I'm a member of the Dairy Queen Blizzard Fan Club and get promotional emails monthly. This month I received the birthday buy-one get-one free coupon for my favorite ice cream treat.
Friday I went to DQ and got my two M&M blizzards to celebrate. One was devoured that day and the other one went into the freezer for later. Sunday night was - later.
They were both June's tasty treats!
Formed in 1981, the group is famous for their rock and roll oldies from the days of poodle skirts and saddle shoes, which I remember well. The group has performed all over the country, Canada and the Caribbean.
Rick Frye, pictured top right in the photo, died unexpectedly in January 2007. His brother Mark is still with the band. Steve Cabot (right front of photo) is the only original founding member left from 1981. Yet the group still keeps the oldies sounds alive for us "oldies."
There is a wealth of musical talent in the current group with many musical instruments and a variety of sounds, including Elvis and the Four Seasons. They are playing at the fairgrounds in town tonight. I wonder if I'll get to see them again?
I was looking through some old photographs and found several autographed items. I remember when I saw Johnny Paycheck in person when he was singing at the Paint Valley Jamboree in Bainbridge, Ohio many years ago. I got him to autograph this photo outside at his tour bus after waiting a short time in line.
Donald Eugene Lytle, his birth name, was born in Greenfield, Ohio and he died February 19, 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 64.
His photo reminded me of his most famous song TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT. It brought back a memory from 1995 when I was working at the local radio station as the office manager. It was billing night and I was working late one Friday night. The only other person in the building was the D.J. on duty. The sports announcer was at a local high school game which was to be broadcast live sometime between 6-7pm.
I remember the D.J. put on Johnny Paycheck's record and walked by my desk saying he was going next door for a coke. The radio station was next door to a gas station where various sodas and snacks were sold. After a few minutes, I heard the same song start again and the D.J. had not returned yet. When TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT started to play for the third time in succession, I looked out the front window and the D.J.'s car was gone. I knew then he used that record as his swan song - he had walked out on his job.
I called the station manager and the sports reporter was calling in to the station wanting to know why the same song was playing and when the D.J. was going to flip the switch to get the ballgame on the air.
I called the morning D.J. and told him of the situation and asked him which button on the panel would get the traffic routed to the live sports game. He told me which buttons on which panel to switch and before long, TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT was off the air and the game was on - live.
The station manager showed up and called in another D.J. to cover the rest of the shift. I know I will never forget that song and its true meaning that night.
World War II was in progress
Smokey Bear was introduced to the world by the U.S. Forest Service
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet debuted on radio
A liquified natural gas explosion destroyed a square mile of Cleveland, Ohio
The Great Atlantic Hurricane made landfall in New York City
The start of the Dutch Famine in occupied northern part of the Netherlands
F.D. Roosevelt was re-elected to a fourth term as president
The movie National Velvet was released staring Elizabeth Taylor
Bandleader Glenn Miller's private plane disappeared over the English Channel.
and
The Holocaust was still in progress (which was the Germans attempt to get rid of all "inferior races"; six million Jews were killed)
I share my milestone year with:
Joe Frazier, boxer
Shelley Fabares, actress
Stockard Channing
Jerry Springer, former mayor of Cincinnati and TV personality
Diana Ross
Ken Howard
Tony Orlando
Len Goodman, ballroom dancer, host Dancing With The Stars
Patti LaBelle
Rudy Giuliani
Gladys Knight
Richard Belzer, Law & Order
Barry White, singer
Michael Douglas
Danny DeVito
Brenda Lee
and
I share the same month with Gary Busey.
The past seven decades have been one experience after another, educational, heart-breaking events, and good times. I look forward to my next decade! And like Hank Thompson:
Of course, he couldn't exactly drive straight or stay below the speed limit. Two policemen pulled him over and demanded a sobriety test. They asked him to walk a straight line, and he failed.
They began to take him with them, but suddenly they received a call on their walkie-talkies, asking them to go to another part of town. They asked the man to be patient while they called someone else to cover for them. But the man grew tired of waiting and, after a few minutes, drove home.
