Monthly Archives: April 2026
It seems like every year there’s a day in early spring, usually around mid-April, that I can only call Slap Day. Not that anyone should actually slap someone, or that the weather makes you want to, although maybe it does, when someone chirps, “We need the moisture,” in defense of a snowstorm. Sure, we all know we need it, but couldn’t it just snow in the mountains and rain down here? Isn’t that what spring is supposed to bring? Rain! I get that the weather isn’t their fault and they’re just trying to stay positive, but it’s so frustrating when, after enjoying blooming crocuses and daffodils and watching the yard turn green, everything suddenly disappears under a mountain of snow. And every time it happens, our morale plummets into the depths of snow. No self-respecting flower would dare emerge on Slap Day anyway…they’re too delicate!
Every year, we know to simply “expect” Slap Day, but even more bizarre than the idea of “accepting” Slap Day is the idea that Slap Day may not happen. When Winter plays such a cruel trick on Spring, I want to draw the line, but not in exchange for a Summer of water rationing. Winter normally bullies all of us already. It’s just too much, when Winter refuses to take it’s turn and provide us with the necessary moisture to prevent the need for Slap Day. That is just as wrong as Slap Day itself!! Winter simply didn’t do its job this year. I hate snow as much as the next guy, but I also know that there is a time for rain and a time for snow. This past Winter wasn’t just fairly mild. It was almost non-existent, and we really needed quite a bit more snow…much as I hate to say it.
While there are few things I hate more than Slap Day, I really do hate a year of praying for no wildfires, no dry lightning storms, and even no rainy lightning storms, because lightning in a year void of a real Winter means a big chance of wildfires. So, while I would normally be ranting about Slap Day, should it arrive, I would probably actually welcome it this year, provided it didn’t bring with it a bunch of flooding. Slap Day suddenly seems very important to the welfare of the entire state. In fact, a couple of Slap Days, followed by a rainy Sprin would be very nice, again provided we didn’t get so much moisture that we got flooding. I suppose it would seem like I’m being rather picky, and I suppose I am, but I just want us to have a nice Spring and Summer. Is that so much to ask?
April 8, 1945, dawned like any other mission day in the closing stages of World War II. The crew of Wee Willie, a B-17G was part of a mission of the Allied forces to launch a barrage of air raids over Germany. Their mission was an attempt to destroy the country’s manufacturing facilities and lessen the morale of its citizens. There were two main dangers that faced the B-17s that flew missions over Germany. The first was the Luftwaffe and the second the flak guns. The entire incident was captured on film by an automatic strike camera aboard another B-17 involved in the raid. Of Wee Willie’s nine-man crew, only 1st Lieutenant Robert E Fuller survived, with reports stating that the first explosion blew him out of the cockpit. After which he managed to open his parachute and land safely on the ground, he was immediately taken prisoner by the Germans. After the war, Fuller never discussed the photo or the crash with the media or the public. He remained in the Air Force until 1950, earning a promotion to Captain. After his service, he worked at Rockwell International for 18 years. Later, he settled in Hemet, California, where he passed away in 1986. Captain Fuller was married twice, to Jann Keyes Biggs and Vivian Pearson, and had one son, Ronald, who predeceased him.
Wee Willie, a B-17G-15-B0 with serial number 42-31333, was the 302nd B-17G Flying Fortress built at Boeing’s Plant 2 in Seattle, Washington. Delivered to the US Army Air Forces in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in October 1943, it was soon sent to RAF Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. There, it joined the 322nd Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group, 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force. By the time it was shot down, Wee Willie was the oldest B-17G still flying with the 91st and the second-to-last lost to enemy action before Germany’s surrender.
On April 8, 1945, the B-17G, Wee Willie took off from Air Force Station 121 at RAF Bassingbourn for either its 128th or 129th mission. In command was US Army Air Forces 1st Lieutenant Robert E Fuller. In addition to Fuller, the only surviving crew member, were Sergeant Le Moyne Miller, 2nd Lieutenant Woodrow A Lien, Staff Sergeant James D Houtchens, Tech Sergeant Francis J McCarthy, Staff Sergeant Ralf J Leffelman, Staff Sergeant Wylie McNatt Jr, and Staff Sergeant William H Cassiday making up the rest of the combat crew. German anti-aircraft fire caused minor damage to 13 Allied bombers and major damage to four more. Out of the 73 that participated, only two were completely lost, one being the B-17G Wee Willie. It was hit by 88mm flak between its Number 2 engine and bomb bay, sending it straight into a vertical dive. A witness described the 
aftermath of the strike, stating, “The fuselage was on fire, and after it fell about 5,000 feet, the left wing broke off. It kept descending, and when it was roughly 3,000 feet from the ground, it exploded, then exploded again upon impact.” Many planes were shot down during World War II, and many were brought down by flak, but not all were caught on camera in such a dramatic and horrific way. The fate of Wee Willie will remain in my mind. I can only imagine the terror they felt as they fell from the sky.
