The "The Porch With The Rocking Chairs On South Prince Street" Story

Aunt Lois and LDub on the porch on North Prince.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting on the top step of the porch with my Aunt Lois.  Lois is only a year and a half older than I am, since she came along much later than my mother.  The cement steps that lead down to the pavement below number perhaps ten.  The wooden porch holds at least half a dozen wooden rocking chairs and is covered with a canvas awning that runs the length of the porch.  The entire porch is fronted by a wooden railing with porch rails that are painted white.  Pretty neat site as you pass on the street.  As you look to the right, up South Prince Street towards the center of Lancaster, you can see at least five or six other houses, on both sides of the street, along the row of homes that also hold chairs of various kinds and sizes.  

Dad holding me in front of the homes
on North Prince Street.

Today the chairs are full of my relatives as my mom and dad and I have come to visit my Grandpap and Grandma for a Sunday meal.  Seems everyone is talking and rocking and having the best time of their lives.  We usually spend a few Sundays every summer the same way.  And, I love it!  So neat to sit next to my Aunt and listen to the adults talking about anything and everything including the mess, as they say, that happens across the street at the home of Grammy, my Grandma's sister.  Grammy, I never knew here real name, is hard of hearing and has to turn the TV so loud all the other homes on both sides of the street can hear it.  Oh, the stories they tell every time we come to South Prince Street.  I pretend to play with my Hubley cap gun as Lois tries to play "Jacks" on the edge of the porch, but all we really want to do is listen to the conversation.  

That LDub on the left with brother Steve and Aunt Lois.
We are playing in the street which was flooded by rain.

I was born while my dad was in the Army and my mom lived with her parents in the house on South Prince Street.  Dad managed to get leave to come home in time to bring me back with mom to South Prince where we lived with my Grandparents and my Aunt Lois.  I spent many a day during the summers the first two years of my life on that porch with the rocking chairs playing in a playpen with my Aunt Lois.  When my dad got out of the Army he joined us in the third floor bedroom on South Prince Street for a year or two until we moved in with his mother, my Nannan, on North Pine Street.  There we also had a bedroom on the third floor.  

My mom at the beach with my Aunt Lois (her sister) on the
left, cousins Judy and George, and brother Steve on the right
of the photo.  LDub is standing next to her in the center.

Funny how I don't remember much about the house on North Pine Street except maybe the jelly dish on the kitchen table that was always full of jam and the china cabinet in the dining room that held some of the neatest dishes.  Oh, yeah, there was the piano that took up an entire wall in the living room.  My Aunt Doris played the piano and she also lived in the house while she worked at a store in downtown Lancaster.  We finally moved to a second floor apartment on East Orange Street, above a barber shop, when I was four and then to a house on North Queen Street the following year.  Shortly my brother was born and we lived happily ever after, mostly, in that house until I graduated from high school.  But, some of my fondest memories were of those Sunday afternoons sitting on the top porch step with my Aunt Lois, listening to the adult conversation, as we waited for Grandpap to proclaim that supper was ready.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "Strays No Longer Gather Here" Story

I bought this small sign for my wife last Christmas.  She loved it!

It was an ordinary day.  Smiling from ear to ear!  Finally, after two years I managed to catch the final stray cat that has been visiting our rear deck for years.  We named her "Larry" after the cat on the Modern Family TV show since she looked much like that cat.  Larry was the most precious little ball of fur you could ever imagine, but she was sly.  

Larry

Two years ago I caught her in a large trap and while transferring her to our cat carrier, she somehow outwitted me and escaped.  At the time we had no idea as to the sex of the cat, but after seeing a few other visitors taking advantage of her, we knew.  Over the 20 years we have lived at our Beach House we have caught close to 20 cats and kittens and have taken them to the local SPCA.  Along the way we have also caught a couple of skunks and possums, but never caught a groundhog or raccoon.  The skunks and possums I took into the country and released them into the wild.  We have caught our menagerie of animals in a trap, animal carrier and even a litter of kittens in a butterfly net.  In the spring Larry had what we believe to be a couple of kittens.  

