This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum in Elm Grove. The building which was used for many years as a school which I can attest to was purchased at an auction in March 1997 by Allan Miller who refurbished the entire building, made necessary changes this was going to be a tourist attraction such as a driveway so buses can park there. They used almost all local contractors for these jobs. The Toy and Train Museum opened in September 1998. The cafeteria once housed the Perk Avenue Cafe. The Museum rents to an Apostolic Church group Sunday afternoons. There is a video in which you can see the remodeling of the building. By the way, I have never been in the building myself. That would be a good place for me to propose marriage to Kim if that ever would happen.

   I weigh 180 pounds, unfortunately, the highest all year.

   With rain, something that we needed Wednesday, I used my smarts on my lunch break and stayed at the bank by using my Wheeling Park Patriots Insulated lunch bag provided as a gift for attending my 20th Reunion earlier this month and used two Ziploc plastic containers to put in vegetable soup and salad from dinner that my parents had Tuesday night and put in the refrigerator from 11:30 to 2:00. I sort of caught up because of a late night Monday night in which Pizza was purchased meaning I had Monday's dinner of lasagna Tuesday. They say an insulated bag like that keeps it cool.

   Wednesday night, WTAE aired it's 50th Anniversary special with no party, just interviews and highlights of the 50 years of the station. Joe DeNardo, for some of you who don't know that live in Wheeling, he graduated from Wheeling Central Catholic High School. DeNardo by the way was listed as one of the famous Central alumnis in the special Friends of Coal Football Classic being held Labor Day at Wheeling Island Stadium besides John Corbett. You have to pay $15 for everything, even if you just want to see Wheeling Central play and David Blomquist focused on this on his radio show Tuesday.

    Wednesday morning, a lady in a Buick Lucerne with an Ohio License plate stood sitting in her car for some reason I believe waiting for a relation to get on the bus to start school as I was purchasing the newspaper.

    I have to report sad news with ties to the Kruger Street school extended family, Bill Burrall, who was computer coordinator in Marshall County and the father of Chad, who I was a classmate with in 1981-82 died at 58 reportedly from cancer because they were taking memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society. Chad wrote a report that year for Written Communication Week of who a student wanted to be just like and it was Bill. I also remember Chad and Kim were recognized by the Elm Grove Eagles one time and I don't believe neither of the 2 were smiling in the picture. Actually the only one that did smile was Mary Jane Hopkins, the teacher.

    Those of you who want to relive Thom McKee's "Tic Tac Dough" appearances can turn to GSN at 9:00 A. M. for the next few days.

    A person was purchasing a can of pop and the pop didn't come out. On Thursday, I went to Coleman's Fish Market and I purchased a can of pop and noticed there was another can of pop sitting there. But it was not the brand she wanted.

  Very little will I make a mistake of names, this happened on Thursday when I called Melissa Deters, Leslie.

   Getting back to Coleman's, while in Center Market, It was one of those, "Oh, it couldn't be..." situations took place when if my eyes were deceiving, Andrea Anderson who almost became my girlfriend in 2005 was spotted at the Cheese shop in a black short sleeveless dress. Whether that was her is not known. I do remember in summer 2003, Stephanie Kazemka wore a similar black sleeveless dress. Both Kazemka and maybe Anderson on Thursday did wear hose, Kazemka wore black hose and had looked better than what Anderson may have worn. I've may have mentioned in a couple blogs about the red dress suits worn by Kim Kimmins when I officially named Kara the Panda Bear after her and Rosemary and Becky Crow's.

   With all 32 NFL teams cutting players to have 53 men on each roster on this day as the NFL starts it's regular season to share with you what I think needs changed, what needs left alone and such:

   1. Currently the NFL plays a 16 game schedule in 17 weeks. I have no problem with it. There is word they may cut it to 2 pre-season games and 18 weeks of games. I don't think this should take place if the regular season starts the weekend after Labor Day which it has been because it would go into as late as the third week of January, unless they eliminate the bye weeks and between the Championship games and the Super Bowl. I may warm to it if it starts on the weekend before Labor Day. They want to go to 18 weeks because of like it would benefit those who had great seasons a year earlier avoid injuries, but what about a rookie who is trying to make the squad and such, the 16 weeks should stay put and I agree with Pittsburgh Steelers radio analyst Tunch Ilkin.

  2. If a game goes into overtime, the first team that scores wins: Thanksgiving Day 1980, Dave Williams of the Chicago Bears returns the Overtime kickoff for a Touchdown and they beat Detroit. I don't mind the start with a coin toss. The first team that scores should be history. Be the same as college football, you start at the opponents 20 and each team gets a chance to have the ball and if it remains tied after that, then play a 5 minute Second Overtime with maybe starting at the 50 yard line and the first team that scores wins and if no one scores after that, it would go in the books as a tie.

  3. Time of the kickoffs: No problem here, as long as it stays 1:00 and 4:05 or 4:15 and 8:15 Sunday nights. I applaud the 8:30 start for Monday night when ESPN picked up the package from ABC.

  4. Head Coaches: They should at least get 3 years to provide what they were brought to do, win. Here is the thing though: In year one, the coach goes 4-12 and then in year two they go 6-10 and then in his third year goes 7-9. After that, the owner should evaluate and see how far improvement has been with the team before whether or not that coach should be let go. In Chuck Noll's first season in 1969, he was 1-13, year number two they went 5-9 and then in the third year of 1971, he was 6-8. The Rooneys kept Noll and the Steelers won 4 Super Bowls. Now if you were 4-12 in year one, 6-10 in year two and then went 5-11, then you replace the coach. Also, consider this, if you go 2-14 in your second season after going 4-12, then the owner should not give the coach a third season.

