Oh I almost forgot

As Michelle and I were driving to DiCarlo's yesterday on the trip up, I had noticed that the old Washington Mall had basically been demolished, as in gone. So we go to DiCarlos then to Hayley's and as we were coming back through on I-70 I decided I was going to screw with Hayley a little bit. 

So I called her and played the what did you do to the mall game, pretty much blaming her that this huge structure was gone. 

She informed me that they are tearing the Mall down (It's basically gone) and they are going to build a COSTCO in that location and it is due to open up some time next year. We are already Sam's Club Plus Members, meaning our Membership pretty much pays for itself in rewards, but I can see picking up a COSTCO membership as well. 

Michelle said their is a BJ's up in Bridgeville as well that she would like to check out. I think all three are pretty much the same, membership clubs and same deals and incentives pretty much. We do take our weekly trip to Sam's Club. 

I'm so glad I was able to cut Grass yesterday morning, it's supposed to be warmer today, but everything is still wet and my grass was three weeks grown. I even put the mower blade on 6 and ran across where the big industrial garage used to be, ad least in the flat areas. I'm going to have to get that ground flattened out  first, still a number of big divots. 

Sunday Morning Rambling

Here I sit on a quiet Sunday Morning, Kiwi and Peanut are both chowing down on the remaining DiCarlo's Pizza that was left over. They both love it and declared cold cheese on top of a hot pizza is amazing. 

So yesterday was pretty amazing, Michelle did the shopping as I cut the grass, and it has been three weeks since I last cut it. It definitely needed cut and I wanted to cut it before the rains came. Mission accomplished.

When all the chores were done, we headed to Wheeling West Virginia to get a DiCarlos Pizza. Michelle ordered a big tray and we had a couple pieces there and then delivered the tray to Hayley and Tyler at their home. They have an Osso's right down the road, but they are just a DiCarlos knockoff. DiCarlos is the original and the best tasting of everyone who tries to imitate them. Hayley, Tyler and Luke were all very appreciative of having us bring them a pizza. 

When we got home eventually is was raining pretty heavily, so that was pretty much it for us and the day and evening. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Saturday

Here I sit in a semi-quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are up and working some kind of  Jigsaw puzzle of a moose. These two are always innovative and I just never know what they are getting into. I'm just thankful it doesn't concern hammers, torches or construction materials and it's not something competitive. Peanut ordered this puzzle and was a little upset when she figured out she spelled mouse wrong. 

So what is on today's agenda? With any luck and if the weather holds up I am going to try to cut grass. It has been three weeks and it's due to be cut. I would have cut it last weekend but we had other priorities that needed to be attended to. Michelle is going to be doing our grocery shopping for the week and that will be it for chores on this day. 

She has talked about running to Wheeling because she wants some DiCarlo's Pizza. The one we used to go to all the time is gone, but there is one at the Cabela's exit back there in the plaza and one in Glen Dale that I have been known to frequent. There is also one in Wheeling, but I've never been to that particular one. 

Today is the 22nd Anniversary of me Graduating from WVU and it was 49 years ago today that Grandpa Hall had passed away, so May 16th is always a date I tend to remember. 

Have yourselves a great day, go make some memories. 

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. 

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!!!

Today is the last day of finals, any remaining students have to be out of the dorms by I think tomorrow and in case you haven't noticed the town is a little bit emptier. Some still are around waiting for Graduation, but I would say a majority of the undergrads who are here just for the school year have left and returned home for a few months. This gives locals like me a chance to relax from the excessive traffic, but have to suffer from all of the road work that will take place now that they are gone. Kiwi and Peanut are both happy the town is theirs now. 

Michelle is going back home with her sisters and her niece for the day to play purse bingo for Maddies school. That means it will be me and the scranimals (as Michelle refers to them as) holding down the fort and taking care of the household. I may be cutting grass but Kiwi wants to do figure 8's all around the yard. 

