Posts filed under ‘personal opinion’
NO LIMITS- bk 2- Chapter 5- Beyond the Vale
Chris Ritchey Source
Forward: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/02/03/no-limits-bk-2-forward-beyond-the-vale/
Chapter One: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/03/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-1-beyond-the-vale/
Chapter Two: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/04/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-2-beyond-the-vale/
Chapter Three : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/05/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-3-beyond-the-vale/
Chapter Four: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/06/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapter-4-beyond-the-vale/
GHOSTS….. COMES IN THREES
When I first started writing about my son and No Limits in Book One of NO LIMITS I wrote in the forward , https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/01/02/jan-3rd-no-limits-the-forward-chris-ritchey/
“As I ponder the wisdom of writing the events of life as we know it and death as we believe it to be, I know there will be questions I cannot answer, events I cannot prove.
I am opening myself, my family and my son to a world of naysayers, negativity and ridicule. I will reach the walls with this book. I will push aside and through the walls my peers in this “community” and others have erected for themselves and for me.
Ironically although I have always written the truth whenever I have sat at this keyboard and its predecessors I probably won’t be believed , explanations will abound, logic ( as we perceive things to happen)will come into play .
I have hesitated for months, even years, to tell the story from my self-imposed box. I have written millions of words on my personal blog in the 10 years since my son died. https://www.thatwoman.wordpress.com . I have written his story, I have opened myself and my innermost thoughts and feelings. I have told the tale of cruelty, searing pain and thoughts of suicide. I have exposed myself in ways not many would without fear. So then, why is it I hesitate to share all of our story, a story of continuing love, strength and astonishment?”
I know and knew writing our experiences some would think , she has lost it, going off the deep end… and maybe I have in some respects as “long term ” grief and losing a son does change you . I have said before in this journey that is seemingly without end , I am no longer the woman or person I was. In fact none of the family that truly loved my son is the same, you just “aren’t” any more.
GHOSTS… this week I have been reminded of the word “Ghosts and what we as a society might believe ..or not… according to Mirium Webster:
1: the seat of life or intelligence : SOULgive up the ghost
2: a disembodied soul, especially: the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness
4: a faint shadowy tracea ghost of a smile5: a false image in a photographic negative or on a television screen caused especially by reflection6: one who ghostwrites
7: a red blood cell that has lost its hemoglobin
Oh! Chris ! why would you buy another Koi? you know they never survive the winter”
“I needed to get this one and it’s Mother’s Day so you have to accept it “
Sleep Paralysis: According to the article :
“While doctors are unsure how exactly this takes place, it is generally believed to occur when a person hits a stage of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) – during which you’re most likely to have vivid dreams.
Those who suffer from sleep paralysis will often feel awake but may experience sensations of being pushed down or may see hallucinations in their room.
I know that experience all too well. Over the years I have found that my brain has tried to make sense of my life , and not doing the best job of it. I can attest when you “wake” or at least part of you wakes your body doesn’t move , I likened it to be as if I was a beached whale I couldn’t turn over move to see what had brought me from the “REM” . It takes willpower to really wake…. and more of my experience further along in the story. But , yes there is such a phenomenon and I am fully aware of how it works.
Exploding Head Syndrome . Yes that too. and No it isn’t the idiots that are setting off flash grenades and M 100’s leading up to the 4th of July . But it is scary and there is a similar loud crack or bang coming from the inside of my head. Deosnt’ happen often but I have had it and it too is scary:
Exploding head syndrome may sound like a made-up condition but it’s actually a very real and frightening sensory disorder.
According to Goldsmiths University, it is characterised by ‘the perception of a loud noise or sense of explosion in the head, usually when transitioning into or out of deep sleep’.
This could be anything from a literal explosion to a gunshot or even a scream.
Two years ago, a study found that 44.4 per cent of sufferers experienced significant fear during these episodes, with a small proportion believing it was caused by something supernatural.
“the perception of apparently significant patterns or recognizable images, especially faces, in random or accidental arrangements of shapes and lines:“there could be a mysterious stone coffin on Mars, or, more likely, it’s just the latest example of pareidolia”
Dr Louise Goddard-Crawley also believes that ‘illusory correlation’ can contribute to this, being the tendency to perceive a relationship between two unrelated events or experiences.
She told MailOnline: ‘In the context of ghost sightings, someone may associate a particular event or occurrence (such as a strange sound or coincidence) with the presence of a ghost. This perceived correlation can reinforce the belief in seeing a ghost, even though the connection is not based on objective evidence.
‘It’s very common when individuals are grieving or have experienced significant loss, that they may be more susceptible to experiences that they interpret as communication or visitations from deceased loved ones.
Morning Journal – The Punishing Press- Pt.3 cont.
Part One : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press/
Part Two : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press-part-two/
Part Three: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/15/morning-journal-the-punishing-press-part-3/
Regugitating( in more ways than one) this week has woken up this poor old brain. I started out wanting to show that this particular local paper the Morning Journal had indeed used tactics in the past in order to retaliate and by all accounts a journalist working for them today ( Kevin Martin) had seemingly no compunction about going to the “over the top” reaction when reporting one of Lorain’s “popular with the people” councilwoman. Mary Springowski. You see, my belief, knowing Mary – had Martin or his boss Tucker contacted Mary personally and requested she take down their article from facebook and refrain from sharing in depth again – Mrs. Springowki would have acquiesced.
That “would have been the smart move” in my opinion but that is not what happened . Instead a ” I was reminded of the quote in Maxwell Anderson’s play ” Mary of Scotland”
“We must look to it….. has a woman’s face( and principles 😉 stirred such a confluence of air and waters to beat against the bastions….”
Other thoughts have also been running amok as I go cross- eyed reading the files, news article and editorials and I am thinking my hindsight is telling me there was more going on in that period from 2004- 2007.
Whilst I and others, were in middle of the waters swirling around us and we were fighting for our very homes , way of life and yes opinions we were fighting on more than one front. I can’t believe all these “plans were not part of a bigger picture” but I suppose now I will never know for sure
Shawnee( John Cole, Foltin and secrecy- selling off of lakefront land to the tribe.. being lambasted…. as greedy gobblers saw visions of casino chips dancing in their eyes. Why did it take a small group to point out the folly of having a reservation on the lakefront and the problems that would occur. Did Foltin , Cole Prudoff etc really believe that was going to happen as they spent our money? Thousands upon thousands for what ????? ( as seat at the table with the big boys?? https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/cashing-in . We , and me mainly , certainly incurred the wrath when speaking out, but you see this was going to be “here” in our neighborhood, all the plans swirling around and the bandwagons rolling … COLE and Foltin were NOT happy with me !!!!
Blight – Before we in this Lorain’s oldest neighborhood could even get a handle on the Shawnee during those same weeks and months another plan quietly slipped into place .
The Administration paying yet MORE thousands upon thousands to go through the process of blighting the whole neighborhood on the lakefront where a casino entranceway, bus parking you name it would go .( for private development) .. can you say land banking??? And once again we were thrust into those swirling waters and coming up against media, politics. We were being stretched very thin. Land banking was what it looked like to me BUT FOR WHAT PURPOSE
From my testimony re Blight maybe ( in hindsight) I wasn’t too far from the mark.…”Eminent Lorain V
“Interestingly enough the land banking- that I believe is going on – happens to correspond to the entranceways to that same lake front property. Our City officials in planning, administration and that same newspaper editor making the decision the sell the 200 year old green space that was the birthplace of this community without informing the public or even our representatives on City Council. City council and myself were politely told to keep our place until the decision and plans were made for that park
Veterans Park ..AND THEN at the other end of the neighborhood “planned Blight of a historic little park .. Oh the wheeling and dealing pitting “history boneheads ” ( Coles words not mine ) against developers, and the administration – Foltin , Cole and Prudoff .. The proposed senior citizens condos in the Park.. we had to take on the Veterans who at one point had received hundreds of thousands for improvement for that park..”WHO TURNED NEARLY $500,000 DOLLARS INTO A BOONDOGGLE, BAD NEWS AND DEAD PARK?” https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/veterans-memorial-park-thanks-for-the-memories/
Oh! we were taking a beating by Cole and Co. Letters sent to Veterans groups and meeting berating the history boneheads, ridicule and downright untruths and nastiness followed us who tried to save a tangible and imho important part of Lorain’s history from the earliest times..
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2006/02/22/opinion/16173705.txt
Lorain’s City Council shouldn’t be so quick to reject downtown condos (John Cole)
Published: Wednesday, February 22, 2006
But how can city leaders trumpet the need to save the park, when they have stood by and let it become such a vandalized dump? Lorain’s veterans barely use it anymore because it’s so seedy and because all the ceremonial action in Lorain these days is at Black River Landing.
You see the plans ( although NOT shared with anyone in City Council or even employees of Community Development came to light over a lunch… and I made some phone calls
You can read the entire situation here
and an except of a letter sent to the city administration and in particular Prudoff…. and there they are again
Cole,
Foltin
Prudoff
( if I was a betting person I would say there was some sort of collusion) BUT that would only be my cynical “OPINION” ( lawyers take NOTE!!!)
….[Veard} mention to two representatives of Charleston Village Executive Board on Jan 6th his “plan” as we were eating lunch in a very public place. There was no mention of the need for discretion, if anything the impression given was one of the plans for the park being a “done deal” and that all obstacles such as the Gilmore family restriction was and I quote “not a problem, I have been assured that isn’t an issue any more”.
I believe he was truly shocked when his plan did not meet with favor in our eyes. According to Mr. Veard, “you are the first ones that don’t like it” we were then informed, during that conversation, that other public officials, and non profits had been made aware of the plan to put condos in the “Veterans Park”, such as some members of the Lorain Port Authority, “ the veterans are on board”, the city, including Mayor Foltin and yourself (Sandy Prudoff), as well as the editor of the Morning Journal, John Cole.
At the same time Compass House was setting up as an independent housing and bringing in 10 Registered Sex Offenders a night .. and kicking them out into the neighborhoods a so many days – worrying since the city no longer had a jail and the funding for the Shawnee bond was apparently rolled over into that bond which went on ”
Jail– Lorain City Councilwoman Anne Molnar ( deceased) started to look into the funding and where the money had gone earmarked for a new Jail . Anne wrote to Wom and we put up the minutes of the meeting for her . Anne bless her “fighting for Lorain” heart wrote to WoM at the time
Dear Loraine,
Thank you for posting the minutes of the police and fire committee meeting on WOM. You can sure work miracles on the computer, did a great job posting it on WOM. I believe when most people read them, they can easily see how the Mayor has twisted his words and lied .
There is a lot more to be told, that I found out later regarding the jail, and it is all to late now. Money wasted and spend, many lies told, and not all from the Mayor.[Foltin} Anne
NOTE: The minutes of that meeting and the unbelievable amount of money and spin here Minutes of Feb 2003 No Jail
It seems you couldn’t pick up a paper without my name being “used” . I did seem to be on some vicious treadmill…..me against the media and city government.
–
Why? Yes I was involved but a free press believes in free speech , at least I always thought so . Initially I was confused by Coles’ comment in his editorials (problem is I can no longer link to them) and then I got angry. I started answering back.
The Shawnee excitement came down to earth with a bang when finally City Council etc after receiving much detailed information decided not to renew the option for the land at Black River . I testified at length before members of city council and with a plethora of documentation for the record. ( Was not well received by the Foltin Administration)
Phot by Dan Brady
It was the selling of the little park that really upset Cole and the Morning Journal – you see we along with our sister organization of (Charleston Village Society) Black River Historical Society and Anne Molnar and various residents fought for that park to remain a park. We were gathering our arguments together when Frank Sipkovsky, President of the then Black River Historical Society walked over to City Hall and put in each councilpersons mail box a letter detailing their concerns as to what was going on with the park. Councilman Dan Given called for a vote then and there that evening to settle this situation : and King Cole really went off on them….
