SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT!

  MONDAY, DECEMBER 21ST.

    SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT 

         Welcome to December 21st.
   The  Winter Solstice, which is the
   shortest day...and longest night....
   of the year.
          How appropriate that this is
   also National Flashlight Day! None
   of us wants to be left in the dark
   so a trusty flashlight can provide a
   bright spot on this mostly dark day!
          We've got a couple of
   flashlights sitting around our house.
   Two or three of them actually work,
   At least they did last time we tried
   them. But it's not enough to have
   a flashlight. You've also got to
   have good batteries.
         One of my Flashlights claims
   something like a million candle
   power. But its rechargeable battery
   doesn't recharge very well these
  days so, if I'm lucky, I may get about
  10 seconds of light from the unit.
         We also have one of those
   flashlights that you shake back and
   forth to create and store an electrical
   charge to make it light up. Problem
   is by the time you've built up a
   usable charge your arm may require
   Tommy John surgery!
          Ironically the smallest of our
    flashlights, the one with led lights,
    is the most dependable. And it
    doesn't take those huge "D"
    batteries to make it work.
           Most of us have flashlights
    of one sort or another and we've
    probably all had at least one
    experience in which we've been
    really glad to have one nearby.
            You can thank Joshua
    Lionel Cowen for that. He's the
    guy who invented the flashlight
    way back in 1898! He probably
    needed some extra light to work
    on his other invention.....the Lionel
    Electric Train!
            Hope you see you way through
    the day and that all your NEWS is
    good!

BREAKING BREAD.....AND BOARDS!

       SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19TH.

  BREAKING BREAD, AND BOARDS!

       Yesterday was a day filled with
 parties and celebrations. It began with
 two of my grandkids and a breakfast visit
 Santa! Later we joined family and fiends
 at a combination Christmas party and
 celebration of my son's birthday.
      A lot of things can happen when
 people are at parties, And they did at
 our last get together of the day.
      We saw people attacking other
 people with knives, and guns, swords,
 and sticks! We saw people being
 socked and slammed to the floor!
       You probably thought the party
 was in Hazleton or near Sherman
 Hills in Wilkes-Barre. NOT!
        We joined several hundred people
 at the annual Huntzinger Karate
  Christmas Party!
         Students are awarded for their
 progress at the party. But they also
 put on a vey vivid demonstration of 
 the self defense skills they've been
 learning during their years of
 training.
         And they all enjoy breaking
 boards as pat of their performance.
 I can relate to that. I broke a board
 myself one time although, in my case,
 it was accidental!
        These young men and women
 work hard, physically and academically,
 to attain their rank and rewards! And
 among other things they learn and
 practice respect! A little more of that
 would go a long way to stopping the
 problems we've seen in those other
 places I've mentioned!
        Hope somebody can use all
 that firewood...and that all your NEWS
 is good!

 

EARLY PRESENTS!

     SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19TH.

            EARLY PRESENTS!

     Most of us enjoy the anticipation of
seeing that gift under the tree, appreciating
the colorful wrapping, and waiting for the
moment we can open it up to see what's
inside!
     Some folks, of course, do their best to
sneak a peak before the big day. And
sometimes it's just logical to present the
gift as soon as it arrives.
      That was the case this year when a
new all weather cover for my Miata
topped my wish list. The old one was
deteriorating at an alarming rate so the
new one was opened and pressed into
service as soon as the package arrived.
       There was another Christmas when
our package arrived early. But back then
we had to wait to see exactly what it was.
It was 1976 and my wife was expecting
our third child. Turns out the delivery
would come on December 19th. Both
UPS and the Postal Service made
deliveries back then. But we decided
to use our Doctor and a Hospital.
       Now back then we didn't have
"Revel Parties" and Ultra Sound, for the
most part, was used to make sure the
baby's heart would be healthy.
       So it wasn't until he actually showed
up that we knew we had a Son! Fortunately
we hadn't invested in more dresses (we
already had two daughters) or painted
the Nursery pink!
       D.J. came into the world at some
10lb, 10oz which may have lead to my
wife's announcement that he would be
our last.
      So while some of you celebrate
"Find An Evergreen Day" or "Oatmeal
Muffin Day," we are celebrating my
son's Birthday! The best early Christmas
present we ever received! 
      Hope his day is great and that all his,
and your, NEWS is good!


     
      

SWEATER WEATHER?

  FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18TH.

