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Off the Hook - Archive 2013
by Melanie Behrens

12/27/13
They call him Mr. L
 Jonathan Langhals, aka Mr. L., is in his first year as principal of Edgewood Elementary School in Marysville, where there are about 410 students.
 He began his teaching career 14 years ago in Ostrander in the Buckeye Valley School System. He then went on to fifth grade at Olentangy Schools. While there, he was nominated for the Walt Disney Teacher of the Year award.
 His first years as principal were at River Valley and then Westerville and Huber Ridge. This school was unlike others in that there was a large Somali population, and those children had many different needs.
 Moving on to Edgewood Elementary this year was, as he put it, like a dream. You see, he and his wife, Katie, and children, Lucas and Cecilia had already lived in Marysville for seven years. It was wonderful, finally, to be able to live and work in the same town.
 They came here because the schools were so good, even though Jonathan worked elsewhere. “Marysville is a unique place, a hidden gem,” he said. “More will come to this great destination for many things, but particularly for its solid schools and community feel.”
 In fact, Marysville is much like, but just a little larger than, Ottoville in Northwest Ohio where he grew up. There, as part of the graduating class of 50 students, he played basketball, baseball and golf. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and master’s from Ashland University.
 Shortly after coming to Edgewood, he initiated the Edgewood PRIDE program. It stands for, Please walk and be quiet, Respect everyone and everything, I will keep hands and objects to myself, Do my best, Educational supplies only. The program is reinforced every day during announcements, so all students know what is expected. Mr. L believes students feel secure in this kind of atmosphere.
 The challenges of being in a new school are several. He wishes learning students’ names was the toughest one, but then there’s the change coming from paper and pencil state tests to electronic ones. But, the biggest concern for him is the third grade guarantee required by the state.
 This is the second year for the state requirement (but first year for mandatory retention), which tests third grade students in reading at the beginning and end of the year. They must meet a minimum score to move on to fourth grade. He feels strongly this is not good legislation. What if a child’s dog died yesterday or he has test anxiety? Members of his staff feel they are more equipped to decide who can read at what level. The retention of students not scoring high enough is mandated by the state. He urges parents in the community to speak up to legislators to make sure students are treated fairly.
 Apparently, Mr. L is also a great sport. Over the years he has had to pay off debts. For example, if the PTO reaches a goal for fundraising he dresses, in school, as Spiderman, Darth Vader and a cheeseburger. For another event when the goal was reached he shaved his head.
 He wants to be approachable to the students and parents, so is outside before and after school. Often children ask him to sit with them at lunch. Can you imagine sitting with your principal at lunch in the old days? It seems like that would’ve been a punishment in my day.
 His motto is, “Make it a great day!” He notes, we are not in control of events, but it’s how we react to them. It’s important to remember that everything you do affects others.
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12/20/13
Lori Black and  acupuncture
 This is the third in a series of stories from Marysville High School graduate Lori Black (class of ‘03). She is currently teaching first grade in an international school in Mandalay, Myanmar. Previously she has taught English in high schools in Ecuador and South Korea. She is most adventuresome and willing to try exotic foods and open to any new experience.
 Communication with her in Myanmar has not always gone smoothly. She explained: “In short, the internet and electricity comes and goes as it pleases. It’s better just to assume that I have neither. We would often have short blackouts in the morning and longer ones in the middle of the school day. The power (and air conditioning!) would go out around 9 or 10 in the evening and come back on around 5 a.m. (sounds tough for sleeping).”
 “While electricity has become stronger and more reliable since I arrived, internet connection has gotten worse. Think about when you first got a dial-up connection in the early 2000s. Each page took forever to load and even if it loaded, it might not load completely. Well, it’s a lot like that. At first, being an American accustomed to immediate service at McDonald’s and an instant Wi-Fi connection where ever you go, this drove me insane. Now I am beginning to appreciate my independence from my computer and the internet. I keep myself busy with the reality in which I am currently living.”
 “Sometime in July, my lower back began to bother me from an old yoga injury. My assistant teacher, Su Myat, told me that her father is a traditional medicine doctor and his friend is an acupuncturist. I figured it couldn’t hurt that much, and I’ve always wanted to give it a try.”
 “I arrived at her house/doctor’s office and sat with her in their living area, beside the examination bed. Her mother brought me pears and fresh squeezed lime juice with a hint of salt while we waited for the doctor. Her grandmother came down to observe me and have a little chat. Each sentence ended with a giggle and a smile as she fanned herself. The doctor arrived with his medicine bag and daughter strapped to the back of his motorbike. He was tall and skinny, dressed in a paso, a traditional skirt worn by men, and a very nice jacket. He had a comb over and long, skinny, beetle-nut stained teeth. He explained that he had studied natural medicine and acupuncture in Myanmar, China, and Japan. He had been practicing for as long as he could remember.”
 “I laid down on a blue, wooden bed, while he checked my vitals. Su Myat and her entire family surrounded me. Her mother, sister, brother, grandmother, father, the doctor, his daughter, and even the little neighbor girl came to watch. I turned over and he skillfully checked my back. He was sure to show me that the needles he was about to shove in my back were new. He gave me a warning as he stuck me with the first needle. It wasn’t so bad! The audience let out a sigh of relief as if they had been holding their breath. They began to disperse with the second needle and only Su Myat stayed for the third.”
 “I visited the doctor about 10 times. One week, I was really sick with a fever and a sinus infection and I had a total of 32 needles in my body! He pricked me from my toes to the top of my head. I even had two behind my ears, two in my stomach, and one between my eyebrows! Amazingly, my back hasn’t hurt since.”
 “In September I had the opportunity to visit the temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was hands down the best and worst trip of my life. It was a series of misadventures from the start. We were ripped off, the hotel we booked didn’t actually exist, and we were yelled at in a restaurant by our tuk-tuk driver. Our only option after all of these mishaps, was to laugh.”
 “The temples were breathtakingly beautiful, but extremely touristy. It wasn’t even tourist season. I often felt rushed and overwhelmed not only by the people but by the incredible number of temples. I would love to go back one day, but only if I had a significant amount of time to spend there. In short, it was a rough trip with beautiful temples and good food - really good food.
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12/13/13
Lori Black, teacher and adventurer
 Marysville High School grad Lori Black has been sharing her experiences while teaching in an international school in the Asian country of Myanmar.
 She attended the Nat Festival celebrating spirits in a fairground atmosphere outside Mandalay. Nats are much like saints in the Catholic religion, only people believe that their spirits stick around and can be awakened by spiritual mediums. Last week we learned how mediums serve to bring back the spirits in a voodoo-like atmosphere.
 Lori continues her story: “We continued to explore the grounds and found bamboo huts, each one dedicated to one of the 38 nat spirits. Each room was filled with a statue of a nat, surrounded by ornately displayed offerings of bananas and flowers with a nearby medium. The mediums had the ability to read your future through seven sea shells that they smacked down on a wooden table. Depending on the way they fell would tell your fate. I chose a baby blue hut filled with middle-aged women who sat beside a big spirited and big toothed medium. He told me what’s in store for me and I cannot yet say how accurate he was. I’ll let you know the details when the results are in.”
 “I tend to follow the sound of music in this country because it usually leads me to some pretty interesting situations. Yet again, it did not disappoint. I entered a pavilion that was booming with drums, horns and a shrill voice over an over amplified speaker. I found a room full of beautiful transvestites and transsexuals in brightly colored silk gowns dancing to the music. Each girl took her turn, showing off her best Myanmar dance moves. We sat around smiling, clapping, and sweating in the tropical heat. Again, I was taken in with the rush. I flattened out my money between my hands and bowed to her with my offering. She came to me in her aqua silk dress and tiara with two swords in her hands. She crossed the swords, forming an x and pressed them to my forehead while she said a prayer and continued on her way.”
 Lori even found a make-shift carnival ride there, but nothing most of us would have tried. She is as you can see very adventurous. She continued: “We found a Ferris wheel somewhere along the way and decided to give it a whirl. Only this Ferris wheel didn’t make its spins from an engine like we’re used to. This was a human powered one. I have never seen anything like it in my life. We sat in the rickety two-seater and watched five boys scale the beams all the way to the top, jump to the middle, and hang off the very seats in which we were sitting. Relying on their measly weight alone they somehow managed to make us move to the top of the contraption where we were able to stop and see the entire festival. Others boarded and we went flying around at top speeds. I was sure we were going to fly off at any moment.”
 “The conductors of this thing had no fear. They climbed, dangled, shifted, and braked at the command of an older man at the base. He would blow his whistle to deliver the next command to the boys. The more customers would line up, the more he would blow springing the boys to action. They moved as graceful as trapeze artists. They were deft and quick on their feet, dancing through the beams and jumping from chair to chair to make us go faster and faster. In the end, three boys jumped to catch our seat and hung off until the Ferris wheel moved in reverse. I have never been happier for my feet to touch the ground.”
 I always ask about the food because often I think it would be hard to trust cleanliness, and in an Asian country one might have to eat exotic items. There again, Lori is always adventurous. This is the most tame fare she described: “The food in Myanmar is pretty basic. It is mostly oily meat with bones, a spicy salad, and rice. Other times you have cold noodles with meat or vegetables. My favorite places to eat here are barbeque restaurants. In the front of the restaurant they have a big glass case filled with marinated meats on skewers and vegetables that you get to choose for your table. I think my latest favorites are goat meat and grilled gingko nuts. Grilled lotus flower isn’t bad either. The food is served to you family style so you can share with all of your friends. But I still occasionally visit Hunter’s or Wilbur’s to get my fix of pizza and burgers.”
 Lori has taught in several foreign countries, usually in high school. Now she has a new challenge, first grade in an English speaking international school. “Learning how to be a first grade teacher keeps me on my toes. I am really beginning to get to know the personalities of my students and how to deal with them as individuals. I am also learning how to keep their interest in the subjects we are learning about. It’s very exciting to see them grow and change.”
 “Over the past couple of months, we have gone on two adventures outside of school. Our first trip was to a working farm called Nature’s Life, just outside of Mandalay. They have just about everything a farm would have in Marysville. There were cows, chickens, horses, and crops. The farm owner showed the students around and explained how the plants and animals are used. They got to see where chickens live, how vitamins are injected into cows, and they got to pick eggplant to take home to eat. At the end of our visit, the students had the opportunity to ride the horses around the track.”
 When I asked about the language, she said most people speak some English and the older ones speak perfect British since the country was once a colony.
 “We also went to the zoo in downtown Mandalay. The kids loved it. If I had gone there as a child, I would have loved it, too. However, going as a teacher with 30 students to keep an eye on, I was terrified. Luckily, three mothers came to help out and keep an eye on the kids while the children fed every animal at the zoo. No joke - you could feed every animal there. At the monkey cage, they gave 30 children pointy sticks to place food on and stick them in the cage so that the monkeys could take the food off. Some of the monkeys were even able to get out of the cage and grab food from the children’s hands. My kids dangled their arms about five feet above the hippos as they tossed cucumbers into their mouths. The gibbons weren’t even in cages. While they come from Myanmar, I was surprised to find them hanging from trees near the walking paths. Luckily, we made it out alive with all extremities intact and I left with a new respect for Jack Hannah and the Columbus Zoo.
 Next week more from Lori and acupuncture.
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12/6/13
Lori Black in Mandalay
 Lori Black (MHS class of ‘03) has become a world traveler as she teaches children. Her latest assignment is in Mandalay, Myanmar. Formerly known as Burma, it is located in Asia near China and India.
 Lori is half way through her teaching commitment in an International School. She begins: “The last couple of months have flown by. I still love the weather. (It’s very hot there.) I enjoy the food and culture and I don’t hate my job. What more could a girl ask for?”
 “Shortly after my last update, I went to the largest celebration in the country, Taungbyone Nat Pwe or the Nat Festival held just outside of Mandalay in the countryside. Along with three other teachers, I followed our friend Somaung on our motorbikes about 15 miles out of Mandalay. Traffic was stopped from the city to the festival. Truck beds were filled to the brim. People were piled up on the roofs of vehicles and some motorbikes even squeezed five people on them. Obviously, traffic laws, as we know them, do not apply in this Southeast Asian country.”
 “The road was dotted with potholes. Since there were four cars going in either direction crammed into a two-lane country road, the dirt shoulders were a blessing for those of us on motorbikes. We weaved in and out of traffic, swerved through the vendors, and bounced beneath road signs. Alongside the traffic, people from nearby temples and villages stood outside to watch the city folk drive by holding pots and buckets for offerings. The festival goers would toss them money as they whizzed past. There was a sense of pure joy and freedom as we neared the festival.”
 “This particular festival celebrates two brothers who were killed by a king long ago for not performing their duties for him. The people of Myanmar were extremely upset, so they built a shrine for them. Eventually, every town and village had a shrine to the brothers. Shortly after their deaths, people began worshipping them and they became nats which are much like saints in the Catholic religion only people believed that their spirits stuck around and they can be awakened by spiritual mediums. People believe that it is very important to feed them and give them water and that if they are fed, the people will be blessed with good luck. We heard that the mediums were transvestites and transsexuals from around the country who danced, drank, sang, and let the spirits take over them. Who wouldn’t want to go to something so uniquely Myanmar?”
 “We came upon a village that was the home of the Nat Festival. It could be best described as a fairground. It was packed with people, steaming food stalls with fried shrimp, crab, onions, noodles, sweets, clothes, toys and flowers. Tractors with hundreds of bananas or coconuts managed to make their way through the crowds to get to their destinations. Young and old, all were smiling through the sun soaked hot alleys of the festival. Young men congregated in groups laughing and joking while chewing the local beetlenut that is ubiquitous in Myanmar; and the elderly impatiently, yet kindly, pushed their way through to the next hut where the sirens of the nats were permeating the grounds. Once inside, crowds bottlenecked at each turn and motorbikes squeezed through the crowds. One of our friends even got burned by an exhaust pipe while being shoved through the crowd!”
 “At lunch, we got our first glimpse of a medium evoking the nat spirits. She wore a longyi, the traditional long skirt knotted at the waist, fit for a queen, with the finest and brightest orange and pink silks. She danced barefoot in a room filled with carpets and a live band and carried a bottle of Mandalay Rum while she smoked a cigarette. (That sounds attractive!) People, mostly men, approached her with money (Oh, I think that happens in the U.S. too). They pinned the money on her clothes (as some do on birthdays) as she proceeded to bless them and fill their mouths with alcohol. Once they had her blessing, they danced and sang along with her. Some young festival goers were eager to get us to feel the spirit and invited us to dance.”
 “Our friend, Somaung, informed us that at the center of the festival there would be riots. We figured that he lacked the proper term but when we arrived to the center temple, there were indeed, riots. At the temple dedicated to the nat spirits, hundreds of people formed what looked like a mosh pit, with fists full of flowers. A live band played traditional music that kept the crowd moving. I became part of the movement and was eventually pushed to a statue of the nats. I left my offering of flowers beside them and eventually pushed my way out.”
 “Upon closer inspection of this ‘mosh pit,’ we realized that many of these people had invoked the spirit. Similar to voodoo acolytes in Haiti, they danced, they spun, they sang, they shook. Their faces and eyes were clearly from another world. They were overtaken. One woman who had a spirit inside her was embraced by her friend who calmed her body and held her until she released whatever it was inside her. When she returned to her body, she looked exhausted, confused, and disoriented, but the crowd continued to the beat of the drum throughout the day and into the night.”
 Next week more from Lori about the festival and her first grade class.
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11/29/13
She just loves children
 She doesn’t have any children of her own at home, but that’s OK because Melissa “Missy” Hackett sees nearly 500 of them every school day. She has served as principal of Northwood Elementary in Marysville since 2008. Previously she served at East Elementary and when it merged with Northwood, she followed her East students to their new home, bringing much of her staff with her. Now after several years, there’s no more division of East and Northwood students, but one school which she calls a family.
 Missy grew up in Columbus and graduated from Brookhaven High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Ohio State University and her master’s from Ashland University. Her parents were teachers and she worked her way through college at Krieger Ford in Columbus, and still maintains a friendship with the owners.
 Her teaching years began in the Columbus Public Schools with numerous opportunities, many in the inner city. Those were the days of busing in that school system.
 One of her most interesting assignments in her later years was at Windsor Terrace. It was her first job as principal in a school educating children from a large housing project. In her elementary school there were 735 students, 300 of which were from Somalia who did not speak English. More than 50 languages were spoken in her school.
 The situation was so unusual that there were also four English as-a-second-language teachers who had to help children learn simple things like how to go to the bathroom, eat properly, and basically, live in our country.
 When she came to Marysville in 1999 as principal at East, it was a different world. That’s where it happened. She describes it as the craziest thing that ever occurred in her school, well maybe. It seems there were snakes. She said, “Snakes came up through the drains and under the weather stripping in the second grade wing at East. I do not like snakes, so my custodian thought he would bring them to me … I locked myself in the office.”
 Missy is warm, kind and a hugger. That’s a good thing because her students feel free to hug her whenever they see her. Ah, how things have changed. When I was a student in elementary school, we were scared to death of the woman who was principal. She looked mean and we were sure she was. We would never have gone up and talked to her on purpose as Missy’s students do.
 She’s proud to call them by name and wants her students to know she’s a person who cares, not just the disciplinarian. In her school, the staff strives for a culture of respect, both ways. Students often see her in the classroom and that’s what she loves the most, being with students. In addition to her duties as principal, she serves as advisor to the Destination Imagination extra-curricular program.
 She and her staff want to promote the feeling of kindness and respect, teaching leadership and problem solving, maybe one of the most important things she believes they can teach a child. As students do in intermediate and middle school, Northwood students often work together in small groups to learn problem solving.
 The staff is proud to say test scores at Northwood are steadily on the rise. Programs to prevent bullying are in place and Missy believes this is the time to teach children how to get along with people!
 Missy has been in education about 28 years and still loves the youngsters. As she has done in her time off, she will travel whenever retirement comes. Next up is Africa and Australia.
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11/22/13
Are they really coincidences?
 Lloyd Arnold (MHS class of ‘61) has been a frequent contributor to this column. In 2011 he reported several times on the devastating earthquakes in Japan about 150 miles from his home in Tokyo. Extensive damage was done to an area of Japan where nuclear plants existed.
 He has lived in Japan for more than 30 years and has a Japanese wife named Yasuko. Lloyd worked for a Japanese securities company as an editor, rewriter, and translator. Now he teaches English part time. Recently he told me about a series of decisions and coincidences which caused certain interesting events to happen in his life.
 Lloyd begins: “The first decision and coincidence was way back in 1976 when my wife wanted to learn how to knit and signed up for a class near our apartment in Tokyo. She made a friend with Noriko, one of the other students.”
 Not too long after this meeting the friendship had to go on hold (but they stayed in touch through letters) because Lloyd and Yasuko (who he met while teaching English) had a self described midlife crisis and moved to the U.S. living in the Phoenix area. There, Lloyd sold real estate for 18 months and after that time moved back to Tokyo.
 Once they had returned, Noriko invited the Arnolds to go skiing with her and her husband. Lloyd said, “It was my first time and I fell down about 50 times, but I took an interest in the sport and my wife and I continued going skiing for a week to 10 days at a time for the next several years. We skied mostly in the northern island of Hokkaido.”
 “In March of 1986, I bought a ski package, which included breakfast and supper for Ichinose in a ski area called Shiga Kogen closer to Tokyo. Ichinose was located halfway up the mountain and there were four lodges. We didn’t know which one we were assigned to until we got on the bus. By coincidence (the second one), we got the Shiga Ski Lodge. This lodge was a little old but the room was clean, the food was OK and it was ski-in ski-out.”
 “The lodge was incorporated with the grandfather as chairman. He worked in the kitchen and his specialty was cream of potato soup which was exactly like my mother’s, so I loved it. The son was the president and the daughter and her husband had a bed and breakfast at the bottom of the mountain, but they came to the lodge to help out sometimes.”
 The third coincidence involved conversations with the son-in-law. Lloyd related: “For some reason, the son-in-law took a shine to me and every time I went there, I set aside one night to have a couple of beers with him in the lodge. After several years into the friendship, one night while enjoying our beer he said that the chairman (potato soup maker) had been in WWII and I said that a lot of young men had been in the war and that my father had been in the army at that time. Then he told me the chairman had been in Burma and I told him my father (Marvin Lloyd Arnold Sr.) had been in Burma, too. With that he became a little nervous and told me that he didn’t see much action and the chairman had been a radioman. I told him my father had been a radioman, too, and he suddenly changed the subject.”
