Sunday

Here I sit in a somber household, Kiwi and Peanut have decided that they want to go with us today to place flags on a couple of grandfathers' and my Dad's gravesites. They all served in the military, but none of them were killed in combat, but we will honor their time and service anyway because they have all earned it. 

Michelle went to Lowes on Friday and picked up a number of the smaller flags that they use on gravesites for us to place. If I only make it once a year to the graves, this is the weekend where I make sure that I take time out and honor those family members who are no longer with us. It is the very least I can do to pay tribute and remember these great men. She picked up a few extra to place in her flower pots around the house, I already changed the big one on the flag pole for the year. 

It's been a wet weekend to say the very least, it rained friday and yesterday and is raining today already. Wet is a way I would describe this whole weekend. 

They had High School Graduations on Friday, both Morgantown and University High had their commencement ceremonies on their football fields in the middle of all of this rain. It was a lack of planning on some highly paid indivuduals and a state land grant institute who tried to get greedy with the state tax payers that I honestly think some educators and executives need to lose their employment. Absolutely disgusting way to treat people celebrating a lifetime achievement. 

Have yoursleves a great day.

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a semi-quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are of course up already, they are complaining that it's too warm in the house and I reminded them they are more than welcome to grab the AC from the garage and stick it in the bedroom window so we can regulate the temperatures down here a little better. They are innovative and inspired, and they just want to hook the wagon up to the tractor and drive it down here. 

So I'm on a three-day holiday weekend, my lovely wife is on a 4 day as she was off yesterday as well as Monday. So what is on today's agenda? Other than grocery shopping, probably not too much. I mowed last week, so the grass looks pretty good and can go another week. 

This is the weekend I make my yearly trip to three cemeteries. I'll Start out at Arnettesville, then on to East Oak Grove and we will finish up at Mount Union. I take small little flags and put them on family members who have served and clean up the graves. Might even take the weed eater with me again this year just in case. Have yourselves a great day, a great weekend an an awesome day. 

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 and the start of a three day weekend!!!!!!

I don't know what I am going to do with myself, three whole days off and I've been working 10 hour days (for overtime) since Nick had his wreck. Hopefully it will be filled with Happy times and memories, the students are gone so that is one factor of the Happy Times. 

I'm hoping to maybe fire the grill up this weekend, no plans but it is a three day weekend so it's a good time for the first cookout of the year. 

Michelle is off today and may be running to Rogers Ohio with Jim and Chris, she has a mammogram this morning and then they are talking about running up there after that. I'll be working. 

Have yourselves a great day and the start of a great weekend. 

Hi ho hi ho

Happy Birthday(s) Pam and George McClain

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my Sister Pam and an early Birthday to my brother-in-law George and wish them both a very Happy Birthday today (although George's is Saturday). 

Pam is a sister that any brother would be very proud to have. She is the most genuine of the genuine, and it is an honor to call her my Baby Sister and one hell of a Grandmother. She would do anything for anyone and is one of the most innocent souls anyone would ever want to meet who has purple hair. 

George is the brother-in-law who would be my first round draft pick in the Brother-in-Law Draft. He is a brother from another mother to say the least. 

If you happen to see or talk to Pam today or George on Saturday, take a little bit of time out of your busy day and wish this special lady or this fine young gentleman a very Happy Birthday today.

Happy Birthday Pam and George a little early.

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 weeks pic happened last Thursday, Layla was graduating from the MedEd program and she was the Senior speaker for her class at University High. There is a whole album on Facebook that I posted up. 

I think she deserves not one but two pictures posted up (out of 145), I can't express how proud of her both Michelle and I are of her. She actually won the first award of the night called Mountain Movers and when they were talking about it and didn't announce who the winner was, I just knew it was Layla. She is that dedicated and that focused. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

Lucy’s Journal Entry — May 20, 2026

The gang gathered down at the local Sheetz this evening after work. The humans thought everybody was winding down for the night, but that was absolutely not the case. Kiwi, Peanut, and the quackers had officially begun planning Memorial Day Weekend operations.

The air smelled like gasoline, pepperoni rolls, curly fries, and just a tiny bit of bad decision making.

Lucy slid into the booth first carrying three pepperoni rolls and a giant sweet tea like she owned the place. Peanut jumped onto the seat beside her pretending to look sophisticated, but immediately stole half of Lucy’s mozzarella sticks when nobody was looking.

Kiwi was already bouncing around the table screaming:
“THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND!”

The quackers were all crowded around a basket of fries, loudly arguing over whether ranch or honey mustard was the superior dipping sauce. Things nearly turned violent.

Eventually Lucy got everybody under control enough to discuss the official weekend plans.

Since Kiwi never did finish building his “luxury tropical backyard waterfall paradise,” the group decided they should visit a real waterfall somewhere in the mountains instead. Kiwi became extremely excited at the idea of swimming and immediately attempted to cannonball directly into somebody’s cup of Dr Pepper.

The tentative plan now includes:

• Swimming all day in cold mountain water
• Peanut supervising from a dry rock while judging everybody
• Cooking hot dogs and burgers on a grill
• The quackers stealing every single chip bag they can find
• Kiwi attempting to become “King of the Waterfall”

Lucy said it actually sounded peaceful for once.

That peaceful feeling lasted approximately seven seconds.

Kiwi suddenly froze while staring out the Sheetz window into the parking lot.

There were cars everywhere.

Rows and rows of shiny clean cars.

Kiwi slowly turned back toward the group with the expression of a tiny feathery supervillain.

“There are too many cars,” he whispered.

The quackers immediately became interested.

Peanut narrowed his eyes and sighed because he already knew where this conversation was going.

Kiwi hopped onto the windowsill dramatically and declared:
“THIS PARKING LOT NEEDS MORE POOP.”

The quackers began quacking in support like tiny feathered henchmen.

Lucy nearly choked on her pepperoni roll laughing while Peanut buried his face in his paws and muttered:
“I can’t take these people anywhere.”

Kiwi then outlined what he called “Operation Memorial Droppings,” which apparently involves coordinated aerial chaos sometime this weekend. The quackers volunteered immediately because, according to them, teamwork makes the dream work.

Peanut has publicly denied involvement.

However… Lucy noticed him smirking a little.

This does not inspire confidence.

One thing is certain:
Memorial Day Weekend may never financially recover from this crew.

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

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

* It has been 22,789 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,445, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar. 

* It has been 8,043 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. 

* 6,637 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,841 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 5,878 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 3,016 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 1,670 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,280 days, I've now outlived him by 1,526 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 248 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 2,101 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.

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

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

* There are 219 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026. 

* There are 204 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* There are only 87 more days to go until Michelle and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary......maybe

* There are 34 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 8,357 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

* You know what I should do? Get my drone ready to fly, update and charge everything. It's been a few years. 

* This is my favorite Tictok, don't give Peanut any ideas. 

* 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.

Michelle's right rear tire for some reason always loses air, we had 4 new tires put on a few years ago because the same wheel did the same thing. I half wonder if there is a problem with the rim. Kiwi and Peanut said they don't want to go to work with us today, but they would put in in Michelle's tire. They are such thoughtful pets, good thing I have an air compressor and a tire nozzle to fill tires with. 

Still planning on working 10 hour shifts this week, I'll have to do it next week as well to make up for the Holiday, but I have my routine and I'm used to it, so it's really no big deal. 

Michelle is only working four days this week, she is off Friday and next monday to make it a 4 day weekend. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho