It was an ordinary day. Gen. John Fulton Reynolds, Lancaster native and rising officer in the Union Army during the Civil War, was not present at the pivotal Battle of Antietam, Maryland, on September 17, 1862. His absence, apparently, made him grumpy. Jake Wynn, a "public historian" who lives in Frederick, Maryland, recently found a curious anecdote among the papers of Gilliard Dock, a Harrisburg businessman during the war. Wynn discusses the anecdote in a new online post, referred by reader Lew Jury. In September 1862, Dock was living in Harrisburg with his family. As Confederate forces threatened to invade Pennsylvania, Dock joined an emergency militia. Dock's company, stationed on the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, saw no action, but "heard distinctly the dull roar" of the fighting st Antietam. A few days after the battle, Dock encountered Reynolds, who was commanding all of the militia units defending southern Pennsylvania. This assignment apparently dispels Reynlds because he had missed the main show at Antietam. Dock's colonel had ordered him to obtain water at a nearby farmhouse, but Reynolds intercepted him, asking " 'where in hell' I was going," Dock recounted. When Dock told him his orders from his colonel, the general replied, "Well, I am General Reeds, God Damn you, and I order you back to your company." Dock complied. A Confederate sharpshooter killed Reynold the next summer at the Battle of Gettysburg. When it coms to the origin of unusual place names, the may be. no end. In a 2013 column, the Scribbler provided three possible origins for the name Spky Nook a road that runs through the Hempfields. One reader said the name came from the old plank "Suk Haus" at the corner of Spooky Nook and Shenck roads in East Hempfield Township. He said the fellow who lived in that house raised sheep. The sheep would bleat at night. Some people thought they were ghosts. A second source said a tree outside the greenhouse across Spooky Nook Road from the "Spike Haus" made "an eerie sound" when its branches screeched against the glass. The third source Sid a firefighter on a passing train saw a reflection in the windows of the "Spuk Haus" and remarked to the engineer, "That's a spooky place." Take your pick. Or choose Alternative Number 4, newly arrived. Jacob M. Conley, who lives in Columbia, grew up n the Old Order River Brethren Church. When he was about 20 years old - nearly six decades ago - Conley drove a car for an aging bishop, Jacob L. Horst, of Elizabethtown. "I don't remember how we got on the subject," Conley elates, "but, I vividly remember him telling me whee the name Spooky Now" originates from." Horst told Conley the former who owned the field that contained the corner between the railroad treks and the present Spooky Nook Road kept a pile of posts in the field next to the road, on the Landisville side of the tracks. East Hempfield School No. 18, a one-room public school, stood about a half mile south of he post pile. After school, some boys rn ahead and hid behind the posts. When the girls wake by, the boys jumped out from their 'nook" and "spooked" them. "That's how the corner got its name," Conley asserts. So now you know the true origin of the name "Spooky Nook" - that is until the next true story comes along. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Friday, September 20, 2024
Ohtani Sets A Baseball Record Story
It was an ordinary day. Reading about a fellow by the name of Shohei Ohtani who became the first major league baseball player to exceed 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season during the most spectacular season of a lifetime. I have followed the sport of baseball since I was a child and have quite a few heroes that I have followed over the years, but not a single one was able to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 basses in the same season. Ohtani accomplished the feat by going deep three times and swiping two bags this past Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Shohei is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani hit his 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. he finished 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first big league player to hit three homers and step two bases in a game. "It was something I wanted to do get over as quickly as possible. And, you know, it's something that I'm going to cherish for a very long time," Ohtani said through an ingepeter in a televised interview. The Japanese superstar reached the second deck in right-center on two of his three homers at Loan Depot Park. In the sixth inning, he launched a 1-1 slider from George Soriano 438 feet for his 49th homer. Ohtani hit his 50th homer in the seventh inning, an opposite-field, two-run hot to left against Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. Then, in the ninth, his 51st traveled 440 feet to right-center, a three-run hot against Marlins second baseman Vidal Brujan, who came into pits with the game out of hand. The Dodgers won 20-4 and clinched their 12th straight playoff berth. "To be honest, I'm the one probably most surprised,' Ohtani said. "I have no idea where this came from, but I'm glad that it was going well today. Congratulations go out from just about everyone and here's hoping he doesn't hit too many more this year. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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| Shohei Ohtani |
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Why Are Yellowjacket Numbers Rising Here?
No, killer bees have not have made their way north into Lancaster County. But, ground nests of native Yellowjacket wasps have appeared in recent weeks in inordinate numbers, cancelling a popular trail run, closing a nature preserve and touching off daily frantic calls for help from frantic homeowners to area pet control companies. The most reeent victim of the swarms was the cancellation of the 16th annual KTA trail Challenge scheduled for August 28 in the River Hills of southern Lancaster County. The rugged 25-kilometer event by the Keystone Trails Association attracts trail runners and extreme hikers from around the state and beyond. This year, nearly 20 had planned on navigating the step climbs, hollows and scenic Susquehanna River views from the Conestoga Trail. About 70 volunteers were to provide safety measures in the area with little cellphone service. But, the major fund-raising event for the statewide trails group was canceled after runners training for the run, KTA staff making advance preparations and members of the Lancaster Hiking Club doing trail maintenance, all encountered yellow jacket nests either on or beside the course. One woman doing an advance run with a friend was stung and injured herself in a fall while fleeing. Two KTA staffers checking out the course "said when they got out of their cars they could actually hear the buzzing in the forest," reported Kate Prissy, KTA's manager of events and programs. Then KTA learned that the Lancaster Conservancy had temporarily closed its popular Kelly's Run Nature Preserve, which the Conestoga Trail runs through, after conservancy staff located 15 Yellowjacket nests. "That's unheard of," said Keith Williams, the conservancy's vice president of engagement and education. "In years past, we easily managed this problem with signage and education. "They're just doing their job and protecting their nest. The community wants to go out to our preserves, and we need to have the right balance between protecting nature and protecting our community." Still, KTA hoped to pull off the run by putting up caution signs near nests. But then a staffer found a cloud of Yellowjackets hovering just above the trail with no way of going around them besides the trail was wedged between steep hillsides. "That was the deciding factor." Prisby said. "We just didn't feel it would be wise to have people coming and not knowing what they would be running through. And it would not be fair to the medical teams." So what are these insects and why are they exploding in numbers this fall? Yellowjackets are small wasps with yellow and black bands that many Lancaster County residents encounter this time of the year when they fly purposefully to your soft drink or plate of fruit. Like all native insects, they are beneficial and reduce populations of insect pests such as earwigs and pollinate plants. There are more around in the fall because the colony has grown all summer and with food sources drying up, leaving a crowded mass of hungry, agitated bees that fiercely defend nests. It's said even ground vibrations from someone walking nearby can rigger attacks. Unlike honey bees that sting only once with a barbed stinger, yellowjackets can zap you with their straight stinger several times. Worse, when threatened, they release an arm pheromone chemical that puts others in attack mode. There are records of people being pursued and stung 100 times or more. The sting of a Yellowjacket is no picnic. According to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, the pain from Yellowjackets is like 'W.C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue." For those allergic to bee stings, medical treatment should be immediate. One recommended ointment of stings: good old-fashioned mud! The explosion of yellow-jacket numbers has been noticed across the country. Calls for help with getting rid of Yellowjacket nests are now coming in every day. Yellowjackets will go dormant after a good freeze. Hope for cold weather...and soon! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
The...Only A Day At A Time! Story
It was an ordinary day. The last of the summer days is now behind us. School is back in session, and the weather is showing some signs of turning cooler. Vacation time is wrapping up, and hunting season and a host of other fall activities are just around the corner. My birthday has gone and I will look forward for the next one. "Where did the time go?" we ask. Whether it is one year, twenty years, or eighty years which is my case, they quickly disappear, as I sadly know. But, it is only a day at a time. Just one day, but they add up, and as we reflect upon them, we must concede they are but a vapor. Here today and gone tomorrow! I have concluded that no one can really understand the way time takes flight until they have lived long enough to have sufficient years to reflect upon. That may vary for people, but for most, it is somewhere around the mid-life threshold. We don't have a clear understanding of what ten years looks like when looking ahead, but we can reflect on ten years gone by and say, "Wow, that was ten years ago. That can't be!" We are in disbelief until the proof is presented, and then we must accept what history has recorded. It is only a day at a time, but one day wasted and then another and another add up to wasted years. Days of service for the benefit of others, of kindness, goodness, patience, thoughtfulness, understanding, and charity add up and tire you out. But my, does it sleep good at the end of the day! It is only a day at a time, but most of us have things on the list that are unfinished at day's end. Perhaps our list is too long. Maybe we didn't take the time to compile a list. Maybe we are a procrastinator. Or, perhaps we have a dozen jobs started, and none we can chalk off as finished. Some people work that way. They get tired of doing one thing and can't wait to get started on the next project. They are always busy, but the "completed" box never gets checked, and that is how they go through life. Unfinished! It is only one day at a time. Hey, maybe we should be keeping a written diary rather than trying to store it all in the brain. Just taking a few minutes to record the events of a day or a week gives you something to reference in the future. Five or ten minutes at the end of each day before you say your prayers and fall asleep will give you a host of content. Maybe someday you can write an autobiography or maybe a blog!! Focus on the highlights. Don't get bogged down in the details, and leave the editing for later. It is only one day at a time. But...it is history! One event leads to another and as you piece together those events, you can see progress unfold, or the lack thereof. Entire books have been written on history, analyzing the things people have accomplished and places that once existed. There have been some brilliant ideas put forth in one generation, only to be utilized in the next. There are ideas that have failed, as well. Yes, it is only one day at a time. But, every day is important! What we say and what we do. Where we go and what we think. Whether we smile or whether we are a grouch. Whether we responsibly pay our bills or whether we default on our obligations. Whether we are responsible or irresponsible. Whether we are polite or sarcastic. Who we are and what we do speaks to our character and reputation. What we are made of and how we function on a regular basis becomes habit forming. It is only a day at a time, but it molds and shapes who we are and what we become, and it leaves behind a legacy. When we pass from this life, our children and our friends will only have memories! Let us work to make those memories good ones, and may our life be one that will not regret and one that God will honor! So Be It! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
The "Well...Did you Hear The News? Story"
It was an ordinary day. Reading my morning newspaper when I came across an article titled "Campbell Plans To Drop The 'Soup'. The subhead under the title read "Venerable food producer wants to change name to 'Better reflect' products." Campbell is ready to drop the soup - at least from its official name. Campbell Soup Co. announced its intention to change its name at an annual meeting of investors last Tuesday. The 155-year-old food seller, which is most famous for its namesake canned soups, says it would now like to be known as Campbell's Co. CEO Mark Clouse said in a statement that this "subtle yet important change" will retain the company's iconic name "while better reflecting the full bread" to its portfolio today. Campbell hasn't been exclusive to the soup business for some time. The company also owns brands like Prego sauce and Goldfish crackers - and completed a $2.7 billion acquisition of Sovos Brands, the maker of Rao's pasta sauces, just earlier this year. Campbell's roots date back to 1869, as a modest operation out of New Jersey that later grew. The current Campbell Soup name was adopted in 1922, according to the company's website. The new name isn't final yet, as it's still subject to a shareholder approval vote in November. A handful of other food companies have also rebranded themselves over the years - often shedding the mention of specific items they were known for in hopes of emphasizing other business. A few examples are: Dunkin' - Back in 2018 Dunkin' Donuts decided to shorten its name to just Dunkin' which officially took effect in January of 2019. Krispy Kreme - Krispy Kreme also dropped "doughnuts" from its corporate name several years later - ahead of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company's second time going public in 2021. Domino's - Domino's Pizza took the ordinary "pizza" out of its logo and off storefronts back in 2012, with leadership of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based chain at the time citing menu expansions and other in-store updates. Starbucks - Back in 1971, Starbucks' original logo depicted a siren surrounded by its then-name Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spices, the company notes on its website. In 1987, that siren got a makeover and the name encircling her was shortened to Starbucks Coffee - and by 2011, Starbucks Coffee - and by 2011, Starbucks introduced its latest logo, which doesn't feature the company's name at all. KFC - KFC hasn't been using the longer Kentucky Fried Chicken name for decades. The Yum brands owned fast food chain shortened its name back in 1991, according to Snopes. Long after shortening its name, Louisville-based KFC had to issue a news release a few years ago to combat an online rumor that it was forced to change its name because it doesn't serve real chicken! And...so it goes! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy...who will never change his name!!
Hair Today...Gone Tomorrow Story
It was an ordinary day. Reading a Dr. Mike Roizen column in my morning newspaper about "Hair today, gone tomorrow." Around 80% of men and nearly half of women contend with noticeable hair loss at one time or another. It may be hereditary or the result of an autoimmune condition (alopecia aerate), use of harsh "beauty" products, too much testosterone, thyroid disease or chemo. But, hair loss is often caused by nutritional imbalances and stress - which are often related. Stress interferes with good food choices and a nutritional deficiency stresses your body. You know our stress-relief formula: Have a posse and a purpose, get daily physical activity, establish a healthy sleep routine and eliminate stress-producing, highly processed foods and added sugars from your diet. Also, make sure your stress and hair loss aren't caused by deficiencies in biotin, iron, zinc and protein. One study found that 38% of women with hair loss were biotin deficient. You can get your daily AI (adequate intake) of 30 milligrams of biotin by eating canned pie salmon, almonds, sweet potatoes and spinach or taking a multivitamin. Learn more on iHerb.com's blog "Biotin: Essential for Hair Care and More." Iron deficiency can also trigger hair loss. Before you take an iron supplement, talk to your doctor, but go ahead and east more iron-rich tofu, spinach, broccoli and peas as well as a vitamin-C-rich tomatoes and strawberries, to boost iron absorption. As for zinc ... it's in nuts, seeds, legumes, chicken and turkey. As a supplement, stick with the recommended ddialay allowance of 11 milligrams for men and 8 milligrams for women. Too much can weaken your immune system. For more info, check out "9 Proven natural Remedies for Hair Loss" at iHerb.com/blog. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Beulah Land...Sweet Beulah Land
It was an ordinary day. Reading a story that was posted in the publication known as "The Fishwrapper". The story is known as "Beulah Land" and was written by Cathryn Keller. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did when I first read it.
The blazing, midday sun relentlessly beats on my head as I struggle to pull the stubborn weeds that dot the cracked sidewalk. I am part of a team of volunteers on this "Make a Difference Day," and our assignment is the one-block area surrounding the First Baptist Chruch and its neighbors - rickety houses that lean randomly on crumbling cinder blocks. From the open door of the nearby old, red brick church, a tremulous voice can be heard accompanying the tinny piano. Hearing the familiar words, I am transported from the inner-city street, with its cracked asphalt, litter-strewn empty lots, and broken windows, to a little home on a tree-lined corner in southeast Texas.
Beulah Land, I'm longing for you, / And someday on thee I'll stand, / Where my home shall be eternal./ Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land.
My grandma's soprano voice, high and clear warbles through my dream-filled sleep to waken me. It is a bright, Sunday morning, and I am ten years old. Golden sun streams in through the faded, chintz curtains. The bed I wake in is sturdy and brown and covered in soft, worn sheets and quilts. I am in my very favorite place on earth with some of my very favorite people. Languidly, I stretch and snuggle down for a few more minutes in my warm cocoon. It is early morning, and my nose tells me that Grandma is frying sausage. Soon she will use the grease to make the milk gravy that will cover her homemade buttermilk biscuits. Of the many gravy variations in her repertoire, this is my favorite. In addition to buscuits and gravy, there will be fig preserves, sliced tomatoes from Grandpa's garden and scrambled eggs. Sunday mornings at my grandparents' home in southeast Texas always begin this way. My grandma, in her faded housecoat and slippers, will be standing by the stove with a fork in her hand, singing her favorite hymns. Coffee waits, hot and strong, in the old Mr. Coffee on the pink, Formica countertop, to be poured in the brown stoneware mugs. My grandpa, with his glasses perched on his narrow nose, can be found reading the local newspaper, the Silsbee Bee, at the table that had belonged to his parents. As a boy, he'd sat at this same worn, rough-hewn table with his six brothers doing homework by lamplight. When I can sleep no longer, and my mouth is watering from the smell of biscuits and sausage, I leave the warm room with its familiar furnishings and head to the kitchen. Grandpa throws his strong arm around my waist as I enter the cozy, cluttered room. "Good morning, Hon! Did you have sweet dreams?" Grandma calls from the stove. Contentment and warmth wash over me as I bask in their complete attention and love. Pulling out one of the mismatched wooden chairs from its place under the thumb-tacked bank calendar, I sit down and settle in for breakfast. There's the crocheted table runner made by my great grandma, the brown tea pitcher with its faded, blue stripes, the worn, black Bible, and Grandpa's ever-present Kodak - all cluttering the hundred-year-old table's scarred surface. Grandma bustles around us, setting the table with mismatched plates and cutlery, old, jelly-jar glasses filled with milk, butter in its glass dish, and platters of steaming food. After she sits beside me, grabbing my hand to fold into her large, warm one, Grandpa pushes his glasses up on his nose and begins the prayer, earnestly thanking God for the food and asking His blessings on the day ahead. After the amen, I slather butter and Grandma's homemade fig preserves on one biscuit and douse another in the creamy, peppery gravy. Always a big eater, I relish these meals at my granparents' table. Time slows as we enjoy each bite, and help ourselves to seconds (and thirds). "Did I ever tell you the story about your daddy and the cow?" Grandpa asks. The answer is yes, a thousand times, but I answer "No Sir," so I can hear it again. My grandpa is a born storyteller, and as one of seven boys, he had to learn early to tell a good one to be heard in the din of the tiny home where he grew up. The story of my daddy and the cow is told once again, with a few embellishments thrown in for good measure. I laugh at all the right places, and watch Grandpa's face light up with the telling. All too soon, the black-and-white clock above the white, enamel sink tells us that it is high time to finish breakfast, rinse the dishes, and get ready for church. A last gulp of milk, a bite of biscuit, and my plate is whisked away by Grandma. She smooths down my straight, dark-brown hair with her soft hand as she turns toward the sink, already beginning to quietly sing the next verse.
I'm kind of homesick for a country/Where I've never been before;/No sad good byes will there be spoken/For time won't matter anymore.
"You about through with that section? I'm about to call this one." The team leader's words jolt me out of my reverie. As I straighten and turn, I am suddenly aware of the tears filling my eyes. I am back on the scorching city sidewalk, a pile of wilting weeds beside me, and the beginning of a sunburn stinging my face. The woman in front of me is eyeing me with kindness in her eyes. "I was just remembering my grandparents," I say, smiling with the words. She gives me a pat and turns to round up the rest of the team. Hugging my memory to myself, like a sweet secret whispered in my ear, I hurry to catch up. I can almost hear Grandma say, "Well, time - it does march on!"
Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land.
A Visit To The Landisville Classic & Antique Car Show
It was an ordinary day. Sunday, September 15 and the weather was sunny and warm. Just the right mixture to visit one of Lancaster's many car shows that grace the Lancaster area throughout the year. This particular car show was located at Amos Herr Park at nearby 169 Park Road in Landisville, PA. The park is located on the Harrisburg Pike on East Main Street right off of Nissley Road. I have made many visits to the park when my children were involved in sports and when I coached Little League Baseball many years ago in the park. The weather was beautiful and the cars involved in the event were just as beautiful. There must have been at least 100 cars on display in different categories throughout the park. Parking didn't seem to be a problem, but my youngest son, Tad and I did get there shortly after the cars had taken their positions in the park. We could have spent hours and hours wandering throughout the park, viewing all the cars, but my legs and back limited us to about two hours of walking and viewing. How anyone can judge the different categories is beyond me, since just about every car was remarkable and in fantastic shape. Tad and I each had a few favorites, but we don't think it is fair to mention which ones we enjoyed the most. I have included photographs of some of our favorites, but would never be able to publish photos of all the favorites due to space and time. I did try to post photos of cars in the different categories. So....check out my photographs and see if you can find a few favorites. Perhaps you will find one you like. PS - we didn't stay to the end of the show so I can't give you a listing of whom might have won the different categories. But then again.....does it really matter, being that all the cars were winners. The photographs at the start of the photos are on a car marked as "Hand Built." The car could have been from a variety since in matches several other styles. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Monday, September 16, 2024
The "Travel Can Make Us Humble
It was an ordinary day. Reading a column titled "The Argument" by Mr. Michael Shapiro. The subhead to the story read "Recognizing that we don't know it all opens a world of possibilities for understanding one another! AMEN! Mr. Shapiro began his story by telling us that: I began traveling in my late teens to see the world, learn about the lives of local people, and develop language skills. More than four decades later, it's clear that travel has been one of my greatest teachers - yet there's been an unexpected benefit too: Thanks to my journeys, I've become more humble. I grew up being told the United States was the greatest country in the world and that Americans were smarter than everyone else. Travel has revealed the brilliance of people in countries great and small, and that might doesn't always equal right. It's also helped me appreciate all the places and people that make this remarkable county my home. Perhaps most valuable, travel has taught me that my preconceptions aren't necessarily correct. I graduated from college in 1986, during the Reagan administration, and had some prejudices about his supporters. That summer, during a 4,300-mile bike trip across the U.S., my fellow riders and I were hosted at times by churches whose members rose before sunrise to cook us breakfast and wish us well. I could sense that our political opinions differed, but their kindness, generosity, and open-heartedness helped propel us across the country. And that led me to seek to connect with those whose views I might not share. In recent years, a novel psychological concept called intellectual humility has gained momentum. In brief, intellectual humility is the idea that not everything you believe is true and the willingness to accept this notion. A soon as I heard about this concept, a resounding YES resonated in my mind and soul! Not a singe one of us, no matter how educated or well-read know it all. "Being intellectually humble doesn't mean that you will accept the beliefs and values of those around you," says Elizabeth Mancuso, a psychology professor at Pepperdine University who has researched the concept. "It does mean that you're open and tolerating." What could be more valuable at this fraught time in our nations's history? We're living through a period when learning about a family member's or colleagues's poetical leanings often can end a conversation rather than start one. So the idea of intellectual humility, this recognition that we might not have all the answers, can help us build bridges. It's liberating to acknowledge that we can't always be right. We'll never know it all, and that opens a world of possibilities for understanding one another in fresh ways. Traveling to foreign countries is one way to strengthen our humility muscles. Author and journalist Pico Iyer intentionally travels to places that challenge his world views. "I think humility is partly probably about the readiness to be surprised and transformed and instructed rather than go into the world and have the answers before-hand. I think the beauty of travel is that you're going to be humbled by experience," Iyer told me. "I'll go to North Korea, not because it's a pleasant place, but because I know that everything I think I know about the world and life is not going to translate there." Yet we don't have to go halfway around the world to become more humble, intellectually or otherwise. I live near San Francisco, so in a single day I can travel from Chinatown to the Italian enclave of North Beach, from the Russian churches of Richmond to the Mexican and Central American restaurants and groceries of the Mission District. But you don't have to live in a city to find difference; you just have to get out of your normal routine and connect with people you may not meet otherwise. This could mean volunteering at a soup kitchen or going to a cultural event you might not typically attend. I gave up hearing that I live in the world's richest country, but travel has shown me that there are different types of wealth. WE tend to classify "country" in terms of their material wealth. We live in a first world country; others suffer in developing countries, or so we're told. And yet in some of what are seen as the poorest countries in the world, such as Nepal, I've found immeasurable richness: close family bonds, tight community connections, ebullient holiday celebrations. In desperately pro Cuba, people share an exuberant zest for life, love of music and dance, and a belief that no matter how little they have materially, they'll find a way to live life to the fullest. The humility that comes from these far-flung journeys or local jaunts helps us embrace every moment. Because when we connect with those who are dramatically different from us, either in their politics, religion, or world view - or simply in the way we live - we have the opportunity to tolerate so much about the world, and ultimately about ourselves. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
The Vault - GEMS From The Saturday Evening Post Archives Story
It was an ordinary day. Reading about several articles that graced the magazine known as "The Saturday Evening Post." Every so often they post some of the best articles, advertisements, etc. that they have placed in their Bi-Monthly magazine. I have posted one of those favorites so you can see what type of stories graced the magazine that is one of my favorites. What follows is a vintage advertisement that appeared in a 1904 advertisement of the magazine. The advertisement was titled "Rainbows On Plates." Humans have known about gelatin for a long time; we've been extracting it from animal bones since the Middle Ages. It is popular with hosts of the 1800s, who presented it in elaborate shapes at formal dinners, but enjoyed new popularity after 1897, when Mr. Pearle Bixby Wait trademarked a gelatin product with fruit flavors. The first Jell-O advertisement appeared in 1904 and was highly successful. It prompted Jell-O as "America's Favorite Dessert." It was followed by an ad that showed a four-year-old girl holding a tea kettle in one hand and a Jell-O packet in the other. She solemnly assured readers, "You can't be a kid without it." That child became the Jell-O girl and appeared on the company's ads for almost half a century. America has shown a special attachment to Jell-O, which cn be found in 75 percent of U.S. homes. (It's even the state snack of Utah, which consumes more Jell-O than any other state.). Perhaps this connection was begun for many Americans when their ancestors arrived at Ellis island - and free Jell-O was their first taste of America. The reading under the picture reads... "My Goodness!" said little Red Riding Hood, "I can't let you have all my JELL-O, I must save some for grandma." ( The word JELL-O was in red type). It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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One Liners To Brighten Your Day!
