The "Will I Ever Be Pain Free Again - Part I? Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in my recliner, deciding how I should tell you about my recent surgery I had on my back.  Over the past umpteenth years I have had a series of four major operations on my back to try and fix my spine which I have damaged over my lifetime trying to lift items I shouldn't have lifted.  My surgeon suggested I have a Spinal Cord Stimulator inserted in my back which I tested for a few days a couple of months ago.  The stimulator worked great during the test so I entered the hospital to have it placed permanently in my back.  Had my surgery on April 1 and was released from the hospital the following day.  As I sit and type this story I am trying to find a comfortable position in front of my computer to type it.  When my wife came to pick me up at the hospital my doctor asked me if I would like a prescription for a narcotic drug for my pain, but I told him I will be fine with Tylenol.  So, Carol and I left the hospital.  Big mistake...so it was!  Wasn't long before I told Carol to call my doctor's office and get something with a bit more stuff in it to kill the pain.  Wasn't long before I had some relief with a stronger pill.  Well, it's been over 10 days since I had my spinal cord surgery and I still have close to the same level of pain that I did after waking up from the surgery on April 1.  On April 13 I will go to my doctor's office and have the stitches removed from my upper torso where there are two metal wires that will absorb the pain from my lower back so the pain no longer will reach my brain and register as pain.  I will have the stitches also removed from the battery pack that was placed in my lower right back that supplies the power to the unit that stops the pain from reaching my brain.  Perhaps when all that is done I will finally have no pain!  It has been a long haul from when I first lifted a very large window air-conditioner into my dining room window and began my life-long search for pain-free living.  I am hoping that the Spinal Cord Stimulator will be my medical savior.  Might take some time to get used to it, but if I have less pain than before...I will consider it a success.  It's been over 50 years since I was pain free and I'm not quite sure how I will react when I no longer have any pain.  But, I am willing to give it a try.  Stay tuned for the results.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "The History of 'The Great Wagon Road'" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out a variety of road maps that were originally established in the New World by Native Americans in the eighteenth-century.  One such map showed a road which was known as the Great Wagon Road which connected Philadelphia and its hinterlands westward to the town of Lancaster and then south into the backcountry of Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas.  Thousands of my Scotch Irish relatives as well as Germans and others left the Philadelphia region to establish villages, farms, taverns and new lives along the rugged road that stretched across southeastern Pennsylvania and eventually continued more than four hundred miles through the Shenandoah Valley of the Appalachian Mountains and beyond.  The new population of the backcountry sustained connections with Philadelphia through trade, often facilitated by merchants in market towns such as Lancaster and York Pennsylvania, Hagerstown, Maryland and Winchester in northern Virginia.  The Great Wagon Road was most active in the middle decades of the eighteenth century, prior to the American Revolution.

The Great Wagon Road

It was during this period that the increasing population of Pennsylvania made land more scarce and costly for new arrivals as well as settled farmers who were seeking to secure more land for livelihoods for future family generations.  It was during the same time that elected Governors in Maryland and Virginia were promoting backcountry settlements by Europeans as a means of securing their frontiers.  In the 1720s a new flow of settlers comprised of Germans and Scotch-Irish made their way into Pennsylvania, then increased dramatically after the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster settled Iroquois Nation claims in the Shenandoah Valley.  It was about the same time that a German migrant, Jonathan Hager bought land in Maryland and Virginia and founded Hagerstown.  The Governors of both Maryland and Virginia began a rapid settlement in their states by awarding large land grants to individuals on the condition that they recruit specified numbers of migrants.  One such settlement gave 140,000 acres to German immigrant Jost Hite to recruit 140 families to begin a settlement in Virginia much like a similar group of Quakers who migrated from Chester County to form the new town of Winchester.  The Great Wagon Road was actually nothing more than an Indian trail for much of its length with narrow pathways more suited for individuals to walk in single file.  Eventually more people arrived on horseback with herds of cattle, carts pulled by animals and eventually the heavy-duty Conestoga wagons that became the freight-haulers of the road.

A Conestoga Wagon along the Great Wagon Road

The journey on the Great Wagon Road required fording or ferrying across rivers along the way.  The Pennsylvania portion of the road roughly followed the Great Minquas Trail used by the Lenni Lenape, Susquehnnocks and European traders.  During the middle of the eighteenth century, travelers on this route between Philadelphia and Lancaster found a stump-punctuated dirt road despite its designation as a "King's Road".  The road eventually turned south after Lancaster and York and became the Great Warriors' Path which was created and valued by Native Americans for passage through the Shenandoah Valley west of the Blue Ridge.  The Great Wagon Road  could hardly be termed a "road."  The Indian trails that it traced for much of its length originated as pathways for individuals walking single file.  But, the roads eventually grew as more traffic used the road. In places, the route consisted of not a single road, but of variations created by travelers to void hazards or to reach new destinations.  The journey also required fording or ferrying across rivers along the way. The road eventually turned south after Lancaster and York and became known to Europeans as the Great Warrior's Path, created and still valued by Native Americans for passage through the Shenandoah Valley West of the Blue Ridge.  The Great Wagon Road was designated such in 1753 on a map of the inhabited part of Virginia.  Eventually migrants came to establish farms in the broad valley between the backcountry's mountain ranges.  Towns also developed at intervals along the Great Wagon Road in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.  Spaced approximately one day's journey apart, often founded by former Pennsylvanians and at times with street grids and center squares reminiscent of Philadelphia.  Towns along the Great Wagon Road served as points of transfer for crops bound for market including wheat and flour.  Peddlers plied their trade along the road, and drovers moved herds of cattle to Philadelphia butchers.  Philadelphia merchants and banks extended credit to backcountry businesses and land investors.  The Great Wagon Road became a pathway of settlement deeper into the western frontier after 1769, when Pennsylvania-born Daniel Boone opened the Wilderness Road from North Carolina west into the territory that became Tennessee and Kentucky.  Daniel was born in the rural area of Philadelphia County that later became Berks County.  He later migrated to North Carolina with his Quaker family at the age of 15.  He gained fame as the trailblazer of the pass through the Cumberland Gap, thereby connecting the Great Wagon Road to points west.  Eventually more improved roads were built and the railroad entered the picture in the early nineteenth century.  In the 20th century, US Route 30 in Pennsylvania and US Route 11 and Interstate 81 through the Shenandoah Valley traveled the same route of the Great Wagon Road.  The old road remained a subject of interest for scholars and a source of heritage tourism, and knowledgeable locals could still point out ruts and trenches believed to be remnants of the original road that linked Philadelphia to the settlement of the backcountry South.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "From Little Richard to Roy Orbison" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Listening to a few of my old CDs from the past.   Songs from Elvis, Do Diddley and even a few from Little Richard.  Little Richard died in 2020 and was one of the most important and influential performers of the 20th century.  Little Richard has long been placed on the hypothetical "Mount Rushmore" of rock and roll.  But, he was just one of many of the pioneers and founders of rock 'n roll, blues, doo-wop and rockabilly and a few more.  It would be tough to list just a few of those who had a part in the formation of music in the 50s an 60s.  But, I can at least give you the names of a few of my all-time favorites and see if you might remember them from the past.  So...here goes.....

