Sunday

Here I once again sit in a quiet household, I think Kiwi ordered a pan flute and Zamfir's Greatest Hits for inspiration; he's been up all night playing the pan flute and causing me to sleep in a little bit. I have to admit he's pretty good at it. 

Jim and Chris had their Christmas Auction yesterday, it wasn't as successful as the previous year as people just seemed to be frugal this year, which can be understandable. The funny one was Roy bid $30 for a peach pie that his wife Danielle made. Roy and I usually get into bidding wars over some menial object to help raise money, but I didn't make it this year. Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm sure there will be a bidding war then. 

Gerald called me yesterday and said that Mom has been rushed to the hospital by ambulance, she was having trouble breathing and her fingers were turning blue. I checked with Kim, who has access to Mom's myWVUChart and she said all the numbers were pretty much coming back normal. Long story short, Gerald called me later and said they were giving her the option of going home, which she chose. 

The Mountaineers played yesterday, and despite a valiant effort they came up a little short 23-25, against the Defending Big XII Champions. They are getting there and we are young, next season should be very exciting. 

Have yoursleves a great day. 

Saturday Morning Rambling

Here I sit in a semi-quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut have been up most of the night playing some board game that Kiwi ordered off the internet. I should have known I was in trouble the first time I heard Kiwi say Alexa, which we have four of them in the house. Never underestimate the Kiwi and his ability to get into trouble, he always finds a way. 

Big Auction today. Jim and Chris are having their Christmas Auction  up at the church this afternoon starting at 4:00. Head on up to the church and see if you can grab yourself a deal on some Christmas Presents and or Decorations. There will also be homemade baked goods auctioned off to offset the cost of the facility and donate to the church.

The Mountaineer Football team will be in action this afternoon with a 1:00 game at Arizona State. The Sun Devils made the college football playoffs last year. Let's see if Rich can keep the momentum of the past couple of games going. 

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!!!

Are you looking for a little bit of High School Football? Well the playoffs start tonight. #1 Morgantown will play at home against Buchanon Upshire and should have home games all the way to the state finals. #7 University High is at home and hosts Parkersburg. #3 Clay Battelle is at home against Ritchie County and should have a second home game if they win. Good luck to all the locals teams as the playoffs have began. 

No other plans for the weekend, OTHER than Jim and Chris's  Christmas Auction tomorrow at Woodland United Methodist Church. The Auction starts at 4:00 and Michelle will be up there working the Auction once again. Come on out and see if you can find yourself a deal on maybe some Christmas Gifts or decorations. 

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.

For this weeks pic I go back to a Hayley and Tyler Wedding picture from over four years ago. This was actually taken after the wedding and when we all went back to the house and ate, then they got redressed up and went to the beach at Bethany Beach to grab a few of these magical pictures. 

It was an absolute perfect end to an absolute magical day for the couple and everyone who was there to witness it. 

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

 Lucy’s Journal – November 12th

Well, here we go again. I told myself last week that we were going to behave for a while… but you know how that goes when Peanut, Kiwi, and the Quackers are involved.

It all started this morning when Peanut got the bright idea that we should “help decorate” for Thanksgiving. Sounds innocent enough, right? Except Peanut’s idea of decorating involves climbing up on the counter, knocking over the box of decorations, and chasing the fake leaves like they’re live mice. Kiwi, of course, thought the shiny gold garland was a snake and dive-bombed it about a dozen times. I had to rescue him before he tangled himself into a sparkly little pretzel.

Then the Quackers—those troublemaking ducks—decided the little cornucopia centerpiece would make an excellent bathtub. They waddled right into it and splashed cranberries and plastic pumpkins everywhere. It looked like a harvest festival explosion.

When I finally got everyone settled down, Peanut was nowhere to be found. That’s usually a bad sign. I followed the trail of feathers and fur to the laundry room, where I found him proudly sitting in a basket of freshly folded towels… covered in flour. Apparently, he’d been “helping” make pies and thought the flour bag was a new toy.

Kiwi was perched above him, chirping something that sounded suspiciously like laughter. I swear that bird has a sense of humor.

By the time I cleaned it all up, the Quackers had discovered the TV remote and somehow turned on the shopping channel. I nearly fainted when I saw an order confirmation for a duck-sized sweater set.

