grateful – dankbaar – fakafeta’i

It’ll be a New Year – Since MMXXVI can’t be either happy or unhappy and since I want to wish you lots, it’s gotta be a HAPPY NEW YEAR, so let’s do it this way; I wish you great health, a good life, and the love of your family for 2026!

Now some coffee, well-earned I might add. With Kirstin, Derek, and Kellen driving up this weekend, Marcia and I dutifully did some ‘straightening’ of our little abode. Even Marcia appreciated that she barely recognized my office and its Pin Ball machine (cleaned, sitting/waiting fully loaded and ready for at least 30 games).

The Texas group is always hopeful of finding some snow. This week we’ve had a steady week of mid sixties temperature. Next week there’ll be a dramatic temperature drop, but NO snow.

This warmish morning there was no need for a steaming mug of coffee, just a tasty one.

Hair snipping – Yesterday I realized that I was ‘mucho’ past due getting shorn. My usual go-to joint was closed all day. I then remembered that on the other side of the parking lot is a Sports Clip franchise. Before I headed for the place I scanned their on line list of reviews. Several of those were problematic!

That’s when I discovered that I had run into a ‘contronym’. A contronym references a word that can have opposite meanings. In my case I with the way my hair might “get clipped” and if unhappy with the result, feel that “I got clipped” in my pocketbook. Did you realize you just read the Word of the Day?

Christmas Dinner –– Since our family Holiday gathering will not occur till the coming mid-week, Marcia and I, a pair of ‘fogies,’ were spending the day alone. For the first time I realized that gone were the olden days where the house would be filled with the sound many shrill young voices.

Basically, I love shrill little voices. It even gets better when it’s almost mandatory to spend half the day on the floor assembling toys, shoving toys around, and joining in any number of table-now-played-on-the-floor games.

But, before you wipe a tear, we were invited to enjoy a Tongan Christmas Dinner with Adrianne and Tevita and kids, plus their other invited guests; all Tongan. Barely a word of English spoken it’s amazing how we as humans can have a great time communicating, communicating through laughter, hands, an occasional word, signs, gestures, body language, and even through a sip of adult beverage.

We had a wonderful afternoon. Thanks so much to both of you, to Vai and Vili, and our new Tongan friends

Yesterday, Dec 26, 1776 – is now a barely noticed turning point in our nation’s history. General George Washington and his motley crew, called the Continental Army, made it to Trenton, NJ. Once there, the day after Christmas they caught the 1,400 Hessian soldiers guarding the city completely off guard (it seems they’d celebrated somewhat too much the day before).

That became the first real battle the British lost. They stormed back the next day and Washington’s troops had to withdraw. Had he first crossed the Delaware River he most likely would have had the armaments to keep the upper hand. Luckily, a short few days later there was another victory at Princeton.

But that victory energized the troops and generated morale without which many likely would not have re-enlisted when their tenure expired that New Year’s Day. Had Washington lost much of his army the possible outcome of our eventual independence could have been seriously in doubt.

It also proves the point that whenever planning, in whatever setting, school, business, military, plan to protect against the worst outcome – in Washington’s case it was as simple as crossing a river to maintain control over his armament supply.

Luminary Night – Last Sunday was absolutely perfect for the annual Neighborhood Luminary walk. I did the walk solo and ended up sitting a bit by a front yard firepit at one of our former neighbors. Soon some others joined and Ken P, our host, came up with a tray filed with mugs of hot Lavendar herbal tea.

In the middle of the chit-chat someone pointed out a full-grown Fox walking casually by, no more than 20 feet from where we were sitting. Keep in mind we’re just 3 miles from the heart of a major city.

Actually, it was one of those happenstance events where you hated to leave. Had it not been for former neighbor Rosalie v N , who with some sight issues needed to get home. So I volunteered to escort her.

The lighted house on the left side of the attached picture is our former house. The other shows the reverse side of the Corner of Chaos and Mayhem.

The Egg Nog Jog – Last Saturday’s 5K had me finish 1st in my age category, walking category which including a total of 10 flights of steps climbed, a 16.37 pace for a total 51:36 chip time.

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Which of the following lasting expressions from years past are still in use today? Still in use, even if the original meanings have shifted in modern times. Two are incorrect.

1) Dial a number
2) Blackballed
3) Ate and left no crumbs
4) Roll up the window
5) Burning the Midnight Oil
6) Air Jail
7) CC

Last week answer – #3, “Life on the Mississippi”

Happy MMXXVI

Merry Christmas –

Happy Saturday morning. Just remember to all of you reading this, many of you actually survived another “Polar Vortex”; some of you survived because of where you live, but that is not my fault.

Half a week our bathroom sink’s cold-water faucet was frozen. Everything was fine except for that single particular faucet. What it meant was that these mornings we couldn’t wake up and brace ourselves with a fresh cold-water splash on our face. Horrors!

Since it’s early, I will have my regular mug of coffee. After posting I’ll be off for a 5K and I do not want to start out with a bunch of coffee sloshing around. But, as I said, it’s early so it’ll be OK. By the way, it could be but pictured is not my mug.

Christmas – Just in case we forgot, the Christmas celebration is really a celebration of the birth of Jesus. All the other hoopla is basically just slop (Merriam-Webster named ‘slop’ the word of the year).

One bit that I learned this week is that the name ‘Jesus’ has only been in use for about 400 years. Jesus, during his time on earth spoke Aramaic, a language which does not have the letter ‘J’. Likely he would have responded to the, then, very common name of “Yeshua’ or even the shortened version ‘Yeshu”.

