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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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...
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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...
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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AlongLife's
Way
"Degree to Disagree", "A Guiding Light", "Out of Sorts" are
LoisWilson's latest "Along Life's Way" offerings
... read
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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| Two
Poemsby
Author
LoisWilson,Greenville, Ohio... read
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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HogLog,By
Lyn Bliss, Senior Scribe
He is usually named Phil, this hog... read
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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