The Way We Were!

     SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31ST.

         THE WAY WE WERE!

     Halloween. It may have been my
Mom's favorite holiday with the
exception of Christmas.
     When I was a kid Halloween
parties were common at my house.
I would sit around our dining room
table with my friends. My Mom would
turn out the lights then begin to
narrate a scary story about a madman
who killed and dismembered his
victims.
     As she spoke the "body parts" had
to be passed from one guest to the
next. The heart was, in reality, a
chicken liver. The eyes were actually
grapes. After her tale ended those
who made it through the sitting
were able to see the innocent parts
they had held.
      I suspect some of my buddies,
at or near 70, can attribute some of
their fears and nightmares to those
Halloween stories at my house! 
      After the party we set out to
roam our neighborhood in search
of some candy and, if we were
lucky, a few coins here or there.
We didn't call it "Trick or Treating."
Back then we just went out
"Halloweening!" Maybe it was a
Hazleton thing.
      More often than not our
costumes were home made, perhaps
enhanced with a mask of some sort.
And we were usually expected to
sing, recite a poem, or tell a joke
before we got that treat!
       Candy didn't have to be X-rayed,
and a quarter would buy a comic
book and a bottle of soda. And you
could get two cents of that quarter
back when you returned the empty
bottle to the store!
       I guess that's what we mean
when we speak of the "good old
days!"
       Hope you have a Happy
Halloween and that all your
NEWS is good!


        

The Incredible Shrinking Man!

     FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30TH.

    The Incredible Shrinking Man!
 
     When does Science Fiction become
science fact? It's been 58 years since
I saw the movie "The Incredible
Shrinking Man."
     The story is about a businessman
who is accidently exposed to a radio-
active cloud and, coincidentally, large
amounts of common insecticide.
      A few months later the man
discovers he's getting smaller!
      Now, I've been no where near any
radiation that I'm aware of. And the
last time I used any insecticide was to
deal with some nasty wasps that found
their way onto my porch.
      But while visiting my family
doctor this week I asked the nurse to
check my height as well as my weight.
I was shocked to hear I was down
nearly an inch from my usual 5' 10
and one half inches!
      That old movie immediately
popped into my mind! Was this the
start of a steady shrinking that would
find me eventually hiding from all
cats roaming through our neighborhood?
Or fighting off spiders with needles
from my wife's sewing box? 
       I figured I'd better not take any
chances so I placed a couple of those
needles around the floor here and
there so they'll be available when I
eventually need them!
       I think there's an old GI Joe
around here someplace so clothes
should be no problem,
        And I usually drop enough
crumbs from my meals on the
floor to keep me fed for a while too!
         Wait a minute!!!!! I just found
out a need a new, larger belt! I
haven't lost that inch after all! It
just moved a bit!
          Hope I don't step on any of
those needles....and that all your
NEWS is good!
 

Stage Fright!

     THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29TH.

              STAGE FRIGHT!

      55 plus years in the media! Radio,
 Television, and most recently a movie!
 Can you envision me with "Stage Fright?"
      Well today I confess. It seems an
 appropriate day to do so. This is National
"Frankenstein Day!" And tomorrow is
"Frankenstein Friday." It was created
in 1997 by Ron MacCloskey from Westfield,
New Jersey.
      MacCloskey created the day.
      Mary Wollenstone Shelley created the
 monster in a novel she published in 1797.
 Her creature was brought to live again in
 numerous movies, most notably as
 portrayed by Boris Karloff in 1931.
       With Halloween just two days away
 you're seeing a lot of Horror movies on
 TV and Frankenstein is likely to be one
 of them.
        But back in the day when neighborhood
 movie theaters still ruled the entertainment
 world it was not uncommon to have some
 of those movies play on the big screen at
 this time of the year. And they were often
 accompanied by a stage show featuring
 actors dressed as your favorite monsters.
       Such was the case at the old Capitol
 Theater in Hazleton (my home town) on
 one Halloween eve. I may have been 11
 or 12 at the time and was surprised when
 the theater manager asked to speak with
 me. He offered me a  chance to appear
 on stage! Hamlet? Macbeth? Well,
 not exactly.
        The opportunity sounded great
 until he explained the scene. I was to
 wander on stage and look around. As
 I did so the Frankenstein monster was
 to come up behind my back and grab
 me. The idea was to have me act so
 scared that I couldn't run away!
       Problem was, after seeing the
 actor's makeup, I was so scared that I
 did run away........from the gig!!!!!!!
       Hope Broadway doesn't miss me
 too much...and that all your NEWS
 is good.

Call Of The Wild!

       WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28TH.
  
               CALL OF THE WILD!

         I've been attending a lot of High
   School sports lately. I've got one
   grand daughter in soccer, another in
   Volleyball, and a grandson in Football.
         Win or lose I like to see them on
   the field or court and join the cheers
   when they or they team does something
   good.
         Obliviously the rules differ from
   one sport to another. I don't know all
   those rules. But I'm surprised as how
   many other spectators do!
          In fact, judging from the shouts
   of a block of "fans" at last night's
   District Soccer Playoff game, I was
   shocked at the number of people
  who know those rules far better
  than the officials on the field and,
  apparently, can see infractions far
  better than those officials as well.
          It's good to know that. should
  an official become ill, any one of
  those fans could easily have
  stepped in to take over!
           The PIAA should take note
  of these experts and offer then all
  striped uniforms. Although,
  admittedly, most of those I heard
  correcting the officials seemed to be
  a bit out of shape! I'm not quite
  sure they'd be able to make it from
  the stands to the field....let alone
  run on that field.
           At least they wouldn't need
  whistles! Their "Boos" could be
  heard throughout the stadium.
  Maybe they were just rehearsing
  for Halloween?!
            Hope the kids know enough
  to ignore them, and that all your
  NEWS is good!


          
                       

By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

   TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH.

BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY
                   MOON

    I wonder how many of you stayed
up to celebrate last night. Or even
knew why you should be celebrating.
    Halloween is still a couple days
off. But last night was "Worldwide
Howl At The Moon Night!" And
they couldn't have picked a better
night! The moon over our town
was as big and bright as ever!
    The event is listed on a number
of websites. But the folks at
timeanddate.com report they were
unable to figure out what the unknown
creators of this made-up holiday aimed
to accomplish, but assumed it encourages
people to go out during the night and
howl at the moon.
     Not knowing how my neighbors
might react should I participate, I
elected to mark the occasion by
watching Steven King's movie
"Silver Bullet."
      I've been a fan of werewolf movies
since Lon Chaney Jr. played the beast
back in the 1940's. His transformation
from Larry Talbot to the Wolfman
was probably the first example to
special effects I ever saw on the big
screen. I took over the role on a
couple of Halloweens back in the
day. It was my favorite disguise.
      I will admit a few of my High
School classmates were better "wolves"
than I.....and without makeup at that!
But that's another story.
     In any case the date for Worldwide
Howl at the Moon Night is fixed. It
always falls on the 26th of October
so you might want to mark it on your
calendars for 2016 now so you don't
miss it.
     Hope you howl when ever you get
a chance and that all your NEWS is
good.

     
    

The Longway To Longwood

   MONDAY, OCTOBER 26TH.

