It’s been a long time since I used the words, “Mike, Start your Engine,” but I felt that way this morning. It’s usually some other race I’m watching – like the Indy 500. I was burning my own rubber on what I thought was a routine 5k race that turned out to be much longer. It was my first race as a seventy year old, hoping that this new age classification would mean high placement. However, it appeared that there were a lot more people that aged more gracefully when it comes to speed. I’m not sure yet if the distance confusion helped my case, since so many runners surpassed the turnaround point by mistake. There were no officials to guide us, but my GPS read-out was indicating that we had already gone too far.
My first mile was at 12’15” – the best I’ve had since moving to Florida. It was probably the adrenaline of running with a pack of people and the cool temperatures. The other two additional miles were slightly slower but overall my pace was about 12’30,” when normally it’s closer to 13’45.” My total distance covered was 3.5 miles instead a standard 5k of 3.1. When I crossed the finish line, 43 minutes had passed, including the minutes it took to the starting line where my chip started to officially measure my time. Normally, there’s an e-mail to immediately follow-up with race results, but I’ve yet to see anything from race organizers and even the website is not updated. The awards ceremony was probably an angry mob scene after we left.
I’ve participated in other races where the course was not properly marked, so this was not a first. I didn’t expect to be competitive and simple relied on my Nike Run Club app for splits and mile markers. Unfortunately, I had just uploaded the app yesterday after all my past data mysteriously disappeared in an overnight software update, so I wasn’t confident that it was working properly. It wasn’t until I heard the other runners complaining that I knew for sure that my numbers were correct and the course was wrong. The extra mileage was not a big deal to me, so I claimed my finishing medal and a quick breakfast prior to leaving. Some runners were still on the course as we pulled out of the parking lot.
The route took me by the seven practice fields outside the stadium, and I caught a glimpse of the batting cages and work out areas associated with the Atlanta Spring Training facility. The finish line was near home plate and we circled the dirt warning track along the outfield fences to get there. I’m glad I made the effort to participate and may even do it again next year. I’ll report my overall and age group finishing positions once that information is available. Unfortunately, it won’t be completely accurate since some runners went as much as a mile out of their way, while others took short cuts. It was much more eventful than a boring 5k run through the neighborhood that will happen again tomorrow morning – consecutive day number 4,725! As they say in the South, “Happy Race Day Y’all!”
It was the year 1877. “January 8 – Indian Wars – Battle of Wolf Mountain: Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle with the United States Cavalry in Montana. March 2 – In the Compromise of 1877, the U.S. presidential election, 1876 is resolved with the selection of Rutherford B. Hayes as the winner.” Today in 2021, 144 years later, the state of the union hasn’t much changed with civil rights injustice and election contention still at the forefront.
I woke up this morning concerned about next year’s plans. With the MLB owner’s strike, Spring Training plans could be in jeopardy. It would be the second time that I bought tickets for Spring Training only for the games to be cancelled. The same thing happened in March of 2020 when we traveled to Phoenix only to find Covid related shutdowns. I ultimately used those ticket credits to buy what I thought would be a Santana concert in Tampa for my seventieth birthday. However, when we showed up at the venue in August of 2021, I was surprised to discover that it had changed to the same date in 2022, a year later. Yesterday, it was announced that Carlos Humberto Santana Barragan had cancelled all his December Las Vegas appearances following a heart procedure. Will he, or me for that matter, be there to actually see that show on August 27, 2022? I’m hoping for a speedy recovery. Carlos will be seventy-five and I will be seventy-one.
So far, the status of these two events that I have planned for 2022 are not at all related to Covid. However, the snowballing effect of the virus is still affecting our economy. Plus, the new Delta Variance could have an impact on my other travel plans. In the short term, I doubt that it will impact our scheduled trips to Disney World, Key West, Florida’s Singer Island, and our Mackinac Island Grand Hotel adventure. However, it could mess with our Alaska to Japan cruise and family trip to Hawaii later in the year. Fingers are crossed!
In the year of 1876, America was celebrating 100 years of independence.
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August 1 – Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state.
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August 2 – Wild Bill Hickok is killed during a poker game in Deadwood, Dakota.
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August 8 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph.
Whenever I see or hear of a mention of Edison, I think of my childhood in Florida and a tour of his summer home in Fort Myers. It was one of our first visits on “Tourist Thursday” when we moved here in retirement – nearly 60 years later. We’ll probably do something touristy today, as we try to do every Thursday. Tomorrow evening is a wine tasting event, while Saturday is a 5k race and a musical comedy called Land of the Greedy Mouse, produced by one of our neighbors. We seem to be on the go all the time!
