Fond Memories

When I was a child my family used to travel from NW Pennsylvania to the Philadelphia area at least once a year to visit family there.  We traveled diagonally across almost the entire commonwealth on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, aka America's First Super Highway. The first section of this toll road (turnpike) was actually opened just nine years before I was born and... eventually it had seven tunnels between my house and my grandmother's.  I found it all rather amazing, but I also remember the tunnels as stinky, dark and sort of scary. I understand at least one reason why people try to hold their breath in tunnels. Anyway -- the tunnels brought together both directions of traffic into a single lane in each direction. Don't know if it is still that way. I do know that several changes have been made over the years.  Anyway -- the phrase "light at the end of the tunnel" has always had special meaning for me.  

As the years passed by though -- cross commonwealth carsickness tempered the excitement of travel.  The only thing that saved me was the sight of an orange roof.  Howard Johnson's.  The best restaurant ever.  The best ice cream ever.  28 flavors!  We would stop for one meal along the way.  For me it was always "Grilled Frankforts and Boston Baked Beans with Brown Bread" which, by the way,  cost under a dollar. (I ran across an old menu on eBay recently so I know this is accurate.) My big sister had more expensive tastes in food -- always preferring to order the "Crispy Fried Chicken dinner for a little over $2.00.  It came with cranberry sauce, French fries and coleslaw.  Makes my mouth water to even remember. My dad used to grumble that the chicken would take a half an hour, but always let her order it anyway.  I think the grumble was part of his "Dad" routine. 

All the Howard Johnson restaurants are gone now.  I think the last one was in Lake George, NY.  It was sold and closed in 2023.  Odd thing -- I used to live about 12 miles from Lake George and I never knew that there was a Howard Johnson restaurant there.  Drat.  However... the  childhood HoJo memories remain.... a favorite meal and an ice cream cone on the way out to eat in the car.  Nice. I will just hang on to those small bits of childhood ....  No harm in that.

The Foul Mouth Club

 The politically far left Democrats are sort of grasping at straws at the moment.  They are not in power, and don't seem to have a way to find their way forward. Floundering might be an appropriate word to describe their behaviors. Dangerous "flounderers".  They are ungracious losers and are blaming everyone but themselves. I feel sorry for all the good Democrats I know -- hard working, honest people who care about their country.  Those currently in power in the Democratic party offer no ideas of how to change or improve anything and have fallen into the weak spot of trying to tear down the opposition instead of building themselves a way to regain some popularity, by actually doing something constructive. If you find yourself disagreeing with me -- name one thing the Democratic party is doing -- one constructive thing. One. You must do this without mentioning the name of anyone currently in power. No bashing, no name-calling ...  no mention of Trump nor any member of his leadership team.  Can you build up your side without tearing down another? Until you are able to do this, some would say that there is no hope for you. Others would say -- time to get over your TDS. The USA above all.

I am watching the middle of the road and leftist Democrats.  An election day is near. It appears that the middle of the roaders have been silenced under threats of penalties/cancelations. As for the Left  -- I have not seen any plans, just complaints, frowns and meanness, not to mention destruction of others' property ... and now, desperate for attention ...  they seem to be thinking that singing, dressing up in costumes, and dancing may help.  It is all painful to watch. So much anger and hostility in their frustration of not getting their own way.  And the destruction and violence are unforgivable. The latest insanity though is the tendency of those leftist extremists and some middle of the roaders to think that maybe swearing will help.  It's not working.  It, too, is pathetic. Seriously -- pathetic.  I am embarrassed for those of the foul mouth club. 

Some people on the right like to make suggestions on how they, the Democratic party now under control of the extreme leftist movement, might help themselves regain some respect and move forward from the depths. Why?  I say if they refuse to give up blaming others and continue to do nothing constructive,  let them flounder until they find their own way out of the holes they have dug.  The search and hard lessons are a positive thing. Let them make their mistakes. Acknowledgement of failure might lead them to some well needed introspection.  That's how I learned many hard lessons, and I know I am not alone in this process.  Why should they be any different?   Besides ... while they are floundering, others can put the country back together and advance into a positive future.  Actually ... it seems to me that is the part, the success part, that the foul mouth club hates the most.  Go ahead.  Swear all you want.  You  need to know, though, it's not a good look and ... It's not going to help. Meanwhile those you hate are trying to make the entire world a better, safer place for all. 

News Flash

Is it accurate to say that all the major news networks are located in New York City? If there is one that is not, I can't think of it.  Anyway ... I was listening to a news broadcast out of New York City recently and the news guy kept using the phrase -- Everyone knows... Have you noticed how opinionated the "news" has become? (I bet you have.)  Well news to him...  not everyone knows.  Maybe, just maybe... he doesn't know. Maybe he lives in a bubble that sometimes doesn't come near the real world .. at least not my real world.  I emailed him to suggest as much and did not receive a reply.  Imagine that...

Now -- related to this NYC frame of mind and self-centeredness ... according to Wikipedia, Upstate New York is all of New York state that lies north and northwest of the metropolitan area of New York City. So that means that part of the utmost bottom of a huge state, that is a mere 6 miles from where I live in NW Pennsylvania, is considered Upper New York State.  Totally illogical to me. I think of Upper NY as where I used to live just a few miles from the Vermont border. Bet someone from NYC thought up the Upper thing.  Talk about being self-impressed.  Talk about minimalizing an entire state by lumping all of it together in a term that just means it's not New York City.  Hmmm...  No wonder most of the TV news networks think and talk like New York is the center of the universe. They think it is.  I've got news, folks ... for the news folks ... it's not. In fact -- news broadcasters are trained to talk like we do here in this little pocket of Pennsylvania.  Also in fact -- people are apparently leaving the Big Apple in droves and I totally get it. I am thinking that many of the people who work for all the networks would leave if they could. Once in a while a viewer gets a glimpse of that.  Personally, I wouldn't go to New York City again for any reason -- way too peopley for me and apparently it smells worse than ever. Plus, from what I hear and see on those very same news networks,  not only is it dirty, crowded, and noisy..., it is also VERY DANGEROUS.  Let's face it -- I am a rural person. I cherish clean, relative safety, & peace ... among other nice things. I like not rushing around every minute, being the only one at the traffic light, no crowds and ... smiling at and making eye contact with people just because I think it's a positive human "thing" to acknowledge others. It's good for both sides of the exchange. People in big cities, tend to look at their feet or vaguely off into the distance.  Ever notice that?  Sad.

Having said that -- it is important to remind New Yorkers, on TV and perhaps beyond that, that just because I don't live in NYC, it doesn't mean that I am less than they are.  In fact -- I think, probably, that I am in way better shape than they are in many ways. I have at times thought that if I were dropped off in a city and had to find my way that it would not be a problem.  In fact that sort of happened to me one time in New York City when I was 17.  I survived beautifully.  On the other hand, if a city slicker were dropped off ... say ... in my back pasture,  I am thinking they would be begging for help at my back door in no time -- especially if the neighborhood bear made an appearance.  Actually one harmless ground hog, deer, wild turkey, a murder of gliding crows, or the occasional cayote or fox might do the trick as well and send them running to civilization such as it is here.  And then -- there are the swooping eagles ... or the sounds of a hunting season. Yes, a lot of unknowns for them ...  So many things ... like tall grass or the occasional pine cone on the ground,  untrimmed trees,  pickup trucks in massive quantities, functional clothing, etc.  -- all perhaps foreign to the die hard city dweller. I know for a fact that some of them have never seen a dairy cow or even touched a horse.  Imagine never hearing the sounds of a goat. What a sad way to go through life... in my opinion.

Further...The air I breathe is cleaner. I can afford food or even grow some of it and put it up for the winter.  Further -- housing is also way cheaper and comes with way more square footage. I hear birds singing every day. My family is safe and I don't have to rely on scary public transportation.  Oh and there is the fact that I don't have to worry about a Democratic Socialist, with impractical and big government control ideas, winning a mayoral race. It's a whole different world out here in the wilderness.  People are more in charge and tend to respect others (many of them even know their neighbors).  Also important to mention is the tendency here to respect the environment as well. I have not seen anyone poop on the street or even litter in ... well ... ever.  And to think they think we model ourselves after them.  News Flash!  We don't. We sort of watch and wonder -- how they could be letting this happen to themselves? Are they stupid? Maybe we can blame it on air pollution?  They even think that a 6" dusting of snow is a blizzard.  Like I said -- stupid... or perhaps self-centered narrowminded ignorance?

Ever wonder what would happen if just one of the major "news" networks would move out of the New York bubble?  That would be interesting for sure. Wonder if that will ever happen?  I doubt it.  Maybe there is something in the old phrase "Misery loves company".   One thing for sure... I don't want them to move here. They might bring some of their city slicker mentality with them.  Get enough of that just watching them on TV. Plus their shoes look very uncomfortable and impractical, and... I particularly dislike tight, sleeveless or off the shoulder dresses that look like they belong at a cocktail party rather than a newsroom.  Just sayin'. ( I sent an email about those dresses one time and didn't hear back on that either.  Surprise... surprise....  I guess I just got written off as a dumb hillbilly.  I sort of love that, actually.  Go ahead  -- underestimate me.  I am in good company. I even know how to do survival stuff.)

So Close

Whether you call it an end to war, diplomatic efforts, or a ceasefire, peace agreement, a treaty here and there, or an economic normalization agreement, we are getting closer to world peace... So close...

1. Egypt and Ethiopia
2. Serbia and Kosovo
3. Armenia and Azerbaijan
4. Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda
5. Iran and Israel
6. India and Pakistan
7. Cambodia and Thailand
8. Israel and Hamas

What do these situations have in common?  A world sick of deadly, destructive turmoil, the Team of Donald J. Trump and ... the man himself ... US President, Donald J. Trump.  Let us pray now for peace between Ukraine and Russia. I am thinking that, deep down, they want peace as well.  There needs to be an end to the killing and devastation all across the world.     Global Peace   Imagine that for a moment.

~~~~

Am watching the release of the hostages in Gaza as I type...

Can't help but think of this song -- a global anthem for peace that will probably play in your head for a while -- at least if you are anything like me who starts singing in my head after the first six words.

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me;

let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. 

With God our creator, children all are we.

Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.

With every step I take, may this be my solemn vow:

To Take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. 

                                                                (Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller 1955) 

 (Are Ukraine and Russia on the horizon? May they build on success.)

Thanks for listening....

I understand errors.  I make them all the time. I am quite good at it. What I do not understand is why I don't always trust my gut when making decisions.  About a year ago now I purchased a new washer and dryer.  At the time I was tempted to go with another brand that I had never purchased before, but allowed myself to fall back into a comfort zone and purchased a familiar brand instead.  Big mistake. They don't make them like they used to. I tell my kids and grandkids to always trust their gut! Apparently I do not follow my own advice.

This is the issue as I see it .... What is up with new appliances? They are way too techy techy.  They think they should be able to tell you how to do your laundry, but ... they are wrong.  I get to decide how much water I want my clothes to slosh around in, and if I change my mind for any reason, I should be able to change the settling  -- even after I hit Start.   It seems like nothing can be changed … not one single setting …. Once you click Start, everything is set it stone – no going back. 

Sometimes the machine even locks you out. I particularly hate that.  You find a dirty sock on the floor between the bedroom and the laundry room and go to throw it into the washer and it won't let you open the lid for even a nanosecond.  It seems that if you want to change something, like water level or temperature, you have to attempt to start over --  wave your hands in the air, speak softly, make clicking sounds with your tongue and turn around three times before you hit Start again and then when that doesn’t work… you try something else until something finally does. One must never let the machine win. Never.  I don’t want to go as far back as a ringer washer or washing clothes down by the creek,  but seriously – something without stupid sensors would be nice. I mean I am smarter than they are and I still cannot figure out how to use many of the features of my phone -- this after several years of carrying it around with me. Duh!

One last thing.  It also annoys me that the buzzer on my "new" dryer doesn’t work any more, so I never know when my clothes are dry – have to set an alarm on my watch so I can get them before the wrinkles set in. (I have come to the point where I no longer/very rarely iron.) Wonder if I can YouTube how to fix that buzzer problem? Is YouTube a verb? Did I already try to do that? I am thinking I did and the wires looked scary, so I gave up the idea.  Will check again.

Old fashioned or just plain old? Could be both.  I long for simpler times and simpler appliances. I don't want a smart TV or a smart car  either.  Even my Jeep is too smart for its britches. They think they are so smart.  They are not.   Further -- I am sometimes not as smart as I think I am either. It's a frustrating spiral. The purchase of these appliances is a case in point.

Thanks for listening....

Crazy Crow Lady

Does anyone else find it odd that a group of crows is called a Murder?  I've read a couple of different opinions of how this might have originated, but neither of them seems to make much sense really. Even odder to me is that a flock of ravens is called an Unkindness.  Go figure. Guess it is just one of those sort of nutty things about language. Personally,  I prefer family or flock. Anyway -- 

For the past several months my yard and pasture have become popular with crows (at least I think they are crows) and I have decided, after a bit of research, that I would rather be their friend than their enemy.  After all, it's their world too -- just as much as it is mine.

Having the time to explore, I have found out a few interesting things about crows. Surprising to me -- they recognize and remember faces, make tools and hold grudges which to me are all good reasons to make friends with them.  They are, apparently, very intelligent creatures in a lot of ways. Some have even been known to bring gifts of shiny objects to people they like. Apparently the crows around me do not like me or have that gift giving tendency... yet.

I do talk nicely to them, but I have not gone so far as to give them names, basically because I haven't figured out a way to tell one from another. I mean I can't even tell the difference between a crow and a raven. Another thing  ...  I wonder why I have never seen any baby crows  -- just an impressive increase in the numbers of these large black birds.   I do feed them once in a while, but not enough to make them dependent on me. Another reason I don't feed them on a regular basis is because I want them to eat bugs and pesky rodent like creatures that I would rather not meet. Plus there is the fact (just in case they are staying the winter) that I fear that I would not be a trustworthy food source in the snowy, icy months as I tend to hibernate. I don't want them mad at me.  I am totally outnumbered and their numbers continue to grow. Either that or -- they have a lot of company passing through.  Not sure which. 

I wonder where they sleep? Apparently they come together in the evenings into communal  groups -- especially in the cold months. Research indicates that they are monogamous and live with their offspring for a while as a family (I don't like calling them a Murder).  I also don't know what their nests look like and have never seen any large nests in the trees of my pasture and nearby woods.  I am curious.

It's odd really, but I find them to be friendly and in a way  -- protective somehow.  I like sharing space with them. I have potential to become the crazy crow lady.  I feel it. 

Things could be worse.

Update  -- I fear that all the crows that were hanging around are of the migratory type -- haven't seen any  since the day after I wrote this blog.  Drat. Hopefully they will be back in the Spring.

Wood Boogers

Got basically nothing done a couple of weekends ago, but ...  had a lot of fun with my son texting back and forth and talking on the phone. It was an off and on communication fest. Topic?  Cryptids. He taught me a lot, and I plan to do more research on my own.  My favorite name of a cryptid category so far is the Wood Boogers. Thus the title of this week's blog. 

The whole Wood Booger thing is Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and West Virginia's take on Big Foot or Yeti or whatever you want to call this particular creature. The term Wood Boogers was coined by European settlers in that area in the 18th century who found them to be much like Boogeymen. As far as my section of the US goes... mythologically ... the Pennsylvania Appalachian area is full of different sorts of mythical and perhaps not so mythical cryptids -- creatures like Big Foot, Moth Man, etc. Actually there are legends, mythology and folk lore of indigenous peoples across the entire planet  ... have been for a very long time as far as I can tell. 

Anyway - this whole "conversation" started with a post online by a former colleague of mine who posted a trail cam photo taken by a cam owned by a former student of mine.  I uploaded this creepy and mysterious photo to Chat GPT for identification and it was no help because AI saw a bushy tail that I could find no where in the photo -- so  -- I shifted to research through a TikTok link that my son sent me on cryptids.  I/we now like to think the trail cam caught a shape shifter and it is all very creepy. I find it interesting in all of this that I had never heard the word cryptid before.  I sort of like it. I definitely like learning new things.

Thus began my research on cryptids -- flying, reptilian ... even those cute cryptids like the Jackalope of the Great American West. This creature is a bunny with antlers -- a mix of a rabbit and an antelope or deer perhaps.  For those of you who live in this corner of Northwest Pennsylvania, you may remember the "stuffed" jackalope that sat behind the bar at the Deer Head Inn in Spring Creek, Pennsylvania years ago. Of course I also ran across many stories of the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and the Pennsylvania Squonk of Lumberjack lore.  There is a lot of information out there. I still need to check out the myths and folklore of the Carpathian Mountain region -- apparently there is a lot there of interest as well -- of the super creepy variety.

All I need now it to have an encounter with one -- just one.  I have seen one UFO -- years ago nearby on the road between Canadohta Lake and Union City -- probably in the late 1960's. It was impressive. I am ready for the next step.  A  small Wood Booger a safe distance away would be ideal. I'll readily pass on the shape shifter variety and all the other scary ones.