So, things morphed the from Aramaic, to Hebrew, to Greek (‘Iesous’), and finally, shortened in Latin to’ “Iesus.”.

OK, all aboard now?

Harmonies for the Holidays – Last Sunday, cold, snow, bad roads and all, I joined my favorite jazz trio, the Phil DeGreg Trio. This along with the Northern Kentucky University “Vocal Jazz Ensemble“. It was wonderful!

Two hours of all the classics did their magic. Now ready for a seasonal celebration.

Orville & Wilbur – This week I spent a little time reading about Orville and Wilbur Wright and their first powered flight. I’d only viewed them as being a pair of bicycle mechanics who gutsily stumbled on getting a pile of cloth, wood, and wires off the ground. I was so wrong.

They owned a number of bicycle establishments in and around Dayton, Ohio. And their flight design work was absolutely revolutionary. What had prevented others trying to be the first in powered flight were areas which they mastered and then incorporated in their design – their pile of cloth/wood/wire aircraft could be controlled for three axis, Yaw, Roll, and Pitch.

Even, as part of the design was a very lightweight engine (weight was critical). They cast their engine out of Aluminum – then painted it black to keep its design a secret. Weight was so critical that the pilot, Orville, was laying down off center at the controls to counterbalance the engine’s weight.

Take a look at this clever video demonstrating the physics built into their plane.

Fit Life After 40 – Is the name by which a trainer from New Zealand, Gavyn, goes by. Part of the interaction with him is that I get a steady stream of input from him.

With both Christmas and New Year quickly approaching along with those huge food feasts, his latest from yesterday morning might be worthwhile for all of us. Let me quote Gavyn directly:

“Do This Before Big Meals (It Actually Works)”
“Hi Dirk

Pre-meal hack:

Go for a 10-minute walk before AND after eating.

Helps digestion, reduces blood sugar spikes, reduces lethargy, and makes you feel like an athletic reindeer.

Gavyn

PS: I told myself I’d walk more in December. So far… I’ve walked to the fridge a lot…”

The Egg Nog Jog – As alluded to above, this week I’m a bit short with my Ramblings. At 10 this morning the starter’s gun will sound and the Mt. Adams 5K “Egg Nog Jog” will start. It starts at one of the highest points on Mount Adams and after going over, around, and down some of area’s hills end up where we started. I’ve done this 5K several times and considering the season, the terrain, the scenery, and the glass of beer and egg nogg at the finish makes this annual 5K a seasonal high point.

Wish me well!

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Which was the first published book that was written on a typewriter. This was a breakthrough, and as was noted at the time; “At the beginning of that interval (writing) a type-machine was a curiosity. The person who owned one was a curiosity, too. But now it is the other way about: the person who doesn’t own one is a curiosity.” So again, which book was the first?

1) Lewis Wallace – “Ben Hur”
2) Herman Melville – “Moby-Dick
3) Samuel Clemens — “Life on the Mississippi”
4) Noraly Schoenmaker – “Free Ride”
5) Rachel Carson – “The Sea Around Us”
6) Harriet Beecher Stowe — “Uncle Tom’s Cabin“
7) Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt – “The River of Doubt”

Last week answer – #2, “Jimmy Carter”

Plummeting

Happy Saturday morning. And we’re baaaack! From a family visit in Michigan, so a state of normalcy returns. And it was a super great time, thanks to all for putting up with me (Marcia, they thoroughly enjoyed). Before this deteriorates, I’ll start with a bit of coffee.

You might have noticed that with coffee I have a lot of opinions. Having said that, I should be honest and let you in on the fact that on that, the coffee, subject I really am an ultracrepidarian.

Word of the Day: ultracrepidarian, “A person who expresses opinions on matters outside the scope of their knowledge or expertise.”

The day after we returned from Michigan it would have been Jim Morrison’s birthday (would have been a year younger than me). The last song he with the Doors recorded was for a long time one of my favorites; “Riders on the Storm.”

‘Tis the Season – at least according all the media hype it’s now the beginning of the season. Locally, underway is a push to continue to keep the Elf(vis)-on-the-shelf as part of the annual traditions. Personally, I am more attuned to the ‘Elvis’ fun.

It’s been said that Santa is forcing Elvis-on-the-shelf to follow his sled in a pink Cadillac convertible. Also, that the car’s 8-track sound system keep looping the song; “Return to Sender”, all to remind the thousands of little ‘darlings’ that they should ask mommies return their gifts and not Santa.

See, America is straining to jump into what is pounded in our heads as Christmas Spirit.

I’m going a different route. Tomorrow, I have a ticket to listen to my favorite Jazz trio in their Harmonies for the Holidays program, along with an ensemble of ten vocalists from Northern Kentucky University “performing timeless holiday songs in rich jazz arrangements.”

Really looking forward to what promises to be a wonderful afternoon.

It’s Snowballs – This past week, December 10, 1989, our Bengals coach Sam Wyche started yelling at fans to stop throwing snowballs onto the field. It was a home game, Cincinnati Bengals vs the Seattle Seahawks.

“Well the next person that sees anybody throw anything onto this field, point em out, get em out of here, you don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!”

Sometime during my career, I was returning home from overseas travel and was upgraded on my short leg back to the ‘Nati. That trip home found me sitting next to Sam Wyche. By then it had already been some time since he’d coached the Bengals. I remember that I thought he had lost weight (but then I was a good bit heavier). Nothing unusual, an enjoyable seatmate who was not averse to talking pleasantries.

