If you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.  ~Conan O’Brien

Kyle’s not smiling because of all the delicious fresh sweet strawberries we get to eat. Nope! He’s happy he’s done picking! Pollock’s Strawberry Farm Bush Valley 6/28/14

Saturday morning, we got up early to head out to Pollock’s family farm in Brush Valley to pick, none other than fresh strawberries!  It was about a half an hour to forty-five minute journey to our sun ripened destination.

Why?  Well, besides having seriously fresh strawberries, it was a unique activity for Kyle to partake in.  Not many kids ever get to see strawberry fields, let alone sit among the rows of sweet goodness to pick them ripe off of the vine.  It was a good experience.

At first it was fun and exciting.  We got up there early to avoid sitting in the hot sun, which none of us are fans.  Then, the merriment really began when we got our baskets and were led to a strawberry row, followed by instructions.  What kind of instructions?  We were to start at the top of the row, work our way down and pick half of the row on either side.  When finished, no matter if the entire line was harvested or not, we were to move our flag to the completion of our efforts.  Pretty easy.  Kyle looked on with anticipation, at least at first.

Kyle was sandwiched between mom and me.  Naturally, he was in the row beside me, while Mike was on my other side, surrounding me by those I knew.  Even better!

I’m guessing about five small strawberry plants down, Kyle informs me that I needed to pick his entire row because he was focusing on one.  The one him and his Gigi shared.  Ok buddy, whatever works for you.  This I was expecting to be honest.  No worries, I still picked half of my row by Mike and the entire row closest to Kyle.  Sitting on my knees, I scooted down with every pass getting into a rhythm.

Mom & Kyle picking fresh strawberries at Pollock’s Strawberry Farm. Mom gave up early…I made Kyle help me. 6/28/14

Before long, my basket was full and I had Kyle run to get me another so I could finish my section.  By then, mom had long since ditched us.  Her knees were bothering her and I’m sure the direct sun overhead didn’t help my sun sensitive mother either.

By the time I was on my second basket, Kyle was simply going through the motions, not really working.  In fact, I watched him as he picked a berry or two, waited for me to push my basket down the row, then followed suit.  He was keeping up with me, just not the way I expected him to.  I can’t really tell you how many times I heard, “Aunt Heather, it’s really hot out here.” or “Aunt Heather, I’m sweating.  I don’t like to sweat.”  Anyone who knows me, knows I too am not a fan of direct sunlight, nor heat and humidity, which all accompanied us on our trip.  I shared my logic with Kyle and that was ‘The faster we work, the quicker we’ll be done and leave.’  Kyle still didn’t hold that goal near and dear to his heart, he was just plain done.

The beginning of fresh strawberry snacks… Pollock’s Strawberry Farm, Bush Valley, Pa. 6/28/14

Soon I told Kyle, once he filled up his basket, he was done.  I even started to throw some of the red berries I picked into his basket to help him out.  What did Kyle do?  Well, he certainly didn’t step it up.  O NO!  He started to look into my basket and criticize the berries I picked, mentioning if they weren’t fully ripe or too small etc.  Yep, it took everything I had not to loose it on this pre-teen who should be able to match my energy and work efforts second for second.  At the very least strawberry pound for strawberry pound.

Once we were done, we weighed our strawberries, paid and left.  As we were standing at the car talking, down in the lower field was a coyote running at full speed.  Then, it got me thinking, I wondered how the farmers were able to keep rabbits, deer and such out of the strawberry fields?  I didn’t see any fence or natural obstruction.  I never did ask, but now I’m even more curious than ever.

We took a detour after picking strawberries to stop at Riddle’s Bait Shop. Stocking up for fishing on Sunday on the Loyalhanna Lake. 6/28/14

We did manage to take a detour to the local bait shop before going home, to pick up some bait for a Sunday fishing expedition on Loyalhanna Lake.  It’s never a full weekend without the fishing poles making their appearance.

On a side note, while fishing on Sunday, dad snapped his fishing pole.  He purchased it with his own hard earned money at nine years old.  It was heartbreaking to see this fifty-five year old pole in pieces.  It held a lot of memories and experience.

After we came home and settled in to our cozy air-conditioned environment, mom brought up a good point.  She mentioned to Kyle how some people earn their living by doing the very same thing we did for forty-five minutes, all day long at least five to six times a week, for months at a time.  They don’t pick for the luxury of fresh strawberries, but for minimum wage, to simply provide for their families.  That’s hard work.  Those are the people who appreciate their efforts the most.

Pollock’s Strawberry Farm in Brush Valley, Pa. Picking our own fresh sweet goodness! 6/28/14

I don’t believe anyone really knows what others go through unless the path is walked for them.  I knew Kyle didn’t quite get the point, but then again there was a small part of me that knew he did.  It’s not only good to have an appreciation for where your food source comes from, but also how it’s awarded.  Buying groceries in the store certainly looses the origin and the hard effort it takes to deliver food to the table.  Yes, it’s nice, but every once in a while, getting back to our roots is the way to maintain a sense of reality and appreciation for God’s land and people.  At least that’s what I hope Kyle gained from this experience.

Dad fishing. Looks like it was a successful day! 1984

The funny thing is, Kyle doesn’t like and simply won’t bait his own hook, at least not with maggots, mealworms, red worms, butterworms, or chicken livers.  I have seen him hook his own line with some sort of prepackaged bait, salmon eggs and he’s a big fan of the spinner when fishing for trout.  Aside from that, he leans on me or dad to hook him up, so to speak.

Kyle also won’t unhook a freshly reeled fish.  He doesn’t like touching the slimy, slippery skin and its pointy scales and teeth.  Forget ever asking Kyle to help scale and gut the fish.  NOPE!  I’ve tried having him help me once, and I thought he was going to puke.  He did a halfway job and I had to finish thoroughly cleaning his fish for him.  He told dad next time he’ll try and help us.  I’m not holding my breath.

Kyle does enjoy the thrill a fish nibbling on the hook and the tugging of the line ever so slightly; the feeling of knowing there is a fish interested in his bait; and the possibility of a huge catch.  Everyone loves that!  He gets so excited with the exhilaration of fighting the mystery fish and then finding out the species, and of course, the size of the catch.  This information is only used for later story telling on Kyle’s behalf.  He could careless about the meat he’s bringing to the table.

Kyle also eats fish, which I am so glad!  This past weekend, my sister was home, so mom fried us up the freshly caught catfish from Saturday.   Total, we probably caught about twenty small to medium sized catfish, mixture of bullhead and channel cats.  None of them were the size you see on television, whereas they needed to be picked up by two or three people.  Nope, these were pretty manageable for a single person.  Enough for a good meal.

On Saturday morning, we got up early.  How early?  I was up around 5:30 am and I woke sleeping beauty around 6:30 am, dad was up well before me, 4:00 am.  We packed the boat and headed out to Loyalhanna Lake, getting on the water by 8:00 am.  We wanted to get out earlier and be at our spot by then, but it was raining pretty good and it took us longer to get situated.  Dad’s not as fast in his later years, not like when I was a kid.

Yes, it was raining and we still wanted to go fishing.  Dad is no stranger to fishing in any sort of weather, even if it’s a cold, bone chilling rain.  Dad is, or I used to say was, as die hard about fishing as he is hunting.  It did drizzle on us a little, but no monsoon was in the forecast.  Personally, I was fine with that, it wasn’t too cold, it was cloudy so the sun wasn’t directly hitting me and making me sick, and the bugs were kept at bay from the rain.  Win, win all around!  Like I said, perfect day to go fishing!

Nicole’s First Holy Communion. All cousins: Front row – Casey Olczak, Ryan, Me. Back Row – Timmy Bobinchek, Jeremy Piper, Chad Piper & Nicole. Yes, that’s the tree that held my fishing pole after I was practicing how to cast. c. 1981

I’ve been fishing since I was little.  All of us fished except surprisingly, mom.  Ryan loved to fish too, often going by himself when friends and family where working or busy.

As we were casting our lines, I noticed how controlled Kyle was at the action.  I was the only one who caught a tree, but it didn’t result in a loss of hook or bait!  So no worries.

While we were sitting there fishing up a storm, I told Kyle how I used to practice casting my line all the time when I was little.  He looked at me in amazement.  It’s true, I did!  Not in water, but in the front yard.  I really enjoyed standing there and practicing the action of throwing out the line and reeling it in.  Of course, back then, mom had a white birch tree in the middle of the yard.  Somehow, I caught the tree, a few times. (sarcasm)  Yes, instead of casting away from the tree, I would stand directly in front of it and cast my line.  One time in particular, I was not able to pull my fishing pole out of the branches, so I reeled in the line and let the pole hang there, waiting for dad to get home from work.  Dad rolled his eyes resulting in the pole hanging there for quite some time. I didn’t care, I was enjoying myself.

Naturally, the first person who caught anything was dad, a nice sized catfish.  Then, Kyle and I started to get into the rhythm.  At one point, all three of us were pulling in catfish at the same time!  That made it so exciting and really a lot of fun.  We moved to a few different locations when the biting stopped, to try our chances elsewhere, before calling it a day at 2:00 pm.

While patrolling back down the tributary, dad decided he had to relieve his bladder.  I know I probably shouldn’t be talking about his but it was so funny!  Earlier, we made Kyle do so off the side of the boat, while dad and I looked the other way.  It wasn’t that easy for dad, since he’s so big and the boat is so small.  Instead, dad decided to pull up to a rock cliff and have us hold onto saplings to keep the boat parallel with the side of the hill, while he stepped out and climbed up the bank.  At first Kyle wasn’t holding onto anything while dad was stepping out.  Dad had one leg on the rocks and one in the boat, as the boat slowly started to separate from the side of the hill.  Kyle looked at me, without trying to help, like he was accepting his next statement and said, “I think this is going to end badly.”  Yes!  I started to laugh because it was kind of humorous, but then I yelled at him to grab a hold of a branch to pull the boat closer to help his pappy out.  It was quite comical!  Doring this adventure, I was hoping no one would go past, and no one did.

Legofest 2012… I decided to be a pirate. Kyle was cracking up, yet was rolling his eyes at my silliness. Pittsburgh, Pa 2012

After putting away the bait and poles, Dad explored the other side of the lake that we never ventured down.  Let me explain, he recently got back his boat engine that was in for repairs.  Basically, dad was a boy who got back his toy.  He opened it up, let her rip, making wakes!  We felt the spray of water in our faces.  Keep in mind we were on a little fishing boat that resembled the one used from Grumpy Old Men, nothing extravagant.  Kyle and I were giggling and hanging on the entire time, not that dad was going mock speeds, but it was just the kid in us, well maybe me and dad, since Kyle is still a kid.

It was pretty uneventful getting the boat in and out of the lake.  Except, when I went to drive the boat up on the trailer, I accidentally hit the gas pretty hard and scared myself, driving it at full speed toward the truck.  Dad must have saw the freight in my eyes and started to laugh while sitting in the driver’s seat.

While I was out on the boat, I yelled to Kyle to assist me getting the boat on the trailer straight.
Me:  Kyle direct me in.
Kyle:  What?
Me: Kyle direct me in!
Kyle:  What?
Me:  Kyle!  Tell me if I’m straight!
Kyle:  (Stood there like a statue and pointed his index finger ever so slightly in one direction)
Me: (Thinking, Whatever!)

Once the boat was safe and secure, dad commented, “I thought you were going to drive the boat into the bed of the truck.”  We got a good laugh.  You should have seen the look on Kyle’s face when I revved up the engine too hard, he gave a reaction like I was going to drive into him.   Keep in mind, he was a good yard and a half away from the action, in no immediate danger.  Afterwords, Kyle stood alongside his pap and got a good chuckle.

Planinsek Fishing Derby, the long awaited for PRIZES! 2012

Before we left I instructed Kyle to leave his phone and his iPod behind.  You see, Kyle finds it a need to take a picture of EVERY fish he catches.  He was devastated when I told him all electronics are getting left behind.  He actually got into a slight state of panic when he realized, I meant my phone too.  He argued, “But Aunt Heather what if we have an emergency and need to call someone?  Then we are out in a boat in the middle of the water.  What do we do?”  I told him, “Believe it or not buddy, people have been fishing on water for centuries without a phone, we’ll be alright, besides we’re not out in the middle of the ocean.”  He didn’t particularity care for my comment but reluctantly went along with my logic.

Nope, no phone and I wouldn’t let Kyle take his either.  Not because I thought he was going to be sitting there talking.  Actually, on the contrary I wanted him to call his Aunt Nikki to see where she was in route, but simply because it was raining off and on and I didn’t want any phone to be ruined.  Unbeknownst to me, halfway through our fishing, I realized dad has is phone on him anyway.  Personally, it was great not checking emails, answering the phone or responding to text messages.  Just fishing.

What great quality time with the family.  Collectively, we all had fun.  Dad and I kept calling Kyle Catfish Hunter!  It was so peaceful and relaxing.  A nice lazy day in the boat with fish as my only focus.  Can’t wait to do it again!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Money can’t buy happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you’re being miserable  ~Clare Boothe Luce

Kyle, accompanied by an excited Scooby, this past Easter morning… I stocked him up on books.. he was excited to start reading! 4/20/14

Teaching life lessons to a child seem to be much harder than I could have ever imagined.  Truly, when Kyle was a baby I used to think, lead by example and that should do it.  Now, I have resorted to actually taking money from a kid to prove a point.  One that I don’t think he’s getting.

About a month ago Kyle and I were in the store.  Previously, he saw these movie and gaming posters that he really liked and wanted for his room.  Great!  “You have money, so buy yourself a poster.”  Was my only response.

