Johnny Cash Mass

I'm walking down to the local polling place this afternoon when walking past the Local Episcopal Church I spot this:

Now I'm no Christian, at least, not anymore. But this might get me back into Church. Just to check it out.

Happy Birthday Jenn

Great time at Zinho's on Friday night. I had a great time and thanks to every one who came out to celebrate Jenn's big day.

William Penn

329 years ago  (March 4, 1681) Charles II repays a debt owed to the Penn Family by making the following grant to the Quaker William Penn:

Doe give and Grant unto the said William Penn, his Heires and Assignes, all that Tract or Parte of Land in America, with all the Islands therein conteyned, as the same is bounded on the East by Delaware River, from twelve miles distance Northwards of New Castle Towne unto the three and fortieth degree of Northerne Latitude, if the said River doeth extende so farre Northwards; But if the said River shall not extend soe farre Northward, then by the said River soe farr as it doth extend; and from the head of the said River, the Easterne Bounds are to bee determined by a Meridian Line, to bee drawne from the head of the said River, unto the said three and fortieth Degree. The said Lands to extend westwards five degrees in longitude, to bee computed from the said Easterne Bounds

Excluding prior vague Colonial grants from the ing stretching to the "western sea" this was probably the first time that anyone ever felt compelled to write down property boundaries and transfer a claim of ownership to the land that would eventually be claimed by me.   

  

Who owns what

BEGINNING at a point on the Easterly side of Sheridan Ave., at the dividing line between Lots Nos. 1 & 2 in said Plan, said point being distant 62.31 feet Northeastwardly from the Northeast corner of Hampton Street (fomerly Stewart Street) and Sheridan Avenue; thence in an Easterly direction aling the dividing line between Lots Nos. 1 and 2, a distance of 98.66 feet to apoint in line of Lot No. 20; thence Northwardly along the rear line of Lot No. 20 and Lot. No. 19, a distance of 35.07 feet to the dividing line between Lots No. 2 and 3 in said Plan; thence westwardly by the dividing line between said Lots Nos. 2 and 3, 100.91 feet to Sheridan Ave.; thence Southwardly along the Easterly line of Sheridan Avenue a distance of 35 feet to a point at the beginning.

So reads the deed to all the land on the earth that I own...or at least that some financial institution allows me to believe I own.  There is a web of mortgage and control on my real estate that to say I own it is really only a modern nicety.  Some day I hope to be able to be out of debt and the sole master of:

All that certain lot or piece of ground situate in the 11th Ward of the City of Pittsburgh, County of Allegheny and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, being Lot 2 in the Highland Heights Plan of Lots laid out by L.A. Smith and recorded in the Recorder's Office of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in Plan Book Volume 23, Page 116.

After Snowmageddon!

Sunday, February 14 and we made sure we got the Parents out of their apartment one week after the 24 inch snowfall. The picture on the right was our backyard at 5 pm while we prepare to enjoy Potato Leek soup.

After a week of snow digging it is time to reminisce...and both Jen's mom and my Dad made mention of the Thanksgiving storm on Thanksgiving weekend, 1950. Shirley was living in Baldwin while the following picture was taken in the Hill District (12 years before the Civic Arena).

My father's recall was of not being able to travel to Columbus from Akron on Saturday for the annual Ohio State - Michigan game. While the Pitt-Penn State game was postponed that weekend of Thanksgiving 1950 the game went on in Blizzard-like conditions in Ohio.

For fans of the ultimate in bad weather football:

http://www.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/swio/pages/content/1950_thanksgivingStorm.htm