By: Stan Jordan
I remember one time down in Florida it was a foggy morning and Stew and I went bass fishing. Grace and Ray were in another boat right behind us. We stayed close to shore so we could see where we were.
We went a little past the red barn and that looked like a good area, some hydrilla all around. There was a boat with two men in it between us and the shore and Grace and Ray a short distance out in the lake from us.
There was just enough breeze to keep the bugs away and to move the boat a little and we would cast ahead of the boat. I was in the back of the boat and Stew was in the front seat.
We were using plastic bait that looked like lizards about 7 inches long and the bass would hit them. I cast out about 40 – 50 feet and let the bait settle down in the weeds a few seconds. I started to wind in the slack and I could see my line getting a little tighter. Oh boy, a hit, right away. So I kept the line just tight enough to feel him on there.
He moved away a little and my line was pretty tight now and I leaned over, set the hook with a good hard pull and the fight was on. The water rolled and boiled up a little and he tore off toward the right and he jumped up out of the water and twisted both ways and I saw him throw the hook. I will always see that hook and bait flying through the air. I don’t think I ever had a devastating feeling like that. He was a big lunker bass and he was gone… just a memory.
I examined the hook and only just a little of the hook had entered the bass’ jaw. I never would have landed him.
You win a few, you lose a few.
See ya!
THE BUCKEYES
By: Stan Jordan
The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Xichigan and the regular season is over! They are undefeated with a record of 12 – 0!!
This Saturday night they will play Penn State again, as Penn State won their division and the Bucks won theirs.
They will play for the Big 10 Championship at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 7th at the Lucas Stadium in Indy.
GO BUCKS!
See ya!
There was this fellow who jumped out of an airplane and he was traveling toward earth and he pulled the ring to open his chute and nothing happened.
No big deal….he pulled the ring on his reserve chute and nothing happened.
Now, by golly, he was worried. He was falling to earth, head first at 100 mph.
He didn’t know what to do now…neither one of his chutes opened. He met a man coming up from earth about 100 mph with no parachute or any gear. So he asked the man: Do you know anything about a parachute? The other fellow said, “No sir, I don’t. Do you know anything about a gas stove?”
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A man storms to his wife in the kitchen and announces: “From now on, you need to know that I am the man of this house and my word is LAW. You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I’m done eating my meal, you will serve me a scrumptious dessert. After dinner, you are going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You will wash my back and towel me dry and bring me my robe. Then, you will massage my feet and hands. Then tomorrow, guess who is going to dress me and comb my hair?”
The wife replied, “The funeral director would be my first guess.”
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An elderly lady was standing at the railing of the cruise ship holding her hat tight so that it would not blow away in the wind. A gentleman approached her and said, “Pardon me madame, I do not tend to be forward, but did you know that your dress is blowing up in this high wind?”
“Yes, I know,” said the lady, “I need both my hands to hold onto this hat.”
“But madame, you must know that you are not wearing any panties that your privates are exposed!” said the gentleman in earnest.
The woman looked down, then back up at the man and replied, “Sir, anything you see down there is 75 years old…I just bought this hat yesterday!”
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A little 10-year old girl was walking home alone from school one day when a big man on a black motorcycle pulls up beside her. After following along for a while, turns to her and asks, “Hey there little girl, do you want to go for a ride?”
“NO!” says the little girl, as she keeps walking.
The motorcyclist again pulls up beside her says, “Hey little girl, I will give you $10 if you hop on the back.”
“NO!” says the little girl again as she hurries down the street.
The motorcyclist pulls up beside the little girl again and says,
“Okay kid, my last offer! I’ll give you 20 bucks AND a big bag of candy if you will just hop on the back of my bike and we will go for a ride.”
Finally, the little girl stops and turns towards him and screams out…
“Look dad, you’re the one who bought the Honda instead of the Harley…YOU RIDE IT!”
ANTWERP AND CONSERVATION
By: Stan Jordan
Right in front of me in our parking lot is the new business trailer of the Antwerp Conservation Club.