THE LONGWAY TO LONGWOOD

    My wife has been wanting to go to
Longwood Gardens for the longest
time. The brochure for the place
describes it as a place to see "dazzling
displays that elevate the art of
horticulture." I heard they had a lot
of plants and flowers there too.
    So, when my daughter-in-law said
the family was going for some photo
opportunities I agreed to go as well.
    We thought we had a pretty good
plan. My daughter and her kids
wanted to make the trip so the 5 of
us jumped into my van right after
church which gave us a head start in
the direction we needed to go.
     That worked out fine.....for about
6 miles. That's when we detected a
burning odor that shouldn't have
been there. I pulled over to check
things out. That's when we spotted
the smoke coming out from the hood.
Smoke is not suppose to come out
from the hood.
     As it happened I pulled into the
lot of an auto repair and towing
shop. We'll have them look for the
cause of our problem today.
     But yesterday, as we sat along
Route 309 in Drums we pondered
the problem of getting back home
to get my daughter's car so we
could complete the trip.
     My 17-year-old Grandson
stepped in to save the day. I've
picked him up from school a
score or more of times over the
years. Now that he's driving, and
lives in Drums, he provided the
ride for me!
     Once back home I got the
other car and drove back to pick
up the gang. According to my
GPS it would take 2 hours and
10 minutes to get to Longwood.
We finally pulled up about five
minutes to 4. Not bad....except
for the fact the Gardens close at
6. Do the math. Even without
the breakdown, we managed to
take ten minutes longer to drive to
the place then we could say there
for the afternoon.
    We crammed as much into those
two hours and ten minutes as we
could and, I must admit, it was
worth every minute! The whole
family enjoyed the beautiful
flowers and fountains and we'll
definitely be going back.
     Hope we make it in one car
and in one try....and that all your
NEWS is good!

Now I've Seen It All!

i     SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25TH.

     NOW I'VE SEEN IT ALL!

     I've seen a lot of things over the
years. Some as a newsman and some
in everyday life.
     I was watching the TV in 1963
when I saw Lee Harvey Oswald
gunned down before he could ever
be tried for the assassination of
President John Kennedy.
    I was also glued to the TV when
I saw Neil Armstrong take that
first giant step for mankind on the
surface of the moon.
    I personally watched the birth
of all three of my children.
    I've seen the Matterhorn in
Switzerland, the Irish Cliffs of
Moher, and the Kilauea volcano
in Hawaii.
    But now, I think, I've seen it
all! Yesterday my wife, who
wants noting to do with computers,
asked if I would fire up my extra
laptop and show her how to
get onto a site which displays
gowns. A friend suggested it was
a good place to check our dresses
and styles for an upcoming
wedding.
    After just a few brief
instructions I listened to the
silence at the kitchen table as
she scrolled through page after
page of photos and descriptions.
    By Jove, I think she's got it!
    What could be next? Maybe
her own Blog!
    Hope I haven't created a
monster....and that all your
NEWS is good!

Radio Daze!

   SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24TH.

            RADIO DAZE!

   I suspect most of you know me from
my many years at WYOU TV or, perhaps,
from the programs I'm currently hosting
of Electric City Television.
   But a lot of my 55 plus years on the
air were spent on radio.
   The last of those radio days, other than
an occasional call to our local Talk
station, were spent in a small building
along a rural road on top of a mountain
in Plymouth Township.
    WMJW was built by an old friend
who I introduced to the radio business.
He was in my wedding party. And, when
he finally gathered enough resources to
open his own station, he called me in to
act as his Assistant Manager and News
Director. I left a well established
station to accept the challenge which
included a promise of management
opportunities at his second station
when that was eventually created.
      A lot of old adages proved
themselves to be true when I took on
that job. First, "If it sounds too good
to be true, it probably is." Second,
"Never work for a friend."
      Within a year our small FM
station won more news awards than
any other station in the state. Our
music format was drawing some
faithful listeners. But every time one
of our salespeople promised to bring
in some money if we altered things
just a bit.......things were altered.
      I invested seven years into the
enterprise which, towards the end,
resulted in an occasional bounced
paycheck, a threatened layoff, and
the dismissal of some of my news
staff while I was away on vacation.
     Good thing this guy was my
friend! Another old adage.."With
friends like that, who needs"...well
you know the rest.
      The next opportunity that
showed itself was a full time job
in television. I thought about it
for about 3 minutes and decided
to leave what truly turned out to
be my "Radio daze!"
      My wife and I drove by that
old building on the rural mountain
road yesterday. It's padlocked now.
My old buddy sold it for about a
million dollars (literally). I haven't
heard from him since I left and I
suppose that proves that No News
Is Good News!
       Hope all your News is good!

     
    

The Birds

      FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23RD.