We are still about a month away from the Summer Concert Series, but step at a time. The students are leaving!!!!

Have yourselves 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 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

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.

It's been a few years, but Michelle and I took Layla to Idlewild Park one summer day about 8 years ago. I was walking around all stylish with the Dad bd, bald head and my Hawaiian shirt. Michelle had found a deal for 4 tickets to the park and we jumped on it. We were going to take Trish and Layla, but only Layla ended up coming with us that day. 

We all had a great day, spent most of the day in the wave pool, but we had done a few other things as well.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

Lucy’s Journal – April 29, 2026

This morning started like most others—with a questionable idea and way too much confidence.

“Let’s go ride that little train thing,” I said.

“The what?” asked Peanut, flicking his tail like he already knew it was going to be a problem.

“The PRT,” I said. “People ride it all over Morgantown. How hard can it be?”

That was mistake number one.

---

We made our way to the Med Center Station, which looked simple enough—just some doors, a few machines, and people walking around like they knew exactly what they were doing.

We did not.

The ticket machine was the first obstacle. It had buttons. Too many buttons.

Kiwi hopped up onto the edge of it and started pecking at the screen like he was ordering lunch.

“You just bought something,” I told him.

“Good,” he chirped. “I hope it’s snacks.”

Peanut squinted at the instructions. “Why does it say ‘Select Destination’? Isn’t the destination ‘ride the thing’?”

“No,” I said, already losing patience. “We want Walnut Station downtown.”

The machine beeped angrily.

“That didn’t sound like success,” Peanut observed.

---

Meanwhile, the Quackers had formed a separate committee about halfway across the lobby.

“We vote Beechurst!” one of them declared.

“Why Beechurst?” I asked.

“Chicks,” they all said in unison.

I should have known.

“You are not getting off early to ‘check out chicks,’” I said.

“That sounds like discrimination,” one of them muttered.

---

Back at the gate, we discovered the next problem: you have to scan something to get through.

Kiwi tried to walk straight through the turnstile and got gently bonked back.

Peanut watched this happen and said, “Good system.”

I waved the ticket (or whatever Kiwi had purchased) in front of the scanner. Nothing.

I flipped it over. Still nothing.

One of the Quackers tried to go under the gate.

Another tried to go over it.

A third just sat down and refused to participate.

Finally, a nice human came over and said, “You have to scan it like this.”

We all pretended we knew that already.

---

Once inside, we faced the ultimate question:

“Which platform do we go to?” Peanut asked.

“There are only two,” I said confidently.

“Yes,” he replied, “and we are somehow still confused.”

The sign said something about directions that made perfect sense to everyone except us.

Kiwi suggested we just get on the next one that showed up.

“That’s how you end up somewhere weird,” Peanut said.

“Adventure,” Kiwi countered.

---

A car finally arrived, and chaos took over.

The doors opened.

The Quackers rushed forward like it was a bread sale.

“Beechurst! Beechurst!” they chanted.

“No! Walnut!” I yelled.

In the confusion, one Quacker tried to argue with the automated voice.

Another asked a passing student, “Are there chicks at Walnut?”

The student did not respond.

---

We made it onto the car—miraculously—and the doors closed before anyone could escape at Beechurst.

The Quackers pressed their beaks against the window dramatically as we passed it.

“Goodbye, opportunities,” one of them whispered.

---

The ride itself was… actually pretty nice.

Smooth. Quiet. Efficient.

Peanut relaxed immediately. “Okay,” he said, “this part I like.”

Kiwi ran back and forth inspecting everything like he was in charge of safety.

“Solid vehicle,” he declared.

---

When we finally arrived at Walnut Station, we stepped off like seasoned professionals.

“See?” I said. “We figured it out.”

Peanut looked at me. “It took us 45 minutes to get through a gate.”

“That’s part of the journey,” I said.

Behind us, one of the Quackers asked, “So how do we get back to Beechurst?”

