This year, Dad celebrated his 80-th birthday with a trip to the Kidney Doctor, where he was told to go on a very low potassium diet. He being diabetic, he can actually eat very little as it is - and now it is even less. But...
Showing posts with label Happy Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Happy Birthday. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Happy Birthday Dad!
Over the Thanksgiving Day holiday, my older brother and I were out for a walk on the Delaware Canal towpath - it was a very nice late autumn day. The sun shone brightly against the white bark of the Sycamores.
My brother and I got to talking about a Thanksgiving a couple years ago, when my father was very ill and spent the holiday in the hospital, coming home only to have dinner with us on Thanksgiving day. We added up all the "life-threatening" moments he has had in the past few years - since his quintuple bypass surgery - and the tally stood at once every other year - for well over a decade.
This year, Dad celebrated his 80-th birthday with a trip to the Kidney Doctor, where he was told to go on a very low potassium diet. He being diabetic, he can actually eat very little as it is - and now it is even less. But...
On a dreary day, he and my mom were surprised by their Church and they had a nice celebration with folks that care about him (and good folks that they care about in return). He got some funny cards, some small gifts and a huge cake! Mom and I looked the other way while he enjoyed a small bit topped with creamy, sugary icing.
Happy Birthday Dad! Keep plugging away!
This year, Dad celebrated his 80-th birthday with a trip to the Kidney Doctor, where he was told to go on a very low potassium diet. He being diabetic, he can actually eat very little as it is - and now it is even less. But...
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Hippo Birdie... Two Shoes!
Now this would be getting my biggest Birthday wish!
Today, I will be celebrating my posting a blog entry and going to the Super Market to get dish washing soap and doing some dishes.
Aren't I exciting? Thanks to everyone that send me a card or expressed Happy Birthday wishes!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Happy Birthday Mom!!
What do you get a special person that has everything?
Here she is sitting on a boat reading the history of one of the lighthouses near Baltimore, Maryland. I think she would actually like an old lighthouse - but that isn't too likely to happen! Perhaps she might enjoy a weekend stay at one - preferably one that is not haunted.
So what do you get her? Well, the case of my Mom, you get her a wire reel.
You take it down the shore and put it on the porch. And then, of course, you paint it and forget to take a photo of it!
In any event, my mom was surprised beyond words. She could only stammer, "You! why... why... you!!!! I.. You!!! oh!!!"
I'll get a photo of it painted next time I get down there - I usually don't go down their in the summer - the crowds and I don't get along - so when the fast approaching end of summer arrives, I'll be heading down to enjoy the much more peaceful, hopefully deserted beach and take another photo.
An old photo of the house down the shore showing where her new "porch table" is sitting - by the way, that is a Peugeot station wagon. My mom loved that car!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Captain Starn's - Atlantic City Landmark - Wordless Wednesday
Some words - This postcard was sent in 1967 by my younger brother to our Aunt Bea. We used to go to this restaurant for his birthday dinner. The boardwalk to the right always had seals and sea lions playing under and around it - you could feed them some stinky fish (heads and all). This place was at the very northern end of the boardwalk, it was opened by Clarence Starn in 1940.
There is a Facebook page for the place. It uses the same photo!
This webpage has further photos and a video.
Ah, the memories...the place no longer exists.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
In search of old memories...
I have, in the past, written about my "honorary" Aunt Bea.
Aunt Bea was one of my paternal Grandmother's friends - she grew up "around the corner from the church" they both attended. Later on, when my dad served his 2 weeks a year in the Army Reserves, my mom stayed with my dad's mom with my older brother (who was a one year old) and got to know Aunt Bea too - and the three of them became "best buddies" and they all went shopping together. Aunt Bea moved out west to California with her second husband (the first one died suddenly) and has lived out there for more than 40 years (the second husband died too, of cancer). When my parents had their 50th wedding anniversary she came back to the east coast to join the party and has become very active once more with our family.
This June, she turned 90 years old and asked me to locate her second husband's younger brother. I have tried a number of times to "find him" but have had no luck so far. His name is (or was) Richard Donald Kane, born July 19, 1930 in Chester, PA.
While I was searching for him, I rummaged through the box of stuff my grandfather left behind and found this photograph, dated circa 1941..
It shows my dad between two recently made US Sailors. The man on the right is an "unknown" but the man on the left is Philip Lewis Hallworth (Jr.); MOMM2 (Motor Machinist 2nd class) US Navy World War II (22 Oct 1919 - 13 Oct 1963), my Aunt Bea's first husband. My eye was caught by the navy hats (you may recall my recent "acquisition" of my great-uncle Marshall's WWI sailors hat.)
I was just a toddler when Philip passed away - and do not recall ever having met him. Everyone that knew him (that remains with us today) speaks very highly of him, and recalls he went deaf while working in the engine rooms of the various ships he worked on. Today he rests in the Beverly National Cemetery, in Beverly, NJ (Section X Site 3315). My Aunt Bea plans to join him there someday.