On a side note, I swear that soon to be thirteen year old kid always has more money than me.

I stood with him going through the posters, not appreciating the scantily dressed women in bikini’s with up close and person bottom shots, but we quickly got past those.  He considered The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Minecraft and Halo.  Which one he chose?  I have no idea, I think it was The Hobbit but don’t quote me on that.

At the same time, dad asked me to get him some air fresheners for his car.   While we were on location, it made sense to pick up a few fragrant smelling plastic clips too.

Now, for the story of my frustration.  We get to the checkout and I’ll admit, I was testing Kyle, for I put everything together.  I wanted to see if he would offer to pay for all the items, at the very least his poster.  Let’s face it, the total was maybe nine bucks, with his poster being five.

What Kyle did next, totally blew me away.  He stepped away from the register as the lady was ringing us up and never offered a penny!  I thought he’d at least throw in five dollars to cover his purchase.  Nope, he physically stepped back and gave me a look, expecting me to pick up the tab for everything.  I was floored!  Needless to say I paid.

Me, dad & Kyle went fishing on Loyalhanna Lake, mom tagged along. We got the boat out & got it stuck in the mud… 6/1/14

All I said to Kyle was, “This is your poster you know.”  followed by him saying, “Ya, but that other stuff isn’t and I’m not paying for it.”  followed by me saying, “But the poster is yours and it doesn’t seem like your paying for that either.”

We left the check out before I tore into him.  I was totally flabbergasted!  He didn’t even offer to pay for his stupid poster, and not even care about the items for his pap?  The man who gives him everything, treats him like gold, never asks for anything from this kid, except for maybe good behavior.  The man who truly loves him with all his heart who takes him hunting and fishing, makes sure the kid is never without.  The man who goes well out of his way for the happiness of this little boy.  Ya, that man Kyle would not spend four dollars on, knowing that his pappy would compensate him tenfold for the gesture.  Heck, I would have given him the money for just simply offering.  And probably taken him to the movies or bought him another poster as a reward.

Nope, instead of being considerate and generous to those who love him the most, he chose the self-centered, greedy avenue.  One that marked him for life, or at least until the next incident.

As we were walking out of the store, I exploded!  None of us in my family are like that at all.  My brother certainly was never greedy, in fact he was too nice and generous with money, letting others take from him and never paying him back.  Granted, I don’t want Kyle to be that nice, but come on, this purchase was for him and his pappy.  I wasn’t expecting him to buy a months worth of groceries.  In fact, I wasn’t asking him to give up anything, it was the gesture or in his case, the lack of gesture that ticked me off as well as his attitude.

I don’t want Kyle to be greedy, not even close to greed.  That’s why I’m always Warning Against Materialism – Encouraging Dreams  I don’t want him associating with it.  I certainly don’t want him to be THAT guy who expects everyone to pay for him and he won’t even step up to return the gesture or meet halfway.  YIKES!  I hate that type of guy or gal. (not playing favorites)

Then, to make matters worse, I too do for him all the time.  I take him to the movies, to the store, to his piano lessons and I run around extra to accommodate him and his plans.  Not that I’m keeping score, but come on buddy, at least appreciate what you have and try to give back!

Did I mention that the money in his wallet was probably given to him by my dad, his pappy?  Frustrating!

Recently, Kyle called me about two hours before his piano lesson to inform me he didn’t want to go.  Now, I get the reasoning, he had family that was in town and surprised him, and it wasn’t totally his fault.  But he needs to learn that two hours beforehand to cancel on someone is not acceptable.  Yet, he was still planning on going to his baseball game that night.  Let me see, it was that important for him to cancel, and I still have to pay for the thirty minute lesson, but he can spend two hours at his game?  Granted, again there was a lot of political pressure put on him that was out of his control, but he needs to learn appropriate behavior and stand up for whats right.  So I said, “That’s your decision, but you’re paying me for the piano lesson.”  His response?  He cried.  My response?  I didn’t care.  Maybe a little.

Did you know, that kid tried to get out of paying me for the missed lesson?  Yes!  Then, to make matters worse, Kyle misplaced his piano books, so therefore he was not practicing all week.  He waited three hours before his lesson to ask me to look for his piano books at his Gigi and pappy’s house or my house.  Missed again buddy.

Naturally, we couldn’t find them and he had to go to his lessons without any music.  Before it was Kyle’s turn, I made him sit there and come up with a few good solutions to the problem.  Telling him it wasn’t the teacher’s problem, but yours alone and one he needed to find a reasonable solution.   I had to help him with suggestions like, “Ask your teacher if you can practice scales, or if he had other music you could play etc.”  The teacher was very accommodating but I was beyond angry.