I pretended not to hear.

---

Conclusion:
The PRT is a fine system.

We are not a fine system.

But we made it to Walnut—and honestly, that feels like a win.

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 22,768 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,424, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar. 

* It has been 8,022 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. 

* 6,616 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,820 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 5,857 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 2,995 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 1,649 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,280 days, I've now outlived him by 1,505 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 227 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 2,122 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.

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

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

* There are 240 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026. 

* There are 225 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* There are only 108 more days to go until Michelle and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary......maybe

* There are 55 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 8,333 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 TickTok, I have this song stuck in my head. 

* 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.

Kiwi and Peanut are both upset that Mommy and Daddy are heading into the offices and they both said that they would rather stay home today. I know they are planning on something, I just don't know yet quite yet. 

Typical week for me ahead, working on a number of different projects and delivering products that other departments can use. I'm feeling pretty good about it, however I do have an interview this evening for a job that I will most likely be offered. Significantly more money, but I would have to go to Washington PA every day and with everything going on in the world that may be a little too risky right now, but we'll have to wait and see. 

They officially put in a Market C where Michelle works, we already have had one. It's self service and you even pay on the honor system, and to be honest it has worked out pretty well. I think the University has one at the Hospital, there is one at the Mall and a few other places I have seen these types of places. 

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit once again in a quiet household once again, Kiwi and Peanut are up playing a competitive game of Twister and Kiwi has a set of head phones on and he's listening to his Bee Gees music, Kiwi loves the Bee Gees. This game could be pretty interesting as they are competitive.  

No big plans for the day, other than just doing a little bit of relaxing and getting ready for the upcoming week. 

The NFL Draft in Pittsburgh has finally concluded, they have drawn record crowds believe it or not. How did the Steelers draft go? I guess we are going to have to just wait and see how it turns out. It's the start of a new era, so we'll have to just wait and see. 

Have yourselves a great day, make it memorable

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are wanting to ride around on the yard tractor and keep trying to remind me that it was be it has been around 264 hours since I last cut grass and that they took a vote and voted that the lawn needs some attention, if  the weather permits. They have a task for me and that is to go fill up the two gas cans and they said that they will take care of the rest. I have a couple cans that I use and they both have zip ties on them to indicated that it is just gasoline and not something for say the leaf blower or anything other than what you have to mix oil in with your gas. I have a smaller can for mixtures. 

It's been a pretty good week, I can't complain at all,  it went by rather quickly. I have a job interview on Monday, but it's in Washington PA and would require a couple of hours of travel every day. It's more money, but I do have to say I haven't heard much from any head hunters since last summer, things really slowed down until a couple of weeks ago when I started to get bombarded again. It's more money, but I really feel I am on the ground floor here where I am (not literally, I'm on the second floor) in building a Geospatial Department with a wide array of skill sets. Hope has a hiring freeze right now, but if something doesn't happen where I get my offer by the end of summer I may seriously start to look. I think I am in a very good situation and my name is really out there and respected. 

So what else is up for today, Michelle's going grocery shopping and I may get tricked into doing some yard work by a couple of pets. It's amazing how much control over my life that they have. 

Have yourselves a great day, make it memorable. 

Big OIe 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!!!

I told Kiwi and Peanut that next Friday, not this Friday will be the last day for Students at WVU. They will still be here the next week taking finals, but other than that, that completes the school year for them all. It'll be nice to see a lot less people around town for a few months. 

Of course when the students are gone, that means roadwork. Last year was a nightmare here with them expanding the road, moving utilities and building a new bridge and everything. Would you believe that that new bridge was opened up last week and everything is paved down here in the valley. So I'm excited about that. Watch turning into my driveway, it's paved smooth but there is a big drop off from the road surface to the ditch. 

Have yourselves 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 weeks pic goes back to the 1970's. I was living with Grandma Hall and Terri had come to visit for a week or so. I was just starting to get into cameras for the first time and of course ole Bonnie Hall stuck her tongue out at me, I guess that is different than flipping me the middle finger like everyone does. 