March 3rd, 2006: Editorial by John Cole in response to Lorain City Council’s unanimous vote NOT to sell the historic little Park…..
“You can’t make us believe that some council members didn’t cook up Monday’s vote in an illegal backroom meeting. That kind of government stinks as bad as those flooded basements. The state attorney general’s office should give these guys a wake-up call. Their vote could be invalid.
Every one of these zeros is up for re-election next year. Remember how they embarrassed you and your city with their rude and juvenile no-show act………
………Lorain has too many short-sighted, long-winded politicians, cranks and blowhards and not enough people who can look past all that and push forward with positive accomplishments that can make Lorain strong and attractive again.”
To be continued …
Dec 3rd – TIME of our Life- Chris Ritchey
Artwork Chris Ritchey
Every 3rd of the month I write a tribute to you my son , I have written , apart from the other memories of your passing over 120 posts. I write to release the pain that builds, to take the thoughts out of my mind and put them on paper, or in this case on this blog. If I didn’t they would consume me more than they do and I would not get any relief. The tears I shed as I write drop onto the desk and over these many months the varnish has all but gone – a surface worn away by my tears.
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/category/chris-ritchey/
Other self by Chris Ritchey
How can that be possible? How have 10 years passed? How can that be? You see for most of my nights and days I am back in time , to a time where life and death and selfishness have trapped me, and not only me your father is on this same journey. I dream of you but you always have cancer and I am always searching for a cure or help, then I wake there is a moment of relief that it was just a dream and then I realize I have woken to my nightmare, there was no cure no help… I am in reality……………..
The diagnostic box- self- portrait Chris Ritchey
I am reminded of H.G. Wells and The Time Machine , I feel like the lead character sitting in that machine , only the lever is not controlled by me but by a profound grief, that is stronger than any will of mine. I sit in place in my own device as I watch the world around me go from the future to the present.
photo -self -Chris Ritchey
Every now and then I leave the machine of grief and experience the world of the present, happiness comes , anger comes, passion – very rarely, duty to others is limited and they are the ones I hold most dear. That is why although it is now 10 years this December 3rd. since I last saw your face, kissed your cheek, held your hand and lost ME. No longer Loraine, but a facsimile who left this place when you did . The unbearable is borne tempered by love of your family , sisters, nephews brother in law and father. Deep breaths and the conscious and sub-conscience effort by the brain to hold back the excruciating emotions that wrack the physical body.
Anger at those that through hypocrisy and selfishness ( Tim Sue Lombardi, Angela (Lombardi – Ritchey) and now Murphy – and their family and church ( Father Daniel Divas whose wickedness ( in my opinion) perpetuated and took whatever compassion with them in their act of callousness. not to be forgiven- then or now
but that same anger also has kept me upright.
The 10th anniversary marked by the yearly posts of December 3rd and as the new year dawns once again to finally finish the book- NO LIMITS.
Starting a new chapter both literally and figuratively -not the regurgitating of posts- but of your life and presence in the present………..
The Touch- Chris Ritchey
Your words ring through my mind and indeed is part of the forward in the book
“Nothing should be hidden or untouchable, if it is your truth and you stand behind it – no one should be able to silence you “
freedom of speech by Chris Ritchey
My time here in this world grows shorter as the days continue – I have to finish this book and publish – as “truth is definitely the daughter of time” and time is running out…… I love you and miss you every moment of these days and oh so long nights no matter the year I find myself existing……
April 3rd- FORGOTTEN- Chris Ritchey
In the days and weeks I have been in this latest medical situation I managed to watch a movie – Hunters Lodge– not a wonderful movie but entertaining enough to take my mind off of things. However, the opening lines resonated with me:
“They say you die three times – once when your body fails you – again when you are buried ( funeral) and again when you are forgotten”
Those were the lines that set me watching the rest of the movie… I agree with them. I believe you have died twice and in some cases three times. There are those that forgot and dismissed you from memory in the very beginning of our loss but there are those who truly love you from whose memory and life you will not be forgotten.
Gavin, just a few months old when you passed and Braedyn born 3 years later KNOW you, talk of you and “remember” not in the usual way of remembering a life but who you are now! You are still very much a part of their lives.
Very few of my family left remember my Grandmother “Nanny Bunyan” and her sons, my mum’s mother , Nanny Hines – such a different person from my Dad’s mother not the exotic sophisticated wealthy red- haired fashion conscious , jewel wearing and Channel No 5 for her. Nanny Hines a nurse/ midwife mother to 6 – 3 boys and 3 girls and all that entailed, no, she was warm and loving and gentle .
Soon, those of us that still remember each of them as they were when they were alive and part of our living memory will also have passed and apart from the little bits of information left in my mothers” ” MY BOOK” ( hopefully passed down to the younger family members) we too will die our third death.
Cover Design Chris Ritchey
I have tried to hold (in the present ) the “man that time forgets” – you- by keeping your life, your art, your thoughts and our love for you alive on this blog- archived (hopefully for all time) – and with my own book, when it is completed
and our own contributions to the great – what happens after you die theories ……
Love doesn’t forget……. and neither do we
The Gatekeepers- Keeping us out!!!! Part One
They come in all shapes sizes – they populate the corners of the earth- the nameless , cubicle dwelling ,tickers of boxes. They are supposed to make life easier . They control our life and happiness, quietly making decisions as to our finances, healthcare, bill paying, pensions , entertainment , water, fuel , travel ( airlines , ships, ferries and trains) . Try to name one thing in our lives today that doesn’t go through the faceless gatekeepers.
We trust them to be there for us, especially when the gatekeepers work for government agencies, federal, state, local or for the crown, or republics. You see we the people are the employers of the gatekeepers. This is something many of them seems to forget .
Due to an upsurge of people getting annoyed with said gatekeepers – probably because by the time we the consumer/ client have already had a stressful day with others of their kind- we are warned with signs etc our annoyance won’t be tolerated and we can be thrown off planes, https://clark.com/travel/7-reasons-you-can-get-kicked-off-a-flight/
and in the case of Condor– a ferry service in the UK
” The ferry company – beset by problems since it launched its new £50 million Condor Liberation vessel on the Jersey-UK route last May – is putting up posters to remind passengers that abusive behaviour will not be tolerated.
