Droppings

I don't know what gets dropped around the country in order to countdown to the New Year, but here in central PA, there's a plethora of gatherings a person can go to with all kinds of things being dropped in celebration:

Hershey--what else but a giant Hershey's Kiss?

Lebanon--of course a 150 pound 12 foot long Lebanon Bologna, which will be donated to a local food shelter

Lancaster--no, nothing Amish will be dropped but Lancaster is the Red Rose city, a red rose will be raised, not dropped. It might be kinda fun to find out what they drop in Blue Ball, Intercourse and Paradise?!??

York--the white rose city will raise...a white rose.

Harrisburg--a strawberry. I don't know why.

Falmouth--a town between Middletown and Bainbridge has the famous goat drop. Your guess is as good as mine as to why! They are also known for the goat races that take place there. Apparently, they have a thing for goats.

Dillsburg--a pickle

Carlisle--a mini-Indy car. Carlisle is well known for its car shows.

Mechanicsburg--a wrench

According to the local news there are also towns that drop a spring, a bag of potato chips, a shoe, a lollipop, an M&M, a cow, a canal boat, a huckleberry and the list goes on.

No matter where you are, I hope you have a wonderful, safe New Year!

Ice Storm 2007

Of course, this was a couple of weeks ago, and the ice has gone completely since it has been in the 50's many days.

This is the big pine tree that bit it, because of all the ice on it.

I'm Baaaack!

We're now back in the 21st century with Internet capabilities. Seems our telephone line was disconnected during the clean up of all the trees from the storm. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a wonderful New Year!!!

There's No Place Like Home

Ok, so rewind back to Sunday. A peaceful Sunday afternoon on the couch, watching movies and wondering where all the snow was that was predicted for the night before. Instead we got a nice, thick coating of ice on everything. It was actually quite beautiful, especially when the sunlight was on it. (Pictures to follow!)

Quickly this pastoral setting ended with a thud. Literally. And then all the lights and t.v. went dark. We quickly ran to the back window to see what happened. There it was, the approximately 40 year old pine tree, that has to be at least 50 feet tall was uprooted and laying on it's side with the power lines to my house underneath.

Immediately, a fire was built as it was late afternoon and it would soon be getting cold inside. And, I frantically began searching for the phone number for the Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) company. It was almost impossible to even get a recorded message with PPL as many residents in our area were without power due to the ice storm. I finally got to a person and was able to plead my case. She recorded my information and said, according to our information, the best estimate we can give you as to when your power will be restored is Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

Needless to say I wasn't happy but we dug out flashlights and lit the candles and tried to make the best of it. We decided the next day to pack up the troops and move into a hotel till the power was back on. We just returned today. The hotel was full of people (and animals) just like us that had no power.

The good from all this: The outpouring of concern from friends and coworkers. Some of these people I barely know and were offering up their place for us to come stay. The hotel workers also enjoyed seeing us come through the lobby to take the dog out and were extremely accomodating. La Quinta rocks!!! The hotel bill wasn't as expensive and we even checked out really late and they didn't charge us for an additional day. The animals quickly adapted to their new surroundings without any "accidents." We also found that running up and down the hallway was a fine source of entertainment. And finally, yay for insurance!

Thanks to our friends who offered up their homes and showers and sympathized with our predicament. It's really good to be home!

A Christmas Meme

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Anyone who wants to play along, feel free. Try not to be a SCROOGE!!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both!
2. Real tree or Artificial? None :(
3. When do you put up the tree? Sorta answered this already
4. When do you take the tree down? Don't have to worry about that.
5. Do you like egg nog? Yeppers! YUM!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably a bike or TV
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yea, but it's in the attick and I think about digging it out and putting in on my fireplace mantle.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Brian, he usually buys what he wants and never says, "oh, that's cool, I'd like that."
9. Easiest person to buy for? Patrick, he likes food and is a college student.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, there is no other way.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Exercise equipment/gear
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Story
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? If I see something anytime I get it and will save it, otherwise, whenever I really start thinking about what people would like.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas dinner and/or cookies.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? If I put one up, colored, that wasn't a racist remark either.
17. Favorite Christmas song? In the Bleak Midwinter
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Depends
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, and Olive is my favorite!
20. Angel on the tree top or star? I think I have a star.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Hopefully I have a ton of gifts to open, so BOTH!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People out on the roads going to the mall.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have an angel ornament that is really old. A mouse chomped the wing and it's kinda funny.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Veggies, stuffing, mashed potatoes
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? To take a trip somewhere warm.
26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Brian and Interstellar Lass, maybe Bone, maybe Michael
27. Who is least likely to respond to this? That's hard to say.