It was an ordinary day. Leafing through my weekly "Fishwrapper" when I came upon a list of "ONE LINERS." Thought I should share them with you just in case you need some brightening up today. Pass them along if they might have helped you, so that your friends and family can enjoy a laugh or three! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Fettuccini Alfredo is macaroni and cheese for adults!
A grown-up is someone who suffers from responsibility!
If I had nine of my fingers missing...I wouldn't type any slower!
If your parachute doesn't open up for you, you've obviously jumped to a conclusion!
If we knew what we were doing, it obviously wouldn't be called research!
Sign in a travel agency window...Please Go Away!
People who are wrapped up in themselves are overdressed!
Life is like a doughnut. You're either in the dough or in the hole!
Rice is great if you're really hungry and want to eat two thousand of something!
I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it!
The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how good I get, I'll never be as good as a wall.
If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
The "Man In Black" Heads to the U.S. Capitol" Story
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| Johnny Cash |
Saturday, September 14, 2024
The Mercurial Relationship Between Buchanan & Stevens Story.
It was an ordinary day. Reading about the relationship between James Buchanan and Thaddeus Stevens. In a speech before Congress in January 1862, Lancaster's U.S. Rep. Thaddeus Stevens characterized his relationship with fellow Lancaster resident and former President James Buchanan. "Mr. Buchanan is a constituent of mine," Stevens said, "and until he attempted to make Kansas a slave State, and uphold the doctrines of slavery in his messages, he and I were on intimate terms. Since then we have never spoken to each other." Before the disagreement over Buchanan's pro-slavery stance, the two men had been on relatively friendly terms since at least 1827, when the two 30-something lawyers worked together on a case being tried in York, PA. At that time, as related by Hans Trefousse in his biography of Stevens, the two men walked down a lane and sat on a fence while waiting for the jury's verdict. Buchanan told Stevens he should join the Jacksonian Democrats if he wanted to succeed in politics. Stevens reportedly said he would not abandon his convictions for sucesss. Buchanan remained a Democrat. Stevens became an original Republican in the 1850s, just before Buchanan was elected President. Their politics increasingly separated them, but apparently they remained on speaking terms. However, there is slim documented evidence of interaction between the two men following that 1827 meeting. There's an old story that one of the two crossed a Lancaster street to avoid meeting the other. There is no documentation for that story. They both had their hair cut by the same barber, Thaddeus S. Henry. There is no record of Buchanan and Stevens meeting in the barber shop. In the summer of 1850, Buchanan wrote to Stevens asking for his support in obtaining appointment to West Point Military Academy for Buchanan's nephew, James B. Henry. Another candidate was appointed before Stevens could get involved. As the 1850s and the long political slog toward the Civil War progressed, Stevens became more radical as an opponent of slavery and Buchanan continued his lifelong tilt toward the South's embrace of slavery. Nevertheless, following Buchanan's presidency and throughout the Civil War, the two men met clandestinely several times at each other's homes in Lancaster, according to a paper read by W. Frank Gorrecht before the Lancaster County Historial Society in 1933. Gorrecht said he personally knew about one such meeting. These sessions were secret, Gorrecht said, because "had it been known generally that these two met in conference the adherents of both would have denounced them as false to their respective causes." Buchanan and Stevens might have greeted each other at the July 1866 wedding of Lancaster Dr. Henry Carpenter, physician to both men. They just missed, as Carpenter later related. "Mr. Stevens was in the parlor when Mr. Buchanan entered," the doctor wrote. "The latter walked across the room, and Mr. Stevens, thinking he was advancing toward him, made a motion as if to speak. But, Mr. Buchanan, who, as is well known, had one near and one far-sighted eye and held his head to one side, failed to see Mr. Stevens." As Buchanan lay dying in the spring of 1868, Dr. Carpenter said Stevens expressed interest in seeing Buchanan and reconciling any differences. Buchanan told the doctor that he would be happy to greet Stevens. But, it never happened. After Buchanan died that June, Stevens attempted to prod the House into passing a resolution praising the former President's "private character and personal history." Another congressman killed the resolution. Stevens died in August. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Friday, September 13, 2024
The "Man Rescued From Cave After Hours Trapped" Story
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| Looking down the passageway! |
"Koi, Goldfish Dumped at Lititz Springs Caught, Relocated!" Story
It was an ordinary day. Reading that the officials at Lititz Springs Park in nearby Lititz, PA, say a small collection of domesticated fish were dumped in the park on Friday, September 6. Park staff were informed by visitors that five koi, roughly a foot-and-a-half long, and a number of goldfish had been released in the park's popular duck pond. "It was a mistake," Lititz Springs Park Board President Rich Motz said Saturday. "Someone thought it would be OK to leave koi in the pond, but it's not." Park staff were able to catch four of the five koi and fantail goldfish using nets and a canoe. Motz said he waded out into the middle of the pond and tried to catch the last one himself. "They're surprisingly fast," Motz said of the koi. Koi, or nishikigoi, are a colorful, ornamental variety of carp.
