.66 – KICKS, By Delbert Blickenstaff
Theron and I got our kicks on Rt. 66 in December of 1949 when we tookWestern Ave. out of Chicago and ended up in southernCalifornia. Theron was our 5 year old son and he went with me while Louise moved toher parent’s farm in Preble Co. to await the birth of our thirdchild. Jo Ellen, who was 18 months old, stayed with Louise. Ihadbeen doing basic research in Physiology in the Dept. of ClinicalScience at U. of Illinois, and I began to realize that our family... read more

Our Ohio Boy, Boehner,By MonaLease
Hi, all!! Words show up in my mind. They form themselves into columns.I never really noticed until I read Forbes magazine. Then it "clicked."I've written about Ozymandias. I've most recently written about the"Mirror." Forbes Magazine credits John Boehner with "blindsiding"Obama. While Obama was strutting around "Ozymandias style" about havingforced Republicans to raise the tax rates on "the wealthiestAmericans... read more

Groundhog Day,By Lois Wilson
Once again Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is on top of theseason with her insightful look at the important events of the day.This time it’s the groundhog’s annual prediction… more bad weather oris spring on the way? Wilson's completed set - four volumes - ofpublished poetry is now available and is offered as a fundraiser forthe Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund. Enjoy great poetry and help... read more

WhenChildren wereChildren… Weactually talk toone another,By Sharon Hopper
Someone once said out of children come some of the world’s best ideas.I was talking to an old friend of mine the other day and she noted thatwhen we were kids we did not have the phones we have today and I doremember that one of the things that everyone in my day wanted was aphone without a chord attached. I am sure someone from my childhoodinvented the cordless phone. However I could be wrong. Maybe it wasyears later, but I know we would have surely ... read more

IntroducingBilly… ALLERGY,By Delbert Blickenstaff
I got along just fine after my operation. I can walk anywhere I want tobut Dad says no T-ball yet. We have another problem though. Emily isabout a year and a half now and recently she has been having troublewith her breathing. She coughs and makes a wheezing noise, and Mom saysthat it happens when she is around Nelly. I don’t think it’s Nelly’sfault because I’m around Nelly all the time and I don’t have any... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribe… Thesnow arrives… thenit’s gone, By Lois Wilson
Once again Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is on top of theseason with her insightful look at the important events of the day.This time it’s snow. Wilson offers three poems, each addressing adifferent look at the recent snowfall. The accuracy of predictions, thesplendor of the ice spears, and finally, the inevitable thaw. Wilson'scompleted set - four volumes - of published poetry is now available andis offered as a... read more

President,SeniorScribes… I’llHelp,By Delbert Blickenstaff
“Ken honey, I think that we should talk about starting our family.We’re in our mid-twenties and we’ve been married over two years. Ithink now would be a good time.” “OK Pat, I’m willing to consider it,but we have to realize that it would completely change our lifestyle.And I think we both enjoy what we’re doing now.” “You’re right, but Ioften wonder what it would be like to hear the patter of little feet.”“I can show you.” “Who said that... read more

Musings of aSeniorScribe… Fallingfor the MirrorImage, By Mona Lease
Hi all!! Mirror, mirror on the wall - Who's the fairest (brokest?) ofthem all? In my last column, I wrote to Sharon Hopper about how we gotto where we are, as a people, in what is supposed to be the greatestnation on the face of the Earth, our USA. Now, we'll look at what Ibelieve to be the underlying cause. I mean no disrespect to anyone. Itprobably started with the surgery to remove excess eye skin on thosestricken with Down Syndrome - the missing gene stuff we... read more

WhenChildren Were Children… Fashionwas not part of the curriculum,By Sharon Hopper
Baby it’s Cold Outside---is an understatement this week. I was lookingat the children outside and was absolutely astonished at how poorlythey are dressed for this weather. One can certainly tell that they areinside kids. No scarfs, No boots, No leggings, No gloves. Just a coatand open head and maybe a stylish type boot that is not geared forcold. I swear when I was a kid and one weighed 60 lbs, he weighed 80lbs. with all the gear we used to wear. But that... read more

IntroducingBilly… APPENDECTOMY,By Delbert Blickenstaff
The next day was Sunday and I didn’t feel any better. I was able to getup and move around a little, but I sure didn’t feel like going tochurch. Dad stayed home with me while the rest of the family went tochurch. Nelly was glad that I stayed home. Generally I felt a littlebetter and I walked around a little but I noticed that I had to bendover a little because it still hurt. In the afternoon Grandma andGrandpa came over... read more

President,SeniorScribes… CostaRica,By Delbert Blickenstaff
On September 6, 1991 Wilbur (Red) Long, Martha, Louise and I plantedtrees in a reforestation program at the University of Peace in CostaRica. Red had planted thousands of trees on his farm on Boyer Road herein Darke County. I think that the prospect of planting trees on foreignsoil convinced him to go on this Elderhostel trip. While at theUniversity we heard lectures about past presidents of Costa Rica. Themost famous was Oscar Arias Sanchez, who won the... read more

WhenChildren wereChildren... Growingin the faceof danger, By Sharon Hopper
Wow! It is winter once more and everyone seems to be shut up in thehouse. Doing what? I remember where I grew up we had winter. Snow andIce. Not man made ice but real ice on a pond that could by any stretchbe a bit dangerous. In order for us to enjoy the ice a few parentswould go on the ice first to “check it” for us kids. After the allclear was given those with skates would proceed to do their thing.Sometimes that meant... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… OpenLetter to SharonHopper, By Mona Lease
Hi, Sharon! I rarely read my fellow CNO authors' columns "on time."It's usually two or three weeks later. I like to see with whom I am "insync." Something about your last column grabbed my attention. We, as apeople, have traded every thing there is to trade -love, friendship,morals, heritage, birthrights, truth, justice, standards, property, ourblood-semen-ova, children (abortion, porn, trafficking, etc.), theAmerican Flag, honor... read more

IntroducingBilly… BELLY PAIN, By DelbertBlickenstaff
On Saturday morning I woke up with pain in my belly. I felt sick to mystomach but I didn’t throw up. I had never felt like this before. Itold Mom and Dad that I was too sick to eat breakfast. Dad is a doctorso he tried to figure out what was wrong with me. Dad told me to try torelax on my bed and he pressed on my belly a little in different areas.He kept asking me if it hurt when he poked me. Everything hurt a littlebut... read more

What’s GodGot to Dowith It… It'sAbout Time!By Nancy Livingston　
A new year is upon us! Hmmm... I wonder if I'll refer to the new yearas, "Two Thousand and Thirteen", or "Twenty Thirteen" ? And how is itthat each year goes faster for me than the year before? Yet, here weare in the year 2013! Time is an amazing thing! We manage time. Wewaste time. We spend time. We save time. We wish time would come. Wewish time would pass. Time flies. Time drags on. We schedule our entirelives around time, believing we... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… SomeTrivia, Some Truth,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! Listen children to a story - That was written long ago - 'Bouta kingdom on a mountain - And the valley folk below. - On the mountainwas a treasure - Buried deep beneath the stone - And the valley peopleswore they'd have it for their very own. - ...So the people of thevalley - Sent a message up the hill - Asking for the buried treasure -Tons of gold for which they'd kill. -Came an answer from the kingdom -"With our brothers... read more

WhenChildren WereChildren… Payingthe price forour neglect, By Sharon Hopper
I apologize for the absence of my articles the past couple weeks, butafter the horrible thing that happened in Sandy Hook School it has beena rather thought provoking time and a time of great reflection on daysgone by. What has happened to us as a people that we have so manymonsters running loose out there to harm just about anyone. And becausethey usually commit suicide after such an act, we will probablynever... read more

IntroducingBilly… CARLOS,By Delbert Blickenstaff
Now I know what to spend my allowance on - a new baseballglove.I’m tired of using Henry’s old beat up glove. It’s about time to startT-ball again and this year I’m going to hit a home run. I know my armsare stronger than last year. Mom said that I could invite Carlos tostay over night with me next Friday. She asked me what Carlos wouldlike for supper. I said “How about sloppy Joes,” but I think he willeat almost anything... read more

Darke CountySeniorScribe… Whata way to end 2012,By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
I am the proverbial fly on the wall, and if you want to know whatreally happened at the celebration of Louise Blickenstaff’s 90thbirthday, listen up. I saw and heard everything. The partystarted with a fried chicken dinner for about 25 members of theimmediate family. The main meal was prepared by chefextraordinaire Mike Randolph and his crew at the Brethren RetirementCommunity. Family members also brought salads and a delicious chocolatecake. The Minnesota... read more

Musings of aSeniorScribe… SnowBlind,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! I trust everyone made it through the blizzard! It surely wasfun figuring where to put all the snow, huh? Seems like that's when allthe "stuff" happens - just to try your patience. It looked like therewere two snow plows every block and a half or so, aside from theprofessional ones. I called a plower and I would be 15th on thelist? HOW? I was at an impromptu gathering. The conversationturned to money - there's a surprise!! I've been listening to... read more

IntroducingBilly… DR. KELLER, By DelbertBlickenstaff
Grandpa did teach me a little song in Spanish and here it is: FreyPhilipe, Frey Philipe, Duermes tu, Duermes tu, Toca la Compana, Toca laCompana, Tan, Tan, Tan, Tan, Tan, Tan. It is easyto singand it didn’t take me long to learn it. Grandpa said it might be alullaby that a mother would sing to her little boy Philip. I’m going tosing it for Carlos and see what he says. By the way, I found out thatCarlos has the same last name as some of the baseball... read more

