Giving Thanks for 2015

Dear George,

Aside from turkey and pro football games, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the many sources of pleasure and well-being in our lives.  Once you start thinking about giving thanks, it makes you realize how many people contribute in valued ways to our lives.  I started making a list that began with my childhood, but that was totally unmanageable, so I decided to stick with 2015.  Here some thanks for my year to date:

BIG THANKS TO: 

·       Katja for getting me a Fitbit and lots of other good stuff too.

·       L and V for being such smart and funny grandchildren.

·       J and K for lovingly raising those wonderful kiddies.

·       Linda and Ted for being devoted grandparents.  

·       My sister Vicki for being there through thick and thin.

·       Gayle for her many cheery e-mail messages (continuing Peter’s good habits). 

·       Ami for joining us for a family holiday in Cincinnati.

·       David for lots of laughs via California cell-phone calls.

·       Donna for being a hardy sheepdog hiking buddy.

·       Jennifer for lots of Clifton walks and talks.

·       Phyllis for organizing our flea market expeditions.

·       Eleanor and Sam for being such steadfast longtime friends.

·       Cate for inspiring us wannabe poets.

·       Jill for making line dancing a lot of fun.

·       Sally, Carol, John, and many other classmates for good times at our high school reunion.

·       Bob and Lois A. for hosting me on my July Menominee trip.

·       Our nephew Greg for keeping our family Birch Creek property thriving. 

·       Dr. Bo for helping us through painful end of life dog decisions.

·       The Bengals and Packers, the UC Bearcats, Cincinnati’s wealth of cultural activities, the Esquire Theater, HBO and Showtime, our new Clifton Library, my new Nikon camera, and a host of other attractions and amusements in our world.

·       Perhaps most of all, our Old English Sheepdogs Mike and Duffy for bringing thirteen years of joy to our lives. 

Love,

Dave

The Chicken Wedding and Other Flights of Fancy

Harry and Pauline

Dear George,

Sadly, our Autumn quarter poetry writing workshop has come to an end, so I thought I would share some of my poems of the season.  The Chicken Wedding, held almost half a century ago now, was the biggest event in local TV history.  Like half of Cincinnati, Katja and I stayed home from work to watch it, and I decided it was time for a commemoration.   A couple of these poems were inspired by Halloween, including a sonnet about my imaginary stepsister, Morticia.  Apart from that fantasy, everything else is as true as pumpkin pie. 

Love,

Dave

The Ballad of the Chicken Wedding

If you are a Cincy old-timer

You’ll remember the Paul Dixon Show 

’Twas the toast of WLW-T

Silly nonsense as you and I know

Paul Baby was the Mayor of Kneesville

As corny as corny could be

He  called it “the dumbest show ever”

And gave out salami for free

A fan sent a rubber chicken one day

Paul gave her the name of Pauline

He held her up during Kroger ads

Then tossed her out of the scene

Soon a second rubber chicken arrived

Paul announced that Harry was his name

Pauline gave Harry a winsome smile

Within minutes she became Harry’s flame

Viewers wrote in and asked and begged

Will Harry and Pauline ever marry?

