THE FALL CLASSIC!

   FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021

        THE FALL CLASSIC!

  It's October 1st my friends and as

a new month begins the baseball season

begins to end. As it happens October 1st

marks the anniversary of the first World

Series game! It was 1903. Pittsburgh

beat the Boston Americans 7 to 3 but

Boston went on to win the series. The

first World Series home run was hit by

Jimmy Serbring. The winning pitcher

was Decon Phillips. And the losing

pitcher that day wa then future Hall of Famer

Cy Young! This year's World Series begins

October 26th but at this point we still don't

know which teams will be playing. Hope there's

still hope for my Yankees and that all your

NEWS is good! 

PIN IT ON SLOCUM!

   THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

              PIN IT ON SLOCUM!

  When it comes to inventions we all tend

to remember the big names and their big

inventions. Bell for the telephone. Edison

for electric lights. But there are plenty of

people whose inventions have made our

lives a little easier who never really get all

the gredit they deserve. Sam Slocum, I think,

would be one of those people. Sam was a

pin maker who invented a  pin with a head 

on it to kep it from going through cloth. But

his second invention really changed the scene

in most every office. His primitive pin folding

device, which was patented on this day in 1841,

eventually evolved into the stapler! Sam isn't

remember like Bell or Edison but his contributions

continue to make a big contribution to our daily

lives. So, thanks Sam! Hope your pins are cushoned,

your stapler is full, and that all your NEWS is good!

UNDER THE LIGHTS!

    WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

              UNDER THE LIGHTS!

     I wonder how many of you stayed up to

watch Mondal Night Football this week?

There's nothing quite like football at night,

Who hasen't heard the term "Friday Night

Lights" when it comes to area High School

football games? But have you ever wondered

when the first football game was played under

the lights? Well the answer would be 1894 and

the place would be...Pennsylvania! Yep! The

Pennsylvania Normal School at Mansfiield, 

now Mansfield University played the first

documented night time football game at a

field in Mansfield. And their opponent was

the team from Wyoming Seminary in Kingston!

Who won? Well, nobody. You see the game was

called at halftime with the score 0-0 because the

lights turned out to be inadaquate! Still, the 

tradition got started and these days it's a very

big score with football fans! If only those

lights didn't get in the Ref's eyes so often! Hope

you're well and that all your NEWS is good! 

ARE YOU READING THIS?

 

     TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH., 2021
             ARE YOU READING THIS?.

    September 28th is "Ask A Stupid Question Day."

    It was established by teachers back in the 80's
who were trying to encourage students to ask more
questions in the classroom.
    It has often been said there is no such thing as a
stupid question. I would have to disagree. Some of
my colleagues in the media prove that on a daily
regular basis. Not that it's limited to them.
    I often wondered why ,for instance, when you've
checked yourself into an emergency room, the first
thing the doctor asks is "How are you?"
   How about the guy who drives up in a bright,
shiny car with the purchase sticker still on the
window who is greeted with questions such as
"Is that car new" or "is that yours?"
    How about the boss who sees you come in
10 minutes after your starting time and asks
 "You're late, aren't you?"
    Still those in the media usually get the Stupid
Question Award.
    You see them at the scene of a fire, usually the
 "Cub reporter" approaches the home owner and
 asks "How are you doing?" I'm surprised more
 haven't been answered with a slap upside the
 head!
    Of course there's also the "hopeful reporter"
 who asks the alleged killer "Did you do it?"
 They're hoping for a stupid answer such as
 "Sure I did and I wanted you to be the first
 to know."
    Then there;s the ultimate, no win, stupid
question. "Are you still beating your wife?"
    In any case today all bets are off! You can
ask anything you want. In fact it is suppose
to be stupid! So ask away!
    Hope you get a sensible answer and that
all your NEWS is good!

(Stupid is as stupid does: Forest Gump)

IF THE SHOE FITS!

    MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

            IF THE SHOE FITS!

   Remember the days when, if you wanted

new pair of shoes or sneakersm, you went

into a shoe store. The clerk woud use a device

to measure your foot then bring out several

boxes with various styles. You'd try them on, walk 

around the shoe room floor, pick the pair you

liked and go home with new shoes..or sneakers.

Last week I ordered a pair of sneakers. By ordering

on line I saved some money. They came while I

was away on vacation. Great arch support, nice

treads (for all the walking I'm doing), and a very

nice style! Only one problem. They don't fit!!!

