Once Upon A Time There Were 4 Little Boys

Once upon a time, there were four little boys.  These little boys loved to go to a magical wonderland, called Pappy’s Place.

One cold Monday evening, these four boys arrived at Pappy’s for a night of food and fun.  The evening was filled with sounds of boy ecstasy; as over a period of three hours, these four boys did not stop playing.

The youngest of the four, affectionately called O’Mike, was keeper of the fire, assisting Pappy with firewood, stoking, and telling Pappy “it’s too hot.”  O’Mike also kept Pappy on his radar screen for the entire evening, as his most common question was “Pappy, where you at?”  O’Mike was great at finding Pappy, as they played hide & seek, and they played ping pong, and they played Bigfoot, and O’Mike was the one that sought out Pappy for meal time.

Almost immediately upon arrival at the magical wonderland, WP & O’Mike began their ping pong tournament, which quickly turned to big wheels, which became Wii bowling, Wii golf, and Wii tennis.  But wait, there’s more!  Yes, for within an hour of arrival, the other two little boys had arrived; with their names being Jared & Jack. 

Within .003 milliseconds of the arrival of Jared & Jack, the four boys had burst outside for flag football.  Running around the back yard in the cold temps did not deter these boys, and ‘flag’ is just a useless euphemism, as each of them (save Jared) tries their best to tackle the ball carrier.  The rules for this form of football are somewhat convoluted, but it does not matter to this motley crew, as they keep their eye on the prize of running for the dirt pile, which has become their end zone.

Once their lungs were sufficiently burned from gasping the cold winter air, they came inside for a brief respite in front of the fire; only to be whisked upstairs by Queen Nini for board games.  In a period of 22 minutes, these little boys played approximately 12 different board games, and once exhausted from this activity, they came downstairs to eat.

Pappy had made these boys an Italian feast replete with his infamous home-made Lasagna, toasted crust points, and Bruschetta.  The adoring fans of this feast consumed approximately 2.5 total bites of food between the 4 of them; as it was time to hunt Bigfoot!

Camp Bigfoot had been discovered earlier in the evening, with rumors of Bigfoot resting inside a mammoth size tent that had been built in the nearest living room.  Flash lights were emptied from the cabinets, and O’Mike (the bravest of the four) led the search party.  The sounds of Bigfoot permeated the walls, the halls, and the hearts of these four young lads; but it was all for naught, as Bigfoot eluded capture yet again.

As it became evident that Bigfoot would not be captured, a few of the boys lit out for a room filled with trains, building blocks, and the GI Joe army men.  The others decided it was time for more football but quickly too decided that they would be involved in capturing enemy troops fortified behind plastic bunkers.  It was a brutal fight, but in the end, the green plastic GI Joe’s prevailed!

But gasp!  Bath time was upon them.  A breath had yet to be taken amongst these four boys, and how was it possible that 3 hours had passed so quickly?  This night was a night for speed bathing though ~ get in and out as quick as possible, washing only the most smelly of parts, and head back to the front; as there was still time remaining for one more game of Wii, or would it be ping pong?

Instead, the boys opted to be measured for enlistment into Pappy’s Place “Hall Of Fame”.

Prince Jared beamed when it was announced that at age 7 years and 4 months, that he had attained the height of 4’ 5”, with a weight of 65 lbs.  It was mutually agreed that in only 12 more years that Price Jared will tower over all of us at 6’ 4”.

Prince WP glowed when it was announced that at age 5 years and 3 months, that he had attained the height of 3’ 81/2”, with a weight of 39 lbs.  Consensus confirmed that in only 14 more years, Prince WP will stand tall at 6’ 1”, but at a rather boney 155.

Prince Jack shouted with glee when it was announced that at age 3 years and 11 months, that he had attained the height of 3’ 6”, with a weight of 37 lbs.  Prophetic revelation believes that Prince Jack will be known in 16 years on football fields around the nation as the human ‘fire hydrant’, with the power of 230 lbs. compacted onto a 5’ 6” frame, not to be caught by anyone!

Price O’Mike postured his position when it was announced that at age 2 years and 7 months, that he had attained the height of 3’ 41/4”, with a weight of 31 lbs.  O’Mike’s skeptics have long since headed for the hills, as this is gonna be one big dude.  6’ 3” and 225 lbs. of solid muscle is going to bust some heads if they get in his way on the basketball court.  Yes, the basketball court, as O’Mike is a wizard with a ball in those hands.

Two bags of popcorn were enjoyed over a few episodes of George, and then it was time for Pappy’s Princes to head home for slumber and dreams of the next magical trip to Pappy’s Place.

They’ll be back for more though, and very soon!  Of that, Pappy can be sure, and thankful, for Pappy is a blessed man.  A blessed man indeed.   

Angela Corinne ~ Happy Birthday!