For my niece, Chantel Balcerzak, life is always busy. She is the grandmother to seven sweet grandchildren!! That is something that would keep any grandmother busy. One of those little ones keeps her especially busy, because she babysits little Nathaniel, who often goes by Nathan or Nate. Nathaniel and his parents, Siara Kirk and her husband Chris live in the house next door to Chantel and her husband, Dave Balcerzak, so he is with his grandparents a lot and that suits him just fine!! It has been a great arrangement for everyone. Siara and Chris know that when they are working, their baby boy is having a great time with his grandma, and that makes going to work much easier for them. Leaving your baby with a sitter isn’t always easy, but it’s a whole lot easier when the sitter is Grandma. She enjoys spending time with each and every one of her grandchildren.
As it turns out, Chantel and Dave live right next door to their best friends, Siara, Chris, and Nathaniel, and they love spending time together. They often go to concerts and football games whenever they can. While Chantel isn’t as into sports as her husband and kids, she really enjoys the trips they’ve taken to the games. She loves traveling and will happily go whenever the chance comes up. Concerts, though, are definitely one of her favorite things to do with her family.
Since she was a little girl, Chantel has always had a flair for the artistic—whether it’s art, makeup, or fashion. Always a diva, she knew exactly how to pose to make any photograph of her look amazing. She loves to paint and has completed several murals, my favorite being the one she created on the backyard wall of her sister Toni and her husband Dave Chase’s house. They love it too, as it transforms their yard into a beautiful mountain scene that makes you feel like you’re truly in the mountains.
Chantel, being an artist, is also incredibly talented at interior design. Her home is stunning, something I’ve always admired and wished I could replicate, even though I’m neither an artist nor a designer. Her house has a 
distinctly feminine flair, but that doesn’t bother her husband Dave in the slightest…in fact, I think he loves it. It makes him feel cared for and appreciated, and I believe most men enjoy feeling “taken care of” in their own homes. Dave feels very blessed. Chantel’s gift for design truly brings that warmth. Today is Chantel’s birthday! Happy birthday, Chantel! Have a great day! We love you!
When I think of Easter, I’m reminded of my Christian faith, the miracle of salvation, and the willing sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Humanity was in deep trouble. Because sin had entered the world, we were left doomed to eternal damnation in Hell. There was no escape, for the wages of sin is death, and all have sinned. But God created this world so He could have a family. He loved His children, and so he provided a solution: innocent blood had to be shed to pay the price for everyone who had sinned. There was no other way to break the curse that sin had brought into the world. God knew it, and Jesus accepted the decision.
The death of Jesus on Good Friday was incredibly brutal. Humans can inflict terrible pain and suffering on one another, and Jesus, both man and God, felt every lash and endured every humiliation. He faced it all knowing it was essential…the most important mission in the history of Earth, past, present, and future. No other act could compare, as his death on the cross was a “once for all” sacrifice. It changed the course of history, restoring to humanity what the devil had taken.
When Jesus rose from the dead three days later, our justification was complete. For us that is unfathomable. rapping our heads around forgiveness…without the need for some sort of penance is almost impossible, but that is exactly what grace is. We could enter Heaven simply by believing in His sacrifice and accepting Him as our 
Lord and Savior. It’s such a simple way to receive eternal life, yet many refuse because they think they’ll have to give up their fun. Little do they realize what they’re actually giving up. This life is just a fleeting moment, but Heaven is forever. The contrast is striking. Like it or not, this life will soon be gone, but the next will never end, and we get to choose where we spend it, so we must choose wisely.
Many people celebrate Easter with a big dinner and plenty of candy, and that’s wonderful, but we should never forget the true reason for the holiday…the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Jesus is risen! He is alive! Happy Easter to all!