He got in bed and said to his wife, who had been waiting for him, "If any policemen come looking for me, tell them I'm not home yet." The wife agreed, somewhat confused and a little embarrassed.
No sooner than her husband fell asleep did she hear a knock at the door. Sure enough, it was the two policemen. They asked about her husband, and she replied that he wasn't home. Then they asked to check her garage.
Puzzled, she agreed. She opened up the garage for them--and there sat the policemen's squad car, lights still flashing.
I grew up listening to the hit tunes played by D.J. Casey Kasem who was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Lebanese immigrants. Kasem was also a radio personality and voice artist.
I also watched The Golden Girls television show weekly and even now watch the reruns. It was one of my favorites. Actress Estelle Getty was born in New York to Polish immigrants and played Sophia Petrillo on the show.
Kasem died at age 82 on June 15, 2014, and Getty died at age 84 on July 22, 2008. Kasem was vegan and a political liberal. Getty was Jewish, but played a devout Catholic on the show.
Getty wrote an autobiography entitled “If I Knew Then, What I Know Now...So What?” She was also a supporter of gay rights.
They were similar in that they were both first diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which later was found to be false. They both had Lewy body disease/dementia, clumps of certain proteins in neurons of the body.
Lewy body disease (LBD) symptoms clinically overlap with Parkinson's disease and are often misdiagnosed as such. Lewy body disease is a degeneration of cognitive function, degeneration of motor control, with a rapid or acute onset. It progresses more rapidly than Alzheimers.
Caregiving to patients is important because dramatic swings between good and bad days, high and low cognitiveness, and movement problems are common. Sharp changes in behavior and health can be triggered by changes in the daily routine or home environment.
In my opinion, after researching this disease recently, Jean Thompson Kasem made a big mistake in moving Casey Kasem from a California nursing home to the State of Washington to keep him away from his three children from his first marriage. The move triggered a rapid decline in his quality of life and health. I don't think Jean realized the consequences of her actions. It reminds me of the dumb-blonde character, Loretta, she played in the Cheers TV series.
Another well-known victim of LBD was William Stiles Bennet II, a son and grandson of Congressmen from New York, and one of the original inventors of Yoplait yogurt.
Being broke can teach us a few things about ourselves, our friends, and human conditions. It's an emotional roller coaster. The best things about being broke as hell are:
Your bank is a comedian.
The idea of a 401(k) is just a joke, and so is retirement.
You've learned to cope with anxiety because it drives you into the stages of grief:
Bank account denial
Bank account anger
Bank account bargaining
Bank account depression
Bank account acceptance, payday is just around the corner.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner all look like grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Having no money teaches you to appreciate the little things in life, and free things, like hugs.
At least no one tries to borrow money from you, and a shopping trip is a visit to the Goodwill store.
And just remember, the condition of being broke is just temporary. The once-a-month check will arrive on the appropriate day next month.
Jennifer lives in Arizona, but has relatives here in Ohio. Recently, she and her sister were making a trip to Ohio to visit relatives in Piqua and Portsmouth. Jennifer let me know she was coming and wanted to meet me. She messaged me on Facebook when she would be here and I arranged to meet her at the cemetery where she went to view the monument I had photographed.
I met Jennifer and her sister and niece Friday, early evening. It was so nice to see her in person. She had asked me for directions to the cemetery and the local catholic church, which I gave her for her GPS. She had no problem finding and photographing them while she was in town briefly.
When we first started corresponding online, Jennifer wanted some more information for her genealogy research. The local catholic church keeps very old records and I went to see the secretary there and we went through many old books of records. I was able to gather records for many of her family members from this area and send them to her. It was a labor of love, because some of the records had to be deciphered since the really old ones were written in Latin and English by the Parish Priests.
I love doing genealogy and now I know it can bring people together with a common bond of love for our ancestors.
As a member of OGS, I contacted Margaret, the Chair of the First Families of Ohio Committee, and she replied that she was able to come and give a presentation on First Families Lineage Applications. Now I have a lot of paperwork to do, because I am eligible for Fayette and Highland counties. I have relatives that were settled in those counties before 1820, which is the requirement.
