Have you heard of Game of Thrones? I have, but I’ve never watched it. Two or three weeks ago, it came to my attention for a new reason . . . because someone brought back Dire Wolves. I’d never heard of them either, but the incredible part – Dire Wolves have been extinct for over 10,000 years.
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To see and hear that something that’s extinct is alive again made me flash back to Jurassic Park. The movie where scientists made T Rex and Velociraptor live again. YIKES!

Part 1 – Picturing a Dire Wolf: I couldn’t find a picture to match my imagination. I thought I’d be staring into its eyes as it stood on four legs looking at me. Something that big has an enormous appetite, and wolves eat meat.

Now take a look at the second image, on the graph. It helps me picture their true size. Dire wolves would have been about a meter or 40 inches tall. My height is 65 inches, so that wolf would have stood about hip high.

But, when I look at his length, the dire wolf was about 2 meters long. That’s 80 inches of wolf standing on his hind legs. He would have towered 15 inches above my head. Now check out his teeth . . . YIKES!
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                                      This link from Animal Planet explains why dire wolves are still extinct.
                                                       No, Geneticists Did Not Bring The Dire Wolf Back
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                                                                      Part 2 – Are Dire Wolves Back, or Not?:
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 Colossal or Colossal Bioscience is the company at the heart of this debate. They say they brought the dire wolf back after being extinct for over 10,000 years. I took a screenshot from their website, and this is their logo. If you’d like to read about them, here’s their link: De-extinction Projects, Facts & Statistics | Colossal     


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​This IS NOT a dire wolf. It’s a gray one. They look a lot alike. That’s because they share a common ancestor that lived over 6 million years ago. Think of your 6 million times great grandparents. It was that long ago.
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Colossal used ancient DNA samples from dire wolves, then altered some gray wolf DNA, but some experts say not so fast. They say the pups aren’t really dire wolves. They’re really gray ones with some modified and superficial traits.
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Remember this image from part 1? It’s our friend, the dire wolf. Let’s compare some of his traits to a gray wolf. 

Animal Planet reported that the modern dire wolf story began when Colossal extracted DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull. They used the DNA as a guide to help them bring back the dire wolf. Then they took blood from a gray wolf, edited its DNA using the ancient genetic information, and transferred the updated DNA to a dog egg. That egg was then implanted into a female dog who gave birth to dire wolf pups for the first time in 10,000 years.

That sounds like the right recipe, especially since gray wolves and dire wolves have DNA that’s 99.5% the same. That’s a lot, but would you believe it leaves out millions of DNA differences between the two kinds of wolves? Then consider Colossal only edited 20 of those millions of genetic differences, and 5 edits gave them white coats, like the ones in Game of Thrones. That still leaves millions of bits of DNA that were never edited. Colossal’s pups sound like they’re more related to their gray wolf cousins than their extinct ones.


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 Part 3 – The Implications of De-Extinction: When Colossal introduced their dire wolf pups, they advanced genetic engineering but fell short of de-extinction. My source from Animal Planet said it raised questions about the implications.                     ​
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​This chart shows how we classify the animal world according to what they look like on the inside, outside, and how those sides work together. Animal Planet’s first concern, that this was too subjective, and not rigorous enough.

They thought evolutionary relationships between dire wolves and gray ones over time should have had more emphasis. That DNA sequencing of traits should have been studied then applied.
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For me the debate between the two views shows how hard it is to define a species, let alone bring an extinct one back to life. My question, how do you know you’re interpreting the DNA correctly, then putting it together properly? 

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​Another concern from Animal Planet was about protecting our endangered animals. If companies like Colossal invest in de-extinction, there are less resources for animals who aren’t extinct yet, but could be.
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Reintroduced species like the wolves at Yellowstone must be considered. They vanished from the national park but are found in other places. There’s only so much money for conservation. Spending it on de-extinction won’t save animals in danger today.

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Animal Planet shared another reason for caution using the example of the Pyrenean Ibex. It was cloned and brought back from de-extinction. The scientists thought they’d chosen the right set of genes, but the baby Ibex died soon after birth.

If it had survived, where would it live? How about the dire wolves? Many animals are struggling to survive as habitats shrink. Adding de-extincted animals to those habitats would put more living creatures at risk.

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​Animal Planet’s final concern, that a commercial or entertainment interest might push a project too far, too fast, and end badly.

Think Jurassic Park and bringing the dinosaurs back. Remember the ending with kids hiding from a T Rex and a herd of Velociraptors? They pushed the science too far, underestimated dinosaur intelligence, and overestimated ours.
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The dire wolf has the same potential thanks to Game of Thrones. Science and entertainment have different interests, different requirements. Thank goodness, those pups are genetically enhanced gray wolves, with only a few dire wolf traits.
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It’s heartwarming to bring back an extinct animal, but it’s also scary. Even scientists don’t know what they don’t know. Think Pyrenean Ibex or Jurassic Park. I hope scientists working on de-extinction will take careful steps as they continue their research.

I was born in 1959, and so many things I grew up with, that were made here in the USA are gone. The factories who made them, gone. Moved to another country. Employing other people to make them.  The link below has 18 things that left our shores. 
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#1. Rawlings Baseballs: They’re THE supplier for Major League Baseball. Born in 1887 in St. Louis, Missouri. Their founders, George and Alfred Rawlings.
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In 1969 Rawlings moved their factory from Missouri to Puerto Rico, then Haiti. Now they’re in Costa Rica. I guess baseballs are no longer as American as apple pie. 


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#2. Gerber Baby Food: Oh, my! I grew up eating Gerber. My kids did too.
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Gerber was born in 1927 in Michigan, that state up north. They merged with a Swiss pharmaceutical company, Novartis, in 1994. Nestle bought them out in 2007, but my link said Gerber is no longer made in the USA.

CORRECTION: Yes, it is. Bonus source #1 said Gerber’s still made in Ohio and Florida. In Canada and Europe too, but source #2 said you’ll find Gerber around the world. In Mexico too. 
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​#3. Etch A Sketch:. I had one growing up, and so did my husband. Etch A Sketch was born in Bryan, Ohio. The company, Ohio Art, moved its factory to Shelnzhen, China in 2000. It’s a pity . . . something created by Buckeyes is now made in China.



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Now Chucks are made in Indonesia, but I wondered about Converse, so I googled. If you buy anything with a Converse label, they’re made in China, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Not in the USA.

Converse became part of Nike in 2003. They’re both American companies, in name only. Their headquarters are in the US, but their shoes are made somewhere else.

Bonus Sources: Where Are Converse Made? In The US? - The Men Hero
​Is Nike an American Company? - Shoe Effect


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 5. Steel Rebar: Have you heard of rebar? I hadn’t, so I googled it. Rebar is a special steel bar or mesh made from small steel wires. Its purpose—to strengthen and stabilize concrete and other materials. You’ll find it in platforms, walls, floors, and ceilings.

If you’re in construction, you use rebar. You can buy some kinds in the US, but you have to import the others. 

                                      Bonus Source: What Is Rebar and Why Is It Used? - Handyman's World
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​#6. Shirts: The major manufacturers have left the country. The last one, C.F. Hathaway shut down their factory in Maine in 2002 after 165 years of doing business. There are still small shirt makers in the US, but the big guys are all gone.



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#7. Mattel: It’s the largest toy company in the world, the stuff of my childhood. Mattel shuttered its last US factory in 2002. Now China makes about 65% of Mattel’s toys. That includes Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Polly Pocket, American Girl, and so many more.

Mattel’s headquarters are in California, and it has factories all over the world including China, Mexico, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Like everything else, production is cheaper overseas.

                                             Bonus Source: Where Are Mattel Toys Made? - AllAmerican.org


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​​ #8. Minivan Chassis: I know what a minivan is but had no idea about the chassis. It’s the bottom of a car, where the rubber meets the road. Think wheels and axles. I used Legos to teach my second graders about them, but I never used the word chassis. Car companies stopped making them here in 2003. 