I just finished the Beatle’s documentary, Get Back, and have moved on to season 2 of Tiger King. We also watched a couple of episodes of Lost in Space last night. A wild diversity of weirdness! “Keep Venice Weird” has yet to catch on, as was the motto in Austin and Portland where we previously lived. Tiger King is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever watched, but it seems to draw me like a train wreck. Joe Exotic’s nemesis is Tampa based, Carole Baskin, who owns an animal sanctuary there, that is not on our list of tourist excursions. Their feud is the basis of the series where apparently season 2 is simply a regurgitation of the true crime story introduced in 2020 by Netflix. You have to see it to believe it!
I added my 800th DNA match to the Jerry Ban(n)ister Family Tree yesterday. That’s 800 people that I was in NO way familiar with until just a few years ago. Now, at least I have something physical in common with my ancestors. I was reminded of this by my chiropractor who asked me just yesterday if my father had similar issues with muscle stiffness and arthritis as I do. I told him I didn’t really experience that because I was adopted and never around him. I do however know that he suffered from lymphoma that is usually identified early with a bump or lump under the skin.
This is the only tree that I’m working with this holiday season, with now over 37,000 ancestors spread out on it’s many branches. I’ve been experiencing what I call “Ban(n)ister Butt” that happens after hours of sitting at my desk connecting genetic clues that make up my genetic family. Just after Christmas there will be a surge in DNA test results that could mean more solutions to my many puzzles. Genealogy is the only way that dead people speak and are recognized for their important roles in the Tree of Life. Each generation is approximately 25 years long. The numbers grow exponentially as you figure two children, four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and so on. In just ten generations, the average person accumulates over 1,000 descendants. This is how we matter!
I have one son, with three kids that will hopefully remember me some day by exploring their genetic history. It is complicated by divorce, marriage, remarriage, child birth, and adoption, In the process loved ones are lost through death and often quickly forgotten with time. My son’s youngest daughter never met my parents or their parents let alone my birth parents and their offspring. However, these are all people that will have an influence on her life as she grows older and perhaps has kids of her own. It’s a lot to think about and there is importance in recording this family history.
Because I was adopted, I never really paid much attention to genetics and was never able to find physical resemblance to my family members. Now, through pictures, I can finally see this relationship that most people take for granted. I look much like the birth father that I never met and through his other children see this phenomenon. It’s a connection that brings families together. People always tried to find that likeness between myself and my birth parents. Fortunately, I picked up many worthy attributes from them as they raised me, but we did not have common features, despite what others thought they saw. I was taller, more muscular, and had darker complexion than the loving couple that raised me. My sister was also adopted so we shared little physically. We found our connection by living under the same roof. I wonder what that roof would have been like back in 1875.
In the year 1874: “January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. February 21 – The Oakland Daily Tribune publishes its first newspaper. March 18 – Hawaii signs a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trading rights.” No one knew at that time that they were effectively setting the stage for the baseball “Bronx Bombers.” “The nickname was originally coined in 1936 by Daniel Daniels who wrote for New York World-Telegram. The Yankees were originally known as the New York Highlanders before changing their name to the Yankees in 1913.”
“The Yankees began play in the 1901 season as the Baltimore Orioles (no relation to the modern Baltimore Orioles). In 1903, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise after it ceased operations and moved it to New York City, renaming the club the New York Highlanders. Arguably the most successful professional sports team in the United States, the Yankees have won 19 American League East Division titles, 40 American League pennants, and 27 World Series championships, all of which are MLB records.”
The team trains in Florida at Steinbrenner Field, a 31-acre complex centrally located in Tampa, serving as the spring home to the New York Yankees, and summer home to the Yankees class A-Advanced affiliate Tampa Tarpons. In 1973, the Steinbrenner family purchased the club for $8.7 million and continue to maintain ownership. We bought tickets to see them at Cool Today Stadium, our neighborhood ballpark that’s the Florida home of the Atlanta Braves. It’s just an hour-and-a-half drive for the Bronx Bombers and only a mile away for us, as they face-off against the newly crowned World Champion “Bravos.”
