Karate!

It feels like Mother Nature is going to give our good weather a quick Karate chop.  It feels like Old Man Winter and Jack Frost are blowing a big head of cold air from the frozen north today.  It looks like the heating oil men are going to make money next week.

We are still shelling corn but the big red combine broke down last night.  It smokes like a freight train and has no power.  As of this writing, the repair hadn't been made yet.  At least it doesn't need a $78,000 engine like the fellow told on Machinery Talk awhile ago.

I think I hyperextended my left arm a few times too much the last few weeks and headed back to Occupational Therapy this morning.  Man did that therapy feel good!  April is an exciting young lady and she always gets me telling stories so I told her a "doozey" this morning.  I had the whole place laughing.

The first year I taught at Blanchester, they also hired a new Industrial Arts or Shop Teacher as we called them.  His name was Glenn "Jake" Jacobson and he lived near Washington Court House.  He was a great Mentor and teacher to teach beside as our classrooms adjoined and we shared a central shop.

The kids found out he was a real black belt in Tae Kwon Do Karate he had learned as a soldier during the Korean War.  They razzed him all year that Karate was fake and you couldn't do all that stuff and so on and so on.  At the end of a successful school year, he had us move all the machines to open up the shop floor.

One good old boy who wasn't a believer was Randy Faulkner, about 6 foot 4 and 240 lbs.  Jake was barefoot in his white suit with black belt and warmed up by breaking boards and concrete blocks.  The kids and I were well entertained.

Then he said Randy, I want you to hold my kicking bag.  He told him to hold it tight because it was going to be a powerful blow.  Jake warmed up a few times, just flicking the bag with his foot.  Randy smiled like this is going to be easy and he and the kids had no idea what was about to happen.

 Jake wound up and spun and threw this mighty kick that picked Randy up in midair and sent him sailing for about 20 feet until he hit the shop floor.   His body scooted across the floor another 30 feet until he hit the shop wall  Any harder and it would have knocked him out!

The kids and I were stunned, we had never seen anything like that, even in a movie. Jake said great job Randy, you held onto the bag!  Thinking about it, that was something in itself.


The story quickly spread around the school and some nasty old concerned parent called the police.  Jake had to go to the police station and register his arms and legs as lethal weapons!  So Jake started Tae Kwon Do classes in the gymnasium and here were those overweight policemen with half the town taking classes!

I had to call Jake for a special favor 3 years ago and Jake did it for me.  He didn't have to and I made it clear and he knew it.

It's good to have a Karate expert on your side.

Ed