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Blue skies, barf bags and bold airmen

Occasionally, I give speeches, usually about my good old days working for an airline. My title for this 25-minute tell-all speech is “Blue Skies and Barf Bags.” The title pretty much says it all: It WAS WONDERFUL. Except for those few yucky moments when it wasn’t. If you are under 50, you probably don’t remember many of those good old days. There are so many flight crew stories; they range from the hilarious to adventurous, from some sad memories to dark humor. I think the dark humor was what kept us going on the few tough days. As usual, while preparing for this luncheon ...

Former area resident makes an introduction

By GEORGE KECK Well, looks like they accepted my challenge of publishing a (potentially) weekly column from a long-haired, unapologetically Patriotic, university-educated, pro-life, militarily supportive, happily married, amusingly opinionated, world-travelled, socially shy, oft-married, musically inclined, Lawton-based, transplanted-Yankee. Where to begin, where to begin? Looks like this is where I insert the obligatory background story. (Cue soft, Pink Floyd instrumental in background). My family moved to Lawton in the spring of 1964. Having just left our ancestral home in New ...

Observing changes in neighborhood

A problematic neighbor situation involving the cabin my wife and I own south of Warren on the Allegheny River has ended, at least for now, to the satisfaction of both of us. But the fact that we feared a real problem shows how property owners can find themselves in irksome situations as a result of actions by neighbors. Even as the situation on the river seems resolved, a neighbor problem 100 miles to the southwest at our home in Boardman has not had as happy a conclusion. We feared for the nature of the new tenants not long after a very imposing new home was constructed scant feet ...

Being tight-fisted in inflationary times

Cheap. Cheap. Cheap. It doesn’t matter whether or not we clip coupons, or if wedecide to pick up change in the parking lot. We are all tight-fisted about something. My Uncle Chet was the quintessential Scotsman … tight as the bark on a tree. Late in life, he suggested that my mother, his sister, meet him for dinner. After many decades of treating him in restaurants either plain or fancy, she was prepared, as usual, to take the check while he sat on his hands… as usual. When he reached for the tab and opened his wallet, my mother began slapping her hands together all across the ...

Enjoy mums for the moment

As we all enjoy the beautiful fall mums we have purchased in our Garden Centers it is only natural that the thrifty among us would like to know if they can be planted in our gardens and enjoyed next fall. The simple answer is probably not. The mums purchased from our garden centers with ...

New routines bring change of perspective

Editor’s note: This series will connect topics between Christianity and hunting. The series will run throughout the archery and rifle deer seasons. A few years ago I hunted from sunrise to sunset. While walking out of the woods after a full day of hunting, the phrase “from the stars to the stars” came to mind. I remember entering the woods early by the light of the moon and seeing the vastness of the stars. Throughout the day I watched as the sun rose, then made its way across the sky, and finally set over the western horizon. Then, the stars came back out again. It was ...