CabanOnline.com

Yes, that’s right … I’m in a video you can find on Youtube!

The year is 1988.  The date is June 4th, 1988. 

WRUW, the radio station at Case where I volunteer, has just revived a live-performance show called Live From Cleveland.  I’m the host of the show at the time. 

The show is on every Saturday afternoon from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, and features a different music group performing live in our studios.  

However … it’s June 4th.  Nice weather abounds!  So, we decide to do the show outdoors in the courtyard of the building where the radio station has its home.  That way, anyone can come see the show in progress!

The music group on this outdoor edition of Live From Cleveland is “The Mice”.  They’re a garage/punk/rock band local to Cleveland.   I guess we knew they were videotaping their performance at the time … but didn’t think much about it.  So now, 19 years later, portions of the video end up on YouTube!

The YouTube excerpt is from the last 7 minutes of the show. 

The Mice perform a song that lasts about 2-1/2 minutes … and then on comes the host (me!) to chat with the musicians!  Then, they perform another song.  Then I appear again (about 6 minutes into the video) to give the closing credits for the Live From Cleveland show! 

I’m not recognizable by face … but definitely by voice … if you can imagine my voice 19 years ago! 

Live from Cleveland is still on WRUW, and still features live bands, but now it airs on Thursday nights from 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm.

Share This

Print This Post

Looking for more? Try these related posts:

There’s a world-famous Easter display in our hometown of Lyndhurst, Ohio.  Perhaps you’ve seen it on TV sometime in the last few years.  In 2006, it was shown on The Today Show.  This year, CNN showed it on the morning of Easter Sunday.  It’s called Eggshelland!

Each year, Ron and Betty Manolio of Lyndhurst, Ohio, put forth a herculean effort to create a fresh and original set of displays made from colored eggshells.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of Eggshelland, so the Manolio’s made sure they used over 50,000 shells in the displays. 

Here’s what the final result looks like from the air!  Those displays are all made from colored eggshells! (Thanks go to the Lyndhurst Fire Department for taking this picture.) 

Betty and Ron Monolio, the creators of Eggshelland, were kind enough to pose for a picture when we visited the displays.  Ron’s even wearing an Eggshelland Hat!

Each year Betty and Ron set up an information booth in their garage, complete with photos from previous years, newspaper clippings, and other information about Eggshelland.  You can even buy shells!

Here’s how the Eggshelland displays are created:

First, the Manolios come up with a theme.  The theme for 2007 is “A Blast from the Past.”  Once they have a theme, Betty draws a plan for the displays on a special piece of paper covered with a grid of small boxes.  She and Ron color the picture and then count up the number of eggs required, and the colors needed. 

Here’s this year’s plan for the Jetsons display:

Then, Ron and Betty make sure they have enough shells of the required colors on-hand.  They have a wonderful deal to get extra-large eggshells from a local restaurant.  They paint each shell by hand with a special colorful enamel paint. 

Then, they layout the grid of the drawing and start placing little eggshell support sticks in the ground.  The eggshells are then placed over the sticks. 

When all is finished … this is what the result looks like!

So, here are the other special Eggshelland displays for 2007 … a Scooby-Doo display, and a Flintstones display.  Below are Betty and Ron’s plans for the displays:

And here are the final results.  First, Scooby and Shaggy!

Then, The Flintstones!

The displays are up each year from Palm Sunday to just after Easter.  However, this year was a bit different.   

Unfortunately for Eggshelland, our dear city of Lyndhurst in Northeast Ohio was blanketed with over two feet of heavy snow over Easter weekend (April 8th)!  So, the Manolios couldn’t take down the display on the day after Easter.  In fact, we had such bad weather during the Palm Sunday-Easter week, that very few people really got to see the displays at all! 

The snow didn’t melt enough to see the displays until the Thursday after Easter.  So, the Manolios graciously extended the life of the 2007 display until April 24th. 

We saw the Display on April 14th, and the damage from the heavy snow was evident throughout the display.  Here you can see how the snow pushed down the eggshells on their support sticks so hard that the sticks poked through and broke the shells. 

Ron Manolio reports that there were other years when the displays were damaged.  In 1998, a hail storm destroyed 10,238 shells. In 2002, an ice storm on top of 6 inches of snow broke 11,941, and in 2005, 6 inches of heavy wet snow smashed 5,633 shells.  They won’t have a report on this year’s damage until after they’re done cleaning up, but Ron estimates that all of the eggshells in the cross are damaged, as well as damage to eggshells in other displays.

So, a final Happy Easter from Lyndhurst, Ohio!  Watch for the Eggshelland display next year!

Share This

Print This Post

Looking for more? Try these related posts:

Merry Christmas, er, I mean, Happy Easter everyone!

And so it began… starting on Wednesday evening.  On Tuesday, April 3, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (the “official” weather reporting location for Cleveland) reported a record high temperature of 80 degrees F.

On Wednesday, temperatures fell throughout the day into the 30’s.  By Wednesday evening, it was snowing.

Twenty-four hours later, it was still snowing.  Here is the same view as above one day later:

This picture was taken Easter Sunday. It took us an hour and forty-five minutes to clear the driveway.

God bless David for shoveling the sidewalk to the back yard, so that I could get to the bird feeder in the back yard!

I decided to fill the bird feeder in the back yard.  Here I am trudging back to the garage.  The snow was up over my knees!!