Believe it or not, that is in fact my sister Terri sitting beside her. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

Lucy’s Journal – April 22, 2026

Dear Journal,

Today started out as one of those “this is either going to be a great idea or a terrible idea” kind of days… and honestly, I still haven’t decided which one it was.

It all began when I announced to everyone that we were putting in a garden out back. Not a normal garden, though. Oh no. We were going to grow useful things. Delicious things. Revolutionary things.

“Pepperoni rolls,” I said proudly.

Kiwi tilted his head like I’d finally lost it. Peanut just blinked slowly, which I’ve learned means, this is going to be chaos and I’m here for it.

The Quackers? They didn’t ask questions. They immediately grabbed… well, I’m not sure where they got tiny shovels, but suddenly they had them and were marching toward the backyard like a construction crew that quacks instead of talks.

Within minutes, the yard looked like we were searching for buried treasure.

I supervised.

(Important role.)

We dug up a nice big patch of dirt, and I carefully explained the planting process:
Step 1: Bury pepperoni.
Step 2: Bury rolls.
Step 3: Wait for nature to do its thing.

Kiwi kept insisting that’s “not how agriculture works,” but I reminded him that he once tried to hide sunflower seeds in the couch cushions to “grow a snack couch,” so I wasn’t taking criticism.

Peanut helped by batting pepperoni slices into the holes… and occasionally eating the evidence.

The Quackers, meanwhile, had gone completely rogue.

Instead of following the pepperoni-roll plan, they had formed a very serious assembly line and were planting pickles. Just… whole pickles. One after another.

I asked what they were doing, and they all stopped, looked at me, and gave one very firm, unified:

“Quack.”

Which I’m pretty sure means, mind your business.

At one point, I decided to improve the garden by introducing bacon bits.

“Imagine it,” I said. “A bacon bit bush. We’d never have to buy salad toppings again.”

Kiwi nearly fell off the fence.

Peanut seemed supportive until he realized bacon bits weren’t immediately edible in large quantities (he tested this thoroughly).

We covered everything up, patted the dirt down, and stood back to admire our work.

Our beautiful, confusing garden.

Rows of future pepperoni rolls.
A mysterious pickle patch run entirely by ducks.
And one experimental section labeled “bacon bits (pending).”

If this works, we’re geniuses.

If it doesn’t… we’re still probably going to dig it all up and eat whatever we find anyway.

Either way, I’m calling today a success.

Now we wait.

—Lucy

Lucy’s Journal – Harvest Day (a.k.a. The Moment of Truth)

Dear Journal,

Today… we harvested the garden.

I woke up feeling confident. Excited. Possibly even a little famous, because I was pretty sure we had invented agriculture 2.0.

Kiwi, however, had the look of someone preparing to say “I told you so” at least twelve times.

Peanut stretched, yawned, and immediately walked outside like, let’s see what snacks grew overnight.

The Quackers were already out there. Of course they were. Standing in a neat little row. Watching the garden.

Guarding it.

From what? Not sure. Possibly from us.

We gathered around our masterpiece:

• The Pepperoni Roll Patch
• The Pickle Zone (Quacker-operated)
• The Bacon Bits (Pending… still)

I grabbed the first shovel.

“Moment of truth,” I said.

I dug into the pepperoni roll section… slowly… dramatically… like I was uncovering buried treasure.

And what did we find?

Not pepperoni rolls.

Not even close.

Just… dirt. Slightly greasier dirt. And one very questionable piece of pepperoni that Peanut immediately tried to eat before Kiwi smacked it away.

“Well,” Kiwi said, puffing up a bit, “as I have been explaining—”

“Next section!” I interrupted.

We moved on to the pickle patch.

Now THIS is where things got interesting.

The Quackers rushed in, shoving us aside (rude), and began digging like their lives depended on it.