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| Pond at Lititz Spring Park where fish are dumped |
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| Koi that have been dumped into the Lititz Spring Park pond |
Thursday, September 12, 2024
The "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" Story
It was an ordinary day. Around 80% of men and nearly half of women contend with noticeable hair loss at one time or another . It may be hereditary or the result of an autoimmune condition (alopecia aerate), use of harsh "beauty" products, too much testosterone, thyroid disease or chemo. But, hair loss is often caused by nutritional imbalances and stress - which are often related. Stress interferes with good food choices and a nutritional deficiency stresses your body. You know our stress-relief formula: Have a posse and a purpose, get daily physical activity, establish a healthy sleep routine and eliminate highly processed foods and added sugars from your diet. Also, make sure your stress and hair loss aren't caused by deficiencies in biotin, iron, zinc and protein. One study found that 38% of women with hair loss were biotin deficient. You can get your daily Ai (adequate intake) of 30 milligrams of biotin by eating caned pink salmon, almonds, sweet potatoes and spinach, or taking a multivitamin. Learn more on iHerb.com's blog "Biotin: Essential for Hair Care and More." Iron deficiency can also trigger hair loss. But, before you take an iron supplement, talk to your doctor, but go ahead and eat more iron-rich tofu, spinach, broccoli and peas as well a vitamin-C- rich tomatoes and strawberries, to boost iron absorption. As for zinc...it's in nuts, seeds, legumes, chicken and turkey. You can take it as a supplement, but stick with the recommended daily allowance on the package or bottle. Too much can damage your immune system. For more info, check out "9 Proven Natural Remedies for Hair Loss" at iHerb.com/blog. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Artificial Intelligence May Not Steal Many Jobs After All! Story
It was an ordinary day. Imagine a customer-service center that speaks your language, no matter what it is. Alorica, a company in Irvine, California that runs customer-service centers around the world, has introduced an artificial intelligence translation tool that lets its representatives talk with customers who speak 200 different languages and 75 dialects. So an Alorica representative who speaks, say, only Spanish can field a complaint about a balky printer or an incorrect bank statement from a Cantonese speaker in Hong Kong. Alorica wouldn't need to hire a rep who speaks Cantonese. Such is the power of AI. And, potentially, the threat: Perhaps companies won't need as many employees - and will slash some jobs - if chatbots can handle the workload instead. But the thing is, Alorica isn't cutting jobs. It's still hiring aggressively. The experience at Alorica - and at other companies, including furniture retailer Ikea - suggests that AI may not prove to be the job killer that many people fear. Instead, the technology might turn out to be the job killer that many people fear. Instead, the technology might turn out to be more like breakthrough of the past - the steam engine, electricity, the internet: That is, eliminate some obstacles while creating others. And probably making workers more productive in general, to the eventual benefit of themselves, their employers and the economy. Nick Bunker, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, said he thinks AI "will affect many, many jobs - maybe every job indirectly to some extent. But, I don't think it's going to lead to, say, mass unemployment. We have seen other big technological events in our history, and those didn't lead to a large rise in unemployment. Technology destroys, but also creates. There will be new jobs that come about." At its core, artificial intelligence empowers machines to perform tasks previously thought to require human intelligence. The technology has existed in early versions for decades, having emerged with a problem-solving computer program, the Logic Theorist, built in the 1950s at what's now Carnegie Mellon University. More recently, think of voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. Or IBM's chess-playing computer Deep Blue, which managed to beat the world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. AI really burst into pubic consciousness in 2022, when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, the generative AI tool that can conduct conversations, write computer code, compose music, craft essays and supply endless streams of information. The arrival of generative AI has raised worries that chatbots will replace freelance writers, editors, coders, telemarketers, customer-service reps, paralegals and many more. "AI is going to eliminate a lot of current jobs, and this is going to change the way that a lot of current jobs function," Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said in a discussion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in May. Yet the widespread assumption that AI chatbots will inevitably replace service workers, the way physical robots took many factory and warehouse jobs, isn't becoming reality in any widespread way - not yet, anyway. And maybe it never will. The White House Council of Economic Advisers said last month that it found "little evidence that AI will negatively impact overall employment." The advisers noted that history shows technology typically makes companies more productive, speeding economic growth and creating new types of jobs in unexpected ways. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
