This
is the 8th season for the McCarty Metro Pigskin
Pickem Challenge. The challenge is open to all, and
is a friendly competition to see who can pick the
most NFL winners throughout the entire NFL schedule,
culminating with the Super Bowl. The game is very
easy... Every Tuesday during the regular season, I
will select 10 games for the following weekend. Your
job is to just pick and submit the 10 teams you
think will win that weekend before the first game
listed kicks off.
To be
eligible for the playoffs, you must participated in
at least 66% of the games during the season. As the
playoffs begins, each of our contestants will enter
the playoffs with their winning percentage adjusted
to points. Any weeks not played during the regular
season will count as a 5-5 record toward your
playoff points for each week missed, adjusting your
initial playoff starting point accordingly.
At
the end of the 2019 Super Bowl, our winner will be
announced and declared the 2019 McCarty Metro NFL
Pigskin Pickem Champion! Start
playing today by clicking here!
.
.
DATELINE:
MICHIGAN VISIT
Eugene
Skladnowski and his wife Dolores are coming to Michigan
for a two week visit. Eugene (Gene) has been feature in previous
issues as he was given up at birth for adoption. Now, 60+
years later, he was identified as a first cousin on
Ancestry.com to Kathy
Unti (Uncle Bill and Aunt Francis' daughter) as well as a
first cousin to Jerry McCarty (Robert and Jean McCarty's
son). So... There is definitely some McCarty blood in him,
and he is interested in meeting us and finding out more
about his beginnings.
Kelly & Margaret are going to dinner with them on
Tuesday, September 11. I have also extended an invitation
to my brothers, however, if anyone from the extended
family and cousins wants to meet up with us to meet our newest
relative, email me at mccartymetro@gmail.com
for more info. -Kelly
DATELINE: IDENTIFY
THESE PHOTOS
Karen
McCarty found some pics stowed away with other old photos.
Pics 1, 2 and 3 are unmarked. And I question the
authenticity of No. 2 -- isn't she holding an iPhone? Pic
4, however, has handwriting on the back: "David
Charles McCarty this picture was taken at 3 1/2
months" How did I wind up with David's baby pic? Any
guesses as to the first three? Submit your answers below
to help solve the mystery.
DATELINE: MCCARTY
METRO FILM CONTEST RESULTS
Bradric
Productions and The McCarty Metro, are pleased to
announce the winner of our seventh annual McCarty
Metro Film Project. The winning film was "Who
Stole The Chocolate" which was submitted by
Austin McCarty. This is Austin's first win in the
previous seven years.
The
event took place from July 2 thru July 8, 2018.
The event was open to all. We were looking for
people get an idea of a film in accordance with
the rules posted on this website on July 1, then
over the next 7 days, write, act, direct and
produce a short 4 minute or less movie and submit
it to the McCarty Metro by 11:59 pm Sunday July 8.
Once again, Congratulations to Austin and his
team. Hope to see lots of entries next year....
In
August, Kelly & Margaret took a road trip to visit
Margaret's brother Chris, and his wife Beverly in
Maryland. The trip was wonderful. On the first full day
there, Chris took the couple to the Great Falls on the
Potomac, and to Gettysburg, where they got
to tour the Civil War battlefields. It was a very
educational day learning about all the history. They
capped the evening off with some nice fillet mignons on
the grill.
Visiting
The Great Falls
.
Gettysburg
- At the site of The Gettyburg Address - In A
Tower overlooking the battlefields - Eternal Light
Peace Memorial
.
Gettysburg
Visitors Center and the Pennsylvania Memorial
On
the second day, they went to Virginia, visiting Arlington
National Cemetery and taking in a lot of sites in
Washington DC, including a Marine Sunset Parade in front of the
Lincoln Memorial, the World War 2 monument, the FDR
Monument, and went to the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial.
Visiting
Ronald Bain's Gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery
- Also The Lincoln Memorial With A Marine Parade
.
The
World War 2 Monument In Washington DC
The
next day, Margaret and Bev took the Metro to the
Washington DC Zoo, where they saw Pandas, Elephants, and
other exhibits at the national zoo. Kelly & Chris
picked them up and traveled to Annapolis, MD, where they
lunched at Cantlers, famous for their hard shell crabs.
After a great meal with a great view, they visited the
Naval Academy at Annapolis.
Visiting
the Washington DC Zoo
.
Eating
Crab and Visiting The US Naval Academy In
Annapolis, Maryland
On
the final day, we rested a bit. We did go to Fort Stevens
and in the evening had a great time visiting with
Margaret's cousin Carolyn, her husband Craig and son Cory
along with Chris & Bev's daughter Christina.
Visiting Fort
Stevens then a nice evening dinner with relatives
from Virginia
.