Bodies galore – isn’t it strange that during the Victorian era Cincinnati was the hub of ‘grave robbing’ and ‘body snatching’. At the time, Cincinnati had a large hospital and mortuary science presence, and these facilities needed ‘volunteers’ on which to practice and perfect their trade.

The trade was profitable and had a multi-state presence. In fact, Cincinnati ‘retrieved’ cadavers were shipped to even places such as the Medical School at UM in Ann Arbor MI.

Luckily, this grave robbery business all came to a rather quick halt. Actually, it was the body of the son of a U.S. President which began a hue and outcry regarding the practice. It was the body of John Scott Harrison who was the son of U.S. President William Henry Harrison and was also the father of U.S. President Benjamin Harrison. The body’s ‘snatch’ was quickly spotted the morning after the funeral and a search began. It was his son who found the body of his father hanging in a closet at the medical school.

So strange – It’s almost storybook material, the uber strange research tower at the University of Cincinnati is so strange and overbuilt that engineers said it couldn’t be safely blown up.

We watched Crosley Tower being built floor by floor between 1968 and 1971. Named after Powel Crosley Jr., the founder of Crosley Radio – WLW’s “Nation’s Station,” historic Crosley Baseball Field, the Crosley car, and offering the first refrigerator with extra shelves (the ‘Shelvador‘) placed in a hollowed door (loved by the ladies).

This all-concrete blockhouse of a building has almost no windows, thick walls, and a shape that made it look more like ‘Phillip’s head’ screw than a campus research lab.

Inside, folk said that pipes could burst at will, and water dripped from ceilings – the building stank.

And they were right; the building was reinforced so that demolition crews must cut it apart piece by piece. And that is exactly how it’s being brought down.

I remember seeing it finished for the first time and was awed by both size, and how it was the oddest-looking building on campus. A few more million dollars and it’ll be a long-forgotten memory. See, shortly after next month will begin the UC Board of Trustees approved “$47.3 million remediation and demolition of Crosley Tower”. Don’t worry, it’s not their money!

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

For most of humanity’s existence the norm was that you were born at home. Yours truly ditto. A midwife delivered me at home and our family doctor (family friend) stopped by later just to make certain all was well.
The question this week, which of the listed US Presidents was the first to be born in a hospital?

1) “Howard Taft”
2) “Jimmie Carter”
3) “Woodrow Wilson”
4) “Grover Cleveland”
5) “Dwight Eisenhower”
6) “Lyndon B. Johnson”
7) “John F. Kennedy”

Last week answer – #4, “cosmic fuel”

Broken Camels — (NO Ramblings next Saturday!)

Happy Saturday morning. I wasn’t planning on this, especially as a start to The Ramblings. However, with y’all joining me by starting today’s scrutiny with your morning Java, I just had to.

I came across an article which features, get ready now, coffee as being horribly racist. This bunkum comes from “Afru.com.” They even add to the absurdity of coffee drinking as being racist by writing about the horror of adding ‘milk’ as another white colonial evil. How long before the onslaught of this abstract nuttiness bunk is over and done for good?

There is a lot of drivel making the rounds. But for me this piece on coffee “broke-the-camel’s- back! This never-ending racial drivel must end.

Venezuela dies – This was once a lovely, wealthy little country, at least it was that when Marcia joined the newly created Peace Corps and spent two years of her life teaching youngsters there. It shows how little it takes to completely undermine and upset ‘The apple cart’. It’s very sad!

Venezuela’s attorney general said opposition leader María Corina Machado will be considered a fugitive if she leaves hiding to collect her Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, next month. Machado, who was awarded the honor last month for her efforts to promote democracy in Venezuela. She faces accusations from the Maduro regime of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, and terrorism.

And with recent elections it appears we’re watching even a place like Canada begun to have embarked on the beginnings of a new and scary path. We best take stock of our own future and seriously study all candidates prior to each and every election; education, judicial, electorate, EVERYTHING and EVERYONE!

As President Ronald Reagan famously said: “Democracy is not a fragile flower; still it needs cultivating”.
and
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

It’s a ‘Foodie heaven – Cincinnati’s culinary scene has been recognized nationally with four restaurants making the OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants in America for 2025 – the only city in the nation with 4 winners.

As was written; “These restaurants have been featured in the national ranking due to their exceptional service, quality cuisine, and the positive reviews from diners. They represent the best of Cincinnati’s dining experience and have been a staple in the city for decades.”

The restaurants are:

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse: A reimagined Art Deco style steakhouse offering USDA prime steaks and fresh seafood.

Pepp & Dolores: A casual Italian restaurant known for its housemade pastas and curated wines.

Sotto: A rustic Italian restaurant showcasing an intimate brick-walled interior.

The Precinct: A renowned steakhouse with a storied past and premium steaks.

I made note of this excellent list not just because we love grandson Marin, but since he’s their “Chef de Partie” I think Abigail Street should have been added to that list of deserving restaurants.

Oh that 5K – the Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot was a super fun event, even though waiting for the start with a 27° temperature and almost 30 mph breeze made the wait a bit of a challenge. Once underway it was a perfect race. With approximately 15,000 participants, six of us classified as “men over 80” category. I came in second place.

Later at dinnertime with the 10 members of our Cincinnati based family I quickly realized that I had pretty well lost my voice; all of the family loved that moment.

IMG_6728 (1) (1)

Chevrolet Memories – Absolutely not. This is no plug for Chevy, non-whatsoever. However, what it is, is probably the best seasonal advertisement I’ve seen in a long time.