Paul mulled it over and finally relented

Though at first he had been rather wary

The wedding was set for March Eleventh

The year, Nineteen Sixty-Nine

Paul Dixon presided over the event

The chickens were looking so fine

Harry had a tux with a boutonniere

Pauline wore a white bridal gown 

Paul Dixon himself wore a black top hat 

It was torn in two at the crown

Bonnie Lou and Colleen were the matrons of honor

Bob Braun was Harry’s best man

Marian Spelman sang the wedding song

Bruce Brownfield led the house band

This was the wedding of the century

The people took a day off from work 

Kids skipped school to see the affair

The ten-year-olds watched with a smirk

After the wedding was over and done

The couple took a white limousine

The reception was held at the Lookout House

Hundreds came to see and be seen

The chicken wedding was a triumph

Number one in the station’s history

Paul Dixon always thought that amazing

He found his appeal a mystery

The cast is now gone to the Show in the Sky

But Pauline and Harry remain

Even though their feathers are tattered and gray

They still coo love’s ardent refrain

All Hallows Eve

On Halloween we shed our normal selves 

We dress as ghosts or pirate kings and queens 

Then frolic with the goblins and the elves

And fill our sacks with purple jelly beans

But Halloween is more than tricks and games

For it’s the night the dead return to life

The witches’ brew is bubbling on the flames

And Dracula is seeking his sixth wife

The children ring the bell in search of treats

They’re clueless about what awaits their fate

Ten snarling werewolves prowl the city streets

A ghoul digests the bulbous flesh he ate

I think that I will stay at home tonight           

I’ve worked myself into a state of fright

My Stepsister Is A Vampire

You’d never think it when you first see her

Her eyes are green, her hair is red and long

But weird things happen when she’s near a mirror

And two sharp fangs confirm that something’s wrong

Another fact is she does not grow old           

She’s ninety-eight but she looks twenty-nine 

I touch her brow and feel her skin so cold

A piercing shudder races down my spine

She brings men home and soon they disappear

I ask about them but she shakes her head

Something’s going on that is quite queer

Last  Sunday I found three of them stone dead 

Despite these quirks I love my sister true

That’s only right ‘cause I’m a vampire too

An Ode to the Lean Cuisine

I’m normally not a braggart           

But I’d say I’m a very fine cook

I never even boiled an egg before

Now I think about writing a book

When our son lived at home years ago

His mother made dinner each day

But then he went off to college

And family meals went by the way

It was every cook for himself

Healthy Choices were first my routine

I picked them because they were healthy

But then I learned how to be Lean

Lean Cuisines are not frozen dinners

One should view them as frozen cuisines

They’re invented by the finest chefs in France

Who prepare them for kings and for queens

There are over a hundred varieties

Amazing but that is the truth

They’re so low in trans fats and calories

It’s like dining at the Fountain of Youth

There is Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli

Supreme Pizza and Five-Cheese Lasagna

Stuffed Cabbage and Baked Rigatoni

Shrimp Pasta and Chicken Marsala

We always have forty-plus boxes in stock

They fill the top half of our freezer

I’m partial to turkey and salisbury steak

Macaroni if I feel like a geezer

My favorite, of course, is Swedish Meatballs 

It’s a dish that my dear mother made

Lean Cuisine might have stolen her recipe

There are unsavory tricks in this trade

My culinary skills are quite polished

First you open the box at one end

Peel back two corners of the plastic

Six minutes — not seven or ten

I eat Lean Cuisines every noontime for lunch

And then have a second for dinner

Now that they have breakfast items too

America will soon be much thinner

This is the end of my tribute

Lean Cuisines are the star of our times

I wish I could think of more to say

But I seem to have run out of rhymes

Losing Mikey

Dear George,

Last Saturday morning we took Mike, our remaining sheepdog, to the vet for an assessment, and, after some consultation, we made the difficult decision to have him euthanized.  We’d gone through the same procedure with Duffy several months ago.  The decision with Duffy was more clearcut since he was diagnosed with bone cancer, had fractured a leg, and was in severe pain.  There really wasn’t any choice in the matter.  Mike was more of a quality of life issue.  He’s been unable to get up from the floor by himself for months, has needed help getting up and down the stairs, had become incontinent, was suffering chronic pain from severe arthritis, and couldn’t be left alone in the house for any period of time without experiencing extreme distress.  We could have continued as we have been, providing him with a lot of physical caretaking, but, with the prospect of no improvement and continued decline, Mike’s  painful situation didn’t seem to warrant it.  I think we made the correct decision, but it’s hard nonetheless.  We were with Mike when the vet administered a sedative and then a drug to stop his heart.  It was painless for Mike, literally a matter of being put to sleep.  Lots of tears for us.     

Mike and Duffy have given us untold joy for over thirteen years, and we’ll experience their loss for a long time to come.  The dogs were my loyal companions on hikes in local parks, long neighborhood walks, camping expeditions, occasional road trips, and just hanging out in the house.  They were widely known in our neighborhood and provided the occasion for lots of casual contact with fellow dog owners and passersby.  Despite being brothers from the same litter, Mike and Duffy were very different in temperament.  Duffy was the alpha dog — more aggressive, dominant, and anxious.  He was the rowdier of the two.  When I think of Mike, the two words that pop into mind are “sweet” and “gentle”.  He was much more laid back than Duffy.  I can’t think of a single time where he ever barked at another dog on the street, and he stopped and stared at strangers, hoping to get a few pets.  He liked to lie in bed and lick our feet, and he was an expert at balancing on his back for minutes at a time with his legs outstretched and paws up in the air.  We still are attuned to his presence in the house, expecting him to be around the corner or to remind us that it’s 5:00 and time for dinner.  Katja was certain that she could hear him whimpering in the dining room yesterday evening.   

We’ve worked through losses in the past with pet dogs that we’ve been very attached to, and I know that we’ll cope with this all right and eventually get back to normal.  For myself, I’ve lost two loved companions and a significant and happy slice of my daily routines.  We’re at a life stage where we probably won’t get another dog.  I’ll have to figure out what will replace Mike and Duffy, or if that’s even possible at all.

Love,

Dave

The Night Our House Turned Blue

Dear George,

Last month Katja and Donna went on a two-week Rick Steves tour in France, starting out in Paris and working their way up to Normandy.  I stayed home to look after Mikey and Donna’s sheepdog, Sophie.  It wasn’t as exciting, but I do enjoy the peace and solitude, and the dogs and I had a relaxing time.  I did have a strange dream on the second night though, and it prompted me to try to capture it in a poem.  Here it is.

Love,

Dave

The Night Our House Turned Blue

My wife has been traveling in Europe

I stayed home to take care of the dog

Actually the dog’s taking care of me

I seem to be lost in a fog

I usually do fine when I’m home alone

But things got strange on Day Two

I woke up at dawn and I looked around

The entire house had turned blue

The walls were blue, the floors were blue 

The flowers and the bric-a-brac too

I wondered if aliens came in the night

Why they’d do this, I wish that I knew

It wasn't the blue of midsummer

More like ice on a far northern lake 

Or an overcast sky in November

It’s the blue of an Indigo snake

Even my dog has a bluish tint

And my skin when I look in the mirror

I could be a corpse in the city morgue

Who knew blue could cause so much fear?

I called my wife in a panic

She said Paris was golden and yellow

She plans to bring home some very bright hues

So now I am feeling more mellow

The Mighty Ohio

Dear George,

Cincinnati is a quintessential river town.  The earliest settlers arrived at this area by way of the Ohio River, and they staked out their space along the river’s shoreline across from the mouth of the Licking.  Fort Washington was built to protect the local population in 1789, and the village soon grew to nearly 500 people.  Additional settlers continued to arrive by the hundreds, believing they could make their fortunes by providing supplies to soldiers and Ohio River travelers.  By 1792 thirty warehouses existed in the growing city, and it had gained a brewery, a spinning wheel manufacturer, and a chair manufacturer.  Due to the city’s strategic river location, there were nearly a thousand residents by 1803 and nearly ten thousand by 1820.  Steamboats were manufactured in Cincinnati, and farmers throughout the region brought their crops to be shipped down the Ohio and the Mississippi to New Orleans.  The Ohio River remains one of Cincinnati’s most significant geographic features today.  Here are some interesting things to know about the Ohio River, then and now: 

·       The river’s name:  From the Seneca (Iroquoian) Ohiːyo', which means “good river”. 

·       Namesake: The state of Ohio is named after the Ohio River.  

·       Termini: The Ohio begins at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh and ends at Cairo, Illinois, where it empties into the Mississippi.

·       Length: 981 miles.

·       Rank among U.S. rivers: The Ohio is the longest river east of the Mississippi and the 10th longest in the nation.   

·       Maximum width: one mile at the Smithland Dam near Louisville.

·       Average depth: 24 feet.

·       Deepest point: 132 feet (near Louisville).

Ohio River From Eden Park, Cincinnati, O.

·       Age: Relatively young, the river’s formation began 2.5 to 3 million years ago near the beginning of ice ages.  Glacial meltwater probably cut the Ohio’s original channel.   

·       States along the Ohio River: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois.  

·       Drainage basin: 14 states, 204,000 square miles..   

·       Chief tributaries of the Ohio: the Tennessee, Cumberland, Wabash, and Kentucky Rivers. 

·       Early Native American inhabitants: Mississippian and Hopewell cultures, Osage, Omaha, Ponca, and Kaw.