Larry's kitten

One survived and the other one or two must have remained under our front porch, since the odor in the house was absolutely terrible for a month or so.  We had no idea where the smell came from, but we surmised, when we saw the one kitten for the first time, and realizing that Larry was much, much larger than that one kitten, that one or more kittens must have died at birth.  Smell went away, but Larry and her kitten remained.  

Carol enjoyed playing with the kitten.

Last week we managed to coax the kitten into the carrier with food and he/she went right in and I closed the door.  Larry more than likely never forgot her narrow escape two years ago and just wouldn't enter the carrier.  We then began to systematically place the food dish in front of the carrier one day, directly inside the next day, a little further in the next day, and Viola!  Carol was still in bed when I slammed the door shut and ended the era of strays on the back deck.  We took Larry to Carol's friend, Debbie, who loves animals and wants to keep her until she has her next batch of kittens, since you see, she is very large once again with kittens.  

Larry did keep a watch over her kitten.

We have finally agreed that the food and water dishes that have been out for almost 20 years will no longer be on the porch.  Creamsicle, our stray turned indoor cat, will defenitely not miss any of the visitors.  He now can rest under a nearby bush with both eyes closed.  And, I think he can tell that there have been no visitors for the past few days.  He no longer takes a few minutes to smell all the flower pots and porch posts to see who may have walked on "his" porch.  We will miss the parade of nightly guests, but will no longer miss having to catch them and pay the fee at the shelter.  We only hope that other animals in the neighborhood, if there are any that remain, will not starve without the food we provided for years.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Chicken Runs At Midnight" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking my email and found one from my son, Tad, telling me I just had to watch the video attached.  It was about Rich Donnelly, a major league baseball coach for many years.  The story is one he loves to tell called "The Chicken Runs at Midnight." Every time he tells it he has to not only laugh, but cry when he thinks of the memories of his daughter who died in January of 1993 at the age of 18 of a brain tumor.  After her death, Rich gathered her belongings together at the hospital and found an envelope addressed to him.  In it was a letter thanking him for all he did to help her and wished him a good life and asked him not to be too sad.  She also asked him to buy the kids in ICU a red wagon.  Included in the envelope was a check for $400.  On her gravestone, beneath her name and dates of birth and death, was an inscription that read, "The chicken runs at midnight".  I've watched and listened to the YouTube video quite a few times and still shed a few tears while watching it.  Rather than give you the entire story, I'll pass along the video for you to watch.  Should tell you it is a real tear-jerker, so be prepared.  And ... you don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it.  Take a look and cry along with me.  I know you will.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - I do notice that on my computer the video link carries over the right side of the blog.  You cannot get rid of the ad because of that.  If it appears that way on your computer, click on the bottom link which says "watch on YouTube" so you can see the entire screen.

The "Another Civil War Hero From Lancaster" Story

General John Fulton Reynolds

It was an ordinary day.  Thought it was time to post a story about another of Lancaster's great soldiers of the late 18th century into the 19th century.  Union General John Fulton Reynolds was born in Lancaster on September 20, 1820 and was one of eleven children.  He was nominated to the United States Military Academy at West Point by future President James Buchanan who was a friend of the family.  He graduated in 1841 from West Point and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the 3rd United States Artillery and was stationed at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.  During the Mexican War he served under General Zachary Taylor and eventually served at various posts after that war ended.  During this period in his career he became engaged to Catherine Mary Hewitt, but because she was Catholic and he was Protestant, they kept it a secret.  From 1860 to 1861 he was the Commandant of Cadets at West Point.  Reynolds was a supporter of James Buchanan and his pro-slavery policies, but was a through-and-through Unionist.  On August 20, 1861, he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers in the Union Army and put in command of one of the brigades of the Pennsylvania Reserves.  During the Seven Days Campaign he commanded his brigade at the Battles of Beaver Dam Creek and Gaines' Mill.  After the later battle he was captured while attempting to get some sleep.   Confederate General D.H. Hill, a pre-war colleague of Reynolds told him not to feel bad about his capture.  

This artwork is titled "The Fall Of Reynolds. It depicts
his being shot and killed in Gettysburg, PA.

Didn't take him long to get exchanged for another soldier and he was put in command of an entire division of Pennsyl- vania Reserves.  He commanded the division at the Battle of Second Manassas as well as Fredericksburg.  Eventually Reynolds was offered command of the Army of the Potomac by President Lincoln, but didn't receive it after he told Lincoln he would only accept the command if he could be sure there would be no interference from his superiors in Washington.  On the morning of July 1, 1863, as he was leading his forces towards Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, he received a message that Confederate forces were almost there as well.  Reynolds led his troops to McPherson Ridge where he was killed instantly by a shot to the neck.  At the time he was the highest ranking soldier on either side killed in Gettysburg.  It was said that the death of John Reynolds meant more than the loss of an inspiring leader; it also removed from the equation the one person with enough vision and sense of purpose to manage this battle.  

His monument in Lancaster Cemetery.

Following his death the Union troops were overwhelmed and forced to retreat through the streets of Gettysburg to the high ground south of town where they were rallied by Reynold's friend, Major General Winfield S. Hancock.  His body eventually was transported to Lancaster where he was buried in Lancaster Cemetery.  He was featured in the novel The Killer Angels as well as the 1993 film Gettysburg.  A significant portion of the song "The Devil to Pay" by Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth is dedicated to John Reynolds with the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" played and stylized using both electric guitar and an orchestra.  The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, my hometown, is well-known and famous for many reasons, but its heroes are perhaps the highlight of the history of Lancaster.  I am proud to say I am a Lancastrian.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Butterflies By Sue" Story

Sue shows me the plastic "cage" she uses to raise her Monarch butterflies.

It was an ordinary day.  Carol had just returned from dropping off a top at the dry cleaners and gave me the news. "The girl at the dry cleaners is raising butterflies on the counter right inside the door. She has a few containers with everything from eggs to  caterpillars to a monarch butterfly that just came out of it's cocoon today."  

This female Monarch has broken through the
chrysalis earlier in the day.

Well, that all I needed to go have a look myself.  As soon as "The Price Is Right" ended, I gathered my photo stuff, new sets of lenses for my iPhone and my little notebook together and walked the block-and-a-half to the cleaners. Yep, right inside sat a couple of big glass jars and a home-made contraption that held the butterfly and a few caterpillars that were having a great time wandering around the milkweed leaves that Sue, the butterfly grower and dry cleaner clerk, had placed there for them.

A single egg can be seen on the leaf.

I introduced myself and asked her what she was doing and how she got started.  Seems that about ten years ago her mother became ill and her physical therapist suggested she raise butterflies to take her mind off her troubles. So Sue joined her mother and began the journey into raising butterflies as well as planting the necessary milkweed fields to help attract and feed the butterflies.  Sue lost her mother a couple of years ago, but her love of butterflies still lingers, keeping her involved in trying to make sure butterflies don't become extinct in the future.  She spent time with me explaining what I was looking at in the front of the store.  

A Monarch caterpillar.

She had the leaves from the milkweed plant that came from her home in one container and on them were eggs that had recently been left there by mature butterflies.  These eggs will hatch and turn into a caterpillar which will eventually turn into a chrysalis or pupa.  The chrysalis then finishes the life cycle when it opens and releases the butterfly that had been developing in it. The one Monarch butterfly in the make-shift "cage" was feeding on the cotton that Sue had saturated with sugar water.  She had plans to release it in a few hours after she felt it was strong enough to survive on its own.  

The caterpillar turns into this chrysalis. 

She felt it was soon time for the Monarchs to head south to Mexico, a trip that will take a few generations of the butterfly in front of us.  The first generation of butterflies live about a month, laying eggs before they die.  The next generation that is the result of those eggs lives six weeks, following the same procedure.  The third generation lives two months while the fourth and fifth live seven months each, lay eggs once again and the following generation begins its journey north in the spring to start the whole thing over again.  I asked when she expected to release her Monarch, wondering if I could return to take a photo.  About an hour later I was watching as she reached in the "cage" and helped guide the new life into the sky.  Pretty neat talking with Sue and learning more about the insect that I too enjoy watching and taking photos of.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Sue holds the less than a day old Monarch butterfly on her finger before she takes flight.

  

The "Art In The Heart Of Lancaster County" Story

My boss and friend Keith waves as he sees me taking a photo
of his stand which features his photography and framed pieces.

It was an ordinary day.  Just parked the car and headed in the direction of all the white tents.  First building we came to looked rather familiar.  "Hey, I did all those," I said to Carol and our friends Ron and Marg.  We are visiting the "Heart of Lancaster Arts & Craft Show" near East Petersburg, Pennsylvania in the heart of the Pennsylvania Amish.  The show began in 1987 at the same location, Root's Country Market and Auction, and has been held at the same spot for the past 29 years.  This year there were 200 juried artisans and the show was voted in the top 20 Best Shows in the country by Sunshine Artist Magazine.  The work was amazing with 47 of the artists and craftsmen demonstrating their talent at their stands.  

This artist stands behind his wood carvings of various sizes.

Most everyone seemed to have a white or light colored tent and the site of all these stands was amazing.  As we began our venture today, the first stand we saw was the stand of Keith Grebinger who was a photogra- phy student of mine in high school and who I began working for part-time after retirement from teaching in 1999.  Just about everyone of the framed pieced in his exhibit I had matted and framed over the past 17 years. Looked good and had quite a few visitors when I stopped in to say Hello.  As we walked throughout the show I photographed a few of those that I found rather unique so I could share them with you.  A few of the artists who were giving demonstrations are part of my photo show today so you can see how they create their artwork.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

These wooden puzzles are cut out on a small jig or scroll say. 

Wooden icicles featuring names of people.  Rather unique and time-consuming to make.  They sell for $8 each.

These are bean bags which are sold with a large wooden game board to play bean bag toss.  Many sport teams are featured in the collection of bean bags he offers. 

This is artist Cindy Schlosser who paints wooden bowls.  She holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology who taught Human Biochemistry and Nutrition at Temple University Dental School for 8 years.  She first painted on wooden eggs, bowls and antique panels and shutters after leaving teaching.  She now has a gallery to display her work next to Lancaster Market House at 15 West King Street.  She enjoys spending time at her gallery painting, playing music and loving people. She was also voted Lancaster City's very first "Queen of Happy".

This is a sample of Cindy's work.

This is Tracy Dietrich who plays the flute and recorder and who, along with friend and harpist Cindy Wittenberg, have a stand titled, "Silver, Wood & Ivory - Two Women, 19 flutes and Recorders, Piano, Keyboard and Celtic Harp, and a Whole Lot of Friendship."  The two have made 13 CDs which they sell and I took this photo of Tracy as she was performing on one of her recorders which are for sale as well as the CDs that fill the stand.

A few more of the instruments that are for sale at Tracy's booth.

I just loved the vibrant colors of this acrylic painting done by an artist from Washington D.C. 

Part of a design made in stained glass.  Made me think of the years when I did the exact same thing with objects and stained glass.

Another unique stand that sold boulder designs.  These two feature spigots to release beverages and carry designs on them.  You can see more boulder designs at www.LutzBoulderDesigns.com 

This is Bob Weaver who is working on a pen and ink drawing.  His stand was covered with his artwork done in pen and ink.  Bob was an art teacher at Yough High School for 37 years.  He also was an athletic coach which explained many of his pen and ink drawings which featured sports events and scenes.  He also does mural painting, caricature art, portrait art, book illustrations, fine art painting, scenery production, acrylic painting and watercolor.  I loved watching him work on his latest pen and ink of recently departed Gene Wilder.  You can see his work at www.bob weaverartattack.com.

