Yesterday…( that would be… Wednesday as I write this) …truly WAS one of THOSE days. Thankfully…. thankfully, I am blessed with friends and family. You know, so many different people reached out and helped me. Each of them… in a unique way.

Friends and family offer good advice. Janet said I need a lanyard. Lea Ann concurred. The fact of the matter is… I need about 15 to 25 lanyards. I think my neck would begin to ache.
I felt like an expansion bridge… I had so many friends offering great support.

My family came through as well.
Mary did a goofy kitchen dance. This made me laugh and cry at the same time.

I hung out with my #4 brother… and we laughed and laughed. We pretended we were the camel in the Geico Commercial… running through the office. “Hey. Guess what day it is. Heyyyyyy…… Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike.” Yep. Brother Jerry reminded me that laughter is good medicine.

And, then. My bro #3… gave me good energy and words of Zen Wisdom from the Western Seaboard. “Carry Water. Chop Wood.” Yes, my Brother Ed reminded me to be present in the moment. Keep things simple. Stay with your task.

Don’t put your iPhone in the washing machine, dumbhead.

But my go-to guy yesterday was my favorite uncle. Not on my Mom’s side… she is an only child. And while I have some incredible uncles on my Dad’s side… he isn’t there either.

Nope. My favorite uncle comes from Aisle Two.

My Uncle Ben. He is the guy that puts the rice in the orange box. I pour the rice from the box on my iPhone…. and viola’. Healed.
(By the way. He married my Aunt Jemima. She is sooooo sweet.)

Anyway.
Thanks everybody. I can hear you now.

“How much wood could a wood chop, chop?  If a wood chop, could chop, wood.” – Swinging Buddha

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.” – Buddha

It wasn’t so much one big thing…. as it was ten or twelve little occurrences… all lumped together.

Yes… Myron felt off-kilter. Out of balance. Heck… even out of bounds. Things just didn’t seem quite right.

He equated it much akin to the feeling of being on a roller coaster ride. Speeding along at 100 mph, whipping around curves, plunging downward without a moment’s notice.

Then, at once you realize in the midst of screaming in terror, you are…. at the same instant… screaming in delight.

Myron had a revelation … he might not be in the midst of a topsy turvy. It could be… that he was TRULY having a ball.

OR… it could be… that he laundered his SEVENTH iPhone. Yes… he ran yet another iPhone through the old Whirlpool Washing Machine.

Byron  while laughing and crying….. would shout it out….. “Oh boy. What a blast.”

“Polly.  You Dumb Head.” – Polly C Kronenberger

Here is the big argument, I’ll tell you.
It goes something like this.
Group A says:
Folks… this here is called a Hedge Apple. Plain and simple. That is the only thing we know them by.

Now, Hedge Apples are…. first and foremost… as bumpy as a wagon ride through the Northwest Territory. We admit they are green, and round…. but their number one quality is their bumps.
They come from trees, and typically fall to the ground during late summer or autumn. That is the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

And Group B says this.
Oh… we are forced to share this here field of trees with Group A…. and because of that…. we must point out… clearly and concisely ….. that they are indeed very wrong. This here sphere is called an Osage Orange. None other but.

We would also like to point out that the Osage Orange is far more green, and round, than anything else. While we recognize those bumps….. they are simply inconsequential. And yes… this fruit does live on trees. However, they drop to the ground BEFORE winter. Not during the late summer and autumn.

Now. That is how we see it. The Osage Orange. And we will not budge on this. At all.

Two sides divided about the “naming” of the very same thing.

So. There… my friends… is a perfect example of politics. Everybody recognizes the same “end” … they just have to be so dang different and stubborn…. in the process ….. and description of……  the means.

The scientific name is Maclura pomifera, by the way.
Let’s call it for what it is.

“Fear not those who argue but those who dodge.” – Dale Carnegie

There is something I should probably tell you about myself. While those who are closest to me… know this very personal fact….. not everyone does.

Some of you may want to sit down, while I speak about this…. Oh.
I’ll just come right out and say it. Okay? Okay.
Here it is. I think frogs are one of the coolest things going.

Yep. I love frogs. I have…. my entire life. Most people don’t like them at all….. they think they are gross, or cause warts… or that sort of thing.

But this I can tell you. I have never met a frog I didn’t like.  They dance when they leap.  And hop without socks.

I am pro-frog for a lot of different reasons. The first and foremost…. not just everyone can survive….. both on land and in water. Now that is some sort of feat. Webbed feet. Yes. Amphibians, they are. The word Amphibian means “two lives”…. and that is just swell.