 ”I had no animosity regarding the chairman because both he and my father were caught up in a situation not of their doing. I don’t believe my father held any animosity either because he readily accepted my Japanese wife. The Burma campaign was relatively small and I wanted to talk to the chairman about his experience to find out where he had been, but by then he had retired and moved to the bottom of the mountain. Since Burma was a small operation, I wondered if he and my father had been in close proximity at times.”
 “I also wondered if they had shot at each other. If they had, fortunately, they had both missed. Thus I have met the enemy of my father and he was a nice, old man who made delicious cream of potato soup.”
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11/15/13
Twenty five years later
He has been educating children for 25 years and has been a teacher, assistant principal and now principal. Plus soccer is his game. Tim Kannally has been the principal at Creekview Intermediate School (fifth and sixth grades) since it opened in 2001.
This school is his “baby,” so to speak. He came to Marysville Schools a year before its construction and helped plan it to make it just right for this age group. During the process, he visited many neighboring schools to see just how Creekview should look, since it was a new concept at that time.
He grew up in Delaware and graduated from Delaware Hayes High School in 1984. He was a soccer star and for 20 years held the goal scoring record of 70 in one year! That also led him to coach at soccer camps where he found working with youngsters to be his thing.
He received his education degree from The Ohio State University and master’s from the University of West Georgia. His first education experience was in the Columbus Public Schools teaching fifth grade for two years. After that he followed his high school sweetheart to Georgia, where they married and lived for 10 years. He taught middle school math there. They have three children now. When the first one was born it seemed time to go back to central Ohio to be closer to family and where they wanted their children to grow up, so they returned to Delaware. That’s when Tim came to work in Marysville.
 There are nearly 800 students at Creekview in just two grades. When I asked about why he likes youngsters at this age, he commented that they have great curiosity and energy and are just learning social skills like individual leadership and friendship-making. Here, the school can be helpful. In fact, there are two guidance counselors and they regularly interact with students in classes that fit into their regular rotation.
Creekview is organized like middle school students, divided into teams of about 100 students each with four teachers who team teach them. There are no class bells. Students just move between the four rooms as their teachers are ready to change. There is no mass class change in the school. This serves as a way to give a comfortable atmosphere to youngsters in smaller groups rather than all 400 students of one grade together at one time.
Kannally and his staff embrace the availability of technical devices in class. Cell phones, iPads and laptops are welcome and regularly used, plus the school is able to provide a few computers for students who are not able to bring their own.
All this technology helps to prepare students for new testing which is coming their way from the state. Now, it’s a paper and pencil test asking mostly for facts. In another year, state mandated tests will probably be electronic and require much more critical thinking from students involving problem solving.
That’s where the principal points out the differences in the school of 10 years ago to now. Then, the teacher spoke to students from the front of the room. Now, oftentimes, students are divided into groups to work together on a solution or for discussion. All this he calls a very exciting time in education.
Kannally praises his staff and can’t say enough about their readiness to meet all the changes coming to education. He also expressed his good feeling about the Marysville students and community. Just as I’ve heard from other administrators, he says it’s a great place to teach. Parents are supportive and collaboratively interact with students who he says are unique, generally well prepared, respectful, responsive and hardworking. What more could you ask?
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11/8/13
The rest of the story
Sometimes my friends really make me think with their emails. The expressions we hear often in our daily lives had to come from somewhere and now some of them are explained here. I hope this makes you laugh and gives you ammunition for your next trivia quiz.
It is said that early aircraft throttles had a ball on the end of them. In order to use maximum power, the pilot had to push the throttle all the way forward into the wall of the instrument panel. Hence came the phrase “balls to the wall” for going very fast. I’ll bet you were thinking the explanation was something else.
During World War II, U.S. airplanes were armed with belts of bullets which they would shoot during dogfights and on strafing runs. These belts were folded into the wing compartments that fed their machine guns. They measured 27 feet and contained hundreds of rounds of bullets. Often the pilots would return from their missions having expended all of their bullets on various targets. They would say, “I gave them the whole nine yards,” meaning they used all of their ammunition. Now we think this means everything possible.
Then there’s the saying “God willing and the creek don’t rise.” It was in reference to the Creek Indians and not a body of water! It was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. He was a politician and Indian diplomat (whatever that was). While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. In his response, he was said to write, “God willing and the Creek (Creek Indians) don’t rise.” Because he capitalized the word “Creek” it is thought that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water.
In George Washington’s days, there of course were no cameras. One’s image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. (Did that make the work tougher?) Arms and legs are “limbs,” therefore painting them would cost more. Hence the expression, “Okay, but it’ll cost you an arm and a leg!”
As incredible as it sounds, many men and women took baths only twice a year (May and October - and there was no deodorant). Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They couldn’t wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes.
The heat would make the wig big and fluffy (this also sounds dangerous since there was very little temperature control in those days). Hence the term “bigwig.” Today we often call a person a Big Wig because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy. I wonder what they did with the bread? I’m just saying, maybe it was waste not -want not!
Personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a result, many women and men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee›s wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman›s face she was told, “mind your own bee›s wax.” Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term “crack a smile.” In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt. Therefore, the expression “losing face.” What a crazy mental picture this is!
Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TVs or radios, politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to go sip some ale and listen to people’s conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at different times and told, you go sip here and you go sip there. The two words “go sip” were eventually combined when referring to local opinion and, thus we have the term “gossip.”
Now, as Paul Harvey used to say, “You know the rest of the story” and as my mother used to say, “You learn something every day!”
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11/1/13
At the helm of Bunsold Middle School
 If you don’t already know her, I sure hope you get the chance to meet her. She’s experienced, knowledgeable, effervescent and enjoys middle school-age students. That makes her the perfect fit for the Bunsold Middle School principal job in the Marysville School System.
 Kathy McKinniss has been in that position for eight years and most of her life has been spent in middle schools. This is an age when she says, students are enthusiastic, curious and testing. It’s the most critical time for social and academic development, a challenge she embraces.
 When I asked her about bullying she said: “I don’t think that kids are any meaner today than when I was growing up, but what has changed is the way that they can use technology. We spend much of our efforts on teaching students to be good digital citizens. Reminding them that once they post something mean or explicit in a text, on Instagram or on Facebook, the message is always there. Our job is to help students make good decisions, so reminding them to pause before they post, and to look out for one another are messages that are woven into all that we do.”
 Kathy grew up in Wooster and earned a bachelor’s degree from Capital University and a master’s from Bowling Green State University in guidance counseling. Her administration work was done at Ashland College. She has taught social studies, has been a guidance counselor and is now principal.
 There are currently 900 students in Bunsold Middle School (seventh and eighth grades), a building originally built to also house an intermediate school (fifth and sixth grades). Both of those areas are now needed just for the middle school.
 On the day I visited, the eighth grade was celebrating “Outsiders” Extravaganza Day based on the novel all the students had read. Later they saw the movie. It’s about growing up and belonging to very different groups, the greasers and the socs. One, the tough guys, and the other, the mainstream kids, learn to exist together.
 All the students and staff dressed as one or the other and the entire day was based around the 1950s in games, trivia, car show, dance, movies and fifties music from the choir. At the end of the day, the eighth grade class would leave for a three-day bus trip to Washington, D.C.
 In the seventh and eighth grade daily classes, students are organized into four teams of about 110, each taught by four teachers. A team is situated in an area of rooms close to each other. This helps students to be comfortable and have a place to belong.
 Cell phones are permitted and even at times augment teaching as a way to look up quick facts or to get opinions of students, all as a part of the class. The school embraces every part of technology available today. Mrs. McKinniss also pointed out that availability reinforces to the staff that you don’t just teach what one can look up in 60 seconds, but also the “why” of it.
 I was impressed with her warmth and enthusiasm. It must be very contagious to the other teachers and students. She emphasized how pleased she is with her staff and had so much good to say about them.
 Then I heard again, what I heard previously from high school principal Aaron Cook, how wonderful it is to be a teacher or administrator in the Marysville School District. The best part is commitment from the parents and that students come ready to learn with a respectful attitude. Being part of Marysville Schools has been her best experience with students.
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10/25/13
Representing the U.S. in Taiwan
 He’s a 1995 graduate of Marysville High School and a former music teacher at Raymond Elementary and Marysville Middle School, and now he’s a professor of trumpets and dulcimer and the wind ensemble director at Denison University in Granville. Dr. Mark Alan Wade received his master’s and Ph.D. in trumpet performance at the Ohio State University. He is also the only hammered dulcimer professor in the United States.
You can see he’s a talented guy and was recently chosen as one of two Americans to present (to play and lecture) at the Cimbalom (also called hammered dulcimer) World Congress in Taipei, Taiwan. There were 28 countries represented. He shared his experience with the hammered dulcimer as a Blue Grass instrument, where in most of the countries it is used as a standard conservatory instrument. In China it is called a yangqin.
Mark’s style of dulcimer has 91 strings on top and is played with mallets. The trapezoid shaped instrument sits on a stand.
Mark plays this dulcimer and bluegrass music in the U.S. with two other Denison professors, Dr. Andrew Carlson and Prof. Casey Cook as the Mark Alan Wade Trio. The two men were able to accompany Mark to Taiwan for the eight-day conference, which included a two-hour concert by the trio. In this case, they were essentially performing music from their new CD called “Grass Roots,” which is on iTunes and will be available in February.
He noted that the modern city of Taipei is much more densely populated than New York City and English is spoken in the main hotels and big restaurants. They also have quite a night life with the interesting attraction of outdoor markets. They sell shoes, fabrics and even live fish and squid in tanks filled with water. All are open until at least midnight. The markets are situated along alleys and resemble a flea market. Not surprisingly, he said the city provided the best Chinese food ever and also commented about how clean Taipei was.
It was certainly an honor to represent the U.S. at the International Cimbalom Congress and to show the world how we play bluegrass. Mark is now back in the U.S. where he lives in New Albany with his wife, Cristina (a trumpet player, too), and their two young sons.
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Heart of our Hometown
 Once again the Auxiliary of Memorial Hospital of Union County is planning their chief fundraiser, the Festival of Trees (named the Heart of our Hometown). It will be Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Catholic Community Center in Marysville. This year, proceeds from the event will be allocated toward the auxiliary’s $200,000 commitment for the new state-of-the-art Heart and Surgical Pavilion. The goal for this year is $30,000.
What has always been a very nice event will feature catering by Heflin’s and guests will dance to the music of Sonic Vision. In addition this year, there will be a wine tasting from local wineries. There will be silent auctions and a live one as well featuring local auctioneer Danny Westlake.
 For more information about attending or to become a sponsor, those interested can contact Memorial Hospital Auxiliary at 937-578-2360.
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10/18/13
The painting incident
It started out to be a father-son experience. I’ll only use their first names here for obvious reasons. You know parents are not supposed to let this kind of thing happen in these days. You see, Kevin and his family are having a house built and he is doing all the painting.
Apparently, in order to involve his four-year-old son, somewhat, Kevin took him along for a day of work at the site. Before, his wife said that he should be sure to change those nice clothes on Berkley and put on old ones for painting.
As a typical, nonprofessional, beginning painter-father might do, there were no rags for cleanup or plastic bags that might have come in handy for any mishap. In fact, those became quite necessary as the day went on. You can see the problem in this picture.
So, here’s what happened. Berkley was being kept busy (and hopefully out of trouble) with a paintbrush on the lower areas on the outside of the house. For the most part, it was just token paint on his brush. This was meant to be sheer entertainment for him. Later however, Kevin reported that Berkley actually helped by covering really low areas just about at knee level, with paint. These were places his dad could barely see. Sounds like child labor to me! He was told to stay away from the large five-gallon paint bucket, but remember he’s only four years old. Those who know Berkley realize that he is starting to feel in charge of his surroundings as four-year-olds do.
Kevin saw that he was occupied, so went up the ladder to paint higher areas of the outside of the house. Then it happened - the dreaded accident. Now it was not life threatening, just a mess.
Kevin heard a noise and when he looked down from his ladder, there was Berkley, one leg deep in the bucket of paint. How did this happen?
Now was when the rags would have come in handy. Realizing he had no way to wipe this off his son’s leg, in typical father-style he took a picture of the problem and sent it to his wife. The message said, “Time to go home!”
Sure that Berk’s mother would be unhappy, Kevin and Berk waited for her arrival. Soon she was there laughing and toting cleanup rags and a large plastic bag for the child’s paint-soaked leg. Of course, it was all dried on his skin by this time.
The four-year-old was loaded in the car and taken home, and after much scrubbing in a bathtub was returned to almost normal. Later, Berk would report to anyone who would listen, that the paint came off in big strips. These are the kinds of things moms know how to handle, and they make great stories later.
This event no doubt will bring to mind some painting incident of your own. We all have them. Actually, I have several ugly incidents to my own credit, which is why I let the professionals do the job now at my house.
Kevin (who was a novice painter then, but now quite experienced) learned a valuable lesson about youngsters and paint. Oh yes, so did Berkley, who is my grandson.
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10/11/13
It’s all about appreciation
 It was an emotion-filled experience for him. He is a Korean War Veteran and was chosen to take an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. to see the many memorials there. Marysville resident Harry McMannis joined about 91 other veterans and 52 guardians on the Southwest Airlines flight which landed in Baltimore.
 Honor Flight was the brainchild of Earl Morse of Enon, Ohio. He is a private pilot who owned a plane and became aware that each day about 1,000 WWII veterans die. Most have never seen the relatively new WWII Memorial in the nation’s capital. Now the flight has been expanded to include Korean War veterans.
 Earl (who was present to shake hands with the veterans in Harry’s group when they landed in the Washington area) and other friends who owned planes, began flying veterans at no charge to see the memorial. The movement has grown into the Honor Flight and includes several memorials. They now use commercial aircraft to fly veterans to Washington, D.C. on Saturdays.
 Harry and his wife, Virginia, grew up in Champaign County and married in 1951. He had been a college student and was going to be drafted, so he joined the Air Force serving from 1951 to 1954. He was assigned to personnel in the orderly room and served at three differnt bases in the U.S. before being sent to Korea. After his return and discharge, Harry was able to use the GI bill to finish college.
 Also on the honor flight with Harry was his brother-in-law, Ralph Hunter of Urbana, and Bob Rausch, Bob Diehl, John Miller, who served for the second time as one of the guardians and Claudia Bartow, a guardian for the third time, all from Union County. In addition, Ada Gutridge of Lancaster, Harry and Ralph’s guardian, made the trip. Guardians are those who go along at their own expense to help the vets on the one-day trip.
 Harry had applied for the trip months before and received a donation for the flight from the Marysville Middle School eighth grade class of Bob Sements. On a Monday, Harry received a call saying he had been chosen for the flight, and the group would go on Saturday.
 The veterans and guardians arrived at the airport about 5:30 a.m. for the flight which left at 7 a.m. The veterans were each presented with a special gray tee shirt which said, “If you can read this - thank a teacher. If you are reading this in English - thank a veteran.” All the men were quite proud of the shirts and put them on over whatever they were wearing.
 A continental breakfast was served and they were off on the flight, many of the men in wheelchairs, but all excited about what was to come that day. They would find that they were treated like royalty in thanks for their service so many years ago.
 When the plane landed in Baltimore, something seemed to be hitting the plane as it was taxiing near the gate and then the men saw the water cannons shooting water over the plane in salute to their arrival. When they exited, Harry said it was a very emotional time. Over 50 midshipmen, army members and boy scouts formed a greeting line, clapping for their arrival, and the Army Band was playing.
 The first stop was at the World War II Memorial which pays honor to those who served during the war. The monument has giant columns with the words “Atlantic” and “Pacific” on them. It’s a huge outdoor structure covering two square city blocks.
 Then they moved on to the Korean War Memorial, which is amazingly unique. It has a background including a mural wall of actual pictures of our men fighting in the war and approximately 21 life-sized metal statues of servicemen in full gear scattered through the greenery in the center of the memorial.
 Next stop was the Air Force Memorial and finally Arlington Cemetery, where they saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Changing of the Guard. A recent addition at Arlington is an area dedicated to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
 Everywhere the veterans went they felt great pride, love and appreciation from those around them. In the evening, they were back on the plane headed home with a 10 p.m. arrival in Columbus. There, another surprise was waiting. At least 100 people, including family members and friends, were on hand for another honor walk which lined both sides of the aisle, greeting the vets as they returned. One of the greeters was playing the bagpipes. It was another emotional moment for Harry, feeling the love and appreciation for his service to our country 59 years ago. He said, “It was a wonderful day - fantastic!”
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10/4/13
Rhinos, Cheetahs and Giraffes, oh my!
 It’s billed as one of the largest and most innovative conservation centers in the world. Located on 10,000 acres near Zanesville, The Wilds is home to rare and endangered species from around the world. The animals live in an open range, natural habitat and have no predators. It is a partner with the Columbus Zoo with a mission to advance conservation through science, education and personal experience.
 Marysville residents Bob and Linda Rinehart just returned from an overnight stay at The Wilds. The accommodations were in a Yurt (year- round universal recreation tent), which they described as a giant teepee-like structure.
 The design originated in Mongolia and is made of canvas stretched over a circular wood frame. It has a bamboo floor and screened windows. The ceiling is lined with narrow wood beams, very close together. Linda says the glass covered opening over the center of the roof allows you to see the stars at night and sunlight in the morning through leaves on the trees. The room also has its own bath and portable heater and air conditioner, but no TV.
 Outside the yurt at night they could hear the coyotes howling and the camels roaming. Open-air, horseback and truck safaris are available. Their best experience was in the truck. It was a pick-up style and the passengers road in the back on covered benches. The vehicle was driven right up to animals and when they see it coming, they know food is, too.
 The driver, who is a knowledgeable member of the animal management team, doesn’t jump down, but goes out the window and crawls up on top of the cab, then down into the back with the six passengers. That is for her safety. All the time she is carrying food for the animals.
 Food is then distributed to the passengers who hold out their hands to feed the animals. In Bob and Linda’s case, they fed the black one-horned rhino. Linda said she even touched his head and horn. As long as he was eating he seemed happy to put up with all that.
 Also this safari included a look at the special areas where animals are cared for and where some are kept when the weather cools too much for them. The Rineharts were able to feed giraffes from a platform in their barn.
 Besides the real thrill of being so close to the animals, the breakfast and dinner included with the price of the room was a surprise. The Rineharts said that the food was terrific! They thought that since the place is way out in the country the food would be nothing special. They were pleased to be wrong. There are only four choices on the menu, but they can report that the steak was fantastic.
 The Wilds is open from May through October. Discounts for an overnight stay in a yurt are available for Columbus Zoo members and through coupons. Dinner and breakfast are included with the room. Safari prices are extra, and the Wildside Tour (open truck) is discounted with the room purchase. There are seven other variations on the safari list including fishing and zipline.
 It sounds like this should be a new bucket list item for me.
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9/27/13
New leader at MHS
I recently met the most interesting and likeable young man. He grew up in Mount Vernon, graduated from Bowling Green State University and is the son of a man who has been a middle school teacher for 39 years. His name is Aaron Cook and he is the new principal at Marysville High School.
As a student in high school at Mount Vernon, Aaron was very involved. He was a member of National Honor Society and Student Council and played varsity soccer and basketball. In fact, he remembers one very important basketball game at the end of the season during his senior year between Mount Vernon and Marysville. Mount Vernon, the home team, lost and the Marysville team cut down their nets. That didn’t go over well with their team, and after he came to work at Marysville Middle School, Aaron remembers talking to Jim Kaufman (who was the Marysville coach at the time of the game) about that event. But here he was in Marysville at his first teaching job.
In his freshman year at Bowling Green, Aaron was an accounting major in the business school. Even though his father was a teacher, he thought he had no interest in following in his footsteps. But by his sophomore year, powerful professors and probably his father’s experience influenced him to change his major and then came a decision to teach math.
His training at Bowling Green prepared him well for his first year at Marysville Middle School in 2002 plus he was grateful for all support from the staff there, noting it was a great place to be. While teaching math for five years in Marysville he also served as assistant varsity soccer coach (he now coaches his son’s soccer team) and middle school basketball coach. Some of the students he coached on a Marysville Elite FC soccer club traveling team were then 9, 10 and 11 years old. Now they’re seniors in his high school.