   5. Players who decide to retire should stay retired. I think a writer for "One Life to Live" was at Green Bay through the entire time that Brett Favre couldn't make up his mind on whether he should play another season or not after he announced he retired in March. I was considering collecting and hunting aluminum cans again after a 6 plus year absence, but I must consider the fact I don't want to have something be bad with my right ankle again.

   6. NFL Playoffs: Leave it at 12 teams. If they move to 14 teams, you'd be talking about games airing Friday night interrupting "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune". What would happen is one game in the wild card would play Friday night, three games Saturday and two on Sunday. Please be aware in until the 1960's or so, the NFL Season ended before you opened your Christmas presents and now the season ends before I send Kim Kimmins my Valentine's Day card to her.

   7. Always have an announcer for network games: NBC did a game in the final week of the 1980 season between the New York Jets, who had been the first victim of the New Orleans Saints, a week earlier and the Miami Dolphins, who was trying to get a winning season played without a Dick Enberg calling the game. Bryant Gumbel was there, but came on at halftime and explained about the silence bowl and he would work out the kinks.

   8. Player contracts: Every player should be told that you will play for a minimum at the start when you sign. If you do well, then you can get your contract to a improved total without the teams having to raise ticket prices and food and drink at stadiums, game programs and such especially currently with the gas prices and everything else. Some players from the 1986 New York Giants drove Chevrolet Blazers, not Red Ferraris like the one Tom Selleck rode on "Magnum P. I."

     9. Ending of a game: No matter if you lost by 21 points or more and the losing team scored a touchdown with no time left, the extra point has to be kicked. I feel that if with no time left a TD is scored and it's 2 points, it must be made. 1 points, it does have to made to go to Overtime or you can be daring and go for 2 and if the TD puts you in a tie, you do kick the Extra Point. In 2003, by the way Tampa Bay trailed 9-3 against Carolina and scored a TD on the final play in regulation, so the extra point was attempted and Carolina I believe blocked it. Carolina went on to win in Overtime 12-9. But if you are like lets say trailing by the score of 12-3 and scored a TD with no time left to make it 12-9, the Extra Point should not be attempted. my thoughts as some of you who are not NFL fans enjoyed the final weekend of no NFL games which those who have had withdrawal on Sunday can relax because there is one more Sunday of no NFL.

Monday's blog focused on the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum located in the former Kruger Street School. Someone who taught in that school started her teaching career in that school and through the years with breaks in between for she and her husband Russell to have 3 children, Mary Lu Hutchins Monday night was named Ohio County Schools Educator of the year at the School Board meeting. It means she will be eligible for state teacher of the year with a right to get a Toyota Avalon and attend the 2009 West Virginia State of the State Address similar to what happened to my fellow classmate David Soltesz in 2004.

   Mary Lu started at Kruger Street in 1979 taking over as Kindergarten Teacher vacated by Darlene Kibby, who had a baby. She a few years later taught first grade, I believe replacing Clara Presutti, who was the first grade teacher when I ended at Kruger Street in 1982. The things I remember from Mary Lu at Kruger Street was that she was on playground duty Wednesdays, went jogging before work and her playing "Hello Everybody, Yes Indeed..." that could be heard from downstairs to her 2 kindergarten classes which during my Elementary days were a morning and a afternoon kindergarten. During the 1980-81 School year, she was at West Liberty in the morning and then Kruger Street in the afternoon for Kindergarten.

   These were not the credentials of course for Hutchins getting the award, but it is with her position at Steenrod where she has been since 1990 that she gets the honor and as a matter of fact for the Ohio County Schools community and even the local college institutions. She also has received other awards nationally for her teaching.

   The brain had juiced for dreams last weekend. These dreams I am happy to say didn't find me in a situation where I am owing people money or I have to do something within the coming week as it has been.

   Saturday, 2 things that I remember about in that night's dream was that I was riding on a train and then another thing I remember I was trying to go somewhere to be alone to take a nap and I would find people in the room. Then on Sunday, a peacock lands on top of a Jeep Cherokee with the words from someone in the dream "Watch so the bird doesn't get inside the car!" I wake up, so whether or not the peacock got inside the car will never be known. Many of you will remember that a peacock was inside an old aviary that Wheeling Park had for many years and a peacock is included in a new TV commercial for a vitamin supplement. Both of the peacocks didn't show their fans.

   In  last Sunday's Wheeling newspaper, the Ohio County Schools 2008-2009 special insert was inside. The feature focuses on the schools in the district and it also includes the bus schedules. For many years, the listings would be in a 3 day period with Wheeling Park High School bus schedules in Wednesday's edition, the Junior High's a day later and then the Elementary Schools the next day. The students who attend the Catholic schools take the Ohio County buses unless you live on Mar-Win which is in Marshall County. Mar-Win is in the City of Wheeling limits and Catholic students attend Wheeling Central, but those who attend public school go to Sherrard or John Marshall. There used to be an Elementary school on Big Wheeling Creek until the Marshall County Board of Education closed it because of declining population. It is now a Community Center.