The mystery man seems to be hauntingly familar, as if somewhere in my past, I encountered him - but nothing more that the vaguest of shimmering thought surfaces to the forefront. Perhaps, some night, it will come to me - that elusive memory. Looking at the photograph, he seems to have been a nice guy. My dad has no memory of this "photo op," and says the events of the time (the outbreak of the war) and his um... unfortunately timed, flying of a Japanese Flag out his bedroom window and its aftermath are all he can recall.
Another photograph sends me down memory lane...
Aunt Bea was one of my paternal Grandmother's friends - she grew up "around the corner from the church" they both attended. Later on, when my dad served his 2 weeks a year in the Army Reserves, my mom stayed with my dad's mom with my older brother (who was a one year old) and got to know Aunt Bea too - and the three of them became "best buddies" and they all went shopping together. Aunt Bea moved out west to California with her second husband (the first one died suddenly) and has lived out there for more than 40 years (the second husband died too, of cancer). When my parents had their 50th wedding anniversary she came back to the east coast to join the party and has become very active once more with our family.
This June, she turned 90 years old and asked me to locate her second husband's younger brother. I have tried a number of times to "find him" but have had no luck so far. His name is (or was) Richard Donald Kane, born July 19, 1930 in Chester, PA.
While I was searching for him, I rummaged through the box of stuff my grandfather left behind and found this photograph, dated circa 1941..
I was just a toddler when Philip passed away - and do not recall ever having met him. Everyone that knew him (that remains with us today) speaks very highly of him, and recalls he went deaf while working in the engine rooms of the various ships he worked on. Today he rests in the Beverly National Cemetery, in Beverly, NJ (Section X Site 3315). My Aunt Bea plans to join him there someday.
The mystery man seems to be hauntingly familar, as if somewhere in my past, I encountered him - but nothing more that the vaguest of shimmering thought surfaces to the forefront. Perhaps, some night, it will come to me - that elusive memory. Looking at the photograph, he seems to have been a nice guy. My dad has no memory of this "photo op," and says the events of the time (the outbreak of the war) and his um... unfortunately timed, flying of a Japanese Flag out his bedroom window and its aftermath are all he can recall.
Another photograph sends me down memory lane...
Monday, November 14, 2011
Williamsport, PA - Birthday for Dad
This past weekend, my family converged on Williamsport, PA to celebrate my dad's birthday. We chose this location as it is central to Rochester, NY where my older brother lives and southeastern PA where the rest of us live. We enjoyed a very nice dinner and as a bonus, got to explore the town beforehand.
Williamsport was incorporated as a borough on March 1, 1806, and as a city on January 15, 1866.
In the late 19th century Williamsport was known as "The Lumber Capital of the World" because of its thriving lumber industry. It also was the birthplace of the national newspaper Grit in 1882. Williamsport once had more millionaires per-capita than anywhere else in the world. For this reason, the area's local high school, the Williamsport Area High School, uses "Millionaires" as its team nickname.
The city is also the original home of Little League Baseball, founded in 1939 as a three-team league.
Millionaire Row Street Sign
The wealthy families of Williamsport lived primarily on West Fourth Street - giving that street the nickname, Millionaire Row. Today, the street is home to many huge Victorian homes - in various states of preservation. Some of them serve as apartments for students attending the nearby Pennsylvania College of Technology, others are still private homes, and yet others are professional buildings.
Hermann Munster's House?
When we arrived in Williamsport, we parked on the western end of West Fourth Street and walked back toward the center of town - this Victoria home was across the street from where we parked. I was reminded of Munster's of 1313 Mockingbird Lane when I saw this home.
942-944 West Fourth Street. "Herdic Double." Built in 1875 by architect Eber Culver. To attract families to West Fourth Street, Peter Herdic built many double houses. They typically have a mansard roof and protruding center bay with a cupola on top. Second Empire Style.
Peter Herdic (1824–1888) was a lumber baron, entrepreneur, inventor, politician, and philanthropist in Victorian era Williamsport. He was the youngest of seven children born to Henry and Elizabeth Herdic on December 14, 1824 in Fort Plain, New York. Herdic's father died in 1826 and Elizabeth Herdic remarried shortly thereafter. She was widowed again prior to 1837. Herdic attended school for just a few years while he worked on his mother's 50-acre farm. Herdic left his mother's farm in 1846.
Herdic would go on to become one of the wealthiest men in Pennsylvania and was a major figure in the development of the lumber industry throughout North Central Pennsylvania. Herdic donated large amounts of land and money to various churches in Williamsport. Peter Herdic was the inventor of the Herdic cab (a precursor to the taxi), which was a two wheeled horse drawn carriage with side seats and a rear entrance. Peter Herdic died on February 2, 1888 as the result of a concussion sustained when he slipped and fell on ice while inspecting his waterworks in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
Notice the peacocks in the windows?