                THE BIRDS

       It has been 52 years since movie's
Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock,
shocked audiences with his story "The
Birds."
        The fear came back to me
yesterday as I drove along River Street
in Port Blanchard. The birds were
basically headed towards my car. They
were high enough to avoid any
collision and they were not aggressive.
There was no attack. Still, I felt the
chills go down my back!
       They were Geese. They were
flying in their familiar "V" formation.
But I was driving North and they were
heading SOUTH! And that's scary!!!!
        These fine feathered friends have
a built in instinct that sets them to
flight in the Spring and Fall. They've
also got some sort of built in GPS
system that sets them in the right
direction. I can almost picture it!
A voice speaks in the lead bird's
mind! "Turn Right and proceed
South for a thousand miles."
       The experts say their annual
Fall migration is partly triggered
by the reduced hours of sunshine.
I guess the flock I spotted is
trying to beat our return to Eastern
Standard Time on November 1st.
       I thought about sounding the
horn or getting out and waving my
arms in an attempt to change their
direction. But with my luck I just
would have sent then west and I'm
not sure  how that would affect
our weather!
       Maybe it was just a test flight!
Hope so....and that all your NEWS
is good

               

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut!

    THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22ND.

SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE A NUT!

    October 22nd is National Nut Day. So
I'm pretty sure a lot of my friends out
there will be celebrating. I know a lot of
Nuts out there! Several are probably
reading this!
    Unless, of course, this is a day that refers
to the food we know as "nuts." I suppose
that's more likely.
     Nuts are said to be nutritious and healthy.
I probably don't eat as many as I should. But
I do buy Chocolate Almond ice cream. And,
of course, I do so for the health benefits!
      When we were in Hawaii earlier thus
year I also picked up some Macadamia
Nuts. I bought them because they were
Spam flavored! Span and nuts! How healthy
can a guy get?
       I know I had some peanuts this year
too. Problem is....Peanuts are not nuts!
They are Legumes, a member of the "Pea"
family. You could have fooled me. I always
thought Mr. Peanut was a "Nut!"
       There are still plenty of nuts to choose
from so buy a bag or a can and enjoy this
special day even thought there is no
documentation to support the claim this
is a "'National" holiday.
       Hope it's not just a "shell game" and
that all your NEWS is good!   

  

Fading Fast!

     WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST.

               FADING FAST!

      Yet! Fading fast! Not me. It's
those Autumn leaves that look so
beautiful...for a few weeks.
      I've suggested spraying them
with schlack when they're at their
prime, then spraying the trees with
Super Glue to get a couple months
out of the Fall foliage. Thus far
no one seems interested in my
project.
      There are still some pockets
of color to be found. And, with a
sunny mild day on our hands, we
went looking for them. With the
top down of course.
       We found ourselves in
Gouldsboro State Park which
includes parts of Monroe and
Wayne Counties and includes
2800 acres of land and an
impressive 250 acre lake!
      I think the lake was especially
impressive to me because the last
time I visited....it wasn't there!
Back in 2005 the State Fish and
Boat Commission drained the
lake so repairs could be made to
the dam there. It was empty for
three years! It's a lot easier to
swim, boat, and fish now that
all the water is back!
     Of course we didn't do any
of those things. We just enjoyed
the sunshine and the colored
leaves that are still left.
     Too bad I didn't bring any
Super glue!
      Hope we get a few more
Indian Summer Days and that
all your NEWS is good!


  
     

Things That Go Bump In The Night

          TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20TH.

 THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

         There have been strange noises around
  our house of late. Or so I'm told. I don't
  actually hear all of them. But I know of
  some.
         There is, for instance, the cat in our
 refrigerator! Well that's what my wife calls
 it. This particular screech has been around
 for quite awhile. It seems to be some sort
 of defect in out automatic ice maker. But,
 the ice still comes out so I don't mind
 putting up with that "cat" from time to
 time.
       My wife has a keen ear for the nightly
 bumps around the skirting of our home.
 We thought they might end when the trap
 set by our neighbor captured a rather large
 skunk. She drove it a few miles away and
 released it into the woods.
       But we're either got more polecats
 around or the one she caught has a GPS
 and has found its way back because the
 knocking continues.
       I suppose it could be one or more of
 the cats that aren't in the refrigerator. The
 ones that roam around the neighborhood
 year round. Of course there's a new crop
 a couple times each year.
       We may have to call on our neighbor
 and her trap again because Ghost Busters
 can't handle these things that go bump
 in the night! 
      I'm not at all concerned about the
 other noise that haunts our house.
 Most everyone else asks about it and it
 has been traced to an oven timer that
 cannot be turned off. It doesn't bother
 me in the least. I can't hear it!
      Hope I don't.....and that all your
 News is good!   
  