Kyle waiting his turn for piano lessons at Seton Hill Performing Arts Center. 9/23/13

Now the lesson not only included wasting my money, but it was inappropriate protocol.  Waiting till we leave for lessons to look for his book, when he should have been practicing all week, not acceptable!   I was more than furious that he felt it was admissible to not practice simply because he didn’t know were his books were located.  And somehow it became my responsibility and not his?  Wrong again buddy!  He needs to be held accountable for his actions.  I told him he was paying for that lesson too and if he thinks I forgot about the previous one, he was wrong.

Now Kyle must have realized I meant business and I was not happy with his behavior, for the next time I picked him up, he handed me five dollars for the poster, still refusing to acknowledge payment for the piano lessons.  I guess that was too steep for his budget, but I didn’t care.  Again, I reminded him and again he ignored my warning.

So now we have missing piano books for another week.  I told Kyle to call me on Monday giving a status update if he looked for them, he waited till Wednesday, the day before his lessons.  Getting better buddy but not there yet.  While we spoke on the phone, I was extremely calm, probably eerily calm for him.  I told Kyle he has a few choices to make, either we stop by the music store and pick up the books, which he has to pay for, or I’m pulling him from piano all together and he has to pay for the rest of the lessons that I pre-paid, about two hundred dollars worth.  I also asked for his suggestions, which he had none.

Kyle was stunned and completely speechless.  He didn’t know what to say or do.   Although, I will give him credit, he started to come up with temporary solutions like, “Aunt Heather, could you grab my old piano books, maybe I could play something in there.”  Good effort, now you’re slowly getting it, but still missing the mark.  Sadly, for Kyle it wasn’t about getting the most out of his lessons, or letting me down or not appreciating the opportunity I gave him with music, it was all about the money, his not mine.  Now I was depressed, realizing the materialism and greedy nature of this little boy.  How sad!  Again, my family would never in a million years act like this, apparently he’s learning it elsewhere.

Long story short, Kyle got out of any decision when I found his books.  And yes, he wanted to place the blame on his Gigi, because they fell into her box of photo albums that no one realized.  Yet, the books where still his responsibility and he should of had us looking long before he did.

This past weekend, Kyle had his wallet on him, the nice chain and leather gift given by his pap.  Would you believe the kid handed me forty bucks to cover the two piano lessons?  I was stunned actually.  No apologies, but he handed the money over to me saying, “Here Aunt Heather for the piano lessons.”  I could tell, he thought I was going to give it back with maybe a speech on being responsible and accountable that sort of thing.

I didn’t waste my breath.  I’ve said it all before.  I simply took the paper currency and said “Thank you.”  His eyes were sad for the loss of money.  I also noticed he did this in front of his pappy, thinking his pappy would do what he normally does and replace the cash.  Dad did no so such thing, knowing the situation.  We’re on to you Kyle!

Now what Kyle doesn’t know, is I’m planning on adding the forty bucks to his education fund.  He’s had that account since he was almost three months old, set up by my cousin Paula, who was Ryan’s godmother, Kyle’s dad.

I do believe Kyle is not a lost cause, he just needs more guidance.  In fact, not even a year ago, someone handed Kyle five bucks for doing a good job serving mass.  That was way too sweet.  Without thought, Kyle immediately gave the money to father for the church.  I was so very proud of him!  It was something he wanted to do and I could tell he felt it was the right thing.  I never steered him one way or the other.  It actually happened so quickly, Kyle already had his mind made up before I knew about it.  He is a generous kid!  Sometimes.

I’m working with him, everyday!  I just need to pray for patience.

Below is a video of Kyle playing the piano with his instructor at the Seton Hill Performing Arts Center.  Normally he won’t let me video him, but this time he did. 10/21/13

I like the storytelling and reading the letters, the long-distance dedications. Anytime in radio that you can reach somebody on an emotional level, you’re really connecting.  ~Casey Kasem

April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014

Casey Kasem at the 1989 Emmy Awards

Kemal Amin Kasem, or better known as Casey Kasem joins the list of celebrities who have moved on to that big stage in the sky.

At the age of 82, Kasem, a Detroit born native, was well known from his days as an actor, a voice over for many cartoons including Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, but mostly from the radio.  He was the radio personality and co-founder behind American Top 40, American Top 20, and American Top 10.

I remember Casey Kasem all too well with his long distance dedications.  It’s true, I too listened to him when I was younger.  I loved hearing the countdowns and trying to guess who was on that list, who moved up the list, and those that moved down the list or fell off completely.  How could anyone not love that friendly all American voice?  He was the radio!