Little Richard:  He was known as the "Architect of Rock and Roll."  Richard Wayne Penniman combined piano virtuosity and an explosive brand of showmanship punctuated by those immortal "whoooooos."  He blasted his way through a succession of hits that drove teenagers like me crazy and terrified our parents.  A few of my favorite songs from Little Richard were "Long Tall Sally, Tutti Fruity, Good Golly Miss Molly and Lucille.

Elvis Presley:  Now, he was definitely "The King of Rock and Roll."  What's maybe more amazing is that you can invoke all of the different phrases of Elvis such as "Movie Elvis," "Early Elvis," "Army Elvis, " etc. and just about everyone knows what you mean.  When my parents heard "That's All Right" they knew they were in trouble.  

Fats Domino:  He was one fine piano man!  He grew up steeped in Creole and Catholicism and got some musical inspiration from his violin-playing father, but it was his jazz musician brother-in-law Harrison Verrett who taught him how to play piano. And, boy could he hammer those keys.  "Ain't That a Shame" made him a star never to be forgotten...at least by me!

Bo Diddley:  It takes a special kind of rock star to make your own name into a hit song such as Bo Diddley did.  It was in 1955, on The Ed Sullivan Show that I saw him for the first time.  Never forgot him!

Bill Haley & His Comets:  I know many others might think differently. but the first rock and roll record was "Rocket 88" which made it to the #1 spot on July 9, 1955.  Bill Haley & His Comets were a group from my home state of Pennsylvania, so I just had to cheer for them.

Buddy Holly:  He actually opened for Elvis in 1955 and became one of the most important figures to hold a guitar in the '50s.  "The Crickets" are what a rock band should have been with guitars, bass and a drummer.  And Buddy actually wrote his own songs which wasn't the norm for the early Rock 'n Roll era.  

The Everly Brothers:  Got to see these guys a few years ago at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, PA.  They were at odds for most of the past few years and actually arrived in separate buses.  Their style was harmony, harmony and more harmony. I just loved "Bye, Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie," and "All I Have to Do is Dream."  You have to remember all three if you were a Rock 'n Roll fanatic.  

Chubby Checker:  Saw him on "American Bandstand" after coming home from school when I was in High School in the early 1960s.  Many say he was Rock 'n Roll's first dance artist after introducing "The Twist" on TV in 1960.  He continued with hits such as "Pony Time," "The Fly," and "Limbo Rock."  I was never that good at any of those dance steps.  Just ask my friends who enjoyed laughing at me when I danced!

And...my final, but not necessarily my least favorite, was Roy Orbison:  Roy topped the Top 100 with one of my least favorites known as "Ooby Dooby."  Remember that one?  I don't!  What made him so great was his voice which always seemed on the verge of heartbreak.  Loved his black clothes with black sunglasses but then again...it was black & white TV I was watching back then so everyone was wearing black.  Some of my favorites were "Only the Lonely," "Crying," "In Dreams," and "It's Over."  And with that, I will tell you it's over.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "Sharing Our Home With Our Favorite Guests" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Sitting on my lounge chair watching TV.  Seems like it has been weeks since I did anything else but watch TV, nap, eat and type stories, since I am restricted to doing nothing for sometime due to my recent spinal cord stimulator surgery.  So, I read the morning newspaper, watch "Leave It To Beaver" and "The Price is Right" and nap.  Oh, yeah...I seem to always have one of my cats on my lap.  It's as if they take shifts keeping watch over me, making sure I don't do anything that will keep me from getting better as quickly as possible.  But, I never tell them to get off my lap, since is so calming to have a cat sit on my lap and purr just loud enough that I can hear them and at times fell the vibrations through my clothing of their purring.  The Gray Lady and Snickerdoodle are part of our family and my wife Carol and I love both of them.  I recently read a few quotes that describe cats and how they take us into their lives as much as we do them.  It was about 8,000 years ago that cats started hanging around farming communities and fed off of mice that were attracted to farm crops.  The farmers realized how lucky they were to have the cats to take care of unwanted rodents and eventually the cats became domesticated...or maybe just semi-domesticated.  Dogs offer an entire range of helpful abilities such as hunting, guarding and herding, but cats...well they tend to do their own thing.  Today cats are the most prevalent furry pet in the world.  They are eccentric and often mysterious creatures, but for many cat owners, that makes them even more lovable.  Over the past few centuries, many famous figures have expressed their love and admiration for their feline companions, just as my wife and I have done.  We wouldn't be without them and vice-versa.  The following are a few quotes that I found telling how some people feel about their cats.  Enjoy reading!