And somehow…

Somehow…

There were MORE pickles.

Not grown. Not attached to anything. Just… buried pickles. More than we remembered planting.

The Quackers were thrilled.

They started tossing pickles around, quacking like they had just discovered gold. One of them even hugged a pickle. I didn’t know that was possible, but it happened.

Peanut grabbed one and ran off like he’d won a prize.

Kiwi just stared and said, “That’s not how plants work. That’s not how anything works.”

I’m choosing to count that as a partial success.

Then came the bacon bits section.

We all leaned in.

I dug carefully.

Nothing.

Dug deeper.

Still nothing.

Not a single bacon bit sprout.

I sat back and sighed. “The dream… is gone.”

Peanut checked anyway. Thoroughly. Just in case.

The Quackers offered me a consolation pickle.

Kiwi looked very satisfied.

BUT—

I have a new theory.

Maybe bacon bits don’t grow in spring.

Maybe they’re a fall crop.

Or… maybe… we need to water them with ranch dressing.

I haven’t ruled anything out yet.

So yes, technically, the garden didn’t work.

But also?

We now have a pile of slightly dirt-flavored pepperoni, an overwhelming number of mystery pickles, and a brand new plan for next season.

I’m calling it:

Garden 2.0 – Now With Science

Kiwi says he’s in charge of the science this time.

We’ll see about that.

—Lucy

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is over, now we are staring straight down at a Tuesday. 

* It has been 22,761 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,417, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar. 

* It has been 8,015 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. Has it really been 8,000 days? 

* 6,609 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,813 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 5,850 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 2,988 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 1,642 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,280 days, I've now outlived him by 1,498 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 220 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 2,129 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.

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

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

* There are 247 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026. 

* There are 232 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* There are only 115 more days to go until Michelle and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary......maybe

* There are 62 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 8,325 blogs in what is now 21 1/2 years of Blogging. 

* 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 of the week. Reminds me of Peanut and Kiwi. 

* 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.

It's going to be a semi-busy week, putting out a few fires first thing this morning. I have to generate a pivot table of about half a million records and break it down how it was requested. I also have to convert everything from meters to feet to get the right calculations and break them all down by type and company. Big task for someone who wasn't the master of large data and complex pivot tables. I should have it done and normalized within the first hour. I also have some training I actually have to do this week for something called Rextag. Already have my account set up and I've already familiarized myself with the website and all of it's functionality. 

I'm not sure what the pets are going to get into today, but I think they are planning some kind of mischief this week. Something about Pepperoni Rolls, but it's a big secret between the two of them. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit in a quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut decided to play an all night game of Go Fish, but they didn't quite make it all night. Now they are just snoozing away without a care in the world. Probably dreaming happy thoughts about that waterpark and waterfall in the back yard that they never built. 

Nothing really planned for the day, the temps are supposed to drop and our nice weather is going into a hiatus. 

With the NFL Draft starting this week, and it will be in Pittsburgh part of my attention will be on who the hometown Steelers draft. I look for the Steelers to start with an Offensive Lineman, probably a Guard, but that is just a guess. New Head Coach in Mike McCarthy and a new staff, so gone is Mike Tomlin and his staff and they mean a change in philosophies from the sideline. Ironically the last time the Steelers played in a Superbowl, they lost it to a Green Bay team that was coached by.....Mike McCarthy.

Other than that a few chores today and preparing for the upcoming work week. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a very non-quiet Household, Kiwi and Peanut must not have noticed last Sunday Morning when I fired up the lawn tractor and mowed grass. They still thought it needed cut when much to their surprise they go outside and see grass clippings everywhere. I think that they are both a tad bit upset with me that they didn't get the chance to cut the grass. Truth be told, I think they just wanted to ride around on the lawn tractor and create some mischief. 

