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 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:
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.
* 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
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.
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.
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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 — 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.
* 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
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,
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
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
* 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
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
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.
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.
