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Mary Clare Hummer (Bauer)

I thought you were waving at Jack to let him know you got his post. I wondered why you didn't just 👋👋!!

Mary Clare Hummer (Bauer)

Jack wanted to send you this picture but was having tech difficulties.  It's his neighbor.

James Hamilton, M. D.

I assume that is a Great Blue Heron. Beautiful bird. Wish I had that kind of sense of balance to stand on one leg on a sloped stump! 😮 

Jim

Joseph Gentilini

Beautiful Blue Heron!!

Michael McLeod

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/opinion/deathy-penalty-texas.html

if you can copy and open up this clip it's a poignant story.

Michael Boulware

Former President Trump has endorsed a Republican Platform for 2024. He had no platform for the last election.

The Democrats have had a platform for every election. Platforms can be reviewed on google.com. There is a distinct difference between the two parties' beliefs. You should review these platforms before you vote. Please vote and encourage everyone you know to do the same. It is the most important duty we have in our democracy.

Sue and I have voted using absentee ballots lately. We found that using those ballots have made us more informed and better voters. If there is an issue that needs further study, or a candidate that has not been publicized; we can look those up and take our time to be better informed voters.

Michael McLeod

Mike: Thank you. Thanks to you and your wife for being good citizens. I don't care how corny it sounds.

Michael McLeod

this happens to me now and then.

a song comes along and suddenly I'm a puddle.

worser still I start singing it.

fortunately for all I do so alone.

Here it is by somebody who knows what he's doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOqRxMQuMaY

Timothy Lavelle

Janie,

Question: This may not be something you follow so no big deal if you don't know, but is our class of '66 the only, or the most talkative class from WHS using a website like this? It would be a hoot to see what "the kids" of '67 or those old farts from 65' are thinking about. 

If you know, can you also advise whether we could invade another class' "blog-o-thon" site and somehow sign in and make fun of them or otherwise stir them up. C'mon, I wanna be a hacker before I kick it.

Michael McLeod

Tim: this is exactly why our parents told us we couldn't hang out with you.

They said things like: "Why don't you make friends with that Jim Hamilton? He seems like a good boy who will make something of himself some day." 

Joseph D. McCarthy

Commercial    Commercial

So Wendsday morning I woke thinking our drive from California went smoother than it ever has.  Then I looked out the window and exclaimed "this isn't Columbus."   It finally started to dawn on me that we were still at home in California.  

We didn't leave on July 27th as we had been planning for Seven months.  Instead, if all goes well we will leave this Saturday, early morning, and head for Salt Lake City and eventually, if all goes well, be in Columbus the evenin of August 6th.  I partially blame it all on our former Doctor; he retired in Decmber and we were able to just have appointments last week.   

Anyway, I am surely looking forward to the chance to get back to Columbus.

END of Commercial.  You may now return to your normal positions/places.  Good night.

James Hamilton, M. D.

History Repeats Itself

Wow, this female boxing episode in the Olympics brings back memories of the 1968 Games when there was some controversy about some females (I believe from Communist East Germany) weight lifters who may have actually been males. The technology at that time was to do Barr Body testing to determine the true sex of the athletes. 

With the exception of the  rare incidence of genetic syndromes such as Kleinfelter, Turner,  and perhaps other syndromes, only females have Barr Bodies in their chromosomes. In those days, buccal cells (inside of cheeks) smears were taken, stained and searched for those Barr Bodies. 

Apparently, from what I have read, the suspect boxer was subjected to a blood testosterone test which was found to be elevated. I would suspect that further testing was, or should have been done.

History repeats itself but for different times and different reasons and perhaps, with the different views on gender that is so prevalent in these strange times, I wonder if it is coming to "does it really make any difference anyway?"

For the safety of, and fairness to, the athletes, and the sports they represent, it does.

May God help us!

Jim

Michael McLeod

It's hard to resist coming up with a cheeky response to your post, Jim. 

But given the serious issue involved here I'll simply agree with you.

Safety first and safety last when it comes to this situation.

David Mitchell

Never heard of the "Barr Body" (black spot) test until this afternoon. A few hours after reading Jim's post, I heard a discssion of it on Public Radio - kinda' weird.

I guess the simple fast way (that they used to use) is unacceptable nowadays. Seems not long ago there was a guy trying to swim against girls at a high school or college level. And some boys trying out for a girls track team. How sad.

David Mitchell

Regardless of which sex the athletes are, I have no idea why Ping Pong and Badminton are olympic events - seriously.  But this year they have added  "Breaking" or Break Dancing as a new event.

No kidding - I am not making that up!

But I cannot, for the life of me, understand why they keep leaving belching, spitting, and farting, out of the games. 

I know what you are all thinking, "why doesn't Dave go for a nice refreshing swim in the Seine." 

That's French for "go jump in the lake".

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

This speech was sent to me today, and I found it to be very thought-provoking.

https://youtu.be/f3NBhSXtE5g?si=CVlZYqO3v7qNMX1i

"The answer must come from within. But it can't be found if you're not willing to spend some time every day/week/month confronting the mystery.

You need a reason for being here.

You need to believe some things are worth fighting for...and some are beneath you.

You need to know precisely what it is that makes you, you.

Because if you don't others will determine it for you."

David Mitchell

For the few of you that care - one of my favorite players (Buckeyes and Broncos) of all time - Randy Gradishar - was jsut inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame - FINALLY !