·       First European to see the Ohio: French expedition leader René-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle (1669).  LaSalle named it “La Belle Riviere.”

Ohio River at Cincinnati, U.S.A.

·       Lewis and Clark: Lewis and Clark’s expedition to find a water route to the Pacific began at Pittsburgh on Aug. 31, 1803, with Meriwether Lewis and a crew of eleven men paddling and sailing down the Ohio River.  They reached Cincinnati on Sept. 28 and spent nearly a week  there, during which time Lewis collected 300 mastodon and mammoth bones at Big Bone Lick to send to President Jefferson.

·       Thomas Jefferson’s (1782) appraisal: “The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth.  Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted.”  (Note: the exception is the Falls of Ohio, a drop of 26 feet over 2 miles near Louisville.) 

·       Ohio River pirates: In the early nineteenth century pirates had their hideouts at Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, where they waylaid river travelers, killed them, stole their goods, and scuttled their boats. 

Along the Levee, Cincinnati, O.

·       Steamboats: The first steamboat successfully navigated the Ohio in 1811, and fifteen steamers were in service  on the river by 1818. 

·       The Lucy Walker: One of the nation’s deadliest steamboat disasters occurred on the Ohio River near New Albany, Indiana, on Oct. 23, 1844.  The Lucy’s Walker’s boilers exploded, killing as many as 100 passengers and crew.  The Lucy Walker had a Native American owner, and her crew consisted of African-American slaves.  

·       North-South border: The Ohio River was the western extension of the Mason-Dixon Line and thus part of the border between free and slave territory.  Slaves who crossed the river via the Underground Railroad called it the “River Jordan”.  More slaves escaped across the Ohio than anywhere else on the Mason-Dixon Line. 

Ohio River By Moonlight

·       The phrase “sold down the river” originated with Kentucky slaves who were split apart from their families and shipped down the Ohio River to the Mississippi and New Orleans.  

·       Current population in the Ohio River basin: 25 million people (nearly 10% of the U.S. population).    

·       Major cities along the Ohio: Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Huntington, Steubenville, Marietta, Owensboro, Cincinnati, Covington, Louisville, Paducah, Evansville.

·       The 1937 flood: 385 people died, a million were left homeless, and property losses reached $500 million from the Ohio River flood in late January and February 1937.  River gauge levels reached 80 feet in Cincinnati, the highest level in city history.  Twelve square miles of the city were flooded.      

·       Source of drinking water: To over 3 million people. 

·       Dams on the Ohio: 20; power generating facilities: 49.

 Suspension Bridge, Cincinnati, O.

·       Bridges: 118 bridges and other crossings across the Ohio River.  Cincinnati’s bridges are the Cincinnati Southern Bridge, Brent Spence Bridge (I-71/75), C&O Railroad Bridge, Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, Taylor-Southgate Bridge, Newport Southbank Bridge (the Purple People Bridge), Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, and the Combs-Hehl Bridge (I-275).    

·       Annual tonnage of cargo shipped on the Ohio: over 230 million tons — mainly coal, oil, and steel.

·       Number of species of fish found in the Ohio: 164, including Bass, Crappie, Bowfin, Carp, Buffalo, Bullhead, Catfish, Codfish, Darter, Drum, Eel, Garp, Chubs, Shiners, Lamprey, Paddlefish, Perch, Pike, Pickerel, Muskellunge, Sauger, Walleye, Sculpin Shad, Sturgeon, Sunfish, and others

·       Largest fish on record caught in the Ohio: 106-pound Paddlefish (Kentucky, 2004).

With many dog walks over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time along the Ohio River shoreline — at Eden Park, Fernbank Park, and, most recently, Smale Park.  The river’s presence is a great source of pleasure to many people.  

Love,

Dave      

Sources consulted:  www.infoplease.com, “Ohio”; www.newworldencyclopedia.org, “Ohio River”; www.ohioriverfacts, “Ohio River Facts”; www.ohioriverfdn.org, “Exploration”; www.theohioriver.com, “Ohio River Facts”; www.wikipedia.org, “List of crossings of the Ohio River”; www.wikipedia.org, “Lucy Walker steamboat disaster”; www.wikipedia.org, “Ohio River”; www.wikipedia.org, “Ohio River flood of 1937”; www.wvexp.com, “Ohio River”