Delmar DustPan

Today I went to Metompkin Bay Oyster Co in Crisfield for oysters. When I arrived I found it looked closed but the door was open so I went in and finally found an old man (my age) in the office who told me the place was closed this Saturday. Actually what he said was "Some Saturdays we're closed and some Saturdays we're open. This Saturday we're closed but if you come down on a Saturday we're open, come early as we may close early". Loosely translated; "No Oysters for you today from Metompkin".

On the way back I encountered a business ideal so obvious you have to smack your self in the forehead and go Duh, why didn't I think of that. As I passed Cor Pak on the way back to RT13 a catering/chuckwagen type van was pulled up outside of the plant. It was from some Mexican restaurant and sold Mexican food for lunch. A long line of Mexicans were buying food. Now, we know almost all the processing plants and construction sites are at least 75% Mexican now days, so a Mexican Chuckwagen type van looks like a good ideal. For those who want to be politically correct insert Hispanic or whatever you want, where it says Mexican.

As anyone who has read a newspaper recently knows they are going to auction off, tomorrow, the weapon collection of Gene Koski. Now I figured there was nothing there I could afford, but I did blow $8 on gas to go up to the fair grounds and look at the collection today. It is a super collections of a rich man's toys. There was about 400 pistols, rifles and swords. I wish I could afford a tenth of it. There was about 50 to 75 men viewing the collection when I got there. The last time I saw that many happy smiling men was at the Canton Inn.

I have an interest in Mauser Broom Handle Pistols and they had about 5 there.


Smith Civil War Carbine

A Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver
The auction is being conducted by Scott Reagan of Reagan Auctions I understand you can go to their website in about a week and the prices the items brought will be listed. The nice thing about an auction is you to get to pick up and handle the weapons.

While reading the online version of the Belfast Telegraph I came across this article on Obama. It says Obama had a Great Great Great grandfather, one Falmouth Kearney, who was Irish. Now this may be older news to some but it is the first time I read it. So on St Patrick day will he wear a button saying, Kiss Me I am Irish?

And over at the Free Republic is some interesting comments.

At the Jamaica Observer, Miss Jamaica World, Sara Lawrence, relinquished her title because of pregnacy. Maybe she got a little Irish in her too.

I have just been made aware of another Delmar Blogger; Karen, of A Woman's Point of View. Welcome to the blogging world Karen. Karen says she hopes to write about the Maryland side of town, which I usually do not. Her blog currently only has a couple of posts but hopefully she will pickup on the frequency of posting and we can see what she thinks of living in Delmar. I hope she has thick skin as blogging is like an elected office, what every you do someone is going to disagree with you.

Army Spc.Tommy Lee Latham, 23-year-old of Delmar, was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Baghdad on Sunday, March 11. Latham attended Beaver Run Elementary and Wicomico Middle schools. He joined the Army after graduating from Wicomico High School in 2002.

Services for Latham will be held next week at Emmanuel Wesleyan Church on Route 50 and Beaglin Park Drive in Salisbury. He is survived by his wife, Rachel Guy-Latham, and two children.

The viewing will be held Monday, March 19 from 6-9 p.m. On Tuesday, March 20, a second viewing will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the funeral immediately following. Latham will be buried in Eastern Shore Veteran's Cemetery in Hurlock.

In the News Journal, today,were two articles that interested me. First was a man who shot a fox and second was an article about an 84 year old man who had a standoff with police. Both were examples, at least to me, of Delaware bureaucratic agencies going over the limit.

In Dover Mr. David Kingsley shot a rabid fox. He was fined by the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife for shooting a firearm from the road. The Fish and Wildlife Division said the officers were doing their job. Isn't that the same thing the Nazi who were on trial at Nuremberg said in their defense? This is the same as if I had shot an intruder in my house and than the Delmar Police Force fined me for discharging a firearm in the town limits. Of note, the state environmental officials were called prior to the shooting to come out and handle the fox but they didn't come to do their job. Common sense has to take precedent over the law at times. It is an example of government wanting to be all omnipotent but than are unwilling to fulfill that obligation leaving the citizens to fend for them selves.

In the second article Mr. Joshua Bushweller, 84, of Milton refused to leave his house for four hours on Wednesday. The State police surrounded his house declaring he was armed (he had a BB gun and a pellet gun) and had a four hour standoff. Mr. Bushweller finally surrendered. It seems ridiculous that a man can't stay in his own house without being bothered by nosy relatives and police.

Big Congratulations to Daniel Foster, a Delmar High School Student, who won the Delaware "Poetry Out Loud" National Recitation Contest. Mr. Foster goes on to Washington DC to compete in a national contest May 1st.

