Growth in senior living communities real estate--demographics and demad

"By 2035, the U.S. population aged 80+ is projected to grow by 56%, adding nearly 8 million seniors, reshaping long-term housing needs. In the first quarter of 2026, construction on new senior living units fell to its lowest level since 2012, and year-over-year inventory growth hit a record low of 0.4% in the first quarter, down from 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025. 2026 first-quarter senior living occupancy increased to 89.5% — up from 89.1% in the fourth quarter — with independent living occupancy higher than 91% and assisted living reaching 87.9%. A rapidly expanding cohort of higher-income seniors is driving demand for premium living environments featuring autonomy, wellness and lifestyle amenities, especially within continuum-of-care campuses." . . 

"Our communities are located in high-growth markets where 75+ populations are expanding rapidly and household incomes exceed national medians, supporting both demand affordability. Our team specializes in the operational and financial intricacies of senior living, partnering directly with operators to enhance care delivery, optimize NOI and elevated resident experience. We collaborate with established regional providers who bring deep clinical expertise, strong reputations and a proven ability to tailor services to local market needs. We actively benchmark performance, oversee capital planning, evaluate repositioning or disposition opportunities and maintain a rigorous focus on financial outcomes."

RMR Senior Living | Communities for Long-Term Demand

Alternative asset management companies are investment firms that focus on non-traditional assets outside of conventional stocks, bonds, and cash. Their goal is to generate returns that are often less correlated with traditional markets, providing investors with diversification benefits and access to unique investment opportunities.  These firms typically work with institutional investors, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices, designing customized portfolios that align with clients’ risk tolerance and financial objectives CGAA.

What is an alternative asset manager and how do they work?

Do you need to move closer to Columbus--or are you already here?

 Roughly 138-147 million people live within 500 miles of Columbus. A 500‑mile radius from Columbus, Ohio covers a vast area — roughly 1.2 million square miles.

Major Cities Within 500 Miles

Some notable cities and towns within this radius include Miles of Me:

Toronto, Canada – ~319 miles
Chicago, IL – ~279 miles
Detroit, MI – ~164 miles
Indianapolis, IN – ~168 miles
Hamilton, Canada – ~281 miles
Mississauga, Canada – ~307 miles
Baltimore, MD – ~341 miles
Charlotte, NC – ~347 miles
Milwaukee, WI – ~336 miles
Washington, DC – ~324 miles
Nashville, TN – ~330 miles
Virginia Beach, VA – ~429 miles

Cleveland, OH – ~127 miles

Toledo, OH – ~120 miles

Cincinnati, OH – ~100 miles

Airports Within 500 Miles

Key airports within this range include Miles of Me:

Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport – ~443 miles

Chicago O’Hare International Airport – ~295 miles

Toronto Pearson International Airport – ~313 miles

Charlotte Douglas International Airport – ~346 miles

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – ~156 miles

Washington Dulles International Airport – ~302 miles

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport – ~340 miles

Chicago Midway International Airport – ~282 miles

Nashville International Airport – ~329 miles

Cities within 50 miles of Columbus

32 miles: Newark, OH
44 miles: Marion, OH
27 miles: Lancaster, OH
11 miles: Dublin, OH
12 miles: Westerville, OH
10 miles: Reynoldsburg, OH
7 miles: Gahanna, OH
4 miles: Upper Arlington, OH
24 miles: Delaware, OH
8 miles: Grove City, OH
10 miles: Hilliard, OH
43 miles: Chillicothe, OH
6 miles: Whitehall, OH
40 miles: Mount Vernon, OH
27 miles: Marysville, OH

These are straight line distances in a radius around Columbus, Ohio. There are many towns within the total area, so if you're looking for closer places, try a smaller radius.