I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.

— Jules Verne

There are no ordinary cats.

— Colette

The cat is above all things, a dramatist.

— Margaret Benson, author and Egyptologist

What greater gift than the love of a cat?

— Charles Dickens

If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.

— Mark Twain

I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.

— Jean Cocteau

If you want to be a psychological novelist and write about human beings, the best thing you can do is to keep a pair of cats.

— Aldous Huxley

A cat has absolute emotional honesty. Human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.

— Ernest Hemingway

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat.

— Robert A. Heinlein

The cat does not offer services. The cat offers itself. Of course he wants care and shelter. You don’t buy love for nothing. Like all pure creatures, cats are practical.

— William S. Burroughs

If you’re feeling bad, you just look at the cats, you’ll feel better, because they know that everything is, just as it is. There’s nothing to get excited about. They just know. They’re saviors.

— Charles Bukowski

Cats know exactly where they begin and end. When they walk slowly out the door that you are holding open for them, and pause, leaving their tail just an inch or two inside the door, they know it. They know you have to keep holding the door open.

— Ursula K. Le Guin

In ancient times cats were worshiped as gods. They have not forgotten this.

— Terry Pratchett

I have lived with several Zen masters — all of them cats.

— Eckhart Tolle

I've met many irresponsible people in my life but never an irresponsible cat.

— Rita Mae Brown, author

Way down deep, we’re all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them.

— Jim Davis, creator of "Garfield"

Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are God.

— Christopher Hitchens

You can train cats to do anything they want to.

— Ricky Gervais

So...hopefully you will get the idea why my wife and I wouldn't part with our two cats that found their way to our back door a few years ago and are now residents of our house just as we are.  And...we love them dearly!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

 

The "Wonderful Well-Wishes From A Friend" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The mailman had just made a stop at the end of the driveway and my wife walked to the mailbox to gather the envelopes he had left.  One piece of mail was a business-sized envelope addressed to me.  As soon as I saw the printing on the front of the envelope I knew exactly whom had sent me the envelope.  I quickly opened the envelope and staring back at me was the neatest hand-drawn card by one of my wife's best friends, Marg.  She had made me a greeting card to cheer me up after having returned from our local hospital after having back surgery to insert a Spinal Cord Stimulator.  Marg and Carol met 51 years ago in a Lamaze class at St. Joseph Hospital in Lancaster, PA.  The two became quick friends and have been friends ever since.  Wasn't long after they met that they both gave birth to sons.  We quickly learned that Marg had a talent for drawing and illustrating when we began to receive cards for birthdays, holidays and just about any occasion that would require a greeting card.  Marg is extremely talented and Carol and I both love the cards she designs and illustrates.  Some of her beautiful cards are done in watercolor while others are done with colored pencils.  Doesn't matter what medium she chooses to make her cards...they are always beautiful and well made.  The card I just opened was done in pen and ink and color was added with watercolor...or so it appears. 

Marg's latest greeting card!

As you can see, I have no hair...on the card as well as in real life,  and she dressed me in a beautiful watercolor Hawaiian shirt.  I have close to a dozen beautiful Hawaiian shirts that I have purchased on a few of the Hawaiian islands during several trips Carol and I have taken to Hawaii with our friends, Jere and Sue.  Marg usually makes a comment when I wear one of my Hawaiian shirts when we stop to visit with them from time to time.  I wish I could have found a shirt like the one she depicted on the front of my card.  Love the colors as well as the design.  Receiving a card such as this really perks me up after a few days of being "down in the dumps" after surgery.  The following is what she had lettered on the inside of my card...

I sat my new greeting card from Marg on our kitchen table next to another card that she had just made and sent to my wife a few weeks ago.  Marg loves to create cards and her artistic talent is unlimited.  The card that she had sent to my wife was on white card stock and made with colored pencils and featured the images of four women, two on the left that have short hair and two on the right with much longer hair which she made in yarn.  Marg has a wonderful imagination and Carol and I just love to receive her greeting cards at any time of the year.  Thanks for all your time, ambition and creativity Marg!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

 

The "Your Favorite Grandma With Her Apron" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at a photograph from years ago that features a few women wearing aprons as they worked in the kitchen.  One of them was my grandmother on my father's side.  We all called her Nan-nan and it seems that when she was younger she always had an apron around her neck to protect herself from getting food and dirt on her pretty dress.  My mom was much the same and seemed to always have an apron in place around her neck during holidays when the family gathered at my mom and dad's house for the holiday meal whether it be Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving.  So...as I type this story it doesn't seem unnatural that my wife has an apron draped around her neck to protect herself from the spaghetti sauce that always seems to get all over your clothing while preparing spaghetti for the family.  A few years ago I published a story showing you a few of her aprons which she had made herself from fabric that she had chosen for herself.  Since then our children have given her a few new ones to add to her collection of aprons.  Now before I go on...do you know what an apron really is?  If so, do your children know what an apron might be.  Do they, or you, know what an apron might be used for around the house?

Someone's grandmother wearing her apron.

