message to Ida

I don't know if you will remember me. You were a year ahead of me. I
only know that because I found a 1960 yearbook. Anyway, for some
reason, I recall two things about you in which I was present. Just
wondering if you would remember the incidences. Also, I do not know
the order, i.e., which was first, etc. One happening occurs on a nice
summer day when you were on the front lawn. A guy who also lived in
the trailer court and I were on the lawn with you. I do not know what
precipitated our behavior, but we somehow ended up standing on your
hair. Of course, you did not like it and asked us to stop. We only
stopped when your mother yelled out the front door and told us to
quit. I don't know if I immediately went to your mother or did so on a
delay, but I did go to her and apologized. She was very nice about it to
me and accepted my apology without condemning my behavior. I
don't know if the other incident was the same summer. I have no idea
how I happened to be with you. You were with another young lady, tall
I believe, and long black hair. In any case, one of you two ladies asked
me if I wanted to go swimming with you. Somehow, I was comfortable
with the whole situation although I never had a close female friend. We
went into Toledo to a fenced-in swimming pool. We were at one point
laying near the pool on towels when the other gal ran her finger along
your leg I followed suit. I was a very naive lad and not realizing the

impertinence and disrespect of my doing this act. You calmly told me, "Mark, I don't let boys do that."  I really don't remember more about
this time.  I don't even remember how we got to the pool and back
home. At the end of the day, upon parting, you said to me that for
some reason you both thought I was a senior. These are probably not
something you might remember.  So, best wishes for the upcoming

holidays from an old country boy.

Things we did when we were very young.

7/23/17
Writing on Facebook:
Often we publish pictures of items that were more common back in the day than they are today. A story on MSN.com talked about the things our mothers would do they wouldn't do today.I got to thinking about it and I remember a few things I did that my kid's child wouldn't be able to do at the same age. I lived in a trailer court most of my life. When I was FIVE years old we lived off a main road. I remember my mother sending me to the gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes. I walked through the park, across the main thoroughfare, and into the gas station. After putting in the money I pulled the knob under the picture of mom's cigarette. I think I only got it half way when the knob pulled back and my finger got stuck between the knob and the machine. One of the attendants got my finger out. Another time, still FIVE, I walked down the road a piece and with a penny, I found in my hand, I headed for the gumball machine. After putting my penny in and turning the knob I noticed the gumball had fallen down to the pickup tube.When I turned the knob back the penny was still in the slot. I got a bunch before the store clerk caught me. For some reason, I remember a lot of that summer. But, the main thing, not too many five-year-olds get to have those adventures today. If they did someone would have called social services and their mother would have gotten a good talking to.Maybe your mother wouldn't allow you to do the things I did, but, I bet if you thought about it, you could come up with some things that a kid seven or under wouldn't get to do today.

Followup: sleeping on floor in backseat of car while mom is in bar, being in bar with mother, color tv(this was 1948), 

1949 first grade, Best friend Skippy, girl named kathy, Walked to school, to barbershop, to store, to skippy's place listening to my album "Won't you ever grow up little toot?".  Holloween party. 

my bad

Around 50 years ago as I was driving on a street near my residence, I  stopped at a red light. Off to my right, catty-corner to me, there were two guys at a BP gas station rolling on the ground.  I tried to figure out what I might be seeing. Two thoughts came to my mind. One, it was a couple of guys probably playing around.  Two, there was a real fight going on, and one of the two men was probably an attendant.  The light turned green. I started to move forward, not knowing what I was going to do. Suddenly, a car on my left shot crossed in front of me and went onto the station grounds. I continued straight, leaving whatever was happening to play out without my help.  I did not find out what happened. Actually, I forgot about the happening.  But, periodically, my mind would replay that incident. It bothered me that I did nothing. That night affected my reaction to other people's situations.  More to follow.
mfl 3-14-17 12:55 a.m.    

Bonnie

3/4/2017 149 am
Just starting this on Bonnie. Will try to put in earlier situations
 Not looking for sympathy. Just letting my friends and family know how my wife is doing. Three nights ago she messed her bed, and I had to get up to change her sheets and quilts. A couple of nights ago Bonnie sounded weak when she answered a question. Later, I got up to check on her, and she had a small throw up on her bed where her head lies. There was a mess on her quilt, bed pads, sheets, and mattress cover. Another late night of rinsing and washing bed clothes. She is having problems getting around. I am going to try to get her to go walking with me and to use two-pound weights to strengthen her arms. When we got home from Walmarts, she asked me who lives in that house; pointing to our house. She no longer makes decisions except to say she wants to go out(of the house.) We eat breakfast(bowl of cereal and a fruit or Uncrustable) around 8-9 o'clock in the morning. Have a lunch(big variable such as pizza, or Canadian bacon and cheese sandwiches, or pancakes) around 3-4 o'clock in the afternoon. And sometimes have a late dinner(maybe something we didn't have for lunch. or rice with steamed vegetables and or meatballs or a box dinner such as hamburger helper or chicken helper) around 6-8 in the evening. Often, she is not hungry in the evening, and I give her a couple of snack items such as a fruit and a small bowl of cheese balls.

Donald Trump

Date unknown when typed.

Trump told us how he loves wars. He said we are only going to fight ISIS in a recent stump in OHIO. He continues to nominate militant people for cabinet posts. He said he saved Carrier jobs, but the Carrier union said he lied his ass off about saving jobs. His nominee Michael G. Flynn resigned after he spread malicious false stories about Hillary and child sex slaves and according to CBS News he isn't backing down from that claim. His father Michael T Flynn has also been accused of spreading false stories on Hillary. He is supposed to be Trump's security adviser. Really? If none of this doesn't disturb you, what does? How about James Mattis for Secretary of Defense. James said he would be honored as long as he gets a waiver to be part of the Cabinet and he gets the Senate's consent to the nomination. Trump said there are going to be a lot of very angry people if Mad Dog doesn't get the waiver.

