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 Peanut, but Peanut when she was just a little kitten. Years before she ever met Kiwi and would you believe that this was taken nearly 10 years ago. We got her in May of 2016 right after she had been weened. Her Mom was a wild whore who lived on in the woods in Pennsylvania, and we had just lost Phin, so I got on Pet Finders and found this little bundle of joy for Michelle. 

Peanut is still a lot to handle, but she is addicted to her hoomans and of course her weekly chaos that she gets into with her brother Kiwi, but this is the real Peanut when we first brought her home. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

Lucy’s Journal — May 6, 2025

This morning started with one of those bright, golden Appalachian suns that practically orders you outside. The kind that makes even the laziest among us (I’m looking at you, Quackers) feel like stretching their legs and pretending we’re the outdoorsy type.

So naturally, we decided to head down to the rail trail in Morgantown.

Now, getting everyone organized is always an adventure. Squeakers insisted on bringing snacks (which he ate before we even reached the trailhead), Quackers kept asking if there would be “rest stops with bread,” and Marvin—well, Marvin just stared thoughtfully at a stick for a good ten minutes before declaring it “a walking companion.”

Eventually, we made it.

The trail was alive today—joggers, cyclists, and folks just out enjoying the day—but once we got a little farther out toward Van Voorhis, things settled into that quiet, peaceful rhythm you only find along the rails-to-trails. The kind where your footsteps and the occasional bird call are the loudest things around.

That’s when old Mr. Jenkins, who seems to appear out of nowhere whenever a story is about to be told, slowed his pace and pointed down toward a small, weathered house tucked just off the trail.

“You see that place?” he said.

Of course we did. It wasn’t much to look at—just a modest little house, the kind you might pass by without a second thought. But something about it felt… still. Like it was holding onto something.

“That’s where Ellis Hall used to live,” Mr. Jenkins continued. “Best fiddle player you ever heard.”

Now that got everyone’s attention.

Even Quackers stopped asking about bread.

Mr. Jenkins told us that Ellis Hall wasn’t famous in the way you’d hear on the radio, but around here, his music carried. Folks said you could hear his fiddle drifting down the valley in the evenings, bouncing off the hills like it was part of the land itself. On summer nights, people would sit on their porches just to listen. No invitations, no tickets—just music finding its way to whoever needed it.

Squeakers asked if Ellis played fast tunes or slow ones.

“All of ‘em,” Mr. Jenkins said with a smile. “But the slow ones… those are the ones folks remembered.”

Marvin, still holding his “walking companion” stick, asked if the music is still there.

Mr. Jenkins didn’t laugh at that. He just looked back at the little house and said, “Some say if you walk by here quiet enough, you might still hear it.”

Well.

You can imagine what happened next.

We all got very quiet.

No crunching gravel. No chatter. Even Quackers held it together (a minor miracle). We stood there, listening to the breeze move through the trees, the distant hum of the trail behind us…

…and for just a moment, I swear, there was something else.

Maybe it was just the wind catching the right angle. Maybe it was imagination. Or maybe—just maybe—it was a faint, lingering note of a fiddle that never quite left.

We didn’t say much after that. Just nodded to each other and kept walking.

Sometimes the best stories aren’t the loudest ones.

Sometimes they’re the ones you have to be quiet enough to hear.

—Lucy

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 22,775 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,431, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar. 

* It has been 8,029 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. 

* 6,623 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,827 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 5,864 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 3,002 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 1,656 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,280 days, I've now outlived him by 1,512 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 234 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 2,115 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.

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

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

* There are 233 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026. 

* There are 218 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* There are only 101 more days to go until Michelle and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary......maybe

* There are 48 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 8,341 blogs in what is now 21 1/2 years of Blogging. 

* It's Finals week at WVU, they should be pretty much gone by this weekend. 

* 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

* This is my favorite TicTok got to love Lady Gaga. 

* 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.

My week ahead is pretty much up in the air, who knows what I will run into in the office and what fires I may have to put out. Michelle rushed around last week to get all of her billing out by the end of the month, so no idea what she is up against this week. 

