Just Musing: Hurricane Ian, a well-deserved honor and a concert

I don’t believe there are too many of us who either have family, friends or know someone who lives in Florida. I have all three — and yes, some of them experienced tragic loss from Hurricane Ian last week. Kudos to those who have gone down to help with clean up. I would be there if I was 20 years younger.

I have five classmates that have made Florida their permanent home. One had nearly 3 feet of water come into their condo on the pier in Naples. I spoke with Joe yesterday and he told me all their furniture, cabinetry and flooring had been thrown to the curb.

“We’re going to save the microwave, I guess,” he said, adding they had three big fans going to dry it out.

How sad. All the others had minor damage and lots of wind. I’m sure you all have seen the destruction on television or pictures in the newspaper.

I was among the invited guests last Sunday evening for the induction of my longtime dear friend, Mary Ellen Withrow, into the Marion County Hall of Fame. I can’t think of anyone more deserving. She is sweet, humble, kind, benevolent, gentle, compassionate, a friend to all. She has built bridges for women during her 30 year political career. In case you don’t recognize the name, she is the first person to hold the office of county, state and U.S. treasurer. She is from Marion County and, when her term ended as U.S. treasurer, returned to her hometown.

I also attended the Lee Greenwood Show at the Palace Theatre Sept. 30. Of course, we know he is famous for the song “God Bless the USA,” but I also learned some things about him I didn’t know from the show. I knew he had performed for the military but didn’t know how much until he began talking about the many USO tours he had done through the years. Just for curiosity I asked Alexa to play Lee Greenwood songs for me Saturday morning and had to ask her to pause after three hours so I could get a few things done before the OSU game that afternoon. His genre included classic, hymns, patriotic and country.

Speaking of country, breaking news today (Tuesday) told of the death of country singer and icon, Loretta Lynn. I attended a reunion concert by her original Coal Miners Band last March in Manchester, Tenn., on my way home from Florida. She was unable to attend in person but sent a message via Zoom to those present. A second reunion concert by the band is slated Wednesday in Hodgenville, Ky. Dave Thornhill plays lead guitar for the band, and I understand once he was hired he brought in all other band members from a band he played with in Columbus, Ohio.

I believe gun season for deer hunting begins soon. Also, October is usually the month that deer rut. They will be on the move frequently, so be careful as you drive country roads — especially at dusk, throughout the night and at dawn.

I can’t sign off without mentioning my beloved Buckeyes. Yesterday (Oct. 8) they played at Michigan State with an odd start time of 4 p.m. Some of our key players have been sidelined with injuries. I’m hopeful that they heal quickly so we can get a glimpse of their athletic abilities. Backups have stepped up and played well in the previous five games. Here’s hoping for another “W.”

Let me leave you with this quotation by Bob Marley: “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.”

Until next week. Be safe! Go Buckeyes!

Brenda Donegan is a former Marion Star staffer. She may be reached at brendadonegan55@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Friends impacted by Hurricane Ian while another one is honored