Just one of quite a few beautiful glass vessels that were remarkable.  The colors are so bright and brilliant.

This stand featured metal work that was welded.  This particular sculpture was made of silverware which was welded to form a human figure.  The artist is a remarkable welder, since I had a very hard time seeing his welds on the sculpture. 

This stand was titled "American Roadtrip Vintage Pennant Handmade Pillows."  Very unique and something I had never seen before.  The story behind the stand was: While digging through a vintage store in Florida, the artist found pennants of National Parks, roadside attractions and cities and small towns.  She took them home with her and made them into pillows.  Each pennant carries a story and she loves to meet people who share their memories of places shown on the pillows.  She has many more pennants at her studio and you can order one to match just about any memory you may have.  Talk about being different and unique.  You can see more at: www.etsy.com/shop/americanroadtrip

This is a photo of Marcelle Fozard, who is from Washington, D.C., who is stitching together a pennant pillow for a customer. 

   

The "Labor Day Report" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Labor Day 2016 and I am once again reminded of the time when I was a member of a union which helped me obtain wages that were more than double what my friends who were working were making.  For almost four years, during high school and college, I worked part-time at the Acme Supermarket, first running a cash register then "graduating" to stocking shelves and working in the produce section of the store.  That was when running a cash register required math skills that, my guess is, most students in high school today don't possess.  Still remember that when someone bought a can of Campbell's soup, that was 3 for $.49, I rang up $.17.  Didn't have to look it up on my phone.  I knew math inside and out as did all the people who ran cash registers at the store.  Well, throughout those years I had to pay union dues once a month. When I stopped working at the grocery store I was making $2.19 an hour while some of my friends were getting paid $1.00 an hour pumping gas.  I did have to pay $15.00 a month for having my union negotiate that wage for me, but I was making more as a part-time worker than many who were working full-time at other jobs.  Unions are bashed constantly for being corrupt, and I guess that may be true from time to time, but I was able to pay for my college tuition and books, car expenses and insurance and still have some left over to take my girlfriend to the movies because of my union.  Yesterday I wrote a story about Armstrong Cork Company and the fantastic benefits that the employees received which included having a shop committee that would communicate with management for wages.  More than likely that was the start of unions as we know them in Lancaster, PA.  Today we celebrate all workers, both union and non-union and the economic achievements of the American workers.  Labor Day constitutes a yearly nation tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.  

More than 100 years after our first Labor Day celebra- tion, there is still doubt as to who was responsible for the holiday.  Some say it was Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor while others say it was Matthew Maguire, a machinist, who was the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J. who proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.  It was Peter McGuire who joined with his friend Samuel Gompers to found the American Federation of Labor (AFL) which were responsible for the adoption of the eight-hour workday.  But wait, it was Matthew Maguire who led strikes intended to force the plight of manufacturing workers and their long hours into the public eye. He is said to be the father of Labor Day.  It was said that Maguire held some political beliefs that were considered fairly radical for the day as did Gompers so Gompers friend Peter McGuire was assigned the credit for the creation of Labor Day based on Canada's labour festival held in Toronto.  

1st Labor Day Parade in New York City.

The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City when 10,000 disgruntled workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square, thus holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history. In 1884 the holiday was moved to the first Monday in September.  Soon other areas of the country were also celebrating the holiday.  Then, the Sunday before Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.  The first state to pass a law naming Labor Day a holiday was Oregon in 1887. Others quickly follow and today all states honor our workers on the first Monday in September. Today Canada also celebrates Labour Day on the same date that we do while European Countries have various other days to celebrate. So, today we will celebrate all our workers and their dedication to making the USA the greatest nation on earth.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Giant In Lancaster" Story

Photo I sent to Jerry of the Armstrong Plant near his house.
Remember to click on photos to enlarge them.

It was an ordinary day.  Just sent an email with an attached aerial photo to my friend Jerry to find out where the railroad tracks might have been in the photograph.  Jerry and I lived a few blocks from each other in the late 1940s into the mid-1960s.  Down the street from Jerry was this huge factory we knew as Armstrong's.  From time to time we would play football on the parking lot when it was not in use. 