And they say that some passengers have threatened to go to the media with their complaints if unreasonable demands aren’t met. Condor say that means they are now questioning whether much of the criticism they have faced is legitimate or not.
However it seems Condor is less than perfect in and of itself, which may explain customer’s irritation and irritable behavior-
Related News
Amended Condor sailings for half-term weekend
08 Feb 2018
Condor pulls plug on bid for inter-island route
25 Jan 2018
High winds cause travel disruption
It wouldn’t be fair for me to pick on poor old Condor they are just the tip of the iceberg when it now comes to “be nice!! no matter the provocation OR ELSE! customer service
TEN YEARS AGO I WARNED AND POINTED UP THE – THEY HAVE YOU WHERE THEY WANT YOU GATEKEEPERS
But above all “don’t complain, don’t moan and don’t get angry” I have learned that the “muppets” have power the power to decide whether you fly or not….
If you’ve ever wanted to end a complaint letter — or phone call, for that matter — with the words “I’LL NEVER FLY YOUR AIRLINE AGAIN!” or “I’LL SEE YOU IN COURT!” then let me offer a little advice. Don’t. Threats won’t just guarantee your failure. You could also end up on a company’s blacklist (oh yes, they have them)
French side of the Euro Star– Was it my fault there was a fire in the tunnel days previously- was it my fault they messed around with our tickets, tried to separate a pregnant daughter , mother and father, and then put them on a train with the incorrect destination for two of them. When we tried to explain in “English” we were met with the “language stall” and finally when I had worked out what the “employee was saying” ( high school French) we were then being denied from boarding any train PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT I WAS A PUSHY AMERICAN . All trains were suddenly full!!! WE WERE TOLD TO LEAVE THE STATION!!!
However , my beautiful daughter then had to turn on the charm , do the sympathy and blue eyes ploy give the “gatekeeper his due reverence” and got us on the train , which was going to our proper destination and was 3/4 EMPTY!!!
You learn to shut up because we have learned not to put our hands in the fire or upset the gatekeepers because the new power of claiming they feel threatened or loosely interpret the term verbal abuse- without benefit of any advocate for you the client/customer/ citizen , or the I am not paid to deal with irate people’s attitude- errrrr yes you are!!!!!if you are in the gatekeeper customer service industry.
You are held in the gatekeepers grip- locally I have been through the hell of the gatekeepers of government – I am sure I am on their black list –
as one Ms. Rosario of a local federal office stated to me – she wasn’t prepared to listen to my situation- probably because they were
“short-staffed and she knew better than I the protocol …
I say that because that is how the conversation started – “we are very short-staffed today so I want to get this done.….and her closing statement to me that day Dec 18th 2017 AFTER I had to wait 5 weeks for the phone call….
” I will not deal with you “
HMMMMMMMM well SHE WAS RIGHT!!! she wasn’t dealing with ME- NO! she was responding to the person who was scared to make waves incase the punishment for my actions would be taken out on a 99-year-old lady
However , I decided at three o’clock in the morning to Hell with it they would now deal with ME!!
The ME that writes, the me that gets on a soap box, the me that is nearing her sell by date and has hit bottom emotionally, the me of the big mouth……… the ME that by her attitude of “I will not deal with you” – denied ME and the 99-year-old “due process and the right to appeal”…. That is the ME to be dealt with…
One of the main problems – whether it is paying your water bill ( locally) this has become a trip up the River of Irate , getting cable TV or getting answers from any of the gatekeepers is – they are presumably DEAF!
They are the “pseudo listeners” – they have their “protocol of which boxes need to be ticked ” and that is it end of story- the computer says…….. and nothing you can do will make them stray from that course and think out of the “computer box”.
And there is more to come …………………
Free Speech by Chris Ritchey
The Scold – Lorain- the ducking/cucking stool
Time, people and trials in this town have left me in a sort of out here alone on a limb mode of thinking – the last of the “scolds”
Oh! I know there are others that share my thinking but could it be they are afraid of the “ducking/cucking stool ” which censors our opening of our mouths ( locally and nationally)? As if the bad mouthing, concrete crashing Neanderthals weren’t enough of a deterrent.
I have seen it too many times over the years of advocacy and I seem to have come away from those years half drowned ,soaking wet and getting more and more weary of trying – life here can do that to you. So I now find myself walking away, not raising the volunteering hand – and have left most of the “community” – I just don’t fit in .
As I “escape” from Lorain and the world into the realm Roku watching murder, mayhem and mystery I supplement with programs such as “Escape to the County” and the land of my birth where there are still pockets of the idyll and people looking to find their dream in the country.
It was during one such viewing this morning and the town of Leominister
http://www.leominster.co.uk/ and the story of Jenny Pipes (1809) the last woman to be legally ducked. She pronounced a “scold” by her community and the magistrate passed sentence
“In the common law of crime in England and Wales, a common scold was a type of public nuisance—a troublesome and angry woman who broke the public peace by habitually arguing and quarrelling with her neighbours. The Latin name for the offender, communis rixatrix, appears in the feminine gender and makes it clear that only women could commit this crime.
….. being placed in a chair and submerged in a river or pond. Although rarely prosecuted it remained on the statute books in England and Wales until 1967.
Francois Maximilian Misson, a French traveller and writer, recorded the method used in England in the early 18th century:The way of punishing scolding women is pleasant enough.(ED NOTE spoken like a true man )They fasten an armchair to the end of two beams twelve or fifteen feet long, and parallel to each other, so that these two pieces of wood with their two ends embrace the chair, which hangs between them by a sort of axle, by which means it plays freely, and always remains in the natural horizontal position in which a chair should be, that a person may sit conveniently in it, whether you raise it or let it down. They set up a post on the bank of a pond or river, and over this post they lay, almost in equilibrio, the two pieces of wood, at one end of which the chair hangs just over the water. They place the woman in this chair and so plunge her into the water as often as the sentence directs, in order to cool her immoderate heat.