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#9. Vending Machine Parts: The key parts of my favorite machine aren’t made in the USA anymore. Two of them – the bill and coin dispensers.

             Tomorrow: Four more products no longer made in the USA



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#10. Levi Jeans: If you’re American, you’ve probably worn Levis. They were an icon here for 150 years, until December of 2023. That’s when they moved their factories to Latin America and Asia.

What’s Latin America? I looked it up. It’s the parts of the Americas that once belonged to the Spanish, Portuguese, or French colonial empires. So, what’s that? Basically everything south of Mexico, including Central and South America. Plus, the islands of the Carribean.

Bonus Source: Latin America can also be defined as all those parts of the Americas that were once part of the Spanish, Portuguese or French colonial empires.
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​#11. Radio Flyer Wagons: Everyone I know, including my children grew up with a little red wagon. They were all made in the US until 2004. That’s when Radio Flyer closed its plant in Chicago and moved to China. 




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#12. Television: I grew up with TV. I went from black and white to color. From a small screen to the huge ones we have today. In the 60s TVs were made in the USA. Not anymore. The last American manufacturer, Five Rivers Electronic Innovations, closed in 2004. Now, TVs are made somewhere else.

So, who makes TVs? The AI list included South Korea, China, Vietnam, Poland, India, Mexico, Russia, and Indonesia. But I found A FEW made in the USA.

1. Silo Digital is in Chatsworth, California. It specializes in LED TVs, and it’s been the leading ‘manufacturing scene’ (whatever that means) in the USA for the last 10 years.

2. SunBrite TVs are based in Thousand Oaks California, but they have plants in North Carolina and Texas. Their specialty, TVs for outside places, but they have indoor ones too!

3. Element Electronics sounds like a hybrid to me. They have an assembly plant in South Carolina to make their Smart TVs, but their Android and Roku units are made in Asia.

4. Sharp Electronics Corporation, really? They started in Montvale, New Jersey in 1962, but they are a subsidiary of Sharp from Japan. My source said, ‘you really can’t get televisions that are more “Made in America” than Sharp!’ If that’s true, why didn’t my source list the plants in the US?

5. Toshiba is another Japanese subsidiary that has some assembly lines here in the states. They do carry the Made in the USA label, but they don’t name the states they’re in.

​6. Seura is an American brand found in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  

 Bonus Source: TVs Made In the USA: American Brands Complete List [2025]


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#13. Cell Phones: My original link said that in 2008, 1.2 billion cell phones were sold world-wide, and NOT ONE was made in the USA. So, where are they made? I googled, and here’s the Top Ten list:

1. China once made 80% of the world’s phones, but it dropped to 50% in 2023 when some companies left the country.

2. India is where business went. Phones are now their 5th largest export.

3. Vietnam was in 2nd place, until India passed them. Now it’s in 3rd place, and they make 10% of the world’s mobile phones.

4-10. These six countries make the remaining 20% of mobile phones. In order…the US, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom. How did the US get into 4th place? Maybe other countries make the parts, and Americans assemble them, but that’s a guess.

    Bonus Source: The Top 10 Mobile Manufacturing Countries (Updated 2025) (US) - MobilityArena

                                       

                                                          The photo below is a welding kit. It has 4 key parts.

Top Right – Crucible. It’s used for melting metallic elements before they can be cast. Crucibles have to have a higher melting point than whatever’s inside.

​Top Row Left – Sand Mold. There are 3 pieces for each rail type and 3 different kinds of rails.

Bottom Left – Igniter. It has a wind resistant design, and it produces temperatures as high as 1500 Celsius. Water boils at 100. YIKES! You need 1 igniter for each weld. That’s where you melt 2 pieces of metal together.
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Bottom Right – Welding Portion. That’s the metals—aluminum and iron oxide powders, that are put into the crucible then melted together. 



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Put it altogether, and this is what rail thermite welding looks like. I hope welders use protective equipment to stay safe and keep their cool.

Bonus Sources:
Cast Manganese Steel Crossings: Applications and Benefits - MFG Shop
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Rail thermite welding | Railroad Thermite Welding | Welding Kit And Crucibles Available
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#15. Dell Computers: Dell’s last major plant in the US closed in 2010. Now they outsource their production to Asia. Why? To stay competitive, in other words to keep prices down. American workers in the 2000s made too much money. That made Dell computers expensive, so they sent their factories overseas where they could find cheaper workers.

#16. Canned Sardines: The little fish that are great on crackers, they aren’t canned in the US anymore. They’d been an American product from 1875 until April 2010. That’s when the last cannery, Stinson Seafood from Maine, shut down.

Where do canned sardines come from now? More than half are from Morocco, a country in Northern Africa. They produce more than 850,000 tons each year. That’s a lot of tuna!

                                  Bonus Source: Most of the world's canned sardines come from this country


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#17. Flatware: Oh, that’s silverware! My link said Sherrill Manufacturing, the last plant in the US, stopped production in 2010 because of economic troubles, and that they hoped to restart their business again.

Surprise! Flatware is still made here in the US, and I found four companies that do it. The first, Liberty Tabletop, and it’s made by Sherrill, in Sherrill, New York. Yes, they’re back in business again! Farmhouse Pottery is also in New York. Wallace Silversmiths are in Wallingford, Connecticut, and Knock Flatware is in Newton, Kansas. Three cheers for flatware made in the USA!
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                                  Bonus Source: The 4 Flatware Made in The USA 2024 (Complete List)


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#18. Incandescent Light Bulbs: Invented in the USA, but the last big factory closed in September 2010. Why? Congress passed a ban on them that began in 2014.

I googled if incandescents are made here, and it turns out it’s still a political thing. In 2023 the Biden administration put in a controversial regulation—They banned General Service Lamps too, AND incandescent light bulbs couldn’t be manufactured or sold here either. If a business refused to obey, they’d forfeit their stock. OUCH!

In January 2025 President Trump signed an executive order about energy efficiencey, AND the government is reevaluating light bulbs. So…the good old incandescents might be back, or not. But if they are, you might still need new lamps to use them.

BTW, this isn’t a complete list of products, but we’re in a period of change, so maybe, some will come home again.
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                                            Bonus Source: Are Incandescent Light Bulbs Coming Back?

​Did you ever reread a story and discover there’s more to it? I read this for Saturday Reads in March of 2023. But when I read it out loud for fourth graders at Cridersville Elementary, I knew I had to write about it. For you, for them, and for me too…I was curious.

The Water Princess in the story spends her morning walking to the well. She returns home in the afternoon. That’s about 4 miles a day, or a hike through 70 football fields lined up back-to-back. That’s a long way.

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Part 1 – Meet the Real Water Princess:  Her name, Georgie Badiel. The book said it was based on her childhood. The real Georgie didn’t walk to the well every day, only during summer vacations with her grandmother.

Georgie grew up, became a model, an author, and an activist. Today she lives in New York City, but she has never forgotten those childhood walks to collect water. Now she has a platform to help people back home. It’s dedicated to building and restoring wells in Burkina Faso.

This screenshot is from her board of directors. The link:  Team — Georgiebadielfoundation
 

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Part 2 – A Foundation for a Princess:  This Georgie Badiel’s Foundation’s home page.
The link: Georgiebadielfoundation

Georgie said, “I used to walk 3 hours to fetch water for my family.
My goal is to break that cycle.”​
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​Georgie's Mission = CLEAN WATER in Burkina.
Ensure the SUSTAINABILITY of the water system
through WOMEN ENGINEERING program.

When you can provide clean water to someone, it impacts every aspect of life.

