Life
Perceptions and Homemade Bread
Before I get much further, I just want to say this is not, a crying in your beer or milk, sob story of a life in poverty. Now that’s out of the way and here we go. I am the second child of the nine children my mother gave birth to. If my mother was […]
4Oct2015 | Nancy Belle | 1 comment | Continued
I Am Woman, Stand By Your Man – Helen Reddy vs. Tammy Wynette
Helen Reddy gained notoriety on her first hit “I Am Woman” (1972). Her hit stood in stark contrast to Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” (1968). Released just four years apart – these two songs reflected the division in a changing culture from the 1960’s to the 1970’s. In 2015 we stand at another reflection […]
27Aug2015 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
When Sadness Overwhelms Us
All of us experience grief. As children we see our grand parents pass. We lose our pets, great aunts and uncles. We lose games of school sports. We fail to make the team. These are the experiences that help prepare us for the more grave loss of parents, siblings, spouses. Sadly some of lose our […]
11Jun2015 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on When Sadness Overwhelms Us | Continued
When Seniors Look For Love
OK – right off I have to admit that I am a senior. That is the demilitarized zone between middle age and elderly. This is but one account of love in a life well lived, and the hope for love yet to come. Life has bestowed many blessings on this old man. Good women have […]
10Jun2015 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Advice From Farmer John
Farmer John and I do not always agree on politics – but he does have some simple but wise thoughts about life. I found this posted on facebook: Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. Keep skunks and bankers at a distance. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. A bumble […]
15Jan2015 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Advice From Farmer John | Continued
Trial of John Doy
TRIAL OF JOHN DOY.In the month of January, 1859, Wm. A. Newman, of Platte County, had a favorite servant to run away from his home, in Weston, to Lawrence, Kansas. Dick being an active, intelligent and skillful carpenter, Newman offered a large reward, and in the month of February, 1859, at a point fourteen miles […]
9Jan2015 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Trial of John Doy | Continued
“Let It Begin With Me”
Occasionally we hear quotes, slogans, sayings, something that seems innocuous on the surface, but resonates with wisdom upon further inspection. Al-Anon, a program for the families and friends of Alcoholics, has official slogans which are raised to the level of proverb, of wisdom, of scripture in the program. One such saying is “Let It Begin […]
8Dec2014 | Gary Clark | 4 comments | Continued
More on My Emotionally Disturbed Friend
I wrote recently on the escapades of my emotionally disturbed friend – well – today saw a significant turn of events. I thought about writing the other day to report that life seemed better for that man of great hurt and grief. I would have said I thought he had turned a positive corner. He […]
11Oct2014 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on More on My Emotionally Disturbed Friend | Continued
Just One More Alcoholic Story
Note from Ohg Tone – I am just passing this story along. I changed the names to protect all. By-line: Tommy C. Last January we started a new Al-Ann group at our Alano Club in St. Joseph, Missouri. We have just finished restoring the room. http://alanostjoe.com/2014/08/09/new-hope-al-anon-has-a-fresh-look/ About a month ago, while working on that room, […]
26Aug2014 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Just One More Alcoholic Story | Continued
When My Mind is Racing
Most of the folks who read my posts recognize my natural inclination toward self-righteous sarcasm. I know that sarcasm is toxic – Mr. Clark (the Editor) tells me almost every day. Sarcasm does serve to drive home a point. But there is a cost to being the negative reflection of the world around us. And […]
24Mar2014 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The Irony of Ohg Rea Tone – the Conflict of Ideology
Ohg Rea Tone struggles, like others who believe wholeheartedly in their own point of view. The simple twist of fate put Mr. Tone on the left side of most issues. Had the shoe of the other foot fallen a few millimeters to the right, Mr. Tone would sound the same, look the same, feel the […]
10Mar2014 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Irony of Ohg Rea Tone – the Conflict of Ideology | Continued
A Personal Fight With Social Injustice
Most of my adult life people have treated me as if I am particularly intelligent. Some have openly called me intellectual. My thought was usually that they were mistaken, that I am well read and speak well. When I take a shower and dress in a suit I present pretty well. I did not receive […]
5Dec2013 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
Preparing For The Emotional Downtime of Winter
I am a sunshine guy. I much prefer hot weather to cold. With St. Joseph, Missouri, as my hometown my weather experience is of all extremes. Northwest Missouri is like that – the joke is this: If you don’t like Missouri weather wait a day and it will change. Being a sunshine guy does not […]
17Sep2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Preparing For The Emotional Downtime of Winter | Continued
Probiotics and the Relationship Between Mind and Body
In a culture that promotes the use of food additives like High Fructose Corn Syrup, probiotics is an area that is well worth a personal investment.