Much easier on the eye, was this home - I believe the style is called Italianate. An older gentleman was out front raking leaves and I asked if this beautiful building was his home. He replied, "It sure is!" and offered to let me and my mom take a peek inside the front door.
Eutermarks - Harrar House - 915 West Fourth Street
This house was built in 1870 by architect Eber Culver and was a wedding present for Lucy Filbert Eutermarks and purchased by the Harrar family in 1901. The original street address of 913 was considered unlucky and it was changed to 915.
Trinity Episcopal Church - 844 West 4th Street
Built in 1875 and consecrated in February 1876, it is the largest of the Episcopal churches in the city. The church was given to the parish by Peter Herdic.
Smith-Ulman House - 634 West Fourth Street
Historically known at the Smith-Ulman House and previously used as the rectory of Annunciation Church, this 1889 house with Italianate influence was built by Isaac Hobbs and is now the law firm of Raup, Wiley, and Mott.
William V. Emery House - 535 West Fourth Street
William V. Emery had Eber Culver design this handsome brick and cut stone home at 535 West Fourth Street in 1865. Emery was an associate of the Emery Lumber Company on West Third Street, which maintained a retail business for coal, ice, and lumber. Many retail lumber companies cut ice from the river in the winter and stored it in sawdust. On any warm day it was a special delight for children to chase the ice wagons, hoping to sneak a frozen sliver of the pure Susquehanna water.
There are more pictures in Flickr if you are interested in seeing them. I am working on identifying each home - but am not done yet.
Williamsport was incorporated as a borough on March 1, 1806, and as a city on January 15, 1866.
In the late 19th century Williamsport was known as "The Lumber Capital of the World" because of its thriving lumber industry. It also was the birthplace of the national newspaper Grit in 1882. Williamsport once had more millionaires per-capita than anywhere else in the world. For this reason, the area's local high school, the Williamsport Area High School, uses "Millionaires" as its team nickname.
The city is also the original home of Little League Baseball, founded in 1939 as a three-team league.
Millionaire Row Street Sign
The wealthy families of Williamsport lived primarily on West Fourth Street - giving that street the nickname, Millionaire Row. Today, the street is home to many huge Victorian homes - in various states of preservation. Some of them serve as apartments for students attending the nearby Pennsylvania College of Technology, others are still private homes, and yet others are professional buildings.
Hermann Munster's House?
When we arrived in Williamsport, we parked on the western end of West Fourth Street and walked back toward the center of town - this Victoria home was across the street from where we parked. I was reminded of Munster's of 1313 Mockingbird Lane when I saw this home.
942-944 West Fourth Street. "Herdic Double." Built in 1875 by architect Eber Culver. To attract families to West Fourth Street, Peter Herdic built many double houses. They typically have a mansard roof and protruding center bay with a cupola on top. Second Empire Style.
Peter Herdic (1824–1888) was a lumber baron, entrepreneur, inventor, politician, and philanthropist in Victorian era Williamsport. He was the youngest of seven children born to Henry and Elizabeth Herdic on December 14, 1824 in Fort Plain, New York. Herdic's father died in 1826 and Elizabeth Herdic remarried shortly thereafter. She was widowed again prior to 1837. Herdic attended school for just a few years while he worked on his mother's 50-acre farm. Herdic left his mother's farm in 1846.
Herdic would go on to become one of the wealthiest men in Pennsylvania and was a major figure in the development of the lumber industry throughout North Central Pennsylvania. Herdic donated large amounts of land and money to various churches in Williamsport. Peter Herdic was the inventor of the Herdic cab (a precursor to the taxi), which was a two wheeled horse drawn carriage with side seats and a rear entrance. Peter Herdic died on February 2, 1888 as the result of a concussion sustained when he slipped and fell on ice while inspecting his waterworks in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
Notice the peacocks in the windows?
Much easier on the eye, was this home - I believe the style is called Italianate. An older gentleman was out front raking leaves and I asked if this beautiful building was his home. He replied, "It sure is!" and offered to let me and my mom take a peek inside the front door.
Eutermarks - Harrar House - 915 West Fourth Street
This house was built in 1870 by architect Eber Culver and was a wedding present for Lucy Filbert Eutermarks and purchased by the Harrar family in 1901. The original street address of 913 was considered unlucky and it was changed to 915.
Trinity Episcopal Church - 844 West 4th Street
Built in 1875 and consecrated in February 1876, it is the largest of the Episcopal churches in the city. The church was given to the parish by Peter Herdic.
Smith-Ulman House - 634 West Fourth Street
Historically known at the Smith-Ulman House and previously used as the rectory of Annunciation Church, this 1889 house with Italianate influence was built by Isaac Hobbs and is now the law firm of Raup, Wiley, and Mott.
William V. Emery House - 535 West Fourth Street
William V. Emery had Eber Culver design this handsome brick and cut stone home at 535 West Fourth Street in 1865. Emery was an associate of the Emery Lumber Company on West Third Street, which maintained a retail business for coal, ice, and lumber. Many retail lumber companies cut ice from the river in the winter and stored it in sawdust. On any warm day it was a special delight for children to chase the ice wagons, hoping to sneak a frozen sliver of the pure Susquehanna water.