Darke CountySeniorScribe… WhoGave The Shoes?By Delbert Blickenstaff
Louise and I were in the This and That Shop at the Brethren RetirementCommunity (BRC) on December 5th. Louise had selected someniceblouses from the collection of donated items. I was lookingatthe small amount of men’s clothing when I noticed a pair of new whiteshoes. I examined them carefully. I could tell thattheywere new because they were still tied together and still had tissuepaper stuffed inside. But they were size 13. (Iwear size9.) The price... read more

Radios and Telephones,ByAbraham Lincoln
During the War Years, a radio was as rare as a telephone. Very fewpeople had radios or telephones in their homes. We had an old radio mydad got during the Depression but it wasn’t much to look at. I rememberhearing President Roosevelt talking about the Japanese attack on PearlHarbor. Later I listened to Joe Louis in his fights when he knocked outpeople in the first round. We did not have a telephone. Sometimes, mymother would give-out Freda and Joe... read more

Musingsof a Senior Scribe… ABay ofPigs and Chromosome 21, By Mona Lease
Hi, all. Castro led an armed revolt and overthrew Cuban dictatorBatista. The USA did not trust Castro and his relationship with SovietUnion leader, Khrushchev. Eisenhower's administration planned to trainCuban exiles and invade their homeland. They counted on the support ofcivilians and military living there. The plan was to overthrow thecommunist supporters and implement a government that was friendly tothe USA. Always something in it for the leader... read more

WhenChildren Were Children… Thethought that counts,By Sharon Hopper
Remember in one the earlier articles I mentioned that we were givenabout $10.00 to do our Christmas shopping with and that was in additionto the two or three that we saved from our allowance that was aboutfifty cents a week. I remember that because dad always gave me $3.00 onSunday night and that was my lunch for a week and my allowance. Well Iwas remembering my Christmas shopping. This particular year was specialin my memory because my.... read more

IntroducingBilly...TerribleShooting,By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Did you hear about the man who killed all those children? I’ll bet youdid because all the TV people are talking about it. I don’t pay muchattention to what’s on TV, unless there is a story about animals, buteveryone is talking about this story. And asking questions. Like whydid he do it? And why didn’t his parents stop him?Just think, some of those children were my age. They will never get tolearn anymore in school. And never have any more birthdays. And what... read more

Brethren Heritage Tour,By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Other people have traveled the world much more that we have, but thetrips which we have been privileged to take have given us a view of theworld that we would not have had otherwise. The Brethren Heritage Touris a good example. On July 11, 1983 Louise and others waded in the EderRiver in Schwarzenau, Germany. We were part of a group of 48 Church ofthe Brethren members on a heritage tour. The Eder River is significantbecause that is where Alexander... read more

WashingDiapers, By Abraham Lincoln
Patty, my wife of 56 years, used to wash diapers by hand until we gotan old Maytag wringer washing machine. She still had to dump the poopoff the diapers and rinse them out using cold water from the kitchenpump. She stored them in a bucket of water. On washday, or when she wasrunning out of diapers, she would pick them up and put them in thewashing machine. The water was heated using a heater that youdropped... read more

An OldCrock Pot, An Old Friend, and a New, Wiser Woman,By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I've been working with Mary Ellen - yup, straight out of theBlue Ridge Mountains - Cowboys don't cry/Heroes don't lie/Good alwayswins again & again/Love is a sweet dream. Trouble comes inbunchesand she "runs." In her past, an old friend had been telling her to comedown off "the mountain".- you can't keep "blindly believing" - you'regonna get hurt. You need to "watch and wait." - make them earn your... read more

WhenChildren Were Children… Mymostmemorable Christmases,By Sharon Hopper
I want to deviate from my usual tales about When Children were Childrenfor the next couple weeks to tell you about my most memorableChristmases. I think at this time it is important to reflect and passon the real meaning of Christmas.When I was about 27 or 28 we were very poor. I had a friend whosehusband was a music teacher and in those days teachers did not make themoney of today. Christmas was coming and neither of us had a dollarto... read more

IntroducingBilly… BIRTHDAY,By Delbert Bickenstaff
My sixth birthday was the best ever! Mom and Dad gave me a new bike andis it ever a beauty. It’s bigger than my old one. I’m being careful toride it only in the driveway because I don’t want to wreck it. Afterall the snow is gone I’ll ride it in the street. We did go to a highclass restaurant for my birthday dinner. Dad picked the place. Thewaiters sang Happy Birthday to me and gave me a cake with candles onit. Then... read more

DarkeCounty Senior Scribe… AREWE CRAZY? By DelbertBlickenstaff
Concussion is defined as “a jarring injury to the brain resulting in adisturbance of cerebral function.” Football coaches are veryaware of the dangers of concussions in their players, and they try toget the best head gear to protect them. The refs are veryhard onplayers who cause head injuries. Why is it then that while we try toprevent concussions in one sport, we applaud and reward participants inanother sport who are best at causing concussions? I’mtalkingabout... read more

WhenChildren Were Children… Santa’sletter written backwards,By Sharon Hopper
Well by golly we are still looking at the coming Holiday Season. Prettysoon school will be out and the children will be hunting for somethingto do. Now this is the time that my mom would give us our Christmasshopping money and she would take us to town. Naturally it was the dimestore. Woolworth or Ben Franklin. I had a smaller brother and I wouldtake his hand and we would shop for all the people we had to shop for.That was mom, dad, sister, brother... read more

Fencerows,© 2012 Fencerows ByAbraham Lincoln. All rights reserved.
When I was a boy, sagging fences of rusted wire crisscrossed thecountryside. Old cedar and locust fence post, burdened with vines,stood askew at regular intervals like rows of weary soldiers. Fencerowsseparated fields so farm animals could not get into the fields and eatthe crops. Some fences were like new but others were old, broken down,and rusty. The rusty wire fence was overgrown with weeds, raspberry... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… VanityGoes To Market,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! As usual, I have questions. So here goes - OnNovember30, 2012, the New York Stock Exchange concluded business thusly: (1)Bank of America (2) Advanced Micro Devices (3) Ford Motor Company (4)Sprint Nextel (5) Nokia (6) Yum Brands, Inc. [food for Kentucky Fried,Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut] (7) Citi Group (8) Pfizer, Inc [human/animalsmall molecule vaccines] (9) ATT (10) Teva... read more

WhenChildren Were Children… Acelebration of life,BySharon Hopper
The excitement of the season. Bells are ringing outside the stores andChristmas tree lights are blazing all over the neighborhoods. The cityparks are decorated with scenes of Christmas, and in our town we had asmall train ride for a nickel that we could ride all over the park tosee the lights and displays. It truly was a grand time in my childhoodmemories. If It snowed and it usually did we would pile in the car andgo for a drive to see all the ... read more

IntroducingBilly… Spanish,By Delbert Blickenstaff
On my next birthday I will be six years old. That will be great! Mybirthday comes at a bad time, though. December 28 – between Christmasand New Year. Everyone is excited about Christmas presents and parties,and my birthday doesn’t get much attention. June 28 would be muchbetter. Dad and Mom always buy me a nice present though. Also ourfamily goes somewhere for dinner and this time I get to... read more

Child Art… Art of Adolescents and Adults,By Lois E. Wilson, Senior Scribe
It is hoped that the positive approach of parents and teachers to thecreative efforts of both visual and non-visualchildren have helpedchildren keep a positive attitude toward their art as the stage ofcritical awareness is reached. If so, they are more likely to continuethe study of art when it is an elective. In adolescence, imaginativeactivity changes from uncontrolled to controlled. At some time, thechild will think that the final product... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes… OurCarnegie Hall Trip,By Delbert Blickenstaff
We could see Times Square looking out our window on the 19th. floor ofthe Crown Plaza Hotel on 49th. and Broadway. We were there toprepare for a concert in Carnegie Hall. As a former member oftheManchester College A Cappella Choir I was invited to join the 2001Choir, and about six other choirs from across the country, to present aconcert. I decided that I wouldn’t get another invitation tosingin Carnegie Hall, so I accepted... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… AnOld Diary, An OldCalendar, By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! There's a 100 year old diary a WWI soldier kept. In a pocketof his uniform, it traveled with him on long, cold, wet marches throughFrance. In pencil, he meticulously recorded the activity - marches,drills, rests, food, no food, forages into turnip fields to eat, stolenfood from "KP", being able to eat at a table (some French people"hosted" the troops with a hot meal & bath before continuingthewar), and the occasional baseball game - Red Team vs Blue Team... read more

IntroducingBilly… Emily,By Delbert Blickenstaff
You’ve heard me talk a lot about Nelly, our yellow lab. That’s becauseI spend a lot of time with her. I think she likes be better than therest of the family. I know she can’t talk but I think she understandssome of the words I say to her. She likes to sit beside my chair at thedinner table. Maybe that’s because I let her lick my plate when Ifinish eating, if Dad isn’t watching. I haven’t said much about Emily,my baby... read more

Child Art… Pseudorealistic Stage (11 to 13years),By Lois E. Wilson, Senior Scribe
Children enter a stage in which they have developed enough intelligenceto tackle most problems, but in their reactions, they are stillchildren. They know the uses of a pencil but will pretend it is anairplane and make motor sounds as they move it through theair. An adult doing the same would be considered strange. To adults, apencil is just a pencil. The child’s imaginative activity isunconscious but changing to critical awareness. It is... read more