So, yeah… another peaceful day in the Lucy household. Decorations are half destroyed, my kitchen smells like burnt stuffing from an earlier “experiment,” and Peanut’s still dusted in flour like a furry powdered donut. But honestly? I wouldn’t trade this crew for anything.

Tomorrow’s plan: maybe we’ll try to bake real pies.
Then again… maybe we’ll just order one and call it a win.

— Lucy 🐾

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is yet once again in our rear view mirrors, I am off today for Veterans Day, good reason to do a tidbits

* It has been 22,602 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. 

* It has been 7,854 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. 

* 6,448 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,652  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 5,690 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 2,827 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 1,481 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,273 days, I've now outlived him by 1,344 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 59 days ago, I'm happy for those two. 

* I have 2,283 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.

* There are only 269 more days to go until Michelle and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary. 

* There are 129 days until my favorite season begins, a lot of people love different seasons, I am a Spring person who loves the Springtime. 

* 90 more days until Phil steps to center stage once again for Groundhog Day.    

* 57 more days to go until my Goodbye 2025 Blog is posted. Hopefully, I can put some better content together this year.

* There are 43 more shopping days left until Christmas 2025. We're down to double digits, quick everyone panic. 

* There are 22 days until I hit the age of 62. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

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

* I have written 8,140 blogs in what is now 21 years of Blogging. 

* Older Drone still needs to be sent out for repairs, not a big priority at this time. My little drone is awesome and I really like it....when I take time out to fly it.  

* It's still football season, Basketball is looking good from what I have seen so far. 

* Jim and Chris have scheduled their Christmas Auction for Saturday at Woodland United Methodist Church on the Mileground.

* Are you looking to buy some Girl Scout Goodies? Well Releigh has started her campaign to sell chocolates, candles, stationary and other things. This is her store. 

* Are you looking to buy some Girl Scout Goodies? Well Bella has started her campaign to sell chocolates, candles, stationary and other things. This is her store. 

* They both have their own stores, their own campaigns and their own goals to meet. 

* Let's keep it in the same household, go give Crown of Scars a listen. It's my Nephew Moke and he tells his life story through song, so listen to the lyrics, it's pretty deep. 

* Still playing Monopoly Go, but not as often. 

* This is my favorite TikTok, my childhood come to life in the real roadrunner and Wiley Coyote. 

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

* I think my AI skills are really expanding, I'm using a number of them doing all kinds of different taks (other than drawing pictures). 

* Have yourselves a great day

* 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.

I'm working today, a little earlier and later than anticipated due to me making up hours being that tomorrow is a Holiday. I was planning on working for another company from home, but that fell apart at the last minute on Friday. That would have been a year and a half contract, but that just never came to fruition. No idea what happened and neither does the recruiter, we're hoping it opens back up at a later date but we're not holding our breath. 

I'm pretty secure at Hope and I'm on the ground floor of building something with the Geospatial Department, so it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise when it is all said and done. 

Have yoursleves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a quiet Household, Kiwi and Peanut are still celebrating the Mountaineers beating Colorado yesterday and are still having fun. The Steelers play the Chargers tonight, but it is an 8:20 game and that is just a little bit past their bedtimes, especially when the Humans have to go to work tomorrow. 

The Mountaineers did look good yesterday and earning their first two game winning streak of the season with a 29-22 Victory over the Colorado Buffalos. This team is slowly coming together, Rich has changed the culture and I think the players are finally starting to fully buy in, that and he has a full recruiting cycle this year as opposed to getting the job pretty much at the end of last years cycle then having to deal with the transfer portal and find players to fill in and build a team around. It's been a tough year, but we're starting to see what we have been waiting for. They are young and inexperienced, but they are getting better and coming together as a team.

Still a little bummed about not starting that contract tomorrow. It was pulled on Friday afternoon and I have no idea why, other than it was subsidized with Federal Funds and with the shutdown the funds got pulled, but that is just my theory. It would have been working for a telecommunications company, establishing new lines and services to new locations. I'm not too upset though, as I think I have a bright future at Hope and wouldn't mind retiring from there. 

Typical Sunday for us, a few chores around the house and that is our agenda for the day. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a non-quiet household this morning, Kiwi is all excited that he figured out what was wrong with Mom's computer a couple of nights ago and fixed it. The Jack of all trades is now a computer technician. 