There are more pictures in Flickr if you are interested in seeing them. I am working on identifying each home - but am not done yet.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Happy 101st Birthday Granddad!
For a great many years, my grandfather determined the price for which the castings produced at the family foundry would be sold at using a pencil and a piece of tablet paper. After forty of fifty years of doing this job, he started to make mistakes and my father and I needed to figure out what to do about it.
It was at that time, back in 1975-ish, I wrote my first computer program, it was designed to determine the casting sale price after the large number of input parameters were entered. It produced a paper tape showing all the inputs and all the interim calculations as well as the final price that was sometimes marked up depending on the customer's credit history and shipping location.
The desktop computer from Hewlett Packard, one of the very first ever made, was affectionately called Hewey. Hewey allowed my grandfather to continue working productively in the front office for at least another fifteen years. Hewey was repaired and rebuilt many times, "he" got a new ribbon printer, keyboard, tape drive mechanism, power supply, and worked hard for about twenty years when he retired from the front office about the same time as my grandfather. My grandfather continued to work in the small wood shop behind the office preparing the tooling for production runs for another ten years.
I have Hewey in the back of one of my closets, saved away in his brown padded travel bag. "He" earned his way into hie retirement and will be a family keepsake for as long as anyone in my family wants "him".
I often find myself wondering if that first computer program might have added fifteen good years to my grandfather's life.
Some sunflowers to brighten the house - the shades were drawn to keep the heat down...
Lighting up 3 candles, one for each digit of 101 years...
Making a wish...
Blowing out the candles now...
I wonder what he wished for... I will probably never know.
It was at that time, back in 1975-ish, I wrote my first computer program, it was designed to determine the casting sale price after the large number of input parameters were entered. It produced a paper tape showing all the inputs and all the interim calculations as well as the final price that was sometimes marked up depending on the customer's credit history and shipping location.
The desktop computer from Hewlett Packard, one of the very first ever made, was affectionately called Hewey. Hewey allowed my grandfather to continue working productively in the front office for at least another fifteen years. Hewey was repaired and rebuilt many times, "he" got a new ribbon printer, keyboard, tape drive mechanism, power supply, and worked hard for about twenty years when he retired from the front office about the same time as my grandfather. My grandfather continued to work in the small wood shop behind the office preparing the tooling for production runs for another ten years.
I have Hewey in the back of one of my closets, saved away in his brown padded travel bag. "He" earned his way into hie retirement and will be a family keepsake for as long as anyone in my family wants "him".
I often find myself wondering if that first computer program might have added fifteen good years to my grandfather's life.
Some sunflowers to brighten the house - the shades were drawn to keep the heat down...
Lighting up 3 candles, one for each digit of 101 years...
Making a wish...
Blowing out the candles now...
I wonder what he wished for... I will probably never know.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Happy Birthday Tori!
It's been an eventful year for a certain, very special blogger in Wales - it has been a little more than a year since she had her "final eye operation" that left her completely without vision.
In the space of that year, she has continued to amaze me.
She is too modest at times - like the times when she downplays her ability to knit gloves with fingers and shape items like ducks and dragons from clay - and to write her blog and read and comment on our blogs, and to take pictures of birds that ... well ... they simply can't be all the result of happy accident or pure luck.
I want to wish this dear friend a very Happy Birthday! Make a wish and blow out the candles Tori!
I hope the upcoming year is a busy one; one that is fulfilling; and filled with happy family trips to the beaches and castles; and Kero walkies; and a year completely devoid of leaf monsters. I hope your greatest, most fervent wish comes true this year too.
Perhaps you will also get that pet Lion and a ride in horse pulled caravan that you want!
So Tori, have a dandelion and burdock (or two) on me...
- one of your not-so-secret admirers...
Iggy
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Overdue Thank You!
I am still struggling to catch up with everyone. I promise I will get caught up eventually and in fact, I think I will stop posting entries until I do - I think your entries are more important to me anyway!
Before I do that, however, I need to say a great big "Thank you!" to all of you that wished me a Happy Birthday last week.
I am officially an old fuddy-duddy now and will be found rocking in my chair on the front porch on those days when a warm sunshine is to be had.
When I got home - I found a big stack of mail waiting for me - and inside that stack I found (well, besides bills and ads for everything imaginable) some wonderful things.
An inspirational calendar, SpongeBob toy, and a puffy cheek Squirrel card to go with an e-card and a blog shout out from Alice Kay, another great puffy cheek Squirrel card and a blog shout out from LadyStyx, a card and a blog shout out from Tori, and a note (more on that later!) and a vivid blue hand-knit neck warmer from Yaya in a color that matches her eyes!
I also got a wonderful e-card from Karla and an text message from Tori and Dorkys 'Dry as Toast' Ramos.