Shutdowns and Food Banks

The Schumer Shutdown may have been paused but the Obamacare funding problem won't go away, and neither will hunger if political interests decide to use the misery of our people to wield power. Democrats openly admitted it--they needed the shutdown to punish Trump and his supporters for a bad medical insurance plan they created!  "Leverage" some called it. Some agitators are furious today,

"Feeding America" is an organization almost 60 years old with noble goals--feed the hungry. It began with one man (some sources say one woman) as Second Harvest, a charity to collect and distribute food that might have gone to waste and redistribute it through food banks to local food pantries. I remember in the late 1960s attending a meeting in Clintonville about establishing a central location for food to be stored for local pantries. Recently, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called the local resources a "short-term approach to a crisis" [the shutdown] and said it was up to the federal government to fully fund food assistance. I don't call 60 years a short-term approach. Food banks have become a hallowed institution. Our food bank system here in central Ohio is massive. Our Commitment | MOFC

But low income people who are "food insecure," the current term for hungry, aren't stupid. They too are resourceful and want what's best for their households. As food programs expand, those households factor that into their budgets, leaving more cash for non-food items such as rent, utilities, clothing, alcohol, cigarettes, gasoline, cell phone contracts, etc. Studies show that even with the lowest unemployment rate since the early 1970s, food pantries are still an important resource for many households, some increasing their visits from occasional to regular. That in turn allowed for many small businesses to make a profit from the various food programs.

Right now, with the longest government shut down, we're in a situation that we've taught people to use food sources outside their income which includes government assistance. Was it a mistake for us to be charitable? No. Charity is required from good people, but we need to remember that good intentions don't always bring good results.

Empire Wild at the Estates (aka The Forum)

Tonight, at the Forum (aka The Estates) we enjoyed the music of https://www.empirewild.com/ Empire Wild, 60 minutes of 2 cellos and a pianist. Ken Kubota now lives in NYC, but grew up here in Columbus (Worthington) and also Michigan. Here's his bio https://www.kenjameskubota.com/bio He has a large social media (YouTube) following. He also has a video series. Check it out.

Did you go to the polls?

Tuesday was election day. Sure, you've heard a lot about Zohran Mamdani and NYC. He wasn't on your ballot, although Communism was--subtle, but it was there. There were many local issues and candidates in Columbus, and it was our first time to vote here--we'd been living in the suburbs about 1/2 mile from here. But the critical issue on our ballot and yours was the school board. It was not the zoo, although I did vote for that renewal; it was not the roads, which are awful. I don't know anything about the Columbus school system (shame on me for thinking it didn't matter) but I had seen what was happening in our suburb--moving to the left and costing us more for the slippery slope to progressivism. This is not an accident; there is a plan and it is very well-funded by people, non-profits and foreign actors--specifically China. The candidates may not even know they've been ensnared in a plan to collapse the USA. You start with the children.

Mamdani is an immigrant with inherited wealth from his Indian parents (one Hindu one Muslim) who was born in Uganda and grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. He's had no employment experience but did begin his career just a few years ago as a volunteer in a senate campaign. Not a school board, but small. Someone knows the funding source, but not me.

Sad news for Honey Dip Customers

 My husband and his Romeo (retired old men eating out) friends have been meeting here for years. It's sad to see small businesses chased out for what I presume will be yet another ugly, multistory, prison architecture building. Story was on Facebook.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share difficult news. For over 50 years, we’ve proudly served the Columbus community at 4480 Kenny Road. But now, we—along with our small business neighbors—are at risk of losing our home to redevelopment.

Unfortunately, our landlord’s property went into receivership due to internal disputes, and a court-appointed receiver has quietly arranged to sell these buildings as part of a package deal to developers—without giving us notice or a fair chance to purchase the spaces we’ve occupied for decades. 

We are heartbroken, feel blindsided, and have been left without a voice in this process. If this sale and redevelopment move forward, our businesses—and a piece of Columbus history—face permanent displacement. 

We need your support now more than ever.
* Sign and share our petition. https://chng.it/CVR6hdjdfg
* Post your favorite photos and memories at Honey Dip over the years. (We'd love to see them!) 

Together, we can fight to preserve our legacy and support the small businesses on Kenny Road that have been part of this community for generations. 

With gratitude,

Honey Dip & The Kenny Road Tenants

It's moving day

 I haven't been wild about my "page a day" table calendar this year. I went from birds to horses. Hmm. Love horses, but birds are certainly a more colorful wake me up greeting for the day. Also, the quotes were sort of boring. But today's horse was back lit with a hazy sky and a showy canter in a corral (or so it seemed). Not a fabulous photo, but the quote for August 14 seemed appropriate. "Simply enjoy life and the great pleasures that come with it." Karolina Kurkovd

It's moving day for the Bruces.

Yesterday was our final day at Kenbook Hills, the prettiest place in Upper Arlington, Ohio, in our opinion. We first saw it during a rain storm in July 2001 with a decor that shocked and energized us--splashy faux everywhere--including the ceilings--brown/gold living room, orange dining room, red family room, some wild fuchsia trim wall paper in one of the bathrooms and black carpet in one bedroom. But it was the landscape that grabbed us. Turkey Run Creek, huge trees of many varieties, wild life (we're not gardeners so that didn't bother us) and a fabulous layout for the 30 condos in 5 styles, unlike other boring developments we'd seen. And windows. Oh my. So many condos have windows front and back and borrow the rest of the light. This unit had windows in every room, a deck in the trees, and as we were to find out later, wonderful, helpful neighbors.

Bob still had his own architectural firm in 2001 and the lower level famiily room became his office, studio and client space with north light and an outside entrance. The former owner had her OSU student living there with private bath and entrance. It was perfect. In the last 15 years it evolved into an art studio for his watercolor hobby with massive storage for bulky frames, mat board and finished paintings.

But time marches on and we're not as frisky as we once were for 3 floor living, so we're moving to a much smaller space in The Forum, just up the road a mile or two in our familiar neighborhood. It feels a bit like moving into my first college dorm, Oakwood, at Manchester College in Indiana. Close to my Illinois home, but not too close. My sister Carol was near-by at Goshen College where they locked up the Coke machine on Sunday (a joke, but true). I could hang out with old friends from childhood like Sylvia and JoElla, my roommate, but could enjoy new adventures and community meals. We'll have three meals a day at The Forum, and I hope I don't gain the weight I did my freshman year in college!

The Forum sits on 14 acres and we'll see the treetops from the 3d floor, just like we do in Kenbrook. Packing and sorting has made me too tired to prepare meals, so we've been stopping by and being served in the lovely dining room. We've met many new people but also some from our past, including the first neighbor we met in 1967 in our first apartment on Farleigh Rd. and one of the engineers Bob worked with.

And so we hope to meet the expectations of the calendar page, "Simply enjoy life and the great pleasures that come with it."

I've lost a close friend of 50 years, Nancy Long

Since January I've been keeping a close watch on my good friend Nancy Long, who has been in and out of the hospital several times.  Fortunately, I'd been able to visit her and talk to her on the phone during her last illness.  We met in 1974 in a Bible study at FCC, found out we both enjoyed going out for coffee for a chat, and later that year she introduced us to Lakeside.  I also knew her parents, daughters, husband, and had met most of the grandchildren. She was well read and always knew the latest trends in fashion, real estate, politics and investments, plus what was going on in our school system and city government. She was a Republican long before I was, but we rarely disagreed. We celebrated our birthdays together probably all but last year, our 50th anniversaries, attended the funerals of mutual friends, many Lakeside events, church services, and dinners.  This is her obituary.

 

Panera's for coffee--2005

Exercise class--Blues Brothers--1986

 

Our 50th anniversary 2010

Nancy Lou Mitchell Long passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2024.

She was the beloved wife of Professor Ronald K. Long for 64 years. She and Ronald were residents of First Community Village for nearly three years.

Nancy was born June 18, 1933, in Bellevue, to Bertram and Helen Moreland Mitchell, who preceded her in death. Nancy fought a courageous almost lifelong battle with lung disease (bronchiectasis) which left her with a chronic productive cough and ultimately led to her passing.

After graduating from Bellevue High School, Nancy attended Denison University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree (1955). She joined Chi Omega Sorority and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and National Mortar Board Honorary her junior year. She earned her Master of Science in Counseling from Stanford University (1957). Nancy spent many of her years as an educator, teaching at Columbus State Community College, Ohio State University, Euclid Senior High School, and Harding Junior High School in Lakewood.

Nancy was a member of First Community Church since 1960 and served as chair of numerous councils and committees including First Community Foundation, FCC Governing Board, Board of Deacons, Couple's Circle 29, Women's Guild Board, and Guilds X and G. She also enjoyed OSU Women's Club, Wednesday Literary Club (20 years), Mortar Board Alumnae, American Association of University Women, and Women's Association of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Over the years, her interests included playing piano duets with friends, reading current books, and giving book reviews. She developed and directed a merchandising program for Mortar Board National Office.