11Sep2013 | Rastus Joseph Stempenhill | Comments Off on Probiotics and the Relationship Between Mind and Body | Continued
Alcohol is Not a Truth Serum
My volunteer work takes me to the front lines of the war on addiction. Yesterday I was quietly minding my own business, in a place known for alcoholism traffic, when a staggering drunk passed by. Ron was a happy drunk. He laughed when he told the obvious, “I’m pretty drunk”. Personally, I don’t believe anyone […]
26Jul2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Alcohol is Not a Truth Serum | Continued
Father’s Day – 2013 – Notes on My Father
My father was a tough guy – a product of both nature and nurture. His formal education consisted of six grades in elementary school. He landed on Omaha Beach at age 21, marched across France and Germany, earned six battle ribbons, a purple heart, and four bronze stars for valor. He worked thirty-six years […]
16Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Father’s Day – 2013 – Notes on My Father | Continued
The Oddities of Genius
Have you ever known a genius? Genius is usually a word used to describe certain traits of intelligence. We might say a genius has a passion for learning and has unique processing capabilities. They generally show a creativity and intelligence beyond their peers. Some definitions are more fixed or measurable, like the score on an […]
15Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Oddities of Genius | Continued
Smoking Alcohol – No Calories and No Brains
Drugs and alcohol – the elixirs of a giddy walk down the path of doom and despair – have many different modes of ingestion. Until about five hundred years ago alcohol and drugs caused few problems for mankind. It was about that time that some Chinese bricklayer working on a really big wall discovered that […]
7Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Smoking Alcohol – No Calories and No Brains | Continued
Birds Nesting Around My Home
I like birds. Yes, I like chicken and turkey and quail and pheasant, but I also like the birds that never visit on Thanksgiving. St. Joseph, Missouri, is located on the migratory trail of many of the mid west traveling birds. My home is particularly inviting to summer nesting. There are many varieties of plants […]
25May2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Birds Nesting Around My Home | Continued
Suicide – The Burden of the Village
Most of us have some experience with suicide – someone we know has taken their own life. Such a death is difficult in every possible manner. Families cry together. Distraught disbelief overwhelms us. Our emotional system is shocked to the core. We feel personally defeated. We often feel we have failed, failed our loved one […]
25May2013 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
The Cruel Hoax of Fanatics
Our dog is something of a rescue dog – she was turned over to a veterinary clinic with a gash on her head and one eye-ball literally hanging out. We took responsibility for the dog ($800 over two years). We do not know her age. Obviously we know she suffered some trauma in her life. […]
18May2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Cruel Hoax of Fanatics | Continued
On Alcoholics Anonymous – A Letter From Prison
Corresponding with an inmate in the Missouri prison system can be rewarding – and it can be heartbreaking. My friend Joey is again in prison. Joey is not a criminal – but four DUI’s will get anyone some time behind bars. I met Joey when he was in Drug Court. He was my client. As […]
22Apr2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
The Conumdrum of the 2nd Amendment in the Post Modern Era
We humans have crossed a threshold, a military threshold. When the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written there was an equality of arms between a ‘militia’ and any government. Governments of that era did have canons – but these were of limited mobility and accuracy. Most militia men living along the Potomac did not […]
5Mar2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
The Allegory of the Forest – Carl Jung’s Collective
There are no more trees. No more forested wildlife. Humans no longer have terms for forest or wildlife. The Earth was deforested many years ago. Some older adults remember playing in the woods. No pictures, photographs, exist. There are many drawings by children. Some drawings are done in pencil, others in water colors – some […]
28Feb2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Allegory of the Forest – Carl Jung’s Collective | Continued
Choosing the Right Coffee House