The Mountaineers will be hosting Deion Sanders and Colorado at noon today, the game is on TNT or HBO Max and should be one worth watching. I know I will be watching with interest. 

Well plans kind of changed, I was offered a job that would have allowed me to work from home for literally double the money. I had to go to Preston County for a Drug Screen and was scheduled to do my fingerprints yesterday right after work. Right as I was getting ready to leave to go do them, after I cleaned my office out I get a text message from the potential employer that the contract they had had been pulled and the offer is being rescinded. I got my computer yesterday from them which really kind of sucks. Back to the office on Monday, still working for Hope. 

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!!!

You looking for a little bit of High School Football? The Morgantown Mohigans will close out their regular season tonight at home against Musselman. University High has completed their regular season and only await their playoff seeding. Clay Battelle closes out their regular season tonight in Blacksbille against Magnolia. Goog luck to all the teams playing tonight, bring home a couple of wins and get ready for the playoffs. 

Kiwi and Peanut will be at the stadium today, they are waiting for the University of Colorado to show up so they can get Deion Sander's autograph. I told them thee story that Deion and I had the same trainer back in the 1980's. Dave Van Halenger who was like a big brother to me from when I first met him until he left to go to Florida State was a close friend and someone I worked out with all through High School and beyond. When Dad and Jean bought their house in East Gate, he had the first house when you first pulled in, but I had known him a good 7 or 8 years prior to that when he lived in a trailer in North Hills. They just thought they would go get Deion's autograph. 

Other than that nothing planned. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

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 Michelle and my wedding day in 2011. It was at the Marilla Center, so we had most of the families get up on the bridge and get a big group shot of everyone. I seem to recall we did a serious shot, then told everyone to make a funny face and I think this is the funny face photo. 

Have yourselves a great day and make your own memories. 

HI ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

Lucy’s Journal – “The Great Candy Caper” 

Oh boy, where do I even start with this week’s hijinks? It’s Halloween, and you just know that means mischief is in the air.

Peanut (our self-appointed “Stealth Commander”) woke up this morning with a twinkle in his tiger-striped eye and said, “Operation Sweet Tooth is a go.” That’s when I knew things were about to get wild. Kiwi fluttered down from the curtain rod yelling, “Mission accepted!”—because of course he did. The Quacker Twins were already waddling in circles, giggling about candy corn and bubble gum, so there was no stopping it.

The plan? Sneak into the old Hero Hut, set up our secret headquarters, and map out which houses had the best candy from last year. Kiwi was the lookout, Peanut was the stealth scout, the Quackers were the distraction team (mostly because they can’t stop quacking), and I—Lucy—was the brains of the operation.

We started at dusk. Peanut led the way, tail twitching like a furry little metronome. Kiwi kept whispering “clear skies!” every time we made it past a front porch undetected. Then the Quackers got a little too into their distraction duties—dancing in a front yard fountain dressed as glow-in-the-dark ghosts. That drew every kid on the block, and somehow we ended up leading a mini Halloween parade straight down Main Street.

By the time we got back to the Hero Hut, we were tired, giggly, and carrying more candy than we knew what to do with. Peanut was smugly sorting chocolate bars by size, Kiwi was trying to unwrap a lollipop with his beak, and the Quackers were already napping in a pile of candy wrappers.

I guess the Great Candy Caper was a success after all—no one got caught, and everyone’s happy. Well… except for Peanut, who’s still a little sticky from when Kiwi accidentally dropped caramel on his head.

Till next time,
Lucy 🐾
(Chief Mischief Coordinator, The Hero Hut Squad)

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is yet once again in our rear view mirrors, I can't think of a better reason to do a tidbits. 

* It has been 22,595 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. 

* It has been 7,847 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. 

* 6,441 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,645  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 5,683 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 2,820 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 1,474 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,273 days, I've now outlived him by 1,337 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 52 days ago, I'm happy for those two. 

* I have 2,290 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.

* There are only 276 more days to go until Michelle and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary. 

* There are 136 days until my favorite season begins, a lot of people love different seasons, I am a Spring person who loves the Springtime. 

* 97 more days until Phil steps to center stage once again for Groundhog Day.    

* 64 more days to go until my Goodbye 2025 Blog is posted. Hopefully, I can put some better content together this year.

* There are 50 more shopping days left until Christmas 2025. We're down to double digits, quick everyone panic. 