2/21/2017

The one thing that puzzles me most about President Trump is, "Why does he and why would we expect Mexico to pay for a fence or wall that U.S. puts up on U.S. land?" The Mexican government has repeatedly denied they will pay and show no interest in our building the barrier.

2/21/2017

He has been president for a month now.  He still has not shown his tax return, and it is not expected that he will.  He has yet to show or explain how he expects to do the many things he promised. He throws out in his current campaign speeches. And other speeches as well, information that is easy to fact check and the information fails frequently in FACT CHECKS.

He has made many promises that the people in the U.S. have asked for many years. But appears not to ask or receive help in putting the promises together.  He has insulted UK, Australia, Mexico and Sweden so far.  There may be others I missed. He constantly tells us and the people in government he wants to make friends with Russia.  He talks about the possibility of lifting sanctions.  Meanwhile, Russia has been buzzing our ships with jets, do rocket launches against agreements, and have sent a ship to cruise along our eastern seaboard just outside our water boundary.  He does nothing and says nothing but that he wants to make friends.  His response that Putin is a murderer is, "What you don't think we do murders too." He was, according to the press, was warned that Michael Flynn has been in touch with the Russian and has discussed sanctions with them before Trump became president.  He was warned by the FBI around two - three weeks before the story broke in the news and he finally had Flynn resign.    

There are signs he may start listening to his cabinets and advisers but he is still running the presidency as if he were the boss of a company, and it is still his way or the highway.  If a legal argument goes against him, he makes snide remarks against the judges calling their arguments ridiculous. If the press tells the people what he is doing, he accuses them of publishing false, fake news.  He insults the integrity of most of the mainstream newspapers, columnist, and cable stations.  He recently told a Jewish reporter to sit down because it appears he misunderstood the question and thought the reporter was accusing him of being anti-Semitic.  And as always he is the LEAST anti-Semitic person. He is always the best of anything good or the least of anything bad. He knows more than any general on what needs to be done to rid the world of Isis. If he does find out he misspoke about someone or country it was only because he was reading his notes put together by his staff.  He says he will make America safe again by eliminating murders and rapist. To him, if even one murder or raping takes place by persons of a particular religion or ethnicity it is too much. He plans to eliminate ALL crimes by these people.  These people must be sent back to wherever they came from even if they were born here. These last remarks are I think he is thinking based on seeing and hearing what was spoken.   

2/28/2017
It sounds to me that the WH is trying to stop any investigation because Reince Priebus, WH chief of staff, said that an  FBI agent told him there was nothing to the story being investigated, it was all BS.  No names, just an agent.  Another problem Trump has, on occasion, has said that we should go over to Iraq and take the oil.  Wonder how other countries are going to trust us if that happened.  


3/6/2017
I think, but not sure, Trump was listed as Russian puppet in a news story on Fox. Probably not because Trump thinks that they are just about the only news source that publishes facts not fake news. If not them, I also watch MSNBC and CCN. Whichever did was probably replaying the Clinton remarks that say Donald Trump is a 'puppet' of Vladimir Putin and Russia. The great Oz has spoken: Let's see, Daddy Cruz was involved in JFK's death. Obama wiretapped Trump and his tower during the election. After seven years of Obama is not an American. Okay, he is an American. I did not say Obama wasn't - other people did. I have been on the cover of Time more than any other president. My crowds are bigger than any previous president. I know more about ISIS than any of the generals. Putin is a great guy. I want to get along with him. The greatest voter fraud was committed to the tune of three to five million of illegal votes.

Advertising in the fast food industry

Blizzard of 1978 Toledo

I didn't know about the impending storm of January 25th thru 27th.  All I know is on Thursday the 26th I received a telephone call from my manager, Eldon Lind, of the billing department. He told me not to come in today. He said the company is asking all the employees not to report for work.  I said, okay and thank you for calling. I wasn't aware that we were in a Blizzard. There wasn't anything to do.  I got dressed to go outside.  Down at the street, I could see there was no place my car was going.  So, I decided to walk over to see my new friend, Bonnie.  It was pretty cold and windy, but I had a hood on my coat and a scarf around my neck.  I did not feel that cold and the trip was only 3 or 4 miles from my place to hers.  I would guess I had walked maybe a mile when a car pulled along side of me and the driver asked me where I was going?  I told him I was going to visit a friend.  He asked me, did I want a lift.  I said sure, thinking to myself that the snow drifts were getting to be a bit much in the short time I had been out.  After I had got to her house, I went to the front door and knocked.  Bonnie and three kids opened the door.  I asked Bonnie if she needed her walks shoveled, I would do it for a quarter. I don't remember too much about the day, just that we sat up all night talking together.   I think it was the next day we walked to a local butcher's shop.  The streets were somewhat cleared with walls of snow on each side around six foot high or more. The next memorable remembrance was about six weeks later when I asked Bonnie if she would like to go downtown and get married.  She agreed, and after buying the marriage license we bumped into a judge, and since neither Bonnie or I knew what to do next, we asked him how do we get married.  He said, "I can marry you."  He took us to an empty courtroom, read the usual stuff you hear at a wedding, pronounced us husband and wife, and signed the document.  Funny the things you remember about a little storm back almost 39 years ago.