Maybe it’s my advancing age. Maybe it brings to life the memories I’ve garnered over the years. Maybe its ……… and I could go on. I hope you had a grand Thanksgiving and hope you spend the new month reflecting on all those around you who are helping you start the annual preparations celebrating the birth of the Savior.

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

According to Astronomers our Universe Is “Running Low on ……………….” Astronomers surmise that the Universe is now past its prime and hence they believe it’s running low on?
Select the ‘what’ below:

1) “black matter”
2) “space to expand into”
3) “outward speed”
4) “cosmic fuel”
5) “star formation”
6) “Xray signals from remote galaxies”

Last week – #6, “Fluorecent”

I am and Iam

Happy Saturday morning. Ok, I realize I totally accept that I will never be accused of being breviloquent – and it’s probably even something of pride with me. These Ramblings started out solely as a bit of communication with my father-in-law.

That weekly update then just hung around, now for a little over twenty years. Now that you understand these histrionics, sit back and happy reading with a little watching.

First, join me by pouring a coffee.

Zoo – Yesterday the annual Zoo; Festival of Lights lit up its 43rd annual display. This year’s display is with of over 5 million LED lights will be on display till January 4, 202. Last year it was rated #1 in the nation.

What is of interest to me is that our granddaughter, Vai, has been working weekends at the Zoo. What a golden opportunity to explore during break times. The whole spectacle is stunning.

Doing Nothing – Even in retirement we/I tend to keep busy. Busy with chores, hobbies, reading, shopping, cleaning, gardening, and more. Almost as if we should feel guilty when just ‘zoning’ and ‘hanging’, but there is goodness and purpose by occasionally taking the time to do nothing.

This week I gave myself some time to just hang. It felt good!

Quote – Carl Sandburg (poet, 1878-1967) his famous line: “The fog comes on little cat feet.”

But then – there is a time to set a goal and work towards it. This week my goal is to try and outdo last year when I join in the Western & Southern 5K/10K (10,000+ total participants). This event, the 116th consecutive running, will be Thursday morning, Thanksgiving Day.

I enter it as an opportunity to not feel guilty having a beer with Turkey. That’ll be my ‘stuffing’.

Buried Beer – Mentioning beer leads me to place this YouTube. Since its inception our town, with a huge German immigrant base, has been a beer town. So here is what I want to share.

Underneath the city, like 30 feet below, is where the early brewers plied their trade – massive halls and tunnel after tunnel connecting them. This underground activity was a necessity because German beer and the yeasts used required the cool temperatures.

This video has some scenes that I had never seen. For people who like old style architecture, engineering, and brewing it’s a great video.

Iam Tongi – was the winner of the 23rd American Idol contest. Born in Hawaii and very open about his Polynesian heritage, as a contestant he was of great interest to our Ongolea family.

This past Wednesday Iam Tongi’s tour came through Cincinnati and he performed at our old Ludlow Garage. In case you think that strange, yes, the garage was an actual car garage converted to an alternative music venue in 1967 when the Grateful Dead became the opening band.

Over the years, here are some bands of note who’ve performed in the place; Santana, The Kinks, Humble Pie, Cold Blood, Boz Skaggs, Bo Didley, and Fairport Convention. Then we can’t forget the Allman Brothers who had a special like for the place.

Anyway, Iam Tongi was there Wednesday evening and Adrianne, Tevita, Vai, and Vili were all in the audience, with a marvelous twist.

Tevita tapped into his contacts and organized an after the concert party (complete with food and Kava) for Tongi, his band, and invited friends – almost 30 people at their home. All were still chatting, sipping Kava, and singing along with the band till well after 1 AM.

In case you’re worrying, yes, Thursday was a regular work and school day.

For the American Idol contest, Iam Tongi sang the song, “Monsters” written by James Blunt as the one he hoped would win him a slot in the competition.

When you realize that 18-year-old Tongi’s father, Rodney, had passed a few months prior, and that song was an emotional masterpiece you’ll understand how he made it into the contest.

Take a look at Iam singing “Monsters” and the judges’ reactions.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

This week let’s look at words which look weird but are actually just fine. These, for some reason have tricky spellings and thus tend to confuse. All, except for one, are perfectly correct. Which is misspelled?

1) “Colonel”
2) “Fuchsia”
3) “Segue”
4) “Supersede”
5) “Playwright”
6) “Fluorecent”

Last week – #5: 300-billion

Gotta be a Story

Happy Saturday morning. This past Monday we feasted on an early, 2” snowfall. By mid-week it was back to walking with Bermudas. But never fear, today is the day that Saint Nicholas (‘Sinterklaas’) arrives in the Netherlands (by boat from Spain no less). So, the season of cold and white and possibly more Northern Lights cannot be but closing in.

Now, coffee is done so best pour a mug

There are Stories – Last Saturday I took a 5½ mile hike through nearby Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. It was a glorious day. Trees were on full display, and the ducks were causing the only ripples on the various ponds. On the back side of the park are some hills, and as the old saying goes, “the greater the climb, the better the view.” I had several of those ‘better’ views.

In no hurry and with gorgeous weather I made a quick decision. I wasn’t going to be there to set a time record. Instead, it was a visit to be filled with exploration. And, in a cemetery, what better exploring than to ‘poke’ around to take a closer look at some of the grave headstones.

Here are a few which caught my interest. And, at the same time, have you put together their story or history of the ‘resident’.