Here I am modeling a nifty SpongeBob SquarePants tee-shirt from Tori! I actually got this before I left so I was wearing it on my birthday. The client I was at in Florida raised an eyebrow but said, "Oh, well! It's your birthday! Of course you can wear that!"
And now for that note - buried in a huge box full of styofoam peanuts was a plastic bag with the note and the vivid blue hand-knit neck warmer from Yaya. The note made me crack up and I'm still laughing at it.
The note reads in part:
Dear Iggy,
Here is Cappy (as I've affectionately been calling him. It's short for 'decapitated'). Poor, neglected Cappy. Left alone on the side of the road after a construction project was done. For weeks I watched as Cappy became more and more deflated and withered with the passing time. For weeks my heart ached for Cappy who just wanted a home. Sure, he's been beaten down, but with a little bit of love, he'll be as good as new. I thought, "Who could possibly love such a run-down creature?" And of course, you came to mind. So here is Cappy. I have given him to you to adopt. I hope you will take good care of him. Of course, once the adoption goes through you will be able to change his name to something more Iggy-ish.
Love,
Yaya
P.s., Yes, I have been secretly laughing for weeks at the thought of mailing you a giant, dirty traffic cone.
Oh, Yaya. If only you could see the tears of joy streaming down Cappy's pround new daddy's face. Thank you so very much!
Even though I was away for over a week - and off-line due to a fussy client, I thought of "y'all" frequently and many of the sights I saw reminded me of you. White Squirrels (all the nutty Squirrel lovers including Deanna and the one 'tree rat' hater), a metal rooster (Marmite Toasty), a black bear (Alice Kay), Manatees (ChicagoLady and Gypsy-Heart), the orange cone lovers like Yellowdog Granny, a Corgi lover in California and Florida, even a gas station with the price of gas reminded me of some folks, and many more sights held warm and fuzzy connections in my mind to so many of you. I never felt lonely even though I was alone for hours on end. Thank you all.
Signed,
Cappy's Daddy
-------
People let me tell you 'bout my best friend,
He's a warm hearted person who'll love me till the end.
People let me tell you bout my best friend,
He's a one boy cuddly toy, my up, my down, my pride and joy.
People let me tell you 'bout him he's so much fun
Whether we're talkin' man to man or whether we're talking son to son.
Cause he's my best friend.
Yes he's my best friend.
Before I do that, however, I need to say a great big "Thank you!" to all of you that wished me a Happy Birthday last week.
I am officially an old fuddy-duddy now and will be found rocking in my chair on the front porch on those days when a warm sunshine is to be had.
When I got home - I found a big stack of mail waiting for me - and inside that stack I found (well, besides bills and ads for everything imaginable) some wonderful things.
An inspirational calendar, SpongeBob toy, and a puffy cheek Squirrel card to go with an e-card and a blog shout out from Alice Kay, another great puffy cheek Squirrel card and a blog shout out from LadyStyx, a card and a blog shout out from Tori, and a note (more on that later!) and a vivid blue hand-knit neck warmer from Yaya in a color that matches her eyes!
I also got a wonderful e-card from Karla and an text message from Tori and Dorkys 'Dry as Toast' Ramos.
Here I am modeling a nifty SpongeBob SquarePants tee-shirt from Tori! I actually got this before I left so I was wearing it on my birthday. The client I was at in Florida raised an eyebrow but said, "Oh, well! It's your birthday! Of course you can wear that!"
And now for that note - buried in a huge box full of styofoam peanuts was a plastic bag with the note and the vivid blue hand-knit neck warmer from Yaya. The note made me crack up and I'm still laughing at it.
The note reads in part:
Dear Iggy,
Here is Cappy (as I've affectionately been calling him. It's short for 'decapitated'). Poor, neglected Cappy. Left alone on the side of the road after a construction project was done. For weeks I watched as Cappy became more and more deflated and withered with the passing time. For weeks my heart ached for Cappy who just wanted a home. Sure, he's been beaten down, but with a little bit of love, he'll be as good as new. I thought, "Who could possibly love such a run-down creature?" And of course, you came to mind. So here is Cappy. I have given him to you to adopt. I hope you will take good care of him. Of course, once the adoption goes through you will be able to change his name to something more Iggy-ish.
Love,
Yaya
P.s., Yes, I have been secretly laughing for weeks at the thought of mailing you a giant, dirty traffic cone.
Oh, Yaya. If only you could see the tears of joy streaming down Cappy's pround new daddy's face. Thank you so very much!
Even though I was away for over a week - and off-line due to a fussy client, I thought of "y'all" frequently and many of the sights I saw reminded me of you. White Squirrels (all the nutty Squirrel lovers including Deanna and the one 'tree rat' hater), a metal rooster (Marmite Toasty), a black bear (Alice Kay), Manatees (ChicagoLady and Gypsy-Heart), the orange cone lovers like Yellowdog Granny, a Corgi lover in California and Florida, even a gas station with the price of gas reminded me of some folks, and many more sights held warm and fuzzy connections in my mind to so many of you. I never felt lonely even though I was alone for hours on end. Thank you all.