If you’d like to watch this video, click on: Mission — Georgiebadielfoundation
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Part 3 – Where the Princess is Working:  Georgie Badiel’s Foundation works in Burkina Faso. The link: Where We Work — Georgiebadielfoundation

Burkina Faso is shown in red and green, with a star in the center. It looks small on the map, but it’s about the size of Montana.

Burkina Faso has way more people. Montana only has 1million, and Burkina Faso, 20.9. That’s like 21 times more!

Burkina Faso was once a French colony. Its official language is still French, but half the people speak Mossi. Its citizens are called Burkinabe, and its capital is Ougadougou.
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Its neighbors—Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin and Togo to the southeast, Ghana to the south, and the Ivory Coast to the southwest. BTW, Georgie was born in the Ivory Coast.

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Remember those 2 women? The foundation teaches them basic engineering, how to restore, and maintain those wells. Why women? They’re the ones who collect the water, so they need to keep it working.

Would you believe Burkina Faso has 9,775 broken wells? Georgie’s foundation wants to insure their new wells are maintained and cared for, so they manage them until the women are ready to take over.

The Links:
How We Work — Georgiebadielfoundation
Women Engineering — Georgiebadielfoundation
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                                                                    The Link: Georgie Badiel-Liberty - Home


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Part 4 – Another Water Hero: I thought I was done with the Water Princess, but I saw something on Fox News that made me keep going. One of the reporters did a charity event for Africa 6000 International. I listened, and I was hooked. It was a story I had to tell!

Africa 6000 was born in 2007. That didn’t catch my attention, but this did—6000 children died EVERY DAY in 2007 because of waterborne diseases. What a heartbreaking statistic.

The good news, that number has been cut in half…down to under 3000 kids. But that’s still too many, and it’s still heartbreaking.                  Their link: Our Mission - Africa 6000 International   
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​Africa 6000, their mission is the same as Georgie Badiel’s. To deliver clean water to the thirstiest people in Africa. Their charity builds long-term, solar-powered water wells that can be accessed and maintained successfully by the people who live beside them. Africa 6000 hires and trains teams to drill wells and drive support vehicles. 

Meet Jesse Waters. He’s the Fox reporter who introduced me to Africa 6000. He only had 30-60 seconds to tell his story, but it was compelling. He said the number of children dying was closer to 2000 now. Imagine building a program that saves the lives of 3-4000 children every single day. THAT’S an accomplishment!
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Imagine that clean water makes medical clinics and schools possible. Picture water flowing to your garden or farm. And dream that you and the people in your village are trained and empowered to keep those wells working. THAT’S powerful! Plus, women and children can go to school, can learn to read and write. And me, I’m proud to introduce you to this incredible program!

These 2 maps show the success Africa 6000 has had. Do you see those blue circles with white dots? Each one represents a well built by Africa 6000. They’ve done a lot of work in18 years!
Here’s an interesting fact I learned from Africa 6000—Did you know…A whole family in Africa exists on 5 gallons of water a day? Each American, every single one of us, uses 175 gallons EVERY DAY! Wow, Americans are blessed! ​

​As I grow older, my faith grounds me in a way it didn’t when I was younger. It helps me take adversity in stride. It helps me navigate the highs and lows of life, but most of all, I have a sense of peace I didn’t have when I was younger.

​Part1 – The Faith of a Few Buckeyes: I was surprised to find this link a few days after  the Cotton Bowl. Ohio State players kneel in prayer on field before Cotton Bowl victory

Faith is a private thing for me. I usually don’t talk about mine, but I’m happy when people share theirs on TV. This article had links for three videos of OSU football players demonstrating their faith. I picked two of them to share.

1 – This image came from the first link in the article (second paragraph). I stopped the video and did a screen shot. It’s the moment when nearly every Ohio State player was on the field. They knelt and prayed before the Cotton Bowl pregame started.
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I love my Buckeyes, and I think this is one of their finest moments. Win or lose, to focus your head and heart in prayer before the first play of a big game, that’s a very good thing.
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#2 – This is the second link (paragraph six). I didn’t see this video until I read the article. This is another screen shot, but it was taken after THE game, the one with that team up north. Yes, Michigan won, and some Wolverines tried to plant their flag in the middle of the stadium, the Shoe.

This shot took place during the middle of that post-game chaos. Would you believe two Buckeyes and one Wolverine knelt in prayer? It’s one of the loveliest examples of faith I’ve ever seen.

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​ Part 2 – A Prayer Change : It all started for me when Olivia Newton John died. That was back in August of 2022. I read that she started saying the Lord’s Prayer each night during her final bout with cancer. She hoped it’d bring her closer to her daughter, and I read it worked.

​I thought if Olivia could pray the Lord’s Prayer, I could too. Now I pray it every night before I go to sleep. Three years later, it’s changed the way I pray. 

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#1 – I began to start with gratitude; then I’d end with the Lord’s Prayer. I never planned it. Gratitude just bubbled up in me each night, and I started thanking God for the blessings He sent my way. Big things, little ones. It didn’t matter. What did – expressing my attitude of gratitude to Him.

#2 – Over the years I stopped asking God for the things I need or want. They haven’t changed in years so I trusted God knew about them. That He’d grant them if/when it was time. Then a year ago, I read that we need to keep asking for those things. It gives me peace to know they’ll be granted in His time.

So now as I lay in bed, I begin my nightly prayers with gratitude, then my wish list. I end them with the Lord’s Prayer. Most nights I’m asleep in 10-15 minutes, and that’s a wonderful thing for someone who’s struggled with sleep issues.

  
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Does your map of the United States look like this? Mine too! That’s why when I found some really eye-opening ones, I had to share a few of them with you.

To see a few more, click this link:
​                                            19 Eye-Opening Maps Of America That May Surprise You (onlyinyourstate.com)
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Map #1 – The Fifty States of Television: I’m from Ohio. Can you find it on the map? It’s labeled Family Ties, the most popular TV show ever set in the Buckeye state. It ran on NBC from 1982-1989. I watched it at the height of its popularity but never knew it was about an Ohio family who lived in Columbus, the state capital.
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Can you find your state on the map? If not, look up at the regular one, then scan back down and find it on this one. Good luck!


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Map #2 – The Most Popular NFL Teams Across the USA: Can you find Ohio on this map? It has four colors and four favorite teams. That’s because popularity is broken down by county.

Can you name all four teams? A yellow one’s on the eastern edge of the state. They’re the Pittsburgh Steelers from Pennsylvania. There’s a brown one whose fans are found only in northern Ohio. Its name, its perfect! The Cleveland Browns!

The Cincinnati Bengals own the southern part of the state, but they also have fans in Indiana and Kentucky. You’ll have to look for  the fourth team on Ohio’s western border. It’s a teeny tiny bit of blue that’s surrounded by three other colors. It stands for the Indianapolis Colts from Indiana, of course!

What about your state? Does it have one favorite team, or does it have to share? Here’s to fall football, the NFL, and yours!
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Map #3 – The Most Popular Boy’s Names of 2013: Can you tell from a glance what name Americans picked for their baby boys in 2013? If you guessed Liam, you’re right! Ohio picked it too.

Did your state pick Liam, or did they pick one of the other favorites? There are eight other names that were popular in 2013. Can you find all of them too?

PS – Are you curious what the Top Ten names for 2024could be? Or do you wonder if any of the names are the same? I hope so. . .  because I’m always curious, and I looked them up!

 
                 1. Liam                   2. Noah                     3. Oliver                      4. James                      5. Elijah
 
                6. Mateo               7. Theodore            8. Henry                      9. Lucas                      10, William
 
                                                 Source: Top 1,000 Baby Boy Names in the U.S. 2024


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Map #4 – The Most Popular Girl’s Names of 2013: How about baby girl names? What was America’s favorite? If you guessed Emma, you’re right, and Ohio picked it too! Woohoo!
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Did your state pick Emma, or one of the other names? This time there were only five. Can you find all of them too?
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​PS – Are you curious about the Top Ten names for 2024, or  if some of the names stayed the same? I was too!
 