Sports writers have been calling for this for years. He had over 2000 tackles but since that was not a tracked statistic, he hardly receives any recognition for it. He also had 20 intereceptions - and I beleive 3 were returned for touchdowns. He also had an interception returned for a 93 yard tocuhdown. He was all-pro 7 times and NFL Defensive Player of the Year once.

He played with (and was inducted by) his team mate Tommy Jackson - another great linebacker and later, NFL commentator,  Jackson later teamed with Chris Berman on ESPN Prrime Time.

Together these two were part of the famous "Orange Crush" defense. The one thing that I remember most about Gradishar was the many, many times he would guess what was coming on 3rd and short, or 4th and short - and stop the ball carrier from leaping over the pile, by diving over the pile himself and knocking the runner bacwards in mid air. He must have done that 50 or 60 times over his carreer. 

We once had some good friends in Denver (who came from Ohio State) and who adopted one of the Vietnamee "Airlift" baby orphans. Upset with the slow paperwork process, he had gone to Oaklnd himself to get the baby. He was the president of the Ohio State Club in Denver (yes, they are everywhere) and had sort of welcomed Randy and his wife into the group. About 30 of us went out to old "Stapleton" airport to wait for Phil to arrive with the baby, and the Gradishars were there. I introduced my wife and myself to Randy and his wife. Our little boy (Kevin about 2 or 3) grew restless and Randy asked him if he would sit on his knee. That calmed Kevin down and made everyone happy.

- -  added later - My son Kevin, a die-hard Bronco fan, does not recall the incident at all.

Note: if you watch any of the videos on Randy, he wore # 52 for a year or two, then switched to #53. Dont be confused. He'll always be remembered in Denver as #53.

Michael McLeod

two inspiring stories on the board today.

thanks for the story about a buckeye legend, dave. yep I was a big fan as so many of us were. he's a legend.

and thanks for a much broader source of inspiration, mm.

David Mitchell

I accidentaly loaded his OSU photo instead of his Bronco photo. And I can't seem to get it to load now. Oh well, he was still the best tackler the game has ever seen.

John Jackson

Breaking news:

Philadelphia (the Borowitz Report) -- Responding to Vice President Harris’s choice of Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, Donald J. Trump claimed that the Minnesota governor  “was never white before.”

“I saw him on television many, many times, and, quite frankly, he was never white,” Trump said. “Then, he suddenly became white.”

Hinting that “there’s something going on,” Trump said that Walz’s “last-minute decision to become white” was “something that should be looked into.”

Asked what Walz was before he became white, Trump responded, “I think Walz is some kind of a dance. So what is he, white or a dance? I respect either one, but he obviously doesn’t.”

James Hamilton, M. D.

Downsizing: Part 2

Like many of you I have collected a lot of tools and hardware items over the years. As I look at them I find that the ones I use most often are small - hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. The big ones are less often - or seasonally - needed but take up a lot of space in the garage. Those are often gas powered such as lawn mowers and snow blowers.

But let's talk rarely needed and dangerous items: LADDERS. Janet no longer allows me to go up on the roof anymore and, although I hate to admit it, she is probably right.

I accumulated 2 extension ladders over the decades and the bigger one I have used maybe twice.That was to change some floodlights under the eves of the highest points of our roofs. That is something I would wisely not attempt again. Besides, Janet would most likely not agree to be my "spotter" anyway.

So, now I am pretty much limited to using a two-step stepstool to do minor things around the inside of the house and putting up our flag beside the garage door on appropriate holidays.

Of course, that itself has its dangers - like wild animals! 

So my trips to that famous adult toy store, Home Depot, have been less productive (and cheaper!) than in the previous decades. In fact, I think the high angle equipment (i.e. ladder) department should require proof for admission - "No One With a Medicare Card Admitted".

Those extension ladders will definetly not survive the cut when it comes to downsizing! And I may even have to fight to keep my 5-foot stepladder!

Jim

David Mitchell

Jim,

I face the same dilema although my ladders are shorter and my house is a one-story. I can't even still get up a few steps and let go enough to reach up high without losing my balance. 

Downsizing is God's punishment for getting so old. Where did all this stuff (tools) come from anyway. 

David Mitchell

Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day!!!!

John Jackson

Dave, how much rain did you get? 

And can you match this - yesterday afternoon we had a wicked thunderstorm (not the remnants of a hurricane) that dumped 5 inches in an hour and a half and we got more overnight.  Acording to the National Weather Service, the tiny town of Pennington (where I live) led the state of NJ with a 24 hour rainfall total of 7.75 inches.

Michael McLeod

Had to laugh, Jim.

My significant other laid down the law not long ago:

No More Ladders.

I forget the particulars but she overheard it in passing from one of my doctors after taking me to a regular checkup  -- one that hadn't turned up anything in particular -- and immediately adopted it as gospel. I had already decided to treat the doctor's comment as a generalization, surely not pointed at me in particular, but I was outnumbered and in no position to argue the point,which is pretty much always the case with my significant other regardless of whether she has backup, given that she is a grade school teacher who seems chronically unable to distinguish me from just another one of her charges.

One prone to misbehavior, at that. 

We gotta stick together here. Your extension ladder is an extension of yourself, Jim! Don't let them take it away! That's handyman emasculation!