What a July its been

Hey Gang,
What a July its been. I was so busy with so many different things that I couldn't even keep up with blogging about them as they happened.
The first part of this month was tragic with the funeral of lil Alexis and nerve wracking with Euclid and court. After those two trials things took off for the better.
I drove to Kentucky to pick up Millard on July second. His laid back quiet demeanor is always welcome in the midst of my hectic pace. I apologized to him for having so much going on and said somehow I need to slow done. Millard in his simple but wise ways answered with "but Carey if you would slow down you would be bored". I guess he has a point.
The timing of Millards visit was a God send. He never comes up during the 4th of July weekend, usually June or August. I planned to pick up Millard on the 2nd for sometime. Court was that day but I told my lawyer there is no way I am changing plans, Millard has never seen a fireworks display. As it turned out the funeral for Alexis was Wednesday the first. So the escape to pick up Millard on Thursday was perfect as there was no way I would of been prepared mentally or emotionally for court.
The drive down to Kentucky was great. Dov came along and volunteered the services of his car. Dov was quite impressed with the walls of Portsmouth and where Millard lives. Put it this way, not very populated. Cells phones are useless at Millards place so we had to drive to the top of the hill to make calls. Dov was excited to be out in the middle of no where so he had to call his friend Veronica and tell her, guess where I'm at?
Dov is a good travel companion. He was even in to the roadside bazaars in Kentucky. We both found it unique and unusual how people just pull over and set up. But then Dov's nerves got a bit frayed when I stopped at the 10th garage sale. I can't help it, they are addicting. At one I found a ceramic tobacco worm so it was worth Dov getting upset.
I found a new route to get to Morehead. I keep trying different ways, just hate traveling the same roads. This route is more rural, going through farm lands and a national forest. Very scenic. Mileage a bit shorter, time wise a bit longer. These are the directions from Wickliffe, take 271 south to 71 south, in Columbus pick up Rt. 23 south, cross over the Ohio River, take Rt 8 W to 10 W, pick up 59 S towards Kinniconick, then Rt 377 which takes you through the most northern point of the Daniel Boone National Forest, stay on Rt 377 till Morehead and then on to Millards.
On the way home found yet another way. Same directions but instead of Rt 23 when you crossover into Ohio, I took 104 which merges with Rt 23 in Waverly.
As for the 4th of July it went terrific. Walt had a cookout. Volley ball, cornhole, badminton with plenty of food and after the fireworks we sat by the fire and roasted shrimp on a skewer. Mmmmm Mmmm! Jeff, Millard and I went up to the Mentor High School to watch the fireworks up close. I asked Millard what he thought, he said in the very beginning he got nauseous being that close, it was scary. After that initial feeling passed he said they were spectacular.
I wonder what it would be like to be over 40 and experiencing fireworks for the first time? Thats all for this part. Hopefully I will finish this, if not, add it to the collection of undone Hey Gangs.
Gotta GoGo!!
Carey

Whoa is this a Haploa??

This may be my shortest blog yet.
Whoa is that a Haploa Moth? Or scientifically called - Haploa lecontei.
Can anyone identify this moth?
To me it looks like a cross on the back. I noticed this sitting on my pepper plants.
If you can identify it - please let me know!!
Well I got to get ready for the moth ball.
Gotta GoGo!!
Carey

My profound thought for the day

So there I was at a customers house being asked to sweep out his basement and move boxes. I stood there for a second and reflected on what I was asked to do. It seemed so foolish and yet we all do this. Move boxes or items from one space to another only for a few years lately to reverse the procedure and put them back in their original spot.
He had boxes on one side of the basement and wanted them moved to the other side. Why? I don't know. No explanation other than, move these boxes and put them on the other side. He was paying so no questions asked I complied.
As we were moving these boxes and straightening out the storage shelves, where he decided to put some of them, was useless broken items. Why did he save this stuff? Who knows. But we all do the same. How many of us have at one time or another put a broken object or useless piece of junk away only to find it years later and ask ourselves, now why did I save this? It was useless back then and even more so now.
In the basement of a customers house, sweeping and restacking. He was telling me what to save and where to put it. I was thinking why? This stuff is useless. But I am sure, if he would come to my place to clean he would say the same, why are you saving this?
Box after box, shuffling some around, throwing others out just to make room for more boxes. Storing them away only for years later to ask - WHY did I save this but why, its junk. Thats life.
Isn't this also like our inner being? How many of us are carrying around useless boxes of emotions, hurts, impossible dreams? We clog up our mind and feelings with junk? Shuffling them back and forth. Well I won't think of that anymore, I will just ignore it, so you store it away and don't deal with it. Years later it appears when you are dealing with a new situation but your mind can't handle anymore. So you get weighted down. If we would only get rid of these boxes. We don't need to save them, we don't need to peak every so often and restore them. We need to clean up the clutter. Just toss the boxes out.