This blog has special instructions.  Before proceeding, please solve the following word problem:

The X-ray techs start their shift at 06:45 on Monday's & Friday's.  On 2 of the remaining 5 days of the week, their shifts begin at 14:45, allowing for 3 days to be considered 'off'.  The QT fuel trucks use the entire 24 hour day, 365 days a year to deliver fuel to their stations, with each tanker truck holding a predetermined amount of fuel.  The Big 12 was the Big 8.  As the Big 12, it became 8 teams, 9 teams, and now is 10 teams; though it is still called the Big 12.  1980 was a leap year, 1981 was not.  On any given morning at 07:00, there are 142 diners in the hospital cafeteria, with 63% of them consuming eggs, and 81% of those consuming coffee.  However, in the nursery, if there are only 36 cribs, 2 nurses, and 12 mothers about to deliver babies in the maternity ward; what will the ratio of cribs to nurses to mothers be in relation to the number of babies about to be delivered? Assuming that 2 of the mother's are pregnant with twins, how will this effect the nurses lunch schedule, and what will the frequency be for newborns that require hourly diaper changes, since this February of '81 only has 28 days?  Lastly, because the QT driver is an OSU basketball fan in the Big 8, how will he go "Back To The Future" to see tonight's tipoff, since the movie was not made until 1985, with roman numerials written as MCMLXXXV?  Using Pi (3.14159 in case you have forgotten), please justify your answer: _________________________________________

My baby girl turns 31 today.  Happy Birthday Honey! 

My snaggletooth, my jabba-the-hut, my "it's just you and me kid", my Angel, my Bange, my Bangela, my foot-action-ang, my Tony Roma's manager, my roller-coaster-hating, my #23 loving, my 6 time world champion Bulls games watcher, my Angie-math, my vomit hating, my word problem despising, my almost Mrs. Zeke (thank you Lord she's not), my sleeper, my sister, my Shania concert date, my Carrie concert date, my Barnaby loving; daughter.  My own daughter.  I love the memories, and I love being her father . . .

Angela was almost born on Christmas Eve, 1980, as Pam went into labor when Angela was 6 months old, and though advances in medicine were great, the odds would have been on the low side for Angela to have lived, had she been born.  Pam had an emergency c-section surgery to stop the labor; but it was a crisis pregnancy for the next 2 months.

Angela was born by c-section, 5 weeks premature, quite a tiny baby of only 6 lbs., and she was very sick.  Pam had gained over 50 lbs., and it was a rough pregnancy.  Angela was born with 'massive fetal acites', as her belly was swollen and was much-much larger than her head; unable to fit through the birth canal.

Angela was in the neo-natal intensive care nursery of St. John's for 3 weeks, and I tear up writing this thinking about my baby girl almost dying; but being one of the fortunate ones that made it.  That nursery was, and still is, filled with lots of sadness, but thankfully more happiness than sadness.  Babies filled the rooms being born 1-2 lbs., kept alive on respirators for 1 year, and still the baby only weighed 3-4 lbs. after a full year out of the womb before they went home.

Bo James Galloway.  No, that is not Angela's husband.  But, it would have been a cool part of the story had they at least met later in life; and who knows, they still might.  I just couldn't leave him out, as their cribs were always next to each others in the nursery.  Bo James was also a premie born on the same day as Angela, very sick too, weighing in at about 5 lbs.  Bo had lung problems (as most premies do), and it was pathetic to watch this tiny little boy struggle for every breath.  Bo made it out of the hospital though, and we lost track of him, but we shared many days/nights with his parents at the same time that Angela was in the hospital.

Angela was born with a full head of long thick black hair, and with skin much darker than normal as a result of her sickness.  On birth day, when Pam was drugged out of her mind from pain killers of the surgery, the nurse laid Angela on Pam's chest in that cherished 'first look' moment, and Pam burst out not with tears, but with a shout still echoing in the halls "That's NOT my baby! that's a BLACK baby! Where's my baby?!"  Nanny was alongside the bed, and reassured Pam, as I did, that this was indeed Angela, and that no one had switched her baby.  It was quite a funny exchange, and of course, the attending black nurse standing right next to the bed got a real kick out it too . . .

Jackie, our oldest daughter, was born bald.  She was still bald when Angela was born 22 months later.  Pam also was born bald.  Neither Pam nor Jackie had had a shock of hair until nearly 3, so it was quite a surprise to Pam that her newest daughter had hair, and a lot of hair, and that it was black.  Genetics?  What does that matter?  My parents both had black hair.  Pam's dad had the thickest and most black hair that I'd ever seen (and even now at 75, his hair is still mostly black).  Plus, when I had hair, it was black.  So, why shouldn't Angela have had black hair?  Well, she should have, but Pam still had issues with the hair; remember, it was a drug thing . . .

Earlier I wrote that the premie nursery was a very sad place.  One day (or night) I don't remember which, Pam and I came to the hospital to visit Angela.  She was gone.  We looked in every crib, in every room.  We thought she was being changed, bathed, fed, or something, but she wasn't with any of the nurses either.  She was gone, we thought she'd died and that no one had called us.  After our panic subsided, one of the nurses said "she's not gone, she's right over there" as she pointed to our baby with a white beanie cap on her head to keep her warm.  (Here's the pic.)  We weren't really looking for a baby, we were looking for the baby with all the black hair, and the beanie cap completely covered her black hair, making her look bald.  What a relief.