The Old Soft Shoe!

    MONDAY, OCTOBER 19TH.

      THE OLD SOFT SHOE!

   Most of my readers already know
I've been on the go with grandkid's
activities lately. I've come to enjoy
Soccer, Football, Volleyball, and
Cheerleading.
    Yesterday, however, my wife
and I were invited to a Dance Recital.
Dancing has never really been on my
list of favorite things to do even
though I have some history with the
art form.
    In fact I actually know one tap
dance step taught to me by a one
time Vaudeville "Hoffer." The
man who once worked the stage
curtain at the old Capitol Theater
in Hazleton had worked the
Vaudeville circuit long before I
was born. And even though he's
long gone now I still remember
that one step he took the time to
teach me.
    I will also admit that I dated
a Dance teacher at one time. It
didn't work out. I suspect she
didn't like my moves.
    In any case my 5-year-old
grand daughter has been taking
lessons at the Joan Harris Center
and, yesterday, took the stage as
part of the school's annual
Halloween Spooktacular!
     I was totally amazed at the
talent demonstrated by all of
the performers from Kindergarten
to teens! There was plenty of that
"old soft shoe." And what about
those ballet moves! I have trouble
standing on my feet let alone
trying to stand on my toes!
   Great dancing, great music, and
great kids, including a couple
young men who have apparently
learned more than just one clever
tap dancing step! Maybe I should
have spent more time with that
Vaudeville veteran when I was a
kid!
    No dancing around this issue!
I'm looking forward to their next
performance! Hope it's
soon and that all your NEWS is
good!


   
 
  

The Thrill Of Victory. The Agony Of Defeat.

      SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18TH.

     THE THRILL OF VICTORY.
     THE AGONY OF DEFEAT.

      Those lines, highlighting
two extremes of sporting
contests, were highlighted in
the opening of the once popular
TV program...ABC's Wide World
Of Sports.
      I recalled those lines yesterday
as I attended two sporting events.
My grand daughter's High School
Soccer Team took on my old Alma
Mater in the afternoon.
     As a Freshmen she doesn't get
a lot of playing time. But with a
healthy 6-0 lead,  and just ten
minutes to play, she was called in
to join the other players rushing
back and forth on the long field in
those cool temperatures. 
    When the final buzzer sounded
the shut out was preserved and she
shared that thrill of victory with
all her team mates!
     By evening those cool
temperatures turned to cold!
My grandson's High School Team
took the field against the "Indians"
of Juniata High from Mifflinville.
    With frost in the forecast I
pulled out the wool lined jeans,
a wool shirt, a sweat shirt
bearing my grandson's team logo,
my leather bomber jacket, and
a stocking style wool hat. I
braced for the cold as the home
team braced for their opponent.
    But before two minutes had
clicked off the game clock,
Juniata had scored the first of
what would eventually total
67 points to our team's zero.
    It was then, as the game
ended, I noticed just how very
cold my toes had become
sitting in those bleachers! Even
with two pair of socks I could
hardly move them!
     It was, truly, the agony of
de-feet! Sorry!
     Hope they're warm again
soon and that all your NEWS
is good!

    
    

Beating The Freeze

    SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17TH.