“The Panic of 1873 triggered the first ‘Great Depression’ in the United States and abroad. Lasting from September 1873 until 1878/9, the economic downturn then became known as the Long Depression after the stock market crash of 1929.” Hopefully, there will not be one of these in my retirement years, but it could happen. The Stock Market has seen some hiccups these past few weeks after a steady 15% year-to-date increase. It’s almost been too good to be true considering all the new strains of Covid popping up and the alarming increases in gas prices. Our savings are primarily relegated for travel that has been severely hampered by these two factors.
It’s “Matinee Monday” with a choice of House of Gucci or Eternals. The other movie of interest is King Richard about the Williams’ sisters rise to prominence in the tennis world. We were able to watch the new episode of Yellowstone last night on CMT for free, so I’m wondering why I paid extra for the Amazon Prime feed? On Wednesday, I’ll be able to watch a new Curse of Oak Island exploit. In the meantime, it’s Get Back on Disney Plus and Bad Sport on Netflix, as we wait for a new season of Lost In Space. It’s challenging to keep up with all the streaming options, but at least it’s providing many choices that certainly weren’t available back in 1873.
I have a chiropractor appointment this morning, as my right hip continues to feel like it’s on fire when I lay on my side at night. It was not a factor on this morning’s run, but sometimes makes sleeping uncomfortable. The big race is this Saturday morning, so I need all the help I can get in easing any pain. The night before is a wine tasting event that will probably leave me a bit groggy at the start of this Tomahawk 5k. It’s the exact distance that I run every day but will feel different with a crowd of over 400 competitors. I will be glad to get to the finish line inside the ballpark.
A bit of history about 1872: “Ulysses S. Grant defeats Horace Greeley. Women’s suffrage: In defiance of the law, American suffragist Susan B. Anthony votes for the first time (on November 18 she is served an arrest warrant, and in the subsequent trial is fined $100, which she never pays).”
Each post now represents a year of “modern” life as we approach the Twentieth Century but still 149 years from 2021. Christmas decorations are starting to go up in our home. It was much easier to get the storage boxes out of the garage rather than behind the locked cages of last year’s apartment. We also have more room to display some of our collection. My wife still respects our informal prenuptial agreement of no excessive decorating, although I must admit that the lanai would be the perfect location for a tree. Am I getting sentimental in my old age?
Yesterday, was a great sports watching day even though my favorites didn’t fare so well. Technical difficulties prevented my watching IU soccer lose in the last minute to Washington in the Sweet 16. I could, however, clearly see the hamulating defeat that the football Boilermakers laid on my Hoosiers in the Bucket game. It had been ten years since IU went winless in the conference, and I had thought those days were behind us. From an IU fan standpoint, the day improved with both a men’s and women’s basketball victory, as was expected. The real excitement was watching Michigan beat Ohio State and Alabama pull off an incredible come-from-behind win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Oregon also beat Oregon State in the Civil War.
Today, the Colts meet the Buccaneers, a game that will have some impact on my Fantasy match-up, with Rob Gronkowski and Carson Wentz playing for the opposition. The Colts are riding a three-game winning streak, highlighted by Jonathan Taylor’s 5 touchdown barrage last Sunday against the Bills. Tom Brady and company have lost two of their last three as we head into the last seven games of the season when he is typically at his best. The Bears get the day off after a thrilling Thanksgiving Day victory, while I might leave the dark confines of my office to watch today’s games in the sunshine by the pool. Back in 1872, Columbia and Rutgers met in the first ever college football tie 0-0. It’s Sunday and Trash Day, but football comes first!
I doubt that I’ve done much swimming on Thanksgiving Day, but thanks to a heated pool in our new Florida home, I’m living the dream. I’ve been to many warm spots to celebrate the holiday like Isles Mujeras, St. Maartin, Maui, and Austin but I don’t recall spending a lot of time in the swimming pool. I’m grateful we made the investment, as I continue to get my money’s worth or at least reduce the cost per use. As I’m swimming laps, it’s as if I can hear the electric meter spinning. It was 55 degrees when I stepped outside to run this morning but the pool water was in the seventies, peaking at 85 in the evenings.
From a historical standpoint, the Great Chicago Fire happened in 1871, as I continue relate events to my daily post. According to Wikipedia, “the blaze started on the evening of Oct. 8, 1871. While there is little doubt that the fire started in a barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, the exact cause of the fire remains a mystery. Rain put out the fire more than a day later, but by then it had burned an area 4 miles long and 1 mile wide.” Maybe a cow did kick over a lantern? “It killed between 200 and 300 people, destroys 17,450 buildings, leaves 100,000 homeless and causes an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; roughly $4 billion in 2021 dollars) in damages.”