They use this trailer for when they go to special events around the area like fairs, Day in the Park, Flat Rock Creek Festival and other events. They sell some items and spread good will.
Antwerp and all the cities in this area have been known for conservation, preservation and wild life in general.
I have in front of me a copy of the Antwerp Bee Argus of August 1938. It has a small article of The Black Swamp Fish and Game Club, it said in the last three months they had released 20 adults pheasants and 200 little ones and they encouraged the people to join in conservation.
Well this area at that time, 1938 into 1950 this area had lots of pheasants and rabbits and hunting was very good, but along about that time some of the chemicals the farmers used was detrimental to the birds reproductive system and the number of birds died out in a hurry and you know the rest.
Over the years, Antwerp always had a conservation club but maybe a different name like the Antwerp Gun Club, The Black Swamp, Fish and Game Club, but they all stood up for the same thing…the wild life conservation and preservation and right up to this day, they have all these goals plus a number of classes on safety and gun usage.
Nearly all of the area towns have a club of the same kind and goals for the good of man kind and wildlife.
See ya!
WATER LINES FROM 1931
By: Stan Jordan
This column is about history of southeast Antwerp. It is all relative to the replacing of some of the water lines and I will try to be as correct as possible.
Our Village Administrator Sara Keeran was very helpful to me in doing this story. She tells me that the new water lines were put in in two phases: From Daggett Street south to Canal St, then from Erie on east to Canal St. to the Water Plant Road. She also told me that we got a grant for half the cost.
The new pipe was only laid east to the Water Plant Road because all of the water lines from there on is newer and in good shape.
You see, in 1931 there were no houses on Kroos Drive or on the north side of E. Canal from Kroos Drive on east, so that water line was not put in until Mr. Weber started building their house on the north side of Canal Street some time in 1949 or 1950.
There was an old house on the south side of E. Canal St about where Pudge Kennedy lives. A nice old fellow lived there alone, named Charles Hewitt. Well, Charlie had arthritis very bad and he wore these knee length rubber boots and he never took them off because his knees were stiff. Well, after a few months someone complained about Charlie and to make a long story short, we had a fine police chief, Ken Johnson, and he was designated to give Charlie a bath. Well he did and gave him new bib overalls and shirt. He had white hair and after his bath, he had beautiful white hair, like the new fallen snow.
I’m not sure, but I believe that Sam Mees was mayor at that time. If you remember, Sam is the man who started the Root Beer Stand.
I have gotten off the beaten path, if I get time I will finish later.
See ya!
TIME GOES ON
By: Stan Jordan
It is almost Thanksgiving time, the leaves are mostly gone and so are all the song birds and buzzards.
We seem to have a good bunch of buzzards, they travel from the McCabe woods area to the elevator and the water tower. If you see a big bird now, it is a pretty good chance it is an eagle. Now we also have some owls and hawks that are good size, but the biggest is the bald eagle here in our area.
Now I don’t know if the herron migrate south for the winter or not, but an ice fisherman told that he sees them sometimes when he is ice fishing. He said he would throw his catch out on the ice and the herron would walk up and steal his blue gills.
Sometimes it is very interesting to watch nature, try it sometime.
See ya!
OUR THANKSGIVING
By: Stan Jordan
My sister Grace is about 88 now and she is starting to realize that. She admits that she can’t cook a big Thanksgiving dinner, so we all went to the United Methodist Church.
Mr. & Mrs. Dave Fisher and Mr. & Mrs. Jim Hunt, for years now, have prepared a big dinner for any and all who, for some reason or no reason at all, are not having a Thanksgiving dinner.
There were nine from my and Grace’s family and I would say there were around 60 people total. There was all kinds of food that you see at that time, and two tables of dessert. I had two pieces of pie; pumpkin and peach and we sat around and visited with some old friends. It was such a nice meal and a fine day.
I, and all the people there, thank the Fisher’s and Hunt’s for all their hard work and kindness.
See ya!