During my college years when I waitressed and bartended, I worked at a local restaurant called DeNunzio’s, in Jeannette.  Just about every Sunday I would work the entire day shift.  Since we didn’t serve breakfast, I would be working in the kitchen helping to stock or clean or whatever needed prepped to get ready for the busy day ahead.  The chefs would always have the radio playing and it was usually Casey Kasem.  During a long distance dedication they would turn up the volume for all to hear.  Granted, we were usually making fun of the sap or lost soul (not always) yet there was a familiarity and soothing quality to Kasem’s voice.  He always sounded so sincere and gentle.  Every time I heard Casey Kasem, he took me back to my childhood, even in my early to mid-twenties.

Here’s a little pop trivia.  Did you know Casey Kasem made a cameo appearance in the Ghostbusters movie?  Yep!  Remember, he talked about the Ghostbusters who stayed at the nightclub to dance the night away with some of the pretty young ladies.  No joke, I first saw that movie when it came out in 1984, at the High-way Drive-In in Latrobe.  I recognized Kasem’s voice immediately!  Every time I watched that movie since, I always stopped at that part and chuckled to myself, thinking of his long distance dedications.

Also, many may not know, Kasem served as an Army Announcer during the Korean War.  I bet he brought a piece of home to our troops every time he aired.

I know there was a lot going on between Casey’s wife and children.  His daughter Kerri made her appearance a few times on Fox News, especially recently when he went missing.  I hope they all begin to heal after their loss and find peace.

So here’s my long distance dedication to you Mr. Casey Kasem.  God Speed!

And O there are days in this life, worth life and worth death.  ~Charles Dickens

There are two topics that put me in shock and awe, and just plain old tick me off, the prisoner marine in Mexico and the release of a known army deserter at the cost of putting the entire world in mortal danger.  I believe these are topics that warrens unrest.

Let’s start with the marine.  I’ve been watching the news daily for a few months now, not days, but months regarding the marine held captive in a Mexican prison for taking a wrong turn.  Granted, I know he had three guns in the trunk of his car, but he wasn’t hiding or sneaking anything!  Sincerely, I was going to write about this story upon his release, but it appears that won’t happen anytime soon.

Marine Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi, who has served his country well and actually was in combat while serving in Afghanistan, was home seeking treatment for PTSD.  Everyone has heard the crux of the story, he accidentally crossed the Mexican border with three guns in the trunk of his car, which are legal and registered in the United States, but not in Mexico.

How did this happen?  It was dark and he got twisted around and made a wrong turn.  Who hasn’t?  Directionally Challenged  He missed the sign that directed him into the heart of his present day demise, Mexico.  I’m sure if he was aware, he would not have gone south of the border.

Once he realized he entered the country, along with his firearms, he called 911.  What did they tell him?  They couldn’t help him because he was on foreign soil.  Really?  I guess so.  He still tried to do right thing and admitted to his mistake, to only be taken away, beaten and tortured in a Mexican prison.

I watched the interview with him and Greta Van Susteren from On the Record with Greta, on Fox News.  This is sad.  A true innocent mistake that anyone and probably many have made.  I know me personally, that sounds exactly like something that would happen, guns and all.

On a side note, during the phone call, he didn’t badmouth anyone or call for a pity party.  Nope, he sounded brave and tried to be strong so his family and fellow marines wouldn’t worry.

It’s such a shame, Mr. Tahmooressi was trying to do the right thing, not hurt anyone, no attempt to hurt anyone, no intent on hurting anyone and yet he is treated horribly like a harden criminal!  He made a wrong turn!  Let him out!

It makes you wonder, that after speaking with 911 who obviously was no help, that he should have tried to sneak back over the border with his guns.  Perhaps he would have made it back safe and sound and been sleeping peacefully in the comforts of his own bed that night.  If not, then he would have ended up in the same situation, hauled off to jail.

I get it, those guns were not registered in Mexico, but they were not meant to arrive in Mexico either.  It was a true sincere mistake.   Then to beat the man?  Was that necessary?  Sounds like there is some political hostility demonstrated and taken out on the marine.

Bill O’Reilly from the O’Reilly Factor has also been discussing this situation daily and putting the pressure on to get this guy out.  The United States has handed over more than 100,000 signatures to the Mexican government, his fellow marines have contested to his character, and yet nothing!