Since 1947, Nancy and her family spent summers at the family cottage at Lakeside on Lake Erie where she enjoyed walking along the lakefront path and hosting her grandchildren each summer. She was active in Lakeside Women's Club, The Heritage Society, and Friends of the Hotel Lakeside.

Nancy is survived by her daughters, Marilyn (Patrick) Roddy of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Susan (Davin) McAndrews of San Francisco, California; grandchildren she cherished, Katherine (Noah) Lavine, McKenzie (Chase) Hall, and Margaret Roddy, and Davin (Mac), Mitchell, and Porter McAndrews; and great-grandsons, Henry and Simon Lavine.

As an only child, Nancy always considered herself fortunate to have shared her childhood with cousins James Dean Miller (Carole, deceased), Jane Louise Miller Davisson (deceased) (David, deceased), Sandra Miller Woolley (Frank, deceased), and Michael Miller (Lu Ann).

Memorial gifts may be sent to First Community Foundation - Guild X fund, 1320 Cambridge Blvd., Columbus, Ohio, 43212. Nancy's celebration of life will be 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13, 2024, at First Community Church, 1320 Cambridge Blvd., Columbus, Ohio, 43212. A reception for family and friends will be at the church following the service.

Arrangements have been entrusted to SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST.

Are apartments more expensive than 1967?

I've been watching the real estate values. Right now mortgage rates are really high, although nothing like the 80s. Then I saw a chart that showed renting is cheaper than buying right now. Although I'm math challenged, I did a bit of real estate snooping.

If you want to live in Lancaster, OH or Marion, OH you can find a fixer upper under $50,000, although one had no walls or plumbing fixtures. Nice property near Springfield, OH on 8 acres with several barns, quiet road, and a 4 bedroom house that didn't look too bad for $400,000.

Then I did an inflation calculation and looked at townhomes in our first Upper Arlington neighborhood. In 1967 I think we paid $150 a month for 2 bdrms, 1 bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, basement unfinished, and 1 car garage. Using inflation calculator that's $1,366 in 2023. I poked around the rental listings for this month and found one almost the same (nice) neighborhood near shopping and schools and park for $1,395. But it had a finished room in the basement, a dishwasher, and breakfast bar and the kitchen was updated with granite tops (appeared to be older cabinets). No garage. So essentially, the same, trading a room in the basement for garage for the 1967 model.

 
Of course, in 1967 I had the advantage of living on the same street as Arlene, but we didn't find that out until about 6 years ago (Lakeside neighbor).

How to save $56,000 a year--don't move!

 Recently we've been discussing costs of retirement communities with various friends who have made the move, or are anticipating one.  The costs have ranged from $12,225/month to $6,500/month. All those figures are for less space than we have now, with no garage and little storage.  Huge difference--we have a lot of stuff and freedom to come and go.  And there's no guarantee those prices won't go up. All the facilities are nice, but some are downright luxurious! 

Most offer the traditional amenities within these ranges. (The Cost of Living in a Retirement Community (investopedia.com)

"Retirement communities, also called “senior living communities” or “independent living communities,” are designed for people in their mid-50s and beyond who are desirous and capable of living independently and don’t require specialized medical care. These communities can offer different types of housing, including single-family homes, duplexes, condos, and apartments.

In terms of amenities, retirement communities can provide things such as:
On-site gyms and fitness centers
Cleaning and laundry services
Transportation services
swimming pool in house or access
Community recreational events
On-site dining [one meal a day is included in some of the prices]

Assisted living facilities and nursing homes, on the other hand, are for seniors who need some level of help managing daily life. That can range from assistance with basic chores, such as laundry or cleaning, to round-the-clock medical care.

A third type of community, called continuing care, offers a full range of services from independent living through assisted living, memory care and nursing home care. This allows residents to age in place regardless of their health needs going forward and can also accommodate couples in which one partner needs a higher level of care than the other."

So, I did some number crunching to determine how much it costs to live in our 2,600 sq. ft. condo

Condo fee and insurance, lawn care, snow removal  $422/mo

AEP electricity $300

Water $40

Spectrum--wifi, cable, phone--$250

Real estate taxes $675

Cleaning $140

Estimated monthly cost $1,829

Opportunity cost--What the market value of our condo would earn if invested--unknown--perhaps $2,000/month--I'm not factoring this in, although my father would.

So even taking the bottom figure of $6,500/month or $78,000/year, we save about $56,000 a year by staying here as long as we can.  That means, staying healthy.                                           

Time travel with memories

We've both been trying to remember the name of an electrician from Cleveland who was on Bob's Haiti team and was a friend on Facebook (until he blocked me because he was a Democrat).  But so far, we have not come up with a name.  But we will.  Long after we need it.

A few weeks ago, it came to me that I was forgetting a lot of names, faces and events (duh!), and I should write down a list of all the names of the people I remembered. What a dumb idea, I thought, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. I kept seeing a list in categories.  Forreston, Mt. Morris, church, Lakeside, college days, So, I finally started one in word processing, although at first, I was going to hand write it. I decided if I did it in the word processor, I could alphabetize, and use the "find" feature if I didn't remember where a name was. It's now up to about 12-13 pages. 

 I do have some printed church directories, our school annuals, our Lakeside property owners' directory, some club directories, etc. to use as guides. I also have the Mt. Morris Past and Present, and the Mt. Morris War Record. If there are photos, I look at them, and try to remember if or when I've ever really "known" the person. It's been interesting. I can remember many faces of the class of '52, but not '58 or '59. Some people I still know on Facebook like Dick Butler or Jim Isenhart. Then I have a little symbol next to the name if they have died and put in the death date if I know it. I remember a lot of the parents of friends, like Nancy's, and Lynne's, and Sylvia's. So, I'm adding those names too. I remember the people on our block on Hitt St. in Mt. Morris from when I was 4 or 5, because I use to walk into their houses and talk to them! For some I have to find sources for first names because they were, "Mrs. Aufterbeck" or "Mrs. Duncan," since we didn't call adults by first names. I knew so many adults from when I worked at the drug store and at the town library, so I'd better write down the names while I can still remember. There were a lot of farmers who came into the drug store, some all the way from Polo, and most of those names I've forgotten. I used to babysit a lot, so I'm trying to recall those names. There was a Jewish couple who lived on N. Hannah, I think their name was Fishman, but I've forgotten their first names, and their kids' names. Maybe it will come to me--in the middle of the night! :-)

Anyway, it's something to do when it's too hot to go outside. Who knows if I'll ever finish it.

  

  

 

16,000 miles

I learn a lot at the gym. The exercycles are about 2 ft. apart. So, I could overhear the conversation of 2 retirees, maybe 10 years younger than me. So, I learned about the karaoke places and where to go ball room dancing in Columbus, OH. I also learned which local bands (really crazy names) have split or are having problems with venues. One guy had lost 30 lbs, but was having eye problems, so all the directions to the venues he told his friend involved side roads because he doesn't do freeways anymore. There were the usual complaints about safety, so they are both shopping in the daytime. Seems they don't like President Trump personally, but when they ran down the list of policies and programs like immigration and military, they were right smack in the middle of MAGA.

 
Meanwhile, my log sheet rolled over to 16,000 miles yesterday. I think I started tracking in January 2015 and I record both walking and cycling. 

Lenten goals--cleaning instead of fasting

My Lenten goals are getting a slow start. This week it was tackle the cupboards and bookshelves of the kitchen. I'm on the first shelf of cookbooks in the kitchen--next will be the "junk drawer."  I'm already stuck at the computer. I'm looking at a recipe take away from the Home & Garden Show, Feb. 25-Mar 5, 2006. As I recall I picked it up because we went to a demo for a chocolate peanut butter torte with bananas in honor of Elvis' birthday at Gourmet Galaxy Cafe which was sponsored by Whole Foods, Columbus Dispatch, Home Source Interiors, etc. Before I put this in the stay or go pile, I'll just mention 2 recipes easy enough for 80-somethings to learn (each 2 pages features a Columbus chef or personality with their favorites. 