     SWEATER WEATHER?

      According to the weather
forecast it's suppose to get a little
cooler today. And that might
provide just the excuse you need.
You see December 18th is National
Ugly Christmas Sweater Day!
      This day is about proudly sporting
your favorite ugly Christmas sweater
for the entire day whether you're going
to school, to work, shopping or
anywhere else. You may want to give
it a second thought, however, if you're
headed for a job interview!
       Most of you probably have a
sweater that fits the bill. Probably,
like Ralphie's Bunny pajamas, a gift
from an aunt you seldom see. Of
course "ugly" like "beauty" is in
the eyes of the beholder so you can
wear your worse and let others decide
for themselves. A lot may also
depend on who's wearing the
sweater!
       This is another one of those
"National" days for which there is
no legislation supporting the
designation. That's too bad for it seems
so worthy.
        Hope you get away with it and
that all your NEWS is good!

            

A BOX LAUNCH!

   THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17TH.

            A BOX LAUNCH!

       So, what would draw a bunch of
adults and some kids to a church hall
on a Wednesday night nine days before
Christmas? Well, a Box Launch of
course!
        Not a lunch. A launch!
        Volunteers from the New Life
Community Church in Mountaintop
launched a project to pick out toys,
coloring books, and various trinkets to
fill shoe boxes that will become Christmas
presents for some kids who might
otherwise not receive anything on
Christmas morning.
        The church has always supported
Operation Christmas Child which
provides similar boxes to children in
third world nations. But this year
members decided to fill that same
need for kids in a low income area
in Philadelphia. A lot of kids from
that neighborhood have found their
way to northeastern Pennsylvania.
Unfortunately it is as inmates at our
Juvenile Detention Center. The hope
is that this effort will help catch some
youngsters there before they end up
in the legal system.
      Two long tables were covered
with the gifts which were hand
packed by the volunteers into shoe
boxes marked for a young boy or
girl.
      I lent a hand. But I did find it
difficult to pick out toys without
trying them out just a little bit. Those
Hot Wheels cars are really neat. Don't
worry. I did put them in the shoe box!
      In less than two hours some 200
boxes were packed and wrapped and
ready to be delivered on Tuesday
just in time for Christmas.
      Santa never had elves work
faster! Of course most of ours were
a bit taller than his!
      Hope it makes for a brighter
Christmas for some Pennsylvania
kids so that all their NEWS is good!

Looking For Christmas!

    WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16TH.

       LOOKING FOR CHRISTMAS!

     Let's face it. The mild temperatures
around these parts recently have been
great. But they haven't made it seem
much like Christmas.    
     That's why my wife and I and two of
our good friends went looking for a little
Christmas yesterday. We found a lot of it
in the town of Lahaska in Bucks County
Pennsylvania.
    That's where we found Peddler's Village!
It's an historic town with charming colonial
style buildings, gardens, and all kinds of
places for shopping, dining, and lodging.
     And at this time of year it is really
decked out for Christmas!
      Colorful lights cover trees and
buildings while Christmas carols echo
throughout the village.
      There's a gazebo filled with
Gingerbread sculptures hand made by
area students. There are gingerbread
tree houses, a gingerbread train, a
gingerbread stadium and monopoly
board, and lighthouse! They looked
good enough to eat. But I wasn't
allowed to! I may go back when they
close the display!
       We definitely found some Christmas
and I think it's heading our way!
        Hope it comes with Gingerbread
and that all your NEWS is good!

Out Back!

     TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15TH.

              OUT BACK!

       It was almost unbelievable! Mid
December and a lot of people saw the
temperature match the Interstate speed
limit!
      So my wife and I headed outside.
Usually, at this time of the year, we
do so to shovel snow and throw
some rock salt around to cover the
ice. Not this time!
      My wife elected to use her time
out back to string a couple sets of
Christmas lights around some flower
bushes. Ironically there dandelions
popping up on the ground around
her.
      I was pressed into action when
her focus switched to our holiday
lights around the front porch. But
the "force" was with me. None of
the lights worked! We checked the
outlets and the connections. Still
no lights! Since that mission was
abandoned I was off the hook....
at least for the day!
      Still, with good weather like
that I had to figure out something
to do out back. "Out back!?" Yes!
That was the answer......I fired up
the grill and cooked a couple of
steaks!
      Hope that opportunity comes
up a few more times before Spring
and that all your NEWS is good!