Jenny Pipes came back from her ducking still “scolding” and her claim to fame of telling it like it was has outlasted the magistrate. http://www.jennypipes.org.uk/
“the idea of ducking was to curb the tongue of the offender; the ducking to continue until the culprit either gives up or was exhausted”
Of course where there is a pond there is also pond scum and “ducking the scold” does disrupt that “gathering and rising to the top” if only for a little while. I have noticed the pond scum usually multiplies!
I have seen the “cucking stool” happening (metaphorically speaking) locally so many times and THAT Lorain is one of the problems and the why the view we have is of this (rehabbed????) “cottage”
March 2017
and the duckers can’t say they weren’t scolded for 4 years from that first demolition appeals board.
June 2013
Dye- abolical – goose /gander Inspection Process Pt 2 – Lorain
To those who have been ducked, and lived to walk away and tell the tale _ you will be missed by those that got wet with you
-to those that have returned to the bank of the pond to join the crowd – it is understandable-
-to those that keep trying -may it only be your feet getting wet…..
for those of you still “piping up’ like Jenny Piper and facing the wrath of the duckers and the chair I will have a towel waiting for you and a different sort of chair in front of the TV!
Outdoor Showrooms- Lorain- by Don the Downspout
There I was dangling free and discharging onto the ground ( well not exactly since it was January and I was frozen) when I was discovered in my illegality by Mrs. Dye of Dye’s Appliances and of the Design Review Board and her offspring-
Not only me, I am ashamed to say , but ( Gary) the garage was sore in need of some paint on three of his sides – His one side compromised by the “growth” unchecked by the property next door – which happens to be owned by the City of Lorain. 😉
So Mrs. Dye , in her capacity of a sitting Board Member of what is called The Design Review Board- in the subject of the email, sent the Chief Building Inspector Klinar on a journey to 4th street that late January day to confirm I was illegal and Gary the Garage was becoming an eyesore.
In fact, Mrs. Dye did so more than once .
You see, Mrs. Dye was really “ticked off” with one of my owners , so she discharged her venom , in this downspout’s opinion, by using her position as a member of a city board to get the complaints seen to at once- well with in 4 business days. Something about that rankles, as this was a private citizen being targeted by a member of a City Design Review Board ( not in their jurisdiction) by using another city office but of course she also, in our opinion, tried to intimidate and coerce the Lorain Administration in the same e-mail . I think there maybe an issue here but I digress:
I had to be connected within 6 days 
Poor old Gary the Garage, he had to be scraped and painted and fixed by April 30th- which my owner said, was in legal terms was “arbitrary and capricious ” in that time line so she ( the one who writes) sent a letter which you can read here:
Garage Compliance
I am pleased to say I, Don the downspout, was duly connected in those cold , cold February days and yes! by August 1st Gary the Garage, has been duly , scraped , mended and painted- and his design colours( hope that meets with those of the Design Review Board – neighboring properties taken into account) are thanks to the fact that whilst the garage was being “fixed” his doors of red are to match the red dump truck that has been parked on that city lot for a month if not more!
A letter to the city followed stating we are now in compliance with Gary’s portraits – found here Garage citation inspection 1127
NOTE: UPDATE you will see by the following J- Pg. our violations ( such as they were) have now been officially abated !
My owner did get some benefit out of all this brouhaha- she (who really could be the cat’s mother) was able to fill pages and pages on this subject of “Building Codes and their enforcement” ( or not) . I was fixed and the garage painted because it was so WE WERE NOT in compliance !!!
I wonder what dreaded fate would have befallen my owners if we had ignored the ORC ? Judge for yourself!!
Let’s visit those situations, where seemingly, there is such a lot non- compliance – especially with Lorain’s outdoor showrooms – Readers can you honestly say that I a mere downspout should be compared to say – this :
3200 Jaeger Road – (photo- August 4th-2015 5:00 pm.) click on the photo it is really much worse up close!
3200 Jaeger Road- is owned by ( according to the Lorain County Auditor )
and it looks like since the Auditor last took the photo the “lawn ornaments” have flourished in these ripe conditions of non- accountability
Now how can I say that – non accountability? A quick check with the city – This property has been cited time and time again starting in September 9th 2011 you can access that complaint here
3200 timeline
Finally an appearance before the Judge-JUDGE COOK- of the Housing Court JUNE 26TH 2015 4 years later
Now we are getting somewhere, especially since in the file the report of Mr. Daniel Esterle flagged down the Inspector swearing at him and ready to sue the city , according to the report filed, which can be seen here
Judge Cook, found the defendant -GUILTY- and slapped a sentence on him of – wait for it $150.00″ that is One Hundred and Fifty dollars plus court costs….. Oh well just about the cost of another lawn mower then? Not bad 4 years of citations, 4 years of a lovely outdoor showroom and the cost of doing business for these property owners a mere $150.00 – sounds like a deal!
Of course Mrs. Dye also has an outdoor showroom – a lovely site as you are welcomed to Lorain – Part of her DESIGN Plan for Lorain – one presumes-.
If these objects were declared “junk” she would have at least have to fence it in- but then she wouldn’t be allowed a junk yard in downtown Lorain so we have her “outdoor showroom” welcoming our visitors!
Although, those doors on refrigerators etc. are quite worrying . I thought there was a Federal Law about that – hazard to little ones climbing in – wasn’t that the Consumer Protection Act- can’t be can it? The city wouldn’t allow hazards to small children ? Oh well! probably just another fine anyway and small cost of doing business.
August 2015
A little earlier on in the year May 2015 taken from Broadway – looks like business is good more drop offs-
As you drive into downtown along Broadway-what an interesting conversation piece as we drive along looking at the lovely Port Authority complex on one side- the welcome sign what attraction can that be on the left?
