Balloonist remembers another passenger

"You are so wrong!"

Most newspaper editors are used to calls that start that way, but this one was different.

John Kugler was taking issue with my contention that he probably didn't remember the Ainsworth Centennial, 20 years ago, when he and the big green Kugler balloon were one of the highlights.

While I remembered that one of the Ainsworth businessmen had a bumpy landing when the wind came up, Kugler filled in some other blanks for me.

"Johnny" Mullen was one of his passengers that weekend, Kugler said.

If the name sounds familiar, it's because the John Mullen Health & Heritage Classic, pro-am golf tournament, held each June at Heritage Hills, carries his name.

Mullen was diagnosed with cancer at age 15, but went on to graduate with the McCook High School Class of 1981 and was on his way to a professional golf career when he died of cancer in 1986.

The event that is held in his memory raises thousands of dollars for the Community Hospital Health Foundation, helping provide life-saving services to Southwest Nebraska. It's neat to know that I might have met him all those years ago.

I helped add ultralight aircraft to that festival in 1983, and the Freedom Flight balloon festival this weekend may have a similar feel.

Organizers say several powered parachutes will be on hand along with the giant, colorful balloons.

If you haven't noticed the parachutes puttering around the Golden Plains skies, they look a lot like a lawn chair on wheels, propelled by a fan, hanging under a square parachute.

Maybe one of the pilots will take some aerial photos of the event for us.

Anyone involved with balloons knows that they don't keep tight schedules, but, weather permitting, look for liftoffs Friday evening, Saturday morning at 8:10 and 5:20 p.m., and Sunday morning, thanks to the end of daylight savings time, at 7:10 a.m. Don't forget to turn back your clock an hour.

If you're driving in from out of town, be careful.

Over the last five days, there have been 15 fatalities in Nebraska. Of those, five were not wearing seat belts, and authorities were not able to determine whether restraints were in use in four of the crashes.

In September, there were 21 fatalities on Nebraska roads, 17 involved motor vehicles, and of those, only four were wearing seat belts.

I can understand the feeling of those who don't think the government should be forcing us to buckle up. I can also understand the feeling of those who are afraid of being trapped in their cars in case of a wreck.

But they have to realize they are playing against the odds. Your chances are far better buckled up.

And, while we're at it, sober.

Our poor cat may be having an identity crisis.

The lone survivor of a gunny sack full of kittens thrown in the river, he was called "Honey" by his former owners.

Our son named him "Whiskers," when he came to live with us, and that's the name he uses at his annual trip to the veterinarian.

Since he's a 22-pound Maine coon cross, my wife has taken to calling him "Bob," as in bobcat.

The other day, however, my wife heard a noisy feline confrontation outside. Honey-Whiskers-Bob crawled out from under the deck, with a nick in one ear and an attitude.

So I decided to call him "Tom Ridge," as in the guy in charge of homeland security.

-- Bruce Crosby describes himself as a cat "tolerator."