      BEATING THE FREEZE

     The sun was shining as I hit the
road late yesterday morning. While
the temperature wasn't idea, about
56 or so, I put on the wool lined
jeans, my sweater from Scotland,
leather jacket and Dutch Fisherman's
hat and lowered the top on my Miata
as I headed out to get some video of
our famous fall foliage.
      I figured I'd use the colorful trees
at Francis Slocum State Park for my
photo essay. There's a wide variety
there including a large stand of larch
trees. Of course I wouldn't know one
kind of tree from another unless one
had lights and ornaments  hanging
from its branches. (That would be a
Christmas Tree!)
       As Murphy's Law would have it,
every time I hit the Record Button
the sun ducked away behind a growing
fleet of large dark clouds. Still there
were enough reds and yellows to make
the trip worthwhile.
       Most importantly, it stayed just
warm enough to enjoy my top down
joy ride without reaching for the
blower switch on the heater!
        Today, of course, it's a different
story. Forecasts of frost and even
flurries forced me to cover the
convertible and think about pulling
the Bomber Jacket out of the closet
for my grandson's Saturday night
Football game.
        I realize it's October. The sun
dips down early and the furnace goes
on more and more. Still, we usually
get an "Indian Summer" at this time
of year....unless they're changed it
to a "Native American" summer to
be politically correct. But,whatever
they call it, I'm hoping it shows up
and that all your NEWS is good!

Waiting Room Reading

     FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16TH.

   WAITING ROOM READING!

      I stopped in a local clinic this
week to get some blood work done.
It was a busy day for the technicians
and it was pretty obvious I'd have to
spend some time waiting for my
turn. So I started to look for
something to read.
      Reading options in medical
waiting rooms are often limited.
If you're lucky you'll find a
newspaper. If you're very lucky
it will be that day's newspaper.
And if you are super lucky it will
be a section other than the
classified pages!
      There were no newspapers in
the clinic.
      Often you'll find magazines
in a physician's waiting room.
Usually they're magazines that
were originally mailed to someone.
But you never know to whom they
were mailed. Inevitably the mailing
label has been carefully cut out.
Thing is, I always wanted to read
those labels. Since the magazines
are usually related to the physician's
field of practice the labels would
have been the only thing that
interested me.
      The clinic had no magazines.
      I was left with three options.
I could sit, wait, and stare around
the room.
       I could attempt to read one of
two large charts outlining the so-
called "HIPA regulations." But
while the charts were large, the
print was extremely small and I
had neglected to bring a magnifying
glass with me.
      To be fair there's usually a TV.
The volume is generally turned
down. But many offices have the
Closed Caption turned on so at
least you can read what the people
are saying. Unfortunately the sets
are usually set on a channel that
features cooking instructions or
the weather. No thank you.
       Fortunately there was one book
on a table very close to my seat. And,
as fortune would have it, it was a
"classic." So it was I found myself
"reading" the Telephone Directory.
It was a few years old. But I'm
proud to say I'm in it!
        Hope I remember to bring
something along next time.....and
that all your NEWS is good!

    

So What!!!!!

      THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15TH.

        National Grouch Day!

    It's October 15th. A day set aside
to honor......well maybe not honor,
but at least take note of an individual
or individuals we all know and.........
well......we all know.
   This is National Grouch Day!
   Judging from the posts I see on
Facebook every day a lot of people
will be celebrating!
    A Grouch's mission in life is to be
as miserable and grouchy as possible,
and pass that feeling on to everyone else!
     I'm not sure if the trait has to be learned
or just comes natural to some folks. I do
know a few people who seem to work very
hard to maintain their "Grouch status!"

     I know one who works at a convenience

store close to my house. I have stopped

asking how she's doing. Her gloom and

doom answers are not only grouchy,

they hold up the line!  

     According to one website the day was
created for and inspired by Alan Miller, a
retired teacher and chairman of the board
of NAG, (National Association of Grouches).

I was unaware this organization actually

existed. But, since it does, some of those

Facebook posters I mentioned, as well as

that clerk, might want to apply for membership!
     I don't know how we're suppose
to celebrate this day. Maybe we just
congratulate the grouches we know?
    Of course you'll want to be careful if
one happens to be your boss!
     Hope no one congratulates you....and
that all your NEWS is good!

 

 

 

Your Just Dessert!

   WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14TH

         YOUR JUST DESSERT!