And…. there goes another reason I like them…. those feet. They were the original world wide web. And oh how they can swim.

They have lots of incredible qualities…. unlike you and me. They jump like crazy. And when one is scared…. holy crap! It really jumps like crazy. Strong legs.  Meaty, even.

Some people like to eat those legs. I do not. Yes.  I have tried them in the past. I concur. They taste like chicken. So why not eat chicken? Bigger legs…. easier to get…. I mean Kentucky Fried Chicken and all. Thank god Emily doesn’t own the Kentucky Fried Frog here in town.

But back to why I like them…. they sing beautifully.

Frogs are green. Being green is good. Although… Kermit said it wasn’t easy.

Now, here is something. Scientists aren’t sure about the average life span of the frog in the wild. Some have been found who are as old as 14 years old. In captivity…. 24 years. However, in the wild…. they have many predators… like those crazy snakes. So most frogs don’t stick around that long.

I have become a bit of a Frog Saver. Every morning when I go out to take care of the swimming pool…. especially after a rain…. I begin the quest to save a frog or two.

Most of the times, I am successful, and I carry them down to our Koi Pond… which is now a Frog Pond with a couple of Koi in it.

Some days…. I can’t save the frog… and this makes me sad.

It makes me trouble to lose one.  Because, as I have said…… I like a frog. Any day.

One big reason is this. They have helped me my entire life. … in one way or another. They helped me learn. To overcome fears. How to swim better. And once upon a time… a frog helped me to find…. not a Prince… but a Star.

I just thought…. because we are so close…. that you should know this about me. I am fond of frogs.

“We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success.” – Henry David Thoreau

Due to the underwhelming response to yesterday’s entry on Project 16010… I’ve come to the conclusion that I am the only Fine Lawbreaking Citizen around.

With that… I’ve come to this.
If we all take the time to contemplate ourselves and our lives…. we can see pretty quickly that each of us unique. I think we all know that tingly feeling inside….. that we get from time to time. The one that reminds us that we are different from anybody else on the face of this earth.

Every person I have ever asked about this…. has… at one point…. had this perception.

Yep. It is as sure as I am sitting here. I am myself. From head to toe…. the good and the bad, the light and the shadow of me. I am myself…. in what I like and show to others, what I condemn and hide from others.

I am made up of all of that.

I am. And back at ya’! You are all that you are.

We are unique. Perhaps some of us are very similar…. but certainly not exactly the same.

As I look at the rest of the world, I see that this is our intrinsic nature. And, I think this is true… no wait. I know this is true …. of all the beings in our world….. animals and plants. Rocks and water droplets. Birds and mountains.

Many very smart people, scientists, and philosophers…. throughout history…. have pointed this out. Long before me. I’ll tell you that right now.

So. What do we do with this? Well, it seems apparent to me.. that we must learn to live more consciously. To honor, and share, and celebrate this uniqueness which exists in all of life. In all its various facets of diversity. In the physical, the mental, the emotional, and most certainly, the spiritual.

So. I’m glad to know you. Different you. Different me.

“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” – Margaret Mead

“You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.” – Martha Graham

Let’s face it.
All of us break the law. We can’t help it really. Most of us do it every day. If you own a dog, and don’t have a license for it… lawbreaker. Perhaps you have forgotten to check the underside rack of your grocery cart, and walked out with a sack of potatoes there. Lawbreaker.
Or you threw a gum wrapper toward a public trashcan, and it fell to the ground? Perhaps stepped on someone’s property without their consent? Walked on a Railroad Track? Again. Lawbreaker.

Insignificant little laws? Well, perhaps. But laws nonetheless. Imagine if we were caught on tape and fined each and every time we committed these offenses. Lawbreakers in the Poorhouse…. that’s what we’d be. And imagine the red tape of it all. The hubbub.

I say an emphatic and resounding “NO” to Big Brother watching. Who knows where the next cameras will be installed.  On our nature walks? In our homes? Well this much is for sure….. My bathroom is OUT…… Mr. 1984.

Why the schtick tonight about this? Well. I just saw red light cameras go up in a few intersections of this little town of ours. Oh sure. I know all the “benefits” of them. Blah, blah, blah… blah, blah.

But here is the deal. In the first 32 years of driving, I had never been issued a ticket. Ever. One warning. Never a ticket. Yet. In the past 2 years, I have had four speeding tickets. ALL… as a result of the Camera Cop. And technically, if you are traveling 26 mph in a 25 mile per hour zone…. LAWBREAKER.