Signed,
Cappy's Daddy
People let me tell you 'bout my best friend,
He's a warm hearted person who'll love me till the end.
People let me tell you bout my best friend,
He's a one boy cuddly toy, my up, my down, my pride and joy.
People let me tell you 'bout him he's so much fun
Whether we're talkin' man to man or whether we're talking son to son.
Cause he's my best friend.
Yes he's my best friend.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Its Party Time!
...We interrupt our regular programming with this breaking news from the Pie-In-The-Sky newsroom. Here now is Talkinhead Hypespewer.
Talkinhead: Good evening folks! This just in. Minutes ago, we received word that it might be some one's birthday next week. This is an unsubstantiated rumor and we are trying to get confirmation as we speak. We go now to the Beauty Queenies headquarters building and our reporter Dishy Dullfacts for details!
Dishy Dullfacts: Thank you, Talkinhead, I am at the scene of the alleged birthday party where you can clearly see, they have set out the "Caution Party Zone" Cone!
We see in attendence Little Iggy, Pointy Hair Boss, Multo and Miss Georgia, Miss New York, Miss Louisanna, Miss Confusion and even Miss Illinois who have gathered for a wild birthday party celebration. I've asked Miss Confusion to tell me just who the party is for, and she just says, "Hey, like, its for some, really like, cool chick, you know?" and then she blew her noisemaker in my face.
Talkinhead: Dishy? Is that really Miss Illinois? And is she smoking a joint?!
Dishy Dullfacts: Yes, Talkinhead, Miss Illinois is really here and she claims that the smoke is strictly medicinal to calm her nerves. I tried to ask her a couple questions but only I only got as far as, "I'd like to get to the bottom of where you have been..." when she started screaming, so I've not been able to find out anything just yet. Little Iggy? Can I ask you some questions?
Little Iggy: Oh wow, am I on TV? Can I give a shout out to some of my peeps?
Dishy Dullfacts: Little Iggy, just for whom is this birthday party?
Little Iggy: Hi Mom! Hi Harold! Did you see me in that Superbowl Depends for OCHA ad?!
Dishy Dullfacts: Ummm... lets try talking to someone else. Miss New York? Are you free for some words? Oh good, here is Miss New York. Hi there! And congratulations on being runner-up at first annual Miss America Conehead pageant!
Miss New York: *Giggles* Thank you Dishy! Isn't this the bestest party ever?!
Dishy Dullfacts: Who's the birthday person?
Miss New York: *Giggles* Oh! Its LadyStyx's birthday!! She's 29 again!!
Dishy Dullfacts: Oh! Happy 29th Birthday LadyStyx! All of us here at Pie-In-The-Sky news want to wish her the very best and hope she has many more!
There you have it Talkinhead! Back to you!
My thanks to Alice Kay for the "Caution: Party Zone" cone! :)
Talkinhead: Good evening folks! This just in. Minutes ago, we received word that it might be some one's birthday next week. This is an unsubstantiated rumor and we are trying to get confirmation as we speak. We go now to the Beauty Queenies headquarters building and our reporter Dishy Dullfacts for details!
Dishy Dullfacts: Thank you, Talkinhead, I am at the scene of the alleged birthday party where you can clearly see, they have set out the "Caution Party Zone" Cone!
We see in attendence Little Iggy, Pointy Hair Boss, Multo and Miss Georgia, Miss New York, Miss Louisanna, Miss Confusion and even Miss Illinois who have gathered for a wild birthday party celebration. I've asked Miss Confusion to tell me just who the party is for, and she just says, "Hey, like, its for some, really like, cool chick, you know?" and then she blew her noisemaker in my face.
Talkinhead: Dishy? Is that really Miss Illinois? And is she smoking a joint?!
Dishy Dullfacts: Yes, Talkinhead, Miss Illinois is really here and she claims that the smoke is strictly medicinal to calm her nerves. I tried to ask her a couple questions but only I only got as far as, "I'd like to get to the bottom of where you have been..." when she started screaming, so I've not been able to find out anything just yet. Little Iggy? Can I ask you some questions?
Little Iggy: Oh wow, am I on TV? Can I give a shout out to some of my peeps?
Dishy Dullfacts: Little Iggy, just for whom is this birthday party?
Little Iggy: Hi Mom! Hi Harold! Did you see me in that Superbowl Depends for OCHA ad?!
Dishy Dullfacts: Ummm... lets try talking to someone else. Miss New York? Are you free for some words? Oh good, here is Miss New York. Hi there! And congratulations on being runner-up at first annual Miss America Conehead pageant!
Miss New York: *Giggles* Thank you Dishy! Isn't this the bestest party ever?!
Dishy Dullfacts: Who's the birthday person?
Miss New York: *Giggles* Oh! Its LadyStyx's birthday!! She's 29 again!!