We didn't have a name for Angela until she was born.  Pam and I had waffled on names, and just couldn't come up with one.  But, on the day of her birth, I thought she was an Angel, and thought of Angela.  Pam loved it too, and that's how she was named.  The Corinne came from a character in our favorite sit-com "Soap".  It only took me 30 years to learn how to spell Corinne though.  See, the birth certificate is wrong, but you can't fix those, at least not affordably.  It reads Corrinne, not Corinne as it should.  And, over the years, I spelled it both ways, plus Corrine; oh well, I finally figured out a way to remember it, and of course, numbers did it.  1, 2.  Don't ask.

Angela today is a great wife, mother, and a friend.  As her father, (no, it wasn't the black man) I can also say that I am now friends with both of my daughters.  It's an age and maturity thing, hard for me to explain, but I love the father-daughter-friend relationship that I have with both of my daughters as their father, and as their friend.

Angela has been married to Joe for 6 years, is mother to Ava Corinne and Emma Jo, and is a stay at home mom. 

I love her dearly, and will forever.  Happy Birthday Sweetheart :-)   - Dad

P.S.  Angela said that she wanted Carrie's legs for her birthday, so here they are. 

Happy Birthday Ava!

My monster; my Ava Corinne Franco turns 6 years old today.  Happy Birthday Ava!  I love you!

Ava, age 6, (not 16) has become a Bieber fan.  My gosh, this little girl gushes whenever Bieber is around, be it TV, a movie, a poster, a lunch box decal . . .

She’s not abandoned the glamour and glitz of Taylor Swift, as she still idolizes her too.  (They are pretty much the only two acts on her CD; Justin & Taylor).
When I was 6, I still ate worms.  I was riding a tricycle.  I was learning to walk, talk, and chew gum at the same time (remember, I was a slow learner).  Actually, now that I think of it, I still can’t walk, talk, and chew gum at the same time . . .

But 6?  Really, can she only be 6?  She's lost 9 teeth, when some tikes have yet to lose their 1st!  This little brainiac girl is eons ahead of others physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  The sounds of her Christmas meal prayer still reverberate in my ears, as she spoke with more eloquence, intelligence, and heart-felt sincerity than most 40 year old adults speak with.

And her sense of fashion!? Wow, how can that be?  She knows about ear rings, necklaces, and how to put together a fashion-forward ensem that most 14 year old girls would swoon over.

I’ve had the pleasure of dining with her at lunch a few times this school year.  She owns the lunch room, she owns the teachers, and she sure as heck owns the playground.  Everyone knows Ava, or wants to know Ava.  I was invisible, other than to the line of kids at the monkey bars that wanted me to help them across after they saw me do the same for Ava.  The way she commands attention, or commands an audience, or shows her natural leadership traits is astonishing.

Wow, she blows me away, and has since she was born.  I so look forward to seeing what she does with her life.  What will she be???  What will she do???  No doubt that God gave her a special set of skills.

I love you Ava.  Happy Birthday!  - Pappy

Groundhog Day!

Today is Groundhog Day!  This is a strange day of meteorological observance that I enjoy.  It is a day that has many followers, and for those of us that are; we are devoted to the forecast. Despite the mild January, Phil saw his shadow this morning, and said "6 more weeks of winter!" 

As legend (folklore) states:  if it is cloudy when the groundhog emerges from its burrow, it will leave its burrow, signifying that winter weather will come to an early end.  But, if it is sunny, the groundhog will see his shadow and go back into his burrow; allowing winter to continue for six more weeks.

Ever since the movie was released in 1993, I have wanted to visit Punxsutawney, PA, and be one of the crowd of 40,000 gathering on a cold Feb. 2^nd morning to ‘hear the proclamation’ from Phil himself!  This is a tradition that has existed since 1886, and books up neighboring hotels/motels for years in advance.

What a great escapist movie this is.  I had a tradition of watching the movie every Groundhog night for 12 years in a row, until Pam finally said “Enough!”, and I’ve never watched it since . . .  

I love the way the official historian writes the historical record of the day.  Here it is, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do J

“In western countries in the Northern Hemisphere the official first day of Spring is almost seven weeks (46–48 days) after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or March 21. About 1,000 years ago, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar when the date of the equinox drifted in the Julian calendar, the spring equinox fell on March 16 instead. This is exactly six weeks after February 2.

The custom could have been a folk embodiment of the confusion created by the collision of the two calendrical systems. Some ancient traditions marked the change of season at cross-quarter days such as Imbolc when daylight first makes significant progress against the night. Other traditions held that Spring did not begin until the length of daylight overtook night at the Vernal Equinox.

So, an arbiter, the groundhog, was incorporated as a yearly custom to settle the two traditions. Sometimes Spring begins at Imbolc, and sometimes Winter lasts 6 more weeks until the equinox.”

WOW!