Kiwi and Peanut want the students gone for the summer. They said this is their town and for all of those out of state college kids to go back home until August. They want free reign over this city. 

Lather, rinse repeat. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday Ramblings

Here I sit in a semi-quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are up early (I don't think they understand the concept of sleeping in) and just doing their thing. They know that Casey Ferguson is retiring from performing and doing Willie Nelson Tributes, so they both see the opportunity to step in and fill the void. They have been practicing all night. I swear these are two multi-talented pets with creative imaginations. 

So what is on today's agenda? Not too much, Michelle got everything done yesterday morning, now it's just up to me to do a few chores around the house and prepare for the upcoming week of work. It's just a repeat of every other week. 

I have been in contact with my nephew Daniel and he has informed me that he has completed all of his course work for his Associates Degree and I told him I would pass the word along. He's also indicated that he may be back home (here) around July 1st, but that is tentative at this time and not set in stone. I have not told him any personal information about anything that is going on in anyone's lives back here, not my place to deliver the news to him. Others should have that honor. He knows of Terri's battle with Breast Cancer and that Brittany had gotten married and that's about it. Very Proud of Him. 

My brother in law Jim was in a pretty bad wreck this past week, he's hurt his wrist and it may require surgery, and Michelle has indicated that his new truck was totaled. Happened Thursday and he ended up going home that night from the Emergency room, but he is a little sore. 

We are less than a couple weeks away now for Layla's HOSA Graduation. She will also give the address at Commencement and this will be seperate from her HS Graduation. Everyone is very proud of her, she has been laser focused and probably because Trish had a heart transplant has been motivated like no other. 

Josh has completed his second year at WVU, I know he made Presidents list last Semester and this Semester is in finals so he is probably laser focused as well. 

Wow, this is one of substance rather than the regular fill.

Have yourselves a superfantastic day. 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a quiet household once again, Kiwi and Peanut are just laying around doing nothing. They are not too happy with these colder temps and all this rain, neither one of them is happy. They wanted to cut grass last Saturday but it was raining, so I made them get up from their beauty naps and cut it Sunday. Today they are researching how to make Taffy at home, Peanut wants some Catnip flavor and Kiwi, he wants an assortment of seeds. They have been doing a lot of research, so we'll have to wait and see how everything turns out. 

So what are our plans for this rainy day. I know Michelle is wanting to go to Sagebrush Roundup tonight, Michelle's sister Chris's Dad will be performing one of his last ever shows as he is getting ready to retire. He is going into their Hall of Fame and he is coming in to make one final performance there, as he resides in Florida. Here is a video of him performing as he has pretty much made a career as a Willie Nelson Tribute act. Yes that is really his hair. 

Michelle is doing some grocery shopping this morning, but other than that and this evening it is going to be a slow kind of rainy day where I don't think we get into too much of anything, but that's been the story of my life...lol

Being I have my own License of ERSI Software, I am setting up some weather feeds so I can go straight to the source and see whatever it is I choose to see all through the software. Of course you can so the same thing as well, but it would be web based whereas I would bring all that information local. What's it mean in the grand scheme of things? Nothing really, it just allows me to experiment and bring in the weather to any map I may maps. I'm a Geography Geek. 

Have yourselves a great day, make it special. 

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!!!

Do you  know what today is? Today is the last day of classes at WVU. Next week is finals week where everyone takes their Spring Finals and then the majority of them go home for the summer. I know Kiwi and Peanut are extra excited, they know that the students are close to leaving and there will be a lot less traffic around town. That means Mommy and Daddy won't take so long to get home and they get fed earlier. 

We might run to Sagebrush Roundup tomorrow night. Chris's Dad Casey. who is a Willie Nelson Tribute artist will be performing and this might be his last show in the area. Funny story about Casey, years ago when I was in college and working at the NRAC, I used to walk around the Coliseum every morning before heading up on the hill. One morning I am walking around the Coliseum and I thought I saw Willie Nelson up there. I went into the office telling everyone I think I just saw Willie Nelson walking around the Coliseum. Ironic that 20+ years later I married his daughters sister. Small world. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho