The "Dunkin' Cookies With My Boys" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Think I may have found something that my two sons might benefit from since they are both lactose intolerant.  For years they haven't been able to dunk cookies with me since every time they would drink milk they would feel nauseous and get abdominal cramps, gas and diarrhea.  Not sure how many years it has been since they discovered they can't drink regular milk, but its been quite a while.  Lactose consists of two sugar molecules that are bound together, glucose and galactose.  Lactose intolerant means their body doesn't have the ability to break down naturally-occurring milk sugar (lactose) into its component parts to be absorbed.  They don't have sufficient production of lactase enzyme whose job it is to split apart these two component sugars of lactose so they can be absorbed in the small intestine.  I was recently reading about a new type of milk that is being produced and sold in Lancaster County stores called A2 milk.  Our local supermarkets are now stocking the milk on its shelves.  The new milk only has one of the two proteins, or sugar, molecules found in regular milk.  It seems that the A1 protein is the cause of indigestion from milk in 25% of the American population.  The A2 milk, which tastes the same, named after the remaining protein, landed on the store shelves a few months ago.  

Jersey cows are light brown in color.

A young Mennonite couple living in nearby Leola, PA sold a Jersey cow to a family in western Pennsyl- vania a couple of years ago.  The couple later were asked if they could buy a second cow from their farm.  A few months after that the Leola family received a call asking if the first cow they sold produced only A2 milk since their family's children could drink the milk from the first cow, but not milk from the second cow, since it gave them upset stomachs.  The Leola farmer didn't know what he was talking about, but after having a DNA test done of the hair of the two cows, it was found they did have different types of milk production.  The Leola family did some research and decided to begin producing their own A2 milk.  It took some time to accumulate cows with just the one protein, but since Jersey cows tend to have just the A2 protein, they built their herd in a few months.  They now have 40 A2 cows and sell 1,100 to 1,200 gallons of the raw or pasteurized A2 milk a week.  People from as far away as Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey have been visiting their farm to purchase the milk.  

A2 milk is on sale today!

A2 milk is found not only in our local grocery stores now, but at Central Market in downtown Lancaster.  The milk sold at market comes from another Lancaster Amish farm near Terre Hill, Pennsylvania.  The A2 milk is more expensive selling for close to $4.50 a gallon which is slightly more than a dollar more than regular milk.  As I read more about the milk I found that A2 milk is actually the original milk found in cows in Africa and Asia.  Human breast milk contains only A2 milk.  Thousands of years ago a natural mutation occurred in European dairy herds and spread to breeds there and thus the United States.  Now there seems to be a small war occurring in the dairy industry.  Claims have been made that the A2 milk doesn't help lactose intolerant people, but many claim it does help.  Can you see what's going to happen here?  The government will get involved and one group will pay them more than the other group and there will be a bill introduced banning one or the other.  Always happens that way.  As for me, I'm going to grab a few containers and give them to my sons to see what they think.  Maybe they'll be dunking cookies with me before Carol bakes her Christmas cookies at the end of the year.  Here's hoping!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Neat World Of Macro Phone Photography" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Flowers are in bloom and the warm weather has arrived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Perfect time of year to dig out my macro lens and attach it to my iPhone and take a few photographs around the house.  Last year I did much the same, but after taking a photo with the macro lens in place on my phone, I took a second photo without it.  I was then able to ask my wife what type of flower my photo might have revealed in macro.  This year I presented my wife with just the macro photo and asked her what type of flower I had photographed.  

Set of three lenses to attach to your iPhone.

I must admit that many of the photos I took are hard to determine what type of flower it shows, but I asked her anyway.  She looked at a few and said she needed more than I was able to provide before she could ID the plant that was shown in the photograph.  So, I'm leaving it up to you to try and decide what flower or vine I may have used for each photograph.  As for the lens I attached to my camera, I purchased a set of three: Wide Angle, Macro and Fisheye on Amazon and paid $9.95 for the set.  They clip onto the phone and give remarkable results.  The following reveal the minute and intricate parts of flowers, vines and even insects that we take for granted every day.  See if you may find one that you may know from my collection.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Click on photos to enlarge.

The "If You Give A Boy A Baseball" Story

Foreword:  It was an ordinary day.  That was until my wife found the following on Facebook a few days ago.  She said it reminded her of our life together with our family who loved the sport of baseball.  If you have ever had a boy, or in my case two boys and a girl, who loved baseball and softball while growing up, you will understand the following.  Baseball is more than a game in many households, it is a life changing experience.  And...we loved every minute of it!  

If you give a boy a baseball, he will want a bat to go with it.

You’ll buy him the best bat you can find, and then he will probably want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats too.

Then, he will probably spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with him, even though you may want to sit on the couch and watch TV. He will insist. And his insistence will win.

And when a boy gets a jersey, he will need pants and socks and a belt to go with it. And a TEAM…..

And then life as you know it will end.

There will be no more lazy weekends watching TV. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible. Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling buckets and bags and stinky cleats and crazy boys all over tarnation for hours to practice for a game.

THE GAME.

And your house will be a mess. And your car will be dirty. All because you gave a boy a baseball.

Your weekends will be spent freezing or burning to death on a fold-up chair. And his weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, and learning new skills and having fun and getting dirty. So dirty in fact that you will have to learn how to do laundry in a whole new way, like maybe at a carwash using the pressure washer.

And you will be there the day he hits his first home run, first strikeout, and his first double play. And he will make you SO proud. The other moms will congratulate you. But you feel weird saying thank you because it's not you at bat or on the mound. It's everything him. He did this.

And right before your eyes, your little boy will be transformed from the baby who spun around with his head on the bat, (because he loves attention), into a pitcher. Because he loves attention still.

When you give a boy a baseball, you give him more than just a ball. You give him a sport, and a talent, and hope, and dreams, and friends, a new family, a place to learn about life, room to grow as a person where he can push his limits, and bravery, and courage and LIFE, and memories. And he will have ALL of these things, simply because you gave a boy a baseball.

Because you gave a boy a baseball, you too will develop new/lifelong friendships, developed solely from the same passion for the game and love of your team. You will root together. And spew PG-13 things out of your mouths together. Because you gave a boy a baseball.

All because you gave a boy a baseball.

And played with him.

My grandson is now in his fifth year of baseball and his love for it rivals the love for the game of my sons, daughter, wife and myself.  My brother stopped the other evening to watch him play a game and after seeing him play, said he will probably be the best player in the family.  Only time will tell, but he has a big act to follow.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Caden mowing them down...and he only 13 years old! 

The "The Pendletones Make It Big" Story

Carol's two Albums that hang in our living room.

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with an old friend (and I do mean old) about how much my wife, Carol, loved both the Beach Boys and The Beatles.  They were two of her favorite groups while she was in her teens.  I even framed two of her favorite albums; "Meet the Beatles" which was released in 1964 and "Surfer Girl" which was released in 1963.  Both still hang in a prominent spot in our home.  I was more of a Duane Eddy and Buddy Holly fan, but I also enjoyed the Beatles and Beach Boys.  And then, many years after we were married, The Beach Boys came to Lancaster Town Square in the center of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The date was June 27, 2000 and they performed in the 100 block of Queen Street.  

One of our ticket stubs that is stuck in the frame of the album.

General Admission was $20 per person.  By then the group had split and this part of the group, which won the right in a legal battle to the Beach Boys name, had Mike Love as the leader.  It was suggested that you could bring chairs to sit on the street, but we figured no one was going to remain seated, so we opted not to bring chairs.  The group drew quite a crowd and no one sat.  Well, we have seen various other Beach Boy type groups since then, but none can match the original Beach Boys.  My wife knows their history and I in turn have learned a bit about the group.  

The Pendletones with their woolen shirts.

The group was originally called the Pendle- tones, a pun on "Pendleton", a style of woolen shirt popular at the time.  It was formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961 when my wife was as young teenager.  The group at that time consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson; their cousin Mike Love and their friend Al Jardine.  They specialized in harmonic sounds and drew on the music of jazz, rock & roll and R&B to create their unique sound.  It was in 1958 that Brian (16), Dennis (13) and Carl (11) shared a bedroom in their home in Hawthorne, California.  Their father, Murry, played piano and enjoyed the harmony of the Four Freshmen.  Brian was the leading force in listening to songs and breaking down the harmony to teach his brothers this parts.  