It’s big big day for college sports, as my Alma Mater, Indiana plays four times today in soccer, basketball, and football. It’s a weekend for rivalries, including the Bucket Game between Purdue and IU. If it had been held last year but wasn’t due to Covid, the Hoosiers would have theoretically trounced the Boilers, but what a difference a year has made. Purdue is favored by two touchdowns. Ohio State is a TD favorite over Michigan in their annual battle this afternoon for the Paul Bunyan trophy. IU Men’s and Women’s basketball should both win today, while soccer plays #2 seed Washington that may spell the end of their frustrating season, plagued by a lack of scoring. It comes down to the fact that if the Huskies score they will probably win.
Speaking of buckets, I did watch “The Bucket List” movie again with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. It’s one of those holiday traditions along with “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.” Travel has been restricted these past few years, so I don’t know if I’ll ever get to the Pyramids. Our Bucket List has a hole in it, as plans continue to be disrupted by worldwide disease threats. We’re still hoping to get to Alaska, Japan, Kaui, and Egypt next year, but we might be limited to just automobile adventures like our drive to the Grand Hotel with stops at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Football Hall of Fame, Biltmore Mansion and Hilton Head. Despite the setbacks, it’s still good to live the dreams of your Bucket List.
I begin today’s post #1870 with a few historical facts relating to the year 1870:
John D. Rockefeller incorporates the Standard Oil Company. It would eventually become the largest oil company in the world before the U.S. Supreme Court declared it an “unreasonable monopoly” under the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1911.
The National Weather Service issues its first weather forecast on November 1, 1870. The forecast warns of a windy day in Chicago, IL.
February 3, 1870: The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave the right to vote to Black men, became law when the required number of states ratified it.
July 15, 1870: Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to return to the Union.
Franco-German War, also called Franco-Prussian War, (July 19, 1870–May 10, 1871), war in which a coalition of German states led by Prussia defeated France. The war marked the end of French hegemony in continental Europe and resulted in the creation of a unified Germany.
My Great, Great Grandfather Hiram Perry Hancher, on my adopted mother’s side had just turned 18. As did John Wesley Johnston on my father’s side.
It makes me wonder what John Wesley Johnston was doing in 1937 at age 85 traveling cross-country to Oregon? In 1870 he lived in Marshall, Indiana and the year before he died in 1937, his residence is listed as Ithaca, New York – 2,800 miles away from where he was buried. Did he follow the Oregon Trail or more likely the train? His older sister Nancy Elizabeth Johnston died in Seattle in 1934, while her older sister Elinor died in Iowa in 1933. His wife, Eliza Johnston, who passed in 1939 must have stayed behind in Indiana. These are mysteries that I will never uncover, but had I know this fact before today, I should have at least visited his grave while I lived in Oregon.
Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to Post #1869. Appropriately, as I reported yesterday, the year 1869 was the beginning of the Thanksgiving football tradition in America. I also happened to receive my latest (Winter 2021) edition of the The Streak Registry this morning put out bi-annually by the United States Running Streak Association (USRSA). The organization just recorded it’s 5,000th streak of at least one year. Mine stands at #229 on the active list, having completed consecutive day 4,715. Anyone who wants more information can go to the website at runeveryday.com. With cloudless skies, both the sun and moon were out to watch my short dip in the pool.
It’s now much easier to relate each post to a specific year in history, as will become a habit going forward. Certain numbered posts in the past have reminded me of memorable dates, home addresses, etc. as I started writing and the number became part of that day’s story. For example, Post #1001, brought back memories of my childhood home on Carolyn Avenue. Post #1492 made me think of Columbus. Post #1380 caused me to recall a radio station I used to work for years ago. I’m sure that many of the numbers that I’m now into will be reminders of years gone by. My parents were born in 1921, while 1951 was my birth year and 1969 the year I graduated from high school. With a post every day, I will start getting to these dates in the next three to four months. 2021, the current year is only 152 days away if I can continue at this pace. Many days it’s hard to come up with tid-bits to mention, so this will add something more to the story than simply what I watched, ate, or did.
I often start with the boring every day details of my life, hoping that it leads to something more interesting or in-depth. In too many cases, my posts never get beyond the basics. Sometimes, I can add humorous stories, travel adventure, adoption discoveries, sports memories, creature features, and poetry to make it more interesting, but all too often my life is uneventful. This is why I’m not compensated to do this and most of the time the effort turns out to be personal therapy. I do get some occasional feedback, but there is rarely anything controversial that gets people talking. It is what it is!