DATELINE:
GRAND HOTEL ON MACKINAC ISLAND
To mark the summer’s end, intrepid sisters Margaret McCarty and Marianne Rzepka headed north to spend four days
at the sixth annual Grand Garden Show at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
The two reached the hotel late on the last Saturday of August, just in time to throw their bags in the room and head for dinner at the Grand Hotel dining room.
It’s very relaxing at the Grand Hotel, where liveried waiters serve breakfast and dinner everyday to guests who must follow a dress code – no denim after 6 p.m.! (And no tipping. How crass!)
But the day after the sisters’ arrival started out with an early Sunday morning trip to the island’s medical center when Margaret found her blood pressure was spiking high.
Mackinac has a motorized ambulance, but a two-horsepower carriage turned out to be the faster trip for the half-mile, downhill-all-the-way trip to the medical center.
The sisters shared a ride down the hill in a carriage filled with sleepy hotel guests eager to get to the ferry for early morning trips to Mackinaw City. They were all so grumpy – and spoke not a word – that it was hard to say what they thought of stopping at the medical center.
Since no other patients were seeking medical help at this hour, there was no-waiting service. Margaret was checked in by the nurse, treated by the doctor and was back at the hotel in time for breakfast.
(To answer the reader’s unspoken question: It’s unclear whether her health insurance will cover the $10 ambulance charge.)
After breakfast on Sunday, all the sisters had to do was register for their three seminars, and each took away a goody bag with a trowel, gardening gloves and other things gardeners like.
Then they had time to relax on the Grand Hotel’s huge porch, check out the island and eat some fudge.
The seminars really started Monday morning with garden-related talks on garden design (remember movement, various colors and textures, vertical lines and a focal point), as well as large-scale landscaping. (Hint: Use broad swaths of color if you ever need to landscape around a casino.)
The afternoon was time for touring gardens on the island, and it must be said that despite the problems with local building codes and restrictions – most of the island is a state park and special permits are required for mechanized equipment – anyone can get a great looking garden if they’re rich.
The
Grand Hotel On Mackinac Island - Our Room (a
little busy) - Marianne Enjoying Dinner At The
Grand
.
The
Owner Of The Grand, Mr. Musser's Residence - A
Horse & Buggy Is The Best Way Around The
Island - Learning At One Of Many Educational
Opportunities
On Tuesday, there was a seminar on container gardening, which followed a fascinating (really!) talk on the Flower House put together in Detroit two years ago by designer Lisa Waud.
Waud came up with the idea of buying a dilapidated house and decorating the rooms with flowers. She ended up with two dilapidated homes, using one to preview her idea. The larger project, which included decorating 15 rooms with flower designs, ran for three days in October 2016.
You can see some of the rooms at: https://www.theflower.house.
The final talk was by Amy Stewart who wrote the book “Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities”, which is about people killed and maimed by plants – strychnine, anyone?. (Fun trivia: Which plant has killed the most people? Tobacco!)
As the event was ending, seminar organizers gave garden-appropriate gifts to attendees whose names were drawn. Marianne, who says she never wins anything, actually went home with a spray bottle good for fertilizer or bug killer! (This is a good gift for
gardeners.) On the way out, everyone got a goodbye goody bag with two plants from show sponsor Proven Winners: a small variegated hosta (Autumn Frost) and a Mini Mauvette hydrangea.
The Mini Mauvette cultivar was developed by Tom Ranney, a professor in horticultural science
NC State University, whose brother-in-law Chuck Rzepka is Margaret and Marianne’s brother!
It’s a small horticultural world after all.
Here are some of the recent travel destinations from our
other readers.
.
Kelly & Margaret traveled to Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and
DC
Larry and Gina traveled to the beautiful Hawaiian
Islands
Chris, Amanda, and kids traveled from Oregon to
Michigan for the 4th of July
Steve, Kristen, Megan, and Jenna spent the 4th at their
place in Florida
Amanda traveled to wonderful Cancun, Mexico with friends
Steve won big in his recon trip to Las Vegas, Nevada
Margaret and her sister Marianne stayed at the Grand
Hotel on Mackinac Island for a long weekend convention
Did you go on a trip
for work or
vacation? Send us your destination and pictures to mccartymetro@gmail.com
.
Dear Editor: When it was back-to-school time, my parents purchased school supplies for me. I never recall owning a "trapper keeper," just notebooks. When did they change the name?