WhenChildren wereChildren … Monopolywould lastfor days, By Sharon Hopper
I was just thinking today about the things we did in the winter toentertain ourselves because of the long dark evenings. Today everychild seems intent on video games, texting, and playing with appswhatever they are, or reading a book on a device. I started to rememberwhat took up the time. And ironically I was surprised at the intricate,mind work, and co-ordination that was involved in our pastimes. We werepersonally... read more

Bubble Net Feeding,By DelbertBlickenstaff, M.D.
Off the coast of Alaska the Humpback whales have an amazing feedingtechnique called bubble net feeding. It works like this. The matriarchwhale in a group that usually numbers eight to ten whales makes thebubble net. She does this by swimming in a circle below a school offish blowing out a constant stream of bubbles. As these bubbles rise tothe surface they form a net that catches many small fish. While she isdoing this... read more

IntroducingBilly… A B C‘ S, By DelbertBlickenstaff
Kindergarten is fun. We have already learned our ABC’s. We learned themby singing a song that sounds like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”A B C D E F G H I J K LMNOP Q R S T U V W(doubleU)X Y Z Now I’ve said my ABC’s Tell me what you thinkofme. I can’t wait ‘till we learn how to write them. I’ve already toldyou about Nelly, our smart yellow lab. Well, yesterday she didsomething strange. Dad... read more

Darke CountySeniorScribe… ThanksgivingFootballtime, By Lois Wilson
Once again Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is on top of theseason with her insightful look at the important events of the day. Thegame of the year is over with more Thanksgiving football yet to come.If you are a football fan (or the spouse of one), you can’t help butidentify with her concise, to-the-point prose… Wilson's completed set -four volumes - of published poetry is now available and is offered as afundraiser for the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund... read more

Child Art… The Dawning Realism (9 to 11years)
By Lois E. Wilson, Senior Scribe, Former Art Education Instructor,Miami University - The significance of this stage of development liesin children discovering social independence; they see that they can domore in a group of peers than alone. Most commonly, it is a same sexgroup. Girls may choose dressing up and parties; boys may preferplaying war, secret codes and rules for their groups. Cooperation withadults can decrease as children exert social... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes… O SC E,By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
The late Dr. Robert T. Blickenstaff helped develop the ObjectivelyStructured Clinical Examination (OSCE) at Indiana University School ofMedicine. Robert, my twin brother, was a research chemist with a PhDfrom Purdue U. His contribution to the OSCE program was in training hisactor friends to be standardized patients. The medical doctors who werein charge of the testing program for medical students developed thescenarios... read more

Put it on the Bill© byAbraham Lincoln
There was a time, not that long ago, when you walked into your grocerystory with a note. The note contained a list of items you needed. Mymother usually gave me a note and told me to go to Boyer’s or toPinkerton’s store to get the things on the note. Sometimesshealso gave me money to pay for the items but more often than not, shewould say, “Tell them to put it on the bill.” The “bill” was a salesreceipt book all.... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… MyThree Friends,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! For the last 10 months, the hype concerning Medicaid,mandatory insurance, and the like have escalated to dizzying degrees.So, consider this. Last March, I got "the call." " Betty Grable is inICU. We took her there last night. We've been there all night..E.R.,regular room, and finally to ICU. She is very ill. If you want to seeher; you better go - today. If you don't feel you can drive, we'll comeand get you." "Yeah, come and... read more

WhenChildren WereChildren… The trueart of gifting,BySharon Hopper
Oh Oh! First day of shopping for the Christmas season. Golly when I wasa kid there were no such stores like Walmart, Target, K Mart and thelike. But we had F.W. Woolworth and Ben Franklin dime stores. I alwayswondered why they were called dime stores, because even in my youngeryears the cost of everything was more than a dime other than candy orgum. And the term Black Friday was not in anyone’s vocabulary. It wasthe Christmas season and.... read more

IntroducingBilly… Swimming,By Delbert Blickenstaff
Did you ever do a cannon ball off the diving board? That’s my favoritedive. Henry and I had to learn to swim before we were allowed to go inthe deep end of the pool. Mom got us swimming lessons at the Y and thefirst thing we had to learn was to breathe out with our faces in thewater. Then we learned to swim underwater. Henry can go all the wayacross the pool, but I can go about half way underwater. Next year... read more

ChildArt… TheSchematic Stage (7 to 9 years)
By Lois E. Wilson, Senior Scribe, Former Art Education Instructor,MiamiUniversity
After a long search for a way to depict people andenvironment,children create their own form concept or schema for these. Their humanschema contains all the knowledge they emotionally connect with thethought people and this they repeat again and again unless anintentional experience influences them to change their ... read more

Dogs I have known,By DelbertBlickenstaff
Rosie is a two pound Chihuahua who comes to church almost every Sundayin the arms of her owners. Occasionally she wears a newsweater. I don’t know what she thinks of the sermons, but sheseems to appreciate the music. Rosie’s owners have alsobroughttheir big black Poodle. This dog is trained to respond tohandsignals instead of vocal commands, and she gets to visit nursing homesto show off her skills. Duchess was a Kerry Blue Terrier... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… TheVisitor or GirlsAround The World, by Mona Lease
Hi, all! From 10/06 - 10/25, John and Lana Johnston again opened theirhearts and home to the Weirheim,Germany/Noblesville, Indiana ForeignExchange Student Program. Now, I realize that this is roughly 100 mileswest of Darke County. I'll probably bounce past and present on you but- Germany and all the cultures "over there" are remarkable to me. I amin awe of the way they handle problems. Take drinking... read more

WhenChildren Were Children… A Day ofFamily, Love,Feasting & Playing, BySharon Hopper
Oh Boy! It is almost Thanksgiving and I am so excited. I remember somevery interesting Thanksgivings when I was a child. We always had a bigdinner with lots of family around and of course that meant cousins toplay with. My aunt and uncle lived on several farms as my uncle wasoften a worker for the owner and that meant we could play in the barns.Sometimes we went to Grandma’s house but I loved the farmhouse a lotmore.While the women were finishing the... read more

IntroducingBilly… NELLY,By Delbert Blickenstaff
We did go to the Fair again and we had a great time. Dad took the wholefamily. Henry and I got to pick a ride to go on and we tried to keepour arms up without holding on. It was fun. I especially liked thehorse show and the llama show. I wish we lived on a farm so we couldhave some big animals. I would help take care of them. We have a dog athome, a yellow lab. We got her when she was a puppy about six monthsold... read more

ChildArt… FirstRepresentational Drawings,By Lois E. Wilson, Senior Scribe
Four to seven years - Children when they scribble may intend to depictsomething but do not have the ability to execute this intent. Whentheir drawings in the slightest manner start to show intent, the childhas achieved a relationship with external reality. This is moreimportant than the quality of their drawings. Children pull from theircircular scribbles a circle which may become a head or wheel; fromtheir back and forth scribbles, lines... read more

Farms Talk,By DelbertBlickenstaff, M.D.
What? You never heard a farm talk? Where have youbeen allyour life? New York City? Of course you have tolisten verycarefully because we don’t make a lot of noise when we talk, like somepeople do. Let me tell you about my latest renter. I know, heuses the term owner. But let me tell you something. Nobodyowns me. He owns the right to live here for a while, butnobodyowns me. Anyway, a couple named Doc and Lou, and... read more

Thanks and Hugs,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! I know this is somewhat of a reprint, but; I felt I shouldtweak it a little, given the feelings I've encountered since our recent"re-election." My brain screams down the "track" two weeks ahead oftime, picking up passengers (thoughts) along the way. My body zigs andzags, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind. Sometimes they meet in acrescendo of insight. Normally; it's a quiet knowing deep within - abelief that refuses to... read more

Building with Logs,© ByAbraham Lincoln
Schools were built close to a branch or creek for the convenience ofhaving water at hand for the use of the scholars. Building aschoolhouse or a log cabin for a home required lots of helping hands.The weather could stop building for several days so it was smart to beunder roof earlier than the rainy season and before cold weather setin. People came from all around on the appointed day with their tools —axes, crosscut... read more

IntroducingBilly… BigBrother, By DelbertBlickenstaff
I’m older now than I was when I wrote my first story. I didn’t reallywrite it but I told Grandpa what I wanted to say and he wrote it down.I know lots of words but I like to learn new ones. Like sawhorse.That’s two words put together. I heard Dad say that he was going to geta sawhorse and cut some boards. Now how can a saw be a horse? Or ahorse a saw? I asked Grandpa and he explained it to me. He’s veryhelpful... read more

ControlledScribbling… Scribbling:It’s Important for a Child,Part II
By Lois E. Wilson, Senior Scribe, Former Art Education Instructor,Miami University
During the second stage, controlled scribbling, children show moremotor control over their marks. This indicates they aredeveloping coordination between hand and eye which is reflected intheir other activities such as eating and dressing. The child scribblesenthusiastically in repeated up and down, back and forth, or circularpatterns... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes… Mask& Lyre Club,By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Mark was a 16 year old Junior at Plymouth H. S. Both of hisparents were in the teaching profession, his dad being Principal atWarsaw H. S. This suited Mark just fine because it saved himfrombeing teased by his classmates. Music was Mark’s favorite subject andhe used his fine baritone voice in the H. S. Chorus and in a malequartet. His present goal was to be admitted to the Mask&Lyre Club. Mark was the only one of the... read more

Musings of aSeniorScribe… Thanksand Hugs,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! My mind screams down the track, two weeks ahead, of timepicking up passengers (thoughts) along the way. My body zigs and zags;sometimes ahead, sometimes behind. Sometimes they meet in a crescendoof understanding. Normally; it's just a quiet knowing deep within - abelief that refuses to be bought or sold. Today was one of those days.Veteran's Day is here. Growing up, my Maternal Grandmother referred toit as Armistice Day. She explained... read more

