One Spot

In the early 60’s through 1970, I taught at Waterloo Junior High School on Howard County, MD. This became Waterloo Middle School somewhere along the line and dropped the 9th grade and added the 6th.

In my drive from my home in Randallstown, MD to Waterloo, many times I used old route 1, the original road between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and a bit beyond my school, if I was going out the other way towards Washington, I would see One Spot Flea Killer. This was an amazing structure, long gone, but one of Americas great roadside attractions. It was a huge, larger than life building shaped like a dog!

In 1945, a tourist attraction in Elkridge Maryland was the HOME OF ONE SPOT FLEA KILLER.

It was the world's largest 'dog house'.

Here is also an actual tin container of ONE-SPOT FLEA KILLER

The advertising postcard for One-Spot Flea Killer, features an image of the World's Largest "Dog House" which was a roadside attraction on Route 1 in Maryland until the 1950s. The card has text all over it, along with measuring tools that cover inches, centimeters, degrees of angles and a way to draw circles.

There is a comic question and check box section that reads "I'm in the Dog House _Again _Yet" and "R U in the Dog House _Again? _Yet?"

There is also a description of the "Dog House": Of the 20 residences on One-Spot Farm, this 3 story (not including basement) dwelling was sandwiched between concrete road signs 40 ft. high on U. S. Route 1, between Baltimore and Washington, (One-Spot Co., Elkridge, Md.) Ablaze with 655 feet of neon, it was seen by an average of over 20,000 auto drivers a day.

Divided back one cent postcard, unused, with advertising copy on the back that reads "Ever Use One-Spot? It's called 'One-Spot' because it only has to be applied on one spot to kill the fleas all over the animal. It KILLS 'em. Also kills ants, lice and bedbugs." Here’s a card that's useful. Copyright 1940 by One Spot Co., Elkridge, Md. Printed

The instructions on the top of the can say to 'press the sides of the can' and to cover the hole with adhesive tape and prick with toothpick'.

. and it is covered with a piece of tape.

It kills bedbugs, bean beetles, tobacco worms, head lice, crabs, ticks on dogs, cats foxes and poultry. (I can hear the FDA now). My favorite instruction on the can is: TOO STRONG FOR CANARIES AS THEY SLEEP WITH HEAD UNDER WING!.

There were also some philosophical tracts delivered by One Spot, the religious kind, but I can’t seem to lay my hands on that information on the net.

RAVIOLI WITH ARUGULA, TOMATOES AND PANCETTA

This was a really great dinner last night. I will admit that the recipe itself was adapted from Giada De Laurentiis. It was so good, although I made some changes. It was so full of flavor, and a good thing to eat while we watched “Biggest Loser”. On Tuesday nights, as usual, I get to cook, after my wife and daughter come home from yoga. It’s my chance to shine in the cooking department.

I highly recommend this dinner!

RAVIOLI WITH ARUGULA, TOMATOES AND PANCETTA

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 pound frozen cheese ravioli

• ¼ pound (200 grams) pancetta, diced into little cubes (I purchased this at an Italian market and had it fresh cut, which allowed me to choose mild or spicy. I chose spicy and it was great!)

• 1 (15-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes (she drains them, I use the liquid for a much saucier dish)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning

• 3 cups arugula

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, divided

• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook for 7 to 9 minutes until tender. Drain.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the pancetta and cook stirring frequently, until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain. Add the tomatoes, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook for 2 minutes until tender, roughly chopping up the tomatoes in the pan as it cooks. Add the arugula and 1/4 cup basil and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Stir in the butter and melt.

Add the ravioli and cooked pancetta and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the ravioli to a large serving bowl.

Garnish with the remaining basil and serve.

"He's cheating on you" my neighbor said......

Funny thing is, when you hide something, and you forget it’s hidden, the sudden finding is a big surprise, even to you!


My wife and I were discussing the fact that our 25th wedding anniversary would be coming up in 2012, and she was wondering if I would like to go to Chicago with her for the event, as it was where we spent a brief weekend honeymoon. I thought it was a great idea and concluded we didn’t need the kids going as well, as it would be nice to just go ourselves, and the kids would be just as happy not to go.

I told her that we soon would be wed longer than I was married to my first wife. Once we passed 24 years we would be ahead. She asked me, if I had stayed married, how long it would be. I said that in 2012, we would have been married for 50 years!

She asked me what date our wedding anniversary would have been, and I smiled and said May 1. There was a pause, “I didn’t mean our anniversary, I meant your first one”. “I know”, I said,” That’s what I meant.”