Aaron is currently into biking, and rode 100 miles in a Pelotonia event.
He left Marysville to be assistant principal at Delaware Middle School and then at Delaware High School until last July when he accepted the position as principal at Marysville High School. This has been a quick transition for his family which includes his wife, Christina, and their two children, Owen, 5, and Isabella, 2. They had just purchased a historic home in downtown Delaware.
His desire has always been to be involved with high school students as they complete their last years and look to what’s next in their life. As he met Marysville students, one of the first questions they asked was - do you like pep rallies? He realized the importance after several more of those questions and they have been reinstituted. The show choir, band and even robotics club was involved. The event celebrated all sports and was deemed a huge success. The school is filled with excitement as the fall sports are having great success.
The new principal has a nice, calm demeanor, which will certainly come in handy dealing with teenagers. He said, “ We have great kids here and the community is blessed with good families.”
It looks like the high school is in good hands!
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9/20/13
Our Japanese connection
The Union County delegation to the Japanese-Midwest Conference in Tokyo has returned. I spoke with still jet-lagged Marysville Mayor John Gore, who made the trip with Union County Economic Development Director Eric Phillips and Carolyn Ramsey from Honda.
John said it was seven, 12-hour days of being constantly on the go. There were four days of meetings in Tokyo, which he described as an outstanding experience. He hopes increasing our understanding of each other will promote more business and cultural exchanges. However, he noted, Japan is also a country where women still walk behind the men.
Marysville High School grad Lloyd Arnold (class of ‘61) has lived in the Tokyo area for about 40 years and teaches English. He reads the Journal-Tribune online every day. When he saw the group was coming to Tokyo, he met John at his hotel to introduce himself and welcome the group.
I have done several articles about Lloyd. You may remember the earthquakes, tsunami and resulting radiation leaks from 2011. Lloyd served as our “eyes” to all that was occurring in Japan then.
The Union County group also traveled to Yorii Town about one hour away by train, which John said are always on time, to the minute. This town will hopefully serve as
Marysville’s future sister city, with which we will exchange students and culture. It is also the site of the first new Japanese Honda plant in 20 years.
 When they arrived, about 100 people were on hand to greet them. They were cheering and presented flowers. The local group were the first American dignitaries to visit there. Yorii will send a delegation to visit Marysville Dec. 2, 3, and 4.
While in Yorii, the group was entertained by traditional geishas at a tea service and ate unidentified fish on several occasions. (Best not to know what it was.) At one place, John was served a whole fish. He ate everything, if you know what I mean, except the head and tail. He did also draw the line at the spine, presented separately as a delicacy. One bite was enough!
His hotel in Yorii, a town of 35,000, had a hot springs for bathing, but he wasn’t interested. He was simply trying to shower at 5 a.m. in his room, but couldn’t recognize or discern from the touch if soap was in any of the liquids in the Japanese labeled dispensers. He went to the front desk to ask for some soap and began gesturing about bathing to the Japanese man who didn’t speak English. Finally the man said, “Oh,” then took John to the communal baths. When the elevator opened, there were about 15 men and women mostly about 75 years old, disrobing, ready to enter the bath. John said, “Oh no, I’ll take my chances in my room with unknown liquids.”
That’s where the interpreter, who traveled with them, would have been helpful. In Yorii, they visited a museum, solar energy facility and elementary school where John spoke to the class. It was fifth grade English with two male co-teachers. One was Japanese and another Canadian. The class was mostly in English, which seems incredible to me at that age.
Overall, the trip was an eye opener for the mayor. It was Union County’s first time to be a part of the venture and we have about 25 Japanese related companies. Hancock County was there for the second time and has seven companies, but is hoping to increase that. Eight states were represented and five governors were in attendance, but not ours. John’s idea is to keep the industry we have and expand on it.
He made the point that we should not take our relationship with Japanese companies for granted. Many others are competing for that business. Maybe we need to do more to recognize their culture. On that note, I’ve been told the Marysville schools are now looking for a Japanese teacher for next year.
 Mayor Gore would like to be able to offer more culturally to the Japanese who were sent to work in our Honda plant, so they want to live here instead of Columbus. Next year this Japanese-Midwest Conference will be held in Iowa and he’s hoping for our continued participation.
 John emphasized, “I don’t want to wait for things to happen, I want to make things happen.”
 If you want to talk to the mayor about his trip or anything regarding the city, you can see him Saturday morning at “Coffee with the Mayor” from 9-11 a.m. at City Hall.
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9/13/13
Check one off the bucket list
If you are a golfer and live in central Ohio you probably always wanted to play the famous Muirfield Village Golf Course in Dublin. For more than 20 years it’s been a dream of mine and now finally it has happened.
Thanks to the press day to publicize the upcoming Presidents Cup competition, which will be held there October 1-6, I was able to play as a last minute replacement. Someone couldn’t come and I was in. Wow!
In case you are not a golfer just imagine something you’ve always wanted to do that might be on your bucket list, and then you’ll know how excited I was to play at Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village.
 Many times I’ve been there towatch the famous Memorial Tournament usually in early June, but there’s nothing like actually playing the course. It is unbelievably tough with water in all the wrong places, and I have to admit that I found it a couple of times. Several balls were left there, if you know what I mean.
There were also a few missed chances for par. I decided to just enjoy the scenery and hope for the best. The fairways are like carpet and the greens are lightening fast.
 You know, when men play a tough course they feel they have to look good and play really well or it affects their reputation in some way. On the other hand since I’m a woman, I can play in a mediocre way, as I do, and still enjoy the day. But we do like to look good!
Women get no more than a 20 to 30 yard advantage from their tees on many of the holes. It seemed as if no one cared if women play there. It was even hard to find the ladies room at times. The weather was perfectly lovely and the company nice. I was so happy to be there even if my score wasn’t what I would’ve liked it to be.
Then there was the cart path-only problem. The course is now being made ready for the famous Presidents Cup and no one could take a cart on the grass part of the course. So we had a cart and walked a lot back and forth to get clubs. There were caddies to help but I didn’t have the strap for my bag so it couldn’t be carried (I would never consider carrying my clubs - just like I don’t have rain gear because I have no intention of playing golf in the rain). The caddies were great for lining up our puts and that helped make my day a little easier, but I did walk back and forth to my cart a lot, up and down the big hills - very tough on the knees. I am however not complaining. It was the chance of a lifetime for me.
People were there from television and radio news stations plus the print media. We were served breakfast and lunch and following golf there was a press conference that included the team captains, Nick Price for the International team (non-European players), and Fred Couples for the U.S. team. They announced the full teams, 12 players each, and there were comments from the players. Then they took questions. The prediction is that there will be about 400,000 spectators in attendance over the six days. In addition, three presidents are scheduled to be there - former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and current president Barack Obama.
 The Presidents Cup, held every two years, is a match play competition. That means its hole-by-hole scoring. There is no prize money and players are not paid. Each player, however, allocates a portion of the funds to a particular charity. More than $27 million has been raised.
Everything is first class at Jack’s course and it was such a big deal for me. Some people play there regularly, which is certainly nice for them. You know the saying goes - sometimes the things you take for granted are those others only wish for. That goes for many things in life.
It was a fantastic day in my life and one that I can now mark off my bucket list. So, as that list gets shorter, can I add new things?
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9/6/13
Lori Black in Myanmar
Marysville High School grad Lori Black (class of ‘03) has taught in South Korea and Ecuador while serving in the Peace Corps. Now she has moved on to another adventure in Mandalay, Myanmar, known as the city of bicycles.
Lori is in her fourth month at Ayeyarwaddy International School in Mandalay, and it is her first time to teach in elementary as a first grade teacher. Most of her experience was teaching upper level English as a second or foreign language. She said it’s a real learning time for her.
School starts at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Lori said, “I usually arrive at 7:30 a.m. to organize and get ready for the day. Most days I leave school around six or seven and I spend about six hours planning and grading at the school on Saturdays and Sundays.”
“First graders are full of energy. I take care of 30 of them every day, along with two assistants. We deal with fights, scratches, bumps, tears, illnesses, accidents in the pants, playing, singing, drawing, smiles, and hugs, all while teaching language arts, social studies, science, and math in English, their second or even third language.”
“These last few months, I have pondered over the fond memories of first grade and thought about the creativity, patience, and kindness of my own first grade teacher, Mrs. Jewell. While I try to figure out how to be the best I can be, I can only hope that I can achieve what she did.”
During a school holiday in mid-July, Lori traveled to the ancient city of Bagan, which is about five hours outside of Mandalay by bus. This 1,000-year-old city is surrounded by thousands of beautiful pagodas, stupas, and temples.
Lori continued: “A fellow teacher and I strapped on our walking flip flops to see what we could find in this ancient land. With over 2,200 pagodas, stupas, and temples within a 10-mile radius, it wasn’t long before we found some of the ancient ruins along the Ayeyarwaddy River. Vendors rushed to our sides to show us postcards of the temples of Bagan, unique and intricate sand paintings, and their world famous laquerware. Once you bought something or they realized you had no interest in buying their goods, they were eager to show you around the temples of their village and share its long history. In two days and about 14 hours on foot (mostly barefoot), we visited some of Myanmar history.”
 “The biggest treat was Shwe San Daw Paya and Sulamani Phato. Faded fresco paintings on the inside of the temple from the year 1183 depict the life and stories of the Buddha. Tourists are permitted to climb to the top. Visitors from around the world venture up the nearly vertical stairs, barefoot, to look towards the Arakan mountains and the Ayeyarwaddy River to capture a spectacular view of the sunset over the historic city.”
 “The end of our holiday, July 22, marked the beginning of a Buddhist holiday called Waso, or Buddhist Lent. On that day, the Buddhist community visits temples, shines, and monasteries to give offerings which, in turn, leaves you with blessings and merit that you can stow away in your good karma bank. Some people give money, some give flowers, and some give gift baskets to the monks with all of the essentials - a new maroon-colored robe, umbrella, bag, fan, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, snacks, and other goodies, all wrapped up in a colorful Christmas-like garland.”
Lori said that during this three-month period, monks are not supposed to leave their monastery or travel overnight, unless it’s an emergency. This tradition began long ago after numerous complaints from farmers since in this part of the world, July brings the rainy season when farmers plant their crops. They complained that the monks, who were traveling on foot, would damage their harvests and they may even become ill themselves while traveling in the rain, so, they are basically on house arrest.
Lori befriended a local monk who showed her around his monastery, so she decided to participate in the holiday. His name was Mr. Yontoe, and she bought one of the gift baskets. She said, “I strapped the massive load to the back of my scooter and weaved in and out of traffic, leaving a trail of glittering pieces of green garland throughout the streets of Mandalay. I arrived at the largest monastery in Myanmar, toting my oversized gift as I passed by some of its 2,300 monks. I went to my new found friend’s dormitory, only to find a group of giggling monks who had no idea what I was talking about, or better yet, could not understand my horribly broken Myanmar language skills.”
“One brave monk decided to step up for the challenge, and practice his English. He seemed sure that he knew who I was talking about.”
After searching the monastery and many monks later she found her guy and delivered his gift basket. Lori reported he was happy and surprised. Pictures were taken (that he immediately posted on facebook) and “thanks” were exchanged. In addition to good karma for her offering, the monks gave her durian ice cream. She said, “It was hands down the worst flavor I have ever had in my entire life, and I have eaten maggots!”
That’s Lori embracing the culture again! We’ll have more from her in the future as she completes her year in Myanmar.
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8/30/13
Help for Rwanda
 When I first met her I was surprised at how young she looked, with all she has recently done. But after all, she’s only one year out of high school and now soon to be a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati. Samantha Simmons ( MHS class of ‘12) is a biology major and she also studies Swahili. That language is really helpful when she visits Rwanda and has just returned from her second mission trip there.
 Last year Samantha went with a friend through the First United Methodist Church of Marysville and they stayed 10 days. When she got home she found herself moved to go back, which she described as a craving, and help the poor of Rwanda. That meant she would have to raise her own money to make the second trip alone, which amounted to $3,000, to stay for six weeks in Africa.
 It’s amazing to see the maturity of this young lady and what she has learned and accomplished over these last few weeks. Samantha left Marysville with two suitcases full of donated items from her friends for the people she would visit. She took things like adult disposable diapers,T-shirts and many other personal items. The woman in Rwanda who helped arrange her mission trip had a husband who was a taxi driver and he became Samantha’s driver when she needed to go from place to place. This was a huge advantage for her since there is little mass transit.
 She arrived in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, 30 hours after leaving home and four planes later. During her one week in Kigali she was invited to an African wedding and actually the president of the country was there, as was Miss Rwanda. It was quite a social event.
 She was also privileged to attend the bridal shower which was held the night before. There the women all danced to pop music and sat around and discussed with the bride all the things she needed to know about being married. This was all done in Swahili so Samantha is not quite sure exactly what kind of tips the bride got, because only the first few were translated for her.
 After a week of volunteering in an orphanage where there were children and adults many with disabilities, she moved on to the city of Gisenyi and lived at an orphanage. She was there about 2 1/2 weeks. The city is located near the infamous Congo border. Some girls living there were 18 to 20 years old since they have no resources or skills to be able to leave. Many will just stay and be a “mama” and care for the babies that come to the orphanage. Even though this is a tourist city, police with huge guns are everywhere in military uniforms.
 At the orphanage, for breakfast they had bread, butter and tea. Lunch was beans and rice, and maybe a carrot or cabbage. Dinner was the same, but occasionally there was some fish or rabbit served. Filtered water was provided because it wasn’t safe to drink from the sink. Even so, she did get sick but had antibiotics with her. There are no showers or bathtubs, so bathing is done in a basin. Clothes are washed by hand. Samantha said she decided to just relax and enjoy the culture.
 Her job in this orphanage was to help take care of the babies and also be a big sister to the teenage girls. They are very interested to learn English and do so in school.
 Rwanda is a country of 11 million just about the same population as the state of Ohio. It is however only one fourth the size.
 For the final week in Africa, Samantha moved on to Tanzania as part of the study abroad trip connected with the University of Cincinnati. She studied at the University of Dar-Es-Salaam. Another student from her Swahili class at the university and her professor joined her for the week of study. She describes Tanzania asas a richer country and the university as a nice place in a large city similar to Columbus. There, the classes were relaxed and for three days she learned a lot.
 All was going well until she went to the market with her friend from the university. They had trouble finding the bus to return to the campus and were tricked by the bus driver when they asked where he was going. He said they were going to their destination but once the girls got on the bus everyone on the bus told them he was not going there. They decided to make a quick exit from the bus, determine their location, and start their walk back to the university which was several blocks away. Once they reached the university, it was evening and there were security guards surrounding them as they got onto the campus. They finally felt safe. That’s when the robber appeared and took Samantha’s purse. She resisted at first but then realized she should just give it to him and hopefully he would run away. It contained her cell phone and passport. Her friend yelled and that scared him away and she still had her cell phone to call for help.
 At that point, Samantha was just a few days from coming home and she had no passport. Fortunately she did what all foreign travelers are supposed to do, have a copy of her passport in her room along with her wallet. The only way to get a new passport was to make a quick trip to the U.S. Embassy. They expedited it and she got it later that day. She and her friend left the university and stayed elsewhere until it was time to go home.
 Now all that is left for her to do is make a presentation to her class back at the University of Cincinnati for her to get credit. I guess she’ll have lots to say about all that.
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8/23/13
A family of jumpers
 I have always thought I was one of the more sane members of my immediate family and now I think I have proof. Last year my son, Kevin, did it and so this year his wife Roberta felt moved to do it and then my older son, Mike, did it. My brother from Chicago, also named Mike, did it. They all jumped out of perfectly good airplanes from about 7,000 feet in the air. What were they thinking?
 The best thing I can say about all this is that nobody got hurt and they all described it as an unbelievable, euphoric experience especially when they first left the airplane in tandem with the skydiver.
 Kevin’s experience from last year at the All Ohio Balloon Fest as a tandem skydiver, was great. Of course he’s in very good physical condition and it wasn’t stressful for him at all. His wife, Roberta, decided that this year at the 2013 balloon fest it was her year to follow him. They have a four-year-old child. What were they thinking?
 When I spoke to Roberta immediately after she landed, she had this to say: “Oh my gosh, that was fantastic! If I die now I think I know what heaven is. It was totally serene and beautiful when I first left the plane.”
 She said she loved it, but then she started to tell me about the problems at the beginning of the jump. She said shortly after the parachute opened, her tandem jumper started wiggling around and moving quite a bit in the back so she asked him what was wrong. He just told her everything was fine. Then a few seconds later an alarm started beeping so she asked what that was. He said it was just his “something o meter.” She couldn’t understand his explanation.
 Then a few seconds later more wiggling from behind. She again asked, was something wrong? He said, “No, everything’s fine.” They proceeded on down with a lovely landing. Then she repeated her question about what had happened up there? He finally told her there was a problem with the parachute, but obviously all turned out well. Good thing she didn’t know that for sure up in the sky.
 Then there was my brother, Mike, a physician from Chicago. He wanted to jump, too, and has been planning it since he saw Kevin go last year. He described getting into the jumpsuit with the giant clamps that hook from his back to the chest of the suit of the tandem jumper. Then, when on the plane he sits on the lap of the jumper very, very close together and they scoot forward to the edge of the plane. It’s just a tiny little, one-foot platform they stand on (that was the only scary part) and all of a sudden they are out.
 He looked down and saw these tiny things on the ground and said to the jumper, “Look at those cars.” The reply was, “Those are houses. You can take your goggles off now if you want to see.”
 After his landing, I immediately asked him if he felt sick. He said no, and that it was an absolutely wonderful, calm, beautiful feeling. Of course that can be said when all turns out well.
 Soon my oldest son was suited up and in the plane. Now at this point I’m getting used to all of it and not too concerned for him. I’m sure he’s going to come down fine. That is exactly what happened but he landed a little bit roughly. It looked like they skidded along a bit. He said, “Wow that was fantastic.” What could be so great about falling from thousands of feet in the air with the possibility of dying?
 So, coupled with the second jump from my son, Kevin, this year it totaled four members of my family doing this absolutely crazy thing at the All Ohio Balloon Fest in Marysville. Suddenly people are asking me if I’m going next? I told everyone I was the conservative member of this family. Even though they came down fine and nothing bad happened to anyone, I believe life is hard enough without adding all this extra stress. I think I can do without the euphoria for now.
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8/16/13
Return to the homeland
 Mark and Carolyn Anson are both graduates of MHS (class of ‘79) and were married after college. They now live in Worthington. In 1996 they adopted their daughter Madeline from China and that went so well they again adopted another little girl, Lily, in 1999. Now they have made a return trip to the country where the girls were born.
 They had always planned to take their daughters back for a visit, but now China offers a cultural tour of Beijing to adoptive families, paying for hotel, food, transportation, guides, and other items. The Ansons further expanded the trip to the girls’ adoptive cities.
 The group of 166 on the cultural tour came from all over the world with their Chinese children and were treated to six days of 14-hour tours of the surrounding area. Afterwards, many went home, but the Anson family moved on to the reunion tour.
 Carolyn relates: “We flew to Jiangxi Province, to the city of Nanchang where we stayed when Madeline was adopted. We visited the hotel we’d stayed at during Madeline’s adoption process. Although it was OK then, that was 17 years ago. It is now almost abandoned, except for a few offices rented out. and looks like the set of a post-apocalyptic movie. Plaster, marble and cement laid on the floor where it had fallen from the ceilings, walls and columns. Black and green mold was readily visible. You could see through holes in the ceiling to the second floor in some places and the dining room looked like it had been abandoned without notice. Stacks of clean dishes were strewn about the room.”
 “Strange people wandered in and out and although we wanted to go to the floor where we had stayed, we realized this was essentially a very unsafe environment (both building and people wise), so we left. I will say that the park across the street was much cleaner and prettier than when we had walked Madeline around its paths.”
 “The next day, we drove to Madeline’s orphanage in Xinyu about three hours outside of Nanchang. At the gates of the building, a group of three adults stood, banging a drum, gong, and lighting firecrackers in welcome. One woman who met us was the same one who handed Madeline to me 17 years ago. In the orphanage now, most of the babies are special needs children. They had 70 children of various ages.”
 After leaving the orphanage, the Ansons went to Madeline’s “finding spot,” which was the orphanage gates, a common place for babies to be taken, often at night, since abandoning a child in China was and still is, illegal. It has all been torn down, but they saw the place. It is common to adopt Chinese children and have no history of their birth family.