Original Armstrong building in PIttsburgh, PA

Never thought much about the place until my grandfather showed me his watch he was given when he retired from Armstrong when I was a young boy.  Armstrong Cork Company, as it was first known, was the largest employer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for most of the 1900s.  It began as a closure manufacturer and eventually added glass production, flooring, ceiling and other products unrelated to its early production.  

Lancaster Cork Works on New Holland Pike in
Lancaster, PA. Today it is a hotel. 

24-year-old Thomas Armstrong used $300 of savings as a shipping clerk to buy a small cork-cutting shop in Pittsburgh in 1860.  Originally the business carried the name of his partner, John O. Glass, but Glass's interest in the business was purchased by Armstrong's brother and the company was renamed Armstrong, Brother & Company  They began to manufacture cork stoppers, first by hand and two years later by machine.  Their raw product came from the bark of the cork tree which grew in Portugal, Spain and northern Africa.  They originally bought the cork from a U.S. supplier, but then began to order direct from Spain which eventually led to business overseas.  

Armstrong Cork Company can be seen in the background.
This is an area that was developed to help with housing
for those who worked at the factory. Jerry lived closeby
and a few of our friends lived in these houses.

During the Civil War they made bottle stoppers for the Union Army and then landed a large contract with a New York drug firm.  They began to stamp each cork with "Armstrong" and guaranteed the quality of each sale.  By the 1890s Armstrong was the world's largest cork company.  In 1893 they purchased the Lancaster Cork Works located on New Holland Ave. in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and added insulation, cork-boards, gaskets and flexible coverings for machinery.  

There were so many Lancastrians who worked
at the plant that a parking lot was built on the
opposite side of the railroad tracks that ran
near the factory.  This bridge was built to allow
workers a way to get to the parking lots.  This
bridge was recently taken down.

In 1895 the company name was changed to Armstrong Cork Company.  Thomas died in 1908 and was succeeded by his son Charles.  In 1908 Armstrong began to make linoleum floor covering in a new plant in Lancaster at 313 West Liberty Street.  Linoleum is a mixture of cork flour, mineral fillers and linseed oil which was pressed under high temperature onto a burlap backing and colored with pigments.  This was the building that sat close to the homes of Jerry and me.  I found that Armstrong was a pioneer in employee benefits.  

This building is known as Armstrong Manor. It is about a
mile from the Armstrong plant on Liberty Street.  I was
purchased to give lodging to salesmen, guests and
customers of Armstrong Cork Company.

They had free dental service for employees, extra pay for overtime, shop committees to communi- cate with manage- ment, paid vacations and group life insurance.  They also were one of the first company's in the U.S. to provide pensions and group medical insurance.  My grandfather worked at Armstrong Cork Company for years and loved his job.  When he retired he received a watch with his named engraved on it.  

The rear of the watch that my grandfather gave to me.
He was given the watch upon retirement from Armstrong.

I now am the proud owner of it.  In the 1960s Kerr Glass bought the New Holland Ave. plant to make glass bottles.  In 2004 the building was purchased to change to housing.  Armstrong has opened other manufacturing plants in Lancaster County to make a variety of other building materials and eventually the West Liberty Street site was closed and sold.  

A better look at Armstrong Cork Company in Lancaster, PA

Armstrong also changed it's name to Armstrong World Industries and still has some manufac- turing in Lancaster, but very little compared to the early 1900s when they employed many residents of Lancaster.  Armstrong began to close and demolish some of their buildings in the mid-2000s.  I found a few photos posted online by Gene Viera which shows the demolition of the floor plant on Liberty Street being demolished. I also talked to my friend Jerry about the photo I emailed to him and we reminisced about the good old times when we were kids in the Armstrong neighborhood.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Demolition beginning in January 2007.  The pole in the right center appears in the following two photos to give you a reference point.

June of 2007

September of 2007.