Just to give you a headstart here is one, selected primarily because ‘Karl’ was in his prime during the “Civil War” (or since we’re on the Kentucky line it could have been the “War Between the States“). I did look up Karl’s details; Charles J. ‘Karl’ Bolea. Born in Germany and little else. I thought that his time period was of interest.

This large headstone carrying the name; ‘Neeb” is of black marble. I thought the shape was unusual and yes, I did figure out Mr. Neeb’s background and the meaning of the shape. Good luck on your own path to discovering.

These two 5’ high SpongeBob headstones caused a bit of a ruckus in the local news. They were first approved by someone without the authority to do so – whoops. From the roadway they’re now not visible. Good luck with your own search.

The story behind this marker must be a difficult one. It’s three crosses each with the engraved photo and name of three young men, different names (2 same surname), differing birth years but same death year. I found out a bit of detail, but not much.

This bust is one of three in the cemetery. Each of these three have glass eyes. The result is that from whatever direction you approach the eyes look at you and follow you as you move about. It’s a bit surreal.
Charles C. Breuer Sr. (1845-1908) born in Germany. His occupation? He was an Optometrist, now, does the ‘eye’ gain some meaning?

And last on these few unusual markers is this one with the headline: “Through Their Thoughtfulness Knowledge Grows”. It was placed by the University of Cincinnati, Body Donation Program, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology.

Ok, one more. Enough of the death thing, this sculpture is about ‘life’. The sculpture is on Spring Grove’s grounds and celebrates a Rev. John Chapman (1774-1845). Yes, he of ‘Johnny Appleseed’ fame. A Swedenborg pastor, Chapman roamed these parts with bible and a sack of seeds to bring ‘life’ to the earth. You know the story.

It’s a Wonderful World – And it is definitely so in the city of Belém. The whole Global Warming scam just keeps giving us these wonderful “what the?” moments. Now in Belém, Brazil the world’s elite and rabid believers are gathering to ‘save’ the world. The airport is being enlarged to accommodate the fleets of jets. But it gets better. To accommodate the limos thousands of rain-forest trees have been cut down to accommodate an 8-mile long 4 lane highway. It’s serious work these folk have embarked on.

The corner (well not quite) – Looking out the front window, Marcia and I saw a full-sized Coyote cross the street. Something must have spooked it because it started loping off. Too bad or I would have put on the song “Coyote.” Canadian singer—songwriter Joni Mitchell’s mega hit from 1977 and thereby enhance the whole event.

Mid-Week, on an afternoon walk a couple of streets away, I came across this Volkswagen sitting in front of one of the houses. Personally, I think it’s a tad beyond salvageability. I do think Marcia caught the whole event on the scanner. Think that is close enough to count as a Corner of Chaos & Mayhem item?

Then yesterday our building required ‘after-the-storm’ work on our building’s soffits. This is what a 48’ extended ladder looks like. And yes, it took multiple trips up-and-down to affect the fix.

Let me leave you with a couple of pictures from last Sunday’s Jazz@First Chamber Jazz Series at the nearby little First Unitarian Church.

The alto saxophone soloist was Christopher Andrews. Instructor at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and a slew of work with notable artists, he was exceptional. As mentioned last week we explored the evolution of the alto saxophone in jazz: Showcasing Jazz through several decades (mostly 1930s through the 1960s) with almost 15 pieces of music.

I couldn’t get enough.

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

This week, in Philadelphia, the last US Penny was struck. I believe the idea is to not yank them out of circulation but to let time take care of it. How many are in circulation?

1) “1 trillion”
2) “500 million”
3) “780 million”
4) “800 billion”
5) “300 billion”
6) “1.25 trillion”

Different ‘tunes’

Happy Saturday morning. For a while now, a few times a week, I’ve tapped into my Dutch roots. Alongside my morning coffee I’ve been enjoying a morning “beschuit met kaas” (rusk with cheese).

I have no idea why I hadn’t tapped into that source of pleasure for so long. Maybe I rediscovered this pleasure once I remembered that locally Jungle Jim’s International Marketplace carries this delight. In fact, they carry several variants, including whole wheat.

An Election – Ok, early this week we had an election. Marcia and I voted early at our County Board of Elections, which is headquartered in nearby Norwood. The facility is much more conducive to ease of entry and accommodation for Marcia.

Anyway, that’s not what I want to write about. I wanted to mention my viewpoint on the election results:

“Close the door, put out the light
You know they won’t be home tonight
The snow falls hard and don’t you know
The winds of Thor are blowing cold” Led Zeppelin, ‘No Quarter’

Riding the wave of politicians we’ve unleashed on our communities is akin to the reason we should ride a horse and shouldn’t ride a sparkling cute Zebra; i.e. their innate reflexes will kick you in the rear surprisingly fast and without warning.

Oh well, it’s a new beginning. Do it well:

Outages – Last week it was the electric outage, this week it was the internet. Here is how it started.

I’ve been looking for a new printer. Finally, Costco had the model I had on my list, and it was on sale. Tuesday, I pulled the handle and returned home with a box under my arm.

Wednesday, I began the installation. What promised to be a simple procedure went on and on. I checked the router, the modem, our connection, and all checked OK. But no communication between computer and printer.
Repeat!
Every time installation screens flashed by to then eventually pop up with a notice that the process could not be completed.

I quit and had some lunch followed by a well-deserved break. Near 2:00pm I felt ready to get-the-job-done.

It was Marcia who interrupted my ‘work’ with a quick; “did you get the Spectrum note stating hat there’d be intermittent internet disruptions?”