1)  Manny Malhotra of the Columbus Blue Jackets (hockey) offered, "Asparagus a la Manny" which requires 1 bunch of asparagus, salt and pepper and olive oil and aluminum foil.  2) The COO of Donatos (pizza chain based in Columbus) and daughter of the founder reported that she had worked in all areas from take-out window, making night deposits, spreading sauces and cheese to dotting pepperoni slices to the edge, but there was no recipe.

When I went back and checked my blog, I see I had written about this cookbook in 2006. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2006/03/2228-chocolate-peanut-butter-cream.html.

By the time I got to shelf 3 I was browsing Vols. 3-5 of "A Taste of Columbus" by Beth Chilcoat. Vol. 5 was 2000, and she began the series when her children were small, and by this one she had grandchildren. I had inherited these from my daughter who had given them originally to her mother-in-law, Marilyn.  All are done in calligraphy with lovely drawings of Columbus' historical scenes. Chilcoat's husband (also co-author) died in 2006 of ALS, and she later wrote about widowhood and grief. Cap City Diner Meatloaf by Jimmy Mohammed has 28 ingredients (mostly herbs and spices) in vol. 5.

Columbus CEO uses diversity as soft porn

There's so much I could tell you about the "Columbus CEO" Fall 2022 issue. 1) It's gone completely overboard for D.I.E., 2) it's now a quarterly instead of a monthly, 3) it's now including soft porn in it's stories about D.I.E.

Yes, indeed, in this fall's issue (almost wrote month) cover story about Donna James, a black woman, fully clothed, who is going to make Victoria's Secret more inclusive and diverse so it can regain it's huge share in a dwindling skimpy underwear market it includes this photo. Evidence of inclusion. All shades of black, maybe a trans model (didn't read the story), an African model, obese, and who knows, perhaps one of them is mentally ill or challenged.

The story with the cover seemed to indicate that this accomplished savvy black woman is a shrewd 65 year old businesswoman who would turn the company around after the #metoo movement, a clientele that has moved on to hard porn and sex positivity (i.e. anything goes including choking and slapping and beatings), a scandal about Les Wexner's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and the transmovement where men are not only moving into women's locker rooms and sports, but taking their modeling jobs. That's a lot to dump on an older woman who wears long hair and matchy-matchy pant suits to work--like the 70s. She probably doesn't wear the product.

And I'm not surprised "Columbus CEO" has moved to fewer issues. How long can you attract advertisers who want to hold on to a market that is based in a city that is 72% white, 16% black, 4.3 Asian, 4.3 Hispanic and the rest "other" with stories on racism, gender anomalies, obesity is good, all the while telling your market they are bad, disgusting people taking up too much space on the planet?

Maybe it will work--I was a librarian not a publisher (Ray Paproki), and I'm certainly not their target audience. To me, it looks like shooting yourself in the . . . foot.

Update: Last year's Future 50 (in business, influence, etc.) cover issue had over half women, 40% black, and when I looked through, none live in areas predominately black or minority, virtually all in high income areas with big salaries. Does that show success or that "Columbus CEO" is a hypocrite and all the diversity articles are just hype to be on the bandwagon? The editor for that issue is now gone.

Our dear pediatrician, Dr. Batterson, has died

There was a time when Dr. Batterson was the second most important man in my life.  With our children just one year and 3 days apart, we saw a lot of him for about 6 or 7 years, as they would alternate or pass along childhood diseases, and then occasionally until they went to high school. Then in recent years after he retired and his wife died, he attended Upper Arlington Lutheran Church and I'd see him at study groups or worship.  He always seemed to know me, and had a funny quip or jest to pass along.

Robert Batterson, MD Obituary - Columbus, OH (dignitymemorial.com)

Robert E. “Doctor Bob” Batterson, SEPTEMBER 26, 1927 – JUNE 12, 2022, received his long-awaited “new back and new brain” on Sunday, June 12, 2022. Calling hours will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 30 and a celebration of his life will be held 1 p.m. July 1 at Schoedinger Funeral Home’s Northwest Chapel (1740 Zollinger Rd, Columbus, OH 43221).

He was born on Sept. 26, 1927, at Grant Hospital. During his 94 years, Dr. Batterson held many titles. His most cherished was Child of God, but he was also a beloved husband, a wonderful father, grandfather, and great grandfather, a physician, teacher, student, and World War II veteran.