I orderd the same size I got last time but, I suppose,

either the style affects the size or my foot has

grown an inch since last year! Now I'll have to pay

postage  to send them back and just hope the replacement

pair are a better fit! I'll probably end up paying the

money "saved" to pay the postage! Maybe it wasn't as

great deal as I thought! Hope your shoes fit fine and

that all your NEWS is good! 

THE DARK NIGHT!

    SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 26, 2021

             THE DARK NIGHT!

   No. This blog has nothing to do with

Batman. I'm writing about a very dark

night! As my wife and I returned from our

delightful vacation with my old friend in

Maine it became clear that someone else was

riding with us. And watching over us as well!

During our final evening on the road my car

suddenly started cutting out, for just a brief

instant, every tie I hit a bump in the road.

Everything came back on immediately until

we turned off the Interstate into an exit ramp.

All of a sudden everything died! The engine,

and the headlights went dark. I steered the

can to the curb, scraping the concrete with

my tires. I had no lights what-so-ever. Even

my emergency flashers were gone. The battery

in my can is located in the trunk and I got

out as quickly and safely as I could to check

it. Several cars and tractor trailers passed

closely by as they exited the highway. Fortunately

they spotted my and the car in their headlights

avoiding a real disaster! Using my cell phone

flashlight I found that some items in the trunk

had come in contact with the battery posts,

shorting it out! On the advice of my son I

carry a portable battery booster that doesn't

require a second car for contact. It worked

and in two seconds the lights, including those

emergency flashers were operational and I was

able to restart the engine and drive to safety!

The "man upstairs" saved us so our vacation

trip could end well and my b logs could go

on! Hope all your NEWS, like mine, is good! 

NO ROOM AT THE INN!

    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

             NO ROOM AT THE INN!    

   Asmy series of vacation blogs comes

close to an end I must tell you my wife and

I know got a touch of the feeling Mary and

Joseph must have had as their son was about

to be born. You may recall they were told there

was "no room at the inn." Well as our journey

back home got started we suddenly found we

were being told the same thing here in beautiful

New England! Seems like everyone is heading

this way to see the colored leaves. Of course 

that transformation is only in its very early

sstages. Still they come. Booking up all the

rooms and allowing the inn keepers to raise

their prices to outlandish rates during "the

season!" We went well out of our way but

finally found comfortable accomodations for

about half the rate we found most everywhere

else. So glad our Travelworl team has already

booked all the rooms we need for out tour in

Outober!! Hope you've enjoyed the vacation

blogs and that all your NEWS is good!

AND THEN...EXCITEMENT!

   FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

     AND THEN...EXCITEMENT! 

   Our vacation on Vinalhaven Island

comes to a close today. It is, generally,

such a quiet place. If you don't like

hiking along the coastline you;ll probably

need a good book to read as "action" is

limited around this place. You can go

downtown and visit a library, the Post Office,

the grocery store, or a few restaurants. You

can literally sit on the dock of the bay, watch

the tide, and a lobster boat from time to time.

But before we left we finally found some

excitement! While we've been enjoying the

island the septic system at the cabon where

we're staying was busy failing. So, on our 

last full day we got to see the spectic tank

pumped out! It's hard to explain the thrill!

It really is!

Heading for the ferry boat to start home in

a few hours and the blog will  be back as

soon as I can pull it off. Hope you've enjoyed

the vacation trip and that all your NEWS is

good!

A WALK IN THE WOODS!

    THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

            A WALK IN THE WOODS!

    Some of my vacation time on Vinalhaven

Island has been spent walking in the woods.

There's a path near my friend's family cottage

that runs right along the coast line. If you want

to get away from it all, this path is the place.

Walking alone there's the sound of the waves

hitting the rocks along the shore and, occassionally,

the sound of a boat motor as a lobsterman sails

by. Or, perhaps, the sound of the Ferry Boat

passing by. It's the only way on or off the island.

I enjoyed my solo hike but I'm so glad you;ve

come along by way of these blogs. Hope you're

well and that all yout NEWS is good.

GETTING MOODY!

     WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

                 GETTING MOODY!