Look carefully…

A squirrel!!!

The peanuts had been covered over by fresh snowfall.  This squirrel tunneled his/her way through to get to a buried treasure.

This is the view of the back yard:

I think they’re goners…

That was our cold and snowy Easter of 2007! 

Share This

Print This Post

Looking for more? Try these related posts:

After Clyde’s passing, we received many wonderfully kind condolences.  We thank everyone who took the time to write.  Here are some of the cards we received:

We also received many wonderful emails from friends, family, and co-workers.  Thank you so much!

We sent printed copies of Clyde’s obituary to the veterinarians who cared for him over the years.  Dr. Disbro, Clyde’s primary care physician for most of his life, called to express her condolences (and told us about some kitties who might be looking for a home soon!). 

Dr. Alan Hammer (Clyde’s oncologist) and his staff sent a lovely card that they all signed and wrote notes in.  So did Dr. Kelly Rehmer (who originally diagnosed the cancer) and the staff of Village Veterinary Clinic. 

The biggest surprise was this wonderful gift we received from Animal Hospital, Inc. (where Dr. Hammer is based).  It’s an engraved glass memorial to Clyde.  The words say “The pawprints left on your heart will always be remembered.”  We’ve given this gift a prominent place on our fireplace mantle. 

Thank you so much for helping us through this difficult time. We think Clyde would have been happy to know so many people cared for him! 

Share This

Print This Post

Looking for more? Try these related posts:

I have a tendancy to leave things in my clothes pockets at the end of the day. 

I’ve always thought I make a concerted effort to empty the pockets, but Sue disagrees.  See, in our division of household duties, Sue does all the laundry.  She has often come across gum wrappers, wads of paper, loose change, electronic resistors (!), and an occasional pen in my pockets as she prepares the wash. 

She has admonished me several times to do a better job emptying my pockets, and I always promise to do better.  In fact, we had such a conversation last week on this very topic.  She watched me toss my clothes into the hamper without checking the pockets. 

She said, “You didn’t check the pockets!”

To which I replied, “I didn’t need to check because I didn’t put anything in my pockets today.”

“You check regardless!  Maybe you forgot you put something in your pockets.”   

I promised to do better, and she said “the next thing I find I’m keeping.”

Sooooooo …

Yesterday (Saturday), I came home from the gym to find the following note on my dresser:

I was confused at first, so I asked Sue “what’s this?”

To which she replied, “looks like a ransom note to me!”

Apparently, I had left one of my tie pins in one of my shirt pockets.  It’s a gold-plated pin with the letter “D” on it.  (D for David).  Hence, the reference in the note to “If you want to see your D tie pin again …” 

I met Sue in the kitchen and explained that I didn’t have $25,000 to give her for the pin.  (And … it’s really not worth that much to me!  It’s gold-plated not solid gold.  Actually, it’s probably BRASS.)   

We negotiated an alternative settlement.  I would buy her dinner in exchange for the tie pin.  So, we went out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant, La Fiesta, in Richmond Heights … my treat. 

And, later that night … I found my “D” tie pin on my dresser, safe and sound!

I promise to do better checking my pockets!

Share This

Print This Post

Looking for more? Try these related posts:

It’s tough coming home to an empty and quiet house. 

One of the things we miss most about Clyde is his constant “meows” for attention.  For almost 15 years, he would wake us up in the morning by meandering into our bedroom with a chirpy “meow” as if to say “Okay you two, time to get up and feed me!”  

He would chirp and chirp and meow and meow and lead me (David) into the kitchen to be fed for breakfast.  Once he was fed … he was off to take a nap. 

If either or both of us were home around 11:00 am, Clyde’s internal feeding clock would go off for one of his favorite delicacies: chicken or turkey Gerber’s baby food.  “Meow! Meow! Meow!” he would chirp until we spoon fed him half the jar.  Then he was off to take a nap.

If Sue was home with Clyde, she could release twist the cap of a 2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola, and after the “sssssss” of the pressure release, Clyde would suddenly appear, chirping for some tuna from Sue’s lunch. 

After a long day at work, we’d come home to be greeted by Clyde.  “Meow!  Meow!  Meow!” he would chirp as he strolled out from under the dining room table to greet us.  “Hooray, you’re home!  Time to feed me again!” 

He would then proceed to carry on at great length following us around the house, as if to tell us all about the fabulous day he had sleeping in various rooms, watching birds and squirrels through the patio door, sniffing bugs and eating cat crunchies.  Eventually, we would go through his little feeding routine, and then off he would go for another nap. 

Clyde in 1993

Now that Clyde’s gone, the silence is deafening. 

Now, only my alarm clock jars us out of bed.  There’s no one to greet us at the bottom of the stairs and we stroll to the kitchen unassisted.  11:00 am comes and goes in silence.  We eat with only our own voices to fill the air.  We come home to an empty and quiet house. 

Sue has found it tough to be home alone on Sunday without Clyde around to help her eat lunch and to listen to my radio show.  She also misses Clyde sitting outside our home office when Sue works from home.

We’re very sad, and we miss our little friend.  We miss his presence, knowing he was always somewhere in the house, often just nearby keeping us company from a distance. 

But, most of all, we miss all his wonderfully chirpy and happy meows that broke the silence for almost 15 years. 

Share This

Print This Post

Looking for more? Try these related posts: