I will never know their real names, or where in the world they live, but my guess is that people from all over have been helpful to me through these message boards in the times when I needed advice and support. And I will always be grateful.  Also, when I put together that photo calendar of my wife’s photos, and mailed copies out to folks who requested them, I sent them out to about a dozen states in four time zones.  (BTW, another calendar is planned for 2020.) This caring community is all over the place. So, what are the chances of sitting in an in-person support group in a small town in rural Michigan and having the person across the table from you take one look and exclaim: “You! You’re Mr. Toad!”

After we explained to the rest of the group, the other caregiver was kind enough to say that she had enjoyed my posts on these message boards and that they had been of some benefit to her at a very difficult time in her journey.   Whew. Glad I gave good advice.

"Here's looking at you kid . . .  it may be the beginning of a beautful friendship . . . " 

Isn't it amazing how small the world has become what with the electronic universe?   It must have been touching to hear that you have helped someone who you had never met in person.

Continue on being you and reaching out; I am sure there are scores of people who have benefitted from your experiential wisdom and insights and will continue to do so.  Not only do all of our Posts reach active Members of this Message Board; they also reach those who do not register, but who come on site just to read; those who do this number over time in the thousands and are not only those who live in the United States, but we have readers from all around the world. 

So; your caring Posts are very important because "The fundamental things apply as time goes by  . . ."   If not in "Casablanca", "you'll always have Paris" where we have had some readers.  (Groan, and promise no more play on Bogie's movie quotes.)

J.

I forgot to ask what small town in rural Michigan you were in.  I was born in a small town in rural Michigan; it is up in the U.P.  Just wondering.

J.

Jo:

 Saline, named for the salt springs the Native Americans used, and which have now disappeared, perhaps due to the mining of all the salt a mile below downtown Detroit 40 miles from here. Go figure.

Y'know, were it not for the Great Toledo War of 1835, the UP would have remained part of Wisconsin, and Toldeo would be in Michigan, but Michigan lost the war, had to give Toledo to Ohio, and got stuck with some of the richest forest resources east of the Mississippi  as a consolation prize instead. And that's before the loggers began tripping over the lumps of pure copper on the ground in the UP.

Sometimes losing a war ain't such a bad thing.

Omigosh; there I was; born and raised in  the U.P. and I had NO idea there was ever a war beween Ohio and Michigan . . . . really!   Wouldn't you think that one of the history lessons in school would have mentioned that?   They did not.

Okay . . . . I went and read an article regarding the Great Toledo War of 1835 between the two states and it was SO funny I actually found myself laughing out loud.

I thought perhaps the author had taken literary license and wrote things just to be funny, so I read another two accounts of the war, and all of it is true.

If someone wants to read about this and get a chuckle or two , here is a link:

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/history/toledo-war-1835-m.html 

My grandparents immigrated to the U.P. from other countries related to work in the iron ore mines.   So much history in those places.  One grandfaher was actually killed in a mining accident when a nine foot piece of ore fell on him while working.  I remember it so well; I was seven years old when that happened. 

Thank you very much for the information about the war, it was truly humorously a good piece of learning.  Can't wait to share this with my brother.

J.

As the Alz Association’s Healthy Living For the Brain and Body course, and many other sources tell us, learning new stuff is not just fun, but good for us. The book, How The States Got Their Shapes is a fun source of bite-sized morsels of geo-historic infotrivia like that Toledo War. It will also explain why Alabama and Mississippi have those little tabs onto the Gulf, and Minnesota reaches into Canada, and lots of other national oddments.