So here was the problem. The easiest date for me to remember for an anniversary was May 1, since I already had that one committed. So, 24 years ago when planning a wedding date, I helped to choose May Day, a wonderful date. I simply failed to mention it was my first marriages anniversary. It was not a lie, it was a side step. A simple action allowing me not to have to remember another date or phone number or address! OK, I never expected to get caught! Also, I never assumed I’d have to tell.

My neighbor down the road, and my wife’s dear friend says, “He’s cheating on you!” I think this is a bit of overreaction.

It’s never gotten in the way and I’ve never forgotten the date!

A Day in the Life

Funny, I was just looking for a photo when this one came up. It is my oldest son, (the lawyer) in 1963, sitting on his bedroom floor “reading”.


I am pleased to say that beyond his lawyer position, he is a lead guitarist and singer in a highly respected Washington D.C, area cover band. Not that it is a surprise that he maintains his musical “career”, but when I look at the photo it’s clear to me that this little two year old was absorbed (perhaps) in the guitar music book from “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” Album.

He told me years ago that he thought it was unusual that he knew the words to so many Beatles songs, almost as if he came out pre-loaded with the lyrics. I realized that among the things in his room were the words to “A Day in the Life” in poster form, framed on his wall.

It’s funny how much influence parents (unknowingly in my case) have over eventual life decisions. Clearly one single book experience does not a musician make, but this two year old child was already on a path perhaps determined by his environment.

I had forgotten about this photo until tonight.

Back Away From the Drink....

I was always getting into the paper with some kind of PR shot, or awards ceremony and didn’t think much of it, but being a normal human being, I always sent those photos to my mother. She was proud of her son and as long as they weren’t police head shots, they were good for her!


One day she complained to me that even if I didn’t realize it, every time I was in one of those shots, I had a drink in my hand! I had never thought about it, but reporters and photographers appear at events where one is often drinking and therefore, I usually had a drink in my hand.

This is exemplified by this photo from 1985 or so (I'm a whole lot thinner and younger!), at some function at CCS in Detroit (I can tell by the walls). I am standing with Jerry from Penn State having a glass of wine and talking about something. I don’t remember if it was ever published or not, but because I have a large copy of it, I think it was. If not, it’s published here on my blog!

I will admit to feeling bad about not remembering Jerry’s last name, but I’m pretty sure I have the right institution. As well, he was the first husband of one of our faculty members who will remain anonymous at this point. Any CCS people can email me separately if they’re interested, but I’m not exactly blowing anyone’s cover.

By the way, after my mothers comment, I try to always put down the drink if a photographer comes by. The reason I bring this up was that yesterday, while surfing the net, I was looking for anything about my oldest son and there it was, a photo on some company newsletter, with a group of people smiling and happy, and my son was there holding a drink in his hand!

Now I am not with MADD or anything, but I immediately wrote to him and warned him about my mothers warning! It doesn’t look nice!

The Hulk That Broke the Chair!

It was about ten years ago and we were shopping at a local supermarket when I spied Resin Muskoka Chairs on sale for cheap! Now for my US readers, this translates as Adirondack Chairs. Different places, same chair.


They were just out and were $15.99, a very good price fro a cheap plastic chair for the back patio.

I ran over and put my 300 pounds plus frame into the first one I saw if just to make sure I could lift myself out without any help when “CRASH”, it flew into a million pieces, and I landed hard onto the floor!

An older couple standing near us, looking at the same chair, quickly moved away while the wife said, “I told you these were cheap!”

Another person, less embarrassed and for sure of a smaller frame would have stayed there waiting for help, and probably sued the store for allowing an inferior product to be placed in our way. We chose to RUN!     I got the hell out of there as fast as I could! I was not only embarrassed, but felt like the kid caught stealing the jelly beans! My first dumb thought was that they were going to make me pay for it!

I no longer sit on patio furniture anywhere unless it’s clearly solid. I don’t want to be pointed out as the hulk that broke the chair!

Hot Tub

This image, believe it or not, is from Stanford.edu

As always, I never know if I wrote this at some other point, and I can’t find it in the stories I have, so, here goes:


In the 80’s, two of my friends in Detroit went for a free visit to a new men’s health club. It was an invitation, as I remember, for them to try it out because they wanted new members.

They used the equipment for a while, and after wards went into the change room, and saw that there was an adjacent hot tub area. So, before going home, they undressed, went through the doors to the hot tub area, took a seat and pressed the bubbler.

They had never been there before and had no way of really knowing, but there was a women’s club attached to the men’s club. While they shared no exercise facilities, the only thing they shared was the joint hot tub.

So as they sat in the bubbling tub, two women came out in their bathing suits and sat down. They all enjoyed their visit, and the women warned my friends about staying in the hot tub too long, as they continued to press the bubble thing until the ladies went back in.

When the women were gone, they removed themselves from the “human soup”, and ran back, slightly overdone, to the dressing room!