The "So Hows Your Gait...Or How You Walk?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article in my local newspaper that may be of help to many of my readers titled "What can your gait tell doctors about your health?  Article began with...How does your gait - or how you walk - relate to your brain health?  Considerably, says Dr. Farwa Ali, a Mayo Clinic neurologist who specializes in movement disorders.  Assessing a person's gait can offer insight into various brain health conditions.  The hope is that early diagnosis of gait and balance problems will lead to better treatment and outcomes for patients with degenerative brain disorders.  Ali explains how testing gait works and what it can tell clinicians.  Put one foot in front of the other.  This simple gait test can tell a clinician a great deal says Ali.  "How someone's body is moving through space, what their balance looks like, what their joints are doing," she explains.  The gait test can measure, for instance, how fast or slow a person walks compared to peers in their age group.  It's then analyzed to access whether a neurological problem is already present.  "For example, someone with Parkinson's disease, may walk slower, or with smaller steps and not move their arms enough," says Ali.  Many neurodegenerative diseases affect gait and balance before diagnosis.  She is hopeful about improving ways to measure and quantify these.  "We need more research, but my hope is to be able to detect gait abnormalities early and reliably, to augment clinical diagnosis and help clinicians detect patients with neurodegenerative disease earlier," Ali says.  She adds that everyone is different, and its important to understand why a person might be having issues with their gait.  Analyzing gait is one step in understanding a person's brain health.  Perhaps this article that I have reproduced here may be of help to you and prevent you from getting any movement disorders.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "Time To Get More Active" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading once again a story in my morning newspaper written by Dr. Mike Roizen that is titled "3 signs that you aren't active enough."  Now...didn't I just type a story about not being active enough?  Seems that trend is been pushed all the time!  Well, when it come to the benefits of physical activity, the list stretches from "A" (for attitude improvement) to "Zzzzz" (for better sleep).  Unfortunately, only 25% of U.S. adults get the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of aerobics and two strength-building sessions weekly.  But, almost 40% of folks say they're getting enough physical activity!  So, to help you accurately determine if you're activity-deprived, here are three signs that show that you need to get moving.  1. You're feeling blue.  Being sedentary increases depression.  According to a 2019 study, if you replace 15 minutes of sitting with 15 minutes of running or an hour of brisk walking, you can decrease your risk of depression by 26%.  2. You can't fall asleep easily.  According to John Hopkins medicine, lack of activity makes it difficult to fall asleep and enjoy good quality sleep.  But 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise can give you better sleep that same day.  3. Your joints are achy.  Knees gotta bend, hips gotta extend.  But many folks are sitting five-plus hours and are sedentary for almost 10 hours every day.  Gentle stretching and activities that move joints through their full range of motion improve flexibility and relieve discomfort.  The initial twinges you might feel when beginning to exercise will fade and you'll become more agile and have fewer aches and pains.  The reward: increased healthy longevity - about nine years' worth for women; eight for men.  For more tips, tune into fitness info in LongevityPlaybook.com's free newsletter and check out iHerb.com's blog, "More Movement May Increase Longevity - Here's Why."  It just might work for you!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Yes, Chef! Former White House Chef Moves To Lancaster

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in my Balance Magazine about a fellow known as Chef John Moeller.  He has had a culinary career that has brought him full circle.  You may already know that he served as Head Chef in the White House, but his journey to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. actually started in his hometown of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he developed a passion for cooking.  After graduating from Johnson and Wales College, he lived in France, where he studied the fundamentals of French cuisine under some of the finest French chefs, including 2-star Michelin Chef Bernard Loiseau.  That experience in France opened unimaginable doors, including those of the White House.  Chef John served President George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush, from 1992 to 2005.  You can read about those years and try some of the same recipes served to the First Families and their guests in Chef John's book, "Dining at the White House."  Or, just like those famous First Families, you can let Chef John cook for you right here in Lancaster County.  After leaving the White House, the Moeller's returned to John's hometown, where he wrote his book, started a catering business and traveled the U.S. serving charity dinners seasoned with anecdotes of his time in Washington, D.C.  In 2018, he began a new culinary journey with the purchase of The Greenfield Restaurant & Bar and a beautifully restored 18th century stone farmhouse in the Greenfield Corporate Center.  Chef John now manages the restaurant alongside his wife, Yeti Moeller, offering an upscale yet relaxed dining experience featuring locally sourced ingredients from a variety of Lancaster County vendors.  The Greenfield Restaurant & Bar has a main dining room that seats 200, as well as bar seating.  Now that summer has finally arrived, the Greenfield's outdoor patio will also be in full swing for al fresco dining.  For private events, the restaurant offers three smaller dining rooms.  The outdoor option and adjoining lounge are also available to rent for larger parties.  For off-site events, Chef John also owns his own catering business: State of Affairs Catering.  Although John is a busy man, you can almost always find him in the kitchen, doing what he loves most.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Chef John Moeller

The History - The Greenfield Restaurant & Bar resides in th former home of the Clymer bfamily, which farmed he land tha eventually became Geenfield Corporation Center.  Our beautiful restaurant sits right off of William Penn Way.  This history creates an unparalleled atmosphere for your dining experience.

Live Music - Stop by each Friday & Saturday and enjoy entertainment from a live pianist while you dine.  We also have a live jazz band every other Wednesday in the Lounge.

Events - Extend your fine-dining experience with our event services!  From off-site catering to in-house events, we would love to help you celebrate -  whatever the occasion.

Private Wine Cellar - One of the most distinguished features of the Greenfield Restaurant & Bar is our historic Wine Cellar.  This space can host up to 12 guests and is frequently requested for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, private parties, etc.  We would lie honored to serve you in our beautiful Wine Cellar!   The Greenfield Restaurant & Bar. 

The "A Great Fit," Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at some old black and white photographs that were recently posted in my local newspaper.  The photographs were of the historic bank at 1 E. Main Street in the little town of Lititz, PA.  When the historic bank at 1 E. Main Street in Lititz came up for sale three years ago, officers of Lititz Improvement jumped at the chance to buy it, despite concerns that its bank tennant might not stick around.  When they learned late last year that the Citizens Bank planned to close its branch in the circa-1924 bank building at Main and Broad Streets, the leaders of the longtime Lititz real estate investment group knew exactly what should replace it.  "The first thing that came to mind was Ephrata National Bank, reported Bill Oehme, President of Lititz Improvement, whose properties are concentrated in the first block of East Main Street.  "We have a lot of our mortgages through them.  They've treated us very well in the 50-plus years that Lititz improvement has been around.  That was our first thought: Ephrata National."  A lease was soon made with Ephrata National Bank, which plans to open a branch by April 2025 in the building that has been empty since Citizens Bank closed its brach there in March .  "I believe over the past several years, we've developed a reputation for going into markets to fill the void left by banks who leave," said Ephrata National Bank spokesperson Craig Rodenberger.  The old bank was designed by famed Lancastrian architect C. Emlen Urban.  The building with a corner entrance and granite columns opened  100 years ago as Lititz Springs National Bank.