Dishy Dullfacts: Oh! Happy 29th Birthday LadyStyx! All of us here at Pie-In-The-Sky news want to wish her the very best and hope she has many more!
There you have it Talkinhead! Back to you!
My thanks to Alice Kay for the "Caution: Party Zone" cone! :)
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Happy 10th Birthday SpongeBob!
"SpongeBob SquarePants is a global phenomenon seen in 171 broadcast markets and translated into 25 languages."
"On July 17, Nickelodeon will celebrate the series' 10th anniversary with 'The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash Weekend.' The 50-hour marathon features 11 new episodes and a Top 10 favorites countdown."
Picture from TV Guide, story by Davis A. Keeps - Thanks to LadyStyx for the heads up!
I'm going to need to do some mighty fast planning. This is even bigger than a Superbowl party!
I'm going to need:
Oooooh, I'm sure I've forgotten something... Argh, gosh durn it! It's too late for Queenie Jeannie to do up some custom invitations to mail out. Just consider yourselves invited and RSVP!
"On July 17, Nickelodeon will celebrate the series' 10th anniversary with 'The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash Weekend.' The 50-hour marathon features 11 new episodes and a Top 10 favorites countdown."
Picture from TV Guide, story by Davis A. Keeps - Thanks to LadyStyx for the heads up!
I'm going to need to do some mighty fast planning. This is even bigger than a Superbowl party!
I'm going to need:
- Large screen TV (do they have 410 inch ones yet?)
- A bright blue Porta-Potty in the TV room (or should I just go with Astronaut Depends? Hmm... decisions, decisions...)
- A large supply of chips and dips
- Several dozen liters of various flavors of soda
- A big, lined trash can next to the sofa
- A new sofa (I'm going to wear the current one complete out)
- A guest blogger or three to do some blogs for me
- A babysitter for Multo, Little Iggy, and the four remaining Beauty Queenies
- A nice big Xanax tablet to calm me down - This gives a whole new meaning to "One-a-Day" huh?
Oooooh, I'm sure I've forgotten something... Argh, gosh durn it! It's too late for Queenie Jeannie to do up some custom invitations to mail out. Just consider yourselves invited and RSVP!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Happy 100th Birthday Granddad!
My Father's Dad, Harry Edwin Mousley was born to Harry David and Emma Louise Mousley on July 6, 1909 in Philadelphia neighborhood of Tacony. He had three sisters, Marian, Anne, and Mary (all now deceased).
He went to Frankfort High School and he dropped out to go to work.
He owned and operated Atlas Bronze, a non-ferrous metal foundry in Kensington area of Philadelphia beginning in the depression years around the age of 20 and notably cast materials for the war effort in WWII, primarily Navy ships and fire fighting parts. He worked there about 70 years before retiring at the age of 90!
Atlas Bronze moved to Cedar Street in 1924. It was incorporated in 1933 by Harry Mousley several years after his father died.
He takes much joy in regaling his grandsons (including me!) with tales of his early working career - like the times he caddied for golfers at the swanky Torresdale country club in Philadelphia, where he earned 30 cents an hour. The round of golf would last 3 hours, and he would get a one dollar bill (10 cents tip). He would walk home rather than take the streetcar and break the dollar bill!
He also tells stories of Ajax Metals, where he first worked, where he would hide his lunch in an unused metal furnace so no one would steal it. And a story of Atlas Bronze, where he told of a helping a customer that made baking ovens and had a chain-link conveyer that circulated through the oven, and the conveyer would be dragged through some kind of edible lubricant oil to keep the food from sticking to the conveyer.
His was one of the first families in Philadelphia to have a car. He started a life-long passion with the automobile at a very early age driving by the time he was 14 (or earlier but don't tell anyone!) He recalls driving down to Cape May, New Jersey on the one lane, deeply rutted dirt road that had a hump in the middle of it and having to steer over the hump and half off the road to let the on-coming cars past. In addition, if someone passed you and was going fast, you could count on catching up to them because they would be fixing a flat tire.
He is a person of patience and courage in that he was the only one who *wanted* to teach his daughter-in-law and grandchildren how to drive. His grandson Kirk remembers going to a bed and breakfast deep in the Poconos with his grandfather, Grandmother, and his grandfather's sister Marion where his grandfather let him drive the twisty narrow (often guardrail-less) mountain roads for the weekend when he was only 16.
Married for 56 years to his first wife Edith Anna nee McClurken (pictured) and subsequently married for 18 years (so far!) to Jocelyn Mousley. He has one son, Harry Robert Mousley and three Grandsons, Keith, Karl, and Kirk. He has three great-grandchildren.
He traveled extensively for business and pleasure with his wife and grandsons and other family members to the Orient (Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore), Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland), the Mediterranean (Greece, Yugoslavia and Turkey), the Baltics, Russia, and much of Europe (England, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal). Note - not all the countries he visited are named here!
