PLAY DAY!

   FRIDAY, JULY 15TH., 2016
            PLAY DAY!

     My wife and I and teenaged
grand daughter took our two
youngest grand kids to the
playground yesterday. This
three to two ratio gives us
"older kids" a fighting chance
to catch up with the younger
ones.
     Playgrounds have changed
a lot since I used to visit them
as a kid. Back then when you
fell down you knew it and
usually took evidence in the
form of scrapped knees or
torn jeans home with you.
      These days you either
brush off the soft wooded
chips on bounce off the
rubberized surface!
      The sliding boards are
essentially the same as they
used to be. Except modern
plastics have done away with
the splinters that we used to get
on the old wooden ones.
     In fact most everything in
today's playgrounds is made of
some sort of hard plastic
designed to stand the test of
time and most of the abuse
the kids can hand out.
     It's good to see other folks
out there with their kids and
grandkids too. Far better than
seeing those kids sit around with
headphones or Smartphones!
     It's fun to see the little ones
comedown the slide then try to
climb back up the way they
just came down! Some things
never change!
      Now if only we can keep
up with them!
       Hope we can and that all
your NEWS is good!

A COLORFUL BIRTHDAY!

       THURSDAY, JULY 14TH., 2016
          A COLORFUL BIRTHDAY!

      Our first born grand daughter turned
15 this week!
      While some teenagers tend to shy
away from family events this young
lady embraces them and often prompts
the ideas for such gatherings.
       Thus it was she decided her Birthday
party should be built around a tie-dying
project.
       So, before the cake was cut and the
candles extinguished, family and friends
found themselves standing around an
outside table wearing aprons and
preparing to soak rubber band bound T
Shirts with dyes of all colors.
        I was somewhat amazed by all
the planning and materials since I have
been know to stain many of my shirts
with various colors (mainly food
related) on a regular basis without
any of those accessories!
        Additionally, you can see my
stains immediately and, sometimes
for weeks if my wife doesn't see them
first.
        You have to wait to see the tie-
dye results so there's a bit of the
unknown involved here. I usually
know how my colors turn out
depending on whether I've consumed
spaghetti or just plain grease from a
hamburger.
         In any case my grand daughter's
plan seems to have worked out well.
My wife sported her Tie-Die T-shirt
last evening and I must admit it looks
a lot better than my sport short with
the mustard spot!
         Hope I remember to use a
napkin next time and that all your
NEWS is good!

HOURRA POUR FRITES FENCH!

    WEDNESDAY, JULY 13TH., 2016
    HOURRA POUR FRITES FENCH!

      I thought it appropriate to write
today's headline in French since, on
July 13th., we celebrate "National
French Fries Day!"
      Of course this celebration has
me a bit confused. If they're "French
fries" should this not be an international
observance?
      There there's the question as to
whether or not they are "French." Some
claim that fries originated in Belgium!
Some people believe that the term "French"
was introduced when British and American
soldiers arrived in Belgium during World
War I, and consequently tasted Belgian fries.
They supposedly called them "French", as
it was the local language.
       Adding to the confusion, I had some
served when I ordered Fish & Chips which,
as we all know, is basically an English dish!
       But I'm the last person to take sides on
this issue. For years I believed French
fries were invented by McDonalds!
       Where ever they came from I have
been a strong supporter of these fried
potato sticks for many years and I fully
intend to celebrate by enjoying some
today!
        Hope they're salted enough and
that all your NEWS is good!

THE POSTMAN STRIKES AGAIN!

    TUESDAY, JULY 12TH., 2016
THE POSTMAN STRIKES AGAIN!

     Regular readers may remember
my recent post about the Priority
Mail package I sent to a friend in
Binghamton, New York.
     Tracking showed my mail
going from Pittston, to Buffalo
New York, then off to Grand
Rapids, Michigan before eventually
making it's way to my friend's
home.
      Well I either have too much
faith in people or I'm a very slow
learner.
      On Friday I mailed another
Priority Mail package to a friend
in Cape May County, New Jersey.
I was very pleased to see the
expected delivery was listed as
the very next day! That's pretty
good service....if it works.
      Again, I tracked my
package and noted it had arrived
in Philadelphia the evening I
sent it out. Given that Philly is
within two hours of Cape May
County New Jersey that one
day delivery seemed pretty
reasonable.
       That's why I was more than
just a bit surprised when I
checked again Saturday morning
and saw that my package had
gone from Philadelphia to
Mesquite, Texas!
         Now I will admit I have
no idea exactly where Mesquite
Texas is. But I'm pretty sure it's
nowhere near anyplace in New
Jersey!
        I wonder if Postal officials
have considered bringing back
the Pony Express. I suspect it
might have been a lot more
dependable than Priority Mail!
       Hope my buddy gets his
package eventually...and that
all your NEWS is good!

