Har-Brack High School Class of 1967

01/06/2026

12/09/2025

Our Duck is Dead...
A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird’s chest.
After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, "I'm sorry, your duck, Fluffy, has passed away."
The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead," replied Dr. Peterson.
"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean, you haven’t done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."
Dr. Peterson rolled his eyes, turned around, and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever named Shadow. As the duck’s owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table, and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
The vet patted Shadow on the head and took him out of the room. A few minutes later, he returned with a cat named Mittens. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. Mittens sat back on her haunches, shook her head, meowed softly, and strolled out of the room.
Dr. Peterson looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."
He turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys, and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.
The duck’s owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$150!" she cried. "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead?!"
The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20. But with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it’s now $150."

11/22/2025

Today and for many days people have seemed to have lost their way. We all learned early on how to make sense of it all:

“Well, you can have your gold and your diamonds too
All you need is a ring dang doo!”

09/23/2025

On my last post I put an incorrect e mail address. Here is the correct one: [email protected].

I would like to mention here what I did to quit drinking alcohol. Sorry for the length.

First of all quiting anything you are addicted to does not involve anyone else! Your sucess at changing your life is between you and that first drink you committed not to take. Your comment has nothing to do with anyone else, not your wife, not your kids, not your friends, nobody else. Nobody got you into this, nobody will get you out of this situation except you, period.

I never told anyone I decided to quit except my wife. It is none of their business and I do not need or want encouragement! This is between me and my commitment to be alcohol free and live a normal life some day.

Alcohol: Cold turkey is what it is. It takes a serious commitment and serious determination to “never drink (in my case vodka) again the rest of my life.” I never had any councelling. That may sound simple but remember it is not and the mist difficult thing you ever do. Easy on paper and principle but in practice not very easy.

It was excruciating but I kept saying lord help me get one more day Day after day. For the first week all I did was pace back and forth around the house thinking about “having one drink, it cannot hurt, it may help calm me down.” Alcoholic’s can create many excuses that lead them back to where they were. You never feel it will get easier for a while. It does slowly get easier almost unrecognizable at first.

Make sure you either take vacation time or just sick leave for two weeks to a month so you can handle the adjustment to normal life when you leave the house. I always had a 2 liter bottle under my sink for easy access. I left it there. To maintain your sobriety, so you will have to be able to not drink around other people who drink alcohol. If offered, you can say something like no thanks my stomach does not feel good Some of them may try and push alcohol on you not knowing you had quit. There may be some situations where you may have to change friends and or groups.

For me it has been eighteen years and I could go back today easily. I promised myself I wouldn’t and I don’t. It took me two years before I felt totally comfortable without alcohol in all situations.

Once I went to the hospital when my brother’s first grandchild was born. I decided to tell him I had quit. Gary asked me how long has it been? With a clear mind I said two months. I had not actually thought about the actual date I quit. When I came home I checked the callender and saw it was 10 days. I was totally surprised. Boy, it seemed like two months. Last year my wife was cleaning out under the kitchen sink and found my vodka bottle. It had been 3/4 full. Now it was totally empty. Everything had evaporated. We had a nice laugh. Sometimes I will tell people who didn’t know me before that I am an alcoholic in remission. Most times I will tell them how many years. Once I told a guy I had known for quite awhile that I was an alcoholic in remission. Of course he asked how long? Well, (I paused) and it has been two days. He said, “WHAT!” Very loudly. I laughed and calmed down and said I was kidding and told him the truth. At that time it was 15 years. It feels very good when it has been long enough that you can laugh about it.

It is nice to know and see all 9 of my grand kids regularly and help them see what Papa’s are all about
I am an alcoholic and i will always be one! That is OK because i am in remission!

Jim Watson Sr

09/20/2025

Today is one of the most important days in my life along with my wife, kids, and grandkids.

On September 20, 2007 I made a life changing decision. I had been drinking 1/2 to 3/4 of a fifth of vodka per day. The decision I made was to stop drinking vodka and any distilled spirits period! They call it “cold Turkey” The most difficult way to stop still the most effective. Today, on September 20, 2025 I can honestly state that have not had one drop of vodka and any distilled spirits since now 18 years.

Hold the phone. I am not a hero or anything like that. I have only want to have the chance to ask forgiveness from those I have hurt along the way. I tell this story for those who are like I was. I want to say you are wrong. You can quit!! That is if you want to.

My email is [email protected]. Contact me privately and I will tell you haw I did it. Only you and I will talk about this. No one else.

Oh, I forgot one other benefit. When I quit I was 305 lbs. Today I am 235 lbs. a sooth 70 lbs less.

Now this new behavior did not solve everything for me. My wife still yells at me once in awhile. My kids think I am old and over the hill and need to watched constantly. I will admit that I donot move as quickly as before and I misplace things regularly. I know I am preaching to the choir here. All of us are the same age and some may do the same things as i do.