-” is it – junk- garden art- the outdoor showroom of opinion-” I wonder what the artist had in mind???Has to be there by DESIGN
Due to the fact vehicles (Dye’s) had blocked the street, a turn around had to be found that August day and what to wondering eyes did appear – well more than a dangling downspout at 214- W. 10th, a neighbor of Dye’s Appliances – now this property did not get this way in a year or so – I wonder why neighbor Dye of the Design Review Board would put up with it. 
But a new use for BLUE TARPS has been found- this lovely piece of Lorain real estate is owned ( according to the auditor) Parcel Number: 02-01-003-120-012
Owner Name
Address: ESSER MANAGEMENT INC
214 10TH ST W LORAIN, OH 44052
Tax Bill Mailed to: ESSER MANAGEMENT INC
1138 LEXINGTON AV LORAIN, OH 44052 and Esser Management tracks back to ( according to the Secretary of State)
Another quick check with Lorain Building Dept
“This building was cited on 4/20/2015.
Code violations: 304.2 / 304.7 / 304.10 / 308.1.
The owner called and said he is planning to demolish the building. I gave him some time.
No changes and no response.
Sent to court.
OH! OH! I wonder what the “accountability” for this will be??? Enquiring Donspouts want to know-
Seriously, this crime and punishment is downright laughable and very, very annoying to those that do follow the law. Do they write the punishment into the cost of doing business – because each of the aforementioned are in BUSINESS!!
…… more to come – unfortunately
No Exit -“A touch of class” Lorain
On the mirrors ( at least the last time I looked) in the outer lobby of the Palace Theatre Lorain is a list of donors. Among those that donated significantly is the mention of “Palace Players“
The Palace Players, an intrepid band of actors and actresses from the local community. At the core were Jean Schaeffer, Dave Cotton, Casey Wolnowski, Karen Kelley and yours truly. The “company” got together to specifically raise funds for the Palace.
The kick off , as described in the history of the Palace on their website mentions what happened, in 1974 and my introduction to Lorain and a great bunch of people. Yes! I served the lunches along with Barb MacGregor, Ruth Calta, Mary Lou Connone
This immigrant to Lorain- made the soups and generally helped those great bunch of people – thanks to my introduction to Lorain via Jean Schaeffer and was involved in the “speakeasy” segment of the gala night.
The Palace was and is still a major “player” in determining Lorain’s downtown -http://lorainpalace.com
In 1974, “Civic Center Madness”, a major fund raising project, took place in the urban renewal area of north Broadway. Forty civic groups participated in this week long street fair, Stores soon to be torn down were converted as if by magic into an old fashioned ice cream parlor, a “Second-Hand Rose” shop, a casino, a book and plant store, an open air barbecue, international shops, etc. The Saturday night “Great Gatsby Party” at the Palace climaxed the week’s activities.
Theatre was all important to the culture of the area. Most of us didn’t have a lot of money , those band of thespians, but what they did have was a love of theatre and the Palace – so the Palace Players formed.
One production – loosely based on a Dinner with Henry the VIII– took place on the Palace stage
Cover Arcade MJ
We had to be creative , in order to raise money for the building, we couldn’t interfere with the daily running of the Palace. Creative , especially as to performance space we were given. One criteria was that no “set” set – everything had to be put up an hour before the show ( each performance night) and the set had to be struck each night.
Educating Rita– we did that in a mini proscenium set up in the area behind the seats, using one of the archways with the drinking fountain as the dressing rooms and off stage. I was Rita and it was an education !
Two shows were performed in the inner lobby in front of the bar – The Fantasticks -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantasticks A young Mike Skimmin, Melissa Driscoll and Billy the Clown were part of that “company”. Imagine a musical in the lobby- however did we manage the music????- but we did.
The other show No Exit– a depiction of the afterlife in which three deceased characters are punished by being locked into a room together for eternity ( done as theatre in the round). Memorable to me about those performances was we had to share the theatre for a few performances with an action movie playing on the” big screen” – the louder sounds such as crashes, screams and gunfire bled through into our performance area . Our audience was told to ignore as that was just another room in hell.
“Hell is other people”,a reference to Sartre’s ideas about the look and the perpetual ontological struggle of being caused to see oneself as an object in the world of another consciousness.”
We were involved , that group participated and performed with such productions as the Follies and – Lorain Community Music Theatre –
http://www.loraincommunitymusictheater.org/
when it was “truly Lorain” and performed their musicals every year on the Palace stage. Organizations benefitted greatly from the talent. Just a few come to mind-
Oliver 1978,
Mame -1979 ( Jean playing the lead), and in Camelot 1986 where Jean was MERLIN
South Pacific 1985 ( Dave directing)
Casey and I directing and producing King and I -1991 and Brigadoon 1990 – we sold out the Palace with those performances.
Yes! and the same people gave of their time and talent freely to put together an extravaganza to promote the newly formed Lorain Arts Council under the auspices of MainstreetLorain throughout the whole Palace venue even utilizing the “boxes”. The audience was lined up to come and view the talent who call Lorain County home.
We would call on our fellow thespians for help and they always showed up and came through, whether to stage manage, produce , perform, organize, publicize , play an instrument – whatever was needed if they were available they were there. Those were good days.
No Exit – and the statement “hell is other people” – well I have had my share of living that particular line in the “play that is Lorain”.
I am saddened by what has transpired in recent years the demise of Broadway to the extent it has . We need more of those ladies who lunched- they brought a “touch of class” – in my opinion decidedly lacking of late- but that era has too passed us by –
The OLD Lady and the not so Rockin'( chair) Rover -Lorain (e)
– I have become old , jaded and cynical- Lorain and life has done that and I know I am not alone in wondering what was the point in all those efforts and hard work but then there is the Palace…
and am thankful to say still is the house of “light on Broadway” .
