My Aunt Mary passed yesterday.

I always said that if I was going to write a book, it was going to be about the Koziar family. They were farmers, steel mill workers and soldiers from Western Pennsylvania who were, to say the least, unique, yet they still managed to represent the best of Americana.

They were all independent, self-sufficient, hard working and hard partying.

So, before this list gets lost in the archives of my brain, and in no particular order, I present to you the 14 children of Elias and Anna Koziar:

Angela (aka "Nellie")
Steve
Paul
Ted
John
Joe
Mary
Francis
Margaret
George
Carolyn
Leona
Leo
Ann

The boys were all a little crazy, the girls were wonderful and when I was a kid, I looked forward to the summers when we spent time on the farm with them. They taught me how to shoot, took me camping, taught me to build and repair machinery, showed me how to grow food & raise livestock, reminded me not to touch the electric fence, laughed at me when I touched the electric fence and yelled at me when I accidentally made my brothers touch the electric fence.

But best of all, they showed me how to love life and have a good time. They were a tight clan and the weekend card games were always filled with laughter and lots of "bullshit repellent".

Since I will be traveling, posting will be sparse for me over the next few days.

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Here are todays links:

• Isn't this just a little bit hypocritical?



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Day.



• You know how I always say the Japanese are freakin' full-tilt crazy? Yea, well need I say anymore....



• Only in Florida.