These days, most tsunamis come with some warning, at least since the 1946 wave that struck Alaska and Hawaii. Still, there are devastating waves that can’t be predicted and can be just as deadly as those the Pacific Tsunami Warning System alerts people about. One I’d never heard of until my sister, Cheryl Masterson, mentioned it a few days ago happened in Boston, Massachusetts on January 15, 1919. While it was a completely different kind of tsunami, it was still deadly. In fact, it was so unusual that many might doubt it’s a true story…but it really did happen.
At around 12:40pm on January 15, 1919, a tank holding 2.3 million gallons of molasses burst at the Purity Distilling Co. in Boston’s North End, sending waves of sticky syrup racing through the streets at nearly 35 miles per hour. Most people wouldn’t think of molasses as dangerous, but a 25-foot-high wave moving that fast can be as deadly as getting hit by a car. There was no warning, and honestly, there couldn’t have been. The molasses had 
been stored in the tank awaiting transfer to another plant, and with temperatures climbing rapidly, a bizarre and tragic chain of events unfolded. Witnesses said the ground shook like a tornado or a freight train was barreling down the street.
The Boston Globe reported that people were swept up by a rush of air and thrown several feet, while a truck was lifted by the powerful wave and hurled into Boston Harbor. The force was so intense it nearly knocked a railroad car off the city’s elevated tracks. The Boston Post painted a vivid, grim picture: molasses, waist-deep, flooded the streets, swirling around wreckage. Shapes struggled in the sticky mess. It was impossible to tell if they were human or animal. Horses perished like flies trapped on paper, sinking deeper the more they fought, and men and women endured the same fate.
The final death toll reached 21, with 150 injured. Victims were either crushed by debris-laden molasses or 
drowned in it. People and animals struggled, some beyond rescue. The cleanup was immense…fire trucks hosed down streets, and welders cut apart the tank. The harbor stayed brown until summer, and molasses seeped into every crack. It’s said that on hot days, the smell lingered for decades, though perhaps memory played a part. Public outrage led to a class-action lawsuit against the United States Industrial Alcohol Company, which had recently acquired the Purity Distilling Company. After three years of hearings, the company was found guilty of negligence and ordered to pay $600,000…nearly $10 million today…in settlements. The wave was as deadly as a tsunami, but no warning could have prevented the tragedy.
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April Fools’ Day has been around for centuries. In 1700, English pranksters made it popular to play practical jokes on each other. Some believe it began in 1582 when France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, following the Council of Trent’s 1563 mandate. Those who didn’t adopt the change and still celebrated the new year from late March to April 1 were mocked and teased for being gullible.
When I was a kid, my sisters and I loved trying to fool each other. We pulled all kinds of tricks, from claiming there was a spider in someone’s hair to swapping the salt and sugar in their containers. Most of the time, no one fell for it, but every now and then we’d get a completely shocked reaction, or even a scream. Historians have mentioned pranks like dressing in disguises, and even the weather seemed to join in the fun with its unpredictable seasonal changes. I think most of us have been fooled by that one—bundling up in the morning only to be too hot later, or the other way around. And of course, the weather never plays along for just one day.
As we get older, we have to be much more creative with our antics, because, let’s face it, adults aren’t going to fall for the old spider-in-the-hair trick. They know exactly what day it is. April Fools’ Day pranks need careful planning and should be harmless, because that’s what the day is really about. Of course, there’s always the chance of some unexpected hiccup when trying to undo a prank, which could backfire, but hopefully the people you prank are good sports who understand it could just as easily have happened to them.
Some of the best pranks these days are tech-based, with endless ways to make someone think their computer has gone haywire. A bit of tape over the mouse sensor can make it seem frozen, or you could change the language settings…though from personal experience, that’s tricky to undo if you pick one you can’t read…like Russian or Japanese! My favorite is flipping the screen so everything’s upside down…it’s easy to reverse, so no harm done. There are plenty of low-tech options too, like wrapping the entire office in newspaper or filling the room with balloons so you have to pop your way in. Office pranks are a great way to take your prank game to 
the next level, and they’re especially fun when your target is left completely stunned.
Some people are naturally gullible, while others have a knack for dreaming up outrageous ideas. If you fall into the first group, get ready for a day full of pranks, as pranksters love to exploit that gullibility. And if you’re one of those pranksters, this is your moment to shine. Happy April Fools’ Day! Let the fun begin and let the gullible beware!