GETTING CROWDED?

   MONDAY, JULY 11TH., 2016
       GETTING CROWDED?

      Getting a little claustrophobic?
Feel like you need more elbow
room? Well don't be surprised.
       This is World Population
Day and according to the people
who keep track of things, you're
now sharing the planet with well
over 7 Billion people!
        World Population Day is an
opportunity to celebrate our common
humanity and our diversity. It is also
a reminder of our shared responsibility
to care for each other. In view of
contemporary headlines this could
be a very important celebration!
        My wife and I did our part to
help get the world to this impressive
figure. Coincidentally our daughter
Melissa celebrates her birthday on
this day. She made 7/11 special
for us back in 1973. She's one of
three we added to the count and all
of them have now contributed as well.
        Hope a lot of people note
the meaning of this day and that
all your NEWS is good!
         

BUYING TIME!

    SUNDAY, JULY 10TH., 2016
             BUYING TIME!

       My wife and I had a yen to get
back on the road Saturday. A light
breeze provided some of nature's
air conditioning so we put the top
down in the Miata and started out.
        Dark clouds filled the sky to
our north. So we headed south
with no particular destination in
mind. We passed several of those
neighborhood Yard Sales. But my
wife rejected my invitations to stop
and shop so we continued on.
         We were on Route 11, still
southbound, when my wife
wondered whether our favorite
orchard, Heller's in Wapwallopen,
might have peaches for sale. We
headed that way to find out.
        Sure enough we found
peaches for sale when we arrived.
But we also found another Yard
Sale, right there at the Produce
stand!
        I spotted the sewing machine
pretty quickly but didn't say a
word. My wife noticed it a couple
minutes later. A good looking machine
that had been used very little as its
owner quickly gave up the desire to
sew.
       The price seemed very reasonable
but, though my wife showed some
interest, she said "no" to my offer to
buy it.
       We know the owners of the
orchard and spent some time visiting
them before heading back on the
road. Once again I offered to buy
the sewing machine. Once again
my wife, reluctantly I believe,
declined.
        As we headed out we found
a distraught gentleman standing
outside his locked pickup truck,
the motor still running. We
offered our cellphone (he had
OnStar, but it was in the truck
along with his keys) but I had no
service. We went back to the
store and asked the owner to
call for assistance. The driver
tried the old coat hanger trick.
But it didn't work. He eventually
used the store phone to call his
wife so he could get his second
sent of keys delivered, hopefully
before he ran out of gas.
     After some time and realizing
we could be of no further help we
started out again.
      That's when the owner of the
sewing machine shouted out another
reduced price. We had bought just
enough time...to buy the machine!
      Every drive is a new adventure!
      Hope the guy got in his truck,
that the stitches sew straight, and
that all your NEWS is good!

         

LOVE AT FIRST BITE!

    SATURDAY, JULY 9TH., 2016
         LOVE AT FIRST BITE!

     One of the great things about
watching my newest grandson
approach his first full year is
watching him discover things
for the first time.
     On Friday, for instance, he
joined his sister, cousin, dad,
and me at Claws & Paws, a
wild animal farm in the
Poconos.
      It's the first time he's seen
lions, and tigers, and bears
(oh my). I watched as he
watched, generally expressionless.
He just sort of took them in,
perhaps wondering why he
couldn't pet them like his trusty
dog back at home.
      He was, perhaps, most
impressed by the screeching
of the exotic birds that cut
through the air. But even then
he just sort of stared at them
wondering what all the noise
was all about!
     Then came Kundla's!
It's a bar-b-q rib grill in
Hamlin that has become a
regular stop for our family
whenever we're in that area.
     We each got an order of
Pork ribs and my son
introduced his son to the
taste we've all come to love!
      Maybe he was just
starved. But my grandson's
face immediately displayed
Love at First Bite! I think
he'll be a regular!
      Hope he saves some
for me and that all your
NEWS is good!