Urban, whose Lancaster city designs include the Griest Building and the original Watt & Shand Department Store, also designed Ephraata National Bank's current headquarters at 31 E. Main St. in Ephrata Borough, which opened in 1925.  The Lititz Bank building across from the entrance to Lititz Springs Park became the home of Conestoga National Bank in 1962 following a merger with Lititz Springs National Bank in 1962.  The building subsequently served as the home of several other banks before becoming a Citizen Bank branch.  Organized by a group of Lititz business people who wanted to preserve buildings in the downtown, Lititz Improvement was formed in 1970 when it brought three properties in the first block of East Main Street.  Today, Lititz Improvement owns 18 properties in town, including commercial and residential buildings as well as parking spaces and rental garages.  Oehme said Lititz Improvement was contacted about buying the building by a California-based real estate investment firm that owned some of the buildings used by Citizens Bank.  The sale ws finalized in August 2021 for $950,000.  "When you have a building come on the square in Lititz for sale, of course we're going to jump on it," Oehme said.  After the Citizens Bank branch closed, Oehme said some people suggested other uses for the building, such as a brewpub or event space.  He said he was even contacted by other financial institutions that wanted to locate there.  But, Oehme said Ephrata National Bank is the ideal new tenant for the Lititz landmark.  "We want to stick with a bank or financial institution," Oehme said.  "I think they'll be a great fit for town."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

"Dig Raids Washington's Pantry" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about George Washington and the cherry tree he alledgedly cut down.  Found out he never did that nasty deed, despite the famous story to the contrary, but he did pack away quite a few bottles of the fruit at his Mount Vernon home.  Dozens of bottles of cherries and berries, impossibly preserved in storage pits uncovered from the cellar of his mansion on the banks of the Potomac River -- were discovered during an archaeological dig connected to a restoration project.  Jason Boroughs, Mount Vernon's principal archeologist, said the discovery of so much perfectly  preserved food more than 250 years ago is essentially unprecedented.  "Finding what is essentially fresh fruit, 250 years later, is pretty spectacular," Boroughs said in an interview.  "All the stars sort of had to align in the right manner for that to happen."  Whole pieces of fruit, recognizable as cherries, were found in some of the bottles.  Other bottles held what appear to be gooseberries or currants, though testing is underway to confirm that.  Mount Vernon is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is conducting DNA testing on the fruit.  They are also examining more than 50 cherry pits recovered from the bottles to see if any of the can be planted.  "It's kind of a long shot," said Benjamin Gutierrez, a USDA plant geneticist, of the chances of using a cherry pit to grow a tree.  Seeds preserve best when they are dry, and most of the samples found at Mount Vernon were waterlogged.  A couple of pits tested initially were not viable as seeds.  Still, he said the bottles are a remarkable find.  In addition to DNA testing, he said chemical testing may be able to show particular spices were used to preserve the fruits.  Records of Mount Vernon show that George and Martha Washington were fond of cherries, at least when mixed with brandy.  Martha Wahiington's recipe for a "cherry bounce" cocktail survives, and Washington wrote that he took a canteen of cherry bounce with him on a trip across the Alleghenies in 1784.   These cherries, though, were most likely bottled to be eaten simply as cherries, Boroughs said.  The quality of the pervasion reflects a high caliber of work, Enslaved people ran the plantation's kitchen.  The kitchen was overseen by an enslaved woman named Doll, who came to Mount Vernon in 1758 with Martha Washington, according to the estate.  "The enslaved folks who were taking care of the trees, picking the fruit, working in the kitchen, those would have been the folks that probably would have overseen and done this process," Boroughs said.  "It's a highly skilled process.  Otherwise, they just wouldn't have survived this way."  The bottles were found only because Mount Vernon is doing a $40 million revitalization project of the mansion that they expect to be completed by the nations's 250th birthday in 2026.  "When we do archaeology, it's destructive," Boroughs said.  "So unless we have a reason to disturb those resources, we tend not to."  "In this case, because of these needed structural repairs to the mansion, the ground was going to be disturbed.  So we looked there first," he continued.  "We didn't expect to find all this."  They know the bottles predate 1775 because that's when an expansion of the mansion led to the area being covered over with a brick floor.  Mount Vernon announced back in April, at the start of its archaeological work, that it had found two bottles.  As the dig continued, the number increased to 35 in six distinct storage pits.  Six of the bottles were broken, with the other 29 intact.  The heading under the photograph should read:  Archeologist Jason Boroughs on Monday discusses artifacts found underneath George Washington's residence in Mount Vernon, Va.  Earlier this year, a few dozen 18th-century glass bottles containing fruit were unearthed in the mansion cellar of America's first president.  Hard to believe much of what you just read?  Yeah...I'm not sure either!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.        

Willie Mays Was Great In Many Ways as per George Will's Story

It was an ordinary day.  I found out today that The Washington Post's extraordinary columnist, George Will, can write about everything and anybody!  Today he wrote about a fellow by the name of Willie Mays...and he did a fantastic job.  Probably better than any other sport's columnist ever wrote about my all time favorite...The "Say Hey Kid"....Willie Mays. I know I wrote about Willie a few days ago, but I just had to share with you parts of the article that George wrote in the Washington Post.  He began his article with...  In the 1962 Yankees-Giants World Series, the Yankees' Clete Boyer hit a line drive to right-center.  "As the ball left the bat, I said to myself two things.  The first thing I said was 'Hello double!'  The second thing I said was, 'Oh, (bleep), he's out there!"  Willie Howard Mays Jr., who died Tuesday at age 93, was the archetypal "five-tool player" who could run, catch, throw, hit and hit for power.  And, I must add, did all those things better than most anyone else who ever played the game.  Now, that last line was from me, even though I'm sure George would agree with me!  George went on to say...Said his first major league manager, Leo Durocher, "If he could cook, I'd marry him."  Actress Tallulah Bankhead said, "There have only been two authentic geniuses in the world, William Shakespeare and Willie Mays."  Mays didn't seem to have the confidence at the start when he said, "I can't hit the pitching up there."  That was in 1951, while speaking by phone to Mr. Leo Durocher, who would soon be his manager.  Leo assured Willie that any player who was hitting .477 in the minors at Minneapolis could surely hit major league pitching.  He could!  But, a few weeks later, the Giants sent Mays -- who was 0-12 in major-league at-bats -- to the plate to face, 60 feet 6 inches away, Warren Spahn, who was enroute to becoming the winningest left-hander in baseball history.  Mays hit the first of his 660 home runs.  After the game, Spahn said, "For the first 60 feet it was a helluva pitch."  It was years later that Warren said, "We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I'd only struck him out."  In 1963, in a game of a sort that will ever again be played, Spahn, then 42, and another future Hall of Famer, Juan Marichal, 25, both pitched shutouts into the 16th inning.  Marichal threw 227 pitches, Spahn 201.  The Giants won 1-0 when Spahn gave up a walk-off home run.  Guess who hit it?  Willie played professionally for the Birmingham Black Barons and listened to radio broadcasts of the Birmingham Barons, a white team whose play-by-play announser became, in the 1960s, infamous: Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Conner's use of fire hoses and police dogs on student protestors in 1963 helped propel a horrified nation to embrace the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  "Pretty good announcer," Mays remembered.  In a sense Mays was too good for his own good.  His athleticism and ebullience - e.g. playing stickball with children in Harlem streets - encouraged the perception of him as man-child effortlessly matched against grown men.  

