Author Archives: rike52

As the summer of ’81 waned in New Hudson, Ohio, Kathy Clark packed her life into her yellow Nova to head north to Ann Arbor and grad school, closing out the last “free” summer she’d see for several decades.  She was leaving behind her high school teacher’s post at Western Reserve Academy to see whatContinue reading “wifey’s home”

I wrote this shortly after I’d received the sad news that George Frayne IV, (U of M BFA ’66, MFA ’68) – A.K.A. Commander Cody – had passed as of 9/26/21. I never posted it, but now that his life is being celebrated across the country, I think it’s time. Some readers of this blogContinue reading “CC COL”

Forget the title, this is about electric cars. In my part of Michigan, we get our electricity and natural gas from DTE.   While the name suggests a Detroit link, the company is based in Cincinnati and serves 3 states (Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky) totaling 13 counties.  The company traces its origins to 1849 as the DetroitContinue reading “DTE”

Sometimes Kathy and I just like hanging out in our loose-fitting robes. Go Blue (Ph.D. ’90)! Go Maroons (M.D. ’79)! Should you wish to sing along The Yellow and the Blue (UofM alma mater) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgpp9FEAhsA University of Chicago Alma Mater  https://youtu.be/YLJSLMXnHCg

Among the items awaiting me in my mailbox upon returning from Phuket was the KingSize catalogue my USPS daily digest warned me about a couple days ago.  I thought it might be a joke but there it was, in all its scarlet and gray glory.  Was KingSize trying to shed the state of Michigan?  I’veContinue reading “a poke in the (Buck) eye”

My dad, Dick Ike, Jr., would have turned 104 tomorrow, August 8th, an age his own father had reached.  But Dad’s colon cancer was higher up and more invasive than Grandpa’s, and he only lived 9 years after diagnosis and resection.  But he died a happy man, as he had lived.  Just as his retirementContinue reading “Happy Birthday, Dad!”

In an old country with a proud history like Ireland’s, you’d expect a lot of that.  This morning’s side trip from Beaufort to Cork brought me to a sterling modern example of this phenomenon.  We set out to hike nearby Tomies Woods, at the edge of Killarney Park.  The trek we’d take took us aContinue reading “respecting tradition”

“A bad doctor makes the same mistakes day after day and calls it experience” – Tommy Palella, 1982.  I’ve swapped patients for posts, and surely had a few duds, but have been at it a while and it’s been quite the experience.  I thought I’d learn from WordPress that this would be my 300th post. Continue reading “300!”

I swore several months go I’d blog no more about Mr. Corona, the “pandemic” behind us and figuring the annoying umpteenth generation variants of SARS-COV-2 as mere cold/flu agents. Hardly worth any attention, let alone a mask, vaxx, lockdown, or quarantine. But info trickles out about how things really turned out that deserves commentary. ReleasedContinue reading “oh no!*”