The photograph on the album look familiar?

Brian received a reel-to-reel tape recorder for his 16th birthday and learned how to overdub, using his vocals and those of his brother Carl as well as his mom.  Brian played piano with Carl and 11 year-old neighbor David Marks playing the guitars they had received as Christmas gifts.  Brian altered his piano playing style and began to write songs.  Mike Love, the Wilson's cousin, was added to the mix.  Wasn't long before Brian, Love and two classmates at Hawthorne High School began performing at the school.  Then, Brian talked to another classmate, Al Jardine, and suggested that they team up with his cousin Mike and Carl and the Pendleton's was born.  Brother Dennis, the family surfer, suggested they write songs that celebrated the sport and lifestyle of surfing.  Brian finished his song titled "Surfin" and then wrote "Surfin' Safari" with Mike Love.  

Brian was the leading force in "The Beach Boys".

Their dad, Murry, who happened to also write songs, arranged for the group to meet publisher Hite Morgan and on September 15, 1961 the band recorded a demo of "Surfin".   On October 3rd a more professional recording was made in Hollywood.  Their father Murry took the demos to Herb Newman, owner of Candix Records and signed the group December 8.  A few weeks later the song was released, but the band found out their name had been changed to "The Beach Boys".  "Surfin" was a hit on the West Coast and then reached #75 on the national Billboard Hot 100 chart.  And, the rest is history as they say.  Carol's LP hanging in our living room is the third album by "The Beach Boys" and their second in 1963.  Brian Wilson was given full production credit for the album.  Last year "Surfer Girl" was ranked 193rd greatest album of the 1960s.  Today it still has a cherished place on the wall of our home.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Jeopardy Answer Led To Astonishing Story" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Watching two of my favorite TV Quiz Shows, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. I know that Wheel of Fortune is seen all over the world, but not sure if Jeopardy has the coverage that is given to it's sister program.  Many may not know that at the end of the quiz show Jeopardy, a final answer is given to which the three contestants must think of the question that could be asked to yield the final answer.  As the show was coming to a conclusion, I watched and listened to see how many of the three contestants had the correct question to "Final Jeopardy".  In this case the final answer was...How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  For those not knowing what the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier may be, it is a monument in the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, USA that holds the remains of those who died fighting for the USA without ever being identified.  The U.S. Unknowns who are interred here hold the award of the Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross and several other foreign nations' highest service awards.  Well, all three contestants missed it and Alex Trebek, the host gave the final question of "What is 21".  The 21 also refers to the twenty-one gun salute which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.  But that doesn't begin to tell the tale of those who guard the tomb.  

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia, USA

The soldier guarding the tomb also takes 21 seconds to hesitate after his about face after crossing in front of the tomb and heading back across once again.  He carries his rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb and moves the rifle to the other shoulder as he executes the about face.  The guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year.  Now, I kind of knew most of that information, but as I read on I learned more about the guards that I found remarkable.  To be a guard the person must be between 5' 10" tall with a waist size no larger than 30".  They must commit 2 years of their life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives.  They are not allowed to swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform or the tomb in any way.  After two years the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb.  

The tomb has been guarded every minute of every day since 1930.

If they disobey any of the rules, they must return the pin.  There are currently 400 who wear the pin.  A few interesting facts about the uniform they wear are: (1) The shoes are made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet, (2) There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt, (3) The uniform may have no wrinkles, folds or lint on it. (4) The guards dress in front of a full-length mirror and must spend five hours a day getting the uniform ready for guard duty.  Another rule of being a guard is the first half-year a guard cannot talk to anyone or watch TV.  All off-duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery and the guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred in the cemetery.  One thing I read was that in 2003, during Hurricane Isabelle, and with TV stations broadcasting the danger of the hurricane, the guards never missed a beat.  The tomb has been patrolled every minute of every day since 1930.  I only hope those interred in the tomb appreciate the service these unique individuals give to their country.  One thing I couldn't find was whether all guards are males.  I'm not sure that any of the rules would keep a female from being a guard, but I might be missing something.  I'd like to believe that any one of my grandchildren, male or female, could one day become a guard at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Education In The City Of Lancaster" Story

J.P. McCaskey High School as it was in 1940 and today.