                   1. Olivia                  2. Emma                   3. Charlotte                   4. Amelia                   5. Sophia
    
                   6. Mia                       7. Isabella               8. Ava                                 9. Evelyn                   10, Luna
 
                                                         Source: Top 1,000 Baby Girl Names in the U.S. 2024


                                                              
Map #5 – Dogs vs Cats: Did the data bar throw you off? I love how it makes it easy to see where dog lovers and cat lovers live, but I wish I knew what the > 1.25x meant.

But, if I understand the key correctly, Ohio is a deep green state, so we have more cats per household than dogs. How many more, I have no idea.
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Did you catch that cat lovers live in the north and dog lovers in the south? Except for Florida. There’s always an exception to every rule! What about your state, who rules? Cats, or dogs?


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Map #6 – Your State’s Most Iconic Fast Food Chain: Look at all those great places! Each one represents something special about each state. I’m glad I can find so many of them in Ohio . . .  It is the heart of it all!

Speaking of Ohio, did you find our iconic food chain, Wendy’s? Dave Thomas founded the first one in 1969 in Columbus, and he named it after his daughter, Wendy. Almost sixty years later, it still has the freshest burgers in the country! That’s because they never use frozen meat. Ever!
Can you find your state’s iconic fast-food chain on the map? Here’s hoping I can check it out in Ohio too!

                                                                     Next up – one last eye-opening map!
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Map #7 – A Distorted Look at the USA: What? How? Why? This is what the US would look like, if the country was divided up according to each state’s population.

Look at New Jersey/NJ – It’s HUGE! It grew, and it grew, and it pushed New York off to the side. But don’t worry! New York/NY pushed Pennsylvania/PA, Ohio/OH, and Michigan/MI out of the way too. 

 Are fingers digits? They’re actually synonyms, even if we usually think of digits as numbers.
So take a look at yours and get ready for a few trivia questions.

1. What’s the name of your smallest digit?
Ring finger     Index finger     Thumb      Pinky finger

2. Where did it come from?
England     France     Netherlands     Germany

​And the answers are . . . ​

Sources:
What is the name of the smallest... | Trivia Answers | QuizzClub
 
​For more info: en.wikipedia.org

And now, another digit. Good luck!

3. Which digit looks different from the other four? It acts differently too.
Ring finger         Index finger         Thumb          Pinky finger

4. Do other animals have a digit like this?
Yes              No

And the answers are . . .

​3. The digit that’s different – your thumb.

4. And yes, other animals have opposable thumbs like we do. Most of them are primates.
​

A thumb is the first digit of your hand. 😊 In Latin it’s called a pollex. I didn’t think the thumb was a finger, but one definition says the hand has five digits, so the thumb counts. Another one says there are only four digits, so the thumb doesn’t. It’s up to you – you can call your thumb a finger, or a plain old thumb.   

Your thumb is like the other fingers because it has joints that bend, and it has hair, a nail, and a palm without hair. Personal note – my fingers don’t have hair, but my husband’s do.
​
A thumb is different because it’s opposable to the other fingers, so it can touch each finger on your hand. It has two bending points, not three like the others. The thumb curls horizontally/across the hand, and the other fingers curl vertically/up and down. 
​​

Some primates have opposable thumbs like Old World monkeys and great apes. Some have opposable thumbs that are a little longer, like gibbons and lesser apes.

Lemurs, pottos, lorises, capuchin and squirrel monkeys have pseudo-opposable thumbs. That means they’re almost opposable, but not quite. Tarsiers and marmosets have thumbs, but they’re not opposable. As for the spider monkey and the colobus, they’re thumb-less. Poor things!

Other animals have thumbs too. Giant Pandas have a finger, that’s not a true finger, but it works like our thumb. Opossums have them on their hind feet, and most birds have at least one opposable toe on their foot. But those are toes, NOT thumbs. 

​And now, another digit. Here’s to good luck, or pure skill 😉
​
5. Which digit points things out?
Ring finger     Index finger     Thumb      Pinky finger

6. How many names does it have?
6     7     8     9    

And the answers are . . .
​

5. The pointing digit is known as your index finger.

6. My source gave me eight, including index finger. 

​​

Here are all eight names – index finger, forefinger, first finger (if you don’t count the thumb), second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secondus, digitus II.
​
Don’t get confused. Your index finger is the one between your thumb and middle finger. Did you know it’s usually the most agile and sensitive finger?  As a pianist, it was one of my best fingers, but I didn’t know it was sensitive too. 

​

Your index finger is SO useful! Hold it up, and you’re number 1, in most places. Some, use their thumbs instead. If you move it up and down in the #1 position, it’s called finger-wagging. I use mine to warn someone to stop, usually a kid, and they usually do.
​
You can also point with your index finger, and babies around age 1 begin pointing too. Did you know some animals like dogs and elephants understand and respond to pointing? Or that in some places in Southeast Asia like Malaysia and Indonesia, they think it’s rude? They still point, but they use their thumb instead. 

​Sources:
Index finger - Wikipedia
​
​

​​And now, another digit. May the force be with you 😉

7. Which digit wears jewelry first?
Ring finger     Index finger     Thumb      Pinky finger

8. Where should you wear it?
Right hand      Left hand
​
And the answers are . . .

7. The ring finger wears jewelry first, like engagement and wedding rings.

8. The hand it’s on depends on where you live, and your religion.
I thought it was always worn on the left hand until I went to Germany. Theirs goes on the right.

The wedding ring is usually worn on the left hand if you live in the British Commonwealth, parts of Europe, and in Catholic Mexico, Bolivia, and Chili. In Europe that includes France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, and by Catholics in the Netherlands.  In Spain the regions that speak Catalan use their left hands. Can you find them on the map?
​
The ring goes on the right hand in some Orthodox countries, a few Catholic European ones, some Central and South American Catholic countries, and in Protestant Western Europe. In Eastern Europe, that includes Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine. In Central/Western Europe that’s Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Norway, and by Protestants in the Netherlands. In Spain, the regions that speak Spanish use their right hands. In Central/South America it also includes Columbia, Cuba, Peru, and Venezuela. Can you find them on the map?
​
​In countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Romania, and Brazil, they wear their ring on the right hand until the wedding. Then they move it to the left.  They're on the map too.

In Islamic countries, wedding rings aren’t part of the ceremony. If you wear one, the hand you choose depends on where you live. In Iran, you use your left hand. In Jordan, the right. But now engagement rings are in style in the Muslim world. They’re worn on the ring finger of either hand by both men and women. Wow, men wearing engagement rings, so cool!

In Jewish weddings it depends on the custom. For traditional ones, the ring goes on the index finger of the bride’s right hand. Other traditions put it on the middle finger or the thumb. Today the wedding ring is moved to the ring finger of the left hand after the service. Some Jewish men wear wedding rings, but most Orthodox men don’t.
​
In India, rings aren’t one of their traditions, but as customs change, more people are buying a ring for the engagement and for the marriage. Men wear rings on the right hand, and women on the left. 
​

​Sources:
Ring finger - Wikipedia

​

​​ Finally the last digit 😊

9.  Which digit is missing?
Ring finger     Index finger     Thumb      Pinky finger
​
10. What sound can it make with your thumb?
Clap     Snap      Click
​
And the answers are . . .

9. The middle finger is the one that’s missing.
​
10. Slide your thumb and middle finger together and listen for that click. 

​​The middle finger has other names – long finger, toll finger, and tall man. It’s your second or third finger, depending on whether or not you count your thumb.
​
I never really thought about it, but your middle finger is the only one that makes a sound. None of the others do. I double checked 😊

​

​Your middle finger is also the only one that can insult or offend someone. You might give them the finger, flip the bird, or flip someone off, but it’s nothing new. Did you know using the middle finger can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome? Some things are timeless.