    But anyhow, the insert included not only the morning bus schedule, but it also included the afternoon schedule which for almost all routes is backwards from the morning meaning the last students taken in the morning, are the first ones home in the afternoon and so on. This is a good idea. I hope school districts will follow suit.

   It would not hurt to look back at when the 1984 games were held in Los Angeles. This was where West Virginia had a part thanks to Mary Lou Retton of Fairmont who had a perfect 10 in Gymnastics and Ed Etzel, who was the Rifle Coach at West Virginia University at the time won Gold Medals. Etzel won for rifleshooting.

  Of course Retton got her gold the first Friday night of the Olympics. Then she participated in another event the following Sunday and I remember it well Marlene had to turn off the re-broadcast of "Wait Until Your Mother Gets Home" to see Retton try to get another medal. Retton became a national name and later would be on Wheaties cereal boxes and do many other advertisements such as Revco (Now CVS). 

  Interesting facts after the Olympic games of 1984, That was ABC's last Summer Olympic Games coverage and it was let's just say the new ABC when it returned and Marlene would attend Fairmont State College, a week after the Olympic games ended.

  Those of you who are Dallas Cowboys fans know that Texas Stadium almost looks like a dome but there has been 2 open parts on the roof and many years ago the late Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, a Steubenville, OH native who predicted NFL games on "The NFL Today" told Brent Musberger why they have the open part in the stadium. It was because god could watch the Dallas Cowboys play.

  While at lunch on Wednesday, yours truly noticed a couple on a motorcycle without a helmet in Downtown Wheeling. In West Virginia, you are to wear a helmet. By the way, Greg Butcher is returning to the West Virginia Legislature for the 79th session, he has introduced legislation on no helmets in the past.

  An 8 Track tape was not a novelty, you played it and there were 2 straight songs and the third, you'd hear half of it and then in program 2, you'd hear the second half of it.

   Peters Run Road begins at Savage Construction, riding along you then see Ye Olde Country Church and the ride continues until you see Wheeling Station and Da Vinci Pizza where Mull's Grocery Mart used to be.

   Marlene called to wish my dad a Happy Birthday on Thursday and she said that Tres, a Sophomore at Orange County High School in Orange, VA didn't make the golf team at the High School. Marlene reported that he, if he had made it would have found himself with a more busier schedule.

   My parents went to dinner for my dad's birthday by themselves again. For many years, especially when my paternal grandparents were alive, we would honor the birthday dinners as a family whether it be on the birthday or not. I know my work schedule does not let me enjoy family time as it did when I was working in Warwood or as a child.

   Fay is just not knowing what it wants to do at the moment down in Florida. Grace Davis put pictures of flooding from Brevard County on her page on this day. She reports senior citizens are somewhat a concern around that area with the flooding. Wheeling is expected to get remnants of this, but I don't think it'll be a Ohio River flood concern like 2004 from Ivan because many yards around Wheeling are brown or as Len Rome, a newscaster in Youngstown, OH said a few years ago, shredded wheat.

   Friday morning I purchased 3 boxes of cereal at Riesbeck's and in recent visits which has been after 6:30 in the morning, minutes after it opens, the customer service area where mostly you checkout, if you're shopping there before 7:00 A. M. the person in the customer service has not recognized the fact that groceries were purchased as they were taking their sweet time handling what they were doing for about a minute.

   The city of Wheeling announced that residents who visit the city and need medical attention and have to be transported by ambulance will be going to a Wheeling Hospital, not the hospital where they live unless it is a serious injury.

    Reminiscent: During the High School Football Season, WTRF and WTOV air a 10 minute newscast on Friday nights followed by High School Football highlights. Many, many years ago the newscasts were 10 minutes every night.

   If there was thing that I remember vividly 25 years ago was that change was all around with the extended family and friends. As Marlene was starting her senior year of High School and David started his final year as a 6th Grader at Elm Grove Elementary School and I began my second year at Bridge Street, I felt the coming months were challenges.

    Change on the good side came from my paternal grandparents who moved from Cherry Hill Road to Glen Hollin. The sad part though, we would not enjoy the rides from our home to Cherry Hill, but it saved gasoline.

     There were many family members and friends who ended marriages. I am not sure the reason why.

     Our family bought a new station wagon at then Staff-Pav, now Staffilino Chevrolet, which by the way was located where Quality Motor Cars now is in Martins Ferry.

     I felt attitude around the house was ominous. Nobody from time to time would listen to me at home in my opinion and the classmates were somewhat a cold shoulder over something that actually wasn't true near the end of the last school year.

   My cousin Father Charles McGinnis did his first real wedding since coming back into the priesthood after his December heart attack and his first in Wheeling to fellow 1988 Wheeling Park Classmate Bryan Robinson. Bryan married Jennifer Magruder, whose father Dennis is Manager of WesBanco Arena. As many of you know they closed about 600 Starbucks Coffee shops and the comic strip "The Lockhorns" appropriately payed tribute with Leroy and Loretta out and about and their lost and Leroy saying were lost because there is no Starbucks around here. Also, "The Family Circus" strip began reminiscing past vacations on Monday with the 1980 trip to Washington, D. C. It all began with the father yelling at the kids to turn off the T. V. set and go sightseeing.