Remembering

I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong. -John Lennon

I Am Penn State

Bet you never thought you'd see these words written on this blog at least. Well, it's true. I was accepted at Penn State as part of their graduate program where I'll be majoring in American Studies.


American Studies focuses on the culture, society and folklore in America with some classes dealing with museum studies and administration. And since I want to work in a museum or some sort of historical preservation job when I'm done with all this, are two of the reasons I decided on this area of study.


I was beginning to lose hope in hearing from Penn State as it has been a couple of months since I had submitted my paperwork and had asked my professors from my undergraduate studies to send in letters of recommendation to PSU. I was just starting to get lazy again to; enjoying the couch a little too much, and not having to worry about homework. That's a good feeling!


On the other hand, I'm looking again for a challenge and have that goal of having a job that I go to every day that I really love.









Disclaimer: The aforementioned information in no way indicates that the claimant has forsaken Notre Dame as her favorite college football team. Nor does she claim allegiance to named university for anything other than academics.

You Know You're From Pennsylvania When....

The first Monday after Thanksgiving is a big deal around the great state of Pennsylvania. It's the first day of Buck hunting season and is a school holiday. You know deer hunting, that all time favorite sport of getting out into the woods before the sun has had time to rise as the stealthy hunter cracks open is first beer of the day. He hunkers down as he waits for his prey to enter his domain. If the hunter is lucky he will not have fallen asleep nor will have finished his entire 6 pack before the deer makes his appearance.

I can't help making fun of the first day of Buck season. These people beg for it. It all starts with the monster trucks they drive 365 days of the year complete with a gun rack. The back of their trucks are usually covered with NRA stickers, Bush/Cheney stickers, the mandatory Nascar stickers of the Calvin and Hobbes character peeing on a particular car number and the occasional Confederate flag. They dress in camo on days when they aren't hunting, chew tobaccy, and often behave in the sterotypical "You might be a Redneck" manner. I think you can figure them out on your own.

Perhaps instead of giving kids off for the first day of deer season, they should make them go to school and learn all the state flags. Pennsylvania is considering changing their state flag to actually read "The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" on the flag since many people aren't able to identify the flag on their own. Geesh.

Oh, happy Cyber-Monday by the way. This is also the first "official" day of on-line shopping season. And yes, that's the name I heard a news reporter call it. That makes it official.

Yea, It's The Big Day

I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing

Turkey Day

It's almost the big day! Is everybody ready to stuff their faces? Lay around and watch football? Take long naps? Give thanks?

What's everyone doing? Going? Having for dinner?

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est Arrive!!

This is a long French tradition celebrating the first wines of the fall harvest. We get it in the U.S. probably tomorrow. Go out, buy, enjoy!!!

Here I Go Again

I was at the store the other day thinking I needed to highlight my hair. So I was shopping for the right product; have to make sure it's Revlon since they don't test on animals. Then, I have to find the right highlighting product, I wasn't interested in "coloring" my hair. Then, I stepped around to the endcap and saw the Revlon sale products. Hair color, two for the price of one. Well, let's not pass up a sale!! They were all dark hair colors, which I'm not opposed to, I've done it before, I'll do it again. But, do I really want to go that route again? I decided against it and went for the blonde highlighting like I had originally planned.

But, I'm feeling the need for a change. Hair color, cut or something. I've been in love with her hair for a while. I think I'd like to just do it!!! That's Victoria Beckham, (a.k.a. Posh Spice) by the way.

Thank You

All Souls Day

In the Christian calendar there are two holidays that follow closely behind Halloween. They are All Saints Day and All Souls Day. On Sunday, we celebrated All Souls Day by lighting a candle and ringing a bell to honor the people from our congregation that had passed on to the

great church in heaven. At the end, the pastor then asked everyone to stand who had lost someone that year that didn't belong to our congregation but had played a role in exemplifying the Christian faith in that persons life. Many, many people rose to their feet. I sat there thinking how lucky I was that I hadn't lost anyone close to me over the past year.

Later that day however, I heard a knock at the door. It was my neighbor fellow. He and his wife have been living there since I was born. In fact, he and his wife fed my dad and sister on Thanksgiving the year that I was born since mom and I were at the hospital tending to more important matters. She always made sure that whenever they were helped with shoveling snow or mowing the lawn or
whatever, that homemade food was promptly sent over. Especially her homemade pierogies.



As usual, Jasmine ran out to greet him and he told me about his daughter who was up visiting and that she had brought her dog. And then he said, "my wife died today." He explained what had happened and that she died in her sleep just a few hours before he came to my door. This couple had been blessed with living on their own, and able to take care of their own home well into their nineties. In past conversations, they told me the story about how they met, that they liked to go dancing and that they had been married for over 60 years. How do you say goodbye to someone that you've loved and lived with for that long? I used to love to see them taking a walk around their yard hand-in-hand seeing what work needed to be done.