Baling Hay,© By AbrahamLincoln
When I was growing up, I never got an allowance. My father was supposedto send my mother $3.00 a week for alimony, but there were weeks whenwe didn’t get any money from him. We always grew vegetablesinthe garden and that was our source of food in the winter and summer. Weate canned green beans from under the bed. Under beds is where most ofthe neighbors stored their cans of vegetables from the garden. Wedidn’t have money to buy a can... read more

WhenChildren Were Children… Girlslooked like girls and boys were gentlemen, BySharon Hopper
In my youth not only were children free to exercise their daydreams,but you could certainly tell girls from boys. It was so simple. We hadplay pants for outdoor recreation, but in school and all otherfunctions girls wore skirts or dresses and boys wore pants; mostlyjeans, but clean up was a pair of casual pants and a front button downshirt.Now I have to honestly say that this was a nice idea but at times itcould be rather awkward. I remember the day of the circle skirt of... read more

IntroducingBilly... Outof the mouths of babes, By Delbert Blickenstaff
I’m five and a half years old, going on six. I don’t know howmany days there are in a year, but I think a year lasts from onebirthday to the next. Want to hear me count up to ten. Onetwothreeforfivesixseveneightnineten. See? I don’t think Ineedto count higher than ten cause I won’t need more than ten ofanything. Like bikes. Where would you put tenbikes? The garage is already full. Or ten boots? Or tenbaby... read more

RandomScribbling… Scribbling:It’s Important for a Child,Part 1
By Lois E. Wilson, Senior Scribe and Former Art Education Instructor,Miami University
When young children pick up a crayon or pencil and make theirfirst marks on paper, it is an exciting time. Scribbling is more thanfun; it is an important activity for their perceptual and motor growth.It contributes to their creative development just as babbling does tospeech development. Children from all cultures scribble. The way... read more

What to do?By DelbertBlickenstaff
(Updated to correct error) Now what am I going to do? I needtoleave now in order to get to Versailles in time for officehours. And here I am boxed in by an emergency vehicle. The date might havebeen May 21, 1968. The entrance to the ER was on the eastside ofWayne Hospital, and my assigned parking space was next to the ERentrance. The emergence vehicle was parked directly behind mesoI couldn’t get out. No one... read more

Feather Ticks,By AbrahamLincoln
Sometimes when I woke up, there was snow on my quilt. It blew under thewindow and settled on the window sill and on my bed covers. My bedroomwas on the west side of the house, under a tin roof. Rain on that roofwas so nice to hear—I still long for that sound (I hope Heaven has tinroofs). My bed was an iron frame with wire springs holding up alatticework of wires. A mattress was laid on top of this and that wasmy... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… AnIndiana Indian Pow-Wow,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! For those of you who really know me - you'll know that Boredomis my constant companion. Saturday 10/13 found me headed forWinchester, Indiana's SilverTowne. I passed a sign half a block beforethat read - "All Nations Pow-Wow." My "antenna" was up and scanning -Flags, tepees, campfires - Yup - this "will work." With my businessconcluded, I went to the Pow-Wow. As I entered the grounds I heard -"Ya.ya... read more

DarkeCounty Senior Scribes… WhenChildren were Children - We were expected to succeed
BySharon Hopper - The year was 1951. Summer. The Republican Conventionhad just convened.Boy was it different in those days. We had no television or mainstreammedia like today. People actually had to read and think about theirdecisions. Or hear the commentators on the radio. Radio? It was themain source of entertainment in our home. I can still see my dad andmom sitting by the radio listening to the speeches from the RepublicanConvention Floor... read more

M O N T E R EY B A Y, ByDelbert Blickenstaff
“The dolphin carries a loving affection….of man he is not afraid,neither avoids him as a stranger; but of himself meets their ships,plays and disports himself and performs a thousand frisks and gambolsbefore them.” Pliny the Younger, AD 61 – 113 - Thus were weintroduced to some of the marine animals in Monterey Bay in 1993. Wejoined a group of seniors on an Elderhostel program called the MontereyBay Dolphin and... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… TheEarl and the BoredKiddies, By Mona Lease
I was talking to my Mom the other day. We were discussing (OK - maybeleave off the "dis") the fact that television has nothing - OK; little,to offer. I personally view Netflix. She prefers cable. We reminiscedabout the "good ole shows." I could not remember the name ofmyall time favorite show. Then the phone line went dead. I redialed andthe line was busy. I went to the computer and finally found my show. Itwas Jack... read more

The Big City© By AbrahamLincoln
There are lots of places to eat in Brookville, Ohio — not to beconfused with Brookville, Indiana with the big lake. Our biggest lakeis in Golden Gate Park and while you wouldn't want to go skinny-dippingthere with big snapping turtles, it is nice to sit and look. The placeto go downtown for a meal or a cup of coffee is Market Street Cafe.Then for the big sandwiches, give O'Riley's across from the icehouse, atry. You can locate... read more

DarkeCounty Senior Scribes… WhenChildren were Children - A dual birthday celebration
BySharon Hopper, Here it is fall and I was just thinking the other dayabout the trip we made every single fall about the time of my birthday,which is in the beginning of October.My grandmother’s birthday was the day after mine so we always had afamily outing for the occasion. Now I am not so sure how children todaywould view this outing, but in my day it was a grand day and ithappened every year. First we would go to my grandmother’s house andhave a dinner... read more

DarkeCounty Senior Scribes… Dissent,Detection & Other Political Stuff,Poems by Lois Wilson
The Senior Scribes Poet Laureate Lois Wilson is at it again. It seemsshe has a poem or two (or three or four) for just about every occasion.She doesn’t come across as a political person to those who know her,but her thoughts about the process are about as “right on” as you canget. Enjoy. Don’t forget that our Senior Scribes are prolific writers.Lois has published a series of poems, starting with “Slices of Wry” and“As... read more

Grandma’s House,By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
When all of us cousins gathered at Grandma Butterbaugh’s house in 1930it was a mad house. My twin brother Robert and I and ourcousinEvelyn were the oldest. Two or three more cousins were addedeachyear, so we had a mob. Our Aunt Lucille was only four yearsolderthan we were, and she functioned as our leader. One day wedecided that we wanted to take a ride in a Model T touring car whichwas parked in... read more

Global Warming,© By AbrahamLincoln
Global Warming is here but this winter, for me, has been acoldone — like a lot of people: I can’t get warm. Our government is makingnew climate zone maps so people will be able to plant in their zonesooner rather than later. The planting shifts will make the 21stCentury a hot one. The last time they changed the planting zone mapswas in 1990 — that’s how fast our climate is changing... read more

Musingsof a Senior Scribe… HighDollarHobby provides Jobs, By Mona Lease
Hi, all! Today we're looking at the media hype concerning AnnRomney and the "horse problem and pain killer" solution. Here are a fewfacts: Around here, some everyday costs are: Lime is $9.00 a 50# bag,$95.00 - $125.00 a trip for the vet to come to you andadminister regular vaccinations for one horse, for a 1/2 year, $100.00 - $150 forthe farrier; (the guy who cleans hooves, trims them; they're likefingernails) for a set of shoes (4 shoes), $150 a month forfeed... read more

WhenChildren wereChildren ... We were free to be children, notprisonersBy Sharon Hopper
I guess I grew up In a time where children had some freedom. Oh I donot mean free from rules and obligations, like school. What I amtalking about is the freedom to play in a neighborhood without the fearof being stolen or worse.Our parents were far more trusting of the human condition than parentsare today and with good reason. However, that freedom allowed us tohave fun in ways that only free spirited kids can have. Like “Kick theCan”: a game where one... read more

What to Do?By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Now what am I going to do? I need to leave now in order toget toVersailles in time for office hours. And here I am boxed inby anemergency vehicle. The date might have been May 21, 1968. Theentrance to the ER was on the east side of Wayne Hospital, and myassigned parking space was next to the ER entrance. Theemergencevehicle was parked directly behind me so I couldn’t get out. Noone was in the vehicle and I assumed that the EMT people were in the... read more

The Over60 Crowd for Men
Author unknown, sent by a CNO reader - Q: Where can men over the age of60 find younger women who are interested in them? A: Try a bookstoreunder fiction. Q: What can a man do while his wife is going throughmenopause? A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish thebasement. When you're done you'll have a place to live. Q: How can youincrease the heart rate of your 60-plus year old husband? A: Tell himyou're pregnant... read more

Smoking© By Abraham Lincoln
Smoking. We've heard a lot on the subject over the years. The firstthing I can remember ever trying to smoke, was crunched up dead grapeleaves back in 1944, when I was ten years old. It didn't kill me but Ididn't get addicted either. My next try at smoking actually involved atheft. We were letting a married couple live with us. She was thegrocer's daughter and he was in the Navy, a Seabee, just back fromGuam... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… TheTail and The Fleas,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! I've been reading the hype about Obama and Romney. I've readthe hype about Mandel and Brown. And my opinion is: You act likeeverything depends on these men. On the abortion issue - How abouttelling the boys and girls to wait until they are mature and stableenough to handle the consequences of having sex, "proving their love,"getting it on" or whatever phrase you care to use. I mentored agirl/woman a few years ago... read more