Do you recognize this landform? It’s the continent of Antarctica. It’s the only continent without a single country, although 22 have a ‘consultative’ status. That’s because they agreed to a 1959 treaty. They promised to keep Antarctica as a scientific preserve, like a national park. It was to be preserved as a place of scientific study and environmental protection.

One of my critique partners, Sandra Martin Denis just got back from Antarctica. She was there during the summer, the warmest time of year. It’s funny – Antarctica’s summer is during our winter.
​

                    Part 1: It came straight from Sandra’s trip – her photos and her words. Enjoy!
​​

Penguins mate for life. They build nests of stones. Most penguins lay two eggs in a clutch. The male and the female take turns incubating the eggs, except for the emperor penguin. 
​​

Part 2: A trivia question about Antarctica’s climate.

What is the average temperature range for Antarctica per year?

10°C to -60°C     10°C to -10°C     30°C to 20°C     -5°C to -10°Celsius
50°F to -76°F      50°F to 14°F        86°F to 68°F      23°F to 14°Fahrenheit
​
Take a guess, then check below the map. 
​

I completely missed this one. Antarctica is warmer than I thought! The annual temperature for the whole continent ranges from about −10°C on the coast to −60°Celsius. In Fahrenheit that’s 50°F to -76°F. Wow, 50 is way warmer than I imagined. That’s like a warm March day in Ohio! But it all depends on – location, location, location.
​

​
That 50°F was near the coast, in the summer. That’s where Sandra was, but she said she wore a parka. Maybe at night when the sun goes down, the coastal temperature drops too. In the winter – that coastal temperature gets even colder, -40, and that’s the reading on both Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers. That surprised me. I’ve never seen the two temperature scales match, with the same exact number. Incredible!

I’m glad Sandra didn’t go inland, especially to the mountaintops. Their warmest temperature – -22. That’s one of the worst winter days in Ohio, ever. I don’t want to think how cold it gets in their winter. Ready? That’s -112?! Holy frostbite, that’s cold!
​
And the coldest temperature ever recorded on earth?  -128.56, at the Vostok station in Antarctica. That’s where scientists live. And the date – July 21, 1983. YIKES!


​                                                             Part 3: Wind Speed and Snowfall by the Numbers

As for snow – the average accumulation for the whole continent of Antarctica is 150 mm of water per year, or 5.9 inches. If you’re not sure what that looks like, find 6 on a ruler.

When you go inland to the elevated plateau, the annual value drops to 50 mm. That’s only 1.96 inches. But at the coast, it rises to 200 mm or 7.87 inches. 

​But for the heaviest rain or snow, find the peninsula in the northwestern corner of the map. It stretches to the north, and the Bellingshausen Sea is below it, to the south. It’s not labeled, but it gets over 1000 mm of water. In inches that’s 39.37. Think yardstick, then add your index finger for another 3 inches. That’s a lot of water!
​

​Sources:
For more information: www.antarctica.gov.au
​
My source: What is the average annual... | Trivia Answers | QuizzClub
​
Map: By Robert Simmon - en:Internet Archive - https://web.archive.org/web/20070823123915/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17838 (originally    http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17838 NASA Earth Observatory), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3126858

Make Way For Ducklings won the Caldecott Medal back in 1941. It’s the story of Mrs. Mallard’s search for a home for her eight little ducklings. Where does she find it? At the Boston Public Gardens.
​
Be Strong is a brand-new book. I thought it came out in December 2023, but I was wrong. I forgot I got it early because I was part of the author's crowdfunding project. But don't worry! It's out now, since March 5. 

Be Strong is the story of Nancy Schön, of how she created statues of Mrs. Mallard and all her little ducklings. Then she did what the book did – she took them home to the Boston Public Gardens

                                      If you’d like to check out my book review for Be Strong, here’s the link:
http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/be-strong-the-rise-of-beloved-public-art-sculptor-nancy-scho

If you can’t make it to Boston, take a look at this photo. Mrs. Mallard is leading her ducklings across the garden. And the best part about public art, you can interact with it. Take a picture with a duckling, or give each one a hug. It doesn’t matter. This is public art, so you’re allowed 😊
​

Part 2 – Have you ever seen public art in person, or taken a photo beside it?
​

​
I have! Do you recognize the first statue? It’s public art from the Bremen Town Musicians, and you’ll find the statue in Bremen, Germany. When I was there in 2008, I had my picture taken beside it. So did everyone around me.

The second statue is at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Do you recognize this piece of public art? It’s a young Neil Armstrong holding his favorite thing – an airplane. He’s a hero in Wapak and beyond. Why? He was the first man to set foot on the moon. I haven’t had my photo taken with him yet, but I’ve seen lots of people take advantage of this photo op.
​

​I found these three pieces of public art on Pixabay. My grandkids would love the first and last statue. They look like the ones they play with at their favorite zoo. Then it’s time for a photo. They LOVE public art!

I didn’t recognize the pair in the middle. I went back to Pixabay to find their names, Dogman and Rabbitgirl. Who knew? Google did! I looked them up, and they’re actually famous pieces of public art scupted by Gillie and Marc. Who knew? They’re stories for modern times, and you can find them in places like New York City or London. If you’d like to look for yourself, or buy a piece of art, here’s the link for Gillie and Marc: I Am (Rabbit) Woman – Gillie and Marc®
​
                                 Part 3 –  Where in the world can you find Nancy Schön’s public art?
​                         

​The holiday season fills some people with hope, but it can send others into despair. That’s why I decided this was the right time to do a post about it. I have three inspiring quotes. My wish – that each one will help you feel a tiny bit more hopeful.
​

                                         Who said it?                                                                              Charles Dickens
​

​ Charles Dickens is a famous British author. Have you ever read or watched A Christmas Tale? It’s one of his most famous books. It’s the story of Scrooge, the ultimate miser, who’d rather save a penny than pay it to one of his employees. He’s visited by three ghosts – Christmas Past, Present, and Future. It changes his life, and it proves there’s still hope, even for an old miser!
​

​Take a look at these two houses. The first is where Charles Dickens was born. It’s tiny! It begins with the first white door and ends after the two windows. Tiny!

The other house is Gads Hill Place. Would you believe his father told him, if he worked hard enough, someday he could buy that house, or another one just like it? The best part about this story, 35 years later, Dickens bought that house when he discovered it was for sale. Dreams do come true!
​

​His life wasn’t filled with sunshine and rainbows. When Dickens was 12, his father spent his way into a debtors’ prison at Marshalsea. His mother and younger siblings had to live there too. Dickens and his sister didn’t. They were in school, so they had to visit the family on Sunday.

Later that year, Dickens had to quit school and work in a blacking factory. The second sketch is of him, slumped over a desk, exhausted. He worked ten hours a day, 6 days a week, pasting labels on pots of black boot polish. His pay – 6 shillings a week. That experience would shape the stories he’d write. You’ll find his story best told in David Copperfield.

Note – I used a currency converter to change Dickens’ 6 shillings into pounds. In 2017 he would have earned £17.23 (pounds) or $21.60 a week.

​I’ve been bent and broken” is a quote from Great Expectations. It reminds us that there’s hope, a silver lining, when we face challenges and work our way through them.

Most people think of books written and published as one completed novel. That wasn’t true for Dickens. He wrote many of them as monthly installments in literary journals. Later they were reprinted as books.

The best part – it made his stories cheaper and more accessible to a wider audience, beyond just the wealthy. For Dickens it gave him more time to explore and develop his characters and plots. He learned to leave cliffhangers at the end of each installment – to keep readers waiting for the next episode. And yet his plots held together across an entire book.

​I’ve known and watched A Christmas Carol since I was little, but I’ve never wondered what Dickens looked like. The first painting was done by Margaret Gillies in 1843. Dickens was only 31, and he was busy writing the story of Ebenezer Scrooge.