-Puzzled in Hudsonville
ED
NOTE: Trapper Keeper was just the updated version of
what you might remember as a folder. It is carried to help
organize your papers. I guess it would be kinda like when
you went to school, you carried an abacus. They now have
something called calculators. Or carrying a sack lunch or
your Daniel Boone lunchbox in your day... Now students
carry what is called money or a credit card. Or when you
went to swim class, Mr. Johnson and the boyz were hanging
out... Now, kids have something called 'trunks' to keep
their dignity. Or even when
you brought to school a pack of Camels... Kids today bring
e-Cigs. So, in answer to your question... A LONG time ago.
Dear
Editor: I noticed in last month's issue of the McCarty Metro,
there was a political bent, in a comedic way. The long list of things the Democratic Party did wrong in the 2017 presidential election was funny because, as we all know, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote.
If the political items continue when the Metro takes up again in September, I would like to contribute. How about this dumb quote from Trump - like the one you had from
Pelosi: "[The New York Times] don’t write good. They have people over there, like Maggie Haberman and others, they don’t – they don’t write good. They don’t know how to write good."
-Marianne
ED
NOTE: We at the Metro may get bent, but we don't break. And
your take on Trump hits home, cuz, I don't write so good
either.
We
appreciate our McCarty Metro readers and always want to hear your questions, comments, rants,
or editorials.
Just submit them anytime during the month to to mccartymetro@gmail.com
for inclusion in the next issue.
.
For those
that do not speak the language, Le' Food is French for
"The Food"! I would like to encourage our readers to submit their favorite
recipes to the McCarty Metro at mccartymetro@gmail.com
for inclusion in upcoming issues. This month we have some
great dishes for to feed your family.
.
TROPICAL
ENERGY BALLS
This is a quick snack recipe made with rolled oats, peanut butter, chocolate morsels, coconut, macademia nuts
and dried pineapple.
Use it for your students on the go to get them some tasty
energy
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup Peter Pan® Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup wheat germ or ground flax seed
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped dried pineapple
3 tablespoons macadamia nuts
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Additional shredded coconut, optional
DIRECTIONS:
Stir together oats, peanut butter, chocolate morsels, wheat germ, honey, coconut, pineapple, nuts, and vanilla until well combined. With wet hands, form a tablespoon portion of the mixture into a ball. If mixture is not holding together as desired, add additional honey until balls hold shape. Roll in shredded coconut if desired. Repeat with remaining mixture to make 36 balls.
.
.
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
Kelly
continues a McCarty tradition of
crying on his birthday
GONE
BUT NOT FORGOTTEN - THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY
SINCE THE LAST ISSUE
Tab Hunter, 86, actor (Damn Yankees, Grease 2) and singer ("Young Love"), blood clot.
Darryl Rogers, 83, football coach (Michigan State Spartans, Arizona State Sun Devils, Detroit
Lions). Sergio Marchionne, 66, automotive executive (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ferrari, Maserati), heart attack.
Bruce Lietzke, 67, pro golfer, glioblastoma. Nikolai
Volkoff, 70, Hall of Fame professional wrestler (WWF).
Charlotte Rae, 92, actress (The Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes).
Stan Mikita, 78, Hall of Fame hockey player (Chicago Blackhawks), NHL champion
(1961). Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, 63, professional wrestler (WWF, WCW, Stampede), head injury from fall.
Aretha Franklin, 76, Hall of Fame soul singer ("Respect", "Chain of Fools", "A Natural
Woman"), pianist and songwriter, pancreatic cancer. Paul
Naumoff, 73, football player (Detroit Lions). Robin
Leach, 76, writer and television host (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous), complications from a stroke.
John McCain, 81, politician and Navy officer, member of the U.S. Senate (since 1987) and House of Representatives (1983–1987), glioblastoma. Neil Simon, 91, playwright (Biloxi Blues, The Odd Couple) and screenwriter (The Goodbye Girl), Tony winner (1965, 1985, 1991), complications from pneumonia.
, 91, playwright (Biloxi Blues, The Odd Couple) and screenwriter (The Goodbye Girl), Tony winner (1965, 1985, 1991), complications from pneumonia.
.
DATELINE: DRINKING
GIVES YOU THE SAME BENEFITS AS YOGA
After
years of independent research, McCarty Metro reporter Eli has
confirmed that drinking can give you the same benefits yoga.
Savasana :
Position
of total relaxation
Balasana :
Position
that brings the sensation of peace and calm
.
.
Setu
Bandha Sarvangasana : This
position calms the brain and heals tired legs
Marjayasana :
Position
stimulates the midriff area and the spinal column
.
.
Dolphin :
Excellent
for the shoulder area, thorax, legs, and arms
Salambhasana :
Great
exercise to stimulate the lumbar area, legs, and arms
.
.
Ananda
Balasana : This
position is great for massaging the hip area
Malasana :
This
position, for ankles and back muscles.
Kelly & Margaret traveled to Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and
DC