Rhymes with Jawbreaker. And I’ll tell you this much….. just like a Jawbreaker…… it sucks.

But why do I take such offense to this?
While camera surveillance isn’t such a big deal right now, it has the potential of snowballing.

AND…. I think that if we follow every little letter… of every little law…. ONLY because we live in FEAR of those Watchers… those in Power …. then we might just lose that one very special thing about us.

Yes. That incredible part of the human potential. And that is…. The Choice.  Yes.  That decision….. when no one…. absolutely no one is watching, we make the decision to do the right thing…. simply because…. we know in out hearts.  It is the right thing to do.

“We need to have a purpose in this life. I’m pleading with you, I’m begging with you to do the right thing. And do it not for the sake of how it will impact your own lives, but only for the sake of doing the right thing.” – James McGreevey

Alright. One more Preble County Biography, and then I will quit. Now this county is full of farmers. Still to this day. Preble is a county filled and fueled by agriculture.

The early settlers… those agricultural types… were very hard working folks, I’ll tell you. Yessirreeee. So this story is about one family in the northern part of the county. Jackson Township to be exact. The McWhinneys.

They certainly knew about working the land. One in particular, Matthew McWinniney, Sr., emigrated to Preble County. He was born in Tennessee in 1790. The American Revolution was still fresh in the minds of everyone at that time. I wonder if he knew Paul Revere, or any one like that?

At any rate, Matt met a gal named Temperance Kendrick. The two of them got hitched. And apparently they couldn’t stand their in-laws…. or something like that. Because shortly after the wedding, they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly. Hills that is. Swimming Pools. Movie Stars.

Oh wait. I’m getting my stories screwed up. The McWinneys loaded up one wagon and one horse…..and came here. They entered in 80 acres of land. Cleared it and farmed it. They were good farmers, hard workers, and they kept on planting lots of hay. They turned those 80 acres into 320. I am telling you… they could turn a row of weeds into a cash crop.

Not only were they good hard working farmers … they got busy in other ways too. They had 12 children in all…. many of whom laid roots in Preble County. Prolific bunch. So much so, you’d think they were Catholic.

Ahhh…. but they weren’t Catholic at all. They were one of the first members of a group called “The People’s Church” up near New Westville. Up, Up With People. The minister was one T.M. McWhinney… which probably stood for…. Tall Man McWhinney. Or Tacky Mittens McWinney. Any way. There were a couple of Elders in that church… and a little bit of a power struggle ensued between them.

It ended in a challenge and a duel. McWhinney and the other elder… one James Neal… paced it off with pistols one Saturday afternoon behind the church. Ten paces and blammo….

Neither one got shot… but three members of the congregation who were watching the duel… were injured by stray bullets. Thankfully, no one died.

So… they decided to start two separate and different churches. One in West Florence, and the other in New Westville. That is all I can write tonight… …. I just can’t tell you the West.

Except for this. I am not quite sure about the duel… but I had to add a little drama to this otherwise mundane tale.

So there you have it. Good thing they were hard-working hay farmers. If they would get arrested for being in more duels…. they could always get out on bale.

“Talent in cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King

Down the road.
There are a lot of things down the road.
You just never really know what you will find, once you start heading in one direction or another.

It could be a fence, with a long line of pine trees beyond.  And when those trees drop their needles…. well… some fall to the ground.  Others, get caught, on the cross lines of the fence.  Some remain on the branches, intact, on the tree.

Which of them fall to the ground, and which catch the fence?  It could be how the wind was blowing at the moment.  OR perhaps, the pine needles decide for themselves, where they will stay, or where they will go.

But there they are.
In their own little place.
Just.

Down the road.

We don’t think about slavery being here in Preble County.  At least, I don’t.

But the fact of the matter is…. many of the very early settlers had slaves.  They just weren’t really allowed to call them such.  You see… Ohio became Ohio…. officially by the United States nomenclature… in 1803.   Slavery was abolished here in 1802.  Plenty went on before then, though.

Many of the landowners prior to that time owned slaves.  And, many still had “indentured” servants after 1802.  An “Indenture” is basically (historically) ….    an agreement binding an apprentice to a master.  (It is also common to be found (historically) as a a contract by which a person agreed to work for a set period for a landowner in a British colony in exchange for passage to the colony…. but those were mostly poor white guys from England…. working for rich white guys from England.)