Later I thought how appropriate that we had just celebrated All Souls Day in church. She was a devout Byzantine Catholic and lived a long Christian life. She was truly a wonderful soul and will be sorely missed.

William Bouguereau (1895-1905)

Where I Live

I've been tagged by Interstellar Lass into telling you all about the wonderful things about central Pennsylvania. And so I will.

Best Place to Eat Since there was no limit on what could be spent at this best place to eat, I'm just going to the top of the list. That would be dining at The Hotel Hershey. This place has been a favorite of mine since I've been a little girl. The 75 year old hotel sits atop a hill that over looks the rolling hills of Hershey, PA. There's golfing and a world-class spa. There are four dining areas but my favorite is the Circular dining room serves contemporary American cuisine and provides views that look over the gardens and the Greek-styled architecture within the gardens.

The best treat in the Circular Dining room is Sunday brunch. I can't describe it, you have to experience it.

The Best Shopping Mall The best shopping in the Harrisburg area is to go out of the Harrisburg area. There are tons of "outlet" malls in Lancaster and Reading which are a short drive from Harrisburg. And there is the King of Prussia mall located just outside Philadelphia. This mall would take you days to visit in its entirety if you were a true shopper.

Famous Landmark This is a difficult one for me to decide on with all the Civil War history in this area, but I'm going to pick one of my personal favorites, The Harrisburg Cemetery. In this great cemetery just across the State Street bridge from the capitol building lies many notable figures including a former governor William Findlay, American sculptor George Barnard, many members of the U.S. House of Representatives as well as both Union and Confederate soldiers of the Civil War and soldiers from the Revolutionary War.

Best Tourism Attraction Hershey (the sweetest place on earth) which includes Hersheypark, which celebrated its 100 year birthday this year, Hershey Chocolate World, The Hotel Hershey, the Hershey Museum, Hershey Bears Hockey, and the Hershey Chocolate Factory which makes the town smell like chocolate.

Best Place for Kids The Whitaker Center which has an Imax Theater, and a Science Center that has interactive science exhibits that allow the kids to play and learn all at the same time. Currently there is an exhibit called Aliens allowing kids to use their imagination and learn about the science of extraterrestrial life.

Popular Outdoor Activity It is difficult to choose just one because outdoor activities change greatly depending on the weather. There's skiing and nature trails as well as hiking and biking trails. There is the PA Rennaissance Faire, and summer art festivals galore. In the fall, the leaves change so just taking a drive can be a treat. There are also apple festivals beginning in September where you can get apple pies, dumplings, dried apples, fritters and so on.

Breath-taking Views The views of Harrisburg that are my favorite can be seen by crossing over the Susquehanna River and seeing the Harrisburg skyline. The bridges over the Susquehanna are always eyecatching as well.

Only Found In This was probably the easiest for me. There's only one place to find Three Mile Island, site of the nuclear accident on March 28,1979 and that would be here. I remember getting sent home from Jr. High. It was kind of warm outside but there was a strange yellow haze hanging around. My family packed up and went to my aunt's near Allentown for the weekend till we heard that it was o.k. to return to our homes. I don't often travel by TMI, but I'm still fascinated by the awesome site of the cooling towers planted firmly on the ground, on an island, in the middle of the Susquehanna River. It's funny, the TMI jokes never seem to get old, there have been movies made referencing it, and many songs have been written including lyrics about it. The Clash, Alice Cooper, Kraftwerk, and Aerosmith. My favorite would have to be courtesy of Mr. Jimmy Buffett: "Don't want to land on no Three Mile Island, don't want to see my skin a-glow."

Let's Groove Tonight

All this weekend, the folks at my favorite radio station will be in Central PA. This once small station from the University of Pennsylvania has grown much bigger and is now "officially" in Central PA.

This weekend, they will be all over the place. But it's tonight when we get our funk on at our first ever Funky Friday party at the Whitaker Center! David Dye, host of the funk will be there playing everyone's favorite funk classics. Can't wait!!!

This Is My Life

Happy Halloween!

The Big Moment

A few weeks ago, I posted that my favorite radio station from the University of Pennsylvania was counting down the top 885 top musical moments as voted by their listeners and their extremely knowledgeable staff. Today was the big day, the final countdown to the number one event. And as I was driving home from work, I found out what it was. See if you can guess from this picture:

Yep, it was the 1968 festival of music and arts called Woodstock. God, that would have been fabulous to be there. I was two, I wonder why I wasn't allowed to go!?!? The entire countdown results are posted here.