I believe it is nice to keep in touch with those we grew up with because we know we can’t bull each other. We know we haven’t changed much and our friendship is based on who we really are. We are 76 and are holding our own.

Jim Watson Sr
Proud Classmate of the Har-Brack Class of 1967.
P.S.

MUSIC
Faces of the Valley:
Saxophonist Don Aliquo, a former music teacher of ours is still hitting high notes as a jazz performer at 96 years old. What a trooper.

08/07/2025

Jennifer Elyse Willsey Obituary

Jennifer Elyse Willsey, 38, of Greenwood, passed away on July 25, 2025. She was born on December 23, 1986 in Wheeling, WV to Paul and Patti Bovard Gillette.

05/07/2025

I have been nostalgically thinking and remembering back in high school. I was talking with a few classmates where one said the turn of the century will not be for 33 years. That is a long time.

I said consider this that we will be 51 in the year 2,000! None of us could believe us being 51.

Today it has been 25 years since we turned 51. It doesn’t seem that long ago to meet. Hmmmmmm

03/12/2025

This is the least understandable issue I have heard so far. We are all allowed to have our own opinions in a free society. I am a reasonable person for the most part. (Don’t ask my wife).

How anyone can say that it is legal for biological males to become biological females to participate in girls/womens sports, is beyond my understanding.

There much scientific evidence to prove that males have a biological difference that gives them a big advantage which cannot be changed by science or any other means.

I have two son’s who could win in a fight against 90% of the women on this earth! Why? They are taller and bigger and stronger than women. There are reasons for that. In scientific terms it is called sexual dimorphism. This occurs in humans and animals. The reason is men’s differences—such as body size, muscularity, and aggression come from higher levels of Testosterone in men’s bodies that occurs naturally. Women have higher levels of progesterone and estrogen. These traits endowed men with the ability to compete for resources and protect their families and providing women with natural instinctive nurturing of their children after birth. No scientific process or drug can change that in humans and animals.

So where is the problem here? Some people think it is more imortant to have a different kind of equity in sports regardless of the outcomes.

I believe that political equity is secondary to this: Men, will not and cannot become women regardless of any surgery, preformed, what anyone says, what anyone believes, or what anyone does. Those are the facts. You can take it from here.

03/06/2025

Kathy Boroto Harenski Obituary

Kathy B. (Boroto) Harenski, 75, of Natrona Heights, passed away peacefully with her family at her side on Sunday, March 2, 2025. She was born Aug. 4, 1949, in Natrona Heights to Lois Ruth (Savage) Boroto, of Natrona Heights, and the late Samuel Boroto. Kathy was a lifelong resident of Natrona Heights. She worked as a registered nurse for over 50 years, spending many of those years at Allegheny Valley Hospital. Kathy was a member of Faith Community Church in Penn Hills, where she played clarinet with their band. She also volunteered with the AFS Student Foreign Exchange Program for nearly 50 years. Gardening with her mother was an important part of her life. In addition to her mother, Kathy is survived by her husband of 54 years, Michael Harenski; sisters, Judith Boroto and Bonnie (Jon) Maginn, both of Arizona; and by her nieces, Cindi (Don) Longo and Nancy Cygnarowicz. Friends will be received on Wednesday, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on Thursday, from 12 noon until the time of service at 1:00 p.m., in the CICHOLSKI-ZIDEK FUNERAL HOME, INC., 1522 Carlisle St., Natrona Heights, 724-224-8688. Officiating will be Pastor Jay Mitlo. Entombment will follow in Mt. Airy Cemetery, Natrona Heights. To send an online condolence, please visit www.cicholski-zidekfh.com. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Kathy may be made to AFSUSA.org.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Reported by Jim Watson

02/01/2025

Ok, a commercial jet goes down two days ago in Washington DC. A private lear jet goes down in Pilladelphia today. Kind of like Dejavu.

Problem:
My wife is scheduled to get on a commercial jet tomorrow at 5:30 pm to go to Florida.

Obviously, there is no cause and effect relationship between both accidents. I am not superstitious but WTF!
Jim Watson Sr

12/29/2024

I received this from my brother who recently moved to Florida.

Palm trees wave, are you listenin'?
In the pool, water's glistenin'
A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight
Livin' in a FLORIDA
Wonderland.

Gone away is the blizzard,
Here to stay is the lizard,
A warm sunny day, we like it that way,
Livin' in a FLORIDA Wonderland.

On the beach we will have a picnic, Turtles and sand are terrific
Christmas dinner is tradition,
Grouper and crab is the mission.
Livin' in a FLORIDA Wonderland.

Later on, we'll perspire,
As temperatures rise, even higher,
A warm sunny day, we like it that way,
Livin' in a FLORIDA Wonderland!

11/14/2024

Help me with something?

What is up with “men’s blue suits?”

90% of all the men I have seen on tv news casts, politicians. etc are wearing “blue suits.” Why? What am I missing?