* There are 29 days until I hit the age of 62. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

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

* I have written 8,132 blogs in what is now 21 years of Blogging. 

* Older Drone still needs to be sent out for repairs, not a big priority at this time. My little drone is awesome and I really like it....when I take time out to fly it.  

* It's still football season, Basketball is looking good from what I have seen so far. 

* Jim and Chris have scheduled their Christmas Auction for the 18th at Woodland United Methodist Church on the Mileground.

* Are you looking to buy some Girl Scout Goodies? Well Releigh has started her campaign to sell chocolates, candles, stationary and other things. This is her store. 

* Are you looking to buy some Girl Scout Goodies? Well Bella has started her campaign to sell chocolates, candles, stationary and other things. This is her store. 

* They both have their own stores, their own campaigns and their own goals to meet. 

* Let's keep it in the same household, go give Crown of Scars a listen. It's my Nephew Moke and he tells his life story through song, so listen to the lyrics, it's pretty deep. 

* Still playing Monopoly Go, but not as often. 

* This is my favorite Tiktok, this is Michelle's favorite player. Willie Parker. 

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

* I think my AI skills are really expanding, I'm using a number of them doing all kinds of different taks (other than drawing pictures). 

* Have yourselves a great day

* 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.

While Michelle and I are at work today, they have decided to form a band, Kiwi has picked up the violin and Peanut is a natural on the bass guitar. They said they want to play some classic rock and Kiwi was planning on spending the day calling record labels to try and get a record deal. 

So looking at the week ahead, our mapping freeze at work is over with and we can resume normal activities starting today, although I was working in the software last week using outside services and bringing larger datasets local to do value added processing. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit once again in a quiet household, Michelle and I are still a little bit under the weather and Peanut and Kiwi have been taking turns taking care of us. Two multi-talented pets who do a very good job of watching after their humans. 

Going to be a relax day. Both Michelle and I have been under the weather the past few days and not feeling well, so we are going to relax and take it easy today as we rest up for the week to come. I'm not sure if this is a lingering effect from a flue shot or just a bug that we both have caught, but it has taken it's toll on us. 

Speaking of today, did you turn your clocks back last night so that you could enjoy an extra hour of sleep last night? The weekend is an hour longer, until Daylight Saving Time resumes on March 8th. I was thinking yesterday, should I cut the grass or am I done with grass cutting for 2025 and I decided unless it gets really warm, I am done with the grass cutting for the year. They have a portion of the yard torn up still as they are constructing the bridge and widening the road still. 

Have yourselves a superfantastic day. 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are drawing up some architectural designs for a chicken cook that he thinks that is going to be built today. Peanut has her colored pencils and is reviewing the integrity of the proposed structure and supervising. 

Should be a great day today, Gregg and Lefang were coming into town, she has an extra chicken coop that they are bringing us today, but both Michelle and I are a little under the weather and we asked them to reschedule the planned visit. 

With no game this weekend they were coming in to just visit, Gregg was my roommate from about 1984-87ish? We lived at two places on Brockway then moved up to Barrington North for two years until he Graduated. Spending time with them will make it one hell of a great day. Might even get a chance to watch the game together, something we never really did because he was too busy on the field making plays. 

I wrote the blog earlier in the week before we got sick, and I'm too lazy to re-write it so here you go...lol

Oh, remember to set your clocks back tonight, as you get an extra hour of sleep. 

Have yourselves a great day and 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!!!

You looking for a little bit of High School Football action? Well what do you know right here in Morgantown, even on my side of town, Morgantown High and University High will go at it tonight on Bakers Ridge Road. Clay Battelle will also be at home hosting Oak Glenn this evening out in Blacksville. Good luck to 2 of the 3 teams, as all 3 can't win this evening. 

Tonight is Halloween so I'm not sure of our plans. I know Michelle talked about going over to Chris's to hand out candy to the kiddies, me I'll be listening or watching the Mohawk Bowl. 

Have yourselves a great day and lets get this party started. 

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.

Since the greatest daughter anyone could ever ask for loves Halloween so much, it is her favorite Holiday of the year believe it or not, I decided to steal a pic from her on Facebook from a Halloween past. 

This one is from 2021 with her cousin Abby and Luke's biological Mother getting ready to take Lukeout in search of Halloween treats. 

Have yoursleves a great day Hi ho hi ho