To get started in finding the right experience with coffee, you have to choose a coffee house. This is important because there are a lot of coffee houses out there that are expensive and cushy, but do not fall into the “micro-brew” coffee house category. Micro-brew coffee shops will roast their own coffees on the […]
21Feb2013 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
Jung and Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
Carl Jung was a genius on the level of Albert Einstein. Jung might say that he and Einstein were able to tap their unconscious and the collective unconscious for what appear to be ideas of the human imagination. Jung’s work now defines an entire branch of modern psychology – in his lifetime he captured the […]
18Feb2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Jung and Alcoholism and Drug Addiction | Continued
Choosing the right coffee drink
The owner of the coffee shop where I worked was a stickler for quality, and I worked with him for over two years. There were customers in our store that came to our location because I was working, trusting that my skill with steamed milk and my knowledge of espresso would come together in a […]
9Feb2013 | bryan | 6 comments | ContinuedObama, Racism, And Gun Violence in South Chicago
A family buried their daughter today. 15 year old Hadiya Pendleton was killed earlier this week by that crazy phenomenon of irrational gun violence. Did I mention that Hidiva was black? Did we note she was killed on Chicago’s South Side – the epicenter of gun violence in new reports. This is tough to talk […]
9Feb2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Retired? How Do You Know?
I live in Missouri, northern Missouri. I tell people that I am one generation removed from hillbillies – which means my parents were most likely rednecks, and it follows that I am a redneck too. Or was. I went to college and the rednecks disqualified me. Anyway, I know some hillbillies, rednecks, and the watered […]
27Jan2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Retired? How Do You Know? | Continued
The Demise of Ohg Rea Tone
Ohg Rea Tone has passed nine months hither. His demise was non-dramatic, no violence or accidents, just worn out. Some say he was haggard, a value judgment Mr. Tone would have found appropriate. Mr. Tone was a son, a brother, a father, and a grandfather – yet he had no family. Mr. Tone was well […]
26Jan2013 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
Grand Canyon 2012 Winter Expedition II
27Dec2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Grand Canyon 2012 Winter Expedition II | Continued
Grand Canyon 2012 Winter Expedition
27Dec2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Grand Canyon 2012 Winter Expedition | Continued
The Stuppy & Clark Expeditionary Force
Bryan Stuppy, LISW, LADAC, a leading psychologist in New Mexico, has asked me to join him on an Expeditionary Force to study the effects of primal living in a nomadic tribal environment. The ruse has been established. The ‘tribe’ thinks they are to study the effects of man-made flooding in the Grand Canyon. In reality […]
9Nov2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Stuppy & Clark Expeditionary Force | Continued
Grand Canyon Rafting – National Park Service Orientation Video
Excitement abounds. After a hard year in my life I will wrap up 2012 with a very dear old friend on a 25 day rafting/camping trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park. The trip has a degree of danger so the Park Rangers require an orientation – first by video (included […]
25Oct2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Grand Canyon Rafting – National Park Service Orientation Video | Continued
Who Am I? Searching for the Modern Identity
I am liberal, angry, Aries, impatient, intolerant, loving, forceful, kind, intense, educated, brother, son, father, grandfather, friend, forgiving, humble, proud. Which defines me? Any? All? Am I modern? Post-modern? And who are you? To whom do I answer? What philosophy? Religion? Country? Club? We live in a complex world, a fast world requiring quick judgement […]
13Oct2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Boy Scouts – False Prophets – Eject Gay Eagle Scout
According to the St, Joseph, Missouri, News Press, “A 19 year old Boy Scout has lost his job at Camp Geiger after disclosing that he is gay”. Words like ‘hypocrisy’ come to mind. That boy was “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent,” and what did that get him? […]
19Jul2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Can Hatred Counter Love?