WhenChildren were Children... Halloweenpranks eliciteddiscipline, not the law, By Sharon Hopper
I have to look back a long way to find all these stories, but Iremember a happy childhood, without the word stress or any of theseother new fangled diseases being mentioned. This time of yearespecially brings forth memories of Halloween pranks that we did. Andbelieve it or not we were not even arrested or tagged as delinquentchildren from dysfunctional homes. I lived in a beach front area wheremost of the people lived year... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes… TWERPY,By DelbertBlickenstaff, M.D.
Hey, you scrawny little twerp. What do you think you’redoing? Standing out there on stage with Marilyn andshowingoff. Don’t you remember that I’m the dominant twin? I wasborn first and weighed the most. And I’m smarter than youare. At least I think I am. That’s why I gave you the name“Twerpy.” Actually we’re both scrawny little twerps, but Ireserved that name for you. I don’t understand why MissGraham... read more

Sleeping Accommodations... ©By Abraham Lincoln
The bed I slept in was iron, rusted here and there; but some chipped,white, paint remained. Instead of a set of box springs and a mattresswe had a set of flat springs that hooked into the iron bed rails and ifyou sank down, almost to the floor, then the springs were worn out.Between the mattress and springs mom would add one or more layers ofnewspapers to keep the cold air from seeping up through the mattress... read more

Old Dogs, Children, and Two BoostCellPhones, By Mona Lease
I woke up Sept. 20th with Tom T. Hall singing "Old Dogs, Children, andWatermelon Wine" in my head. Lots of unusual stuff goes on inside myhead - this was most unusual. In 2009, I started Doula training. Doulais old Greek for "She who helps." It mostly relates tochildbirthnow. They are licensed, but Ohio declines that. I had to go to Marion,Indiana. Life altering events hindered me from completing that. A Doulaworks... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes… MeetBill & JoanBlaine, By Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
William (Bill) Blaine and Joan are world travelers. They havevisited 41 foreign countries, mostly as a result of their involvementwith The Friendship Force International. Bill and Joan became activemembers of the Dayton chapter in 1990. The purpose of the organizationis to foster friendship between peoples of different cultures. “A Worldof Friends is a World of Peace” is the motto of The Friendship Force.Details of exactly how... read more

An Old Dog and An Old LeatherJacket,By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! Didja ever have one of those days when everything just "fellinto place?" Sat. 9/15 saw me dealing with my 6 year old Lab. In, out,up, down, and all around. Sigh, yip, arf, and sad, googly eyes. I'm notmuch better. I bought a Harley leather jacket a long time ago. I hadthoughts of "breaking it in" with a first time wearing on a Harley -say maybe Signature Series. That didn't happen either. Then Iremembered the Burn Dog Poker... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes… HiDad, ByDelbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Wow! Here I am on my way to perform the most important task of my life.I’ve been in cold storage for several months and I’m glad to be thawedout and on my way. You see I’m part of specimen #1 produced by donor#00700 in an IVF program. There are millions of other sperms also ontheir way to find that special ovum, and I’m going to win the race. Letme tell you about my producer, #00700. His name is Bill and he grewup... read more

Musings ofa SeniorScribe… TheAnswer,By Mona Lease
Hi, all! I left you with the question - In the movie The Wizard of Oz -"Who said the Wizard was a wizard?" Answer - "The Munchkins."Critical Thinking - With their limited understanding (we all have"limited" understanding), the Munchkins reasoned that only someone withexceptional mental capabilities could "fall from the sky - from anotherworld." They could not do that. In the end, the Wizard explains that hecan not get home... read more

From Monet to Taize,ByDelbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
The French Impressionist Claude Monet is famous for his paintings ofhis Japanese gardens. We got to visit his home in Giverny, France onMay 13, 2000 when we joined a group from Bethany Seminary. The tour wasorganized by Nancy Faus, retired Bethany professor, and our destinationwas Taize (pronounced Tayzay.) Nancy had conducted previous tours toTaize so she knew her way around France. We arrived in... read more

Poetry for Simple Enjoyment, Part3,By Hope Louise Edwards Wills
This is the third in a series of poems by Hope Wills. They have beensent to County News Online by Senior Scribe Marianne Clark. Mariannesaid Hope writes about experiences that have been important orinteresting in her life… her goal? Simple reading enjoyment. As withthe others, we enjoyed them. We think you’ll like them, too. Don’tforget that Marianne’s Book, Yogi Boy Cox and Friends, is stillavailable for interested... read more

What Happened?By Mona Lease
A couple of friends and I were relaxing at our Darke Co. Fish and GameClub. As twilight fell, we started in with our "war stories." As usual,that started my brain rambling. There was a time (Gee, I feel old) whena guy put his "mark" on his car or truck. Where ever it was, you'dknow, Joe's ride. It could be anything - racing slicks, center caps,the rear end up maybe an inch or two, everything perfectly waxed, "allchromed... read more

El Paso to Ciudad Juarez,ByDelbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
Rachel Zerkle crossed the bridge spanning the Rio Grande River from ElPaso, Texas, to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, several times a week. It tookher 45 minutes to walk from Annunciation House in El Paso to CasaPeregrina in Cuidad Juarez where she worked as a volunteer caring forhomeless women and children. Rachel is our granddaughter and we arrivedin El Paso to visit her on April 1, 2001. She had graduated from... read more

Fall ©By Abraham Lincoln
When tree leaves begin to change color and fall; it is fall. Fallbrings back memories of great tepee-like piles of leaves burning alongcurbs. When you see pumpkins rotting on vines in weedy fields and chokeon smoke from burning leaves; it’s fall. Fall is when spent flowerstake on a startling change in their appearance. What was a beautiful,purple cone flower, that fed the world of honeybees... read more

Once in a Blue Moon,By MonaLeise
For those of you who wanted to read my writings again - THANK YOU. I'mstill stunned. Thanks for your encouragement. A number of us are goingthrough "life-changing" events. And yes, Deb; I agree. We need to standtogether. We are all we've got. It's interesting - all of us are closeto the same age... 50 - 56. We all grew up with the same moralteachings. I've only encountered women with the life-changing events.As we... read more

Remarkable People,By AbrahamLincoln
People — some 'remarkable people' have crossed my path over the years.My mother kept us alive when all hope must have vanished. Mywife, these last 50 years, has been a calming influence on my life. Ithink of the dogs I have called my own, by personal name, who have keptmy blood pressure low. Miss Beatrice Brown, my countryschoolteacher who taught generations of kids in the small village whereI lived. The Army set... read more

E R…By DelbertBlickenstaff, M.D.
I was an intern at Providence Hospital in Portland, OR, in1956. The Emergency Room, ER, was fairly active because we got most of theskiing and other accidents from Mt. Hood. I was on duty oneSaturday when some high school students came in with their injuredfriend. They had been climbing on Mt. Hood, which is arelativelyeasy climb, when a girl fell and pulled several others down on top ofher. They had been tied together... read more

“What a Ride”ByPhyllis Mong
Whenyou are in your mature age aren’t you’re supposed to take it kindaeasy? No Way! A great opportunity came along when my son from RhodeIsland came for a visit. He came home a few days earlier than plannedto attend a special event. The event was with the American Huey 369, anorganization stationed in Peru, Indiana, that was appearing in aVeterans celebration at Fort Jennings, Ohio... read more

CO S TA R I C A, ByDelbert Blickenstaff, M.D.
On September 6, 1991 Wilbur (Red) Long, Martha, Louise and I plantedtrees in a reforestation program at the University of Peace in CostaRica. Red had planted thousands of trees on his farm on Boyer Road herein Darke County. I think that the prospect of planting trees on foreignsoil convinced him to go on this Elderhostel trip. While at theUniversity we heard lectures about past presidents of Costa Rica. Themost famous... read more

From Abraham Lincoln… When dandelions bloomed
© By Abraham Lincoln - Heat and humidity was summer. Cold and ice waswinter. We opened the windows when it was hot and sticky and closedthem when it was raining or cold and windy. I suppose air conditioningwas when the windows were open and the lace curtains flapped outside inthe breeze. Most families felt lucky to have a roof over their headsand to have survived The Great Depression. If it was hot outside itwas... read more

Brethren RetirementCommunity...Meet Jim Fourman,By Delbert Blickenstaff
It’s good that the price of gasoline was only 21 cents a gallon in1950. Otherwise Jim would not have been able to make his frequent trips(almost weekly) from Dayton to North Manchester, Indiana to see hissweetie, Donna Olinger. Donna was a Freshman at Manchester College andthey had met at the home of her roommate, Beverly Bright, nearVandalia. Jimremembers that he proposed in a canoe on the Old River... read more

JohnHanes’ Horse Barn, By Abraham Lincoln
This barn housed race horses. I never saw them race but when I wassmall John still had a horse or two in this barn. Gordon, Ohio, wherethis barn is still located, and where I was born, was a bustlingvillage of a hundred or two families between 1848, when the village wasplatted, and 1860. There was a man, south of town, who did have a racetrack built for horse races and no doubt John Hanes raced his horsesthere... read more

NotMy Doctor,By Delbert Blickenstaff
Bob arrived ten minutes early for his appointment with Dr.Madison. He was anxious to find answers to questions abouthissymptom of vomiting at 2 AM. That’s why he asked his family physicianto refer him to a specialist, a gastroenterologist. As Bob sat in thewaiting room, thumbing through a back issue of National Geographic, hereviewed his medical history: coronary artery bypass surgery, totalright knee replacement, and... read more

Big,Fat, YellowPencils, By Abraham Lincoln
I can still remember the big, fat, yellow pencil I took to school thatfirst day when I became a first grader at Gordon school. It was a bigone and Miss Beatrice Brown had to sharpen it with her pen knife as thetwo pencil sharpeners mounted on opposite walls of the school house hadno holes to sharpen big, fat, yellow pencils. I can remember that Ialso had some problems learning how to draw letters or draw thenumbers... read more