   Regular readers of my daily Blog already
know how I enjoy seeking out little known
holidays. It gives us extra reasons to make
every day special.
   There were several possibilities for this
day....October 14th.
   This is, for instance, "Be Bald and Free
Day." I guess it's got possibilities. But it's
also "National Dessert Day" and, to me, that
takes the cake! (Get it, Dessert...Cake...
oh well.)
   This is the day you're suppose to forget
about the diet and enjoy a special treat even
if it comes with a lot of calories and high
fat content. I would be among them!
   Some will suggest it's the perfect day to
order dessert first....and for every meal!
   To be completely fair, it's also "World
Egg Day."  You can celebrate both with
any number of great desserts made from
eggs! That way you can sort of 'have your
cake and eat it!" (Sorry. I just couldn't
resist.)
   I know I sort of put "Be Bald and Free
Day" on the back burner. But, let's face
it. A lot of people don't enjoy being
bald. But a lot of bald people do enjoy
a good dessert! That, I believe, makes
them intelligent! Or "Egg heads!" (They
just keep on coming!)
   Anyhow, there are three good reasons
to celebrate today.
   Hope you do and that all your NEWS
is good!

Overtime

    TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH.

             OVERTIME

     Most folks are happy to have
some overtime. It usually means
extra money. But..not always!
     I spent two overtime periods
sitting on a cold aluminum bench
at the Wyoming Area Stadium
last night. I was there to watch
the Wyoming Area Girl's Soccer
team in a match against the team
from Tunkhannock.
     A soccer game doesn't usually
go into overtime. Two 40-minute
periods are typically long enough
for one team to score more points
than the other. They're certainly
long enough for those of us
sitting in the stands cheering
for our favorite team!
     When regulation play ended in
a 0-0 tie we saw the clock reset to
10 minutes for overtime play. When
that ended without a score another
10 minutes was tacked on in an
attempt to come up with a winner.
     The Oohs, Aahs, and downright
groans coming from spectators
at each near miss attempt to score
could just have easily been coming
from a visit to a Dentist for root canal!
     There were also some very
questionable calls from Officials.
I thought of offering my video as
evidence of the errors. But it
was pretty clear they hadn't
brought their glasses to the game.
I wonder if they got time and a half?
     In any case, after 80 minutes of
regulation play separated by a
half-time break, and 20 minutes
of overtime, the score board showed
the same double zeros displayed
when the game began.
      It will go down in history as a
good game. I will remember it as
a rather long, exciting, and frustrating
night. Although....the French fries
were great!
      Hope the refs had a designated
driver and that all your NEWS is
good!


           

A Switch In Time

       MONDAY, OCTOBER 12TH.

             A "SWITCH" IN TIME

     It was a dark moonless night as we
pulled up in front of our house last
night. But it wasn't suppose to be! Dark
that is!
     We welcome guests and guide
ourselves onto our front porch with the
help of a porch light. We find it handy
to leave it on all the time since we
never know when we'll return from a
day trip or when that guest may show
up. Kind of like Motel 6 I suppose.
      It didn't take long, even in the dark
as we fumbled to get the key into the
lock, to figure out what had happened.
      Back up to the night before when
the trusty appliance light above our
stove was found to be dark. Those
bulbs burn out every few months. But
this one was fairly new.
      Then, yesterday morning, I awoke
to find my laptop couldn't connect
with the world wide web. A step by
step investigation led me to discover
the on/off switch on the power strip
that feeds the modem had been
turned off.
      Seems all three stories were
connected to one of those "guests"
that stop by from time to time.
      My buddy, staying with us over
the weekend for our Class reunion
had accidentally tripped the power
strip switch when we plugged in his
cell phone charger. He had been
wondering why his overnight charging
effort had failed.
      As for the porch and stove light,
their loss of power was no accident.
My buddy, like a few more of you
out there, has a habit of shutting off
every light in his presence if he isn't
actually using them. It's a noble
effort to save two or three cents and,
in the wider scheme of things, save
our environment.
     While I applaud the ideology I
must tell you that, in our case, we prefer
paying the electric bill as opposed to
the medical costs for a broken leg caused
by falling outside or inside in the dark.
      Hope you SEE what I mean and
that all your NEWS is good!