   Many times after I heat something up in the microwave, I like to eat it, but of course when it's something like pizza, you can sometimes end up burn around the teeth and later you use water with salt to rinse to make it better. I took a pizza on Thursday to put in a microwave oven for about 2 minutes, but am I going to eat it, the answer is not yet I walked with the pizza outside. Of course I still remain cautious considering what happened last year with my ankle with traffic around Downtown Wheeling.

   A streak is going on with Rosemary. For a second day I saw her as I was waiting for my ride. On Monday, she was in her Mazda and then on Tuesday, she and Kim in Kim's Toyota as I was waiting for my ride again.

   In 1980, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter had Vice Presidential candidates and their Conventions were held or already held. In 2008, neither McCain or Obama have their VP's chosen and neither Party's conventions have taken place. All were seeing are ads about negativity of each ranging from oil to taking trips while the rest suffers.

   There are many people named Tom Miller. There is a Tom Miller, who was a Disc Jockey at WWVA and now works in banking, a Tom Miller who covers the West Virginia Legislature and there was a West Virginia Supreme Court Justice named Tom Miller from 1976 to 1993 and the former Supreme Court Justice died on Tuesday at the age of 79. I actually saw him at the State Police Headquarters in 2004 when I went there to get my picture taken for a new ID card.

   The day Elvis Presley died, we were on a family vacation at the old Sea World in Aurora, OH. On that day, Marlene in the car made a pretend picture and pulled it out of the camera and when looking for a motel, there were about 5 motels that were all filled up.

   Thursday afternoon, I had lunch at the Hall of Fame Cafe in Center Wheeling. When I was there, I ordered a grilled chicken wrap with a Diet Pepsi. The grilled chicken wrap also included some potato chips. For some reason though, the waitress that I ordered from left without giving a bill and waiting around for 10 minutes, so instead a lady who was still around told me how much I had to pay.

  At a restaurant, when you don't pay for a meal, they call it by police standards, Defrauding an innkeeper, I believe according to old Wheeling Today reports in the Wheeling News-Register and I didn't want to do that and if that happened, I probably to definitely would not be doing this blog.

  From time to time I will share towns around the Wheeling area that I am familiar with through these towns main drag from beginning to end. We begin with Triadelphia out past Elm Grove.

   Triadelphia along Route 40 begins where Wheeling Automotive Group is located riding through you'll see a Used Car lot and gas station, Middle Creek Garage and Department of Highways field office down the road and continuing through down the road is Bleifus Tire and then to the Post Office, the Methodist Church and  the Community Center. Down the road you'll see Lincare where the old Super Dollar store used to be and then the old Scott Lumber is down the road, one-tenth of a mile past the building, the corporation limit ends.

   In Triadelphia, you may get off at Middle Creek where the Middle Creek Garage and Department of Highways are. Between the Methodist Church and the Community Center you can get onto Chapel Hill Road.

  Saturday afternoon I sold my old computer, but it wasn't easy and almost didn't happen. The man was supposed to come at 10:00 A. M. but there was no call because I was expecting to hear from him asking where I lived because he didn't ask when he called the 2 previous calls during the week. I waited for a while and then I called him from the number taken from caller I. D. He was doing work on this day in my neighborhood on Cracraft Avenue, which was where my parents lived on where they first got married and said he would come in 3 or 4 hours.

   After 4:30 Saturday afternoon, right in the middle of dinner the phone rang and the man called and wanted to know which house it was. Sort of reminiscent of when i've had people come to take pictures for the web site by the way and he was on his cell phone in his truck and I was standing in the hall. He came in and I explained the fact that I used only dial-up for internet with my old computer. I gave all the things that came with the computer from my January 2004 other than the mouse which was purchased on Christmas Eve. The man said he would have an upgrade which was no problem. I gave it to him at 33 percent less the price I asked in the print classified ads.

 Last Sunday, my parents and I went to Buckhannon where Marlene and Chuck were at Chuck's mother's house. Tres was also with them, but Seth stayed down in Virginia where he was staying with friends. Chuck and my dad played golf at Riverbend while I, along with Marlene and mother went to the Goodwill store, Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart in the afternoon while Chuck's mother Betty, who actually looks like my late Uncle Jim's wife Aunt Betty every time I saw the face it seemed and her friend watched the NASCAR race at Pocono. Later in the afternoon, Barry Williams, not the same one who played Greg on "The Brady Bunch" who was Chuck's best man at his wedding and for the first 11 years went to Jamboree in the Hills with Chuck stopped by for a couple minutes or so and then we went to Chuck's hunting property outside of Buckhannon which at first impression thought was Happy Hollow meets Harold Grubb's guest house. The ride was reminiscent of the many trips outside Marshall County backroads as a child. The land has a fishing hole where Tres caught a fish on Saturday. Chuck is getting somebody to get rid of a dump piece found on dump trucks and a old energy well that was on the land. After that, we went to Ryan's Restaurant in Clarksburg for dinner with all the types of meals you can imagine all under one roof. They are the same company that owns Old Country Buffet which has a restaurant in Butler, PA. Happy Hollow, by the way was a camp area that you get off along Big Wheeling Creek where I believe there was a actual house at the bottom of this property. We had a camp in the mid 1970's. Many years ago, there also if you didn't exit at Happy Hollow, there used to be a Speedway there where drag racing took place.