    Our vacation trip to Maine found us stopping

at Moody's Motel/Cabins just south of Rockport

Monday might. Moody's is sort of a "Field of

Dreams story" without baseball. The family build

3 cabins just off US Route 1 in 1927. They had\

no heat and no running water and rented for a

dollar a night! 600 people took advantage of those

cabins that first year. So, the next year, a few more

cabins were added. Then a breakfast restaurant and

a fiid wagon to get travlers to stop. That's when the

State decided to move Route 1. Rather than give up

the owner, build an access road from the cabins to

the new highway and moved his restrauant operations

there. Now the place served about 1500 people a day!

The cabins, meanwhile, are still filled most every

night in season! If you're traveling along U.S. Route

1 south of Rockland, Maine you'll ant to eat at Moody's

and, if a stop is on your agenda, sign up for a night in

one of Moody's cabins! Hope you do and that all your

NEWS is good!

A DAY LATE!

    TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20-21, 2021

                        A DAY LATE!

   Bet you thought I ran out on you! Nope!

My wife and I are on a road trip. We were

in VT. but the Wifi didn't work so my blog 

just say there in my camera and computer!

We decided to take you along, by way of the

blog but, in all fairness, it's much better offered

as my video. Our first stop was at Joe's Pond,

a stop we first visited when we were first

married 52 years ago. No Hilton, as the lack

of Wifi proves. Just some basic cabins like

you might have seen nearly anywhere when

Motels first appeared in the country. Just a room, a 

bed, table, TV, small kitchen, and a bathroom, But

there's also a porch that over looks Joe's Pond.

A thing of beauty to behold first thing in the

morning! You see a place doesn't have to

offer the latest in evertything to offer the

beauty we found here. Hope you'll visit

someday, that you;re well, and that all your

NEWS is good! 

THE PLANT IN YOUR WINDOW!

       SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

     THE PLANT IN YOUR WINDOW!

    This is appreciate your indoor plant week!

You expect to find plants growing outside, but

many people, my wife included, have a collection

of plants that are growing inside year round. I

can't name any of the ones in our house although

I brush up against several of them on a regular

basis. I know they require attention. I see my wife

making her rounds with some sort of watering

can a couple time a week. She tells me that some

of them are eatable as dressings on pizza. I just

prefer to have the pizza. Anyhow, appreciate your

plans this week and your wife, on this Sepetember

19th which is aAppreciate Your Wife Day. Hope you

do and that all your NEWS is good!

WHEN THE RIVER ALMOST BURNED!

  SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

WHEN THE RIVER ALMOST BURNED!

   The Federal Government has taken the

Butler Tunnel off of the Superfund Site

List! For those who might not remember

the tunnel made the headlines back in the

1970's when toxic wastes, illegally dumped

at an area truck stop, found their way into

underground mines that drained, through the

Butler tunnel, into the Susquehanna River.

As bad as it was, for years, it could haave

been a lot worse! A local reporter who saw

the oil floating on the river decided to see

if it would burn and tossed a match into the

water! Fortunately it didn't burn! If it had

a toxic spill would have been futher complicated

by a burning river. Now that the tunnel shows no

signs of draining any more toxic wastes it has

been removed from the Superfund list. The

river is a little cleaner and a lot safer! Hope you;re

well and that all your NEWS, like that from the

Susquehanna, is good! 

ANOTHER ORBIT IN THE BOOKS!

       FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

   ANOTHER ORBIT IN THE BOOKS!

          A funny thing just happened to me!

I got a year older!
       On September 17th., 1942 I
showed up at my home on James Street
in Hazleton. No hospital for me. I was
born healthy and didn't need one.
       But now I find myself asking the
same question I hear from so many
other people. "Where did the time go?
       According to my calculations I

have now been around for 28,855 days

including 20 leap year days, which

equals 948 months!
Of course given an average of 6 to 8
hours of sleep per day, I've actually
missed a lot of that time! Maybe I
should have stayed awake more!
A lot of my teachers used to say that.
        Still, I have enjoyed many of
those days. Especially the ones that
came on weekends or vacation!
         I actually remember a few
of those 28,855 days. And there are
a few I'm happy to forget.
         Still, I've been blessed with a
wonderful family and a lot of very
good friends so it would seem the
bulk of those days haven't been
wasted.
         Hope I get a few more and
that all your NEWS is good!

       

WHAT DAY IS IT ANYWAY?

    WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

         WHAT DAY IS IT ANYWAY?

  I'm writing this blog for September 15th. At

least I think its September 15th. I'm not really

sure. You may remember my essay on September

1st in which I told you about the switch, in 1752,

from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. When

that happened 11 days were simply dropped from

September. Now I'm wondering if our calendars

are being redone again?! Last weekend West

Pittston held its annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

But Cherry Blossoms usually show up in May,

not September! This weekend Scranto will host

its annual Saint Patrick's Parade. But that normally

comes around in March near Saint Patrick's Day!

And now I'm getting worried! I've hot a Birthday

scheduled in just a couple days and I'm counting

on those presents and cake! I hope it's still scheduled,

that you're well, and that all your NEWS is good!

MY WALK!

   TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER14, 2021

                   MY WALK!

   I've been walking a lot lately and I thought

some of you might appreciate some of my

walking tips.  It's important to pick a good

place for your walk. I use a local park with

a 1/5 mile, paved track that surrounds baseball

and scoccer fields. There are often other workers

and occassionally some teams using those fields

for practice sessions. There are "facilities" too.

Just a Job Johnny but very handy should your

need one! I strongly reccomend a portable radio.

Might has brought me closer to God. You see I

like to listen to talk but the local talk stations I

receive are so one sided politically that I've found

myself turning to a couple area religious stations.

Unfortunately at least one of them also broadcasts

news with a definate slant along political lines.

I use a walking stick. It helps me maintain balance

as I go round and round and can be used to ward 

off evil spirits and dogs that seem to go after

walkers and runners. I had a real fancy stick one

time. But it didn't part the water when I pointed it

there so I've put  it away for the time being in

favor of a hiking stick. Now...if I could only

remember how many times I've gone around! Hope

you're well and that all your NEWS is good! 

BUT WEIGHT!

   MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

                 BUT WEIGHT!

   I've been losing weight for the past

6 months. That's good right? Well, yes,

for the most part. But the effort has involved

walking everyday and a lot of "no thank

you" to offers of swets and second helpings.

Now I face what may be the toughest part

of the battle. My wife decided it was time

to get a new wardrobe. That means visits

to clothing sales places and time spent in

those tiny changing rooms when you've

got to take off what you're wearing to try

on things like slacks and shorts she's seen

and "thinks might fit." There there's the

cleaning of my closet! I was summoned

to the bedroom the other day where I found

a pile of jackets and slacks on the bed which

I was to try on to see if they still fit! Many

now wrap around me nearly twice but my

suggestion that she :might take them in" only

resulted in an eyebrow raised stare and a rather

loud "No!" "But what if I put on weight again

someday and need them" I asked. This time

just the raised eyebrows. Oh well, I feel good

and like most of what she's picke out for me

so far. I just never expected my efforts to cause

this much trouble! Had I know I might have

just eater more! Hope you're well and that all

your NEWS is good!

 

A GAME PLAN!

   SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

                 A GAME PLAN!   

    OK fans! It's September 12th, It's Game

Day. Don't worry about not being allowed 

in the stands. In fact you you don't even 

have to get out of your chair. You see it's

"National Video Game Day!"  I guess you

could say it started back in 1958 with a 

simple table tennis video game called

"Pong."  Since then there has been a wave

of various games like Nintendo, Atari, and

lots of variations of the XBox.

   There are two schools of thought about

video games. One suggests they promote

one's mental agility and sharpens the

reflexes.  The other suggests video games

have taken kids away from the outside world

of fresh air and creative play.

      I always favored  running around outdoors.

Of course, that;s when I could actually run!

      Hope you enjoy what evre you're playing

and that all your NEWS is good.       

    

NO NEWS,,IS NO GOOD!

    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

          NO NEWS..IS NO GOOD!

    Since I nbegan this blog some 11 years

ago it's been titled "No News Is.." which is

based an the old saying :No news is good

news." Ironically somebody designated

September 11th as "No News Is Good News

Day!" Amazing that the date now happens

to mark one of the biggest news stories ever

here in the United States. What would millions

of Americans have thought or done had there

not been the wall to wall news coverage that

followed the terriorist attacks on the United

States? There were other September 11ths

that also warranted news attention through

the years. Here's just a few examples.  September

11th 1609. Henry Hudson discovers the island

of Manhattan! September 11th, 1780. British

loyalists and indians attack a contingent of

American malitia near Little Nescopeck

Creek outside of what is now the city of

Hazleton. The resulting battle became known

as the Suragloaf Massacre! September 11th,

1941. Construction works begins on a new

government building in Washington,D.C.