Thursday, started with renewed energy. The internet was back to normal and a short time later everything was running, printing, including the scanner and photo functions.

In fact, I felt so upbeat that I set out right after lunch on a 7.99-mile hike! An early prep for my Thanksgiving Day ‘Turky-Trot 5k’ starting next to our TQL Soccer stadium. All is good!

Creep – Wednesday Marcia and I were off to where granddaughter Vai and her 25-member school Steel Drum band, ‘Genesis’, performed for family, friend, and neighbors. They did several numbers including “Yellow Brick Road”, from the We’re off to See the Wizard.

As I expected these teenagers would zero in on one specific number and I hit the ‘bullseye’, it was “Creep”, by English rock-band Radiohead. I didn’t get a chance to record her playing it so here is a piece of the audio from the 1992 original performed by Radiohead.

Keep in mind that Steel Drums are tuned for every note on the scale, no matter what musical instrument, be it clarinet, violin, guitar, etc., can be replicated. So, what you hear on the track below is pretty well what we heard on their drums – very cool stuff! Very fun!

Remember the 2023 movie, Boys on the Boat – It focused on the Washington State rowing team. It describes a real event where this rowing team competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. What we saw were rudimentary wooden boats, and where the Coxswain bellowed instructions through a handheld vintage megaphone.

Our Dinah, now rowing for Syracuse University rows and practices in a whole different world. On the Syracuse website I found this closeup of one of their Coxswains and all the electronics for her to track, strategize, and communicate with.

Comic – A strike, whether it’s a Congress, a government group, a Company, or even a school system, it usually all boils down to the same. Same old, same old, and mostly just a lot of same old losers.

Now get ready for some exercise hiking – it’s the last of the long list of great Fall days. Starting tomorrow there’ll be a serious temperature drop with rain and, possibly, the first snowflakes of the season, i.e. a ‘wintry mix’. So to celebrate, tomorrow I plan to head out for a bit of an intimate performance with the Jazz@First Chamber Jazz Series

We’ll explore the evolution of the alto saxophone in jazz with Jazz Alto Sax Legacy: Hodges, Bird and Cannonball – Johnny Hodges, Charlie “Bird” Parker and Cannonball Adderley. Showcasing Jazz through swing, bebop and soul-infused hard bop. It should be a fine time.

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

2 questions:
1st, who was the first U.S. president who spoke English as a second language. Name: ………
2nd part: What was his first language?

1) “Welsh”
2) “German”
3) “French”
4) “Danish”
5) “Dutch”
6) “Irish”

Batsh*t-Bonkers?

Happy Saturday morning. You’re probably wondering why the title? And no, I am not going to start doing the daily UK’s Katie Hopkins’ delightful Batsh*t show from her perch in jolly-old Britain. But more later.

Now, back to normal it’s time for a morning coffee after Halloween, or maybe for Marcia I should say: Happy Cacao-Iloween for just this weekend – she loves hot chocolate. We did experience another first this year. The first year in many, many where we did not roam the neighborhood watching grandkids race around in costume. Time does pass doesn’t it?

Actually, it’s a bit nutty here at “The Corner of…blah, blah.” Thursday morning at 12:30am we had a power outage. Then I got a text that power would be restored by 4:40am. One hour later I received another one telling me that out of the 1967 ‘lucky’ in-the-dark customers all but 759 were still impacted. We, on ‘The’ corner of blah, blah, etc. were still in the dark. Then another text, power would be on by 5:15am. Apparently, our power did come back on five-ish.

OK, so building on all my Batsh*t-Bonkers (now to be referred to as just ‘B-B’) of nighttime fun, I had to reset several clocks. Always thinking, I dealt with the fact that tomorrow morning all those same clocks must be set back an hour (an event that too is ‘B-B’). In a brilliant move I ended up putting all those blinking clocks on the soon to be Sunday time.

This works great, except that now half our timepieces give one time and the on-line others another. I believe that Marcia has stuck her head around one corner or another umpteen times with the words; “now what time is it?” Was this move on my part a ‘B-B’ move?

Batsh*t-Bonkers 2 – is the lovely Chagrin Falls, Ohio annual Fall tradition referred to as “The Pumpkin Roll”. It’s an all night event otherwise I’d shoot on up. In any case enjoy these few minutes of ‘B-B’ seasonal fun:

Final Decoration pic – It’s been fairly strenuous, deciding on the final “best of” Halloween home decoration picture of the week for 2025. Keep in mind, the lucky winner was selected by me, came from houses I pass during my walks, and is completely subject to my subjectivity for this selection process.

I toyed with going for houses with the most decoration stuffed into the smallest yard. I quit that effort when I lost track of just how many bony fingers sticking out of the grass I could count. Then, another negative was the weather, two days of rain plus gusty winds meant that too often the massive inflatables had either blown over or purposely been deflated. I settled, again, on simplicity.

I love this winner’s décor. As a kid, would you walk a long dark drive towards a massive and imposing house only to be greeted by these two gatekeepers? As an aside, this is the house Adrianne’s best buddy since kindergarten, Gillian, grew up in, and Marcia and I have attended parties at. Maybe that last bit helped lock in my decision. Click on picture for full size.

Batsh*t-Bonkers 3 – Is the politics current in our city as managed by Mayor Aftab Pureval (think “Pure-Evil”). Finally, we’ve reached national status. We’re quickly placing ourselves alongside some other cities. To find the others, just grab the top contenders in an array of stats; crime rate, murder increase, carjackings, or in financial straits, don’t be choosy, pick any other undesirable category.