Dayton Business Journal... BabyBoomers present plenty ofopportunities for innovation
Commentary by Mike Mitchell - The needs of the aging Baby Boomergeneration will create significant opportunities for innovation. Unliketheir parents, boomers will not slip quietly away into old age.Instead, they will reshape what growing old looks like and in theprocessdefine the new needs of the elderly. The roar which boomers have madeat each stage of their lives is about to rock the world of innovationas they roll into retirement and beyond. Nowhere... read more

Senior Scribes... PoetryforSimple Enjoyment, Part 2… By Hope LouiseEdwards Wills
About a month ago, County News Online published a series of poems byHope Wills. You can see them here. Five more poems have been submittedfor your “Simple Enjoyment” by Senior Scribe Marianne Clark. In onepoem, The Way West, Hope writes about one of the notable experiences ofher life... “When we got to Saint Louis this rhyme was born. It’sstrange but I didn’t see highways and all the tourist trappings oftoday. I saw... read more

Darke County Senior Scribes… LoisWilson pays tribute to Independence Day
The Senior Scribes Poet Laureate Lois Wilson usually has something tosay about our holidays, changes of season and any other eventworthy of notice. Independence Day is no different. Below are two poemsdesigned specifically for this day... also, don’t forget shehas published two of a series of books of her poems. Click on the abovebanner for details.THE FOURTH OF JULYBy Lois Wilson... read more

Darke County Senior Scribes… HeatWave,By Lois Wilson
Heat advisories have been issued. Restrictions on burning have beenissued. Darke County Senior Scribes Poet Laureate Lois Wilson firstpublished these in The Early Bird in 2010... she acknowledges, however,that the current heat wave is a little heftier than the one thatoccurred then. Be sure to check CNO Books for offerings from her andother Senior Scribes writers... read more

Senior Scribes... That“SpecialDog’s Story” now available to readers
Proceeds to benefit CNO and the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund - Afterdecades of having his story told to grandchildren and friends, Yogi BoyCox has achieved immortality through a new book... “Yogi Boy Cox andFriends,” by Senior Scribe Marianne Cox Clark. It’s sale will benefityoung people seeking scholarships through the Senor Scribes ScholarshipFund. All proceeds will be turned over to... read more

SeniorScribes... Poetryfor Simple Enjoyment,By Hope Louise Edwards Wills
Hope Wills lives in Adrian, Mich., formerly of Union City, Ohio. She’san avid reader and loves to write. Hope is the librarian at thehighrise where she currently lives, as well as previously at thehighrise she writes about in many of her poems. Hope is married and herchildren have families of their own... she has written about some ofher grandchildren. This poetry series has been submitted, with theauthor’s permission, by... read more

SeniorScribes... LoisWilson’s Springtime
Once again, Senior Scribe Poet Laureate Lois Wilson offers her thoughtson a changing season... It’s springtime. She has published the firsttwo of a planned series of four or five. The third will be availablesoon. Wilson is offering these booklets to anyone who is willing tohelp in the Darke County Senior Scribes’ endeavor to providescholarships to Darke County youth. The Scribes is a not for profitorganization dedicated... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes... PoetLaurate LoisWilson: Thoughts for Easter
Recently County News Online posted a release from the Darke CountySenior Scribes that local poet Lois Wilson has published her first offour books of verse, “Slices of Wry.” This first in the series isavailable for a $10 donation to the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund.The booklets are currently available and anyone interested may contacta Scribe member or email Lois at loiswilson@darkecountyseniors... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes... MarchMoon, SlothfulWinter, By Beverly Hughes
This has been a strange winter. Senior Scribes poet Bev Hughes offersher take on the March moon of winters past and the unusually mildwinter of 2012. Bev’s articles appear in County News Online and theEarly Bird Newspaper. Senior Scribes is a group of adults with a commonpurpose... we love to write. New members are always welcome. Drop aline to CNO if you’d like more information... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes... St.Patrick’s Day...Irish Cream, By Lois Wilson
From Darke County’s Senior Scribes Poet Laureate, a poetic missiveabout an Irish tradition... Irish Cream. Lois is a published author whoplays poetically with everything from politics and the weather to ourcherished holidays, often with wit and humor. Word has it she’s workingon a new book... we’ll let you know when it becomes reality. MIXEDDRINK - Irish farmer Sean O’Shea - Was seen in town every day... read more

SeniorScribesScholarship Fund… AnnualScholarship Request
All previous scholarship winners and all Darke County Schools shouldsubmit their applications for scholarships in accordance with theinstructions available on the Senior Scribes Website. Go todarkecountyseniors.us. If you have any questions or need additionalinformation, please contact Al Bliss at 937-548-5687 or email atabliss@woh.rr.com. Last year, the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fundawarded $5,500... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes... AnOde to March,By Lois Wilson
Darke County’s Senior Scribes Poet Laureate turns her thoughts toMarch, the month of mixed weather messages. This year, as in any year,March could bring anything from a taste of the summer to come, thunderstorms and tornados or the heaviest snowfall of the year. About theonly thing we can count on is wind... INFATUATION - March swirls in onwings of wind— Blows an air on the budded bough... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes... Tobe 8 again! Submitted,Author Unknown
A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who waslooking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off heasked what she’d like to have for her birthday. ‘I’d like to be eightagain,’ she replied, still looking in the mirror. On the morning of herBirthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Coco Pops, andthen took her to Adventure World theme park. What a day! He put her onevery ride in... read more

What are we allowing ourselves tobecome?By Sharon Hopper
It seems like every day we hear more and more about the cruelty ofpeople on the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, and all public media. Itseems to me in this day of fast communication and instant messagingthat we need to learn to be far more compassionate and credible ineverything we say and do. The cruelty in school is bad enough, but toput it in writing on public media for everyone to see is absolutelyunforgivable. It is true that... read more

SeniorScribes... “Punsfor my Friends with Higher IQs”
From a friend... be forewarned, it’s slightly off-color. Still game?Get ready to groan. Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine.A man’s home is his castle, in a manor of speaking. Dijon vu - the samemustard as before.
Practice safe eating - always use condiments. Shotgun wedding - A caseof wife or death. A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy. Ahangover is the wrath of grapes. Dancing cheek-to... read more

SeniorScribes... Poetrywith a Heart... for Valentine’s Day,By Lois Wilson
Our Senior Scribes ‘Poet Laureate’ has a word or two to say about justabout every special occasion. The day set aside each year for lovers isno different. Here, she gives you three completely different approachesto the traditional Valentine’s Day observance. County News Online ispleased to offer you the following: HAVE A HEART - On other occasions,I like any card, Even comical ones picked in a rush... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes... TheBasic Rules forClothesline
(If you don’t even know what clotheslines are, better skip this.)Author unknown - submitted by Dan Harless
1. You had to hang the socks by the toes ... NOT the top. - 2. You hungpants by the BOTTOM/cuffs ... NOT the waistbands. - 3. You had to WASHthe clothesline(s) before hanging any clothes walk the entire length ofeach line with a damp cloth around the lines. - 4. You had to hang theclothes in a certain order, and always... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes... Poetryfor theUndecided, By Lois Wilson
“I noticed these four candidates had short names that could beinterlocked,” Senior Scribes Poet Laureate Lois Wilson said. “So manyvoters are still undecided… so I created a yard sign for them.” Wilsonput her talents to work and created a few verses that millions ofvoters could probably read and say… “That’s me!” PUTTING IT TOGETHER -Sometimes when we’ve heard all the candidates, And we still likenone... read more

SeniorScribes... AMessage for the Groundhog, ByLois Wilson
It is Feb. 2 and we’re about to find out if Mr. Groundhog inPunxsutawney is going to see his shadow and return to his burrow -signifying six more weeks of winter - or find a cloudy day and leavehis burrow... signifying spring is almost here. County News Online’s‘Poet Laureate’ Lois Wilson has her own idea about when spring iscoming... she shares it with you here: SHADOW INSURANCE... read more

SeniorScribes... Areyou smarter than a 60 year old?
Written by “who knows?” Editor: I had fun with this. Only missed two.This is a test for us “older kids.” Remember the Lone Ranger, TheTwist, Satchmo, Red Skelton? If you do, then you’re a prime target forthe quiz. Enjoy. 01. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode offinto the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that maskedman? Invariably, someone would answer, I don’t know, but he left thisbehind. What... read more

DarkeCounty SeniorScribes... Poemsfor the Season,By Lois Wilson
The Darke County Senior Scribes’ Premier Poet Lois Wilson has attackedthe season in her usual tongue-in-cheek manner, first taking on how weaddress problems with “At Last,” then leading into the symptoms of“Presidential Fever.” As we all know our president has a lot ofproblems to address. Our next leader will have 10 options... which onewill be followed? Then we get Wilson’s take on New Years Resolutions,followed by the... read more


		1911 This willboggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1911 - Onehundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here aresome statistics for the Year 1911: The averagelife expectancy for men was 47years ... read more

		AlongLife's Way "Degree to Disagree", "A Guiding Light", "Out of Sorts" are LoisWilson's latest "Along Life's Way" offerings ... read more

		Vitamin F UnknownAuthor ~ Submitted by Wavelene Denniston Why do I have a variety of friends who are all so differentin character? How can I get along with them all? I think that each one helps to bring out a "different" part ofme. With one of them I am polite. ... read more