He taught all of his grandsons how to take pictures with his (at the time, newfangled) 35mm camera and there are many photographs taken during his travels in my attic.
He enjoyed going to the beach in Cape May and Long Beach Island, where he enjoyed fishing for sea trout (weakfish), blue fish, fluke and flounder. He also enjoyed many trips to the Sterling Inn in the Poconos.
Today he enjoys his retirement living in the old log house in Quakertown, PA.
Happy Birthday Granddad! I love you!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Happy Birthday ChicagoLady!
Gosh it was HOT this weekend.
It hit 93F (34C) on Sunday, breaking a record for the area. Did I miss the Spring?
I got out and walked and sweated and took some pictures and sweated some more.
I put some pictures in the photostream on the right. You can click on any of the images, if you want, to "biggify" it. I like the one with all the bluebells in it.
When I got home from walking - I found out why it was so hot out. ChicagoLady has a birthday today and look at all the candles!!
Happy Birthday ChicagoLady - I hope you are enjoying your vacation!
I better put on my steel helmet before she comes back.
It hit 93F (34C) on Sunday, breaking a record for the area. Did I miss the Spring?
I got out and walked and sweated and took some pictures and sweated some more.
I put some pictures in the photostream on the right. You can click on any of the images, if you want, to "biggify" it. I like the one with all the bluebells in it.
When I got home from walking - I found out why it was so hot out. ChicagoLady has a birthday today and look at all the candles!!
Happy Birthday ChicagoLady - I hope you are enjoying your vacation!
I better put on my steel helmet before she comes back.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Happy Birthday FedEx!
On April 17th 1973, FedEx went "live" and delivered its very first packages after its owner, Frederick W. Smith raised $91 million in venture capital. After adding $4 million of inherited money to his funding, Smith purchased a used aircraft company in Little Rock, Arkansas. He began using the aircraft to provide overnight delivery services for envelopes and small packages being shipped within the United States. Smith incorporated his business, Federal Express, on June 18, 1971. It took him two years to build and test the initial 25-city network, flying empty boxes across the country.
Frederick W. Smith, a Memphis Tennessee, native and a former Marine pilot, originally outlined his idea for an overnight delivery service in a term paper he wrote for a Yale University economics class. He felt that air freight had different requirements than air passenger service and that a company specializing in air freight rather than making it an add-on to passenger service would find a lucrative business niche.
Speed was more important than cost, in Smith's view, and access to smaller cities was essential. His strategies included shipping all packages through a single hub and building a private fleet of aircraft. Company-owned planes would free the service from commercial-airline schedules and shipping regulations, while a single hub would permit the tight control that got packages to their destinations overnight.
In making his dream a reality, Smith selected Memphis as his hub: it was centrally located and despite inclement weather its modern airport rarely closed.
In addition to FedEx, Smith is also a co-owner of the Washington Redskins NFL Team. This partnership resulted in FedEx sponsorship of the Joe Gibbs NASCAR racing team. Smith also owns or co-owns several entertainment companies, including Dream Image Productions and Alcon Films.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Happy Birthday Tori!!!
A Birthday Poem
Birthdays come and go each year,
Today is yours, so don’t you fear.
Conversations fill the air,
We have joined you since we care.
Funny jokes and laughs out loud,
We will always be your crowd.
Many friends you haven’t seen,
How long has it really been?
We shall dance all through the night,
Until our spirits are truly light.
Celebrate our dearest friend,
A birthday poem, we wish to send.
by Martin Dejnicki
Happy Birthday Tori!!!
Birthdays come and go each year,
Today is yours, so don’t you fear.
Conversations fill the air,
We have joined you since we care.
Funny jokes and laughs out loud,
We will always be your crowd.
Many friends you haven’t seen,
How long has it really been?
We shall dance all through the night,
Until our spirits are truly light.
Celebrate our dearest friend,
A birthday poem, we wish to send.
by Martin Dejnicki
Happy Birthday Tori!!!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Happy Birthday Alice Kay!
As SugarBush jumps from the cake... we all want to wish someone a...
Happy Birthday Alice Kay!
I'd do the birthday spankings but I get tired just thinking about the number of 'em... :P
- Animated graphic located by ChicagoLady with the original animal changed to a squirrel by LadyStyx. My thanks to both of you!
"Here's your cake Alice Kay!" exclaimed Sugar Bush, "Now give ol' Sugar some sugar! Mwah! Mwah! Mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Go ahead, eat all the cake! Ol' Sugar likes pumpkin pie the best!"
Happy Birthday Alice Kay!
I'd do the birthday spankings but I get tired just thinking about the number of 'em... :P
- Animated graphic located by ChicagoLady with the original animal changed to a squirrel by LadyStyx. My thanks to both of you!
"Here's your cake Alice Kay!" exclaimed Sugar Bush, "Now give ol' Sugar some sugar! Mwah! Mwah! Mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Go ahead, eat all the cake! Ol' Sugar likes pumpkin pie the best!"
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