The latest is the firing of our Police Chief, Terri Theetge (who they made responsible to the City Manager who’s appointed by the mayor). This means that her work was overseen by a political group heavily entrenched with the DEI, WOKE, and Progressive twaddle of the day. This last bit is important.

As a career officer she rose through the ranks with nothing but positive reviews. Her parents, sibs, uncles are all in law enforcement. Personally, I don’t know her other than that she has a sterling background.

Anyway, crime in the core city areas is out of hand and aside from inept courts it’s also the ‘white glove’ treatment the ‘perps’ receive from the city.

All of this finally received National attention when a racially initiated brawl broke out downtown, and since neither the mayor or City Manager take any responsibly Chief Theege was quickly tossed under the bus.

And here is the problem – her record, is sterling! And is deemed so unanimously by the Fraternal Order of Police. So here is their ‘brilliant’ solution, she’s been put on paid leave (i.e. fired), a new ‘acting’ Chief appointed, and a Law Firm hired on the public’s dime.

Why hire a Law Firm you ask? The firm’s sole job is to discover cause for her firing! To a former neighbor and Past President of the NAACP this and much more is so bad that he is recomending that a Federal case be opened.

Let that sink in; first fire than find the crime for the firing! History comes full circle!

Quote – “give me the man, and I will find the crime“, or “show me the man and I’ll show you the crime” The saying is commonly attributed to the Stalinist-era the secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria, ? or possibly to Stalin himself by Soviet jurist Andrey Vyshinsky in his memoirs.

A Peppercorn for your house update – And here is Bulsh*t Bonkers 4 and it’s from the UK no less. Last week I focused a bit too much on all that ‘kingly’ stuff. Not to worry, this is just a quick update. It appears that King Charles has made up his mind and is booting his younger sib, Prince Andrew, out of the Royal Lodge and ‘disrobing’ the guy of his royal titles. There goes that sweet, single Peppercorn a year rent deal, and Andrew can now ‘display’ his new magical, invisible, royal robes.

I wonder if it’ll affect World peppercorn prices and if “Naked Emperor” comics will soon reappear?

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

After splashing down southwest of Hawaii, completing man’s first moon landing, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins had to…………. (only one of these is correct)

1) “stay isolated in their capsule for 8 days”
2) “while still in their capsule used a scale to weigh their moon rock stash”
3) “drink a liquid diet for several days”
4) “complete a standard U.S. Customs form”
5) “use a dual engine GM highway bus to travel to Houston”
6) “flew from Hawaii to Houston on the Concorde dressed in isolation garments”

‘Butt’, one or two Ts?

Happy Saturday morning. Not to start with negativity, but yesterday morning I struggled getting ready for my Zoom exercise session. There was a reason. See, Thursday evening I organized a ‘spur-of-the-moment’ Cigar & Bourbon (with some food thrown in) gathering in Covington Kentucky for Jason, Marin, and myself – it was a guy’s night out. The evening was maybe a bit too good and I experienced a slight penalty yesterday morning.

Now, back to normal it’s time for a morning coffee and then the rest of The Rambling should then start to flow.

Last week I had my Halloween decoration picture of the week. This week it’s a look at how simplicity can also be just as an effective decoration.

3 guys evening out – It had been way too long for Marin, Jason, and I, to get together to catch up. As noted above, we ended up at Smoke Justis in Covington. They had a package deal; three quality cigars and a 2-ounce mid-shelf Bourbon pour for a fixed price.

So, what better venue for catching up than their outdoor patio where we could both light up, eat, and chat. And, yes, it was all most excellent as was the whole evening.

No King – No Clue – On the heels of the well-funded and then instantly disappearing staging of the “No Kings” protestations let it be said that our history is replete with government overreach. The IRS used it’s ‘iron heel’ to stomp on people in many administrations, Theodore Roosevelt, Clinton, Obama, George W. Bush, and Biden just to name some.

It’s Dr Ron Paul MD (Distinguished Counselor to the Mises Institute) who opined: “instead of focusing just on electing the “right” president, we should focus on shrinking the size and scope of the federal government to its constitutional limitations. This will ensure that Americans can exercise their right to criticize the government without fear of reprisal.”

With that thought in mind, here are the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said; “in questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the constitution.”

A Peppercorn for your house – It seems that getting away from all this ‘kingly’ stuff is almost an impossibility. This’ll be the final such a thing. I did learn that the UK’s Prince Andrew (he of Jeffrey Epstein ‘Lolita Isle’ fame) is being punished by the remaining Royals. He had to ‘disrobe’ himself of some of his titles.

However, he can remain in a palatial home, Royal Lodge (Queen Elisabeth’s favorite house). It’s a mere 30-room place, which he does share with his ex – Sarah Ferguson. But he must pay an annual rent. The rent of a single Peppercorn each year.

Now that’s the kind of Royalty I can appreciate enough to join in with some march or other.

Butterfly – Last Tuesday Adrianne and I went to see John Batiste in town. I’ve attached a YouTube of his song, “Butterfly” which he performed. The song’s backdrop is as follows: His wife Suleika Jaouad was undergoing her second bone marrow transplant and for a time could have no visitors. Batiste, in lieu of visiting her, wrote a song or poem for her every day while she was recovering. As an aside, they first met at age 14 in music camp. Butterfly is one of those songs. It’s lovely, so enjoy:

‘Butt Breathing’? – Our town has an amazing place, and in a moment, you’ll see why I bloviate on this place. It’s about Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. For the past 15 years it’s appeared in the US news and World Report honor roll as a top performer. This year it’s #1 for pediatric cancer care, gastroenterology, and endocrinology, plus more.

So, why all this hoopla on this page and why now?

The reason I am writing about this place is because of a breakthrough study. Maybe I should say; a TOP to BOTTOM study.

As a side study to Covid 19, a research team at The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center team took their inspiration from the modes Loach, a freshwater bottom-dwelling fish found throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Want to know why the Loach? It seems that the Loach employs intestinal breathing (i.e., through the anus) rather than gills to survive under low oxygen conditions. In other words, the Loach can breathe through its butt!

See where this is going?

Building on the work of a Leland Clark, also of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, who invented a perfluorocarbon liquid called Oxycyte as a possible form of artificial blood, they studied this liquid in mammals. Building on success and human trials they are currently studying the next phase.

Assuming success this ‘butt-breathing’ could aid treating patients who require mechanical ventilation & therefore possible lung damage to breathe. This technique would give time, time for lungs to heal properly.

Cool, don’t you think?

The other – realize that Christmas is a mere 8½ weeks away. For those of you who go bonkers with the whole hyped-up shopping thing, it’s time to get nervous. Not get panicked mind you, just nervous.

Now best get organized to plan for travel into town and The Cincinnati Coffee Festival

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

What do NVIDIA, Amazon, Uber, and White Castle have in common? They’re all working with ……….

1) “Babel”
2) “Ford, to fleet on F150 trucks”
3) “offering Montessori style child care”
4) “a product referred to as ‘sliders’”
5) “Miso”
6) “to equip premises with a Kindle”

Back to Normal

Happy Saturday morning. Well, well, I’ve completed what will probably be my final ‘volunteer’ journey for the year. Like the previous ones, I loved it and learned a bit to boot.

One of my brothers said that after my “Kentucky Bourbon Experience tasting” stint I should now volunteer to serve communion at a nearby mega-church. Hmmmm.

But currently, I’ll sit back, grab a coffee, and put my feet up while listening to some tunes. I somehow got caught up listening to this little number and now can’t get it outa my mind. Here it is, for you to enjoy!

Millenia old ‘dad’ jokes – Since I started off on a good note, let’s continue. And yes, puns and ‘groaners’ have popped up here and there going way back throughout time. I thought it might be fun to post a ‘dad’ joke from the Roman times. Here goes:

A Roman walks into a bar. Lays down on an empty pillow and holds up two fingers and says, “Five beers, please!”

Get it?
Groaning?
No? Answer found at the bottom of the Ramblings.

Boats heading home – The majestic steamboats boats finished up Sunday evening. Boilers stoked up, Calliopes’ pumping out tune favorites, they made one final parade upriver and turned back. At our riverfront they were welcomed one final time, all aglow in lights as fireworks lit the sky.

Block Party – I nearly forgot, but yes, this year our neighborhood did hold our annual block party. And as usual one of the streets was blocked off, a massive grill was lit, lots of side dishes and desserts emerged, and for the first time we had live music.

Since Marcia and I moved from our home on Red Bud we noticed that the area has filled up with little tykes – the cycle of life. We were sought out by the new owners of our old home (they moved in last August). They just had to gush about their pure love of the place – they adore it! It absolutely made our afternoon.

These events, simple as they are, always strike a warm chord.

Halloween Decorations – have already sprung up. Some very subtle, some way over the top. Since I walk a fair bit through all our nearby neighborhoods I’ve started to both inventory and rate these homes as the decorations spring up from their home in basements/attics/or garages. To date, here is my winning home entry. It’s in adjacent St. Bernard, a village where they always go all out for each and every holiday.

HUGE – This coming, Tuesday can’t come soon enough. The reason being that Kirstin gave both Adrianne and me an early Christmas gift. “And the reason,” you ask? It turns out that an amazing performer will be in town, and we each have a ticket to see him (great seats to boot).

We’ll spend an evening seeing Jon Batiste at concert in our Taft Theater. In case you didn’t know, Batiste plays about six instruments, sings, and performs everything from classical piano, R&B, Jazz, hints of Country, Gospel, and can even do some Rap. Oh, and he composes much of what he plays and sings. He’s about as good as it gets.

Batiste holds a Masters in Music from the Juilliard School and has “seven Grammy Awards from 22 nominations, including an Album of the Year win for We Are (2021)”. You might remember his rendition of the National Anthem he sang at Super Bowl 59. Yes, he’s truly about as good as it gets.

Upon getting the news, Adrianne swooned. Me? I skipped a heartbeat. THANKS Kirstin!

St. Bernard – I mentioned the village because it’s also the place where our nearest Dairy Queen is located. As a walk-up, it only serves ice cream and this past week shut down for the season. Just think a mere 120 days till its re-opening (also about the time everything else breaks out in bloom)

The other – and maybe main reason I mention the DQ closing/opening cycle statistic is that yesterday it was World Statistics Day as designated by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2010.

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

Groaner answer: Customer wants 5 beers; remember it’s in Rome: 5 = ‘V’ (2-fingers make a ‘V’)

BONUS POINTS:

A new Stanford Medicine-led study shows that premature babies — born at least three weeks early – when exposed to recordings of the mothers speaking, a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes a day promoted development of …………… In other words, there was a recognizable boost in their……….

1) “language-center development”
2) “breathing & early lung functioning”
3) “body’s ability to deal with jaundice”
4) “sleeping patterns”
5) “initial eye contact with the parent”
6) “improved feeding suckling strength”