I guess I should tell you that it is meant to keep your dress or skirt and blouse from getting dirty.  But, that is only one reason to wear an apron.  Other reasons would be: for carrying eggs to the kitchen from the chicken coop, to carry all sorts of vegetables to the kitchen from the garden, to bring in apples that had fallen from the tree in the back yard, to supply hiding places for shy children, to serve as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven, to clean dirty ears and dry children's tears, to carry the hulls of the peas to the trash can, to wipe a perspiring brow and to quickly dust furniture when company arrives unexpectedly.  I can remember my mother baking pies and she used her apron to remove it from the hot oven and place it under the pie on the window sill in our kitchen.  So, by now you can see how many germs that apron must hold by the time the meal has been made and everything has been cleaned up at the end of the meal.  But you know...I doubt that anyone ever got sick from anything they came in contact with our mom's apron.  Today my wife uses her apron to hold the hot cookie sheets while removing them from the oven with her great collection of cookies she makes for just about ever holiday and a few non-holidays.  And, it seems whenever she has her apron on she finds some unusual reason for using it.  Of course, that's why you wear an apron...to find someway you can use it.  No sense washing a clean apron!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy

The "Those Were The Best Times Of My Life" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My local newspaper brought back quite a few memories as I read the weekly feature known as "Through The Viewfinder."  This feature explores the art of black-and-white photography as well as color photography as seen through the lenses of the remarkable group of staff photographers that are employed by LNP News.  I have written about the dozen or so photographers that have worked for the newspaper over the past 30 to 40 years and the quality of work that can be seen in our daily newspaper.  

The weekly feature column known as "Through The Viewfinder"

At first all the photos were in black and white, but with the introduction of color printing presses for newspaper printing, the photography is now in both color and black and white.  The weekly photography feature that appears every Sunday on page 2 supplies me with memories of both current photographic processes as well as processes from the past.  I taught the art of photography to high school seniors for close to 30 years and the Sunday, March 6 feature article took me back to my teaching days when we worked with film cameras.  Not just 35mm black and white film, but 4"X5" sheet film cameras.  From time to time someone would donate a large format camera to the school and I would add it to the school collection.  My students loved working in black and white format being that they had total control of what they were doing in the darkroom.  They had to load pieces of 4"X5" film into film holders in the dark, put the film holder in the camera, compose their subject in the viewfinder, pull out the film slide and expose the film to the light of their subject.  Afterwards they would have to remove the film and develop the negative in the dark.

An old 4X5 sheet film camera

After fixing and washing the piece of film they would hang them to dry and then make their print on one of the three enlargers that were big enough to hold the 4"X5" negative.  Talk about learning!  The day they invented digital cameras was one of  the saddest days of my life!  Today anyone can claim to be a photographer, but back in the late 1900s you had to be taught how to compose, expose the film, develop the film and print the film on an enlarger with darkroom chemicals.  Now that was Photography!!  I can still see the excitement on the faces of my students as they made their prints from the negatives they had recently developed.  From time to time I still will hear...Mr. Woods...Mr. Woods!  And...when I turn around there will stand one of my students who will in turn say to me..."Remember when we used to load our own film in the dark, develop it and then make our own prints?  I still have a couple of them hanging on the wall in my house.  Kinda like a piece of history hanging in the living room!"  Well, you know...I am the same way.  I can still remember going to Millersville State Teachers College in the early-mid 1960s and taking Photograph I and II with Mr. Urban Monical.  He was a tall, skinny guy, much like myself, who loved the art of photography and you could tell it in the way he taught his classes.  When I talked Manheim Township High School Industrial Arts department chairman Mr. George Ehemann into allowing me to teach photography, I was in darkroom heaven.  Well, this past Sunday's "Through The Viewfinder" story dealt with 4"X5" sheet film and how to load it, develop it and print it.  The newspaper photographer who wrote the column did a great job.  I could understand everything he wrote...but, then again it sounded exactly like the lessons I taught in high school.  Andy Blackburn talked about loading the film into the film holder, placing it in the Kodak Speed Graphic 4X5 camera, taking a reading with a light meter, setting the camera to those readings and exposing the film.  He then went on to tell his readers about how you develop and print the photographs.  I must admit he did a great job!  The photograph that accompanies my story today shows the result of his photo shot as well as a glimpse of the camera which he used.  You know...if I hadn't sold all my old box cameras as well as my film holders I just might have given it a try again.  A true photographer never forgets how he learned the art of photography.  Might have also tried to find a few rolls of 35mm black and white film and loaded them in a camera to take black and white photos just one more time!  You know...I can still close my eyes and see the smiling faces of my students when the safelights came on and they saw their black and white photographs develop right in front of their eyes.  Photos they had just taken a short time before and were seeing them in a tray of developer magically appear in front of them.  Who wouldn't want to teach someone the art of photography and see the faces of their students as their photos developed.  Something I will never forget!!  And you know...I still have a bunch of black and white prints that some of my students gave me as a thank you for teaching them the magical art of photography.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "Could You Set Your Sight On A World Record?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article in my local newspaper that was written by Lancaster's Connor Hollinger who writes for Lancaster News Paper.  Story was about a 30-year-old fellow who graduated from Hempfield High School which is where my grandson is currently a high school Junior.  Fellow's name is Alessandro Pagliai who plans on setting out on a 30,000-mile, five year unicycling trip around the world.  Yes, you read that right...a five-year, 30,000 mile trip on a unicycle.  Can you imagine how many times his legs will have to rotate around his one and only axle to achieve his goal?  But, if he completes his mission he will set a Guinness World Record for the longest unicycle journey.  The current record was set by Lars Clausen who set the record in 2002 when he covered 9,126 miles while crossing the USA two times.  Another unicyclist, Edward Pratt, who is a British unicyclist, rode about 21,000 miles around the world in 2015, but it isn't a record journey, since it wasn't documented as needed.  Alessandro plans to take his 20-year-old nephew, Corby Trego with him.  Corby will be riding a mountain bike and will video the entire trip for his uncle's social media page as well as help in carrying the camping gear which would be a monumental task for a guy on a  unicycle.  Pagliai credits his nephew for his interest in the unicycle.  

Photo taken by Connor Hollinger for
Lancaster Newspaper/Lancasteronline. 