As I try to do every year I try to spend one evening seeing if Kim and Rosemary are at their Bryan Street home, but instead of going to Bryan Street, I spotted them outside of Kruger Street which at first I was not sure of who it was, but as I walked Austin avenue there they were with 2 dogs. As I may have mentioned in one of my blogs over the past 2 years, they were the owners of a curly dog named Teddy in the 1980's. I did not ask of where they got it, but the dog Rosemary was walking with was feeling my foot, I would take a guess when they went to see relations in either Triadelphia or Valley Grove one day they went to the Ohio County Animal Shelter to get these dogs. As many dogs do they will decide to go to the bathroom on someone's property, but Kim throughout had a very tiny garbage bag on her hand and if they had to 'let it out' somewhere, she would put it in. There was not much conversation though other than I mentioned about my Class Reunion and the trip to Buckhannon and Rosemary thinking that I had been let go from the bank. While I have mentioned to some of you by e-mails that I would like to ask Kim out on a date, I actually haven't asked Kim how the flowers I sent her on Valentine's Day were still living. I am planning for Kim's birthday present in November a photo of me wearing the suspenders that you've been seeing on my default. Of course, due to the dogs and where we were and what's been mentioned, I could not be able to hug either of the two.

Wednesday I received my class picture that was taken from my 20 year reunion. While most of my Wheeling Park news has focused on the reunion. Word was announced Monday that the current Head Football Coach Mark Nardone will coach his final season at the high school. He coached under previous coaches the late Jim Thomas and Ron White.

The states that I still need to get to view my Tripod web site is starting to dwindle which is a good thing. As I reported Saturday, Oklahoma was heard from and when hits take place by recording at the counter's web provider they let you check on what web provider the person visits and sometimes the state zips are helpful and on Tuesday, MA which stands for Massachusetts was heard from I believe.

   There were 11 hits at the site on Wednesday.

    As my one week vacation hit the halfway mark Wednesday, I practiced doing snorkeling for a third time Wednesday evening at the YMCA. This time I almost had full use of the pool. I went in the evening because of the children's day camp that takes place from morning until 5:00, I believe which played in why it wasn't that busy. I felt this really wasn't my best swim for some reason.

     In my 3 snorkels in the pool, 2 of the snorkels I wore the mask and split flow fins I purchased from a catalog a few years ago and the other one I wore a mask and regular fins. But in all 3 of them, I have had to wear a child's life preserver provided at the indoor pool. I probably will invest in a adult one at The Outdoor Store in town. I put on a life preserver for the snorkels because of the fact that I may have to do it in open water someday which I assume some of you who have done it on a trip, honeymoon, regular basis, etc. have to relate to. There probably will be 2 or 3 more snorkels in the pool before the cold weather settles in I believe with the last in October.

   My 20th NFL Record and Fact Book Purchase is accomplished and it almost didn't take place because I didn't see it in front of a display at first, but I went to the sports book aisle and found it in the first aisle of football books. This done after just 1 pre-season game complete.

   Thursday afternoon, WES the Panda Bear celebrated his one year anniversary with a group photo session with his family and friends. Actually, I think I got as many as 13 panda bears together for pictures taken on my digital camera and my regular camera which needs to get developed. I do have a photo album here of pictures with the bears. Be sure to see it and they are going to be my default picture until Tuesday and then my face will be back up.

    A word about Thursday's blog, After the blog was typed over 20 people viewed it within a hour and it total 31 or so for the day. The blog by the way mentioned me asking if anyone had any ideas on how to clean my snorkel gear. An idea was sent to me by Grace Davis and she told me is after I finish snorkeling use hot soapy water and rinse with clean water and use mild soap safe for the rubber. She also suggested I go to a sporting goods store on cleaning the mouth piece of the snorkel. She also mentioned that anti-fog drip is better than spitting the mask like LeVar Burton showed on "Reading Rainbow". She also suggested I go to search engine sites to find other ways to take care of my gear besides these suggestions.

   The WesBanco company picnic was held on Saturday afternoon at the Wheeling Park Ice Rink. The picnics with WesBanco have been enjoyable than the two I went to with Aspen and Uniscribe. Those of you who worked with me at Uniscribe will remember that when we had the first one, it was raining that day and also someone had the nerve to take the leftover chicken wings back from Wheeling Park to Warwood and the fire department had to be called and then the next year at St. Jude Park, we had a Scavenger Hunt. St. Jude Park is right about by the backyard of now my former boss Becky Crow's house. Becky was not in attendance for the WesBanco company picnic on Saturday which had no scavenger hunt, but for the first time since 2002, Toni Springfield and Penny Agostini came and went home with a fireplace set and a $100 Kroger Card respectively when they gave out the prizes. The WesBanco company picnic offers prizes like tickets to the WVU Home Games and Days off with pay plus dinner from Undo's.

     The Pittsburgh Steelers played it's first pre-season game Friday night and survived a late Philadelphia drive to win 16-10. They are going to be without Charlie Batch, which could be a factor if Ben Rothlisberger is injured.

     I received an e-mail Saturday from Holly Coe-Hallahan, a 1988 WPHS Graduate who asked when the 20 year reunion was going to take place. As you probably know by now, it was last weekend. But I e-mailed back to Holly to say it had been held last weekend and that I also told her what took place and that she can see the Class picture on the Tripod web site.

    You know in 1998, my company picnic was held first and then the Class Reunion was a week later. This year, the Class Reunion was held last weekend and the company picnic was held this weekend.