The second was painted by Jeremiah Gurney sometime in 1867/1868. Dickens was about 55. No wonder he looks so much older, and perhaps, more serious. 

Dickens was prolific in his writing, and you can see that in the painting, Dickens’ Dream by Robert William Buss. The tiny black and white illustrations are the characters Dickens brought to life in his books. Prolific fits!

The final photo is of his grave on the floor of Westminster Abbey. I was there, and shocked to find you could step on it. I couldn’t.

This photo is from 2012 when England was celebrating 200 years of his stories. People are still turning them into modern movies. They’re still reprinting his books and selling them on Amazon 😊    

Quote:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
 Information: Charles Dickens - Wikipedia
Gads Hill Place - Wikipedia
Currency converter: 1270–2017 (nationalarchives.gov.uk)
​

Quote # 2 – Hope springs eternal in the human breast.
​

Alexander was a famous writer born in London, England in 1688. That was about 60 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. He died in 1717. That was almost 60 years before the American Revolution began.

His parents were Catholic, and he was influenced by a series of laws that promoted the Church of England. They also banned Catholics from teaching, attending universities, voting, or holding government office. If you broke the law by doing any of those things, you went to jail.
​
His aunt taught him how to read, and he went to several Roman Catholic schools in London. They were illegal, but tolerated. 

​These are two of the houses Pope lived in. The first photo is recent. It’s of a building now known as the Mawson Arms. Way back when, it was the home of Pope’s parents. He lived in Mawson Row in Chiswick with them for 3 years, from 1716 to 1719. 

During those same years Pope was translating the Odyssey by Homer. By 1719 he’d earned enough money to buy the second house, in Twickenham. The house and the gardens were torn down to make room for something new, but his grotto is still there.
​
The quote ‘Hope springs eternal’ came from his poem An Essay on Man. When he wrote that line, he was writing about his Catholic faith and the hope for life after death. I’m Lutheran, but I believe in the same things about hope, life, and the afterlife. 

Here’s a list of the poems and stories he wrote during his lifetime, and the translations he made so that English men and women could read them.

Quote: Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
 
Information: Alexander Pope - Wikipedia
 

​

Quote # 2 – Hope springs eternal in the human breast.
​

​
​Robert Frost was a famous American poet. He was born 9 years after the Civil War ended. He died in 1963, one year before the Civil Rights Act was passed. It was supposed to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, or where you were born.

Imagine being born just after the end of slavery and living to see the fight to end discrimination. I was 4 when Robert died, and I’ve seen a lot of change in my lifetime. Robert lived to be 89. I’m only 64. I wonder what I’ll see if I live to be 89, like Robert.
​
His three biggest achievements – Robert is the only poet to earn 4 Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. In 1960 he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his writing, and the next year Vermont named him their Poet Laureate. I always think of a laureate as someone’s favorite poet, but they’re actually supposed to write poetry for them. In this case, for Vermont.

This is one of Robert’s homes. It’s in Derry, New Hampshire. He wrote many poems when he lived here, from 1900 until1911.

It looks like a peaceful place to write, but his mother died from cancer, and he lost 2 of his children during that time. Life wasn’t perfect, but it fueled his work.
​
The quote, ‘The best way out is through’ came from a collection Robert published in 1914. The poem, “A Servant of Servants, is not a happy one. I read it, and I felt depressed. It’s about a housewife who spends her day cooking, cleaning, and taking care of others. The only way out was to work your way through the day. According to the folks at Inspiring Quotes.com, hope and stubborn determination can get you through your troubles.

This is one of my father’s favorite poems. The other one is also by Robert Frost. Sorry, the only thing I’d change about this image. . . the woods. It should be more yellow. That’s the way he wrote it.
The poem is “The Road Not Taken”’ as it was featured in Robert’s 1916 book, Mountain Interval. 
​
Here’s a list of Robert Frost’s work from Wikipedia. His first poems were published in 1913. His last, in 1969.  What a legacy of work he gave us during those fifty years of writing!

​Poetry collections

• 1913. A Boy's Will. London: David Nutt (New York: Holt, 1915)[71]
• 1914. North of Boston. London: David Nutt (New York: Holt, 1914)
  • "After Apple-Picking"
  • "The Death of the Hired Man"
  • "Mending Wall"
• 1916. Mountain Interval. New York: Holt
  • "Birches"
  • "Out, Out"
  • "The Oven Bird"
  • "The Road Not Taken"
• 1923. Selected Poems. New York: Holt.
  • "The Runaway"
  • Also includes poems from first three volumes
• 1923. New Hampshire. New York: Holt (London: Grant Richards, 1924)
  • "Fire and Ice"
  • "Nothing Gold Can Stay"
  • "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
• 1924. Several Short Poems. New York: Holt[72]
• 1928. Selected Poems. New York: Holt.
• 1928. West-Running Brook. New York: Holt
  • "Acquainted with the Night"
• 1929. The Lovely Shall Be Choosers, The Poetry Quartos, printed and illustrated by Paul Johnston. Random House.
• 1930. Collected Poems of Robert Frost. New York: Holt (UK: Longmans Green, 1930)
• 1933. The Lone Striker. US: Knopf
• 1934. Selected Poems: Third Edition. New York: Holt
• 1935. Three Poems. Hanover, NH: Baker Library, Dartmouth College.
• 1935. The Gold Hesperidee. Bibliophile Press.
• 1936. From Snow to Snow. New York: Holt.
• 1936. A Further Range. New York: Holt (Cape, 1937)
• 1939. Collected Poems of Robert Frost. New York: Holt (UK: Longmans, Green, 1939)
• 1942. A Witness Tree. New York: Holt (Cape, 1943)
  • "The Gift Outright"
  • "A Question"
  • "The Silken Tent"
• 1943. Come In, and Other Poems. New York: Holt.
• 1947. Steeple Bush. New York: Holt
• 1949. Complete Poems of Robert Frost. New York: Holt (Cape, 1951)
• 1951. Hard Not To Be King. House of Books.
• 1954. Aforesaid. New York: Holt.
• 1959. A Remembrance Collection of New Poems. New York: Holt.
• 1959. You Come Too. New York: Holt (UK: Bodley Head, 1964)
• 1962. In the Clearing. New York: Holt Rinehart & Winston
• 1969. The Poetry of Robert Frost. New York: Holt Rinehart & Winston.

Plays

• 1929. A Way Out: A One Act Play (Harbor Press).
• 1929. The Cow's in the Corn: A One Act Irish Play in Rhyme (Slide Mountain Press).
• 1945. A Masque of Reason (Holt).
• 1947. A Masque of Mercy (Holt).

Letters

• 1963. The Letters of Robert Frost to Louis Untermeyer (Holt, Rinehart & Winston; Cape, 1964).
• 1963. Robert Frost and John Bartlett: The Record of a Friendship, by Margaret Bartlett Anderson (Holt, Rinehart & Winston).
• 1964. Selected Letters of Robert Frost (Holt, Rinehart & Winston).
• 1972. Family Letters of Robert and Elinor Frost (State University of New York Press).
• 1981. Robert Frost and Sidney Cox: Forty Years of Friendship (University Press of New England).
• 2014. The Letters of Robert Frost, Volume 1, 1886–1920, edited by Donald Sheehy, Mark Richardson, and Robert Faggen. Belknap Press. ISBN 978-0674057609. (811 pages; first volume, of five, of the scholarly edition of the poet's correspondence, including many previously unpublished letters.)
• 2016. The Letters of Robert Frost, Volume 2, 1920–1928, edited by Donald Sheehy, Mark Richardson, Robert Bernard Hass, and Henry Atmore. Belknap Press. ISBN 978-0674726642. (848 pages; second volume of the series.)