The "The Journey Continues!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Posting another story to "Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy."  Somedays, after feeding Creamsicle the cat and eating breakfast, I manage to post my daily story before I head out the door to one of my few part-time jobs, but at times my mind is on something else and I don't post it until I get home around noon.  Then there are the days when I sit down with my laptop after supper and forget I haven't posted anything at all that day and quickly add a story.  And, every so often I don't post at all.  Those days are usually when I don't have access to the internet, may be on vacation or visiting with friends or perhaps sick with one illness or another.  Hasn't happened often, since I have missed posting a story only 23 times in the past seven years!  I don't always write a story each day, but find time some days to write a few stories and keep them in queue until I may need them for a day when I can't find time to write.  The majority of my stories are typed on either my MacBook Air laptop or my desktop MacIntosh.  Even after seven years it is still fun to click on the icon on my desk that takes me to my blog so I can either type a story, post a story or get into Blogspot and check on my blog overview which lists "Stats", "Traffic sources", "Audience" and a few other blog background menus.  Under "Stats" I can see how many pageviews the blog had today, yesterday, last week and all time.  Some days I get as few as perhaps 80 to 90 while other days it may be in the thousands.  Under "Traffic Sources" I can see referring URLS (Uniform Resource Locator or a reference, or address, to a resource on the Internet) which are how people found the blog such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, Facebook, etc.  Under "Audience" I can see how many pageviews I have had for the day, month, year or all-time by looking at a map of the earth with those areas where I might have a reader highlighted in green; the more people, the darker the green.

There is also a graph showing me pageviews for the day, week, etc. that lists the top 10 countries with how many accessed the blog and from where in the world they live.  I am amazed at countries that have been listed from time to time; the usual such as United States, France, Russia and China are listed often, but then there are others such as Ukraine, Mauritius, Guatemala, South Korea, Jamaica, Macedonia, Pakistan, Singapore, Kenya, Fiji, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Antiqua and Barbuda, St. Martin, Sint Maarten, Australia and even Kazakhstan. The last few areas I access show me layout, templates I can use, settings and earnings.  At one time you may remember I added ads to my blog.  I was told that for every time someone clicked on an ad I would receive a certain amount of money.  Well, after over a half-year of having ads, I had accumulated a total of close to $25 in earnings.  Wasn't worth all the hassle I had to do to keep the ads in place so I removed them from the blog.  As I start another year I hope to be able to continue writing and sharing my life's stories in order to document my life's history as well as to continue what has become a hobby.  And, I'm having the best time sharing with everyone!  Thanks for tuning in! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Anniversary Post" Story

It was an ordinary day.  September 2, 2009 and I had just posted my first story on "Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy."  Well, it's been seven years since I first posted the story about the white rats that my grandpap bought for me when I was a young boy at a farmer's market in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania known as Root's Farmer's Market and Auction.  Story about how they escaped in the family basement while we were at church and how we managed to catch all of them.  Click on the link along the page for 2009 and read it if you care to.  Today begins the eighth year of stories and I want to thank you for reading a few over the years.  Some of the stories were about ... crash landing while taking a hot air balloon ride, visiting downtown Lancaster to see Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, watching the birth of my children, traveling with friends Jerry and Just Sue to some of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean, setting up a print shop in a pup-tent in my back yard when I was a young boy, buying my first car and eating French croissants for breakfast every morning for three weeks while on the island of St. Martin.  But, perhaps my all-time favorite story I have written, which I still tell today to friends, or anyone who will listen to it, is about a young boy named Noel  and the good laugh we had one day during Photography class at Manheim Township High School where I taught for years.  So, you know what's coming ... don't you?  Just one more time for good luck, as they say. So, here is the story, just as I posted it on Friday, September 11, 2009 .........