Please visit the Palace website for all the latest information
http://lorainpalace.com/
City Officials -Caught Between a Ritchey and a Dye Place
freedom of speech by Chris Ritchey
Last Thursday I wrote a post on the continuing saga of 418 Broadway, Lorain Ohio https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/the-dye-is-set-a-sign-of-trouble-lorain/ as the Morning Journal had run an article as to the building conditions and the “behavior” of the owner
In 2013 this blog brought to the attention of the readers issues happening in our deteriorating “downtown”. Although many people have been trying for years to change the blighted direction of what is known as the Broadway Corridor and more recently “the Waterfront District” the rot, literally, of the buildings has continued. My question in my last post as to the further deterioration of 418 was to the “powers that be”
WHY, if complaints had been made over the many months and years as to the issues with this poster child of a building, did it take so long for the process to start?
It is no secret there were issues with that building and they could be “seen ” from even a cursory sidewalk inspection.
Why didn’t our inspectors, Building Dept. act? Why didn’t the acting head of Community Development ( Rey Carrion – no longer with the city) at the time follow through as to the “signage” situation of that building?
Yesterday, I received a copy of an email sent to “Leon Mason, Director
Department of Building, Housing and Planning- City Of Lorain”. I was sent a copy of the email because, as you will read, I am pretty much the focus of the ire.
The email in question was sent by Kathy Dye, mother of the owner of the 418 Broadway. Ms. Dye is a long-time member of the Design Review Board in Lorain http://www.cityoflorain.org/economic_community_development/agendas
and herself a business owner on Broadway- Dyes Appliances- 960 Broadway
Kathy Dye is no stranger to this blog and in 2013 had her say as to my thoughts etc. which I duly posted and answered to her “all caps rant” and innuendo , name calling and her promise “WHILE YOU TAKE THIS RUN DOWN BROADWAY I’M GOING TO ALL OF YOUR HOMES.”
The situation with 418 Broadway and the owners ‘trouble” has once again surfaced this week
http://www.morningjournal.com/general-news/20150107/lorain-building-owner-accused-of-illegal-gas-tap
and I duly wrote about it. The effect of the recent news had another email from Kathy Dye- I have highlighted the words I find troubling from Ms Dye
From: Java******** [mailto:Javalady*******]
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2015 11:56 AM
To: Mason, Leon
Subject: Design review board
Getting pretty sick and tired of Loraine Ritchie running this city with her complaints.#1 if you and the mayor are going to harrass people you should look at everybody, not just a few chosen people. I can be a bigger bitch than Loraine Ritchie. I know of several things if I spill the beans will cause a huge uproar in this city as well as a large number of law suits. I was previously asked to keep my mouth shut about all of it but my patience is running thin. Just to also let you know the information I know has nothing to do with any previous city employees.
#2, Loraine Ritchie has a lot of “ordinance issues” on the outside of her property, what about the inside?
#3 Loraine Ritchie keeps saying that my son did not get approval for his Kharisma sign. Well when he came before the board, before you came aboard, We gave him a conditional approval if the sign fit the sign board. Well it fit and we sent pictures to Dave Gulden as we were told. Then the uproar came and community development was dissolved and Dave damaged his files, not our fault. So I sent pictures again to Rey Carrion. Whatever happened to them I do not know. So here we still are seeing Loraine running her flapping mouth that the sign was hung illegally and that he was told to remove it. Well that is not the case and I want a letter sent for the approval now. The Building Department was notified months ago that we were still waiting for it.
#4 I understand the mayor is planning to run again. Well after I start sending out my series of letters to all the tv stations, radio stations and newspapers I don’t think it will help his campaign. The ball is now in your hands. If things don’t straighten up immediately with my son and his building the letters will begin next week.
#5 Also I have a question, why did the ex-mayor and your father back in their day refuse to take the mast from Admiral King’s boat that sank and make a memorial here in Lorain?
Remember this is a sitting member of Lorain’s Design Review Board- one has to ask WHY? is she- who wishes to hold hostage a process for which she supposedly “sits” for deny due diligence of that process a member of such a board? There is something wrong with that scenario
I want to address Kathy Dyes comments :
I will skip for the moment to No. 2.
“Loraine Ritchie has a lot of “ordinance issues” on the outside of her property, what about the inside?”
I am unaware of any ordinance issues on the outside of my property and when the homes etc. on 4th street were inspected last year we were not cited for any issues. As for the inside of my home – well I can guarantee not one alligator or unusual pets just Shadow
Kathy is more than welcome along with any one else to come on in- just call first so I am not in my pajamas. In fact, they have done so twice when this house was on tour for two different homes tours for fundraising.
A childish “tit for tat” methinks!
Let us address No 3 the dreaded signage . Kathy needs to read the post from the PRESIDENT of the Design Review Board and the explanation – it has been stated clearly enough on this blog – twice-
CITYWIDE DESIGN REVIEW GUIDELINES
The board has NOT approved the signage for 418 Broadway as we were not presented with the required submission documentation.
The signage was reviewed and there were conditions that had to be met by Mr. Dye to receive approval. The board has not received the information required for conditional approval. The signage was installed illegally
Now down to the rather strange question to Leon Mason with regard to his father , who at one time was Community Development Director for a few months. No 5
” #5 Also I have a question, why did the ex-mayor and your father back in their day refuse to take the mast from Admiral King’s boat that sank and make a memorial here in Lorain?”
I am not sure what this has to do with anything except her possible use of an innuendo – the lack of thinking and knowledge” leads me to wonder as to “lack of reason”. But that being said let me “educate Ms. Dye on the “history” –
refuse to take the mast from Admiral Kings boat that sunk…
Sorry Ms Dye, you have the wrong end of the mast….. Admiral King’s boat didn’t sink, it was the bombing by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor which caused the sinking of the USS Arizona.
” The battleship USS Arizona (BB 39) was sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The superstructure above the waterline was removed soon after the attack. Admiral Earnest H. King, Chief of Naval operations, sent the signal mast to his hometown of Lorain, Ohio. Commander Edwin C. Keyes, a close friend of Adm. King commanded that naval armory in Lorain. https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/and-lorain-said-no-admiral-king-lorain-ohio/
AND Ms Dye there were three mayors involved over a decade when the signal mast was an issue. If you are going to cast veiled aspersions I would suggest you get your facts straight first.!!!!