Now my next question, what is our very own president doing about this?  Seemingly NOTHING!  He is too busy going around Congress, to release FIVE HIGH RANKING Taliban officers from our own prison in exchange for a deserter.  I agree totally with Charles Krauthammer, when he remarked that it is important to get our troops back, everyone of our troops is important.  Agreed!  Then, once we have our soldier in question, have him tried in court, either as a deserter or a traitor or whatever the charge.  I totally agree!  He is owed a fair trial even though we lost very respectable dedicated service men, who went out looking for this disgraced soldier.  But really, the math doesn’t seem to add up.  This is a five to one ratio, with the five holding more power and threat to the world than one coward.  Someone needs to teach Obama how to negotiate, or to do math.

Why was Obama in such a hurry to get Bowe Robert Bergdahl, (a.k.a. the alleged traitor since he hasn’t been tried yet) out of his captivity from the Taliban, being there for years, and not Mr. Tahmooressi who did NOTHING wrong, except make a wrong turn?

Something doesn’t add up.  What is going on here?  It seems like our government is trying to put away the patriotic leaving him to rot, while those who side with the Taliban free to roam.  Granted, I know I am only referring to two specific instances, but two very important and high profile ones.  Sometimes it’s these moments that you truly see inside someone’s soul and find their true intent.  So what is the true intent of our president?

Then, Hillary Clinton is not speaking out in defense of the marine (at least I haven’t heart it) but I did hear her defending Obama’s illegal decision to release Bergdahl, and send the Taliban prisoners back to start their terror again.

Her reasoning?  Those HIGH RANKING Taliban officials with proven blood on their hands, “Are not a threat to the United States but only to the Afghan people.”  Seriously?  First of all we don’t hold people in prison who are known Taliban and have been a threat to the U.S. prior to their imprisonment for no reason.  Secondly, we are not a country who only looks out for ourselves.  I do believe if we can help others, than we try.  At the very least don’t put others, whether they are foreign allies or not, in harms way with FIVE known terrorists!  It’s like we just pointed a loaded gun at ourselves with one in the chamber and the hammer pulled back and handed it to a brutal murderer. 

I did hear that the released terrorist leaders promised not to do anything for a year.  Are you kidding?  Sure that makes sense since it probably takes that long to outline plans for massive attacks resulting in piles of innocent victims.  What happens after the year is up?  So the freedom of FIVE HIGH RANKING TERRORISTS is equal to one year of peace?  What about years of peace with the imprisonment of the proven five guilty prisoners?

Come on Hillary, you need to get your ratings up!  Think!  What will do it, and it’s not your smooth talk because no one is buying it anymore?  Let’s see some action done for the good, for those who are honorable, deserving of assistance.  Learn from the past.

Remember in 2009, when a reporter and Lisa Ling’s sister were caught crossing into North Korea and were jailed?  Almost immediately, at the time President Bill Clinton touched down in the country unannounced.  That’s one way to get someone’s attention and show he meant business!

Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the reporter and Lisa Ling’s sister respectively, were sneaking around and probably put their noses to close to the fire and got burned.  Nothing like the accident of  Mr. Tahmooressi.  Hillary should get her husband to stop playing twister with office workers and set that marine free!  Former President Clinton did a great job in the North Korean instance, at least it seems so.  I mean, he went in, freed the United States citizens and everyone left safely without world war III breaking out.  Successful mission in my opinion, and I feel he could do it again in Mexico.  Or is this a political issue, whereas he doesn’t want to step on Obama, our lame duck’s toes?

Enough already, let’s stop the political gain and need for power, just for a single moment and let’s all put on our thinking caps.  Help those who are deserving, and those that post a threat to our national security, keep them behind bars!  Kind of common sense.

This thought it really out there and very much my own homemade conspiracy theory regarding the release of those Taliban prisoners.

What if Obama too has somehow sided with the Taliban and he has ulterior motives?

Or what if this is a game to play out in the next few years that Clinton and Obama devised in advance?  Hillary, thinking she’ll get into office, while all along we released those prisoners and have trackers embedded into their spinal cords so they can be located at a moments notice and taken out on her watch, for her personal political gain?  Is it so far fetched or is it one big political game?

As for our imprisoned Marine, it seems like no one of high U.S. political power is giving two figs for this soldier.   Well, I am here to say, there are people who care and pray for his safety and speedy release.  I would love to meet him and introduce him to Kyle to show my little man what a true hero is, and sincerely thank the soldier for all his service!  #MarineHeldInMexico

Life is a beautiful magnificent thing, even to a jellyfish.  ~Charles Chaplin

First I want to say, I was instructed by one Ms. Nicole Piper to NOT write a blog entry about her birthday party.  When will she learn, telling me to do something won’t make it happen.  Here goes…

#YOLO, yep that was the theme of my sister’s fortieth birthday celebration that took place this past Friday.  On a side note, #YOLO was not my idea!  I just kept the theme going.  She told me she wanted everything #YOLO.  So I gave it to her… on the save-the-dates, invites, programs and decor.