Seems one day his nephew asked him to teach him how to ride a unicycle so Pagliai had to buy himself a unicycle to learn how to ride it before teaching his nephew how to ride it.  The trip will begin on April 30 in Washington, D.C. and will take the two relatives on the Great American Rail Trail system to Illinois then to bicycle Route 66 until they reach Santa Monica, California.  Next comes the Pan-Am Highway south through Mexico, Central and South America to Argentina where they will fly to Portugal where they will pedal through Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.  They plan to travel 35-55 miles a day...if possible.  Alessandro credits Ed Pratt and Ryan Van Duzer, both unicyclists who have shared their experiences with Pagliai.  The longest trip that Pagliai has taken to date is a 200-mile trip on the C&O canal Trail and Gap Trail.  He recently has been trying to take longer trips for practice for his upcoming journey.  He needs to train his legs as well as researching the locations they will hit on their journey.  Everyone is hoping the duo of uncle and nephew will be successful in their journey, but even if they are not successful, just the idea of setting your sights so high will make their journey successful.  I'll be anxious to see some of the video when they return.  Perhaps they will return to Hempfield High School for a presentation.  I know I will be there if they do so.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Story Written By A High School Senior"

 Foreword: Every Sunday my local newspaper publishes stories written by local high school students on a variety of topics.  The heading at the top of the page in very large type reads "generation Z(eal)" and is devoted to the opinions of young Lancasterians.  I found that one of the recent stories was not only interesting, but told how those Lancasterians who live in a small town feel about being a child of divorced parents.  Please read on...

I was 8 when I heard my dad's truck leave late at night.  I remember trying to wake the next morning, as if from a bad dream.  Mom told me that she and Dad wouldn't be living under the same roof anymore.  Kids around the world are growing up in single-parent homes, so this wasn't something uniquely traumatic to my life alone.  A staggering percentage of marriages end in divorce and it isn't unusual to find kids switching between parents' houses every week.  Divorces happen for lots of reasons and at pivotal times in kids' lives.   Despite the vows of "till death do us part," there's no warranty on marriage...no promise of 10 years or 20 years or satifaction guaranteed.  In a 2014 paper for the Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research, Kirstn Glaeser wrote:  "It is well known that the impact of a divorce has a negative influence on the children within the home". Talk about an understatement.  Unfortunately, I believe that these negative influences are much more prevalent and pronounced for kids growing up in small religious towns were everyone sees each other at church on Sunday and gossips about the latest drama.  Some Christian churches teach that divorce is a sin.  In Malaci 2:16, God literally says: "I hate divorce."  Unfortunately, church doctrine like that hurts confused and damaged me in a way that my parents' divorce never did.  I remember waiting in the cafeteria lunch line for my chicken nuggets when a friend casually announced: "God doesn't like that your parents are divorced.  We can't be friends anymore."  As if the emotional burdens of our parents' divorce weren't weighty enough for kids--now we're social outcasts in the Christian community, too?   Kids like me, in religious towns all across this country, unjustly carry the stigma of divorce. And I struggle to understand why.  We are innocent bystanders in adult drama.  Teachers I respect in the school have told me: "You're a good kid.  I'd have no idea your parents are divorced."  What a discouraging thing to say. I'm sure they meant well, but the implicit message was that they expect me, a byproduct of a "broken" home, to be a troublemaker, or to struggle academically or socially.  How did I end up so respectful?  Why did I invest myself in excelling in academics and extracurriculars?  I understand that many adults in the Christian community have firm stances on moral issues like abortion, the death penalty and even divorce.  Their minds are made up and not much can sway them from what they've been believing for years.  Adapting to new or evolving social norms isn't seen as an option.  Unfortunately, gossiping about divorced parents and their children will not make the issue go away.  Instead it makes life far worse for the children.  It makes them feel isolated and marginalized in the one place that  should have stayed normal.  The church is meant to provide comfort and help to those who are hurt snd suffering --- especially children.  How conveniently some forget the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: "If anyone causes these little ones --- those who believe in me -- to stumble,  it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."  Children aren't the cause of their parents' divorce, and they shouldn't be punished for it.  Children of divorce suffer enough heartache as it is.  The vicious judgment from moralizing peers and adults in the religious community needs to stop.  

 Written by Bryna Kelly, 12th grade, Garden Spot High School.  Unless you have gone through a life-altering event such as Bryna has, you can never know the pain it has brought to her over her short lifetime.  And...it seems that the places where she should have gotten help, her church and her school, never gave it to her!  I taught school for 30 years and was a loyal member of my church, and during that time I tried to be make myself open for those students that needed extra help with their lives.  I never judged them because of the problems they encountered in their home life.  And, after reading the story written by Bryna in my newspaper, I only hope I was of help to my students when they needed it most.   Bryna is a senior at Garden Spot High School, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  She is far wise beyond her years!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "They Don't Need To Talk...Mental Telepathy Works Just As Well" Story.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in my lounge chair with my small furry cat, known as The Gray Lady, on my lap.  

The Gray Lady

I believe she suspects that something may be wrong in her household.  Funny how cats can do that.  I am having surgery today to insert a spinal cord stimulator in my back and I am feeling uneasy about it and this sweet cat sitting on my lap for the past couple of hours knows it also.  Every now and again she will kneed me with her soft paws to let me know she is still in my lap.  Carol and I have had a few dogs during our married life, but none were as understanding and loving as the many cats we called our pets.  The Gray Lady showed up at our back door a few years ago and wanted in the door in the worst way, but at the time we had another stray, Snickerdoodle, that we had befriended and was housed in our den at the time.  

The Gray Lady and Snickerdoodle

The Gray Lady just didn't give up and it wasn't long before we opened the back door for her also.  Our two furry friends have totally different personalities with The Gray Lady wanting to sit on your lap all the time while Snickerdoodle would rather find soft places where he can be by himself.  The two have grown up together, but The Gray Lady stopped growing a long time ago while Snickerdoodle has continued to grow.  

The Gray Lady and Snickerdoodle helping me type this story.