 Carolyn continued, “We drove back to Nanchang, passing the beautiful red soil of Madeline’s province (good for rice), and seeing what must be some of the ‘ghost cities of China,’ new buildings, no tenants.”
 Then they went on to Lily’s orphanage in Guangzhou which had been newly built, as was Madeline’s, and had an institutional look about it. But Guangzhou is more prosperous than Nanchang, and Lily’s orphanage had colorful children’s decorations all over the walls.
 Carolyn continued: “The orphanage director met us, and again, it was the same woman who had handed Lily to Mark 14 years ago. The children’s services director came out, and she had been there, too! Both women remembered Lily, who, we are told, has a unique old world face -the most desirable face and the most desirable personality. As a baby, she garnered a lot of attention from local Chinese who would approach her to touch her so that she would bless them. She’s apparently quite unique.”
 The Ansons’ notes about China include driving in Beijing and the fact that Guangzhou was civilized. But Nanchang was anything goes, including wrong way driving, u -turns across multiple packed lanes of traffic, and pedestrians totally ignored by zigzagging drivers. Babies still wear split pants and no diapers. Women wear mostly dresses and high heels, and carry umbrellas for shade to keep their skin from browning. Street vendors and even store owners use high pressure tactics for selling.
 Also, they were smogged-in for two days in Beijing since the air quality is so terrible. On the other hand, they reported they stayed in gorgeous hotels, and ate amazing and delicious foods with no one getting got sick.
 The Ansons say that there’s still much to see in China and there will be a return trip to the country of the girls’ beginnings.
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8/9/13
Local artist creates collectable
 He’s an accomplished artist trained at the Columbus College of Art and Design and a 1990 graduate of North Union High School. That’s where Scot Forrider met his wife Michelle Cooper (NUHS class of ‘92). Now they live in Marysville and he is the creator of the first All Ohio Balloon Fest collectable poster celebrating the 2013 event. As you can see, it features bright colors and some of the special shape balloons which will be on hand for the event.
 When I asked about the unusual spelling of his first name (Scot) he said he believes his parents chose it because of the family’s Scottish background. Then Scot went on to say how much he loves to create art. For him, it is a soothing hobby and his passion. He finds himself doodling and sketching all the time. At the college of art and design, his major was industrial design, but he loves every aspect of fine art.
 After Scot finished the poster, the next task was to transfer it to a workable medium for printing. This almost didn’t happen. Because of the size of the poster, it couldn’t be done locally. Then the search was on for a large color scanner and someone who could reproduce it reasonably. One company referred us to another and then to another -six times. Finally we found Key Blue Prints Inc. located on Cleveland Avenue in Columbus. There, what had seemed doubtful was suddenly so easy!
 They can do nearly any printing job and especially ones of a large size and have a big scanner to back it up. The electronic age has made everything different in that business, too. After hearing “no” so many times we really appreciated the cooperation and speed of service. You can reach them at 614-889-6160.
 So, now we proudly are selling a limited edition of this work of art at the Journal-Tribune and at the three-day balloon fest this next Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Union County Airport. Scot will also be making an appearance there to personalize your poster.
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8/2/13
Their own red high heels
 Jalynn, 9, and her sister McKinley, 3, daughters of Lyndsey and Nick Samaniego of Marysville (originally from Celina) are getting ready for THE concert.
 It all started about six years ago when Kellie Pickler was a contestant on the TV show “American Idol.” Kellie was a young girl who had success on the show and little Jalynn was only three years old then. Along with her mother, she watched Kellie compete and they became her big fans. Who knows what caused this attraction, but often Jalynn sang along with Kellie.
 The next year as Kellie’s hit single “Red High Heels” soared on the charts, Jalynn was still in her corner. She had to have some red high heels just like Kellie’s. Her mother found some that were made of shiny red fabric - perfect!
 This past spring, the two young sisters joined millions of others as Kellie competed on “Dancing with the Stars.” They watched faithfully, dancing along, too, in their own fancy dance clothes (sometimes changing several times) as Kellie won it all 10 weeks later.
 Now there is new excitement - Kellie is actually coming to Marysville! The family already has their tickets for the outdoor concert on Thursday, Aug. 15, at the site of the All Ohio Balloon Fest, located at the Union County Airport.
 They have their chairs ready to go and are hoping to get a close look at Kellie. Oh yes, Jalynn has now outgrown the first set of red high heels, but has new ones. McKinley has inherited the first ones and you can expect to see the young girls wearing them at the concert. Look for them.
 Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Journal-Tribune or online at Ticketfly.com.
Uptown flowers beautiful again
 Once again I can very proudly say that the flowers in uptown Marysville are beautiful. This year they are dark purple in black containers. It’s a great combination and one that really makes the downtown so attractive.
 Purchase of the flowers for the hanging baskets and their maintenance is provided by Memorial Hospital of Union County. This year, weekender baskets were purchased. They hold large quantities of water, and the containers are also watered every other day rain or shine to keep everything looking so healthy. The large black planters scattered around the uptown area were provided by the Marysville Business Association. The city then contracted with Worknet using its job coach program which provides workers to take good care of all the flowers.
 Thanks again for all those who participate in this effort.
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7/26/13
Trinity Lutherans in Oklahoma
 Theirs was a mission of aid in the physical form - lots of hard work. Ten members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Marysville ranging in ages from 15 to 73 made a week-long journey to the still tornado-damaged parts of Oklahoma near Moore.
 Pastor Barry Scott shared some of their experiences with me. Through the organization, Groups Work Camps (it organizes aid to needy areas), he found a week where the group could help the people of Oklahoma who lost so much during the tornadoes this past May.
 The group of 10 drove first to Kansas City and then on to Oklahoma City, Moore and Shawnee Acres, a rural area outside Norman, where much of the devastation of two months ago is still evident. Many of the rural areas have had little help. Yes, there are federal loans available, but many of these people might not qualify since they couldn’t even afford insurance on their now destroyed properties.
 When the workers arrived, they found the effort was very organized and many were staying at a nearby Baptist church on air mattresses which they brought with them. There, breakfast and dinner was served. One woman who helped feed the 200 aid workers by working in the kitchen at the church, had lost everything and was living in a tent nearby. Fortunately the church also had showers. That was very important to this group, since they were working hard outdoors and the temperatures were between 98 and 104 with high humidity.
 At the home of a woman named Peggy, an elderly widow, they cut up large downed trees all over her property and she told stories of the storm. She was alone hiding in her tornado shelter, of course afraid for her life. Now she had kind, friendly help and people to talk to in her somewhat remote, rural location. In fact, she and the 15-year-old of the Trinity group struck up the best friendship.
 Members of the local group took their tools with them, but when they arrived, they also had available a vast supply of chain saws, etc., ready to be used on their projects.
 While in Oklahoma, the warning was to wear boots and long pants to work, even in the extreme heat for interesting reasons. One was because of poisonous spiders and another was pygmy rattlesnakes. Apparently, if a pygmy rattler bites you, go right to the hospital in the closest car. You are now fighting for your life and need anti-venom immediately.
 The warning was taken seriously. That’s why there was a screaming incident. Pastor Barry said they were tearing down a damaged yard fence when he heard the scream. Leaves had been moved and exposed one of those rattlers which was quickly killed by the guy holding the fence post. Close call - all was well.
 In another place, the workers rebuilt the second and third floors of a house which came off during the storm as the family took shelter on the first floor.
 It was just a trip to help those they didn’t even know - one of the best kind of ventures. It was a time to share their faith with the people of Oklahoma. It was a good experience for those who went and those who enjoyed the results of their hard work.
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7/19/13
The class reunion
 It’s an event class members from high schools across the country look forward to - a reunion of their old friends. Whether it’s 10 or 50 years since you graduated, I think the feelings are the same. Who will be there? Will I recognize everyone? Will I look okay? Finally, do I really want to go?
 All these questions occurred to me recently before my 50th class reunion. I joined the committee planning the event and went to meetings. As the time grew closer, I was really looking forward to our 3-day event. In fact, as I have always believed, being on the committee is as much fun as a reunion itself, since we have more time together during the months of planning.
 There’s a history with these people you grew up with unlike any other. College friends are great, but you only have four years with them. In many cases in high school we enjoyed 10 or 12 years with each other as we shared the growing up process.
 I graduated from Upper Arlington High School in Columbus and there were 350 in my class. There are 43 deceased, which includes many of the outstanding male athletes.
 Now to the dinner. As my classmates came in, I recognized many but some not at all. There was a sixth grade “boyfriend” who I would know anywhere. Some of my classmates still live in Arlington, but others came from Florida, New Mexico and South Carolina. One girl from California, I guess we have to call her a woman, who dated many boys, still looked great. She’s a total Southern California girl now with Botox and facelift, and even appeared recently on Dr. Oz. She was seen on the show talking about her favorable experience with hormones for a more youthful look. Of course we were all anxious to see the results. It was worth all her effort, I think.
 Then there was the arrival that really wasn’t. He was class vice president and now lives in Florida. He reportedly was anxious to see everyone. Well, it seems there was a planning problem. This was the week of heavy rain on the East Coast so his plane was delayed. He notified me by e-mail he would miss the dinner, but maybe would be there by 8 p.m. I was to pass the word along. Then came the “I’m stuck in Atlanta” note. He wouldn’t be in until midnight. It was a big reunion of about 120 of our class and he spent it in the airport, delayed again.  How crazy. He missed the event and I wondered why didn’t he come the night before?
 The next day many classmates rode on the class float in the Upper Arlington Fourth of July parade. He missed that, too. He got in at 1 a.m. and the parade was at 8 a.m. The day after that was a golf outing. It was rained out. Apparently he was able to stop at the picnic for a short time just before his plane left for Florida. It was all so crazy and for him, almost a nonevent with time cut way too close.
 At these gatherings, for just a few hours everyone’s back in high school, sitting with the same friends and telling the same stories. Oh yes, we also had 10 teachers there. One was my favorite. Seeing him again and telling him how much I appreciated him when I got to college was as much fun as seeing my classmates.
 One major revelation from the class reunion is that those sometimes immature boys of high school days, now men, became responsible members of society! There were judges, attorneys, physicians and business owners. Some of the girls were all these things, too. Then there’s always the person who must impress. Now an attorney and judge in Texas he went on and on about how successful and widely traveled he was. Ugh!
 A class reunion brings on memories of how and where you grew up and the people who helped form your life. If you have one coming up, don’t miss it.
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7/12/13
Future expat?
An expatriate (expat) is a term for one living full or part time in a foreign country. A 1960 grad of Marysville High School, a well-known choreographer and director and now retired and traveling the world, may become one. After MHS, Jerry Yoder graduated from OSU with a degree in accounting and moved to San Francisco, where after four years in an office as an accountant, he was done. It was off to New York City and the thing he really loved, musical theater.
Jerry was a part of the original company of the production of “Chicago.” Following that, he was sought after as a choreographer and director. Now 40 years later Jerry wants to make a change. He has traveled all over the world, often alone, and is now in pursuit of a possible new home in another country, perhaps just for part of the year. He’s looking for economy and convenience.
Living in a foreign country as an expat appeals to him and he’s not afraid to go to a place where he knows no one. Jerry noted that wherever he goes he meets people and its usually good!
Recently he has returned from one leg of this search including Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica. While in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, he walked past a theater that said “Chicago” was opening. Since he knew the play well, he walked in and soon the rehearsal began.
He was excited to see how this would work since some actors spoke English and others only Spanish. How would this go? Then the original cast recording began to play the music and the performance started. They were lip synching to the music! He thought, “Are you kidding me, what a hoot!” It wasn’t exactly what he expected.
He then went on to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, where it happened. He had rented a room on the second floor with a balcony. That’s where he let his guard down. After all, Jerry is a resident of New York City. He knows how to be careful, right? However, he left the door to the balcony unlocked and went to sleep. Thankfully, he slept soundly and didn’t confront the robber who stole his tablet and cell phone in the middle of the night.
The police were no help as Jerry filed his report. His valuables were gone forever, but the company he leased his room through was AIRBNB. That was good. After a short time he was reimbursed by them for his loss. OK, a lesson learned. Time to leave Mexico.
He moved on to Panama to meet his sister, Peggy Henman, and her daughter Jen. They stayed in Panama City, a very cosmopolitan place with a large arts and expat community. The food is good, living there would be economical and health care is linked to the U.S. - all pluses for Jerry. He particularly felt at home on the 25-block walking street. There are no cars allowed. He could walk everywhere just like in New York City.
(When Jerry has stayed in Marysville, he has tried to walk around some distances. Even today, someone will usually call his sister Pat and ask, “Was that Jerry I saw walking around town?” We are still a small town sometimes, but few walk.)
 Jerry then moved on to Costa Rica, another beautiful country. Just like Panama, it produces pineapple and lots of coffee. There are beautiful beaches and friendly people.
Both countries are appealing to this guy who is looking for a really good spot. Interestingly, both have very pure and safe water for Americans to drink. In both Panama and Costa Rica, there are no side effects from drinking right out of the tap.
Soon Jerry is heading to Thailand and Malaysia for more research. When he finds the perfect place, the plan is to try it out for a longer period of time. More from Jerry later on this hunt.
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7/5/13
Anyone for granola?
 The good news is a local “cottage” business is booming. Colette Seymour Dennis (MHS class of ‘80) is making gourmet granola. She sells this “good for you” treat at the Marysville Farmers Market located on the corner of Plum and Sixth St. on Saturdays and on her website - 2goodtreats.com.
 She began this venture by putting together oats, nuts, wheat germ, flaxseed, coconut oil, Maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Sounds good already, right? These are the basic ingredients. Other varieties include dried fruits, chocolate and bananas. She can customize a granola for you and also make some that are nut free and gluten free.
 The business began by making dog treats. They were so successful she moved on to those for humans. After eating granola sold in the market, she just thought she could do better. Colette originally tried out the human variety on her high school friends as they vacationed together.  Everyone raved about it and asked, “Why don’t you sell this?” It is chunky so it can be eaten by hand or with milk or just on top of yogurt.
 Soon Colette moved into full production in her home. Now she uses about 100 pounds of oats a week.
 One special variety is named for her father, Rowland Seymour, now deceased. For most of his life, Rowland didn’t want any part of eating oats, so she never pushed it on him. One day he realized she was having great success at this new business and he said, “When are you going to let me try that stuff?” Colette decided to give it a shot and brought some over, not expecting a good report. He said, “That’s pretty good stuff, but I could do without the almonds.” Dad’s Vanilla Pecan was born.
 Apparently squirrels also like the human granola. Colette’s friend in New York State ordered seven bags to be sent to her home including the gluten free variety, dog treats, and a regular bag for her husband. It was packed up and sent to arrive in two days and the postman left the order on the front porch. By that time her friend in New York retrieved it, there was a hole in the package. It seems the porch is located near a nice tree where squirrels live and they thought dessert had been delivered.
 They obviously preferred the gluten free because the other varieties remained untouched. No doubt replacement orders were on the way quickly.
 Colette says she just loves to cook and this is her own recipe, refined many times after trying this and that. She believes her most exotic mixture is called maple bacon chocolate chip combining sweet and salty. It’s rapid sales surprised her at first.
 You can contact her to place an order on her website and also look for her ad in the Journal-Tribune’s local business service directory published every Tuesday and Saturday, and in the Richwood Gazette every other week.
 It’s good to know that in the days of consolidation and mass production, a small business can still be created and grow.
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6/28/13
More travels for Lori
Marysville High School grad Lori Black, class of 2003, has not only become a teacher, but is also in the process of becoming a world traveler.
She taught in South Korea and in Ecuador while serving in the Peace Corps. There she could use her knowledge as a college Spanish major. Now she has moved on to another adventure in Mandalay, Myanmar, known as the city of bicycles. There is probably little need for Spanish there.
In other countries she was dealing with high school students, but her position in the very modern international school this time is teaching first grade.
 Lori begins: “I arrived at Mandalay International Airport on a hot, Thursday afternoon after a week -long vacation in Bangkok, Thailand. The airport is about a quarter the size of Columbus International Airport. It sits in the middle of nowhere. There is one road in and one road out. Airport traffic would never be an issue. I was greeted by Teacher Mary, my assistant teacher, who came bearing flowers and a kind smile.
She immediately asked me if I was alright. I came in hiking books, khakis, a t-shirt, a light sweater, and a backpack in 110 degree weather. I was sweating so profusely I soaked my sweater trying to dry off. Luckily, an air conditioned bus from the school picked us up and drove us to the other side of the city to Ayeyarwaddy International School.”
 Lori says that the school is enormous, new, and modern. It is six stories high, holds over 75 classrooms, and has a gymnasium and a cafeteria. Behind the school there is a soccer field, swimming pool, and a five story apartment complex for the 24 foreign teachers. There will soon be a school garden. Lori lives there in an efficiency apartment. Many of the teachers have been or are involved in the Peace Corps. The school currently caters to Montessori preschoolers through ninth grade. They will soon incorporate grades 10 through 12. Each classroom has internet access and smart boards.
She began with training including the culture of Myanmar and trips around the city. First was Kuthodaw Paya, a temple in the northern part of the city.
There are 729 inscribed marble slabs each housed under a white-washed stupa, hailing from the mid-19th century. Each stupa is approximately two feet from the next one. The stupas rise about 15 feet high, and on the top there are tiny bells that blow with the wind.
Then on to Mandalay Hill.
 Lori said: “There, we had to take our shoes off and walk up 760 feet to the top of the hill, passing a number of golden Buddha statues, stupas, and friendly vendors, which led us to an amazing view of the city.
On our last trip we visited the largest teak wood bridge in the world, U Bein’s Bridge, that links people from the town of Amarapura to Mandalay but is mostly used for pedestrians who wish to take a stroll at sunrise and sunset.
Here, people of all ages try to practice English with foreigners. Being the tourist with the camera trying to sneak pictures of young Buddhist monks, I was surprised when they pulled me aside for a photo shoot!”
 “On weekends I have been bicycling around the city. One weekend I decided to head toward the rice paddies to see where the road would take me. I was greeted by nearly everyone who passed me. I watched women working in the rice fields, women carrying giant baskets of tea leaves on their heads, couples eating mangoes and staring off into the mountains, and water buffalo soaking in the creeks.
I made friends with a group of boys who offered me strange purple fruits that they were picking from a tree. They followed me down the road a ways and I stopped to buy them each a Coca-Cola. (It recently arrived in this country!) I went back down that same road a couple days later with some fellow teachers and had the same pleasant experience, but this time we were invited into the home of a local family to have a chat and some fish crackers. They spoke to us like they had known us for years, in Burmese, a language that none of us speak.”
 “Another weekend, I biked with some friends for an hour and a half into the nearby Shan mountains. We were told there was a temple full of monkeys, so we had to go. We were welcomed by monks in scarlet robes, proud of the monkeys that have seemingly taken to Buddhism, lying around Buddha statues. We hiked up nearly vertical stairs to more temples, stupas, caves, and incredible views of the hazy, distant city.”
 I continue to be amazed that Lori never has been in an unsafe situation in all these countries where she is so willing to be friendly and meet the locals in their homes. In many places in our own country it would not be a safe thing to do.
 She continues: “This country is going through a number of drastic changes. After nearly 50 years of British colonization and six years of Japanese rule, the country has been under military control since the 1962 coup d’état that lasted until 2011.
Between the 1960s and 1980s, Myanmar became one of the most impoverished and isolated countries in the world.
Once it was known for genocide, the use of child soldiers, slavery, human trafficking, and a severe lack of freedom of speech and was one of the world’s most oppressive and abusive regimes. Since the 2011 elections and dramatic governmental changes, the country has shown a promise for change. Aung San Suu Kyi, a well-known human rights activist from Myanmar who was on house arrest as a political prisoner for over 20 years, has been released and allowed to speak publically. General elections were held, and human rights violations are plummeting, but said to still be prevalent in some ethnic regions in the country. Sanctions from the U.S. and Britain have been lifted and there has been dialogue between the country’s current leader, Thein Sein, and President Barak Obama and other world leaders who have been praising the country for its changes.
Myanmar is opening its borders to tourists and a number of aid agencies that are working throughout the country. However, it is still in the middle of a civil war. It is still an incredibly impoverished nation and, for the most part, isolated. But, it is moving quickly towards a positive change.”