Other

• 1957. Robert Frost Reads His Poetry. Caedmon Records, TC1060. (spoken word)
• 1966. Interviews with Robert Frost (Holt, Rinehart & Winston; Cape, 1967).
• 1995. Collected Poems, Prose and Plays, edited by Richard Poirier. Library of America. ISBN 978-1-883011-06-2. (omnibus volume.)
• 2007. The Notebooks of Robert Frost, edited by Robert Faggen. Harvard University Press. 

​Quote: Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
 
Link: A Servant To Servants, by Robert Frost
 
Information: Robert Frost - Wikipedia

​I bought this book last September, in 2022. I shop whenever I’m watching an OSU football game. It’s a superstition, but it makes me feel like I’m doing my part to help the Buckeyes win.

                                                               My Stats from Last Year: 
​​                              Trivia score              Name Recognition
Chapter 1              5 of 20                                  --
Chapter 2                 7                                    14 of 28
Chapter 3                 11                                 11 of 20
Chapter 4                  5                                      9 of 22
Chapter 5                  5                                      7 of 21
Chapter 6                  5                                    12 of 38
Chapter 7                  8                                    10 of 26

That means my best scores came in Chapter 5 for both trivia and name recognition. It was all about catching the ball, AKA the receivers. Here’s my link to last year’s trivia:
​
                              http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/trivial-pursuit-the-ohio-state-football-way


                               Game Day Saturday, September 16 - Chapter 8 - How I did, and what I learned. 

Chapter 8: Coaching Carousel: I thought I’d do better on this chapter than I did. I’ve been following Ohio State football since the 60s. I can name the coaches in order . . . Woody Hayes, Earle Bruce, John Cooper, Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer, and Ryan Day.

I double checked, and I missed one. Luke Fickel was coach for less than a year. He came between Tressel and Meyer. I have a soft spot for Luke’s wife, Amy. She comes from Spencerville, Ohio. That’s just up the road from my house in Wapak.

In spite of knowing all that, I was back to mediocre again, 7 right out of 20. YUCK! And on name recognition, I knew 11 out of 23. Yep, mediocre, but, these questions are hard!

These are my four favorite OSU coaches. I don’t know any of the ones before Woody.  I was born in 1959, and Woody became head coach in 1951. He was still there during the fall of 1978 when I was a freshman. I feel sorry now for the next two coaches . . .  There was no way they could compare to Woody, and the three that followed . . . I loved them like Woody 😊
​
   Now for my Pick 3 questions, they’re all about the best OSU coach ever – Wayne Woodrow Hayes!
​

I got it right . . . 7! You can double check the answer in the first paragraph. I named those 7 coaches in order, and I only forgot 1. Not bad!

​Shucks! I guessed 17. Too high! The answer . . . 13. I guess even Woody couldn’t win them all, but he sure tried. 
​

I missed it! I said true, that two coaches could produce more All-Americans than just one. Wrong! I forgot that Woody coached for 28 years, while Jim and Urban only did 15, altogether.  Wow! What a coach!

                             Fun Fact: Before Woody came, OSU was known as the coaches’ graveyard.
                 
                                                    
Game Day Saturday, September 23 – Chapter 9 - How I did. 
I started Chapter 9 during the Notre Dame game, and it was quite a game . . . I only managed to answer the questions. That’s it. Today the Buckeyes are playing Maryland so I’m going to try to do the writing.

Chapter 9: Championship Caliber: I had no idea how I’d do this time. Who remembers championships after they’re over? Not me!

I was surprised I actually did a little better . . . up from 7 to 8 on the multiple-choice questions. On name recognition I knew 10 out of 20. Woo-hoo! That’s 50%. Still mediocre, but a little bit better!

​- Ray noted that in 2018 ESPN ranked the national champions from the BCS years, and they put the 2002 Buckeyes last. The reason, the Buckeyes had a lot of close games as they finished out the season. ESPN said they just weren’t dominant enough. Gee, I thought winning was everything!
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It didn’t matter that the Buckeyes were the first to win 14 games in a season, or that they were 1 of 9 teams on the list to go unbeaten and win the national championship. When you’re ranked high, you have a target on your back. Add in that 2002 team were the first #2 to beat a #1 during the BCS years, but that didn’t matter to the powers at ESPN that made the rankings. (Like always, Ohio against the world)
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                                                   Game Day Saturday, October 14 – Chapter 10 - How I did 
I didn’t! I went to a baby shower, but I kept track of the score. When I got home, the game was still on, but we had company, so no chapter 10 ☹ But the Buckeyes beat Purdue 41 – 7 . . . Woohoo!

               Game Day Saturday, October 21 – Chapter 10, Finally! How I did & What Resonated with Me
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Chapter 10: Going Bowling: I had a bad feeling about this chapter . . . It’s either the kind with one ball and nine pins, or the kind that involves holiday football games in warm destinations. I figured I’d be terrible at both ☹

I’m glad I was prepared. I went down, 5 out of 20 on the multiple-choice questions. FIVE! That’s like a 25%. OUCH!  On name recognition I knew 7 out of 20. A 35% is a little better, but not much. Double OUCH!

What Resonated with Me:  1. I recognized two names – William White and Bobby Hoying. They were both local boys, from the county right next door. William grew up in Lima and played football for the Spartans. Northwest Ohio was thrilled when he became a Buckeye, and so was I.
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2. Bobby grew up in St. Henry, and he played for the Redskins. He was chosen as Mr. Football back in 1990, out of all the high school players from across the state. Bobby went from playing quarterback in a small town in Mercer County to playing at The Ohio State University. It’s incredible when a local boy succeeds, and both Bobby and William made it all the way to the NFL.  WOW!

3. I found a not-so-good memory in this chapter about bowl games, with Clemson. They were the team that got Woody Hayes fired. He was and still is my favorite coach ever. It began when Clemson intercepted a pass near the end of the game.

Woody was known for his temper, and he grabbed the player’s jersey and hit him. The Buckeye team captain pulled Woody off the kid, and he was fired the next day.

It was a sad end for Woody and his coaching career, but he was forgiven, and I’m glad his contributions have not been forgotten.

PS – OSU lost that game in 1978. They’d lose again to Clemson in 2016 and 2019, but they finally beat them in 2021 . . .  49 – 28. There’s nothing like the thrill of victory after those 3 defeats.
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                                  Game Day Saturday, October 28 - Chapter 11 - How I did, and what I learned.

Chapter 11: Draft Day: I had no idea how I’d do in this chapter. I’ve never paid attention to the draft, ever! My results – I went up one, to 6 out of 20 on the multiple-choice questions. That’s 30%. Guessing stinks as a strategy, but it’s all I had ☹

On name recognition I knew more names than last time, 22, but there were 30 I didn’t know. My score – 22 out of 50, for a 42%. YIKES! ☹

I discovered after reading this chapter that draft day doesn’t always lead to a contract. It means nothing, until that contract is signed. Here are 3 stories about 3 superstar Buckeyes. 
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#1. Have you heard of Paul Warfield? The Cleveland Browns drafted him in 1964. I was only 5 years old, but somehow, I remember he was fast.

As a Buckeye he was a halfback. That meant he lined up with the offense, and he ran the ball down the field.  Funny, I thought that would make him a running back!
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Cleveland picked him as a defensive back, but they also knew he could catch the ball. So, they decided to try him as a receiver. The result – Paul learned how to catch the ball that first year in the NFL. I guess your team gets a HUGE say on what position you play.
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  #2. Tom Skladany is another name I remember. He left OSU before I came in as a freshman. He was a gifted kicker, the first specialty player to ever get a scholarship to a Big 10 school. The Browns picked him in the second round of the 1977 draft, but he never signed with them. He wound up sitting out the whole 1977 NFL season. Why?

Evidently Art Modell called his agent ‘the biggest thorn in the side of professional football.” Art put Tom on the trading block, first with the Rams in return for two second round picks. Later he shipped Tom off to the Lions for a second and seventh round pick for 1978. OUCH!
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​#3. Terry Glenn’s story from 1996 caught my eye. I was a mom with three kids by then, and I had time for football again. Terry had great hands . . . he was a receiver, and he was the seventh pick, in THE first round. Talented, right?!