Back to slavery.   Every once in a while…. you will find little mentions of it here in there. For instance, in the Eaton Register & Preble County Advocate.. which appeared on the “news stands” on  May 26, 1836….  published these two notices.

“Ran away from the subscriber, an indented apprentice to the farm business, Peter T. Longnecker, of darke complexion, 18 years old, had on a brown cloth coat and pants – took with a black and white hat – all of his apparel.  Anyone returning him shall have a 25¢ reward.  Jacob Fudge, Lanier Township.  May 5, 1836.”

And this….

“Ran away from subscriber 5th April, an indented apprentice to the blacksmith trade, named Joseph Hileman, living in Camden.  Reward will be given for his apprehension.  Jesse Carnes, Camden, April 12, 1836.”

It really makes me wonder about life in Preble County in 1836…. what it was like.  The Civil War was a quarter of a century away.  Yet… thirty years after slavery was abolished here….  there were still plenty of people being held against their will.  Working, slaving…. for nothing.

An apprenticeship?  Well, it sounds good on paper doesn’t it?

It is my hope that Joseph and Peter met one another.  Perhaps… they took the role of squatters…. here and there… until they found a place where they could settle.  Probably further north.

Or maybe they made their way down to Fairhaven, here in the county, and hopped a ride on the Underground Railroad….

It was a good time to run for freedom, though.  Spring was springing.  The air would be warm for about another 5 or 6 months… enough time to find work, and a place to stay.

I truly hope that nobody handed them over for a 25 cent piece.  It seems very clear to me. ….. a person’s life ought to be worth more than that.  Yep.  That is what I hope.

And…I also hope you will discover more stories like this.  There is  future in your past… and a past in your future.  So.  If you get a chance…. think about…..

Checking out the activities this weekend at the Fall Gathering.  IT is at the Preble County Historical Society.  AND. This message brought to you by KRONYTOWN…. builders of the the “Your Way Time Machine.  We make it your way.  Have it your way.”

Now, this is a story that took place right here in Preble County…. way back in 1806.  As it happens, the setting for this tale is just a few miles from my home.

It involves a few families of that time.  Let us start with the Enochs.   James Enoch came here, to see where his brother (Isaac) had settled.  In time….. Old Jim brought his son, William, with him, and left him in charge of the farm…. to fatten the hogs and such.  Well one day, the son, William, fell ill.  His sickness was described as terrible fits.

The only other person there at home, was “Old Mrs. Enoch”… the elderly Aunt of William.  She called to the neighbors for help.  Now…. hold on to your hats here.

Because…..  into the picture comes one of my favorite Gasper Township settlers.  His name, was Silas Dooley.   Silas “Rocking” Dooley.

Now Old Mrs. Enoch told Silas that the boy had fallen ill.   He lay gravely sick with convulsions, and there was no doctor in the area.

Silas was a stand-up, go-to, kind of guy.  So he ran 3 and 1/2 miles to the farm of “Big Jim Crawford”.  Let me add here…. that this was in the cold and snow of winter.  Silas was barefoot and scantily clad.  But he made that run, by golly, he did.

But.  Back to Big Jim Crawford…. the neighbor.  He was known as a bit of a “Medicine Man” in these here parts.  He used seeds…. and herbs, and weeds, and flowers, and such … to cure people like magic.   You see, he had Indian connections.

But all this snow-running was to no avail.  When they arrived back at the Enoch’s…. the boy was dead.

However…. Silas had made friends with Big Jim.  And many of the Indian families Big Jim was acquainted with.  And wouldn’t you know….. Silas let them camp on his land.  Yes, he made hearty friends with those Indians.  Silas was a Freethinker.

While most people in the area feared the Indians… old Silas… well… he was a stand-up, go-to, kind of guy.   Silas was one of the Indian Pals.     They helped one another, trading vegetables, and meats, and furs, and such.  A long friendship ensued.  Silas was a fair-minded, and kind man. A Pioneer of Accepting Diversity.

Now… this isn’t 50 Shades of Gray, or The Hunger Games…. but it is a good story.   Imagine the wonderful gems of history which are around every corner in this county.   You might be surprised if … if you just take the time… to look.

And… of course… next comes  one of the many shameless plugs you will be subjected to this week.

What better place to find history, than at the Preble County Historical Society.  And what better time to do it… than this weekend during the Fall Gathering Festival at the PCHS Farm.  I’m just saying.

Yeah Baby.  Silas would go.  Barefoot.

“In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction”  – Audre Lorde

http://www.preblecountyhistoricalsociety.com/