As petty , erroneous and spiteful the above are, it is in my opinion nothing to what Ms. Dye threatens ( and to me there is no other word for it for me) and tries intimidation of one government official and also the duly elected Mayor of the City of Lorain –
IF the Director of Department of Building, Housing and Planning for the City of Lorain does NOT “straighten up” immediately with my son and his building” letters will be sent to the media which will apparently according to her that will cause adverse publicity to the Mayor’s campaign ( Mr. Mason’s boss”)
What those letters contain can only be guessed at with her initial statement “I can be a bigger bitch than Loraine Ritchie. I know of several things if I spill the beans will cause a huge uproar in this city as well as a large number of law suits. I was previously asked to keep my mouth shut about all of it but my patience is running thin.
I understand the mayor is planning to run again. Well after I start sending out my series of letters to all the tv stations, radio stations and newspapers I don’t think it will help his campaign. The ball is now in your hands. If things don’t straighten up immediately with my son and his building the letters will begin next week.
I find Ms. Dye’s behavior insulting , provocative in the extreme and from board member of the “supposed” unbiased Design Review Board most worrying.
HER son is charged with according to the Morning Journal reporting
“unsafe connections to gas supply lines and rubber hoses being used for natural gas” in the building, according to the police report.
The building’s last natural gas connection ended July 7, 2008, according to the Columbia Gas report. One gas meter in the building showed the building had gas usage totaling $14,469 from August 2010, when Dye took possession of the building, to November last year, according to the report.
It is my interpretation – MS DYE, is stating unless the City of Lorain Director of Building and Planning doesn’t intercede and give “sonny” the all clear then she will send out letters containing “what” ??????knowledge of wrongful doings with the City of Lorain enough to cause lawsuits??? -( What a responsible citizen ( that is sarcasm for those in doubt) ! Hopefully, who ever receives these Diatribes of Dye will fact check because her “record” of getting the facts straight even in this last email is nought for 5!
However, I think I have the answer to my question as to why it takes so long for things to happen in this city, with people like Ms Dye “on board” the City of Lorain had better cross all its T’s and dot its i’s otherwise who knows what vicious, vindictive behaviors will come about.
And to those who wonder why I have retired from “downtown” see above….. However, I have not retired from the truth …… Shhhh listen carefully is that sound you hear the falling of another building on Broadway, the “termagant” of Broadway( aka Ms Dye) or perhaps the power of politics in its death throes ????????
That Woman's Weblog 
This dust (ing) of community- Apathy – Hope?????
“….
Anti Political Correctness Ad by Chris Ritchey
We are the common man– we are the ones who pay our taxes, raise our children , try to do the right thing -if at all possible. We are, for the most part, ignored – except when it comes ( in a democracy) wanting our vote. We are not really important, unless they need our children, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives to fight a war, give money or put them in office.
We are well and truly “played ” for the most part in all walks of life and yet we are also blamed for our apathy when we don’t turn out in numbers to jump on the political bandwagon of the day!
Every single day, this blog receives requests for some sort of help, why ? Maybe because yours truly has never been one to back down from a truth or because they hope by getting out the word through this blog ( which doesn’t have the restrictions of “other” media) , attention will be drawn to a situation and event.
I, for the most part, can no longer hold out any hope to those that write or call, I have discovered unless it falls in line with the “powers that be” in any situation you are ” spitting in the wind” – the “slobber” will only end back at you!
There are people in this town of Lorain– that decent folk ( and they are in the minority – socially and verbally speaking) would, in another day and age, would be ostracized -certainly not embraced and rewarded.
No longer the case , we, as a community- ( the vocal majority) embrace, classless
( Note two of the videos in this post were taken down by You tube – the failed stripper because it did not meet even YOU Tube’s community standards 😉
and criminal behavior.
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2015/03/28/glass-houses-flores-isnt-lorain-council-candidate-criminal-record/
The agendas and behaviors are swept under the political and media rug. It is not only tolerated but excused with ” Oh 2nd chances” etc. And so it evolves until the dirt under the rug finally destroys the fabric of civilized society.
There are those that have tried and found to their chagrin , the reality- no one wants to lift the rug- the dirt might start rubbing off on them.
This blog published one local instance – threats and coercion of elected officials ( in my opinion) in order to get their way.
This individual, felt safe enough to put in writing her desires and “nothing- nada naught” ever came out of that little episode except the retaliation against me, the messenger! – What sort of a “community”-” system” countenances and rewards – let alone tolerates such blatant threatening behavior toward city officials???? ( see the whole email in the above link)
Apparently -Lorain does!!!! inclusive of politicians, businesses, media ( who were sent copies of the email – NOT BY ME I hasten to add- but a “credible source 😉 and legal eagles hmmm Is there something under that particular rug after all??? .
So, the people watch , listen and learn the sorry fact – to make waves ultimately means death by drowning. They start walking away from difficult situations, turning a blind eye , stop getting involved, realizing that to point out the situations only gets you grief. They leave if they can, only to find it is the same no matter where you go.
World Cup Logo Chris Ritchey
The latest big scandal, FIFA-
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/33034422
everyone has known for decades, football associations, countries, clubs, knew of the corruption. No one did anything. The most powerful nations on the planet turned a blind eye to the ongoing corruption but one man tried and tried – Andrew Jennings– but even with his track record it has taken decades ! Why?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/03/how-a-curmudgeonly-old-reporter-exposed-the-fifa-scandal-that-toppled-sepp-blatter/
You would think the first whiff of corruption would have sent the “red flags flying. No ! but finally it was another “power that be” -the United States got involved, and you have to question WHY and why now– well it suited them , let’s face it- it came down to money essentially, agendas , money , power and politics. Doesn’t it always ?
And so , I will receive more requests for help, that I can do nothing about because – scum rises to the top of the pond and they are enabled by media , politics, and a like-minded group supporting their rise …. and apathy is the least of Lorain’s worries……………as is the nations … and more and more decent thinking individuals find out hope of “the right thing” is just that a forlorn hope. “hope the other four letter word
June 7, 2015 at 1:59 pm 4 comments