It was an ordinary day. My 1st period photography class was just about over. Today I had Noel Y. in class. Years before I had coached Noel in Little League baseball. I always pitched batting practice to my 13-14 year old players. One day Noel hit a line drive at me and broke my finger. The next day at practice I told Noel, "One day I'll get even with you!", just joking with him. Well, here we are in 1st period class with a few minutes left before the bell. "Tell us a story, Mr. Woods" someone said. The students always loved to hear my family stories, since I had all 3 of my children in class and all my students knew at least one of them. I told the story of how all three of my kids were ill at one time or another with mono. "My youngest son was in the hospital for a few days because he was so ill, my daughter missed over a week of class because of her illness, but my oldest son really had it bad. He was in the hospital for a few days and when he came home he developed a large lump the size of a softball on his neck from the mono. Back to the hospital where they drained the lump and put a tube in his neck so it could be re-drained when necessary. It was so gross that my wife had to....." Just then I heard a crash next to me. Noel Y. was on the floor. The room went quiet. I sent a student for the nurse and cleared the students from the area around Noel. I got down on the floor to examine him to see if he had hurt himself from the fall off his stool. No visible marks so I wiped his forehead with my handkerchief. He opened his eyes and looked at me and apologized for passing out. It seems he had no breakfast that day and the story was too much for him. After realizing he was going to be fine I helped him to a sitting position so he could rest against the cabinets until the nurse arrived. I looked him in the eye and said, "Now we're even!" The students were astonished I would say something like that to him, but Noel got a big smile on his face and said "Yep." Just another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Since that story about eight years ago I have written over 2,500 more stories and almost half a million visits to my blog have happened.  And that is only after I added a counter to my blog about four years after I started it.  Remarkable is all I can say!  Thank you so much for visiting and reading the stories of my life and the adventures of my family and friends.  I'm aiming for many more or until my fingers can no longer push the keys on my Apple.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Telling Your Life in Story" Story

It was an ordinary day. Remembering back to when I started this blog years ago.  Up until the time when I put "pencil or pen to paper", or should I say "fingers to keys", many of my  friends and relatives told me I should write this story or that story of what has happened to me and my family during my lifetime. Seems I had experienced many events, lessons, occurrences, vacations ........ during my life and many enjoyed hearing me tell about them.  

And then they began to tell me I ought to write a book of stories to share. Well, this blog is the best I can do so all those people will have to may do with it.  But, you know, this is something that everyone should do to share their life experiences for future generations.  All you have to be is interested and not afraid to try!  Hey, I found it to be a simple and a fun thing to do.  As you can see, you don't have to be a language major for your computer's spellcheck will make you look like a wizard with spelling. As for punctuation, just throw in a few commas and explanation points here and there and people will think you were a whiz in high school or college English.  No one will grade what you write or judge your writing.  If you have lived as long as I have, you more than likely will have more stories to share than you will ever have a chance to write.   

Start by thinking back to your childhood.  There has to be a few stories that you can remember!  No one can tell your story as well as you can or the way that you can.  And, when you begin to write, more stories or memories will pop into your head.  Many people, such as myself, began to write so I could pass my stories along to family, but if someone else enjoys it, so be it.  Some stories will be humorous, while others may be emotional or life-changing, but all still need to be told.  All you have to do is find your own personal writing technique for the way you write.  Base your technique on a favorite author you may have.  Stuart Woods, no relation to me sorry to say, is one of my favorite authors who at one time began all his books with .... Elaine's late.  So, I decided to start each story with .... It was an ordinary day.  At first I would write a story, have my wife read it, make suggestions, and then I'd decide on what my final draft would be.  Now, my wife has gotten tired of listening to the stories, telling me that she lived through most of my stories already and she doesn't want to live through them again.  Hey, writing and sharing your stories is a very inexpensive hobby.  While reading the local newspaper, I noticed that many retirement villages and homes offer classes or help in "Life-Story Writing."  I find that putting words onto paper, or in my case onto my computer screen, is very therapeutic.  Well, it's your turn now to give it a try.  Pick out an era of your life, write a life story, read it aloud, take constructive criticism, but don't change anything if you feel it doesn't need changing.  After all, it's your story!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - If you are a reader of my blog and decide to start one of your own, make sure you send me a comment with the link to your blog so I can follow your life stories.