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out my mom's high school yearbook which I happened to come across while sorting through cardboard boxes that I plan to discard.  

I made an altered Polaroid print of J.P. McCaskey High School.

Not sure what to do with the yearbook, but it's tough to downsize if everything I pick up I decide I can't part with.  Anyway, my mom graduated in 1940 from J.P. McCaskey High School in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Her class was only the second to graduate from the high school on the east side of the city.  John Piersol McCaskey High School opened on May, 1938, accepting Lancaster city's first gender-integrated class of students.  

The original Boys' High School in Lancaster.

The school was named for John McCaskey, a local educator, musical composer, and politician.  J.P. McCaskey High School looks the same today as it did back when it opened with the original Art Deco facade, lobby, and auditorium.  For years I heard the story of my dad dating just about every girl in mom's class and she was the only one left to date.  Their marriage lasted a lifetime for both of them.  My dad graduated in mid-1938 from what was known at the time as Boys' High School.  The original Boys' High School was erected in 1874 on Orange Street in the center of Lancaster and for more than 40 years was the center of high school education in Lancaster for both boys and girls with girls being taught on the first floor and the boys on the second floor.  

The school quickly became over- crowded so in 1902 Lancaster's most famous architect, C. Emlen Urban, was hired to design a new school which was supposed to be an all-girls school on nearby Charlotte Street.  

Stevens School on Charlotte Street was built for girls.
This photo is from an old postcard.

By 1905 a new school building, known as Stevens High School was opened just for girls.  It was built using three architec- tural styles: beaux-arts, Italian Renaissance and Greek Classical.  It was built of purple brownstone and golden bricks using elaborate terra cotta ornamentation and green copper cresting with a hand covered chestnut entrance way.  

Photo of Stevens I recently took.  This is now an apartment
building.  Across the top of the building is the name of it.

The third floor had a 600-seat auditorium with chandeliers and was equipped with typewriters and wireless telegraph.  Many residents of Lancaster were appalled with the extrava- gance used in the school.  When it first opened boys began attending classes there as well due to overcrowding at the Boys' High School.  In 1911 it was decided that Urban would design another school to take the place of the original Boys' High School.  

The new Boys' High School on West Orange Street.  Today
it is known as Robert Fulton Elementary School.

That opened in 1918 and all boys were moved into that new school.  That school was built where the old school was located on West Orange Street.  The new boys' high school later became an elementary school when J.P. McCaskey opened.  The Boys' High School is now Fulton Elementary School while the  Stevens High School for girls was later renamed Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School and remained that until 1983 when it became an apartment building.  

Front of Robert Fulton Elementary School in Lancaster, PA.

My dad's graduating class was one of the last classes to graduate from Boys' High School, while my mom was one of the first to graduate from the new J.P. McCaskey High School.  Today the city school district has four Middle Schools that feed students into McCaskey High School.  A few alternative schools also exist to help educate the multi-cutural and racial population in the city school district.  Quite a bit different than when both my mom and dad graduated from high school in the city of Lancaster.  It was another extraordinary in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "So...What Do You Think God Looks Like? - Part II" Story

Mr. "D" in room 307.

It was an ordinary day.  Just removed the painting off the wall titled "Sangre de Christo" that was given to me years ago by Neil Dreibelbis.  Thought I would take a photo of it to share plus I just knew I would find the answer to the question I posed to you yesterday about what "God looks like" by studying the painting.  Neil, known to all as Mr. D, taught art in Room 307, right next to my Graphic Arts room at Manheim Township High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  He loved his students who in turn reciprocated with their love.  He had big shoes to fill when he first came to MTHS, having to replace Richard Miller, a legend in the art department at the high school.  I had Mr. Miller when I was an art student in the late 1950s for a few years at the school and gained many of my artistic skills from him.  When I received the artwork from Neil, I knew immediately how to frame it.  

My piece of art framed with a cross motif.

The artwork just screamed "cross" so I designed it with a double mat with a cross cut from the top mat.  Instead of a blood red suede top mat I chose a more subtle deep maroon.  I tell you this since "Sangre" means "Blood" in Spanish while "de Christo" means "of Christ".  As I looked  at it I realized after a few minutes that Neil had absolutely no idea what features to place on the face in the painting.  Would it be a Hispanic face?  How about a face with Oriental features.  Maybe rugged mountain man face.  Could even be a dark-skinned face.  

Closeup of the piece of art.  Click on it to enlarge.

So, I came to the conclusion that Neal had no idea whose face to paint on it since he had never seen God in person or even a photograph of him.  Hey, that's what made his artwork more mystic and "religious."  It can be a God to all those who view the work which I keep inside my front door.  After one last glance at Neil's work of art I stopped and noticed something I had not seen before.  A second face over the original face.  

Neil's business card.  Listed as a visual artist.
Maybe he knows something we don't about God!

Did he really paint it that way?  Did God guide his brush as he painted the dark-skinned face with long white beard?  Was there a larger "crown of thorns" on this face?  But wait.  As I was closing my eyes to try to visualize the new face, I saw another one mid-left.  Perhaps I better stop before I see more in the painting than Neil had intended.  Maybe as you view the painting that is only about 6" in width and 4" in height, you will visualize an entirely different piece of art than I have.  I plan on making a visit to see Neal this coming summer and will take it with me to ask if he actually knew what God looked like when he painted the piece for me.  What a breakthrough that would be, for I'm not sure anyone has ever seen God and lived to tell about it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "So...What Do You Think God Looks Like? - Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day. Reading the newspaper and I saw an article with a similar title to my post today that drew my attention.  After reading the article I still feel the same as I always have about my physical impression of God.  I have seen his face many times over the past 66 years.  It goes back to when I was eight years old and became a member of the St. James Episcopal Boys Choir in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

Three adult choir members with their sons in the St. James
choir.  My dad and I are to the far right in the rear.

After a few weeks of practice learning the hymns and anthems I would finally have the chance to sing in the 20-member boys choir.  I wore the cassock and robe proudly down the aisle to my seat at the front of the church.  After reaching my seat, I turned toward the altar and there he was...Jesus.  I couldn't take my eyes off the painting hanging on the wall next to me.  To me it was Jesus...God.  And, that remembrance has been with me since that day!  Now I guess I should tell you how I feel about Jesus and God.  For me it was like this: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."  Immanuel literally means "God with us" therefore Jesus was "God with us."  Amen!  

Interior of St. James Church.  To the far right, hanging on
the wall far right about mid-level are the out-stretched
arms of Jesus on the cross.  The painting was by
Jacob Eichholtz and painted in 1915. Click on image to enlarge.

Now, getting back to the newspaper article.  Research was done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  After asking 511 American Christians what they think God looks like, they still did not have an answer.  Seems that liberals imagined God as "more feminine, younger and loving while conservatives saw him as a white guy who was "more powerful".  Other research said that conservatives are more motivated to live in a well-ordered society, one that would be regulated by a powerful God while liberals are more motivated to live in a tolerant society, which would be better regulated by a loving God.  

This is the image that shows what
I picture Jesus or God to look like.
Young boys have impressional minds!

The resulting image from the 511 American Christians was basically just a big guess, since the Bible doesn't spell out what God looks like.  Wow!  I thought I could find out what he looked like from descriptions in the Bible, so I began my search.  One thing I found in Genesis 1:27 was: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  So...does he have long hair?  What color is he?  I can still remember my conversation with the female bartender at the resort I was visiting a few years ago on the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos islands.  I asked her if the majority of the people on Provo were Christians and she said she thought they were.  I then asked this black woman what color God was and without hesitation she said, "Well, black!  What other color would he be."  That was my sermon for the day.  So...is he black...or white...or yellow...or tan?  I know!  Just as I said before...I will never forget that painting on the wall.  Say what you want, but to me I really do know what God looks like.  I'll take the image with me until I meet him again one day.  Amen!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "The Yearbooks Have Arrived To An Anxious Crowd!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Trying to figure how many yearbooks I have produced for the students of the Manheim Township School District since I first began working on them.  I began teaching at MT in 1967 and that first year (would have been the 1968 yearbook) I didn't help with the yearbook.  The following year I began my position as adviser to the yearbook and the 1969 yearbook was my first production.  By the time  I retired in 1999 I had produced 31 high school yearbooks.  When I retired I asked the high school principal if he needed help the following year with the yearbook.  He declined my offer, telling me he wanted to get someone on staff to do it.  I understood.  The following day the principal at the Middle School called and asked if I would be interested in doing the Middle School yearbook.  Wow!  I began the Middle School yearbook and the 2000 edition was my first.  Since that time I have done 19 Middle School Yearbooks.  The Middle School held grades 6, 7 and 8.  In 2012 the school district opened the Landis Run Intermediate School which was for grades 5 and 6.  It was necessary to relieve the overcrowding in the Middle School.  I got a call and was asked to do the Landis Run book.  Since that time I have done 6 books for that school.  So when I add them all together I have completed 56 yearbooks.  The High School book was always over 200 pages, but I had quite a bit of help with a staff and another adviser.  The Middle School and Intermediate School books each have 64 pages, but I do them by myself.  It requires taking candid shots, administration photos, sports teams, clubs and organization photos, developing a cover and having that done and laying out the book on the Josten's Yearbook Company's website after uploading all my information to their site.  I begin the book in early September and must have it done by early February.  

This is the Middle School yearbook which is opened so you can
see the front and back.  The art teacher, Lauren, helped
me with the design of the cover by having her students make
the cover.  Click to enlarge.

So why do I continue producing yearbooks for the district?  I enjoy being part of the school community and it keeps me young.  The students love to have their photos taken and when they see me walking the halls or showing up for a group photo, they are excited.  Just makes you feel alive as well.  I must admit that I have produced very few perfect yearbooks.  Always seems to be a photo with a wrong name under it or a name misspelled.  Years ago the company rep told me there has NEVER been a perfect yearbook.  Well, so far this year I have not heard of any mistakes.  Doesn't mean there aren't any, just that no one has found it yet or hasn't told the school about it.  I do fear I will sometime make a mistake that may upset someone, but that doesn't keep me from starting the next book.  

This is the Intermediate School yearbook cover.  I couldn't
find help in-house with the cover, so this is one of many
yearbook company covers I had the option to use.

I now am taking photos of students whose grand- parents were on my high school yearbook staffs when I first started.  Life can be fun and this is the way I make it fun for me.  Well, this year's books have been successfully distributed and in a few months I will begin the Middle School and Landis Run books once again.  I have included samples of the covers from this years books for you to see.  Both books were hardbound books, printed in black and white.  The school district wishes to have black and white so when they enter high school, and get a color yearbook, it will be more special.  Funny, but when I did the high school book, they were mostly black and white due to the high cost at the time of producing a color yearbook.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "May The Lord Be With You!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Had just finished a few framing jobs and took them upstairs to the gallery to be placed in a safe area until the customers come for them.  Amy, the young girl who was working today in the gallery told me she had something to show me that had just come in for matting and framing.  

Drawing of Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

She pulled out a tinted etching of an older man and a piece of paper that had been hand-written with lines through much of the copy and notes placed over and under much of the copy.  Amy was extremely excited while showing me the corrected piece of paper.  Her eyes lit up when she told me she had taken a class at Lebanon Valley College that dealt with the English Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon.  Her excitement was due to the fact that the hand written paper she was holding belonged to Spurgeon and was a hand corrected sermon that he had preached at one time.  

The certificate telling of the hand-corrected sermon notes.

She showed me the layout and and the mats and frame that the customer wanted to use and told me she had to place the paper it in a safe place until Keith, the owner of the gallery, returned from vacation in another day.  That evening I "Googled" Charles Haddon Spurgeon and never realized that he was the quintessential Victorian Englishman, yet his masterful preaching astonished his era, and lives long beyond it.  

The hand-corrected sermon notes.
Click to enlarge which may help you see it.

Page after page of stories told of Spurgeon's many sermons that he preached during his ministry.  Actually his sermons were collected in The New Park Street Pulpit and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit and filled 63 volumes in these two collections.  The sermons' 20-25 million words are equivalent to the 27 volumes of the ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica.  The series of sermons stands as the largest set of books by a single author in the history of Christianity.  Charles Spurgeon was born in 1834, one of 17 children born to his mother, nine of whom died in infancy.  When Charles was only 10 years old, a visiting missionary, Richard Knill, said that the younger Spurgeon would one day preach the gospel to thousands and would preach in Rowland Hill's chapel, the largest Dissenting church in London, England.  

This is the certificate of validation and
authenticity from Spurgeon's College.

His words were fulfilled!  Spurgeon missed going to college due to being shown into the wrong interview room.  He later claimed that was because God spoke to him, "Seekest thou great things for thyself?  Seek them not!"  Before he was 20 he had preached over 600 times.  The more I read the more I realized that the items the customer had brought to the gallery were something very special.  Perhaps you may have heard of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, but if you haven't, you will be amazed as to how he spread the word of God during his lifetime.  His contributions were larger than his preaching, since he established alms houses and an orphanage as well as his Pastor's College which still is in operation today.  He preached his last sermon in June of 1891 and died six months later.  

The final work.  Very plain and unassuming, but when
you realize what it is, it is unbelievable!

While I worked on the collection of pieces today I was extremely careful of what I was handling.  The hand written manuscript, in cursive, is rather hard to read and understand and being that much has been crossed out with Charles' own handwriting above the crossed out wording makes for some confusion.  The customer who owns the manuscript wanted a very simple single brown mat with a plain frame.  They did request Conservation glass to help preserve the piece of history they had.  I took photographs with my iPhone throughout my work so I could share the work with everyone.  Just to touch the manuscript was special to me.  I learned so much by matting and framing this special piece, even though the final result wasn't as  impressive as many other pieces I have done in the last 19 years while working at Grebinger Gallery in Neffsville, PA.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "It's Strawberry Season!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  And, it's the most wonderful time of the year, for you see it's strawberry season in the northeastern part of the United States.  Strawberries and peaches are my favorite fruits and they happen to come in back to back seasons during the spring and summer.  

Sign in front of Kreider's Strawberries.

I have already made five shortcakes to go with the couple that my wife has made for me.  My favorite location to buy my fresh strawberries is Kreider's farm in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  I wrote a story about the place a few years ago and ever since then they have treated me extremely well.  

The strawberry fields are being picked by workers who
place the results in this antique truck.

I ordered two quarts of "seconds" yesterday and when I went to pick them up they saw who the two boxes were meant for and the owner grabbed a few more of berries and added them to the order.  After picking them up I had to head home and make another shortcake to go with the two quarts of berries.  Most of today's shortcakes are usually either of the biscuit or sponge-cake variety, but earlier American recipes called for pie crust in rounds of broken-up pieces, which was a variety still enjoyed in the 21st century, particularly in the South.  The very first strawberry shortcake appeared in an English cookbook as early as 1588.  

My strawberries await my arrival.

By 1850, strawberry shortcake was a well-known biscuit and fruit dessert served hot with butter and sweetened cream.  In the USA strawberry shortcake parties were held as celebrations of the summer fruit harvest.  This tradition is upheld in some parts of the country on June 14, which is the day designated as Strawberry Shortcake Day.  Japanese-style strawberry shortcakes use a sponge base, and are a popular Christmas treat.  For me, I love making what is known as a Dinette Cake and can be found in the 1961 Betty Crocker's Cookbook.  On Saturday, April 9, 2011 I posted a story about the Dinette Cake and added the recipe from the cookbook on my post.  Check it out if you care to try what I make.  

The Strawberry Shortcake cartoon character.

A couple of other facts about strawberry shortcake are: the average strawberry has 200 seeds, there is a museum in Belgium dedicated solely to the Strawberry, the largest strawberry shortcake ever made was in the town of La Trinidad, Benguet in the Philippines on March 20, 2004 which weighed 21,340 lbs., and if you were a parent of a child in the early 1980s you would know that "Strawberry Shortcake" was a cartoon character originally used in greeting cards and later expanded to include dolls, posters and other products.  Well, I must be going since the buzzer has sounded indicating my shortcake (Dinette cake) is ready to be taken out of the oven.  Another hour and I'll be ready for a big piece of the cake with a couple of spoonfuls of strawberries on it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.