“This country is one of the most beautiful, interesting places I have ever visited. It’s calm and peaceful. Men and women alike still wear a traditional dress called a longyi (a skirt that falls to the ankles) and traditional golden make-up worn on their faces called tanaka made from the sandalwood tree.
Most people who work outside or in the rice paddies wear a triangle hat.
You can’t walk down the street without a smile and a mingala ba, or hello from every person you see.
People are pleased to see an American (which isn’t usually the case). I’ve had truckloads of people cheer at the mere fact that I’m from the USA.”
 Now Lori has upgraded to a motorcycle, so we’ll hear more about her travels around Myanmar in the future.
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6/21/13
The small world category
Chase Zimmerman (MHS class of 2011) is currently on a nationwide summer tour with the Ohio Northern University choir, which is made up of 38 student singers. The bus tour is covering 28 states with 31 concerts.
Students are staying in homes and when they arrived in Tucson, Ariz., Chase had a very unusual meeting. After a scheduled choir performance in the Tucson area, the university divided the students up for over-night home stays with a few local residents. Chase happened to be staying at the Mazzolini home. After arriving, the students proceeded to identify themselves to their host family and also told where they lived. When Chase announced he was from Marysville, Ohio, he saw the look on his host’s face. Mrs. Martha Wilson Mazzolini proceeded to tell Chase that she was born and raised in Marysville, living here in the 1930s and ‘40s, but had moved to Tucson just before the start of seventh grade.
 Of course, that gave the two lots to compare with then and now in Marysville. To further relate her connection to our town, Martha produced her Ann Entis sculptures, a unique piece of her Marysville memory. (Ann Entis, now deceased, was a nationally celebrated artist as a sculptor of children in terra cotta clay). Chase was quite familiar with this famous lady since those were also in his own home.
 All this gave me a reason to learn more about Martha. She grew up as the former Martha Wilson, daughter of William and Josephine Wilson. Her father was a local contractor in the Marysville area partnering as Williams and Wilson.
 Martha related: “We left Marysville to move to Tucson in the fall of 1943. I was going into the seventh grade. My sister, Marjorie Wilson Girdner, was going into the 12th grade. My mother, Josephine Plate Wilson, graduated from MHS probably in 1916 and my father was living on a farm and did not go to the high school.”
 “My good memories of Marysville are swimming in the pool, walking to and from school and double scoops of ice cream cones at Butler›s for 10 cents. I grew up in the brick house on Park Avenue — second from the corner. We lived there when the pool was built in the 1930s. I literately lived at the pool when it opened and spent many wonderful hours in the park by myself. My aunt and uncle were Alice and Russell Banks. Russell was the head of the water company and also they had Shearer Banks insurance agency. Their daughter, Mary Banks Connett, is living in Florida.
 Martha has not lived in Tucson all these years. She went to the University of Arizona and to the University of Iowa for speech pathology then took a job in Charleston, S.C. She married a naval officer, moved around quite a bit and retired in Tucson.
 So, what began as just a summer choir trip for Chase turned out to be a lesson in what a small world this really is.
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6/14/13
Not the typical engineer
 He’s a civil engineer who’s interesting and entertaining, and frankly, you never know what he’s going to say. Jim Page has owned a civil engineering firm in Marysville for many years. It is now known as Page Engineering.
 He grew up in Urbana where he graduated from high school in 1956. Then he was off to the U.S. Navy and served as a radioman on a patrol plane in the Atlantic Ocean.
 Those were the days of the Cold War, and they were looking for Russian submarines. Jim remembers proudly that as they flew over the subs when they came to the surface, those on the American plane would give the Russians a distinctive hand signal, which the Russians promptly returned. It turns out that its an international finger thing and the exchange was just part of the game they played. Typical of Jim to remember this.
 Jim then went on to college and graduated as a civil engineer from The Ohio State University. He worked first for a firm in Columbus and then was hired by Union County to set up the sanitary engineering department. Steve Stolte had been a classmate at OSU and the two began a firm called Fleming Page and Stolte. In 1982 it became Page Engineering.
 During these last 40 years, Jim has been part of some interesting stories. He says one of his most memorable moments was the day he mistakenly grabbed a farmer’s electric fence with his hand when climbing out of Big Darby Creek. It gave him a huge jolt, which his survey crew found humorous.
 He also said: “I have a habit of driving my survey trucks across small ditches. I keep forgetting the front of the track hits the opposite bank before the tires. After replacing the radiator twice, I finally figured it out.”
 And here is one story really true to form.
 Jim relates: “I once designed a road in the hills of Noble County. The area is so hilly and rough that I had the county engineer drive a bulldozer through the area and that became my road alignment. It still counted as engineering though! The same project required targets to be placed on high hilltops for aerial photographs. I hired a Noble County girl, who just happened to be cute, to help me. The fact that she was cute was certainly an accident, but her boyfriend was upset she was in the woods with me and he didn’t understand that I’m really quite bashful. Of course it was all innocent, too.”
 “Through the years my engineering firm designed many subdivisions, ponds, bridges and roads, water and sewer projects,” Jim says. “The Marysville Honda plant was laid out by our firm and for about two years my main office was in a trailer at the Honda Plant.”
 In typical Jim Page style with tongue in cheek, he adds, “During that time my partner, Steve Stolte, was hiding in the Marysville office drinking coffee while I was working hard.”
 Jim is certainly known to be a character. He always has something quirky to say and actually, now that he’s 75, he says that he evokes the rule that “seniors have the right of way on the road.” Look out if you see him!
 He also added that civil engineering is near the top of the 10 most boring professions. Jim is certainly the opposite of that. I suspect there’s never a dull moment at his house or office.
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6/7/13
Surf, sand and study
Michael Bell (MHS class of ‘06) and his wife Kayla Johnson Bell (MHS class of ‘07) are living a dream life in Hawaii. He earned his B.S. in civil and environmental engineering and she, a B.A. degree in psychology. Then they moved to California where Michael worked on his master’s degree at Stanford University. The couple lived in Mountain View, Calif. and married in 2011 in Carmel.
 Life just keeps getting better for these two. Michael finished his master’s degree in structural engineering and they moved from one paradise to another. It seems they had their choice between Singapore and Hawaii for him to study for his Ph.D. in structural health monitoring.
 After visiting both sites, the choice was Hawaii. Michael explains his work is a sub field associated with structural engineering where you place sensors on buildings and/or bridges to monitor their vibrations, accelerations, displacements, etc. Using these measurements, they are able to calculate important structural properties to evaluate the structural integrity of the structure.
 He said: “Using this method, we can identify damage locations and severity, repair timelines and requirements, as well as ensure public safety by preventing catastrophes like the collapse in Minneapolis many years ago. This field of research is extremely important all over the nation as our infrastructure continues to age and deteriorate. It is important to be able to identify the level of damage to a bridge to determine when and how it needs to be repaired or replaced.”
 Now they are living right in Waikiki along the Ala Wai Canal. So, life gets tougher — they can walk to Diamond Head Beach.
 He continued: “The first thing we purchased out here was our long boards to go surfing. Sometimes when surfing, we see packs of green sea turtles swimming around us in the water. They will poke their heads up for air and swim right underneath our boards when we are waiting for a wave to ride. We also love to go snorkeling as the water is super clear and you can see all kinds of creatures including tropical fish, sea turtles, octopus, squid, eel, etc. Hiking is also a fun thing to do on the islands as the volcanoes give you magnificent views from their peaks. During the winter months, we were able to see tons of whales as they come to Hawaii from Alaska for mating.”
 It seems there are a few detractors from island living. The traffic is horrible, they say. It can take a couple of hours to go 10 miles in rush hour. Fortunately, the school where Kayla teaches is right across the canal from their home so she can walk to work. Michael is about a 15-20 minute bike ride from campus.
 Both feel that the public schools are not up to par and many send their children to private schools, which cost about $20,000 a year. The locals are friendly where they live but if you travel to more remote areas, they tend to be less helpful and nice. Also it is the “island” lifestyle. Everyone just goes with the flow and doesn’t stress out about anything — it will get done when it gets done type of mentality.
 Food items are a lot more expensive. For example, a box of cereal is about $5-$6 and a gallon of milk is about $4.50-$5. Also, real estate is expensive compared to Ohio.
 Michael said: “All of my time is dedicated to doing research and compiling my dissertation. Recently, we placed sensors on a bridge in Aiea, HI. We have been monitoring the bridge for the past couple of months and analyzing the data. A few weeks ago, I was notified that I was selected to participate in the Asia-Pacific Summer School Program in Smart Structures Technology at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, South Korea. The three-week program consists of coursework, lectures, labs and site visits incorporating students from Korea, U.S., Japan, China and India. It is a great opportunity to increase my knowledge in this new and upcoming field of research while also growing in my cultural diversity.”
Athletic bags revisited
 Two weeks ago I wrote about things that I store in my golf and tennis bag and those that my friends carry with them. Now I have some updates for you.
 When I was talking to my friend Sandie about the story she had this to say: While playing golf she turned the ignition on the cart and the key broke off. It was her own golf cart so calling the pro shop at the course for help was not an option. The key was broken in the slot and she had to remove it. Sandie had the perfect thing in her golf bag. She pulled out a pair of tweezers and was able to pull the broken key out.
 I immediately asked her, “What were you doing with tweezers in your bag?” She said that you never know when you’ll have a stray hair you have to remove. That may be the oddest thing anyone has ever taken with them to the golf course.
 When Bill Wenning read my story he immediately went to his tennis bag and found old stuff. Actually it seems he hasn’t cleaned that thing out for more than 30 years since he has lived in Marysville. In his bag he actually found a metal bracket and bolt for the tennis gate at the club in Marion, Ohio, from 30 years ago. I think he was planning to repair it.
 There was also a chocolate tootsie pop, which he says might be 36 years old and a dime in case he wanted to make an emergency call. That’s crazy now when everyone has a cell phone, but then he also had sunscreen from Woolworths. How long has that store being closed?
 Finally I was reminded that my friend, Karen, carries magnets in her tennis bag, you know the flat ones that stick on your refrigerator. She actually put one on my shoulder at the tennis court one day when it was so sore and the magnet helped. To reread the column, go to marysvillejt.com and click on Off the Hook. Then go to archives and go back two weeks.
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5/31/13
Our Russian connection continues
Roman Kravchenko and Natalia Laschenova are married and live in Marysville. They were both born in the USSR and have been in the United States for 14 years. She represented her country as a gymnast in the 1988 Olympics and earned gold. She came to this country to coach and even though both she and Roman wanted to be U.S. citizens, they can’t even get a green card for work at this point.
They have been in Marysville since 2007. As I understand it, a technicality with their visas was discovered and their work permits were removed. They came here legally, but now are considered out of status. At one point, a few years ago, the family even feared they would be deported back to Russia. This has not happened and they are still very pleased to be here even though they do not have the right to get a job or pay taxes or have a driver’s license.
All that changed recently as Natalia’s daughter, Sasha, a junior in college, was finally able to get paperwork for her driver’s license through the Dream Act, which allows that for U.S. high school graduates who have been in the country since they were 16. Sasha is a 2010 graduate of Marysville High School.
She is herself a champion gymnast at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. Her journey to the U.S. began when she was seven years old and the family moved from the Soviet Union to New York State where her mother would coach gymnastics. They spoke almost no English and Sasha was in the second grade failing all subjects the first half of the year because she didn’t speak any English. English as a second language was available to her in school and she spent two periods a day there. Another little Russian girl in the fifth grade also helped her. Sasha remembers just pointing to things and shaking her head yes or no, hoping to learn the word in the English.
That same year she began gymnastics training with her mother, which has continued through all these years. She says at first she didn’t take it seriously. Sasha showed promise and her mother wanted her to go into the ranks of the elite. It was a path to the Olympics and meant special camps and training two times a day. That only allowed for home schooling done by her mother in their spare time. The intensity of the elite status grew to be too much for Sasha and she developed stomach ulcers. She had to make a change in the training and the intensity, so she gave up the rigorous workouts.
When Sasha was 14, the family moved to Marysville and she continued to train with her mom at Integrity Gymnastics in Plain City all through high school. Now gymnastics would hopefully just be her ticket to college. Sasha has earned many gymnastic titles including this year’s All Around title in Division II and her team, the University of Bridgeport, captured its fifth straight USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championship team title. (To watch Sasha in action go to www.gymnastike.org/coverage/248387...sasha tsikhanovich-9900). She’s very impressive!
The road to winning a title like this is not easy and has taken a toll on her back. She is in pain all the time, but like a true athlete, she plays through it. At school her practice is limited because of the pain in her back. Her team does not work out with weights so their training is all cardio. That involves a run to the beach, which is about one-half mile from the school and then pushups in the sand.
Unlike many female gymnasts, Sasha doesn’t worry about her weight now as she did in high school. Then she was obsessed about how she looked in a tiny leotard. But the excessive cardio workout helps maintain her weight. Besides a rigorous practice schedule, she teaches gymnastics near her college three days a week.
Sasha is studying business and looking ahead to a master’s degree in psychology, which she would like to use to help children in Connecticut, where she has seen a great need.
 After college, there will be no more gymnastics for her, but maybe some coaching. Her stepfather, Roman, said the family currently has an offer to move to Australia to coach. It’s not the change they want to make, but may be the only option since U.S. immigration doesn’t appear to want them. If that happens, Sasha will stay in the U.S. to finish college.
 You can read about the histoy of this family in the USSR by going to marysvillejt.com. Click on Off the Hook and then on archives. Go to 2008 and 2009 for those stories.
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5/24/13
What’s in the bag?
The weather is great and those of us who play golf and tennis are at it again. While at the tennis courts recently, I started to think about the extra things I bring with me besides my racket and tennis balls.
Several years ago that was all I took plus an occasional towel and water. Now as I look through my tennis bag I find that I have accumulated many things. There is sunscreen (really unheard of 30 years ago) and a small plastic bag for ice, necessary for the pain in my neck after playing. I guess that pain has also moved to a shoulder and sometimes knee. Of course I wear a small knee brace now just for one knee. I hope that doesn’t eventually expand to the other one. Also in my tennis bag is a sun visor.
When I saw all these things, I wondered what my friends were amassing. Lynn has tennis rules — wow, I don’t think I’ve ever read them. She explained that they’ve been there since the 1970s and her days in tournaments. She also has Band- Aids — a blister could appear on a toe or finger anytime. There is a needlepoint cover that contained paper for notes, bug repellent, wristbands for sweat removal and tennis balls.
My friend Gerrie, who is Dutch, has most of the same things plus a Dutch magazine from 1996, featuring the Dutch tennis player who’s last name is Von Lottum. He was doing well that year. You never know when you’ll need that magazine and she has had it handy in the bag for 17 years. Something else we should have is a tape measure to check the height of the tennis net that should be 36 inches (attention city workers).
My golf bag has much of thesame paraphernalia, but it seems in larger quantities. After all, tennis lasts about two hours and water and restrooms are close. So is the car in case you have to stash needed items there.
Golf is more remote. Everything must be taken along in the cart for what is sometimes a tough four hours. In extreme heat, a wet towel and ice are necessary. So is an extra golf glove to be changed if wet from sweat or from fishing your ball out of water. (Really, take your glove off first!)
There is a delicate balance in golf balls. You need lots of balls, depending on your skill level, but not too many to make your bag so heavy. You need snack food for the second nine, sunscreen, dental floss, nail files - I hate to have a broken nail take away much needed concentration. Advil also is necessary - more sore muscles! Some carry rain gear, but if it’s raining, I’m not playing! Basically, you can see that you actually have to pack for the golf adventure.
Just as I didn’t have the tennis rules in my bag, neither do I have those for golf. Guess most of the basics are just in my head. For golf however, there are so many rules that a player could spend 20 minutes looking at the book for the answer to a rule call.
All in all, I›m just glad to be able to show up for golf and tennis and haul all the stuff with me!
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Open the door and start the car
On March 15, I wrote about needing a new car key and how expensive it is at the dealership. (Read about it at marysvillejt. com - click on Off the Hook
and then on archives.) Even for a basic chip key that would only open the door, not start it, the cost is more than $100. I even asked in that article, “What happened to just going to the hardware store for a key?”
Now I have discovered that McAuliffe›s Ace Hardware offers a chip key for much less money that will both open the door and start the car. If you need an extra key for your car, consider this my public service message for the week!
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5/17/13
Acupuncture - it’s all about needles
For many years, I suffered with migraine headaches as did my father. They came into my life as a teenager and periodically threatened to ruin events by making me actually sick along with the headache pain. I took over-the-counter medicine and applied ice to my head. Sometimes it worked, but not always.
I had heard acupuncture could help, but didn’t know anyone who had tried it nor did I know where to find someone who administered it. Then a friend in Columbus told me about her experiences with a Chinese D.O. who was also an acupuncturist. Why not try it? Nothing else really prevented the throbbing pain accompanied by nausea.
My college degree in dental hygiene makes me a traditionally trained science person and I had no experience with alternative medicine. I guess I could call acupuncture traditional Chinese medicine, but I was skeptical. Again, what did I have to lose?
So I met Dr. Chen. His charges would not be covered by insurance. (That’s another big complaint I have about medical insurance). Since I needed help, I decided to dig deep into my pocket.
Dr. Chen grew up in Taiwan and started his acupuncture treatment to help his mother’s migraines. He assured me it worked on her. Since he’s been in the U. S. during the last 20 years, he has also earned a Ph.D. and a D.O. degree. Okay, now I know he’s smart, but can he help me?
 As the treatment began, he started sticking four-inch-long tiny gauge needles in my skin. Some were in my head, but many others went all over my body, including neck, arms and legs. This seemed so weird.
 Let me say right here I have had much experience with needles and am not afraid of them, thankfully. When the needle enters the skin, there is a small stick. Some are felt more than others, but nothing is too uncomfortable.
After the 20 or more needles were inserted, I was left alone in the dimly lit room for about 30 minutes with calming music playing. Of course this gave me time to not only relax, but also to solve all the problems of the world.
One treatment down, I expected immediate help, but he said it would take several visits. He was right about that! It was costing me $80 a visit. After nine weeks (nine visits) I had paid this doctor $720 and there was no change in my headaches. I began to think he was just taking my money and I would never get better.
It was my 10th visit and I said this to him: “ Dr. Chen, I am no better, what do you think here?” He said in his broken English, “You velee had to cure!” Then he began inserting needles again. One was in a particularly painful place, and I let him know it hurt. He didn’t respond to me, but just kept on sticking me. As usual he left the room and if I moved in the slightest way that particular needle really zinged. Later, even though I wasn’t moving, it really hurt. This was unusual. I called for help, but the door was closed, music was playing, and no one came.
Finally I couldn’t stand it. I reached up and removed the offending needle. Wow, what a relief. When he eventually returned to the room asking what I needed, I told him I took care of it myself. As usual the remaining needles were removed at the end of the time and we said goodbye. I thought, this is the last time for this.
As I sat down in the driver’s seat of my car I looked in the rear view mirror. There were three needles still sticking out of my head! That was the final straw! How could he have left those there? That’s it. I’m done with the hocus pocus. It was $800 down the drain.
Well, I was wrong. That was over three years ago. From that day forward I have not had another migraine headache. Thank you, Dr. Chen. I am a believer now.
Today acupuncture is available in Marysville at Acupuncture & More.
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Cannon Brothers return
Bill Hoopes (MHS class of ‘58) and brothers John Bumgarner (MHS class of ‘59) and David Bumgarner (MHS class of ‘56) coprise the group, the Cannon Brothers, and will be performing on Friday, May 31 at 7p.m. at the Christian Assembly Church, 1003 N. Maple St. in Marysville. In the 1960s, they toured the country singing folk music. Now they will feature all new songs to benefit The Wounded Warrior Project, dedicated to helping veterans recover from life-altering battle injuries. Enjoy great American music. Reservations are not necessary and admission is free.
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5/10/13
A twist on Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is Sunday, but its history goes back many years. Mother’s Day is centuries old and the earliest celebration of it can be traced back to the spring festivities in ancient Greece to honor Rhea, Mother of the Gods. During the 1600s, the early Christians in England celebrated a day to honor Mary, the Mother of Christ. By a religious order, the holiday was later expanded to include all mothers, and was named Mothering Sunday in England.
In the United States, Mother’s Day was first suggested by social activist Julia Ward Howe after the Civil War. Howe, who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, was horrified by the carnage of the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War, and so in 1870, she tried to issue a manifesto for peace. In Boston, she initiated a Mothers’ Peace Day, which would be the precursor to the modern Mother’s Day celebration.