Willie Mays - The "Say Hey Kid"

He was called a "natural."  Oh?  Extraordinary hand-eye coordination is a gift. There is, however, nothing natural about consistently making solid contact with a round bat on a round ball that is moving vertically, and horizontally, a 95mph.  Because Mays made the extraordinary seem routine his craftsmanship and intelligence were underrated.  Even as a rookie, he would reach 2nd base, decode the opposing catcher' pitch signs, and tell the Giants' dugout that, say. the third in each sequence was the actual sign.  His base-running "instincts" actually were a meticulously honed craft.  Although he played centerfield, he would take pregame infield practice, reminding himself where infielders should position themselves to cut off throws from outfielders.  Then, when he got a hit, he would take an extra base if the infielders were out of position. Sometimes, early in a game. Mays would intentionally swing at and miss a pitch he could easily have hit, thereby encouraging  the pitcher to throw the pitch during a crucial late-inning at bat.  Mays and another early 1950s center fielder, who played less than a mile away from the Giants' Polo Grounds, the Yankees' Mickey Mantle (like Mays, born in 1931), electrified baseball in the 1950s, when. it was indisputably the national pastime. (The NFL and NBA ranked behind boxing in the decade in which Americans first sat down to watch TV.  At least a quarter of American men regularly watched "Friday Night Fights" and other matches).  In the 1954 World Series. the Indians' Vic Wertz crushed Don Liddle's pitch into baseball's deepest center field - 483 feet to the wall in the Polo Grounds - where Mays made "The Catch."  Liddle, who was put in the game to pitch only to Wertz, reportedly said laconically, "I got my man."  Yes, by getting him to hit a Ruthian blast to the only player who could have caught it.  Baseball fans are an  argumentative tribe, but none question that Mays was among baseball's half-dozen best position players ever.  Still, after that first home run off Spahn, Mays went 0-for-13, making him 1-for-25.  Even baseball's gods need time to figure things out.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  Amen!

Willie Mays made early stop in Lancaster during his Hall of Fame Baseball career

It was an ordinary day.  The number of fans who sat in the bleachers at Lancaster’s Stumpf Field on July 29, 1950, has been lost to history.  All evidence suggests it was likely just a few hundred who watched the baseball doubleheader between the Lancaster Red Roses and the Trenton Giants that Saturday night in the Class B Inter State League.  Surely, in the intervening years there are plenty who had wished they were at the ballpark on Fruitville Pike. So many missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  See, what hasn’t been lost — just faded by the passage of time — was the presence of a 19-year-old center fielder who was on his way to being arguably the greatest to play the game.  Willie Mays, who died Tuesday at the age of 93, flashed his immense skills — and likely his infectious smile — during that five-game series from July 29-31.  Lancaster New Era sports editor George Kirchner wrote in a column on Aug. 3 on Trenton’s top players: “Local fans are convinced that Mays, by far and wide, is the brightest prospect; the kid who is likely to go all the way and in a few years, at that.”  Mays went 9-for-21 with three doubles, a triple, three runs and three RBIs in the series, though Lancaster won three of the games.  In the finale, a 12-11, 10-inning win for the Giants, Mays made a game-saving catch in the ninth after throwing out a runner at the plate earlier in the game (he also had at least one other outfield assist in the series).  The New Era, in a story headlined “Mays’ Catch Stops Roses for Trenton,” reported: “Mays, the fastest guy in the Inter State League, came chasing in from center field to nab a looping hit by Gale Wade and cut off the run that would have given the Roses the decision in nine innings.”  The catch was again referenced later in the story: “Mays came tearing in like a speed demon and made a great catch to save immediate defeat.  When Trenton’s bus pulled into Lancaster for the start of the series, Mays had only been with the New York Giants organization for about a month. His contract had been purchased by New York from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League on June 21, and he made his debut with Trenton on June 24.   “Incidentally, Eddie Glennon, former business manager for Wilmington, now acting in a similar capacity for Birmingham, says he believes Mays could be converted into a pitcher because of his powerful right arm. … While with the Barons, Willie had two assists from center field, indicating that he must be able to throw the ball.”  After seeing Mays in person, Kirchner was sold, and not on him being a pitcher.  In his column on Aug. 3, he wrote “Willie was slightly terrific against our Roses, both at the plate and in the field.  “He’s one of the fastest runners ever to come into Stumpf Field, and when it comes to throwing, he has an arm that looks every bit as strong as any we’ve seen in baseball … Major or Minor League.”  Kirchner concluded that Mays was “one kid who seems destined to go places in baseball in a hurry.”  On Aug. 16, Kirchner made his case for Mays being the league’s MVP despite the late start to his season, pointing to his “terrific hitting,” “sensational fielding” and “dazzling speed.”  “Anytime he steps to the plate, he’s dangerous for he not only can place his hits ‘where they ain’t,’ ” Kirchner wrote, “he can also pole that long ball. In the field, he’s a good bet to snag anything that stays inside the park and in several appearances which he has made at Stumpf Field he has come up with catches that positively amazed the customers.”  Mays ended up hitting .353 with four home runs, 55 RBIs, seven stolen bases and a .947 OPS in 81 games for Trenton.  For the record, Danny Schell, an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies’ Wilmington team, won the MVP voting. He hit .318 with 20 homers and 104 RBIs for the league champion Blue Rocks. He hit .281 in 94 major league games with the Phillies.  Mays did play two more late-season games at Stumpf Field — Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 — going 2-for-8 with a stolen base as the Giants lost both to the Red Roses.  Incidentally, the listed attendance for the last game was 275.  The Red Roses, a Brooklyn farm team managed by the fabulously named Ed Head, a former Dodgers pitcher, averaged 467 fans per game.  In 1951, Mays spent just 35 games with Triple-A Minneapolis, hitting .477, before being called up to New York. For the pennant-winning Giants, he hit .274 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs in 121 games and was named Rookie of the Year.  It was just the beginning of a legendary career that ended with 660 home runs, two National League MVP awards, 12 Gold Gloves, a batting title, 24 All-Star Game selections, a World Series title and election into the Baseball Hall of Famer on the first ballot.  But before any of that, before Mays was the “Say Hey Kid,” he displayed his prodigious talent in Lancaster.  Those of us living here in Lancaster knew he would be great before any one else knew!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "How The Trampoline Bounced Its Way Into American Culture" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a short article written by Ian McMaster in the Atomic-Ranch.com Summer booklet.  The article was titled "One Giant Leap for Mankind" with a sub-title of "How the trampoline bounded its way into America culture." Story began with "The Origins of the Trampoline can be traced to ancient civilizations like China, Iran and Egypt.  The Inuit people in Alaska used walrus skin to launch each other in the air for games, rituals and scouting their surroundings.  Similarly, the Persians are said to have used a type of trampoline made of stretched animal hides for tumbling and acrobatics.  However, the modern trampoline only began to take shape in the early 20th century.  In 1934, two American gymnasts, George Nissen and Larry Griswold, created the first prototype in Nissen's garage in Iowa.  Inspired by trapeze artists falling into safety nets and their desire to improve their own training methods, they developed a piece of equipment composed of a canvas sheet stretched over a steel frame with coiled springs, which provided the continuous bounce necessary for gymnastic training.  This revolutionized the world of gymnastics and acrobatics, offering athletes a safe and effective way to practice complex techniques.  Throughout the mid-20th century, trampolining gained popularity across a surprising range of industries.  After the start of WWII, the U.S. military used the trampoline to teach pilots how to reorient themselves after difficult air maneuvers.  During the space-race era, the trampoline was introduced to NASA for astronauts' training.  In 1964, trampolining made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport in Tokyo, later becoming an official sport in 2000.  By the 1970s, trampolining made its way into American culture.  Amusement parks filled with trampolines popped up across the country, giving children and adults the opportunity to soar.  Manufactures started making smaller, affordable trampolines marketed to the whole family.  Today, trampolining continues to evolve, with advancements in materials and safety features for the enjoyment of people worldwide.  In an age marked by technological advancements and rapid change, the enduring appeal of the trampoline serves as a reminder of the joy and wonder found in the simple act of bouncing.  But, I for one will not be giving it a try.  I just can't imagine what it might do to my poor back and the pain that it might render.  I believe I will be more apt to do the watching instead of the bouncing!   It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Remembering The Say Hey Kid" Story