Is hate more powerful than love? Does hate match love dollar for dollar? Hate is proportionate to love – the more one loves, the more one can hate. The comparison is not one for one. Have you ever been consumed with bitter hatred for many weeks, stretching into months, or years? Hate does that. Hatred […]
15Jul2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
“Never Brag On Your Children”
A relevant post revisited: December, 2009. Parenting can sometimes feel like a complex endeavor – especially when the child is not cooperating. When the child is failing to meet expectations, to make the grade in school, to make the basketball team, to identify future aspirations – whatever – parents can become frustrated. And that frustration […]
22Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Trayvon and Black on Black Violence
NOTE TO READERS: This post originally contained a racist cartoon image at the top right. Some found it offensive and we agreed. We removed the image and apologize for any hurt. The new picture is of HELL – which is where I am going if I don’t change my ways. I have a facebook friend, […]
27Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Trayvon Martin – Racism – and the Media Message
We live in difficult times. The murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida has refocused our Nation’s conscience on racism. After a month of media review it appears that the murderer, George Zimmerman, was an over zealous wannabee-police-officer neighborhood watchman. Zimmerman was looking for his chance to be a hero. He saw a young black man […]
24Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Trayvon Martin – Racism – and the Media Message | Continued
People at Wal-Mart Video
I can not help it. Most of these pictures were taken at the South Belt Wal-Mart in St. Joseph, Missouri. Two of the people are my siblings – but I will not say which.
1Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
“…Universal Masculine Purity” – The Conservative Ideal
Are we ready to return to the morale of Victorian England? It was the age of ‘class structure’. It was the age of male domination. It was the age of female submission. It was the age of child labor in textile mills. It was the age of long work days and poor health and nutrition. […]
29Feb2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on “…Universal Masculine Purity” – The Conservative Ideal | Continued
The Coming Culture of Mean-Spirited Dissent
Mean-spirited dissent has replaced statesmanship as a guiding principle. The maddening downward spiral of political retribution has become the norm. The madness is magnified and given inertia in direct correlation to the speed of modern communications and the unleashing of vast amounts of money in SuperPacs. There is no time for thoughtful reflection. Every encounter […]
29Jan2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Schizophrenia – A Family Affair
I am convinced that mental illness permeates my family. There are no diagnosis – no testimonials of counselors or case workers. There is fear. Fear of venturing to ask any questions. Fear of unknown possibilities. Fear of helpless damnation. Families keep secrets because families are ashamed. And that, my friends, is the problem. Ignorance abounds. […]
13Dec2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Schizophrenia – A Family Affair | Continued
Cisco – A Tale of Addiction, Justice, and Redemption
People are dying. Our Prisons are full. Families are being destroyed. Government sponsored religion in the Criminal Justice System is not working. Federal, State, and Local funds are rewarding bad behavior. We are talking about the Criminal Justice System sanctioned treatment programs for alcohol and drug addiction – substance abuse treatment. Cisco, A Tale of […]
1Dec2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Mormons – the beginning theology
Mitt Romney has refocused thought on the Mormon Church. Some evangelicals have problems with the Mormons – and I think they should. We have to consider the Mormons in a historical context to understand some of their faith positions. I will attempt to address this topic from memory – we’ll see if I have to […]
8Oct2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Crude Men Jokes
Sorry folks. Sometimes things just strike me as funny. Certainly I recognize that jokes can be offensive, can promote prejudice, can alienate others, and can frankly make some people very angry. Racial and ethnic jokes have long gone by the wayside in the interest of political correctness. I get it. I understand the sensitivities of […]
2Jul2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Crude Men Jokes | Continued
Bryan – 37
As it turns out, we spelled Bryan’s name correctly. The majority of Brians in the world use an ‘i’ – some use a capital ‘I.’ We used a ‘y’ and it has come to symbolize the namesake. When Bryan was young, like three years old, I taught him some silly youth songs. He sang with […]
21Jun2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
A Father Reflects on Father’s Day
Father’s Day. A day for celebrating our fathers, and a day for fatherly reflection. I am in the later category today. I was not a particularly good father when my children were small – and that gives one pause for reflection. Young and foolish, temperamental and energetic, smart and dumb-as-nails, motivated and selfish, educated yet […]
19Jun2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on A Father Reflects on Father’s Day | Continued
Made in USA….an experiment
After thumbing through the want ads received in the mail I noticed an ad for our local lumber yard called Menards. They were having a Made in the USA sale. They have these frequently. When they mail ads that are just plain run-of-the-mill type, yet they still place little Made in the USA tags on […]
23Apr2011 | Cole James | 1 comment | Continued