Our Dog Buzz

Sad news yesterday... Buzz was all excited about getting to go camping in the new trailer this weekend. He got so excited we had to make him sit down and rest to cool down and get himself under control which he did a short while after arriving at the campground. Suddenly around 1130 pm he collapsed on the floor and appeared to have either a seizure or stroke so we rushed him to the animal hospital but he unfortunately did not make it and passed away. It was 4 years ago this weekend that we first brought him home. He loved to camp and was always overly excited when he got to go. He was by far the best behaved beagle we ever had and will definitely be missed.

Happy Memorial Day

This weekend is Memorial Day and some will use it to relax, some to catch up on work at home, some to get away for the weekend but hopefully all will take the time to remember the sacrifices our Military makes every day to keep us free.

KYCH Meeting

Tonight was the annual meeting for the Miami Valley KYCH Club at TJ Chumpps in Fairborn. While we did elect new officers, that was about all we could do as the restaurant had double booked the room and it was impossible to hold a meeting where they moved us to in the dining room.We did, however, get an opportunity to fellowship some though being at two different tables also didn't help. Oh well the good part is I was not elected to anything!

Shrine Greeters Meeting

Tonight was our monthly Greeters meeting for the Shrine. It pointed out the necessity of making sure we do things to replace ourselves before it is too late. Our long time secretary, who probably is in his 80's, finally can't make the meetings and had to give up his job.  We are all used to him calling the roll and it seemed strange with him not there to do it. He has done a great job but now we have a big hole to fill and no one prepared  to do it. In this case it should be fairly easy for someone to pick up the job, but what if you Chapter secretary were gone today? Would you know where the minutes were located? If he has things online, would some else be able to access the information and is it all on his personal computer? Is he really doing the Treasurer's job too and would someone know the account number for your funds? Would you even know at what bank they were located?  I've belonged to more than one organization where the answer was nobody else knew the answers to these questions except the secretary. In one we had to wait until one account went on to the states unclaimed funds until we found the money. Hopefully your Chapter has more than one person who knows the answer to these questions as our secretaries are super important but still are not going to be able to do the job forever.

Acacia Forest #184 Tall Cedars Lebanon

Tonight we brought in 2 new members and have one more who could not make make it.  This is significant since we have not brought a new candidate in for a long time. Our Grand Tall this year is MEC George Shell. He put a lot of work into setting up the evening last night and the main significance is that with new candidates we will stay open. (We voted at the beginning of the year this was the last year of no candidates or we would be closing.) In addition, we have picked up at least one more officer to ensure another year ... especially after bringing in new members. MEC Steve Duncan was also there to help us out and we heard MEC Jerry Crawford had left the nursing facility to go camping so he must be doing better. Things are looking up. (I was the presiding officer here at Acacia 25 years ago.) After the work of the evening, we all went downstairs and had refreshments with the ladies.

9th District GHP Reception

Tonight we headed up to Norwalk for the 9th District GHP reception. The day started out a little rainy and although I had planned on attending the Shrine parade in my hometown this morning, I didn't make it as something came up late last night with mom's auction which I needed to address this morning.  They had a good meal and nice program with a guy playing the bagpipe and his wife and around 5 year old son accompanying him. Grand Marshal Virgil Kline and Grand Chaplain William Stratton were also  in attendance. Our GHP Robert Blankenhorn Jr. then gave a short speech, they passed out awards and sent us on our way at a reasonable time frame.

Special Olympics -Zoombie Dogz

So tonight we went to a unique event to raise funds for the Special Olympics. Alpha Lodge had a food truck come to their building and they sold hot dogs...but not just any hot dogs, specialty hot dogs. And even then it was unique combinations. I had the Dead Dixie which was gourmet hot dog (they make) diced green apples, bacon, blue cheese crumbles and BBQ. Unique but good. Despite the rain, they had a steady crowd for more than 4 hrs and at least half were part of their regular crowd. Our 1 VP of the Chapter District, Alf Butler, was the coordinator for this event.

Ormus Grotto Stated Meeting

Tonight was the stated meeting for our Grotto and while we had a small turnout due to another Masonic event where several at the minute were asked to help out with some degree work, we were able to cover off all of the required business. We continued discussions and set dates for some fun activities we are planning and discussed what we could do to bring in more members and start traveling more. We also talked about making plans for attending the Supreme session next year as the Grand Monarch will be from Ohio and his session is being held in Toledo. 

Trinity Chapter Stated

Tonight was the stated meeting for Trinity Chapter. We had no degree work but did discuss the recent 50 year presentation to Excellent Companion Don Stupp. Many had stories to tell of all that he had done for the Chapter and temple but most were somewhat humorous as Don always did things a little different than most or had little saying he made up that everyone remembers. The best part was every story, while bringing a little chuckle to everyone, point out his long time dedication to Masonry. The CEO actually used it to point out how sad it can be if the person refuses to accept they might be slipping a little and need to step down. He also pointed out we need remember when we have to make these tough decisions as many times these persons have devoted their life to the organization. As he put it, sure would be nice if we were all psychiatrists so we could do it in as caring a way as possible.

Chapter planning

One item which is often overlooked is how much time planning and follow up takes and tonight was one of those nights. Luckily I was able to cover several different items. We also met with the Auctioneer for mom's sale and figured out there is much more than we thought involved. I admit I vastly under-estimated the various wrap up thing you go through when someone dies. I really think it is going to take the better part of the year to get everything done. I also have a new appreciation for those trying to do it alone as I have two sisters her also helping and it is overwhelming at times.