I guess the fire department doesn't run the fire trucks and the Mayors have a town parade if you win a non athletic event. At least I didn't hear of any town recognition for him. Get your heads out of your asses Delmar there are other winners in town beside athletics.

In today's News Journal was an article about the amount paid some of the auditors on the Delaware Christina School district audit. Simply put the school district is in deepshit financially. Two Auditors, Frank Rishel and Kenneth Brown were paid $82,261 and $41,688. According to the paper this was at $100 an hour. Both people had worked for the Christina School District and apparently were part of the team that created the problem. Frank Rishel was Christina Deputy Superintendent and Kenneth Brown was the Financial Officer. So what goes on? The school district paid them while they were creating the mess, than the state brings them in to audit it and the school district pays them again. Does that sound like bull shit to you?

In March of 1918 the first cases of people dieing from what was at that time referred to as the Spanish Influenza, now being more politically correct it is referred to as the 1918 Killer Flu. The first wave of flu hit soldiers at Fort Riley Kansas in March of 1918. When it had run it course between 20 million to 50 million people would die worldwide. A great Aunt of mine, Lillie Dickerson Davidson was killed by it. Lillie stayed at home taking care of her Father and Mother until she was 31 and married Martin S. Davidson, a young man 12 years her junior. They had been married less than a year when both were killed by the Spanish Influenza.

When you do family tree research and visit graveyards you will find the year of death of 1918 to be a frequent occurring date. It was due to this flu. The flu overstimulated the body causing their lungs to fill with fluid. They died from drowning in their own body fluids. It left the blue black marks on their faces associated with cyanosis (lack of blood oxygen in the blood). By October the flu was at it's worst, schools were closed and public events cancelled. Sussex County had to hire additional grave diggers to handle the burials. Martin S. Davidson was 21 when he died. His father and mother were Curtis and Margie Davidson, all are buried in Oddfellows in Laurel.

In addition to Lillie and Martin, Lillie's sister in law Maude died of the flu the same day as Lillie. All were attended by Doctor E. H. S. Farlow. Curtis and Margie Davidson were given a hard blow that month with a son and daughter dieing. If anyone knows anything about this family I would like to know about it. I understand Margie went to live with a daughter in Wilmington after her husband died in 1924. Both are buried at Oddfellows, next to Martin, Maude and Lille.

The Spanish Influenza (in Europe called the Spanish Lady, as in the Spanish Lady called at our house) was called that because Spain, not being involved in World War I, had a free press and did not censor reports of the Influenza, so Spain became associated with the Influenza because none of the warring nations were reporting it.

Two other flu viruses have spread across the world in the past. The Asian Flu in 1957 and the Hong Kong Flu in 1968. All three were originated from swine viruses. Now we all wait for some new bird virus to appear.

For the first time I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Hopefully it will be the last time. This year's theme was "Legends of Ireland". Now when I think of Ireland, flowers do not come to mind. Maybe grass and trees, or killing and drinking but not flowers. Never less I was amazed at the number of forced blooming plants and trees I saw. The place smelled like a Florist shop, simply great. For some reason the displays were in semi darkness with a spot light shining down on the display. I don't know if it is normally that way at their shows or if they were trying to create a mood of walking thru Ireland at dusk. Anyway it failed with me.

This is one of the first scenes you see on entering.

My photos are never good and those at the Flower show were particularly bad. Between the darkness and crowds shoving you along it was set up for poor photo shooting. This was a very nice display. The tables are setting on a pool of water.

There was a very nice Irish Raguis dance routine every hour for a half hour. The crowd was big and you could not get close to the stage.

I did not care for the show and will not return because of the crowd. I had hoped to find some garden ideals I could use but the crowd shoved you along so you could not study the displays. I would have done better with a book of photos.

I was impressed with the convention center it was held in. One of the measurements I use for ratings facilities is how long the line is leading into the ladies room. There was no lines at this convention center and the crowd was mostly women so I give the convention center 5 stars.

Let's face it any flower show without a display of bottle trees is a poorly done show. I saw none at the Flower Show and God knows the Irish have enough empty beer bottles to make some, so I guess the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society lacks class.

This month in 1947 was when the two towns of Delmar jointly purchased the private run water system. It was purchased for $55,000. Delaware Mayor Marion L. Hastings and Maryland President A. U. Davis signed the purchase agreement.

A Belated Happy Birthday to Mark Howard who turned 36 on the 9th.

Belated Happy Birthday to Terry Keene, another old person who works at the Wicomico County Detention Center.