Dr. Batterson was predeceased by his parents, Paul and Edith Batterson, wives Audrey (11 years) and Marjorie (45 years) and many friends and family. He is survived by his three children, Fran (Brad) Booth, Jane (Steve) Mockler, and Paul (Nancy) Batterson; grandchildren Samantha Hunt and Nick Mockler, and Alicia (Tom) Millerson and Grant Batterson; and great-grandchildren, Isbelle, Parkus, and Paisley as well as many friends and family.

Dr. Batterson grew up in Clintonville, Ohio. He was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He graduated from Columbus North High School, attended the University of Kentucky, graduated from Capital University, and THE Ohio State University Medical School.

During his medical career, he interned at Mount Carmel Hospital, and completed his pediatric residency at Nationwide/Columbus Children's Hospital. Dr. Batterson was a trusted pediatrician for 37 years in Upper Arlington and Columbus. He was a past president of Nationwide/Children’s Hospital, and served on the medical staffs of Mt. Carmel, White Cross/Riverside Hospital, St. Ann’s, Grant, and Ohio State hospitals. He was the interim medical director at Ohio State Services for Crippled Children.

Dr. B enjoyed supporting his family, participating in many church activities, playing guitar, swimming, fishing, wood working, bird watching, doing ceramics with Marge, pursuing post graduate education, and watching Ohio State beat Michigan. He liked to joke that he was “born terrible,” but those who knew him will say he didn’t end up that way.

Our Friday night date--a little history

 Tomorrow night we'll be going to our Friday date night spot, The Rusty Bucket. Our Friday night dates go way back--sometime in the 60s.  The Bucket is just one of many restaurants where we've been regulars over the years.  I accidentally came across a blog about how we ended up there about 17 years ago.

 "Last night [March 18, 2005] we switched from "Old Bag of Nails" in the Tremont Shopping Center to "The Rusty Bucket" in the Lane Avenue Shopping Center for our Friday night date. Our suburb's recent non-smoking ordinance has moved all the smokers out of the Old Bag down to Grandview Heights, which means a lot of the alcohol sales are also gone. So in this one location, the owners have changed the menu and raised the prices, moving to more dinners. We like the "pub" atmosphere and seeing our friends and neighbors, so we decided to try Bucket, which opened about a year ago. The decor is just about the same with a little more of a sports bar feel (more TV screens than Old Bag), similar menu, and cheery young ladies to wait the tables. We thought the food was tasty, hot and well-prepared, and the noise level wasn't too painful. We'll probably go back--although we didn't see a soul we knew even though the two restaurants are within a mile of each other."

Let's see if we have any photos.

 

2010

 New Year's Eve 2019 with Sloughs

With Kunzes in Worthington Rusty Bucket

 

Visual Arts Ministry Sept. reunion 2010

 2015

Columbus' 180th murder, 2021

 One of the news gathering services when I opened my computer this morning told of a 30 year old black man shot during a fight, taken to Grant hospital where he died.  A woman, Judith Tatum, has been arrested and bond is set at $1 million. From his photo, he's been in trouble before and has a rap sheet (I'm guessing).  According to an earlier TV report on crime in the city (big increase in the last year), 2/3 of the murders are black on black crimes, and many go unsolved because the community doesn't "snitch" and distrusts the police.  According to data demographic sources, 54% of Columbus is white, and 29% black. Yet the media would be exploding at this moment if the young man had been killed by police.  Black on black crime is ignored by media. It just doesn't sell.  And a female killing a male in a fight should get it buried even deeper.   Consequently, in many cases, the perps are still on the street and the crime continues. I don't know if Columbus is plagued by the loosey-goosey white DA's like they have in Wisconsin when a racist career criminal who had posted his hate on social media was left to roam the streets and killed 6 and injured 60 during the Christmas parade.  That seems to be the liberal obsession these days--to turn as many blacks to crime and failure as possible.  What worse form of racism is there?