The Mother’s Day International Association came into being on Dec. 12, 1912, to promote and encourage meaningful observances of the event. A presidential proclamation declared the second Sunday of May to be observed as Mother’s Day to honor all mothers. It continues to this day to be one of the most commercially successful U.S. occasions.
Of course as mothers we love to be taken out to eat and even to be given small gifts, but speaking as a mother who has celebrated many of these days, the most important thing is being with your family. Children provide lots of funny and poignant memories over the years. Our family usually brings these events up on that day.
Serving in the position as mother is certainly rewarding as you see your children grow up. But when you are in the midst of it most mothers are just plain tired! That may be where some of the following statements from mothers originated. Maybe you even heard some of these from your tired mother.
I owe my mother:
My mother taught me to appreciate a job well done - If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.
 My mother taught me religion - You better pray that will come out of the carpet.
 My mother taught me about time travel - If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week! (Of course you can get arrested for that now.)
My mother taught me logic -  Because I said so, that’s why.
My mother taught me more logic - If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the store with me.
My mother taught me irony - Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.
My mother taught me about the science of osmosis - Shut your mouth and eat your supper.
My mother taught me about contortionism - Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!
My mother taught me about stamina - You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.
 My mother taught me about hypocrisy - If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times. Don’t exaggerate!
My mother taught me the circle of life - I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.
My mother taught me about behavior modification - Stop acting like your father!
My mother taught me about envy - There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do.
My mother taught me about anticipation - Just wait until we get home.
My mother taught me about receiving - You are going to get it when you get home!
My mother taught me medical science - If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.
 My mother taught me ESP - Put  your sweater on; don’t you think I know when you are cold?
My mother taught me humor - When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.
My mother taught me how to become an adult - If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.
My mother taught me about my roots - Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?
And finally, my mother taught me about justice - One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!
Happy Mother’s Day to all!
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5/3/13
Kids say the darndest things
As Art Linkletter used to say, “Kids say the darndest things!” In fact he had a TV show by that name in the 1960s. Lately my friends have been reporting insightful and very funny statements from their grandchildren. They made me think and laugh, so I believe they will also do that for you. First there was Riley, age 6, around Easter time. She said, “So if it is 2013, then was it 2,013 years since Jesus was born or since he died?” She wasn’t sure when time count started and her grandparents had to think for a minute to tell her the answer.
 She is also the one, who sitting in church looking at a book and appearing not to be paying much attention to the gospel reading said, “Gouge your eye out! Cut off your arm! What?” The gospel that day was about if your eyes cause you to sin, or if your hands cause you to sin. Her grandmother, Kathy, said she doesn’t miss a thing even when you don’t think she is listening. She also said that Kathy’s two little nephews who died as infants we’re so lucky because heaven is such a happy place and they could have McDonald’s every day and not get sick. I think kids understand life better than a lot of adults.
 In that same theme, Cissy’s grandson, Sean, said when he saw a huge spider at the cottage in Michigan, “Nini, do not go near that spider. If you touch it and it bites you, you will go straight to Jesus!” She is still laughing.
 Lorry remembers traveling South with two young daughters many years ago when the flight attendant asked the person beside them what he wanted to drink and he replied “A screwdriver.” Then one of the girls asked, “Mommy, why does he need a screwdriver?” She thought something was wrong with the plane!
 Back to Easter conversations, my grandson Berkley (three years old) goes to Trinity preschool and they had apparently been talking about Jesus dying on the cross. He turned to me and said that God died. I said, “Oh no, God didn’t die,” not knowing what he was talking about. Then he said, “It’s OK though, He got to keep his skin.” That really made me think, and I realized he must be referring to Jesus.
 Finally, Berkley’s mother, Roberta, had purchased a new Easter outfit for him that included a pink checked shirt. When he saw it he said, “Oh, pink? Girls wear pink.” His mother replied that so do boys and it was a cool shirt. He seemed unconvinced.
 When his father, Kevin, came home Berkley went right over to him and said, “Dad, what colors do girls wear?” His father had no idea what this was about and replied, “I guess pink and purple.”
Berkley looked at him and said, “That’s what I thought,” and walked away.
 I thought this was a sign that there might be a problem on Easter morning, but when they arrived at church there was the pink shirt on Berkley. I made sure to tell him how nice it looked and complimented him on his new navy, suede boat shoes. He replied, “Grammy, you know you don’t wear socks with these.” Berkley is on his way to being a fashionable guy!
 Then another grandmother told this story: “I was out walking with my grandson. He picked up something on the ground and started to put it in his mouth. I took the item away from him and asked him not to do that. ‘Why?’ my grandson asked. I told him because it’s been on the ground. You don’t know where it’s been. It’s dirty and probably has germs, and sometimes germs make little boys sick. At this point, my grandson looked at me with total admiration and asked, ‘Grandma, how do you know all this stuff? You are so smart.’ I was thinking quickly and said to him, all grandmas know stuff. It’s on the grandma test. You have to know it, or they don’t let you be a grandma. We walked along in silence for two or three minutes, but he was evidently pondering this new information. ‘Oh, I get it,’ he beamed. ‘So if you don’t pass the test you have to be the grandpa.’ Exactly, I replied with a big smile on my face.”
Thanks to that grandma for enlightenment!
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4/26/13
Random act of ...
 Something very unusual happened a few days ago. It was surely a random act of kindness on top of some other crazy intervention.
 I received a 20 percent-off coupon from a drug store and planned to redeem it. It sat on a table, ignored, for a few days until I realized it was about to expire. I quickly hurried off to the store, coupon and list in hand.
 After gathering several items, I approached the checkout and looked for the coupon. It was nowhere — not in my pocket or purse. I retraced my steps in the store. There was no coupon on the floor anywhere. I set the items down and went back to my car — no coupon. How crazy. I just had it, I know.
 Since I had no coupon (they weren’t taking my word for it at the checkout, I’m sure. Oh, excuse me, I had a coupon but can’t find it now?), I went home thinking how dumb! I find these days, I often have to double-check myself.
 Feeling completely stupid, I arrived home, got out of the car and after taking several steps, the missing coupon fell to the ground. Where did that come from? I had already looked everywhere. It was as if it dropped out of the sky. Did it?
 Since it reappeared, I took this as a sign of something. It was the last day to use it, so I reluctantly got back in the car and went to the drugstore again. Up and down the aisles I gathered my same items, anything to save 20 percent of the total purchase!
 Before I approached the checkout I located the now valuable and elusive coupon stashed safely in the side pocket of my purse. That wasn’t going to happen to me again.
 Then there was a line at the checkout. I am very impatient and dislike having to wait to pay. A lady in front of me had finally finished her long transaction and was given $4 on a future purchase. She immediately turned to me and said, “Here, this is for you.”
 How nice! I was surprised and appreciative, amazingly, no longer feeling impatient.
 The clerk quickly said to the woman, “ Its only for you, she can’t use it.  It’s connected to your store card.” The customer replied (in her Cape Cod accent) that we were on a card together, so I could use it. Of course, I’d never met her before.
 Her random act of kindness added extra steps for the clerk as she somehow made the $4 coupon work for me. I left the store with a purchase of some pricey drugstore items we always use, minus $4 and then 20 percent. On the way to the car I was almost stunned with the events that occurred in the last hour. The coupon that appeared out of nowhere and the extra $4 coupon at the checkout. That wouldn’t have been available if I had the coupon the first time. How strange it all was!
 As we do random acts of kindness for each other, we don’t look for repayment, but now I think maybe that happens sometimes.
 Oh yes, as I opened the newspaper the next day, there was another offer for 20 percent off.
Where was that coupon hiding anyway?
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4/19/13
DWTS Kellie - balloon fest
 I have long been a fan of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) on ABC television and the current season has just begun. At first I wasn’t too excited about the cast as the list was being announced and then when Kellie Pickler’s name showed up, everything changed for me.
 I have watched Kellie perform since she was on American Idol many seasons ago. She has a sweet charm and a great voice. All this is on top of the fact that Kellie was signed several months ago to perform in the first concert ever held at the All Ohio Balloon Fest in Marysville in August.
 The concert will be at the Union County Airport on Thursday night followed on Friday and Saturday with the usual balloon festivities including music and hot air balloons. Just the fact that the balloon fest is adding this concert to the scheduled events was very exciting, but it is even better now that we have Kellie Pickler, not only a good singer, but also one who has so much presence on Dancing With The Stars.
 Of course, I’m hoping she does well on DWTS. She’s off to a very good start. I hope you’ll follow her too and also join us for this event on Thursday, Aug. 15.
___
Where are they now
 Dr. Robert Harriman graduated from Marysville High School in the class of 1965. He is the Son of Margena Howard and the late James Harriman.
 Bob has served as senior vice president and administrator of Gulf Breeze Hospital & Andrews Institute. He has worked for 22 years for Baptist Health Care. It is located in the Florida panhandle near Pensacola.
 Bob was the first CT Technologist in Pensacola. At that time it was called an EMI scanner. He was also the first VP of outpatient services and the first VP of quality and patient safety at Baptist Hospital. His last eight years have been spent as Gulf Breeze Hospital administrator and as a senior vice president for Baptist Health Care.
 His mother, Margena Harriman Shaw Howard, now lives in central Florida in Haines City, where she has been for 10 years. Her daughters, Linda Harriman Raymond and Scheila Cooper Green, live there permanently with their spouses. Margena adds that the weather is always sunny and beautiful! This is just another reminder that living in Ohio isn’t always that lovely.
___
Skill in editing is dying
 Lately I have been obsessed with the way we speak and write our language. In fact, I have had my own problems with writing my column. You see, I use voice recognition because I’m not a good typist. The problem comes with a word like here, which comes out hear. That error recently happened in my Favorite Fare column. Several people look at the column before it appears in the newspaper, but no one caught the misspelling, which came from the voice recognition system. Those are simple mistakes, but some of the following are examples of much larger ones:
 There are so many crazy things about English. I recently came across these wacky newspaper headlines that I now share with you. Wasn’t anybody reading proof on this stuff?
-Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
-Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says (Really? Ya think?)
-Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers (Now that’s taking things a bit far!)
-Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over (What can I say?)
-Miners Refuse to Work after Death (No-good-for-nothing lazy so-and-so’s!)
-Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant (See if that works any better than a fair trial!)
-War Dims Hope for Peace (I can see where it might have that effect!)
-If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile (Ya think?)
-Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures (Who would have thought?)
-Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide (They may be on to something!)
-Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges (You mean there’s something stronger than duct tape?)
-Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft (Hmm)
-Kids Make Nutritious Snacks (Do they taste like chicken?)
-Hospitals Are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors (Wow, are they tall!)
-(My personal favorite) Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead (Did I read that right?)
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4/12/13
She was 91
 I met her last summer just after she jumped out of a plane from about 10,000 feet in the air. Allie Diehl died last week. She was 91. When I asked the Marysville resident why she did the jump at the All Ohio Balloon Fest she said, it was money well spent and the thrill of her life.
 Allie was born in 1921 and grew up in Bellefontaine. She graduated from Bellefontaine High School in 1939. Later, she married, moved to Toledo and owned her own beauty shop there for many years. She and her husband, also deceased, had two sons who are grown, one living nearby and another in the state of New York.
 My first question to her was, “You are 90 years old - did you tell your sons you were going to jump?” She replied that she told the one in New York because he wouldn’t worry and didn’t tell the one close by in Hilliard because he would worry. The only question from the son she told was, “Are you sure you want to do this mom?” She answered: “I’m 90 and I never thought I’d be here this long. I don’t worry about me and don’t want you to either.”
 At 10,000 feet, she said it was  cold. Her partner/skydiver kept saying, “You’re doing great, you’re doing great.” Then the parachute opened with a small jerk. It was just about like being on a swing and she was not afraid. She looked around on her way down to pick out points of interest and enjoyed the nearly 10-minute trip to earth. Allie’s attitude was that she could have already been gone by then and she doesn’t worry about her death or about other people and she doesn’t want them to worry about her. She made it clear that she made her own decisions and thought she actually shocked the flight crew because she did so well.
 After I talked with her, I could see, she was an in-charge lady and I understand why she arrived in one piece. There was much more to the life of Allie Diehl, including the fact that she drove the hot yellow stick-shift car that police stopped three times. She said they believed there was a teenager inside. They always let her go. Allie’s life was so interesting, so here are more of her adventures.
 She was a member of the Baha’i faith since 1948. There are no clergy and the individual churches are run by a spiritual assembly made up of an elected group from each congregation. U.S. headquarters is in Chicago and the international one in Israel. The religion promotes volunteerism and expects its members to go out as missionaries (they call them pioneers) serving others. Allie volunteered to go to Fiji in 1999 and did not return to the U.S. until 2005. There, she served her church for no pay, but quickly noted she could live there very cheaply and was able to save some money leftover from Social Security.
 When her time was up in 2004, she decided to tour as much of the world as she could on her way back and that’s when she landed in India. Her first jump was done there from a 1,000-foot cliff with a parachute. She was in her eighties.
 The trip to foreign lands was not her first. Several years before, in the 1990s, she was living with her son Roy in New York State. He was single and looking for a wife. He met a young lady from China, who convinced him to marry, sight unseen, a young woman in her homeland. This was an arranged marriage and he did not meet the girl until one week before the wedding.
 This gets better. The young lady, who was to be his wife, was the daughter of a general in the army of Mao Tse Tung, ruler in China. The girl could not marry unless Allie came with her son to show good faith, because the general said he knew that some girls were being sold into white slavery back in the U.S. So Allie and her son went to China, and after a week, the young couple was married and ready to go back to the U.S. But the American consulate would not grant a visa. Allie’s son had to go back to the U.S. to his job (he's an attorney) so Allie was left to try and handle the situation. When the Chinese wouldn’t let her leave, she felt like a hostage.
 While there, she got very sick with hives and finally convinced them to let her leave. Roy’s young bride followed months later.
 Allie finally came to Marysville to live in 1999, planning to move in with a girlfriend. That didn’t work out so she bought a house on West Eighth Street. Even after a home inspection, when she took possession, there were quite a few things wrong, which took all of her savings to fix. She was in her eighties and needed a job. She went to work for Interim Health Care, helping older people in their homes with anything they needed such as cleaning, cooking or bathing. She considered it a privilege to be in their home helping. She said that the first thing she asked when she walked in the door was, “What do you need me to do today?” She put in 30-40 hours a week.
 Allie concluded with, “After all, my parents sold bread during the Depression when they needed money and even though I’m 90, I’m healthy and able to work.”
 There is no doubt that many are missing her now. An open house memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, May 11 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Marysville YMCA.
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4/5/13
The iPad mini
The story began when I was given a gift of money for Christmas to purchase an iPad Mini. It seemed like something that I was going to enjoy, maybe. I was in Florida at the time and the Apple Store was just two miles away (unlike here where it’s 30 miles away). So I entered with my money ready to buy this thing.
I got a quick introduction from a girl working there who surprised me because she knew so much more about this iPad than I did. But after all, it was her job. Among her other talents, she had a pierced nose, lip and tongue - so much to look at while she was talking!
Once she was done with her explanation I told her which model I would like to purchase. She picked up her cell phone, on which they do all their business in that store, and quickly noted they didn’t have any. I asked when I could get one. She said,” I don’t know, they fly out quickly.” I then asked to be put on the list. I told her that I just lived two miles away and could be there to purchase it right away. She said, “No, we don’t do that.” Nothing I said changed her mind, so I left the store pretty unhappy.
I knew I had to purchase it through Apple because I needed some free instruction with it. It turned out I needed a lot of that.
I decided maybe she didn’t have the last word on this so I entered the store again another day and spoke with another clerk. I got the same answer. I left unhappy again.
I finally decided to order this contraption on the Internet since there was free shipping and I could still get instruction help at the store.The shipment was followed on the Internet by me. It started near Shanghai, China then went to Alaska then to Louisville, Ky. and finally to Fort Myers and shipped down to Naples, where I was. That trip took only five days. I think sometimes it takes that long to send a letter to Cncinnati!
Now I had my iPad and was ready to go. I was so excited. I went to the store to get instruction at the Genius Bar. I needed this because I’m still a BlackBerry user and knew nothing about the world of Apple. I did not know how to do anything on this new machine that I waited so long for.
When I entered the store at my appointment time I was assigned to a young lady to help me set up my iPad. She showed me the basics and then started working on my email connection. After 15 or 20 minutes she was unable to get it working and I went home without that. My time was up. Then I made another appointment and was back to the store for more free help. I was determined this was not going to ruin my day and I was going to get this email set up. More problems ensued.
The second young lady who was helping me was also unable to set up the email. And in the middle of our operation she said, “Excuse me, I have to go on my 15 minute break now.” I said,” What?” She said, “ I’ll try to get someone else to help you with this.” How could she leave in the middle of an appointment?
When she asked for other help, that person said, “This lady had her 15 minutes of time, she’ll have to come back another day.” I left unhappy again. I was pretty sure at that point I was going to send this contraption back. I did have one month to do that. Who needs all this stress?
The settings still weren’t right to use the email and I finally contacted my son, Kevin, back in Marysville who has an iPad. We have the same email server.  What did he use for settings? He quickly straightened it out and I was good to go. Now, I think at this point, I’ll keep the machine.
My next trip to the Genius Bar of free instruction at the Apple store, (I am at this point calling it the ungenius bar) involved a very nice young man. I thought he was dealing with people so well as I watched him and hoped he would be my latest instructor. It turns out as he finished with a person, he called out my name, Melanie, and I raised my hand. He came over and helped me with my three minor questions this time. He showed me how to get different apps and all the different uses for my iPad.
He had a great way of instruction, but then he started to laugh. I wondered what this can be now? From his earpiece he was getting the message - you have the wrong Melanie, there’s another one who has been waiting longer.
I laughed. I couldn’t believe it. I am practically a regular in this store by now and I finally got a break!
After several months of use I am finally able to even write a column on this iPad. It may at some point completely replace my computer. I’m still not sure about that. When I first got the iPad everyone who had one said, “Do you love it?”I said,” Not yet, it’s so frustrating.”
Now I have to say, I guess I do love it.
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3/29/13
Here comes Easter
Easter Sunday is almost here and for those of us who are Christians it is the center of our belief that Jesus died for us and lived again, and so will we. Obviously, this is the most important part of Easter, but as with Christmas, other traditions have been tacked on and are celebrated differently around the world. Some of them are what you might expect and others are so totally weird.
The Easter bunny is part of pre-Christian fertility lore. The rabbit was the most fertile animal known and served as a symbol of new life during the spring season. Thus the Easter Bunny probably began in Germany around 1500. The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s of pastry and sugar. What better concoction could you have?
The Easter bunny came to American folklore via the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. The arrival of the “Oschter Haws” was considered “childhood’s greatest pleasure” next to a visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve.
Children believed that if they were good the “Oschter Haws” would lay a nest of colored eggs. Children would build a nest in a secluded place in the home, barn or garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests. The use of elaborate Easter baskets came later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread throughout the country.
During Easter, children of Finland go begging in the streets with sooty faces and scarves around their heads, carrying broomsticks, coffee pots and bunches of willow twigs. In some parts of Western Finland, people burn bonfires on Easter Sunday, a Nordic tradition stemming from the belief that the flames ward off witches who fly around on brooms between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. That’s really a pagan influence.
Pouring water on one another is a Polish Easter tradition called Smingus-Dyngus. On Easter Monday, boys try to drench other people with buckets of water, squirt guns or anything they can get their hands on. Legend says girls who get soaked will marry within the year. The tradition has its origins in the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko on Easter Monday in 966 AD.
In southern France on Easter Monday each year a giant omelet is served in the town’s main square. The omelet uses more than 4,500 eggs and feeds up to 1,000 people. The story goes, when Napoleon and his army were traveling through the south of France, they stopped in a small town and ate omelets. Napoleon liked his so much that he ordered the townspeople to gather their eggs and make a giant omelet for his army the next day. I guess the connection to Easter would just be the eggs.
 On the morning of Holy Saturday, the traditional “Pot Throwing” takes place on the Greek island of Corfu. People throw pots, pans and other earthenware out of their windows, smashing them on the street. Some say the custom derives from the Venetians, who on New Year’s Day used to throw out all of their old items. Others believe the throwing of the pots welcomes spring, symbolizing new crops that will be gathered in the new pots.