It is to be called the Pentagon! These

historical events deserve to be remembered,

No news really isn't good. It's ignorance!

When there blackl smoke pouring from a

building not far from your home you probably

want to know what happened. The news, papers.

radio, and tv, will likely be able to tell you!

Hope you're well and that all YOUR NEWS,

is good!

THE DAY THE MINERS DIED.

    FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

    THE DAY THE MINERS DIED!

   The coal mines of northeastern Pennsylvania

clained thousands of lives during the heyday

of "King Coal!" But the 19 miners who died

on this day in 1897 weren't killed in a mining

accident. They were shot down by sheriff's

deputies in the small town of Lattimer, just

outside of Hazleton. Many of their fellow

miners were wounded in an even that has come aa

the Lattimer Massacre! Miners throughout the

area had been on strike for better pay and working

conditions. A large group of them were marching

to a mine in Lattimer in an attempt to get miners

there to join their strike.  Sheriff's deputies order

the men to disperse but they marched on and

the deputies opened fire. Most of the victims had

started to run away and were shot in the back!

Outrage over the shootings fuled efforts

to get other miners to join the United Mine

Worker's Union and eventually led to higher

pay and improved working conditions. It

happened on this day in 1897.  An area

event that should be remembered! Hope you do

and that all your NEWS is good!

 

REMEMBEFR MOUNT EMILY!!!

   THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

     REMEMBER MOUNT EMILY!!!

   We're goin to be doing a lot of remembering

this week as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 comes

around. Just as we remembered Pearl Harbor at

the beginning of World War II. But I wonder

how many people remember Mounty Emily?

It was on this day, September 9th of 1942, that

a Japanese submarine surfaced off the coast of

Oregon (near Brookings), opened a watertight

hanger on its deck, and launched a seaplane

piloted by Nubuo Fujita. The pilot dropped

two incendiary bpmbs in an attempt to start

a major forest fire that would tie up American

forces. Ine smakk fire was quickly spotted and

extinguished, It was the second place on the

continental United States to be bombed by

enemy aircraft ar Dutch Harbor in Alaska had

been attacked three months earlier.  After the

war Fujita was invited to visit Brookings. He

feared the possibility of being charged with

war crimes and brought his ceremonial sword

along with a though of taking is own life! Instead

he was welcomed as a friend and he presented

thye sword to the community. He made several

more visits and sponsored a tour of several

students from Brookings in Japan. The site

where the first bomb fell is marked as a National

Historical site. The second bomb's impact site was

never found. So, on this September 9th lets

remember Mount Emily! Hope you do, that you're

well, and that all your NEWS is good.

STICK AROUND!

    TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. 2021

                  STICK AROUND!

     We've all heard that old saying "Necessity

is the mother of invention." And necessity may

have prompted Richard Drew to come up with

the product he introduced on this day in 1915.

Richard was working with the 3M company,

testing a new sand paper at an auto body shop.

The workers were having a tough time separating

paints on a two tone car and that got him to

thinking and experimenting. He came up with a

masking tape that allowed the workers to safely

"seal off" the parts that weren't to be painted from

the parts that were. And that lead him to the invention

he unveiled on September 8th of 1915. It was a clear

adhehesive initialld called Cellulose tape. You probably

know it better today as "Scotch Tape!" Drew's invention

has saved me many a time! Hope it's helped you too and

that all your NEWS is good.

A REAL DOLL!

     TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

                 A REAL DOLL!

   Today we're saluting a real doll! A

real American doll. Maybe not like

the beauties you see on the silver screen

and certainly no Barbie. But she's already

outlasted most of them and today is her

Birthday. It was on September 7th ., of

1915 that artist/writer Johnny Gruelle

patened the Raggedy Ann doll! As the

story goes his daughter found an old

rag faceless doll in her grandmother's

attic. Gruelle painted it's face and the

grandmother sewed a button on for a

missibg eye! Her  name came from

portions of two James Whitcomb poems, 

"The Raggedy Man" and "Little Oephand

Annie." So a very Happy Birthday to

Raggedy Ann! Hope all your NEWS is

good!