Home safe after my accident on Black Friday

We had a lovely Thanksgiving.  Beautiful church service and then dinner at the home of our daughter and son-in-law.  We spent some time trying to load our Christmas card, but gave up on that.  On Friday, "Black Friday," I had my hair cut and styled, and Bob and Mark headed for Lakeside for a final leaf raking.  Bob needed more lights for our deck, so on my way home I decided I'd go to Lowe's which is across the river.  As I turned on to the bridge I hit some black ice (it was snowing) and Bob's little SUV began to spin, and I swung around into the oncoming traffic (wasn't hit) and slammed into the concrete wall on the north side. I knew the river was far below and was afraid the car might be thrown over the rail into the cold water. The air bags went off, as did the front bumper.  I could feel pain in both knees, which I first thought might be broken (I was wrong).  A woman pulled her car over, called the squad which had a station about a mile west, and then came to my door to see if I was OK.  I don't carry a cell-phone, so she retrieved my purse and I gave her my daughter's number.  She told her she had called the squad and would stay with me.  The squad at first told me they'd take me to an urgent care, but when they saw my arm (large hematoma) then changed it to Riverside Hospital, very close to our home.  The ER checked me over pretty carefully, I had a nice nurse named Brian who had interesting stories to tell and loved his job as a nurse.  I had a full body scan and nothing was broken.  Visiting in ER is more generous than the regular hospital, so we soon had the whole family there.  My daughter had called Bob and Mark who were about to Bucyrus, and they turned around and drove to the hospital. By 10:30 p.m. there was finally an available room and I was transferred and made as comfortable as my bruises would allow.  I was finally home about 3:30 on Saturday. On Monday Bob and Mark went to the impound lot to retrieve items from the car.  It was sad--Bob loved that car--it was 21 years old and only had 115,000 miles, and never had any mechanical troubles--got good mileage, too.  I'm safe, sore and bruised, but nothing broken. The scans did show some structural problems I didn't know about, which I'll check out with my doctor.

Update with photos:

  

Friday

  

 

Wednesday

How the media are handling the Loudoun County, Virginia story

Admittedly, I haven't done a thorough deep dive in the archives on whether CNN, MSNBC, NYT, and WaPo have covered the rape and sodomizing of a female student by a boy in a skirt at a Loudoun Co., Virginia school bathroom. That boy was transferred to another school where it's been reported (also by non MSM sources) he did it again to another girl. It has been covered by Fox and Newsmax who apparently thought that the previous spin on this story which was everywhere on the MSM was newsworthy. If you watch CNN, have you seen the coverage of the father who was arrested for speaking out at a school board meeting? That video went viral. Have you seen the current information now available on why he spoke at the meeting? (The school was covering up the rape because of the transgenda bathroom policy.)

In 2005 a Columbus school principal was fired and 3 assistants put on leave for covering up the rape of a disabled girl in her school and not calling the police, but handling it in house. In the Virginia case, the police have the record of the assault, but the school denied it happened. In 15 years the intersectionality pendulum has really swung back at the expense of the children.

Fox has a much bigger audience than CNN and MSNBC, so let's hope someone in the Northeast or the DC bubble has seen it, as well as our school board in Upper Arlington which is making a big mess of the bathroom issue. We've had a huge "Keeping up with the other Suburbs" building expansion here with our taxes soaring.

Also, there is an election going on in VA and this is one of the issues. It seems the Democrat has said parents should stop telling teachers how to do their jobs. VA is part of DC. Glenn Youngkin (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D). I just looked at MSN News and the reporter is spewing the usual--white parents, right wing media yada yada--but says nothing about the rape in a bathroom charges by the father and why he was protesting at that meeting in June. You can lie without saying anything!

Illustrated History of the Diocese of Columbus--today's new book purchase

 

Dear UAPL:

This is not a purchase suggestion; I'd like to donate it for circulation.  There are 9 copies in the system, none in UAPL and 5 are non-circ. I purchased it today at VOA for 90 cents.  Published in Italy in 2001, it is in prime condition with good quality paper and color photos. I'm not a Catholic, but enjoyed reading it due to the local history and excellent photos of local churches including St. Andrew, St. Timothy, St. Agatha, plus local schools like Ready and Watterson, Ohio Dominican and the Josephinum.  It also has photos of local works of art. It's not really a reference book, or even just local history (the diocese is huge and covers many communities) which is why I'd like to see it in your circulating collection. The UAPL does not have a good collection on Christian denominations, the history of Christianity or even Christian values or ideas, and I believe this would be a valuable addition to your collection.