On Good Friday, the Pope commemorates the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) at the Colosseum in Rome. A huge cross with burning torches illuminates the sky as the 14 Stations of the Cross are described in several languages. Mass is celebrated on the evening of Holy Saturday, and on Easter Sunday, thousands of visitors congregate in St. Peter’s Square to await the Pope’s blessing from the church’s balcony, known as “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City and to the World). This year there will a new man celebrating Easter for the first time as Pope.
In some Eastern European countries there’s an Easter Monday tradition in which men spank women with handmade whips made of willow and decorated with ribbons. According to legend, the willow is the first tree to bloom in the spring, so the branches are supposed to transfer the tree’s vitality and fertility to the women. This spanking is all in good fun and reportedly, isn’t meant to cause pain. Maybe we should ask the spankee.
On Holy Thursday in the Medieval town of Verges, Spain, the traditional “dansa de la mort” or death dance is performed. To reenact scenes from The Passion, everyone dresses in skeleton costumes and parades through the streets. The procession ends with frightening skeletons carrying boxes of ashes. The strange dance begins at midnight and continues for three hours into the early morning.
“Sprinkling,” a popular Hungarian Easter tradition, is observed on Easter Monday, which is also known as “Ducking Monday.” Boys playfully sprinkle perfume or perfumed water on girls. Young men used to pour buckets of water over young women’s heads, but now they spray perfume, cologne or just plain water, and ask for a kiss. People used to believe that water had a cleaning, healing and fertility-inducing effect.
Back in the U.S., for 130 years the White House has hosted the Easter Egg Roll on its South Lawn. The main activity involves rolling a colored hard-boiled egg with a large serving spoon, but now the event includes many more amusements, like musical groups, an egg hunt, sports and crafts.
So, amidst all this celebration and some craziness is the real reason for Easter. That is the gift of everlasting life, which costs us nothing. As has been said, “Jesus paid your bill a long, long time ago.”
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3/22/13
Words are everything
I have now been writing this column for about 14 years. That means I've written hundreds of columns using tens of thousands of words. Words are our everyday bread and butter in a newspaper. Sometimes I wonder how we get as much written correctly as we do, since we have to produce a product - expected to be perfect - six days a week.
Sometimes the news reporters are under tremendous pressure to get the breaking news written before the
deadline. We try hard to get it right.
Some of my friends have recently shared with me different uses of our language and I found them interesting. For instance, there are puns, which are considered a play on words and usually funny.
Here are some interesting ways to use words:
The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
She was only a whiskymaker, but he loved her still.
A rubber band pistol was confiscated from an algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in linoleum blown apart.
Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
(And finally), there was the person who sent ten puns to friends with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
You get the idea? I hope some of these made you laugh.
Then we deal with words that are spelled the same but mean different things. Here are a few classic examples:
The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
He could lead if he would get the lead out.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
They were too close to the door to close it.
I wonder how anyone ever really does learn our language?
I've heard it said it's one of the most difficult languages in the world, so I guess that it's understandable when we, too, get it wrong sometimes.
Finally I present my case for the really screwed up words. If, occasionally we do make a mistake here by misspelling a word or misplacement, you'll see that it really doesn't matter because your brain can help
you read anything that's close to the actual words.
Consider this:
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17 B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N.
So I hope you were able to read this paragraph and if so you will realize it doesn't really matter if we get it right here because your brain will help you compensate.
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3/15/13
The lost key
To begin this story, I want to emphasize that I never lose anything. Well I must qualify that. There have been a few things misplaced like my prescription sunglasses a few years ago. I found them, though. Maybe St. Anthony was responsible for that. More about that later.
Then there is the occasional item of clothing that I usually find after a trip to the dry cleaners.
All that said, I am writing this column as I wait at the car dealership for my new key.
It all began about a week ago when I noticed I couldn’t find my usual set of car keys — the one with everything on it including house key, condo key and a multitude of little store cards from places where I shop. These often provide some sort of discount.
I am in Florida and now I was concerned about having only one set of keys while out of town. My husband and I had begun a total search of the condo. The keys were nowhere.
I even asked St. Anthony for help. Now I am Lutheran and we don’t usually do that, but he may have had a hand in finding my sunglasses a few years ago, as directed by my Catholic friends who told me to pray to him for help. It worked, I think, and now those same friends suggested I try him again for the keys. No luck. Just yesterday one of those same friends showed me her husband’s mangled gold wedding ring retrieved from the golf course grass after being lost. He had asked for help from St. Anthony.
Now to continue with our present problem. My husband left with the car for what was supposed to be a short errand. I was certainly not worried about him losing the second set of keys. He’s never done that (I think).
Well he didn’t lose them, but something nearly as bad. He locked them in the car about 10 miles from our home and called me for help. Since I didn’t have the second set of keys, I told him to call AAA since we have belonged for many years, but fortunately rarely use. They arrived in about 45 minutes and he told me they stick a small apparatus between the front and back windows, blow it up creating a space between the two and then reach in with another small device to hit the unlock button.
After all this, the second key now became imperative. There was no time to waste. We couldn’t risk another event like the last one. So, since I lost the first set, (which I will no doubt find later on), I went to the dealership to buy a new key.
That turned out to be very expensive. They saw me coming and looking very desperate.
The news was, they could make a cheaper key to unlock the car, but it wouldn’t start it. What would I do with that key? I deemed it useless! Whatever happened to the ones you could just copy at the hardware store?
The other option and the pricey one was they could program a new key like mine, to open the car and trunk and operate the vehicle. The price made me blink, but then I knew we had to go that route. In more than an hour we were proud owners of two fully operational car keys!
It has been an expensive lesson so while I sat there waiting for the key to be made, I had time to write another weekly column. Take this as a warning — guard your keys!
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3/8/13
Living a dream
 He’s just a freshman in college like many other students, but he’s at his dream school, The Ohio State University. There on an athletic scholarship, he’s representing his school as a gymnast. Alex Johnson (MHS class of 2012) is living his dream. He told me that the other day, when I asked him if he was happy at Ohio State.
 Alex started training as a gymnast when he was just four years old and had his eyes on being a Buckeye for many years. His is an especially tough sport which demands superb conditioning.
 I saw part of his performance against Michigan recently as he swung through the air on the high bar. He also competed on the rings. To me, it looked like Olympic-class ability and I was impressed with the skill level he has worked so hard to achieve.
 In December, Alex dislocated his finger and fractured his hand in two places. Now he is just recovering from this injury. Of course, hands are everything in gymnastics. The meet against Michigan was his first time to represent the Buckeyes. That day he just looked around and said, “Wow I’m here.” The following week Alex competed against Illinois in rings, parallel bars and high bar, and took first in high bar! He was also named OSU gymnast of the week.
 Not only is Alex expected to keep his grades at a 3.0, but also he has a rigorous practice schedule. Two to three days a week he goes to work out at 5 a.m. where he does at least two hours of conditioning. He returns to eat breakfast at 8 a.m. Then he’s off to class until 12:30 p.m., eats lunch and goes to practice from about 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. During that time, he has rehabilitation for his injury, then practices his routines and ends with conditioning. He eats again, then goes to study tables two hours a night. Eight hours a week is required attendance there. His major is health science.
 Now about the eating. I asked Alex if he has to watch his weight (I have heard female gymnasts have trouble with that). His answer was somewhat sad to all of us who do. He actually has to eat five to six times a day just to maintain his weight. What a problem!
 Alex can’t say enough good things about the OSU coaching staff of three. He says they are probably the best in the country and very experienced. He describes them as awesome. The gymnastic Buckeyes are currently number five in the country! His last home meet is tomorrow against the University of Illinois-Chicago.
 He’s worked hard to achieve his place on this team of 23, who he says are becoming a family to him, too.
You can catch the gymnasts at work on the Big 10 network. Go Bucks!
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3/1/13
A generous gift of life
 The last year has been a tough one for Don Van Zant, but the outcome has been fantastic. Don lives in North Lewisburg and owns Cardinal Pizza, where his staff has been totally behind him during the ordeal of his liver transplant.
 A little over two years ago, Don began having liver problems and contacted his doctor whose office is in the Dayton area. After that he was being monitored every three months, and in July of 2012 major changes were noted which indicated he was going to need a liver transplant. He was placed on the transplant list, and as his condition deteriorated into early cancer Don was moved to number two.
 Then the waiting began for the trip to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for the liver transplant. Every time the phone rang the family was anxious, always hoping it would be the hospital calling with good news for him. He was only on the list a total of six weeks when finally a phone call came in the middle of the night on Oct. 10, 2012. It was 3:28 in the morning, but Don and his wife, Julie, didn’t mind because they would be heading to Cincinnati. By just a little after noon that day Don was in surgery. This was also a tense time since the medical team had said that if his cancer had progressed outside the liver they would just close him up and proceed in another way. After the first hour passed, his family knew it was a “go.”
 His transplant was a direct one from the donor, which is considered the best way to do it because the organ doesn’t have to be transported from one facility to another. His wife, Julie, said the transplanted liver began to work immediately.
 At about 5:30 that evening the surgeon was meeting with the family telling them how well everything went and by the following morning Don was awake and in virtually no pain. In fact, the surgical team would later refer to Don’s surgery and recovery as a textbook perfect case. It couldn’t have gone any better. Five days later he was back in his home, taking his dose of about 38 pills a day to prevent rejection, and taking it easy.
 Don had been anxious for this transplant surgery, but also very well aware of how uncomfortable a surgical procedure can be. About 20 years ago he had open-heart surgery and he would say it was a pretty good experience, but with much more pain. Don also is a diabetic and takes several insulin shots every day. You can see he has experienced a lot of major medical problems but is so grateful this last one has gone well.
 Now it’s nearly four months later and he’s doing really well. Occasionally he stops in to see how things are going at Cardinal Pizza. Don is unbelievably grateful to his employees, many of whom are high school students. His manager, Rissa Collier, has worked for him since she was 15 years old. In fact, he recently took the staff to Mad River Mountain for snow tubing. Don did it too.
 Now recovered from this major surgery, he has to deal with the financial end of it. The transplant itself cost nearly $200,000 and he expects the total to be more like $225,000 including his medicine. Most of this is covered by his insurance. As a small business owner he and his wife have to pay $4,500 a month for their medical insurance and each of them has an annual deductible of $5,000. You can see expenses probably will amount to more than $60,000 a year, a situation which will be alleviated when they’re finally eligible for Medicare in about another year. Right now they need to sell a lot of pizza!
 Don had the opportunity to contact his donor’s family through a letter of thanks and hopes to get a reply. He only knows that the donor was 26 years old and an outdoorsman like him.
 The recovery and financial end are one thing, but he is so grateful for everything that has been done for him. He needs to stay well (since his immunity has been compromised a bit by the drugs) by staying away from sick people and salad bars, and by being the first through the line at a potluck dinner.
 The anti-rejection drugs cause some significant side effects, which should calm down as he is able to take less and less as time goes on.
 Not only did Don want to stay on this earth a while longer to be with his wife Julie, but he’s a grandfather and wants to see his young grandchildren get older. He’s sure the prayers of so many are why he’s here.
 Don says, “Sunshine or rain, no matter, every day is a beautiful day!”
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2/22/13
Home from Ecuador
Lori Black is a 2003 graduate of Marysville High School and has completed her time as a teacher in the Peace Corps in Ecuador. She lived in Riobamba where she taught English as a second language to teachers in a high school. Lori is fluent in Spanish. She concentrated on anything from idioms, conversation, songs, or innovative activities that the teachers were not accustomed to using in their English classes. I have followed her experiences in this column and now we have a final report from her on Ecuador.
Lori remembers some outstanding differences in our way of life compared to that in Ecuador:
“I took cold showers when I was on the coast in hotels because they don’t have hot water and tried to shave my legs. Most places don’t have hot water. The places that do generally have an electric hot water heater as a showerhead, which heats water on the spot. If you touch them, they shock you.”
She said she had to throw toilet paper in the trashcan because the water pipes and septic system aren’t strong enough to handle it. Now that she’s home in Marysville she has to make a constant effort to remember not to do that.
Lori noted procedures in the food market. “In the morning in the meat market, there would be whole animals hung from hooks, but as the day went on, people would buy parts of the animal. They just cut it off and give it to you. By the afternoon, when I would usually go to do my shopping, animals had been cut to pieces, reduced to a spine, a leg or two, maybe the head (usually without ears), and sometimes the insides were hanging out if they hadn’t been bought already. It smelled terrible because it was out in the sun all day.”
That brings me to a discussion of Lori’s health while in Ecuador. She said, “I had a bacterial infection that put me in the hospital with Giardia three times, and I can’t count how many times I had parasites and amoebas. Also, whenever you travel from the jungle or coast to the mountains and vice versa, your stomach shrinks or expands because of the change in altitude, which in turn causes cramping and other serious digestive issues.”
Now for how she might have ingested those parasites she said, “For food, I ate guinea pig, a lot of strange seafoods, red bananas and ants.” That was just the unusual food. But she learned to enjoy it.
Lori continued, “As a volunteer, you sometimes have to travel a lot — to the capital or to the nearest big city, to help friends with a project, for festivals or cultural events, work trips, to visit friends, and to take vacations. I also learned to sit on a bus for 10 or more hours without complaining.”
“I learned how to describe how tall people are with my hand to the side, rather than flat. Think about what you do with your hand when you say how tall someone is. Now, turn your hand vertically. A horizontal hand is for how tall animals are, therefore offensive to Ecuadorians. A vertical hand is for humans.”
Finally, Lori said, “I learned the following: Eat everything with a spoon, including steak. Always have toilet paper in your purse or pockets. Have a normal, face to face conversation with a woman who is breast feeding in front of me, on the street or in the store. Live on $363 per month. Accept giant cockroaches and lizards as roommates while visiting the coast. Allow strangers to touch my “golden” hair. Enjoy funerals in which the coffin was carried through the streets to the cemetery, followed by a live band, and friends and family mourning the dead. Forget about personal space and become very close (literally) to people on buses, truck taxis, in the streets, or in supermarkets. Treat cows, sheep, and goats as pedestrians. Accept stomach issues as a regular part of life. Point at things with my mouth, rather than my finger (it’s extremely rude to point).”
“It took me a while to learn all of these things and it is taking me even longer to unlearn them. I am still thinking in Spanish, and at times, I’ve even had dreams in Spanish since I’ve been home. I still have to make a conscious effort to throw my toilet paper in the toilet and to eat with a fork. I have become overwhelmed by how many choices we have and how diverse our country truly is. It is strange being home.”
“I truly miss Riobamba, my friends, and those who became my family in Ecuador. When all is said and done, I would do it all over again. I hope to one day return and visit the country again.”
But now there are new plans for Lori: “I will stay in Marysville until the end of March when I will return to South Korea to teach English in the public school system for one more year. After that, I am going to graduate school to study Teachers of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and Spanish Education.”
“While I’m here I’m enjoying all of the luxuries of being in the USA — hot showers, cold drinks, a car, and all the American food my stomach can handle. I’m also sharing my Peace Corps and international experiences with people and in the high school here in Marysville.
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2/15/13
The two-dollar bill
 Recently a friend sent this story to me about a person trying to use a $2 bill. It brought back a vivid memory of my father many years ago. Read the story and then I’ll explain what happened at my house when I was a young girl.
 The customer is telling this story: “On my way home from work, I stopped at a fast food restaurant for a quick bite to eat. I have a $50 bill and a $2 bill. I figure with the $2 bill, I can get something to eat and not have to worry about irritating anyone for trying to break a $50 bill.
 Customer: Hi, I’d like one seven-layer burrito please, to go.
 Server: That’ll be $1.04. Eat in?
 Customer, No, it’s to go. (At this point, I open my billfold and hand him the $2 bill. He looks at it kind of funny.)
 Server: Uh, hang on a sec, I’ll be right back. (He goes to talk to his manager, who is still within my earshot. The following conversation occurs between the two of them.)
 Server: Hey, you ever see a $2 bill?
 Manager: No. A what?
 Server: A $2 bill. This guy just gave it to me.
 Manager: Ask for something else. There’s no such thing as a $2 bill.
 Server: Yeah, thought so.
 (He comes back to me.)
 Server: We don’t take these. Do you have anything else?
 Customer: Just this fifty. You don’t take $2 bills? Why?
 Server: I don’t know.
 Customer: See here where it says legal tender?
 Server: Yeah.
 Customer: So, why won’t you take it?
 Server: Well, hang on a sec.
 (He goes back to his manager, who has been watching me like I’m a shoplifter and a conversation between them ensues.)
 Server: He says I have to take it.
 Manager: Doesn’t he have anything else?
 Server: Yeah, a fifty. I’ll get it and you can open the safe and get change.
 Manager: I’m not opening the safe with him in here.
 Server: What should I do?
 Manager: Tell him to come back later when he has real money.
 Server: I can’t tell him that! You tell him.
 Manager: Just tell him.
 Server: No way! This is weird. I’m going in back.
 (The manager approaches me.)
 Manager: I’m sorry, but we don’t take big bills this time of night.
 Customer: It’s only seven o’clock! Well then, here’s a two-dollar bill.
 Manager: We don’t take those, either.
 Customer: Why not?
 Manager: I think you know why.
 Customer: No really, tell me why.
 Manager: Please leave before I call mall security.
 Customer: Excuse me?
 Manager: Please leave before I call mall security.
 Customer: What on earth for?
 Manager: Please, sir.
 Customer: Uh, go ahead, call them.
 Manager: Would you please just leave?
 Customer: No.
 Manager: Fine. Have it your way then.
 (At this point, the manager backs away from me and calls mall security on the phone around the corner. I have two people staring at me from the dining area and I begin laughing out loud, just for effect. A few minutes later this 45-year-oldish guy comes in.)
 Guard: Yeah, Mike, what’s up?
 Manager: (whispering) This guy is trying to give me some (pause) funny money.
 Guard: No kidding! What?
 Manager: Get this, a two-dollar bill.
 Guard: (incredulous) Why would a guy fake a two-dollar bill?
 Manager: I don’t know. He’s kinda weird. He says the only other thing he has is a fifty.
 Guard: Oh, so the fifty’s fake?
 Manager: No, the two-dollar bill is.
 Guard: Why would he fake a two-dollar bill?
 Manager: I don’t know! Can you talk to him, and get him out of here?
 Guard: Yeah.
 (Security guard walks over to me.)
 Guard: Mike here tells me you have some fake bills you’re trying to use.
 Customer: Uh, no.
 Guard: Lemme see ‘em.
 Customer: Why?
 Guard: Do you want me to get the cops in here?
 Customer: (At this point I’m ready to say, ‘Sure, please!’ but I want to eat.) I’m just trying to buy a burrito and pay for it with this two-dollar bill. (I put the bill up near his face, and he flinches like I’m taking a swing at him. He takes the bill, turns it over a few times in his hands.)
 Guard: Hey, Mike, what’s wrong with this bill?
 Manager: It’s fake.
 Guard: It doesn’t look fake to me.
 Manager: But it’s a two-dollar bill.
 Guard: Yeah?
 Manager: Well, there’s no such thing, is there?
 The security guard and I both look at him like he’s an idiot and it dawns on the guy that he has no clue and is an idiot. So, it turns out that my burrito was free, and he threw in a small drink and some of those cinnamon thingies, too. Made me want to get a whole stack of two dollar bills just to see what happens when I try to buy stuff.”
 The story, as I said earlier, rings close to home for me as I remember my father and his two-dollar bills at Christmas time.
One year he decided to get a stack of them from the bank and have them put in a pad, you know the kind of thing you can tear off like a pad of paper. Then when the newspaper boys came to our house to collect and get their Christmas gifts (there were three paperboys at that time, one morning paper and two evening papers in Columbus), my father would tear off several two-dollar bills for each one. Remember, this was in the 1960s and they were worth a lot more then.
 The paperboys would look at the bills and look at my father and wonder, were they real? How could he just be tearing off pieces of paper to give them a Christmas bonus? My dad would just say, “I just made them today.” Of course the money was good and the kids could spend it. My dad would shut the door with such a chuckle. He loved a good, funny story and enjoyed telling about the expressions on the faces of those young boys.
 Since I hardly ever see a $2 bill myself, on my next trip to the bank I will ask if there are any available.