The Maui Cultural Lands....Restoring Paradise
It was an ordinary day. Reading a story titled "Maui Cultural Lands" which brought back memories from years ago when my wife and I traveled to Maui on vacation. When wildfires tore though Maui's west side in August 2023, killing 102 people, destroying 1,400 homes, and incinerating over 20,000 trees, the future of tourism to the Valley Isle was thrown into question. Now, with nearly 85% of the island's jobs still reliant on the tourism industry, Maui is at a cross-roads. While local resorts housed 8,000 displaced residents in 40 hotels for months after the fires, many residents blamed the fire's quick spread partially on their clear-cutting and non-native landscaping. Hoping to secure more resident housing, Maui's mayor proposed a bill to eliminate 7,000 short-term rentals by 2026, which is currently being contested. An island that has, since a strategic pivot to tourism over 40 years ago, depended on tourism for economic growth is searching for a sustainable way forward. So when Maui officially reopened to tourism in November, it leaned more heavily into a new ethos: regenerative tourism, in which visitors volunteer and make conscious choices to support locally owned and environmentally sound businesses, with the aim of leaving the islands better because of their visit. Maui Cultural Lands (MCL), one of the longest-running Indigenous-owned nonprofits in west Maui, provides visitors hand-on ways to make their vacation count. Since 1999, Maui Cultural Lands has been taking volunteers out to pull invasive plants, replant baby trees, or plant native seedlings along the watershed in Honokowai. MCL director Ekolu Lindsey, a native Hawaiian whose Lahaina house was destroyed in the fires, has welcomed hundreds of volunteers since tourists returned. "This is not ecotourism," Lindsey says, referencing an industry vulnerable to greenwashing. "We are going to work, and it's fun." He teaches about Hawaiin culture, where aloha means adding value to your presence. "We help people think of Hawaii as home," he says, "Not your home, but someone's home." After the fires, Duane Sparkman, one of Lindsey's board members and chief engineer at Royal Lahaina Resort, began cataloging the thousands of beloved native trees - like mountain apple and kukui net - that were lost from local backyards. MCL quickly partnered with Sparkman's newly create nonprofit Treecovery, which is now reforesting Lahaina and Kula at no cost to residents. "We're bringing tourists in to help rebuild," Sparkman says. Today, visitors can see the trees they planted through MCL and Treecovery growing around Lahaina, and in Ka'anapali resort lobbies. Other Maui resorts work with similar projects, like Fairmont Kea Lani's partnership with Skyline Conservation, through which guests can donate or volunteer to restore native forests. After the work, more fun awaits. In Lahaina, Mala Ocean Tavern and Aloha Mixed Plate are open for dining, as is Moku Roots, which relocated to Upcountry after the fires. Visit the Old Lahaina Lu'au, considered the state's most authentic tourist-facing cultural performance, or Maui Ku'ia Cacoa Farm. In June, the venerable Kapalua Food and Wine Festival returned, and in October, the state's largest celebration of food, the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival, returns to Ka'anapli. Tourism on Maui remains fraught. While touristy areas like Wailea appear untouched, roughly 1,600 Lahaina residents were still displaced as of May. Signs in restaurant windows urge visitors not to ask workers about their experiences with the fires. For now, Hawaii lovers can do their small part by getting their hands dirty, then savoring loco moco whipped up with aloha. Written by Michele Bigley. PS - I'm not quite sure that my 80 year old body can take all the work load that this story suggests. I think I'll wait another few years before trying to head back to Maui once again. Sorry! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Monday, September 9, 2024
The "A Big "THANK YOU" To All My Family For My 80th Birthday Get-Together!" Story
It was an ordinary day. Just sat down to write this story after a hectic week-end with family and friends celebrating my 80th birthday. Our youngest son, Tad picked up my wife Carol and myself at our home at Woodcrest Villas on Sunday around 11:00 am for a lunch reservation at Dockside Willies where we met our oldest son Derek, his wife Barbara, my grandson Caden, our daughter Brynn and her two daughters..... my granddaughters, Courtney and Camille. We were headed to the most beautiful location along the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
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| View from Dockside Willies |
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| My dear wife Carol & I |
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| Woods Family view (l-r)....oldest son Derek, daughter Brynn, yours truly, wife Carol, youngest son Paul (Tad) |
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| Son Derek, grandson Caden and daughter-in-law Barbara |
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Grandkids (l-r) Caden, Big Lar, Camille, and Courtney  |