    Saturday evening was my 20 year Class Reunion. I went in at 5:30 or so with a quiet setting at the Pine Room. As I mentioned in my blogs in recent weeks, I took both my regular and digital cameras with me. Heading into the evening, I still was having digital camera problems with the lighting and how well it can be viewed in a more dark area. Those problems were solved really by 7:00 P. M. and I felt a little insecure during that time.    I again took my Collage and took a book of the Class of 1988 during the High School years and then 2 scrapbooks of newspaper clippings after the graduation. People looking at the books were viewed by those who were in attendance the entire time I was there.  Dinner was held after 7:00 P. M. , Gary Gwynn, the Class President spoke and reported that there are going to be plans for a Class of 1988 web site because many of the students are unreachable due to the size of the Class being about 450. He also thanked those who contributed to making the Reunion a huge success and was pleased with the attendance considering that the past year has been affected with the oil prices and such which was not mentioned though. During a moment of prayer, James Dague, who has cerebral palsy mentioned of the death of Elmer Freese, who I mentioned in Friday's blog passed Thursday.    The farthest classmate that came was from California somewhere.

    The reunion was moved at 10:00 P. M. to the Glassworks Lounge at Wilson Lodge and since I had my parents take me, I didn't want for one of them to come get me at another location.  Gwynn mentioned he was in Guam for his Naval stint causing him to miss the 5 year. The Class picture, which will be shown on the Tripod site as soon as I receive it in the mail and was taken on the steps. I am hoping I smiled well for this one. I was disappointed though not to see Christy Mowder, Michelle Porter-Parr and Missy Marshall-Lambert there.

     Classmates got a lunch bag as a memento of the evening.

    2 people called about my computer Monday and the callers were told by my parents that I could be contacted at 9:00 P. M. Monday night. No one called back since.

     Most of Butler County, PA had severe weather Tuesday night. The town of Saxonburg in that county, where relations of my mother's live was not one of the towns that was affected from what I saw on Pittsburgh stations.

    They are possibly kicking around the idea of year round schooling in West Virginia. The idea is for students to have 4 three week breaks in a year. This is something that I would face if ever I were to be a parent. The Superintendent of Ohio County was interviewed in Tuesday's newspaper on this and would have to find out more before giving his thought on it. It would certainly have adverse business affects on the area Swimming Pools and Amusement Park if this were to happen. I will mention a couple of schools in Charleston have this.

    On Wednesday, the floor I work in which once had a table standing across the elevators was replaced with a vending machine. This was a surprise to me a little bit, but I felt that if bookkeeping which has moved to the other building could have one, so could the floor that I work in. Last fall, vending machines were removed from the former smoking lunch room which actually was to be inspected on a yearly basis and hadn't been done since 2000 or so. These machines will offer soda, candy bars and chips. If you want a hamburger or such, you still would go to the non-smoking break room.

    Twenty-five years ago this week, we spent a week and a half at the home of Harold Grubb in his guest house, while he was in San Francisco to see one of his sons. My mother cleaned for Mr. Grubb from 1982 until he died in 1994. Mr. Grubb, who was in contracting and built the current Ohio County Public Library had at his home a tennis court and a lake to swim and a small boat. (I could have actually snorkeled in the lake) Not all of the time was spent there, David was on the Elm Grove All-Stars and two games were played I recall, we checked on our house since he was on Peters Run Road heading to Clinton Hills. We did have people visit. We returned home on August 2, 1983 and the next day, Marlene had an appointment to have her senior pictures taken since she was going to be a senior in High School.

    Mr. Grubb, who many of you may remember wanted to build a office building on Mount DeChantal Road before his 1994 death but the Wheeling Planning Commission wouldn't let him have a zone change offered a couple other times in the past for our family to watch his house, but we were receiving our education at the time of those offers. The house was put up for sale in 1997 and family members have been at a standstill trying to have the property settled.

    The Way it Used to Be was a radio show Fred Grewe did as Fred Fable until his 2001 passing, it is something that needs to be an education to some of my co-workers as an announcement was made that on October 1, Casual Friday will no longer be part of my workplace. I will not entail all information on this other than the picture of the clothes i'm wearing in my default picture is probably one that will not be a concern. In the 1980's, the style was dress up for the girls wearing dress shoes over tennis shoes.

    On Friday, I received a 2 DVD box set of the old "Music City News Country Awards" which aired every June from 1978 to 1989 until Music City News merged it's awards show with the then Nashville Network. These are of interest because of my love of the Statler Brothers who won the most awards in those awards that actually began in 1967 I believe.

   The Statlers in 1985 won 6 awards and they also hosted the shows and at the start of the 1981 show did their alter ego Lester "Roadhog" Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys in which Lester portrayed by bass singer Harold Reid persuaded Roy Clark to ride a Brahman Bull. Please note if you have friends who are Statler Brothers fans they need to go to my Tripod web site to view the Statler Brothers page. I have to view the 1989 awards show because it didn't air live and I had taped WTRF go off the air and the cable company played the show on WPXI.

    Next week at this time I will be attending my 20 year reunion as I am deciding how to take my scrapbooks and my collage I made from the 10 year. One thing is for sure, I will not have to drag the collage into my work place which I had done for the 2003 15 year because I had it done at Kirk's Photo and Art Center which is no longer in business.

    My parents and I had honey chicken wings for dinner Saturday evening. I think it was the first time we had it for dinner. The dinner menu has gotten better at home.