Meet my new international friends

Hey Gang,
Meet my new international friends.
I have been logging into different Yahoo chat rooms lately. Either the political or Christian rooms. I have met some very friendly and interesting individuals.
There is Nancy from Africa, she is 25 and a student. We keep missing each other so haven't talked to much with her. I am curious to know more about her country.
Then there is Ruth. Not Ruth from the Philippines but Ruth from the Philippines! HUH? Oh.... I know its confusing. Ruth is not the same Ruth I have been talking to since January 2008. This Ruth is 59, married for 37 years and has 6 children aged.. 35, 34, 31, 25, 20 and 17.. and 3 grand kids. Her youngest daughter, 20, just graduated from college. Ruth is protestant.. presbyterian and active with the church choir. She trained the choir and plays the piano. When I meet someone in a chat room I usually tell them to look at my website to get a glimpse of who I am instead of answering all kinds of questions. Ruth was hesitant thinking it may be a hoax. In the past she was a victim of fraud. A Nigerian hacked into her email. I can relate, if you remember about 2 years ago someone from Nigeria did the same to me. But in the end, Ruth did look at the website. And I think she is glad she did, right Ruth?
And Ruth did ask why don't I write something about my new friend from the Philippines? Well Ruth, I just have.
Then a few months back I met Gandhi from India. He is a pastor and has a church. Please take a look at his webpage. He has an interesting story to tell. Its http://www.gpoministries.org/about-us.html. Gandhi, when time allows we need to get caught
up.
And finally there is Kuriako from India who just BAM popped up and eliminated the formalities and talked to me as if I knew him. He posted his story on the GoGo Board. I really suggest you read it. It makes one think, hummina hummina!! What a story.

Talking to people over seas and in different nations puts a different perspective on things I was surprised how many in India and the Philippines are Christians. Both countries though do have their issues and problems with unruly and disruptive Muslims. And as over here, but maybe worse is financial problems which seem to be global.
Thats all for now. If you like to say hi to any one of them, leave a message on the GoGo Board. Go to www.gogobus.cc and click on POST A MESSAGE, from there go to the POST A MESSAGE GOGO HERE link.

Gotta GoGo!!
Carey

A brownstone and the Jeremiah Ensworth house

Hey Gang,
Recently business has picked up. Gas goes up, things slow down, gas goes down, things pick up, do you think there's a connection?
One of the new accounts I picked up is actually from a previous customer. I had cleaned their empty rental years ago. They decided to get rid of their cleaning person and hire an outside janitorial service.
The properties I'm maintaining are on Prospect Ave. in downtown Cleveland. Both are historical houses. One is a brownstone built in the early 1900's and the other is the Jeremiah Ensworth House built in 1870. It was exciting to get to clean these old places.. I must of passed these houses dozens and dozens of times but never noticed them.
I didn't get a chance to snap a photo of the outside of the brownstone, next time I will. The place is in dire need of a complete restoration but still it is in decent enough shape to tell that at one time it was a very fine home for some well to do individual.. I don't know much of the history of it other than its one of the few remaining brownstones in Cleveland.
What I found amazing is how thin the house is and the stairs are very narrow. I wonder how did they ever get furniture to the upper rooms? I just can't imagine living in a house with that many stairs and climbing them all day every day.
The Jeremiah Ensworth house has been researched and printouts of the history are available. According to this paper it is one of the few remaining examples of a single family home from the post Civil War era on the east side of Cleveland.
I don't have a count but its amazing how many rooms there are in this house. I was told to clean each floor and every time I thought we had finished a floor we found another door that led to another room.
In both houses every room has a fireplace and each were different. Some were all marble, others were brick or wood. It must of been so cold years ago. Heating by fireplaces and then by coal in a tall house with 12 foot ceilings, brrrrr. This is kind of funny. When Mr. Kramer, the current owner, bought the Ensworth house, he thought it had horse stalls in the basement. They weren't, it was stalls for the coal that was delivered. It must of took an awful lot of coal to heat the place.
Jeremiah Ensworth was born in 1818. He was a principal in the firm of Fogg, Ensworth and Company Importers. During the Civil War he responded to the call of President Lincoln and was promoted to Captain. After the war he returned to his business and built the house. He died in 1883 of Brights disease. His wife sold the house and it became a boarding house in the early twentieth century, then it was a haberdasher with the owner living upstairs, in the 60's a fraternity stayed in it, and now it is the law offices of Kramer and Associates.
If ever in Cleveland and want to drive by the houses, the addresses are 3214 Prospect Ave. for the Jeremiah Ensworth House and the brownstone is 3655 Prospect Ave..
You know.... I just can't end this story with out writing about the head secretary for Kramer and associates, Madeline. I couldn't figure out how to include her but it wouldn't be complete without doing so. I enjoyed talking with Madeline. She is very friendly and likable, proper but not stiff. Her demeanor just seemed to suit the house, from her dress to her manners. I can actually imagine her living in the place.
There, now the story is complete.

Gotta GoGo!!
Carey

Jeff's Moms condition

Friends,
Last night Millard wanted to get a group together and eat at the Panda Buffet. Mom, my sister Cindi and Jeff came along. Panda Buffet is located on Euclid Ave. in Willoughby directly across from Lake West Hospital. We also celebrated Jeff's birthday. As we were just finishing our meal and waiting for the check Jeff received a call from his brother Dave. Dave told him he was on the phone with Dad when Mom fell out of bed and landed on her head. My sister Cindy drove him right across the street to the main entrance of the hospital just as the ambulance arrived with Jeff's Mom.
I truly believe this was no accident that we decided to eat there, you can't plan things like this.

Here's an update on Jeff's Moms condition:

She is in intensive care since last night. She has a serious urinary infection that went into her blood. They have to stabilize her heart rate and blood pressure. Jeff's Mom has had strokes in the past which left her very inactive and hard for her to communicate so its very difficult to tell if she is in pain or hurting. Because of her age and previous strokes this is serious. As I hear more will pass it on.

Thanks,
Carey