Snickerdoodle enjoys our company in the family room, but doesn't enjoy being held, while The Gray Lady "must" be on someone's lap at all times.  The history of cats began about 8,000 years ago when they began hanging around farming communities hoping to feed off mice and rats that were attracted to the farmer's crops.  The humans were glad to have them to help with their rodent problems.  This was said to have been the beginning of domestication...or perhaps semi-domestication.  It is known that dogs offered a full range of helpful abilities over the years to their human handlers, but cats...well, not so much.  

Snickerdoodle

Seems that cats have always tended to do their own thing while dogs helped with the hunting, guarding and herding on the farms.  Dog breeds are mostly 500 years old while cat breeds only emerged within the last half century.  But, today, cats are the most prevalent furry pet in the world.  Cats tend to be eccentric and often mysterious creatures, but for many cat owners, such as Carol and I, that's what makes them more lovable.  I recently read a few quotes from famous people who have cats as their house guests.  A few read like this...

I believe cats to be spirits come to earth.  A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.   Jules Verne

What greater gift than the love of a cat?     Charles Dickens

If a man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.     Mark Twain

I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.      Jean Cocteau 

A cat has absolute emotional honesty.  Human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.    Ernest Hemingway

If you're feeling bad, just look at the cats, you'll feel better, because they know that everything is, just as it is.  There's nothing to get excited about.  They just know.  They're saviors.   Charles Bukowski

Cats know exactly where they begin and end.  When they walk slowly out the door that you are holding open for them, and pause, leaving their tail just an inch or two inside the door, they know it.  They know you have to keep holding the door open!    Ursula K. Le Guin

In ancient times cats were worshiped as gods.  They have not forgotten this.                  Terry Pratchett

Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges.  Cats have the courage to live by them.    Jim Davis, creator of "Garfield"

You can train cats to do anything they want to.  Amen!    Ricky Gervais

OK...someone has their paws on my keyboard, reading what I have just typed.  Not sure if he is happy with what I have written or might want to add a few lines.  Finally...he steps off the keys and walks next to me and licks my face.  I know that he is happy with what I just finished writing.

One final photo of The Gray Lady

He now will try to find the Gray Lady so the two of them can sit at my feet, rubbing against me until I get them lunch.  It's almost as if they can talk.  But, then again, mental telepathy works just as well for them.  "Time for lunch" I tell them as they head to the corner of the kitchen where their water dish sits on the floor as I open the cupboard that reveals their cans of food.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - I know that when I return from my surgery my friends will be waiting to greet me and via for a spot on my lap.  They seem to know just how to cheer me up when I need it the most!

The "Would Have Loved To Have Owned This Piece Of Auto History" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Headed east on Route 23 toward the Shady Maple Restaurant when I saw it out of the corner of my eye.  Sitting in front of a bodyshop was this beautiful 1952 Chevrolet Coupe with chrome that caused the sunlight to reflect off the bumpers right back at me.  I assumed that it had been in the body shop for some work and the beautiful paint job reminded me of the two-tone beach white and bittersweet colors that a friend of mine used to have when we were both in college.  Just had to turn around and take a better look at it before continuing along my journey.  

Front plate told me it was a 1952 with plate that would have expired in 1953.

Sure enough, the coupe was a 1952 Chevy coupe.  In 1952 the Chevrolet coupes rested on a 115-inch wheelbase and had a length of 197.75 inches while the station wagons were slightly longer at just over 198 inches.  They used a box grinder frame with semi-elliptic rear springs and a knee-action front suspension setup with direct double-acting shock absorbers.  The car had two different straight six engines available that year.  

Beautiful colors with rear backup lights.

One was the 216.5 cubic inch with 92 horsepower and a 235.5 cubic inch with 105 horsepower.  I have no idea which engine this car might have had or even if it still had the original engine in it.  Well, I stopped in the shop and asked if I could take a few photos of the car, both inside and outside.  Fellow told me he didn't mind so I headed back out the door.  

This photo shows the extra Crome work around the rear fender and wide whitewall tires.

Years and years ago I had a 1958 Chevy Impala convertible that I had a few changes made to the engine an also had my uncle paint the car a bright white.  It was a stick-shift, but only a three-speed.  I went to the local junk yard and found a grill that had bright chrome bullets across it and inserted it in the front of the car.  Removed the stock tail-lights and made my own in the plastics shop at Millersville State Teachers College where I was a student.  

Interior shows added turn signal unit.  Great colors enhance the interior.

Car looked neat when I put the top down on it and took a ride in it.  Well...this 1952 that I was standing in front of was pretty neat also and had a perfect interior and exterior.  Nothing fancy, just a perfect stock interior with an automatic transmission.  I did notice that it had a turn-signal unit added to the steering column which made me suspect that the 1952 car may not have had turn signals when they were made.  Loved the colors of the interior and also the dice that hung from the mirror.  It came equipped with an AM radio.  The car had an antique license plate on the back with a 1952 plate on the front that would have expired March 31, 1953.  

Spotlights on either side of the car can be seen above the mirrors.

Then it struck me...the car probably wasn't in for mechanical problems, but for state inspection.  One way or another...the car was beautiful and I wish it would have been going back to my house instead of someplace else.  Oh well, maybe someday!  Jumped back in my car and headed toward Shady Maple for photos for another story I already shared with you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "We All Have Heroes In Our Life!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just trying to answer an online question that was given to me by a site known as STORYWORTH asking me "What famous people have I met in the past and how did I meet them?"  I in turn presented the question to my wife and the two of us tried to make a list of famous people that we have known during our lifetimes.  Some of the people we met during our 55 years of marriage while a few others I had met before we were married.  And... the following people were famous in our eyes while they might be people whom you never met or heard of during your lifetime.  So, with that in mind...check out our candidates for people who were famous and unforgettable in our eyes during our lifetime.  