    From the It sounded like something big, but it wasn't department: My parents went to a sale at the Wetzel County 4-H Camp outside New Martinsville (WV) on Saturday which was in the Green Tab last week saying it the sale was a big one, to their surprise there was only 4 tables worth of stuff.

   On March 14, 2002, me along with Jim Clemens and Rose Thomas were given a tour by Penny Agostini of our new work environment as we moved from Wheeling National to WesBanco as a result of a merger, one of the people we saw who we would work with was a older lady by the name of Gerrie Lovejoy.

    Gerrie passed away on Sunday night, as some health problems became the story since her December 31, 2003 retirement from WesBanco as reportedly some of the doctors she saw slowed her process towards medical procedures she needed.

    The memories of Gerrie I can remember are that Gerrie always wore dresses similar to what my paternal grandmother did 99 percent of the time I visited with her and that she would give updates on what tellers were up to when she was collecting work. She also was famous for having lunch with Doris Trabert (Her son Dave was President of WTRF from 1989 to 1992) on a daily basis and reportedly always never was late for work. Gerrie also worked in the office for Stone and Thomas until they were taken over by Elder-Beerman and was a Sunday School Teacher for many years at Shadyside (OH) Church of the Nazarene.

    Gerrie was well loved by those who worked with her at Check Processing and I imagine those who worked at Stone and Thomas and will be missed.

    The spending in our home in the last couple years has been at the vet's office with Mikey and his sugar which has been a rollercoaster ride for a while. In a Tuesday appointment, my parents who have had to spend 3 digits on medicine, only had to pay $35.

   Kim and Rosemary's house is up on the internet, well sort of... the house next to them which is a 2 unit house on Center Avenue is up for sale by the Real Estate business across from it. 2 pictures of the right side of their home was taken when the realtor took the picture of the 2 unit home.

    This Tuesday found Comcast Cable TV subscribers seeing less channels on their non-digital channel line-up as the move to digital television takes place in February. The Golf Channel for example, stayed put but moved to 31. The higher tier was placed on the Hallmark Channel, G4, MSNBC and some other channels which I didn't care really much about.

    JITH began Thursday with the main headliner Glen Dale native Brad Paisley who almost put on a 2 hour show. I watched JITH on WTOV and Paisley sang some of his hits, paid homage to John Denver for West Virginia residents with "Take me Home Country Roads" and in the background, videos of his music videos and appearances from Dierks Bentley, Whisperin' Bill Anderson and Little Jimmy Dickens plus Jewel. He did NOT sing the song from the new video that he did with Andy Griffith entitled "Waitin' on a Woman".

    The Sporting News College Football Preview Magazine predicts WVU for 8th in the Top 25 and an appearance New Year's night in the Orange Bowl against Clemson. Ohio State plays Georgia in the National Championship game one week later with Georgia predicted at number 1.

   Chuck and Jay, along with my Dad and David pilgrimed out golfing in the heat of the day Friday morning followed by a roast dinner served by my mother with Trish joining in.

    My mom took my nephew Seth to Target on Friday. My parents and I will be in Buckhannon in about 3 weeks to see their hunting land area.

   Seth, along with my dad golfed 36 holes Saturday afternoon in 90 degree heat. Everybody who is older than the age of 50 are recovering as my mother sort of fell in the toilet as the seats were up and her back is sore. Seth later went to Steve and Barry's at the Ohio Valley Mall to buy merchandise.

   Chuck and Jay reported that they didn't see any familiar faces that have come to the Stahnke home at JITH. We still miss Ron Gregan.

   The TV coverage was OK. Neal McCoy did his going to the top of the roof moment in his Saturday afternoon concert. WTOV rebroadcasted Joe Zelek and Brad Paisley's performances from Thursday on Saturday night before they rejoined NBC programming.

    In conclusion, I was totally shocked to learn of what happened Friday out in Dallas, WV where the postmaster was shot outside the unincorporated town's post office and later died in Morgantown. The man who did it was arrested in Zanesville, OH. If you visit my web site, you will see a building of the former Kimmins General Store which in the news video was remodeled. The Post Office was the former employer of Kim's Aunt Betty.

On Monday I debuted a poll at my Tripod web site that focused on Maurice Sendak's book "Where the Wild Things Are" that had not been based into a movie like almost all others have. Just a few minutes after the poll was open to the public, an e-mail which I opened late Monday night told to me by Melinda Brothers directed me to the IMBD web site where they are beginning filming for the movie. The poll produced 6 voters on Monday. I am yet to see "Kung Fu Panda" which I was aware of 2 years ago. Whether or not "Kung Fu Panda" will be at the new Marquee Cinemas opens at the Highlands next month it is a good bet "Where the Wild Things Are" will probably be playing.

  Staying on the Highlands, the Starbucks is closing at the end of this month.

I saw a bulletin from one of my MySpace friends Tuesday night that she is selling 2 Sunday Jamboree in the Hills tickets for $120 each, however $200 if you purchase both. This person is not alone in selling JITH tickets and it's dependent on the people. In this week's Green Tab, a local for sale ad paper in the Wheeling area here were some of the JITH ticket salers were putting their 4 day passes at about $175 or so. I am not sure how the tickets look with it being a 4 day show now from what they were when my parents, me and David went in 1982 and it was one ticket and Saturday was printed on the left and Sunday was printed on the right. This was back when the show was at Brush Run Park at Alderman Airport where they recently started presenting the new Wheeling Jamboree shows. In 1982, it was just 2 days, it went up against the Shrine Circus and probably the British Open on TV. I have never been enthused with Jamboree in the Hills by the way, because the Statler Brothers never performed at the show because after they did their July 4th show until 1994 in their home town of Staunton, VA they took the rest of the month off. I would hope Jimmy Fortune would perform at it one year.