Willie "The Say Hey Kid" Mays

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about the death of one of my all-time favorite baseball players...Willie Mays.  My close friend Bill H., who lived about a block away from my house on North Queen Street in Lancaster, PA , back in the 1950s didn't care much for Willie, since his all-time favorite baseball player was the Yankee's Mickey Mantle.  We went back and forth many a Summer day as to which player was the best.  I couldn't convince him that Willie was better...and he couldn't convince me that Mickey was better.  Well, by now you probably have read that Baseball Hall of Famer, Willie Mays, has died at the age of 93.  Willie Mays was known as the electrifying "Say Hey Kid" whose singular combination of talent, drive and exubrance made him one of baseball's greatest and most beloved players.  Mays' family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced this past Tuesday night that Willie had died earlier in the afternoon in the Bay Area.  His son Michael said in a statement that.... "My father has passed away peacefully and is now among loved ones.  I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years.  You have been his life's blood."  The center fielder was baseball's oldest living Hall of Famer.  He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999 followed only Babe Ruth on The Sporting News' list of the games top stars.  The Giants retired his uniform number 24, and named their AT&T Park in San Francisco as the Willie Mays Plaza.  Mays died two days before a game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.  "All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career, and a legacy like no other, began," Commissioner Rob Manfred said.  "Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise.  From coast to coast in New York and San Francisco, Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our 'National Pastime.'  We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field.  

Younger photo of Willie Mays

Few were so blessed with each of the five essential qualities for a superstar -- hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, fielding and throwing.  Willie so joyously exerted those qualities - whether launching homers, dashing around the bases, loose-fitting cap flying off his head; or chasing down fly balls in center field and finishing the job with his trademark basket- catch.  "When I played ball, I tried to make sure everybody enjoyed what I was doing," Mays told reporters in 2010.  "I made the clubhouse guy fit me a cap that when I ran, the wind gets up in the bottom and it flies right off.  People loved that kind of stuff."  Willie played in over 23 major league seasons, virtually all with the New York/San Francisco Giants, and also including one in the Negro Leagues..... where he batted .301, hit 660 home runs, totaled 3,293 hits, scored more than 2,000 runs and won 12 Gold Gloves.  He was Rookie of the Year in 1951, twice named the National League Most Valuable Player and finished in the top 10 for the MVP 10 other times.  His lightening sprint and over-the-shoulder grab of an apparent extra-base hit in the 1954 World Series - dubbed "The Catch" - remains the most celebrated defensive play in baseball history.  Just ask anybody who is as old as me!  Between 1954 and 1966, Mays drove in 100 or more runs 10 times, scored 100 or more 12 times, hit 40 or more homers six times, more than 50 homers twice and led the league in stolen bases four times.  His numbers might have been bigger had he not missed most of 1952 and 1953 because of military service.  Yeah....he was a hero in more than just baseball!  Sports writer Barney Kremenko has been credited with nicknaming him "The Say Hey Kid," referring to Mays' spirited way of greeting his teammates.  Willie was born in Westfield, Alabama, in 1931, the son of a Negro League player who wanted Willie to follow him.  Young Mays was so gifted an athlete that childhood friends swore that basketball, not baseball, was his best sport.  The Giants signed him after he graduated from high school and sent him to its minor league team in Trenton, New Jersey.  He began the 1951 season with Minneapolis, but after 35 games, was batting .477 and was labeled by one scout as "the best prospect in America."  Giants Manager Leo Durocher saw no reason to wait and demanded that Mays, barely 20 at the time, join his team's starting lineup.  Durocher managed Mays from 1951-55 and became a father figure who at times pampered the young phenom.  Willie was asked about career highlights and mentioned "The Catch"; hitting four home runs in a game against the Braves; falling over a canvas fence to make a catch in the minors; and running into a fence in Brooklyn's Ebbets Field while chasing a bases-loaded drive, knocking himself out, but still holding on to the ball!    Most of the time, he was just happy being on the field, especially when the sun went down.  After all...you're out there by yourself in center field...and I just felt like it was such a beautiful game that I just wanted to play it forever.  