Frank McConnell:  Mr. Frank McConnell assumed his duties as organist and choirmaster of St. James' Episcopal Church on February 1, 1944.  He previously was the assistant at St. Thomas' Church in New York  City.  He was in effect a leader and a musician of the highest type, a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists.  He continued the annual Lenten Organ Recitals that were begun by the previous choirmaster in 1911.  While singing in the boy's choir at St. James, he made me the lead choirboy even though I didn't have the best voice in the choir.  I also was his page turner for his organ recitals and was given the job of changing the boards on the church walls that held the hymn numbers each week.  He was an unbelievable organist and when my wife and I were married he did a remarkable job, according to those who can still remember that day.  To me he will always be a hero in my eyes!

Caleb Bucher:  Mr. Bucher was the Principal of Brecht Elementary School where I was a student during my elementary years.  He lived in a house a few blocks from my childhood home and knew my parents quite well.  He never married, so my mother would ask him for supper many times during each school year as well as the summer months.  He eventually earned his Dr. degree in education and taught at Millersville State Teacher's College.  I ended up teaching many years in the same school district where he was my elementary Principal as well as my hero.

Wilt Chamberlain:  "Wilt the Stilt" was a famous professional basketball player and was one of my sports heroes.  There weren't too many players in professional basketball at the time that  were his height.  I can still remember sitting in the Hershey Park Arena when he scored 100 points in a professional basketball game.  Wilt had 41 points by halftime and 69 at the end of the third quarter.  We were all yelling "Give it to Wilt."  With one minute left he got the ball and hit 100 with his "alley-oop" shot.  Fans went nuts and Wilt stood in the center ring until the game ended.  Something I will never forget.  

Johnny Unitas:  Most remember Johnny for his football skills, but for me, I remember him as a dad.  Our youngest son played ice hockey on a traveling team when he was in high school.  One game happened go be against a team from Baltimore, MD.  Carol and I were in the stands when she grabbed my arm and pointed to the front door of the rink.  There was Johnny coming in the front door.  He went to the other side of the rink and took a seat halfway up the bleachers.  Well, I just had to go make a visit.  I walked over, climbed the bleacher seats and asked if I could sit with him.  He pounded at the bench next to him and before long we were talking about our sons who were out on the ice.  Never brought up football and to this day I still believe that its the reason he enjoyed talking with me for as long as he did that day.

Peter Frampton:  Ever hear of this guy?  Fantastic musician who came to Lancaster often to practice at Clair Bros. Audio in nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania.  At the time I was the advisor of the high school yearbook where I taught.  The book was just about complete except for the cover.  Naturally...the theme for the book that year was music.  What could be a better cover for the book than a photo of Frampton and his band.  Found out he was going to practice on the high school stage since it was larger than the stage at Clair Bros.  I called and asked Roy Clair, a friend of mine from college, to ask Peter if he would mind if we took a photo during practice.  I called our professional photographer, Ken Long, who got there instantly, and took some great photos.  We got Peter to sign a piece of paper which we superimposed over the photo on the cover of the yearbook.  I was pretty sure there were no other yearbooks in the country like the one we had that year  

Bankie Banks:  Bankie is a musician who lives on the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean.  Carol and I have heard his songs for many years while traveling throughout the Caribbean.  We made a day trip to Anguilla while on vacation in Sint Maarten and thought we would visit Bankie's outdoor nightclub while we were there.  

Bankie with Carol and me.

Lunchtime when we got there and the place was just about empty except for one person...Bankie.  We had the best time talking with him that day.  He had recently hosted Jimmy Buffett and his band and we asked him question after question about his friend Jimmy.  He held up his hand and disappeared for a few minutes and returned with a Jimmy Buffett shirt for me.  We returned a few more times since that visit years ago and he always seems to remember us when we visit.  Great guy as well as a great musician.

Paul Elliott Thuleau:  And lastly...my final hero is an extremely talented artist by the name of Paul Thuleau who has an art gallery in the St. Martin village known as Grand Case.  Paul is not only a fantastic artist, but a very handsome guy.  That alone would make him a hero to many.  

Paul holding a print we purchased from him.

Paul lists himself as a landscape painter who paints the sea, tropical light and mostly facades of creole houses.  But, he does more than just paint the appearance of creole houses.  He paints the breeze passing through the open windows and the sweetness of the air.  He also paints the bewitching breath of the waters of the Orient.  To many, including myself, he is a hero who shares his artistic talent with all those who visit with him in Grand Case.