So what is on today's agenda? Michelle will do the grocery shopping this morning and I'll pitter around the house for a while. Chris is wanting to have a birthday party for Jim at the New Hill Community Park, I have never been there before but I have looked at it in Google maps. I guess it is the housing development right before you turn into where Moke and And live, this will be a first for me going there. Or should I say a first when it was not part of a gold course. My Dad used to play that course a lot and I had fun riding around on the gold cart with him. Hopefully the weather holds out. 

Other than that not too much planned, but when do we ever really have anything planned anymore. I'm getting old and am no where near as active as I once was.  

Speaking of Moke, he has a new website up, one that has a blog and is more on the technical side of things rather than like mine for shits and giggles. BytesNation is a great site and worth a bookmark if you want to learn about Artificial Intelligence and things on the technical nature. It's actually very well done, and very informative. I can see it cited in academic research to be honest with you. Take a bow Moke. 

Have yourselves a great 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!!!

Another week down, and I think my pets are trying really hard to try and tell me something. 

So what is on the agenda for the day and weekend? It's just a lather, rinse, repeat weekend to be honest with you. I guess the older you get, the less you think about running around and doing fun and exciting things, and try to concentrate on some of the most important things in life. Naps. I, at that point, where I enjoy waking up and knowing it was sjust a nap and I don't have to get ready to go into the office. 

Have yourselves 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 weeks pic is our trip to the Hovatters Zoo last year, a number of people from both sides of the family went up last year and enjoyed a zoo day. 

Speaking of the Zoo Day, Michelle and her sisters have been talking about planning another big get together if anyone is interested in going. If you are interested in going and making some memories that day, let us know. Last year we took up a bunch of food and sat out at the picnic tables and feasted. 

It was and will be a fun time. 

Have yoursleves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

Lucy’s Journal – April 15, 2026

Dear Journal,

This morning started with what Kiwi dramatically called “The Great Human Panic of Tax Day.” Everywhere we looked, people were rushing around like squirrels that just remembered they buried their nuts… but couldn’t remember where.

Peanut sat in the window, flicking his tail, watching cars zoom by like they were in some kind of race. “You’d think the government was handing out free tuna the way they’re acting,” he said.

Kiwi puffed up and chimed in, “Maybe they forgot to do their paperwork! Imagine waiting ALL YEAR and then—BOOM—last minute panic!” He flapped around like a tiny green accountant having a meltdown.

The Quackers were less concerned and more entertained. They lined up like little judges on the porch, quacking every time someone sped past. “Late! Late! Definitely late!” they declared, as if handing out penalties.

I’ll admit… we all laughed a lot this morning.

By afternoon, things had settled down, and that’s when Peanut got that look—you know the one. The “I have a terrible idea and I’m proud of it” look.

Next thing I know, we’re all down at the downtown parking garage.

“Alright,” Peanut whispered, like we were in some kind of heist movie, “keep your eyes open.”

“For what?” I asked.

“For opportunity,” he said.

Kiwi landed on a railing, looking suspiciously official. “We are conducting… inspections,” he announced.

Turns out, Peanut’s “plan” was to check for unlocked cars. And, well… you can probably guess the rest.

Let’s just say the Quackers thought this was the funniest mission of all time. They waddled around like a coordinated squad, giggling (yes, giggling) and keeping lookout.

Kiwi kept shouting things like, “Target acquired!” and “Abort! Windows up!” which made it feel way more serious than it was.

I tried to be the responsible one. I really did. But somewhere between Peanut’s sneaky tiptoeing and Kiwi’s dramatic commentary, I lost it and started laughing so hard I had to sit down.

We didn’t cause too much trouble (Peanut insists it was “just light mischief”), but we definitely left our mark on the day.

On the walk home, Peanut looked very satisfied with himself.

“Best. Tax Day. Ever,” he said.

Kiwi nodded. “Way better than paperwork.”

The Quackers just quacked in agreement.

And honestly? I can’t argue with that.

—Lucy 🐾