One of the latest photographs I could find of Willie

Well Bill H. ...after reading my story today....you're gonna have to come up with a pretty good story of your own about Mickey Mantle to top this one!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Jonathan Groff Wins Tony Award" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article in my morning newspaper titled "Jonathan Groff wins Tony Award.  I knew the name well, since my cousin Susan Reese, was a good friend of his during his high school years.  Story reads...Jonahan Groff is halfway to an EGOT.  The Lancaster County, Ronks native on Sunday night won the Tony Award for best leading actor in a musical, after two previous nominations, for his role of composer-tuned-film producer Franklin Shepard in "Merrily We Roll Along."  Groff shares a Grammy Award with the cast of "Hamilton," leaving an Emmy and an Oscar in the coveted EGOT status.  "I grew up in a house surrounded by cornfields in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania," an emotional Groff said in his acceptance speech.  "I was raised by my parents, Jim and Julie Groff, and my brother David Groff," who were all sitting next to Groff in Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater in New York Sunday night.  "Thank you for letting me dress up as 'Mary Poppins' when I was three, thank you for letting me act out scenes from 'I Love Lucy' on my 10th birthday, thank you for always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it," Groff said.  "Even if they didn't always understand me, my family knew the life-saving power of annoying the flame of a young person's passions without judgement.  

Jonahan Groff, good friends with my cousin Sue Reese

"Thank you to all my teachers back in Pennsylvania, especially Sue Fisher, who told me I could do this for a living."  Fisher was Groff's English teacher at Conestoga Valley Middle School and spotted his talent early.  Groff starred in "Merrily," the popular Broadway revival of a Stephen Sondheim musical, at the Hudson Theatre until the production closed July 7.  In reverse chronological order, the musical tells the story of a deterioration 20-year friendship among three creatives.  Earlier in the evening Sunday, Groff's "Merrily" castmate Daniel Radcliffe won his first Tony for his featured role of Charley Kringas in the show.  Their other co-star, Lindsay Mendez, was nominated for featured actress but didn't win.  The three stars performed the song "Old Friends" from "Merrily" on the CBS telecast of the 77th Tony Awards.  Groff was previously nominated for Tonys for his breakout role as Melchior Gabor in the musical "Spring Awakening" and for playing King George III in the original cast of "Hamilton."  Groff shared the 2016 Grammy Award with the other principal soloists in the cast of "Hamilton," for best musical theater album.  He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for playing King George in the filmed version of "Hamilton," on Disney+.  He has won the Obie and other awards for his off-Broadway theater work.  He performed on local stages before moving to New York - and Broadway - after high school.  Groff's role in "Merrily," along with his recent guest appearance on the popular British science fiction show "Doctor Who," have brought the Conestoga Valley High School graduate a new level of attention.  In the past few months, he has been interviewed by a host of major newspapers and magazines and on both day- and nighttime network talk shows.  He is also known for his TV performances in "Glee," "Looking" and Mindhunter," and film roles including those in "Known at the cabin," Disney's animated "Frozen" films and "The Matrix Resurrections."  "Merrily We Roll Along," a quick-closing flop when it debuted on Broadway in 1981, became the must-have theater thicket of this past year, which many theater writers and critics have attributed to the performances of Groff, Radcliffe and Mendez.  The production of "Merrily We Roll Along," which had a total of seven Tony nominations, also won for best revival of a musical and for best orchestrations (for Jonathan Tunick).  Neat having a cousin who is best friends with a star!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Historical Town Known As Lititz, PA Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a Lancaster Newspaper article about the town of Lititz, Pennsylvania which is to the North of the city of Lancaster.  Seems that a gentleman by the name of Cory Van Brookhoven, who is President of the Lititz Historical Society, has self-published "Mysterious Lititz: Ghosts, True Crime, UFOs, and More."  The following will give you an idea as to what the book covers.  The first involves a rowdy club that caused a "riot."  On October 31, 1908, intoxicated members of Lancaster's Fourth Ward Republican Marching Band traveled to Lititz to attend a Republican rally at the Lititz Springs Hotel.  Following the Halloween Parade that night, a 15-year-old Lititz boy threw some kernels of corn at the Fourth Warders, who proceeded to knock the boy off his feet.  Another resident rushed to the boy's defense and was, in turn, knocked down and badly beaten.  John M. Pfautz, chief burgess of Lititz arrived and asked the fourth Ward gang to leave.  Instead of going home, the visitors broke the nose of one resident, dragged another along the pavement and threatened several observers with lit torches.  Meanwhile, the men turned over a huckster's stand and a kettle of oyster soup.  Someone hurled a rock through the window of a hardware store.  Burgess Pfautz went home and returned with his revolver and several deputies.  The gang of Fourth Warders rushed toward Pfautz, who fired his gun into the air.  Several Lititz citizens then charged the Lancaster contingent, who fled through Lititz Springs Park.  Some of the culprits got away, but Fautz and his deputies pursued others as far as Kissell Hill.  They captured these men and took them to the Lititz lockup.  The 1908 "Lititz riot" was officially over.  The second story represents the "haunted" section of the book.  After Lititz teacher Abraham Reinke Beck retired in 1895, he served as archivist for the Lititz Moravian Church.  One evening, while he and his brother, Julius Augustus Beck, were reading an early diary in the archives room of the Moravian Brothers' house, the quiet suddenly was interrupted by a loud sound.  A French horn, resting securely on a shelf, "flew" into the air and crashed to the floor.  Abraham Beck said he had no scientific explanation for this phenomenon.  "The musical instrument was firmly on the shelf," Van Brookhoven explains, "and there was nobody else in the entire building at the time."  Like any book of this nature, all of the entries do not make as great an impact as Lancaster's riot squad and the flying French horn, but there are more than sufficient unsettling stories here to warrant calling Lititz, if not the most "mysterious" town in the country (as opposed to the "coolest"), certainly a place with it's share of weird stories.  Perhaps you might like to read a bit more of the stories so contact Cory Van Brookhoven for a copy of the book.  Tell him LDub suggested they buy his book!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.      

The "Lititz Resident Takes A Spin On "Wheel Of Fortune"

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my morning Lancaster Newspaper when I came across a photograph of a fellow named JP Welliver who lives in the nearby town of Lititz, Pennsylvania.  Seems that JP appeared on the "Wheel of Fortune" show on Wednesday, June 5.  The newspaper reported that while growing up, JP watched "Wheel of Fortune" with his family every evening.  

JP Welliver

He became obsessed over the show's cohost Vanna White and played the franchise's board games.  He even learned to spell with the help of the show's daily challenges.  After decades of admiration, Welliver finally got his chance to spin the giant wheel himself.  He appeared as a contestant on an episode of "Wheel of Fortune," which aired locally at 7 p.m., June 5.  Welliver taped with host Pat Sajak during the television personality's final week of filming with the show......after over 40 years.  