Citizens answer the call… plus alittleirreverence
A collection of Poems fromLois Wilson
Editor: With her usual play on words and poetic form, Lois Wilsonoffers us a collection of four, from patriotic to slightly irreverent…Grateful Allegiance, Mirror! Mirror!, Have a Seat and my favorite,written in 1966, The Committee.
Enjoy.... read more

SeniorScribes... PlacesI have been, Submittedby Larry Nelson
Anonymous - I have been in many places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots.Apparently, you can’t go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.I’ve also never been in cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.
I have however been in Sane. They don’t have an airport; you have to bedriven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends andfamily. I would like to go to Conclusions, but you... read more

SeniorScribes... BabyBoomer Test
(Have a paper and pencil handy to record your answers... Your mindisn’t as sharp as it once was!) So they say! The individual who sent itto me got 16 out of the 20. The note below indicates the average is 12.I guess I’m either weird, a TV junkie in my youth or really old. I gotall 20… Bob Robinson, editor and Senior Scribe. This is NOT a pushovertest. It’s a Baby Boomer era test! There are 20 questions... read more

SeniorScribes... BiblicalHumor
It doesn’t hurt to have a little Biblical humor to start the day... Q..What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth? A.. Ruthless. Q..What do they call pastors in Germany? A.. German Shepherds. Q.. Who wasthe greatest financier in the Bible? A.. Noah He was floating his stockwhile everyone else was in liquidation. Q.. Who was the greatest femalefinancier in the Bible? A.. Pharaoh’s... read more

The New American Christmas,Author Unknown
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking intohigh gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply producedgoods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of Americanlabor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give thegift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer anexcuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is... read more

Poetry by Lois Wilson
Editor: Lois Wilson is one of Darke County’s shining stars in the fieldof poetry. Local readers have been entertained for years by her short,insightful and often humorous stanzas. She has been a member of theSenior Scribes since its inception as Senior Advocates when I was theeditor of the Daily Advocate. County News Online is pleased to offerthree brief approaches to our daily living, beginning with... read more

Are you a pumpkin?Submittedby Nadera Williams
Unknown Author - An “Object Lesson” from the Senior Scribes... A womanwas asked by a coworker, ‘What is it like to be a Christian?’ Thecoworker replied, ‘It is like being a pumpkin.’ God picks you from thepatch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cutsoff the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds ofdoubt, hate, and greed... read more

KoinoniaChristenSentrum... 92-Year-OldPreacher
While watching a little TV on Sunday instead of going to church, Iwatched a church in Atlanta honoring one of its senior pastors who hadbeen retired many years. He was 92 at that time and I wondered why thechurch even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age.After a warm welcome, introduction of this speaker, and as the applausequieted down, he rose from his high back chair and walked... read more

Senior Humor 101,From KarenBrooks, Author Unknown
I very quietly confided to my best friend that I was having an affair.She turned to me and asked, ‘Are you having it catered’? And that, myfriend, is the definition of ‘OLD’! Just before the funeral services,the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, ‘How oldwas your husband? ‘98,’ she replied: ‘Two years older than me’ ‘Soyou’re 96,’ the undertaker commented... read more

When I’m an Old Lady,FromDiane Rhoades, Author Unknown
When I’m an old lady, I’ll live with each kid, And bring so muchhappiness ... just as they did. I want to pay back all the joy they’veprovided. Returning each deed! Oh, they’ll be so excited! When I’m anold lady and live with my kids. I’ll write on the walls with reds,whites and blues, And I’ll bounce on the furniture wearing my shoes.I’ll drink from the carton and then leave it out. I’ll stuff all thetoilets and oh, how they’ll shout... read more

A Herd of Cows, A Flock ofChickens,From Sharon Hopper – author unknown
The English language has some wonderfully anthropomorphic collectivenouns for the various groups of animals. We are all familiar with aHerd of cows, a Flock of chickens, a School of fish and a Gaggle ofgeese. Less widely known is a Pride of lions, a Murder of crows (aswell as their cousins the rooks and ravens), an Exaltation of dovesand, presumably because they look so wise, a... read more

A Dog’s Purpose? From a6-year-old...Author unknown – submitted by Barbara Rolfe, Boise, Idaho
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old IrishWolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and theirlittle boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they werehoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying ofcancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, andoffered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their... read more

Interesting Definitions...Compliments of Dan Harless, author unknown
ADULT - A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is nowgrowing in the middle. BEAUTY PARLOR - A placewhere womencurl up and dye. CHICKENS - The only animals you eat beforetheyare born and after they are dead. COMMITTEE - A body thatkeepsminutes and wastes... read more

HuffingtonPost... ‘WebCam 101 For Seniors’ Turns OregonOldsters Into YouTube Celebrities- 9/14/11 - A couple from northwestern Oregon who are Internet newbieshave found themselves the unwitting subjects of an instant viral video,thanks to a little help from a grandkid. Bruce Huffman, 86, and hiswife, Esther, 79, of the Hillside Retirement Community in McMinnville,recently purchased their first laptop computer –- an aqua coloredbeauty with a built-in webcam. Late last month, the... read more

Gold Nuggets,Submitted byWavelene Denniston... Author Unknown
Someone has written these beautiful words. Must read and try tounderstand the deep meaning of it. They are like the ten commandmentsto follow in life all the time. 1. Prayer is not a “spare wheel” thatyou pull out when in trouble, but it is a “steering wheel” that directsthe right path throughout. 2. So why a Car’s WINDSHIELD is so large andthe Rear view Mirror is so small? Because our PAST... read more

The Grey Headed Brigade,Submitted by Al Bliss, Author unknown
They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, andin some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are “baby boomers”gettingready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. Wewalka little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what theyonce were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our Godand grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some... read more

Wasn’tthis us?From Phyllis Mong, Senior Scribe
A Walk down Memory Lane for those who have a sentimental heart! Alittle house with three bedrooms, one bathroom and one car on thestreet. A mower that you had to push to make the grass lookneat.In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone, And no need forrecording things, someone was always home. We only had a living roomwhere we would congregate, Unless it was at mealtime in the kitchenwhere we ate... read more

MiddayDawn,a Poem by Lois Wilson
Damp, dismal, Dreary day. Abysmal Gloomy gray... read more

ClearVision,a Poem by Lois Wilson
Everyone knows As each life goes, There are the throes, Of pains andwoes... read more

Mom’s Empty Chair...From DanHarless, Author Unknown
A woman’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray withher mother. When the minister arrived, he found the woman lying in bedwith her head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside herbed. The minister assumed that the woman had been informed of hisvisit... ‘I guess you were expecting me, he said. ‘No, who are you?’said the mother. The minister told her his name and then... read more

Myjob search,Submitted by Phyllis Mong, Author Unknown
“This is quite clever. I wonder who thinks of all thisstuff.” 1.My first job was working in an Orange Juice factory, but I gotcanned. Couldn’t concentrate. 2. Then I worked in the woodsas aLumberjack, but just couldn’t hack it, so they gave me the axe. 3.After that, I tried being a Tailor, but wasn’t suited for it -- mainlybecause it was a sew-sew job. 4. Next, I tried working in a MufflerFactory, but that was too exhausting. 5. Then, tried being a Chef -figured it would add... read more

SeniorScribes... FreeRange Chicken Capitol,From Lyn Bliss
This was posted on Facebook by a friend of mine (the Recorder in GeaugaCounty). Her comment was... “Folks... Geauga County is a unique placeto live... things happen here that you would not believe... but thisBurton Village post is a must read. We haven’t had this muchcontroversy since the “flap over pancakes” on the water tower.” I wouldlove to hear about the “flap over pancakes” on the... read more

SeniorScribes... Seniorsat Starbucks, From DanHarless
A group of seniors were sitting around talking about all theirailments. “My arms have gotten so weak I can hardly lift this cup ofcoffee,” said one. “Yes, I know,” said another. “My cataracts are sobad; I can’t even see my coffee.” “I couldn’t even mark an “X” atelection time, my hands are so crippled,” volunteered a third. “What?Speak up! What? I can’t hear you!” “I can’t turn my head because of thearthritis... read more

Two Groans for your ReadingPleasure
My Dog Mace - From Dan Harless - A mechanic who worked out of his homehad a dog named Mace. Mace had a bad habit of eating all the grass onthe mechanic’s lawn, so the mechanic had to keep Mace inside. The grasseventually became overgrown. One day the mechanic was working on a carin the backyard and dropped his wrench, losing it in the tall grass. Hecouldn’t find it for the... read more

SeniorScribes... RetirementPerspectives: Take Your Pick!!!
From Barbara Rolfe, Boise, Idaho - author unknown - You can retire toPhoenix , Arizona where... 1. You are willing topark 3blocks away because you found shade. 2. You’veexperiencedcondensation on your hiney from the hot water in the toiletbowl. 3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leavetown. 4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexicanfood. 5. You know that “dry heat” is comparable to what hits you intheface when you open your... read more

Happy Birthday, Doc!!By BobRobinson
From the Senior Scribes of Darke County - Well… he’s still alive andkicking, and he assured me that his water-logged ears have been drainedby now. He hasn’t said much about his experience yet, but maybe one ofthese days he’ll take a few minutes to write about it. So who am Italking about? Delbert Blickenstaff, M.D. Retired. The FamilyHealthcare icon turned 90 years old on July 3. The... read more

From LynBliss... TextingShortcut Tips for Seniors
I thought you might need help texting your friends. Afterall,the kids have all their little codes... like BFF, ROFL, etc. Sohere are the texting short cuts for seniors (and did you notice how bigthe font size is?). For those of you that are not seniors, orclose to it, you will still enjoy these... read more

Aburned biscuit,Submitted by Al Greiner ~ Author unknown
When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner everynow and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had madebreakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago,my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits infront of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet allmy dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how myday was at school. I don’t remember what I... read more

CarefreeConnectionTours... SecondYearAnniversary... Seniors Welcome
Seniors welcome... in celebrating Greenville’s CarefreeConnection Bus Tours 2nd year anniversary! Family owned andoperated by Flory sisters, Angela and Shelly! Jump on boardwithus for an adventurous trip! Enjoy a full day oftravelingand seeing new and exciting places with no parking worries, no gasfees, no miles on your car, no scheduling worries and ALLhassle-free! Sit back... read more

He sent her roses,Submittedby Kay Seiler, Greenville, Author unknown
The person who did this was Jack Benny (unverified).... Please readthis - it is absolutely beautiful..... Each year he sent her roses, Andthe note would always say, I love you even more this year, Than lastyear on this day. My love for you will always grow, With every passingyear.’ She knew this was the last time That the roses would appear. Shethought, he ordered roses In advance before this day... read more

HistoryLesson onYour Social Security Card, Submitted by KaySeiler
Not Verified - Just in case some of you young whippersnappers(&some older ones) didn’t know this. It’s easy to check out, if you don’tbelieve it. Be sure and show it to your family and friends. They need alittle history lesson on what’s what and it doesn’t matter whether youare Democrat or Republican. Facts are Facts. Social Security Cards upuntil the 1980s expressly stated the number and card were not to beused for identification purposes. Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat... read more

Crabby Old Man
A classic - When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursinghome in Moosomin, Saskatchewan , it was believed that he had nothingleft of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through his meagrepossessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressedthe staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in thehospital. One nurse took her copy to... read more

OLDPERSON PRIDE- Author unknown, Submitted by Barbara Rolfe, Boise, Idaho
I’m passing this on as I did not want to be the only old personreceiving it. Actually, it’s not a bad thing to be called, as you willsee. Old People are easy to spot at sporting events; during the playingof the National Anthem. Old People remove their caps and stand atattention and sing without embarrassment. They know the wordsandbelieve in them. Old People remember World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal , Normandy and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, theKorean... read more

GodMade You,From Ginger Wittwer, Bend, Oregon
A little girl was sitting on her grandfather’s lap as he read her abedtime story. From time to time, she would take her eyes offthebook and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternatelystroking her own cheek, then his again. Finally she spoke up, “Grandpa,did God make you?”... read more

DearBo$$From Dan Harless
One day an employee sends a letter to her boss asking for an increasein her salary !!! Dear Bo$$ In thi$ life, we allneed$omething mo$t de$perately. I think you $hould be under$tanding of theneed$ of u$ worker$ who have given $o much $upport including $weat and$ervice to your company. I am $ure you will gue$$ what I mean andre$pond $oon... read more

Authorunknown... Murphey’sOther 15 Laws
Submitted by Ginger Wittwer, Bend, Oregon 1. Light travelsfasterthan sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear themspeak. 2. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a finefordoing well. 3. He, who laughs last, thinks slowest. 4. Aday without sunshine is like, well... Night. 5. Change isinevitable, except from a vending... read more

Afun fact for eachof our United States
Interesting, but unverified. Author unknown~submitted by Kay Seiler,Greenville - FACTS THAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW. ALABAMA -Wasthe first place to have 9-1-1, started in 1968.ALASKA - One out of every 64 people has apilot’slicense. ARIZONA - Is the only state inthecontinental U.S. that doesn’t follow Daylight Savings Time.ARKANSAS - Has the only active diamondmine in theU.S... read more

5lessons about theway we treat people, Author unknown
6.20.11 - Submitted by Pat Turner, Gibsonburg, Ohio - 1. FirstImportant Lesson - Cleaning Lady. During my second month of college,our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and hadbreezed through the questions until I read the last one: “What is thefirst name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was somekind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She wastall, dark-haired and in her 50’s, but how would I know her name?... read more

From DanHarless, Bye- - Bye - - - Things are going to bechanging - -
Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adaptto them. But, ready or not, here they come! 1. ThePost Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the postoffice. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there isprobably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, andUPShave just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the postoffice alive... read more

FromLinda Brenner, Author Unknown... Gettingold
“Be kind and enjoy today, there may not be tomorrow.” A couple in theirnineties are both having problems remembering things. During a checkup,the doctor tells them that they’re physically okay, but they might wantto start writing things down to help them remember... Later that night,while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. ‘Want anythingwhile I’m in the kitchen?’ he asks. ‘Will you get me a bowl of icecream?’... read more

Mollie Breno,By DelbertBlickenstaff, Senior Scribe
Mollie was born in England in 1922. Her family lived in London in amuseum area, and as a child she often played in museums. When Molliewas 17 years old her family’s home was bombed by the Germans. Shejoined the British Army and was stationed at Winchester, where she didoffice work. Molly met an American soldier at a dance. His name wasPaul Breno, and they were married in 1947. They had four... read more

Two Poemsby Author LoisWilson,Greenville, Ohio... read more

FromJudy Bolin, Columbus, Ohio... TheClothes Line
My wife was after me for a clothes dryer for Christmas. I gotherthe best one I could find and she has been mad with me ever since. Mygoodness what kind did you get her? The best clothes line they had. Onethat wouldn’t rust, with a large bag of clothes pins. You just can’tmake some women happy. REMEMBER THE BASIC RULES FORCLOTHES LINES? Remember? You have to be a certain age toappreciate this. I can hear my mother now... THE BASIC RULES... read more

Auditor, Judge guests of SeniorScribes atRecent Meeting
Heartland Director of Admissions Amy Farmer explains informationregarding Medicare/Medicaid to Senior Scribes at their recent regularmonthly meeting held at Heartland of Greenville. Also present at themeeting were Darke County... read more

The FinalYears... Retiringfrom Greenville Fire Departmentand moving on to new horizons
By Robert Rhoades, Senior Scribe - It’s sort of hard to tell when Istarted thinking about doing something else. Having spent 25years of my life, which seemed like an eternity, at one job was apretty big task I thought. But I could tell that my body wasstarting to fight back. It seemed that I was having anexpansionin my mid section which was not welcomed at all. I was... read more

40 years of Card Playing,ByLyn Bliss, Senior Scribe
“Laughter is the best medicine and we do lots of that!” said Libby Kochabout the afternoons the group spends playing cards and socializing.For more than 40 years, the group has been playing cards everyWednesday afternoon at the Greenville VFW. There are threemembers of the original group still playing. Ramona Amore is theyoungest of the group at 82. Oldest is Lova... read more

Senior Scribes meet at Heartland
Senior Scribes enjoyed a great breakfast courtesy of Heartland ofGreenville and its admissions director, Amy Farmer, Thursday morning.Farmer told the group she’d completed, so far, 22 hours of education inMedicare at the state level, with more coming, and offered her servicesas an advisor to the group, plus any other senior citizens in need ofadvice on the program... read more

HogLog,By Lyn Bliss, Senior Scribe
He is usually named Phil, this hog... read more

Two feet of snow,By PhyllisMong, Senior Scribe
I plan ahead for the incoming weather. Try to get a few grocerysupplies in the house, even some potato chips, cookies, ice-cream─ you know, the comfort food that adds calories (which Idon'tneed). But, so comforting! Just in case the power goes off and thestove and microwave are powerless, the night before the storm advisory,I fill two large thermos bottles with very hot water that I may use... read more

The Early Days,By Bob Rhoades
January 31, 2011 - My first day as a firefighter was July 2,1967. We’ll call it the early days. Iheard storiesabout the iron firemen, real smoke eaters, guys with leather skin andlungs to match. I’m not sure how much of that was true, but Idoknow that breathing a lot of that into your lungs hurt a lot after thefact, like someone was sitting on your chest. A lot of us “new guys”decided... read more

Senior Scribes Meets at FamilyHealth
Senior Scribes met recently at Family Health for their regular monthlymeeting. Left to right: Lyn Bliss, Delbert Blickenstaff, Al Bliss,Marianne Clark, Bill Stevens, Phyllis Mong, Jan Boyer and Al Greiner.The next regular meeting will be at 10 a.m. February 24…location to beannounced... read more

Senior Scribes host Spring Fling by LynBliss, SeniorScribe
Lighthouse Christian Center was the setting for the Senior Scribes’Scholarship Fund’s Spring Fling, with a western flair. The Fling washeld as a fundraiser for the Senior Scribes’ Scholarship Program.Earlier this year, the Scholarship Fund awarded $4,000 in scholarshipsto Darke County youth.  Rockin’ Robin provided the music for theevening... read more

Agood laugh, even ifyou're NOT over 60!When I bought my Blackberry I thought about the 30-year business I ranwith 1800 employees, all without a cell phone that plays music, takesvideos, pictures and communicates with Facebook and Twitter. I signedup under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, theirspouses, 13 grandkids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with mein the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple asTwitter with only... read more

Andthen it is WinterYou know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware ofthe passing years.   It seems just yesterday that I was young, justmarried and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, itseems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.
I know that I lived them all... read more

Strictly American, By RossPrinciotto- Apple Pie: It is said that nothing is more American as Apple Pie.Where did the phrase start? Perhaps it started in our New EnglandColonies. There apples are found at any meal. Yes, apple pie with aslice of cheese is so good, of course, for breakfast. All kinds of pieswere made with tarts or fritters. Check this saying out. “An apple piewithout the cheese is a kiss without the squeeze”... read more

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