Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes, it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward to when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is again the dawn of another weekend and a Big Ole Hairy Friday!!!

Life can finally slow down a little bit after today, the past week and a half have been kind of hectic and to be honest with you I'm glad we are on the back side of that block of time. 

We had a great time last night, Layla Graduated from the MedEd Program and Michelle and I attended. This is the one where she spoke at and was most important to her. It has been an honor watching this young woman grow up to say the vey least. She was Michelle's Flower Girl for our wedding. 

No plans for the weekend yet, just coming back to reality. 

Have yoursleves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week, I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from somewhere on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up, recalling or reliving the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task, and sometimes it's not that easy, but one thing it has always been a lot of fun.

This is one that I saw on Facebook last week and it was the essence of Nick, especially since he did so many encouraging and uplifting tictok videos building his business. I knew this had to be my photo flashback the moment I saw it. 

Have yoursleves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

 Lucy’s Journal — May 13, 2026

The evening air felt soft tonight, the kind that settles over the hills after a long spring day and makes folks slow down a little. Lucy and the crew had gathered out back by the old picnic table with lanterns glowing low and coffee cups steaming beside slices of pie nobody was quite hungry enough to finish.

Nobody had planned it exactly, but before long the conversation drifted to Nick Rehmani.

Funny how that happens. Some people leave behind stories so big that all it takes is one quiet evening for them to come walking back into the middle of things.

“You remember that laugh?” The Quackers said first, leaning back in his chair. “Man could fill up a whole room before he ever told the joke.”

Everybody smiled at that.

Lucy wrote that the thing about Nick was he never made people feel small. Didn’t matter if you were family, neighbor, stranger, or somebody who just wandered into the gathering because you smelled food from down the road — Nick always made room for one more chair.

Peanut laughed remembering how he used to insist everybody eat second helpings whether they wanted to or not.

“He acted offended if you didn’t,” she said. “‘What’s wrong with my cooking?’ he’d ask, even though everybody knew it was the best food in three counties.”

That brought the stories rolling.

Fishing trips that turned into all-night campfire talks.

Birthday parties where half the town somehow ended up invited.

Summers filled with kids running through the yard while Nick stood at the grill like some kind of backyard king holding court with an apron tied around his waist.

And then, of course, they talked about the prime rib.

Lucy said you could practically smell it just thinking about it.

Perfect every single time. Seasoned like magic, cooked slow and careful, tender enough to cut with the side of a fork. Folks said restaurants spent years trying to make prime rib that tasted half as good, but they never could. Maybe because Nick put more than seasoning into it. He put joy into it. Family into it. The feeling that supper mattered because the people around the table mattered.

“Wasn’t just food,” Kiwi said quietly. “It was being together.”

That hung in the air for a moment.

Lucy looked around the table and realized every single person there had been changed by Nick in some way. Some through friendship. Some through kindness. Some simply because he took the time to notice them when nobody else did.

That was his gift.

He made ordinary days feel important.

Before everybody headed home, Lucy wrote that they raised their coffee cups toward the darkening sky.

Not in sadness exactly.

More in gratitude.

Because some people leave behind enough warmth that even after they’re gone, folks still gather around it years later.

Wednesday Wisdom

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is over, now we are staring straight down at another spring time Tuesday, time for a tidbits

* It has been 22,782 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,438, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar. 

* It has been 8,036 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I love what I do and am thankful to still be working in my field. 

* 6,630 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,834 days ago, I proposed to Michelle in the backyard at 4:00 in the morning. I've been the luckiest guy since that fateful day. 

* It was 5,871 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, for the most part, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, it was a great day with friends and family. 

* I have now lived 3,009 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong, slowing down but still going. 

* Michelle has been living a clean and productive life and beat that alcohol demon 1,663 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,280 days, I've now outlived him by 1,519 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 241 days ago, I'm happy for those two. I asked him a couple weeks ago if they set a date yet, he said we would be the first to know. 

* I have 2,108 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. Who knows, though, doing what I do I may never retire.

* 266 more days until Phil steps to center stage once again for Groundhog Day. I'm still mad at the damn rat

* 233 more days to go until my Goodbye 2026 Blog is posted. 

* There are 226 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026. 

* There are 211 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* There are only 94 more days to go until Michelle and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary......maybe

* There are 41 days until my second favorite season begins, Summertime!!!!!!

* It has been ∞ (infinity symbol) days since I have hated both Pitt and Penn State.

* I have written 8,349 blogs in what is now 21 1/2 years of Blogging. 

* The students are Gone!!! Less traffic...or more road construction take your pick.  

* Progress on my Selfie in Space, right here. We are ready for liftoff and holding. 

* Looking for Girl Scout Cookies? Ryleigh's Page

* Looking for Girl Scout Cookies still? Arabellas Page

* There was a nice tribute to Nick in the paper this weekend. 

* This is my favorite Ticktok, Jason Williams talking about NBA vs WNBA. 

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

All good things must come to an end—but if you’ve got to wrap up the weekend, today’s a pretty exciting way to do it. Now it’s time to take our collective noses and press them firmly back onto the grindstone of life. Back to work, back to the hustle, back to doing our part to make this spinning rock a better place.

Well after a humbling weekend life starts to return to normal for the time being. I'm working 10's to get do this large analysis finding well roads based on certain drivers locations within our fleet so that we can spatially map where these right of ways are located. I've got my regular machine as well as a virtual machine both running this complex process, so we can find these roads that are not roads so to speak. 

Thursday this week Michelle and I will be heading to University High for the MedEd Graduation where the amazing Miss Layla, best flower girl ever, will be giving the commencement address to her fellow graduates. Needless to say both Michelle and I are very proud of this amazing young lady. She is an amazing young lady with a very bright future ahead of her. I remember when she started the program I tried asking her a trick question (what is the largest organ of the body?) and she could not be tricked and knew the answer (the skin) and I knew right then and there she was very serious about this program and would excel in this program and she has proven me right. 

Have yourself a great day and a great week, make some memories. 

Hi ho hi ho

Nick Rehmani

 

Today we say our final goodbyes to my Brother in Law Nihat "Nick" Rehmani. This past Tuesday he was riding his motorcycle home on I-79 and somehow hit the back of a truck, throwing him off the bike and ending his time here on this earth at the young age of 55. 

Nick was someone who was Universally loved by many, he was a godsend to my sister and her three kids and took over the role of Dad and Husband and exemplified what that role should be with honor, integrity, love and open arms to any and all. 

We had the first viewing yesterday at Nick's church and today we say our final goodbyes with visitation from 1:00 to 3:00 and the service to follow from my understanding. 

Please keep my sister and her family in your prayers today and every day, 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I am in a quiet house hold, Peanut and Kiwi have been very consoling with the family this week, two very understanding pets that the humans are sad. They are very good pets and love them to death. 

So what is on todays agenda? As of press time I do not know. I wish I could just generate another blog post and make it funny and entertaining for everyone, but at this moment I just don't have it in me. 

Please keep my sister, nieces and nephew in your prayers at this time of grieving. 

Have a good day.