Saga's last episode aired Friday, June 7.  JP, 36, works primarily as an account manager for the Lititz-based company WebstaurantStore.  He's also involved in the local arts scene; he works as one of the building managers for the Ephrata Performing Arts Center and often appears in local theatrical productions.   Welliver is an ensemble member of EPCA's upcoming production of "Cabaret." Shows begin July 25 and end August 10.  He is also the musical director for St. Paul Lutheran Church in Penryn, Pa.  JP first auditioned for the show about 10 years ago.  Since then, he has sent audition videos with expected silence.  Welliver sent a final application during 2020, then heard noting for three years.  He finally got a callback audition in April 2023.  He competed remotely in a pool of possible contestants in a simulation of the game, solving four sets of 16 challenge puzzles.  Soon after, he was invited to Los Angeles to live our his childhood dream.. The episode was taped earlier this spring.  Welliver aspired to be on the show after spending years rooting for contestants at home.  He was persistent in his pursuit of an audition.  "When you're doing that on your own, it's like...I can be up there.  I want to do it," Welliver said.  To prepare for tapping, he watched old episodes of "Wheel of Fortune" on Pluto TV and stayed sharp with the help of a desk calendar in his office containing daily puzzles.  When the day finally arrived, he was excited.  "It was super fun, super surreal," he said.  "It's the quickest 22 minutes of your life.  You're up there, and it's done so quickly."  While the experience went quickly, it's not one Welliver will soon forget.  "If you have a childhood dream," Welliver said, "regardless of whether it's being on "Wheel of Fortune' - do not give up on that."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "If Dr. Seuss Wrote Tehnical Manuals" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The sun is shining in the window and my large cat, "Snickerdoodle" is sitting next to me, looking out the window, waiting for the trash collector to arrive.  I had just picked up my latest free copy of "The Fish Wrapper" yesterday at the grocery store and found a neat poem in it that I thought I would share with you today.

 It happens to be a Dr. Seuss poem....but, even if you don't like Dr. Seuss, you still may enjoy this poem dealing with your computer.  Give it a try....since what do you have to lose.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,

and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,

and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,

the socket packet pocket has an error to report.

If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,

and the double clicking icons put your window in the trash,

and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,

then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash.

If the label on your cable on the gable at your house

says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,

but your packets want to tunnel to another protocol, 

that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall.

And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,

so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,

then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,

'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!

When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,

and the microcode instructions cause unnecessary RISC,

then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM,

quickly turn off your computer and be sure to tell your mom! 

Any help to you?  I had absolutely no idea what the poem was about, but it

seemed to be fun, so I thought I would pass it along!  LDub! 

The "If Only I Could Have Had A Chance To Beat The Wheel! Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about a fellow named JP Welliver (that has to be a made-up name!") who lives in nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania.  I'm sure you have never heard his name unless you watch "Wheel of Fortune" on your TV.  Seems that when JP had his final audition for "Wheel of Fortune" in April 2023, he wondered why he had to wait an entire year before taping with the show.  Well, the wait was due to producers and casting directors wanting to keep him for one of the shows last tapings with host Pat Sajak as the MC.  Welliver, 36, of Lititz, PA, appeared on "Wheel of Fortune" not long ago, competing against fellow contestants Nonie Lewis and Allison Willis.  The episode aired at 7:00 P.M. on CBS and was one of the last episodes Sajak filmed with the show; Sajak's final episode aired Friday,  June 7.  Welliver finished in second place with a final score of $14,000, falling just $400 short of winning contestant Willis.  

JP Welliver on Wheel of Fortune

Welliver answered every single toss-up puzzle, rapid-fire rounds where contestants buzz in to answer as more letters are shown on the screen.  But, when it came to spinning the wheel, Welliver didn't have as much luck.  He said, "I played a (darn) good game.  I do well under pressure.  If I could have just gotten $400 more dollars."  But, Welliver still felt like a winner on set.  "The puzzle board, the wheel, .... is just as beautiful as it looks on TV," he said.  Welliver, an active member of the local arts community, is one of the building managers at the Ephrata Performing Art Center and the music director for St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Penryn.  He works full-time as an account manager for the Webstaurant store and part-time at the Lititz Apothecary.  To celebrate his performance, Welliver held a watch party at Penn Cinema with his family and friends.  "The thing I appreciated the most about this whole experience is just seeing so much love and support from so many different people, literally, people all across the world," Welliver said.  "I just want to live in this moment forever, because it just feels so special."  As for me...."Wheel of Fortune" is one of my favorite TV quiz shows.  The dual feature of "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy" are always part of my TV watching on week-day evenings.  Wouldn't miss either one of them except if a Phillies game happened to be on at the same time.  Nothing can top Phillies Baseball!  Now...I have been known to record "The Wheel" and "Jeopardy" so I could watch them after the Phillies had won.  But, if the Phillies lost, that was the end of TV watching for that evening!  I often wanted to be on "Wheel of Fortune", but was never able to find where I could go to get a try-out for the show.  And, I know I'm not smart enough to be on Jeopardy. Hey....I'm still hoping that I might still get my chance to play the game on TV.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Before Fulton Theatre saved, he went there for movies!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article posted in Lancaster newspaper's "I Know A Story" column.  The story was titled "Before Fulton Theatre saved, he went there for movies."  The story was submitted by Robert A. Martin.  It began with ..... In the 1950s, the Fulton Theatre was on its last legs.  Some people were ready to tear it down.  I went there as a boy to see old B-movie reissues.  For a quarter I watched Westerns with second-stringer heroes who didn't sing.  I saw 10-cent Saturday matinees with single episodes from old serials, and I occasionally watched imported "art cinema," with subtitled dialog and titillating flashes of female flesh.  There was a no-name soda machine in the lobby, which might have sold you a drink if you had the skill to hold the cup upright.  There was also a loud machine that dispensed the oldest popcorn in Lancaster, and a concession stand that sold petrified candy, if you could find the attendant.  Even as run-down as the place was, I thought it was a cool place that just needed a good cleaning and touch-up.  Boy, was I naive about how much that would take.  After graduating from McCaskey High School, I volunteered as a stagehand with several local theater groups, and we tried to keep the theater going by doing live shows.  Thank heaven the right people with enough money and influence were able to save this great, historic gem.  It came very close to becoming just another patch of black asphalt on the landscape, another victim of "urban renewal," which wouldn't have stopped downtown's slide anyway.  Its unique history would have been lost forever.  Well, I am pleased to report that the Fulton Theatre, now known as the Fulton Opera House, is still intact today!  It is actually one of the finest buildings on the 1st block of North Prince St.  I am so glad that they saved the building, since it is one of the most historical buildings in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  I used to take Polaroid photos of various inside and outside locations of the Fulton so I could alter the polaroid to make it look like an old-time photograph or painting.  The owner of the Fulton would use the polaroids as gifts for the retiring members of the board of directors of the Fulton Opera House.  To this day, the Fulton still remains one of the best preserved buildings in downtown Lancaster.  I love to drive past it and view what is on the display board.  I want to thank everyone who worked to save this beautiful historical gem located right along the middle of downtown Lancaster.

One of my altered Polaroid prints

The "Sen. John Fetterman Calls For Creation of Mental Health Commission" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a bit more about one of Pennsylvania's Senators, John Fetterman.  Sen. Fetterman was born August 15, 1969 at Reading Hospital in West Reading, PA.  His family eventually moved to York, Pennsylvania where he and his father became partners at an insurance firm.  His parents were conservative Republicans.  John had a self-described privileged upbringing; he said he "sleepwalked" as a young adult while playing four years of football in college, intending eventually to take over ownership of his father's business.  In 1991 he graduated from Albright College, also his father's alma mater, with a bachelor's in finance.  He received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut in 1993.  For two years he worked in Pittsburg as a risk-management underwriter for Chubb.  While John was studying at UConn, his best friend died in a car accident; this

Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA

impacted his life and career.  Fetterman joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of America pairing with an eight-year-old boy in New Haven, Connecticut, whose father had died from AIDS and whose mother was slowly dying from the disease.  During his time as a Big Brother, Fetterman says he became "preoccupied with the concept of the random lottery of birth", and promised the boy's mother he would continue to look out for her son after she was gone.  In 1995 John joined the recently founded AmeriCorps, and was sent to teach Pittsburgh students pursuing their GEDs.  He later attended Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, graduating in 1999 with a Master of Public Policy degree.  John began his corporate career working at an insurance firm.  He came to Braddock in 2001 to start an Out-of-School-Youth Program, helping local youth to earn their GEDs.  He moved to Braddock in 2004.  He ran for mayor of Braddock against the incumbent, Pauline Abdullah in 2005.   With backing from the town's young residents, he won the Democratic primary by a single vote.  Fetterman won the general election; he didn't face a Republican opponent.  In the 2009 Democratic primary for mayor of Braddock, Fetterman faced Jayme Cox who attacked him for failing to build consensus with the town council.  Cox also criticized him for abuse of power after he released non-public records that showed Cox was arrested in 2004.  Fetterman defeated Cox in the primary by a vote of 294-103 and was unopposed in the general election.  Fetterman handily won the Democratic primaries in 2013 and 2017, and was unopposed in the general elections.  On November 14, 2017, Fetterman announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, challenging incumbent lieutenant governor Mike Stack.  Fetterman was endorsed by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto and former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell.  On May 15, Fetterman won the Democratic primary for lieutenant Gov.  On November 6, 2018 Wolf and Fetterman defeated the Republican ticket of Wagner and Bartos in the General election.  Fetterman was sworn into office as the lietenant governor of Pennsylvania on January 15, 2019.  An Associate Press review of Fetterman's daily schedule during his tenure as Lieutenant Gov. found he kept a light work schedule and was often  absent from presiding over the PA State Senate, an official duty.  In November 2020, he received national press coverage for saying Donald Trump was "no different than any other random internet troll" and that he "can sue a ham sandwich" in response to Trump threatening to file lawsuits in Pennsylvania alleging voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.  Biden won the 2020 PA election with Trump claiming voter fraud.  Fetterman responded by certifying that Pennsylvania had discovered three cases of voter fraud; two men had cast ballots as their dead mothers (both for Trump), and another had voted on behalf of his son as well as himself (also for Trump).   On September 14, 2015, Fetterman announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Pat Toomey in the 2016 election.  Fetterman did lose that election, but in January 2021, he announced he was launching an exploratory committee for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania.  On February 8, 2021 he officially entered the race.  Fetterman won the Democratic primary by a landslide.  In the general election he faced Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, a celebrity TV doctor.  In September of 2022, Oz called on Fetterman to debate him before early voting began in Pennsylvania.  Fetterman agreed to a single debate on October 25.  Although Fetterman led most pre-election polls, his debate performance helped Oz take a narrow lead before the election.  Fetterman won the election with 51.3% of the vote to Oz's 46.3%.  Fetterman took office on January 3, 2023 and at 6 feet, 8 inches tall is the tallest currently serving senator.  In my recent local newspaper, Sen. Fetterman has been open about his struggle with depression and wants to create a federal commission focused on mental health.  The commission would study coverage of mental health services, reimbursement rates for mental health care services, and workforce challenges in the mental health field.  In Fetterman's first year in office he checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in February of 2023 and stayed there for 6 weeks.  "Before I sought help for my depression, I was the biggest cynic - but it truly worked," Fetterman said.  He worried that his being open about his stroke would damage his career, but he was largely applauded by colleagues despite mental health often being stigmatized.  John is a member of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus.  His proposed commission has the support of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Association of Suicidology, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Children's Hospital Association, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.  Best of wishes to John in his recovery and his attempt to help others.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

 

The "Thru The Eyes Of A Dog" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my AARP Magazine and came across a great story that I just had to share with you.  Story was titled "How Scout Found His People (in His Own Words).  Sub-head read: "This hound had to run away to find his forever home."  So...are you ready? 

The question I'm asked most often is: How'd you do it?  How's you scale two chain-link fences at animal control, cross a busy highway in the middle of the night, and find your way into a nursing home a quarter mile away?  Let's just say I was born to jump.  And I've learned that to get what you want in life, sometimes you've got to break the rules.  But the bigger question is, why here?  What made me pick the Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility on that night back in 2017?  And when I was caught and returned to the shelter, what made me escape again and go right back?  And then once more the very same week?  The short answer is, Meadow Brook has an automatic front door.  

And a very, very cozy couch in their front lobby.  It felt safe, something I hadn't felt in a long while.  I don't want too get into my backstory.  I'd been through some rough times before I got here.  I've still got BB gun pellets lodged in my jowls.  Not all humans are kind, but the ones in this place are.  The nursing home's administrator, Marna Robertson, decided to adopt me after my third jailbreak.  I think she realized I'd just keep coming back till she did.  And the residents welcomed me like one of their own.  I know which rooms have snacks for me--I'm partial to Ritz crackers--and which residents don't mind being woken up at midnight with a wet Nose on their forehead.  Some keep treats on their forehead.  Some keep treats in the baskets of their walkers.  But I'm not a freeloader.  My friend Jenny Martinek, the household coordinator for the residence unit where I live, likes to tell people that I think I have a job.  I know I have one!  I do security.  

No visitor gets in or out without going through me.  And, I'm not afraid to bark.  I also make regular rounds to check on all the residents.  I'm excellent at opening doors.  I like to be where the people are--what can I say?  They've actually changed a few knobs around here because of that.  On my rounds, I give everybody attention, but I try to spend more time with people who are feeling poorly.  Jenny says it's like I was trained to give comfort to people.  It's not training, though; it's just what makes sense to me.  Because this is my family now.  And family looks out for family.  The world is unpredictable, and life isn't always fair.  But my story shows that if you find your people, you'll be OK.   So keep looking till you find them.  As told to Eric Spitznagel.    PS - According to DNA testing, Scout, 9, is a mix of many breeds, including Labrador retriever and chow chow.  He lives in Bellaire, Michigan.

And...if I ever have to go into a retirement home such as Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility...I want to have Scout as my daily partner.  Just have to love the dog!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  This story was posted in the AARP Magazine, April/May Issue.  It had no listed author, but the photos were by Kyle Monk.