Think back in time to all the heroes that you might have had in your lifetime.  Why were they special to you?  What did you learn from them?  Will you always remember them as special?  I've never talked with anyone who didn't have at least one hero in their life, be it a friend or a relative.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "57 Gadgets & Items Popular With Seniors" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Checking my online mail to see how much junk I got today.  One of the emails was a "Reader's Digest Read Up" email that I get all the time.   Most times I automatically delete them, but today I decided to read the story titled "57 Gadgets & Items Popular With Seniors."  Being a 'Senior', I was interested in what I might find interesting that I haven't read about in the past.  The first item was a "PhotoStick" that could do a video scan of all my files on my computer to find all of my photographs.  Once the stick finds the photos, it places every single photo and video on the "PhotoStick."  Now...that's pretty neat!  Another item was a device that could hold my toothbrush and kill all the germs on it after I placed my toothbrush in it. The device was known as "Bril" and is a registered class III medical device with the FDA.  It has a UV light in it to kill germs on the head of my toothbrush which in turn would protect me from germs, viruses and harmful bacteria.  Another device was a program where you could type in any name, wait 2 minutes and see instant matches.  You could type in your name and Viola! any place on the Internet that carries your name would show on your screen.  Old social media accounts and blogs, speeding tickets, criminal records, assists, etc. are all located with a push of a key.  Nah...that something I don't need!  But, maybe the self-washing bed sheets that can save me time and money and provide me with a healthier sleep might be something I could use.  They are called Miracle sheets and fight bacteria, regulate temperature and prevent the growth of odor-generating bacteria.  They told me that it is the natural bacteria fighting silver that is the key to providing a cool, comfortable an healthy night of sleep.  Nah...I like the old dirty sheets with my own smell on them!  Another item is a battery-powered pump that inflates the tires on your car, bike, etc. without having a cord attached to it.  I no longer would have a need for a bicycle pump or to stop at the gas station for air.  The device adds air to my tires until it matches the correct PSI.  How it does that is not described, but it sounds pretty neat.  I may have to look into one of these items.  Then there is an Australian-made device that gives your lungs an increase in lung capacity.  Says it is great for asthma & viruses.  Called AirPhysio and is a certified FDA item that can loosen the phlegm in my chest.  But, what else does it loosen?  Nah, I passed on this one.  Then there is this device that you wrap around your neck and in minutes, any pain you have from texting with the wrong posture or watching TV in the wrong position will automatically be gone.  Looks pretty neat and I may have to do some more reading about this one.  How about this one...do you have trouble with getting to sleep at night?  This device will put you to sleep in less than 8 minutes.  Now...I can fall asleep in less than five minutes, so I bypassed reading about this one.  Then there was a device you could use on your toilet that will clean you better than toilet paper and can save you money.  They first asked me if I clean my dirty dishes with just a dry towel and smear the dirty food around?  Same when you wipe yourself with toilet paper!  Why not wash the waste away first?  Wow...I can just see the floor of my bathroom with this device after I'm done using it.  Then there is something called a "donut" that is a universal device stand to hold just about any device ever built.  Now...that one does look neat and I think I could use one of these.  Then there is the "Kailo" which is a reusable pain patch that can provide natural relief without any effects.  Their study said that pain can be reduced by 71% with the use of this patch.  The patch uses nanotechnology to communicate with your pain receptors.  Makes sense, but why did it take so long for someone to develop it?  Makes me wonder.  Then there was this device that can digitize all my old photo and videos and protect them forever.  I must send my photos, albums, etc to the folks at iMemories who will turn them into digital files and return then to me.  Yeah...and what if they mix them up with someone else?  How about something that I can use to fix just about everything and don't have to get out my super glue.  It's a "plastic welding" tool that can repair anything.  Looks neat if it really does work.  Well, the list of items goes on and on and many look as if they would work...but why haven't I seen them before now?  Hey...if you're interested...pick up a Reader's Digest and read it yourself.  Or...you could check out a Reader's Digest at your local store and check out the article before you buy it.  If you see something that might work for you...than you can buy the magazine.  Good luck with whatever you may try.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "I Learned There Was More Than One Reason To Learn How To Type" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story in the "Baltimore Sun" newspaper dated December 27, 1992 that told of collectible typewriter-ribbon tins that held ribbons used in manual typewriters.  These tins.....be they square, round, oblong, rectangular or triangular-shaped were once mass produced.  These tins were once made from the late 1800s through the 1960s and were later replaced with the more blah-looking cardboard and plastic packs we know today.  The earliest typewriter tins were flat rather than three-dimensional since typewriters didn't use spools but flat ribbons.  

At first the tins were made to hold ribbons that measured about 1 1/2 inches wide.  These early tins had a high collectors' value from $15 to $30.  The value of the tins is usually based on how interesting and attractive the tin might be.  The very attractive "Panama" series of tins, showing airplanes and maps of Panama, are often over-priced since they are the most common tins to be found.  There is actually an Early Typewriter Collectors Association located in Los Angles, California where you can write to find out about your metal typewriter ribbon tins.  

I came upon a few beautiful ribbon tins and though I may be interested in collecting some of them.  But then I thought...I'm getting ready to move to a retirement community and need to discard as much as I can....so I decided against collecting them.  I can still remember back when I was in 9th grade and taking a typing class.  Had no idea why my parents thought I needed typing as a 15 year-old when most in the class were girls.  

This looked similar to what I learned on in 9th grade.

But, it was they who knew what they were doing since I not only learned how to type about 80WPM (words per minute) which has been a godsend while typing this blog for years and years, and because I got to know all the girls whom I had not known in the past due to being so shy.  At the time we used manual typewriters that required a ribbon and I got pretty good at replacing ribbons on my...as well as quite a few of the girls in my class...typewriter.  I could type about 70wpm (words per minute) which qualified me for a "C" in my class.  And, my teacher requested...through my high school principal, that I no longer should be in the typing class the following year.  And, the two main reasons that bothered me was the fact that there were mostly girls in the class and the school was getting electric typewriters the following year.  I still do remember, from that one year in typing class, the containers that the ribbons came in.  

All of them were heavy cardboard and made a mess when you had to replace the ribbons.  And...what good re-blooded guy wouldn't help their female classmates put a new ribbon on their typewriter if it ran out of ink?  I'm almost positive that they don't make typewriters with ribbons on them anymore.  And...do they really make typewriters anymore?  Well, when I saw typewriter ribbon tins at a antique shop abut a year ago, I was hooked on the neat tins that hold the ribbons.  I often thought it would make something neat to collect, but I'm too old to collect anything anymore other than Tylenol, aspirin, etc. bottles.  If you are in need of collecting something to help pass the time, typewriter ribbon tins are an inexpensive item you could collect.  And, it seems that they are easy to find if you do a  bit of searching.  Well, how did I do with my typing?  Did you find any mistakes in my typing today?  Did I misspell anything?  It was only a few year ago that I realized that my computer corrected just about everything that I type, spelling wise.  It usually doesn't correct my punctuation and my sentence composition and when and where I should be using a capital letter.  If I only had had this stuff when I was in 9th grade, I may have had an "A" in the class.  But then again...the girls in my class wouldn't have had a reason to ask me to help them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.