Well not enough for Bill Parcells, the coach for the New England Patriots. He said, “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.” Evidently Parcells didn’t want Terry, but two higher ups did . . . owner Bob Kraft and general manager, Bobby Grier. I have a feeling Parcells was happier with Terry by the end of the season . . . He set a rookie record of 90 catches, and they helped the Patriots into the Super Bowl that year.
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                             Game Day Saturday, November 4 - Chapter 12 - How I did, and what I learned. 

Chapter 12: Writing the Record Book: I had no idea once again how I’d do on this chapter. I would hear someone set a record, then promptly forget about it. My results on multiple choice questions – I went up one again, to 7 out of 20. That’s another 35%. Guessing isn’t the best strategy, but it’s all I had, again ☹

On name recognition this was one of my best scores, I knew 20, and I didn’t recognize 12. My score – 20 out of 32, for a sky-high 63%. That’s still a D or an F. YIKES! ☹

​Game Day Saturday, November 11 - Chapter 12 – Three Record-Setting Stories

​#1. What would you do if you were the quarterback, and your passing game was off? Duh! You’d hand the ball to a running back. In 2020, that’s exactly what Justin Fields did in the Big Ten championship game. He handed the ball to Trey Sermon who had just transferred in from Oklahoma.

I’m glad he did! Trey carried the ball 29 times, right into the OSU record book. He ran 331 yards that day against the Northwestern Wildcats. His best two plays, in the third quarter. Trey ran 65 yards, then 33, right into the end zone for a touchdown. That gave the Buckeyes their first lead in the game.
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Imagine, the Buckeyes behind in the third quarter?! OUCH! In the fourth quarter Trey’s running game gave OSU another touchdown and a spot in the College Football Playoff. He was the MVP, duh! Thanks, Trey, for saving the game!                                                                 
​                                                                             Bonus Source: Trey Sermon - Wikipedia
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But I did end up with the fun and Buckeye pride Ray wanted readers to have. I found it when I picked 3 stories from each chapter to write about. Now I’m even more amazed by what my Buckeyes have accomplished throughout my lifetime, and beyond.
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For my pick-3’s, I always go hunting for pictures, and it’s a trip down memory lane whether I find a picture from their OSU days, or from later on. Then I take Ray’s stories and give them a Rinda-spin . . .   by adding in my memories.
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Meet the Quarterbacks: (Chapter 3 – Calling the Signals) I know each and every one of these names, except for Les Horvath. He was before my time. Rex Kerns is the first one I remember, but I can only recall hearing his name on TV in the ’60s.

Art Schlichter is the quarterback from my college years, the ’70s. He had his ups and downs over the years, but the important thing about him – he was a Buckeye.

Craig Krenzel was playing when my baby sister was in college, the ’90s. Would you believe he went to the same church she did after they both graduated? She was impressed by his behavior. He acted like everyone else. He was just one of the church faithful, not a star quarterback.
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Today was THE GAME – the one with Michigan. They won the last 2 years, but I was hoping today would break the pattern. It didn’t ☹ Michigan won again, but only by 6 points. It could have swung the other way, but it didn’t ☹
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                  My question from last week’s post – the one I still remembered after 2 years of trivia –
                                                  What charm do OSU players get if they beat Michigan? 

Gold Pants! It makes me sad this is another year without that charm for my favorite team.
The Story: In 1934 OSU hired Francis Schmidt as head coach. When the local media got a chance to ask about that team up north, Schmidt said, “They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.”

That’s when two Columbus businessmen formed the ‘Gold Pants Club.’ They created gold lapel pins, shaped like football pants. Each player and coach on that winning team gets a gold pin, engraved with their initials, game date, and the score.
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                                                                 What kind of trenches do football games have? 

​The one between the offensive and defensive lines. They’re manned by lineman. The offensive ones fight to keep the quarterback safe, and he fights to gain yards/first downs/touchdowns for the team. He can either hand off the ball to a running back or throw it to one of the receivers.

The defensive lineman fight to stop the quarterback. If they sack him, he loses yardage. If they stop the running backs, the offense might not get that all important first down.
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As for those receivers, there are also defensive backs who do whatever they can, within the rules (and sometimes outside them too) to stop the play. If they intercept the ball, that’s even better. It’s the only way a defensive player can EVER score a touchdown.
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​Last year the linemen failed in THE GAME, but they tightened their lines, and the Buckeyes almost beat the #1 team/national champion – Georgia. I was so proud of those linemen.

This year they were just as tough. OSU and Michigan were well matched, even with a brand-new quarterback. Kyle threw 2 interceptions, 1 near the beginning of the game. A defender caught it, and it gave Michigan a touchdown. The 2nd was the last play. Another defender caught it, and the clock ran out.

The Buckeyes lost by 6 points – the cost of that 1st interception. Many of us think the Michigan pass/touchdown, was actually intercepted. This time by the Buckeyes, but the referees refused to change the call.
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Oh well, there’s always next year . . . See you at one of the New Year’s bowls! My team is sure to accept an invitation to one of them 😊

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Game Day Friday, December 29 -  Final Memories from 2 Years of OSU Triva
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Last night was the Cotton Bowl, the last game of the 2023 season. So many changes have happened since the Michigan game. Our starting quarterback left through the transfer portal. Other players did too, or they declared for the NFL like Marvin Harrison Jr did. I miss the old days when the players finished the WHOLE season.

The Cotton Bowl didn’t end the way I hoped, but there were some bright spots . . . the defensive line was excellent. Our second-string quarterback gave his all and tried to play past an injury, but he wound up back on the sidelines.

A third-stringer who’d only thrown 5 passes wound up leading the team, in a Bowl game. Incredible! The last time that happened was with Cardale Jones. He led the Buckeyes to a national championship. Here’s to the future, whatever it brings. Life is never dull when you’re a Buckeye!

    The last trivia question is from Chapter 4 – Between the Tackles, where the running backs rule.
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​The answer . . . 5 games. Both Eddie and Ezekiel had 5 games with over 200 yards.
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So where are they now? Eddie retired in 2006. He played for the Houston Oilers, who became the Tennessee Titans. Then he went to the Dallas Cowboys. Over his 9 years in the NFL, he rushed for 10,441 yards and scored 68 touchdowns. That’s 408 points he put on the scoreboard. Eddie was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1995 and a four-time Pro Bowler. The Titans retired Eddie’s #27, which is a huge honor, and he’s a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
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After Eddie retired, he went back to OSU to get his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. He earned his master’s degree in Management at Northwestern. Eddie hasn’t left football completely behind . . . he was named head coach at Tennessee State in April of 2021, and this is him in 2022. 

Bonus Source: Ohio State's Eddie George Named Pro Football Hall Of Fame Semifinalist - Sports Illustrated Ohio State Buckeyes News, Analysis and More

As for Ezekiel, he’s still playing. He started with the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. He was an instant star. He was the NFL’s top rusher as a rookie, and players ranked him at #7 in the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2017. Not bad for a beginner!

Ezekiel remained a Top 100 Player for the next 3 years, through 2020. He played for the Cowboys for 6 years, through the end of the 2022 season. In 2021 Ezekiel began dealing with knee and ankle injuries, including a torn ligament in his knee during Week 4, but he refused to sit on the sidelines. He’d play one last season as a Cowboy before they released him in March of 2023.
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Ezekiel signed a one-year contract with a new team in August, the New England Patriots. He ran third down and red zone plays behind one of the starters. I don’t know where he’ll land in 2024, but I wish him well as a running back, and in life after football. I hope the best is yet to come for him.

                                                                  Bonus Source: Ezekiel Elliott - Wikipedia