The "Rockin' With "Flamin' Dick & The Hot Rods" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I had just returned home from watching Flamin' Dick and the Hot Rods perform at the Springettsbury Township Park Amphitheater which is located at 1501 Mt. Zion Road in York County, Pennsylvania.  Our friends Hal and Jeannie stopped to pick us up so I didn't have to drive through the heavy traffic along the Route 30 corridor.   Great band that features about a half-dozen musicians, most all of whom play a variety of guitars with one keyboard player, one drummer, and one sax player.  And...the songs they play are from my era of music.  Just love to listen to their music, and you can't miss hearing it due to the volume that emanates from their huge speakers.   And...I'm not the only one who enjoys their music.  We were part of a crowd of well over 300 people who filled the seats in the amphitheater.  Part-way through the show, I grabbed my camera and headed to the front of the stage to take a few photos of the individual performers.  Directly in front of the stage is an area for those how might want to dance to the music, and the area was packed with people of all ages.  Even saw a few residents of Woodcrest Villas, where my wife and I live, dancing to the music.  The show went on for about an hour and a half, without any breaks, and the band finally called it quits.  I loved singing along with the music as well as keeping the beat with my foot and at times beating on my leg with my hand.  When I was a young boy I tried to play the guitar, but was never successful at it.  I ended up playing the accordion for a few years, but that's not very well suited for rock and roll music, so I gave it up.  I still enjoy singing along with the band, but I have to be careful I don't sing too loud, or I disturb those around me, as I'm told.  The summer concert series will last all summer with bands playing throughout the summer.  We plan to make a few more visits so I can get my fill of good old rock 'n roll music.  And, I must remember not to sing too loud!  The most unusual part of the evening was not the music, but when the lady sitting next to me looked at me and said, "You know...you have two different colored eyes!"  She was very observant...so she was...as she was correct. Told her I was born that way and they never changed. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  Check out the photos that follow from the concert.

Springettsbury Township Park Amphitheater

 

 

    

The "And Yet, Another Story From "The Scribbler"

It was unordinary day.  Reading a story in my local newspaper written by my favorite columnist , Jack Brubaker, "The Scribbler."  His title for his column today read: "Matching wits with rascally - and smart - raccoons."  Jack is great at making you feel as if you are a part of his column and today I felt as if I was visiting with him and his raccoons in his story he was telling.  He began with... Raccoons can open 11 of 13 complex locks on one box in fewer than 10 attempts.  These locks include bolts, hooks, lift latches, levers and other devices that must be manipulated in a precise order to open a box.  Those are the extraordinary results of a lengthy study by the ethnologist H.B. Davis in 1907.  So it's no surprise that a securely fixed metal cap could be removed from a can of bird seed.  The seed was spread all over Jack's deck at his home.  The birds and squirrels must have had a delightful time as well as a merry picnic.  That is, after the raccoon stuffed himself.  Raccoons are the only animals in our woods with paws agile enough to unlock a metal can, turn it over and create havoc.  To prevent a repeat, they brought the can inside the house.  Well, their bird feeder is hoisted high in the air, several feet below the eve of their roof, to keep squirrels from staging raids.  This is a pulley system, with the hoisting rope coiled around a hook at the edge of the deck floor.  The rope that pulls the bird feeder up and down is extra long, since Mrs. Scribbler doesn't like to cut a good piece of rope, so they have a significant coil by the hook on the deck beneath the feeder.  One morning last week they found the coil of excess rope stretched as far as it would go, across the deck and a gravel path and down a few steps toward the Little Conestoga Creek.  Well, there could only be one reason for this...a dexterous, devious, devilish raccoon who decided to haul the rope as far as he could, hoping he would shake down some food.  The Brubaker's know where the raccoon lives, apparently with a small family in a nest in a cavity about 30 feet up the trunk of an ash tree about 30 feet from their house.  They just happened to see two of the masked bandits peeking out from the tree a few months ago.  The Scribblers live on a bluff overlooking the creek and are accustomed to watching a variety of wildlife wander through the nearby woods, along a tree-lined path that runs along the water.  Here they see a variety of creatures including, deer, foxes, groundhogs, muskrats, beavers, snakes and skunks.  Wasn't long ago that Jack and his wife spotted a mink.  It streaked from the woods, across a neighbor's yard, to the edge of the creek.  It was sleek and ultra-thin and stared at Jack.  

They traded stares for over a minute and then the creature dropped to the ground and scooted off into the water.  The mink was special, but the rope-tugging raccoon was the hit of the show.  It would be interesting to have a conversation with an animal that can open locks, pry lids off metal cans and tug ropes as far as they'll stretch.  Hey, why couldn't they write their own book, telling how everything in the woods is done?  It certainly would be an interesting conversation one could have with an animal that can open locks, pry lids off metal cans and tug ropes as far s they'll stretch.  And, I'll bet the raccoon would remember such a conversation.   Multiple studies have been done stating that raccoons can remember the solutions to complex tasks for at least three years.  So, It certainly would have remembered when it swipped all of "The Scribbler's" bird seed.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS. - If you don't subscribe to Lancaster's newspaper...you need to do so, just so you can read Jack's articles that he writes for the newspaper.  

The "How Would You Like To Have To Operate One Of These? Story

It was an ordinary day.  Driving past an Amish Buggy that has been sitting on the side of the road near my new home at Woodcrest Villas.  I have been meaning to stop and take a few close-up photos to share with you and finally pulled next to it and grabbed my camera.  The buggy has been sitting along the road for some time and attracts many a viewer who stop to take photos.  Naturally, there is no horse to pull the buggy, but it's still fun to stop and see what it might be like to have to use a horse and buggy for your method of transportation rather than an automobile or truck.  I don't think I could take a buggy out on the busy roads, being that I'm not sure I could control the horse if I had to.  Blowing horns and close-calls with automobiles may scare the horse and who knows what may happen to the horse and the buggy carrying people.  Amish drivers are so used to driving, or should I say steering, the horse-drawn buggy, that they know exactly what to do to control the horse.  I'm absolutely sure that I would panic if an automobile got to close to the horse and buggy.  Check out the photos that I took so you can see what the horse-drawn buggy is like close-up.  To keep warm in the winter you dress with more clothing and remove some of that clothing in the summer to stay cool.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Side-view of the buggy from the front.  Horse gets
fastened to the left end of the buggy.

Rear of the buggy showing reflectors and a tarp that can
be pulled up to open the rear of the buggy for loading and unloading.

Side view showing the black area where the people enter into the cab.

This view shows the front where the horses would be
attached to the buggy.  The windshield with wiper on it
is on the top.  Mirrors are on either side.

This shows the step into the buggy at the door.

close-up of wheel

Horsedrawn buggy with red warning sign on the rear.

Uncovered buggy with two young girls in the rear of a buggy.