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2/8/13
A broken heart - replaced
Jim and Rita Hines have been through a lot, but he still has such a big smile on his face all the time. Jim, who is 70, was the recipient of a new heart from a 42-year-old man nearly two years ago. He and Rita are sure the fact that he received it and has done so wonderfully well is nothing more than a real miracle for them.
Jim, who was a resident of the Marysville area and a maintenance foreman at the Goodyear plant in Marysville before retiring, is from a family with many heart problems and his became serious in 2004. The doctor said he needed an internal defibrillator implanted to keep his heart in rhythm. It went off in his chest in 2005 to get his heart back in rhythm. Jim described this as a jolt like recoil from a shotgun.
After the family called 911, he was taken to the hospital and during the next 45 minutes it went off 24 times. Finally a magnet was used to stop it. There’s a code on a card Jim usually carried in his wallet that is used to do that, but his wallet was at home, so his son was sent home to get it.
By 2008, Jim had congestive heart failure and in the next two years was in and out of the hospital during which time he lost about 60 pounds. Rita said he looked terrible and they were making plans for the end of his life.
In 2011, his cardiologist said he needed a new heart, but he was too old and they sought another opinion thanks to their friend, Debbie Kutacy, who is a registered nurse. She sent them to see Dr. Hackett and eventually he referred them to the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. After qualifying, Jim was placed on the list for a transplant. Just seven weeks later he would receive a new heart.
All during that time when he was so ill and waiting to get a new heart, more than 4,000 people from prayer chains in six different states were praying for his transplant and a good result. Rita and Jim know this is one of the main reasons all has gone so well for them. Jim said Rita was his rock and he wouldn’t be here today without her. He said, “She never gave up believing that God would heal my heart.” If the roles were reversed he’s not sure he could have done all that she did for him.
As they moved up the list for a chance at a transplant, they were never far from their cell phone, and became nervous as Jim’s condition deteriorated. Then one afternoon, when a visiting nurse was at their home, she said, “I wonder what they’re going to say when they call to tell you that they have a heart for you?” At that point the phone rang. It was eerie. Rita picked up the phone and the doctor told her, “We have a heart for Jim, come now.” That was at about 2 p.m. and by midnight the team had started the procedure to give him new life.
At the same time, the family of the donor was grieving over his impending death. One of the next of kin was his 18-year-old daughter, who had to make the decision to allow the use of his organs. As they were so sad, the Hines family was so happy that Jim could continue his life.
After six months, Jim was allowed to contact the donor family through Lifeline and they forwarded his letter. A return letter came to him from the donor’s family. They have now met three times — at a restaurant, a cookout and the daughter’s wedding which Jim and Rita attended. At one point one of the donor’s daughters put her head right next to Jim’s chest and said she just wanted to listen to the heartbeat.
Lifeline is the organization, which puts people together with donors. When you offer to donate an organ on the back of your driver’s license you have registered yourself into this world. Lifeline of Ohio helps to facilitate the placement and match of organs and tissue donations for waiting registered recipients.
 OSU hospital only does about one of these transplants a month, so you can see how lucky Jim was to get this heart at age 69, the upper limits of those who are allowed to receive a new heart. His recovery began with 18 days in the hospital, first with big drugs, gradually down to little drugs, and by the time he left during Easter week in 2011, he was taking nothing for pain, but continues the rejection drugs.
Rita and the family were warned about major side effects from the rejection drugs that he would have to take. They had no choice even though there was much concern. He has had very few problems. Jim is the example of how it can all go so well even though all heart transplants are not so smooth. He could barely eat before his surgery and now does anything he wants including home projects. There are no limitations on his life and he feels so good, adding that he was able to put back on all the weight he lost. He now strives to maintain a healthy weight.
As a way of giving back for all the good that has come his way, Jim attends a support group every week at OSU and of course shows people not to be afraid but to be excited about their transplant. He also volunteers with Feed My Sheep Ministries, serving meals to the homeless one night a week, and he’s a Donate Life Ambassador for Lifeline of Ohio.
Just two months after his heart transplant he was asked to model for a fundraising event that benefited the Wexner Medical Center. It included doctors, patients and some local celebrities modeling clothing. There was Jim in a $2,000 suit from Saks Fifth Ave. He said that was a blast.
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2/1/13
Far beyond being a friend
For most of her life, she knew the chances were good that she would need a kidney donation since more than 20 members of her extended family had had kidney disease. Now it was her time. Amy Jobe Balderson (MHS class of ‘89) developed polycystic kidney disease, a condition where cysts grow on both kidneys and destroy their function. She needed a new kidney or she would face dialysis.
Amy was alert to symptoms such as fatigue and nausea, since she has been part of a study underway at Emory University. There, she hopes to eventually help her children and future generations. Last July while at Emory, doctors detected a change and told her to begin seeing a nephrologist. He advised quick action.
For several reasons, dialysis would be difficult for her, so she and husband, Joe, wanted the transplant route. He was always determined to be her donor, and after several extensive tests at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (pioneers in this type of transplant), it was determined that he wasn't a good match. Neither were three others, and at this point Amy became concerned she wouldn't find one.
Since she's a teacher and assistant director of the Jaguar Education Connection (JEC) at St. John's School for three- to five-year-olds, she was exposed to lots of illness. That gave her blood numerous antigens, which made it hard to match.
Then came a good friend and fellow teacher (who wants to remain anonymous). She was a willing donor and match, who was tested one day and notified the next. The transplant process began in June of 2012, and the surgery was done at OSU on Oct. 19.
As it turned out, Amy didn't have to worry about a donor because at one point so many friends and church members were calling and offering a kidney that the hospital had to ask her to tell them to stop. Amy also noted she saw many people at the hospital during her numerous visits there who just wanted to volunteer to donate a kidney to anyone when needed.
The two teachers chose October so they could get their classes of children into a safe routine before they left for an extended period.
The donor's surgery would be more simple than the one for the recipient and done laparoscopicially, a newer technique used at OSU. There, live kidney transplants are done two times a week, whereas heart transplants are only once a month. (More about that next week.)
On transplant day, Amy still had about five percent kidney function. The two women sat together waiting to be called and tried to joke, but soon emotions took over. This was a really big deal and Amy was so grateful for the gift of life.
She said now all her life she will be concerned for her friend's well being. Her friend is a strong spiritual person, who is sure God planned this. The procedure is, if Amy's donor ever needs a kidney, she goes to the top of the list, just behind children, instead of the usual six months to two years wait.
During the transplant, the new kidney is attached in a different way and the old kidneys are left in place to become nonfunctioning. The disease that affected her kidneys will not transfer to the new one.
After five days in the hospital, she went home to her husband and four children with lots of immunosuppressants and a mask to protect from germs. Presently, she takes about 35 pills a day with few side effects. That amount should decrease in the future and she has the case of her father, Gary Jobe, as a good model. He had this procedure done about 10 years ago.
Amy was back in the classroom in mid December. Before she left, her class read stories about surgery and Amy wore a mask in class so if a child was sick, it wouldn't pass to her and nothing would hold up her surgery. She drew funny pictures on it and the kids had masks to wear so they wouldn't be afraid.
Her own children and husband have been wonderful, along with her church family at St. John's Lutheran. She describes husband Joe (MHS class of ‘90) as fantastic and the greatest guy in the world, especially when serving as Mr. Mom.
Amy feels blessed with so much and the fact that she has been given a new life. Now she's looking for places to give back, wherever and whenever she can.
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1/25/13
Hurricane Sandy - three months later
It’s so nice to have a home at the Jersey Shore, especially beautiful Long Beach Island (LBI). For Ron and Jane Dean the cottage-style beach house started out as a second home — a summer retreat — but about seven years ago they made it their full-time residence. For 32 years this comfortable bungalow served to provide so many memories of good times with friends and family. Then came Hurricane Sandy.
Now, three months after the storm, they still do not have a usable home. The evacuation of the island was mandatory on Oct. 28, 2012, so they packed their car fully and went to a relative’s home in New Jersey, in an area located close to New York City. That was only good for about two days when the power went off there, too. It was cold, dark and Ron and Jane had to drive into New York City to find food. This wasn’t going well, so as was already planned, they moved on to New Orleans.
On the way they encountered closed gas stations everywhere. The few that were open demanded cash. Finally, after they traveled west and south, the situation improved. There was water, power and much needed gasoline.
In New Orleans they would celebrate their grandson’s 21st birthday and stay a few days. Fortunately, they had already planned to rent a place in Naples, Florida, (they are my neighbors when I am in Naples) for a few months during the winter, so they headed there. At this point, two weeks after the storm, the Deans hadn’t seen their home, but only had vague reports from a few who were able to get back on the island. After a brief stop in Florida to drop their things off and get their forwarded mail, they were back in the car returning to LBI.
Seeing their home the first time was tough. The smell inside was terrible, as water and raw sewage had flowed into every part of the first floor of the home, about two feet deep at times. They are located on the Barnegat Bay side of the island, which was hit the hardest. Mold had already started to grow everywhere and when Jane opened lower kitchen drawers, water spilled out.  Also sand had filled up the sewers, so contents had spilled into the homes.
The Deans met with insurance adjusters and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel who had come up from Florida. Quickly it was decided the contents of the first floor had to be removed, including furniture, carpet and drywall. It was unsafe. Their friends had arranged for a company to come in and strip the home down to the studs and kill the mold. They could not stay in their home, of course, and hotels in the area that formerly charged $75 a night were now $125.
Their homeowners policy was nullified because flooding caused the damage and flood insurance would cover it … probably. A FEMA adjuster issued a check for $2,800 to live on temporarily. At this point that’s all they’ve heard from FEMA.
As Ron and Jane looked around their yard they saw that their mailbox and its heavy post plus their trash cans were all gone — somewhere. Ruined furniture was piled high in front of all the homes. The deck on the back of the house was raised about five feet in the air and is still in that position. Ironically, the house looks fine from the front except for the waterline residue about three feet off the ground and missing shingles.
Rumors about FEMA and insurance payments are rampant on LBI, and in many cases that’s all residents have to rely on. The Deans are in Florida, but their neighbors found a check in the door of their home recently, which had been left there in an unlivable house for about two weeks. They’ve decided not to cash the partial payment from flood insurance until the settlement is explained.
Property values are high on this island paradise, but then there’s the depreciation factor for insurance purposes. Uncertainty weighs on everyone.
Now back in Florida, the Deans have a place to live for a few months. Then they will be homeless until a decision is made about whether to repair or tear down their much-loved property. Being in limbo like that is tough, but for now, Florida is a great option. Then what?
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1/18/13
Three for the fire
Three Marysville men were friends working together as volunteer firefighters. During the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, Glenn Althouse, Beecher McKitrick and Wilson “Skinny” Spain (all deceased) put out fires and operated the rescue squad. They were just three of many who served as volunteers. In fact, the Marysville volunteer firefighter effort began in 1854 and included more than 400 men through the years, ending in about 1984.
Cheryl Althouse Martin and her mother Donna Althouse shared some of their memories of the camaraderie of these three men. Skinny Spain, who ran a mechanic shop on the East Eighth Street and lived upstairs, and Beecher McKitrick, an electrician who lived on Oak Street and worked out of his home, were already experienced members of the Marysville Volunteer Fire Dept. when Glenn Althouse joined the group. You see, Glenn, who was a pastor at the Friends Church, had a plumbing and heating business, and was fascinated with firefighting. He attended many fires to watch how everything was being handled. Around 1962 there was a fire located at the corner of Fifth and Oak streets. Glenn went to see what was happening and Beecher said, “Get over here and help us!” That was how he got involved.
The volunteer firefighters met once a month for training at the firehouse and were not paid unless they were working. That pay in those early years was a dollar an hour. Skinny, Beecher, and Glenn were all self-employed and available to be there when the fire whistle went off. They all lived close by and could be at the station in minutes, but Skinny had a direct phone line to the firehouse and always arrived first. Sometimes they would have to drop what they were doing four or five times a day.
Obviously, they were not doing this for the money, but to help their neighbors. Glenn later became a lieutenant and then the chaplain of the fire department. Donna remembers he wore number 13 on his helmet. No one else would take it — for him it was lucky.
The three were never burned and the only injury Donna remembers is that Glenn cut his arm rather seriously during a fire at the Dinner Bell Restaurant on East Fifth Street, located where the Marysville Elks Lodge is now. It was a big fire and went on for hours. Plus it was very cold outside. Ice was all over the fire truck and hoses were firm with ice on the outside. Glenn tripped over them and fell. His arm was seriously cut, but that’s the worst injury Donna can remember in all those years. Skinny also fell through the floor during that same fire, but was not hurt.
Glenn later became a medic on the squad which Skinny usually drove in the early years. The three made a great team. One day they went to a home where a woman was clearly in the final stages of labor. Reportedly, she had not known she was pregnant and the three men had to deliver her baby with no training on that. They just did it by the seat of their pants.
Another time the trio was in the squad heading north on Route 31 near Somersville. It had been reported a man was lying under a bridge in the creek, face down in icy water. When they arrived, a call was made to the coroner. Skinny went down to inspect and yelled, “He’s not dead!” Donna said there was still a heartbeat  and because of hypothermia, his body functions had slowed. He was transported to the hospital and lived.
Glenn was quite proud of a special tie tack with the image of the tower truck on it, given to all those trained in the use of the new truck. The special new vehicle with a high ladder had just been delivered before the fire at the Oakland Hotel (at the corner of Fifth and Main streets) in the early ‘70s. All three men wore the tie tack.
The life of a volunteer fireman in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s could be disrupted at any time, because the scanner (which replaced the fire whistle), at least in the Althouse household, was in the bedroom and turned up loudly so he wouldn’t miss a call.
Skinny was remembered as the man who got about the business of the event, Beecher, the funny one who always found humor in a situation, and Glenn, the compassionate one. He felt his job was to put everyone involved in the calamity at ease.
The wives and children of fireman also got involved in those days preparing coffee and sandwiches and anything else needed for the people who were affected by a fire.
Skinny, Beecher and Glenn were just three of the hundreds of men who put their lives on hold many times to help people in their community. We salute all of them.
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1/11/13
Bob Cotter remembers - Part 2
Last week I began the story of Bob Cotter and his 40 years in education. He came here as a student teacher at Marysville High School in 1970. Then he started teaching in 1972 and after 12 years as MHS vice principal he ended his career with 11 years as principal at Fairborn High School.
With all this experience, Bob has seen huge changes in our schools. That involves funding, students and discipline for a few. If you missed part one you can go to marysvillejt.com, click on Off the Hook and then on archives.
Bob says funding for schools is probably the biggest change he has seen. In 10 years he believes that public schools, as we know it, will not exist. Charter schools might become the norm along with online schools. He says that 85 percent of school expense is for personnel, and sadly, when more than $2 million is cut from the school’s budget, jobs have to be eliminated. One year at Fairborn High School he had to cut 25 teachers, just in his high school. The next year, 12 more had to go because there was no money to pay them.
It’s not only terrible for the teacher, it’s tough on the administrator who has to do it. Teachers were not told until April and the job ended in June. At least the Marysville teachers, in the recent cuts, have been given much more notice.
Computers have been good and bad for Bob in education. In many instances they save the school time. But, as a principal Bob received 40 to 60 e-mails every morning and those people wanted immediate response, not a letter in the mail from him. So, from 6 to 7 a.m. he would answer those e-mails and at the end of the day from 4 to 5 p.m. he answered the next 40 to 60 e-mails he received.
Student use of computers is complicated, too. He observed that computer technology learned as a child now will be obsolete by the time that student gets to college, so there has to be constant relearning there. Often remedial classes are required in college. The brightest and smartest will get it. The others will be challenged even more. In the 70s when he started teaching, basics were taught which will be good forever.
Student testing is changing, too. Adequate yearly progress or (AYP) has been considered the norm at the elementary level. That means that at whatever level your student begins the year, he or she must progress one year’s worth at the end of the year. Now, soon to come, will be the third grade reading guarantee. That means by the end of the third grade if a student is not reading at that level, no matter where they started the year, they should be held back.
High school students will be going to end-of-course exams. The same exam will be given over the whole state for each subject as it is completed. Teachers now have to spend at least 20 percent of their class time preparing for the standardized test, not their own test.
Methods for evaluation and raises for teachers are very much in consideration by our lawmakers. The Ohio Education Assn. is against merit raises and yet, how do we measure a teacher’s effectiveness? Bob said an annual evaluation proposed is that an administrator must be in each teacher’s classroom four times a year with a pre- and post- conference for each visit. With 75 teachers on staff he thinks it would be an impossible task time wise.
Bob’s years in education were not all dry and depressing! Small incidences would brighten his day from time to time. For instance, in one of his last years as Marysville vice principal, a senior, and in fact president of the class, just a few days before graduation decided on this prank. He took off all his clothes, put on a mask and in that state, ran through the courtyard of the high school. Streaking was big in those days. He was immediately recognized for nothing else other than his run. He was scheduled to give a speech at graduation, so in order to do that, Bob sent him to all-day Saturday school and required cleaning up the yard. It was funny though.
Bob’s been retired for six months. He’s busy but does miss the daily interaction with the kids, but not the red tape and stress of education today!
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1/4/13
Bob Cotter remembers
I sat down with recently retired high school principal Bob Cotter who has 40 years in education under his belt. He has seen improvements and sad changes. Some of those changes, he feels, have sorely hurt our educational system.
Bob first came to Marysville in the last months of 1970 as a student teacher at Marysville High School working with cooperating teacher Dave Demchak. There, he taught health and physical education working toward a degree in education from Ohio Northern University which he received in the spring of 1971. In college, Bob had been a varsity wrestler and later coached both wrestling and football at MHS. In his senior year in college, he married Kathy and 42 years later they have four children and nine grandchildren. In 1975 Bob earned his master’s degree and certificate of administration from Wright State University.
He began teaching phys. ed. in Marysville in 1972 at the elementary level. Those were his “Duck Duck Goose” years. Later Bob moved on to teach English and social studies in the middle school and then became assistant principal at MHS in 1978. He finished his education career with 11 years as principal at Fairborn High School.
In 1970, Bob was a student teacher when he caught some high school students smoking in the bathroom and was told by the principal at the time not to worry about that. He told Bob, “We just let that go here.” So when the new principal, Warren Widner, came in the middle of the year and Bob walked right past students who were smoking, Widner asked, “Why did you just ignore those kids? Bob told him he thought the school didn’t care. A change in policy was coming!
At that time, teachers could smoke in the teachers lounge (which, of course, they can’t do today), and right across the hall was a smoking room for high school students. By 1974 the smoking room for students was removed.
Later when Bob was assistant principal at MHS, he had a problem with kids going outside to smoke. They would form one large outside circle where no one was smoking and the smokers would move into the middle to be protected. You couldn’t see them from ground level, so Bob climbed up on the roof and looked down on them ordering, “You, you and you, come to the office with me now. You’re busted.” He was known as a firm and apparently inventive disciplinarian.
Discipline problems are on the rise since 40 years ago. Bob doesn’t think kids have changed. He thinks that parents of problem youngsters have changed. Now, the school is expected to teach and demonstrate to some of the student’s the finer points of life (eating, dress, discipline), so to speak. There is something called parent burnout. Bob feels they don’t want to take the responsibility of parenting.
Cooperation from parents of students with problems in school is not always good. But Bob quickly adds 85 to 90 percent of all students and parents are doing it well. There are just a few students who cause problems.
As a high school vice principal at MHS Bob knew it was important to have a good working relationship with his students and the police. He remembers the time police officers came to him and said there was a break-in at the Lawson’s store downtown and they believed it was a high school student. They asked him for his help. Bob put the word out in school and very soon he learned the name of the student who was bragging about the burglary.
A Marysville policeman arrived in his office and the student was brought in. After lengthy questioning he was still denying the crime when the policeman raised the student’s finger, looked at it and said, “Yes, that matches the finger print we have.” That was the end of the discussion. The student started confessing right away saying, “Yes, I did it, I did it.” Bob had a terrible time keeping a straight face through this whole thing.
Bob is a big proponent for in-school suspension for discipline problems and fought to keep it in his schools. In this instance, students must come to school in a room separated from the rest of the student population where they do their work. If a student is suspended outside school, Bob feels you will often lose that student.
In his early years, paddling was allowed in school. In most places it has been eliminated now. Bob said the only place he ever saw it really work was in middle school because it was not about inflicting pain. It was embarrassment.
Next week more about Bob Cotter and his thoughts and experiences in 40 years in education.
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