This weekend is the 40th anniversary of "One Life to Live" which has aired on ABC since 1968. I have watched the show off and on since June 1980 when a character named Mario Corelli was watching ABC's "Schoolhouse Rock" on TV and eating cereal out of a box made it worth watching, but it was shows with Country Music singer Bill Anderson that started OLTL viewing in the house.    While the show does not actually have anyone that was there since day one, the person with the longest tenure is Erika Slezak, who has played the role of Viki Buchanan. The show also has had in the cast Tommy Lee Jones, who went on to movie stardom playing Mooney Lynn in "Coal Miner's Daughter", Judith Light who went on to play Angela Bower on "Who's the Boss?" and Ryan Phillipe who also did movies. Cast members who have been there for a long time have included Robert S. Woods as Bo Buchanan and Robin Strasser as Dorian, who is a nemesis to Viki. Phillip Carey also played on OLTL as Asa, but ended the role last year because he didn't want to go to recurring. The character died.     The show has had past and future sequences and within the past year has had a feel of the old CBS series "Alice" in a storyline when Viki took a job at Bon Jour Cafe in Paris, Texas.

A toothbrush is suggested for use every 3 months by a dentist. A story in the Sunday News-Register about the never ending drama with oil prices mentions that oil is used to make a toothbrush along with so many things such as your 7 year old's crayons and other things you use to groom and clean yourself were mentioned. I currently have 2 toothbrushes, one in each bathroom, a habit that took place last year while my ankle was in a cast.

   My Aunt Betty visited our house for the first time since Memorial Day 2006 when we last had a summer holiday family gettogether on Thursday night. As a result some snafus hit as far as the mail at our home between 10:30 Thursday morning and 10:00 Saturday morning. On Friday morning, I went to put out something for the mailman and the mail came and then I put a letter out to sell my computer for one of the newspapers Saturday morning when I got the newspaper and there was mail in the mailbox at 7:30, I was thinking to myself the mailman wanted to get done so he could beat the heat outside since humidity was going to be up, then the mail came at 10:00. It wasn't until a hour later I realized that my parents didn't check Thursday to see if the mail came due to Aunt Betty visited, so that meant I was getting the previous day's mail Friday and 7:30 Saturday morning. I noticed the mail at 10:00 A. M. included The Catholic Spirit newspaper which usually is delivered every other Saturday.

I thought about some things you may want to know about:

  First, Did you ever hear anyone say "You put the care in scare"?

  Second, Did you ever think that Texaco may have been a cross between Texas and Mexico?

  Third, I have an illustrated Dream Dictionary and I rarely use it because the dreams I have don't have the objects that are covered.

   Fourth, I could remember the names of pastors of every church that was listed in the Wheeling Intelligencer until they changed the church listings in 1999 and they dropped the pastor's names.

   Fifth, In May 1980, my brother David wore a blue casual suit when he made his first Holy Communion, 2 weeks later my mother made me wear it in my group school picture which had 4 people.

   Sixth, from 6 to 9 A. M. Steve Crow becomes the comic in Jimmy and Steve on WOVK and then after that gets serious as a salesman at Kurtz Monument.

    Last, if I ask Kim Kimmins to go to the Drive-in, I will sit with she and Rosemary at a future Saturday Mass at St. Vincent dePaul Church who will have a new minister.

   I talked about in my third fact about my Dream Dictionary about rarely using it. Scratch it off now when you read of one object mentioned:

I had a dream that I saw a motorcycle stand up and then fall down on it's own. I went to check and there was no mention of what is to happen, but it mentioned if you buy one and you are in for notoriety and fame, sell one and debt is to be repaid. It also mentioned driving a motorbike suggests problems at work and falling off one says a financial situation looks sticky. A motorcycle race is a sign you'll get a surprise to help solve a problem. Maybe I will put on my racing clothes here soon?

   This is the start of some of the highlights from my blogs I typed on MySpace this week. This is some of the info for those who access my Tripod web site.

   Those of you who plan to go to Jamboree in the Hills in a couple weeks will see Brad Paisley wrap up the first night on Thursday. One thing's for sure, contestants who played on Friday's show must not be Brad Paisley fans. In Double Jeopardy, the $2000 answer about the Glen Dale native in the category Country Music asked this Jason Alexander and William Shatner appeared in his videos "Celebrity" and "Online". One of the contestants in Friday's show was from Mount Vernon, Ohio.

   The fireworks was postponed until Saturday night in Wheeling while towns like Martins Ferry and Bethlehem held theirs Thursday night despite the wet conditions. Weirton and Steubenville teamed together to have theirs Friday night which was being held for the last time for a while because the Market Street Bridge where it was to be blown off from will be torn down next year.

   The rain also is playing havoc with the Beast of the East Tournament held at many ball fields here in Wheeling and surrounding areas. There were 2 games played up in Weirton on this July 4th and it was all that was played on this day.

    My fourth of July was celebrated quietly with Steak as dinner.