It’s true, her actual birthday was March 16th Happy Birthday Aunt Nikki!  The Big 40!.  So why such a lapse in time between birthday and party?  Simply, the venue in which Nicole wanted her party, Jammin’ Java’s, was booked until this past Friday.

The Penn State Crew, Katherine, Portia, Nicole, Leslie & Smaro. They are the definition of #YOLO 6/6/14

It was a night packed filled with a comedian, Matty Litwack, who I guess was a physicist turned comedian.  Perfect for that group of engineers!  Then, Todd Wright played guitar and sang the night away, until the dancing begun.

The party was dedicated to her best friend, Dr. Jennifer (Smith) Galbraith (Blue Skies Dr. Jennifer (Smith) Galbraith) investigation still ongoing) who passed away last year.  In lieu of gifts, she asked everyone to donate to the Women Giving Back – A HomeAid Northern Virginia Program.  Great idea!  What a perfect way to celebrate life, by helping others live a real life.

I’ll hand it to my sister, she does know how to throw a party!  It was well organized and all details were covered.

Elisa & Nicole… Nicole should have been paying attention to me! #YOLO 6/6/14

Personally, it was nice to meet some of her co-workers and past co-workers and catch up with others I’ve previous met.  Elisa was as always, welcoming and full of life!  Seeing her brings back memories from one Thanksgiving in which, her and her cousin joined us for the turkey feast.  Throughout the night, we caught up and even compared stories and shared pictures of my nephew and her godchild.

Some guests I met for the first time.  It’s neat to hear their perspective regarding my sister.  According to many, the ridge hasn’t left Nicole, yet if you’d ask dad and me, she’s all city now.  I even heard a few mention about Google’ing my parents house out of curiosity with respect to ‘The Ridge’.  OK?  Kind of creepy, but I get the audience I’m dealing with, a group of engineers who are probably like Nicole, and research everything plus have never experienced ‘The Ridge’!  Unfortunately, my parents don’t live on “The Piper Ridge”, but it’s all the same.

The Piper Gals! Nicole, mom & me. #YOLO 6/6/14

It was also great to see the old Penn State crew!  In fact, I was laughing when Portia used my name.  I told her, “I think that’s the first time I heard you refer to me by my name and not, ‘Nikki’s Sister’.”  In college when I would call for Nicole, and one of her friends answered, I would hear, “I think it’s Nikki’s sister since she asked for Nicole.”

Those gals were always a nice bunch.  I got to hang with them briefly.  We even talked about the book I wrote this year.  Yes, on another side note, I wrote a young adult book, originally for Kyle to read, and then I started the second one for a serious.  Not to mention, the flood gates opened up and I have ideas for many more books, which I plan on writing, if for nothing else, just to get my stories out of my head and give Kyle something handmade by me.

I’m considering trying to get the book published, which I was given great advice from Leslie on what to do and how to go about doing it.  She too is an author!  Thanks Leslie for the guidance, I might call you one day to further discuss and compare notes.

Nicole introducing the singer for the evening Todd Wright. It looks like she’s taking lead vocals…. Look in the background… it says #YOL9X with a cat! Only my sister!  #YOLO 6/6/14

Those ladies crack me up!  They are truly awesome!

Mom and I made the trek down to Virginia for the birthday bash.  Where was dad?  He was watching the dogs, like a babysitter instead of putting them in a doggie hotel.  Where was Kyle?  He was in Hershey Park with his jazz band for school.  Then, after they performed, the kids got to stay and ride the rides.  It was a late night for all, except dad.  Kyle said they got back to the school at 1:00 am.  Nicole said mom and I were allowed to stay until 10:00 pm and then we had to make our grand exits, so she could have fun with her friends.  Naturally, I stated the obvious, “I am the fun!”  I know many would agree!

It’s a shame the entire family wasn’t present, but again we are all better suited for the ridge and not the hustle and bustle of the D.C. Metro area, except for Nicole.

A few decorations for Nicole’s #YOLO Party… Yes that 40 sign is covered in pics of Nicole – all years! #YOLO 6/6/14

The best part about the night?  Knowing Nicole, my older and only sister will always and forever be older than me!  We are very opposite in many ways.  This one includes her embracing the big four-0.  I however, will NEVER turn forty!

#YOLO Party was dedicated to Dr. Jennifer (Smith) Galbraith. There were pictures in memory of Jen & Ryan … & Kyle made his appearance! 6/6/14

Happy Birthday Aunt Nikki!