' 

THE LABOR BEHIND THIS DAY!

   MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2021

  THE LABOR BEHIND THIS DAY!

   This is Labor Day, first celebrated in 1882

when thousands of union workers in New

York City staged their own parade to honor

the working man and woman. The idea caught

on with local unions across the country who

began to hold their own parades and celebrations/

It became a Federal holiday in 1892. It's ceelebrated

in many other countries under various names. Canada

shares the name and date with the United States. It

recognizes the efforts of organized labor to improve

working conditions. Efforts that led to the 8 hour day

and 5 day week, In some ways, of course, it can be

a sort of sad day as Labor Day is considered by many

to be the unofficial end to summer. And that's not all!

It is also the unofficial end to the Hot Dog Season!

You see between Memorial Day and Labor Day

Americans consume as estimaed 7 Billion hot dogs!

Then, sales fall off drastically! So throw an extra

dog on the grill today to celebrate labor and extend

the season! Hope you're not working today, that you're

well, and that all your NEWS is good.

WILLIAM PENN'S TRIAL!

     SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2021

        WILLIAM PENN;'S TRIAL!

    What's that!? The guy who founded

Pennsylvania put on trial!? Yep! And the

outcome of that trial has had a lasting

effect on many of us! You see back in 1670

in merry old England Wiliam Penn and

William Meade were placed under arrest

for preaching to several hundred quakers.

They were charged with disturbing the peace,

disorderl y conduct, and "riot!" A jury found

them guilty of only onr of the charges. But the

court wasn't happy with that result so it ordred

the jurrors to deliberate again. They did. And,  

this time, they found Penn and Meade not guilty

of all the charges! The court was so angry it jailed

the jurrors! They sued and won, resulting in the

principal that jurrors are the sole deciders on the

question of guilt or innocence and cannot be

punished for the decision they make! Pretty

important principal! Hope you agree and that

all your NEWS is good!

TAILGATING!

    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

                  TAILGATING!

    Wait! This has nothing to do with

how close you;re driving to the dar in

front of you! This "tailgating" is a custom

that began in Green Bay in the early 1900's

when Packet football fans started showing

up a games in their vans and pickup trucks

to picnic outside the stadium before, during

and after games. Those was born, National

Tailgating Day which is always held the first

Saturday in September. In my video blog I

told husbands how to tell their wives what to

gather, pepare, and pack for the truck or van

so he could then snack and enjoy the game.'

I ended with a shot of my empty tailgate and

suggested I should you preface that list with

a sincere "please!" I suggest yoyu look at my

video version for a good laugh! Hope you do 

and that all your NEWS is good.

CHANGING LANES!

    FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

           CHANGING LANES!

     I think we can all agree. Change isn't

 always easy! That's why what happened

in Sweden on this day in 1967 was pretty

amazing! That was the day the country

ordered drives to switch from driving on

the left side of the road to driving on the

right side! The change was made, for the

most part, because Sweden's two neighboring

border countries, Norway and Finland, both

drove used the right side of their highways.

Often, head on collissions resulted from

motorists driving from or to Sweden! It

wasn't an overnight change. Sweden took 4

years of education before that September

3rd switch. Still, on the first day, and for a

few days afterwards, the change resulted in

a lot of confusion and a few fender benders

as well. Well, it's history now. Drivers in

Sweden are now accustomed to driving on

the right hand side of the road just like us. And,

just like us, the accident rates continue to

climb! Hope you're driving safely and that

all your NEWS is good! 

TIME FLIES!

   THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

                     TIME FLIES!

     Thet are expressions we use and hear

all the time. "Where did the time go? Time

really seems to fly by." And "The older we

get the quicker time seems to go by." But

if you think time is flying by now you should

have been around on this day in 1752! That

is the day Britian and all of its colonies,

including what is now the United States,

switched from the Julian to the Gregorian

calendar! When that change was made they

simply eliminated 11 days! So people literally

went from Wednesday, September 2nd to

Thursday, September 14th!!! The change

sparked riots in some places where people

complained the government had stolen 11

days of their life. As a senior citizen I tend

to agree. I may need those extra 11 days

sometime so I'm hoping I'll have access to

them when my time comes! Hope you're

well, have 11 days coming to you, and that

all your NEWS is good!