I offered her the chance to stay in my guest room, in lieu of a motel expense. She accepted. I also fixed a home cooked crockpot meal for her arrival. I was not aware of it when she was invited, but during the May 3rd OGS Convention, Margaret was installed as the PRESIDENT of OGS. I was pleased to host the PRESIDENT OF OGS! What a thrill.
The meeting was well-attended and her presentation was very informative. Many attendees asked questions and she kept the crowd engaged on topic. The head of the group furnished lemonade and cookies for refreshments. It was a good educational experience for all.
When we got back to my house, we talked genealogy (and a few other topics) until late. It is easy to talk genealogy with a person so knowledgeable! I have made a new good friend and hope to visit the OGS Library in northern Ohio sometime this summer.
I took Duke outside to play yesterday in the sunshine.
I sat in my chair in front of the shed to watch him play and run around.
I had to go inside for a few minutes and when I went to the back door again, I saw a sleepy boy. He just laid down by my chair, taking a nap until I return.
He's such a good little guy, and learning fast.
How appropriate that my white Peace roses are in bloom on Flag Day. So beautiful.
He is a DUKE. He has settled in and enjoying his new home. He licks my hand when he wants to go outside. This is great because it makes housebreaking a breeze. As a puppy, he eats twice a day and now drinks water from the big bowl that my other two kids drink from. Sharing is good. All three seem to get along just fine.
Duke loves to sleep on the couch, but I have to sit on the couch with him. He whines when I leave the room. And follows me around the house and in the yard. He has really grown since I saw him at two weeks old.
I took him for a short ride in the car Saturday, because I want him to travel with me. Things are going well, but my sleep patterns are much different. He can sleep six hours at night, but we use the three-hour method for daytime outings. So far, it is working very well. He is such a cutie! Take a minute to see him with his first toy; he loves to play.
The little boy that I adopted arrived today. He is eight weeks old and such a cute little guy. He was not suppose to leave his mother until today. He was a little bit scared for the first half hour or so, but he soon warmed up and loved to cuddle on my lap.
He napped on my lap for about an hour and then we went outside. He already knows what to do when he is outside, because of being raised on a farm. He is such a good little boy, so calm and cuddly.
I am going to enjoy the next few weeks getting him adjusted to the house and introducing him to his new toys. Then the training begins. I have a lot of time this month and will gladly spend time outside with him teaching him to sit on command. He already likes to sit I learned today, but formal training is better. Learning one command at a time and mastering it before we move on to the next training step is always best. I like to watch a lot of The Dog Whisperer and Cesar Milan.
His name is Duke and he doesn't mind his new walking harness, which is better than just a collar for puppies. Welcome to the family, Duke, we will have lots of fun in the coming months.
Lieutenant James Doohan was shot in the hand and chest on D-Day. A silver cigarette case stopped the bullet to the chest, but the shot to his hand caused him to lose a finger.
Doohan later became known to generations of TV viewers as the actor who played Scottie in Star Trek. While on camera, he always tried to hide his injured hand.
Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery planned the D-Day invasion for a year. On June 6, 1944, US-led Allied forces invaded a 50-mile stretch of beaches of Normandy, France, to fight Nazi Germany in World War II.
D(designated)-day = when operations commence.
Today is the 70-year anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, called D-Day. Remember our soldiers.
The smallest thing, like a tiny rose bud about to open, is a thing of beauty to those with good sight.
My white rose bush has two small buds, but they are not yet ready to open. The rain that is predicted for the next few days will surely spur them along in blooming.
I took a bottle of hot sauce and splattered it all around the tree in the back yard. I also purchased two containers of black pepper which were used to spread around the fence line of the property.
When I did my research on squirrel repellents, I read that squirrels hate spicy things and are repelled by black pepper, hot pepper, cayenne pepper, and red peppers. These are natural repellents which are better than chemical deterrents.
I think the squirrels will stay out of my yard for a while now. My dog is doing fine now and has no hesitation about going into the back yard. However, I went outside with her twice today until I got to the store to purchase the pepper. Better safe than sorry.
While I was outside in the yard, I noticed that the one red peony bush I have has bloomed and my lilies are opening and getting more beautiful each day.
I try to find the good and beauty amidst the chaos.
