Clowns Spread Cheer Amid War! Story

KYIV, Ukraine - Their costumes are put on with surgical precision: Floppy hats, foam noses, bright clothes, and a ukulele with multicolored nylon strings.  Moments later, in a beige hospital ward normally filled with the beeping sounds of medical machinery, there are bursts of giggles and silly singing.  As Ukraine's medical facilities come under pressure from intensifying attacks in the war against Russia's full-scale invasion, volunteer hospital clowns are duck footing their way in to provide some badly needed moments of joy for hospitalized children.  The Bureau of Smiles and Support is a hospital clowning initiative established in 2023 by Olha Bulkina, 35, and Maryna Berdar, 39 who already had more than five years of hospital clowning experience between them.  "Our mission is to let childhood continue regardless of the circumstances," Bulkina told The Associated Press.  The organization took on new significance following a Russian missile strike on Okhmatdyt Chiildren's Hospital in Kyiv in July.  The attack on Ukraine's largest pediatric facility forced the evacuation of dozens of young patients, including those with cancer, to other hospitals in the capital - and the clowns did not stand aside.  Together with first responders, Berdar and Bulkina helped with clearing the rubble after the attack and attended to the children who were relocated to other facilities. But even for them, the real heroes there were young patients.  "When the children were evacuated from Okhmatdyt after the missile attack, many of them, were in extremely difficult medical conditions, but even in this situation they tried to support the adults," said Berdar, recalling the events after the strike.  The hospital clowns, who use traditional clown noses and bright costumes, are now visiting multiple hospitals in the Ukrainian capitol region, including the National Cancer Institute, where patient numbers have surged after the Okhmatdyt attack.  Tetiana Nosova, 22, and Vladyslava Kulinich, 22, are volunteer hospital clowns who go by Zhuzha and Lala and joined the organization more than a year ago.  

Tetiana Nostova is a volunteer from the Bureau of Smiles and
Support, who plays a ukulele as she stands with Michael Bilyk, who 
is held by his mother Antonina and Kira Vertetska, 8 at 
Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine.

For them, hospital clowning is as challenging as it is rewarding.  "I volunteer so that children don't think about their illness, even for a short moment, so that laughter replaces tears, and joy replaces fear, especially during medical procedures," Kulinich said.  In her practice, she stays together with children, sharing all their feelings, whether they are fear, pain or joy.  For Nosova, the process itself is what made her start clowning.  "I am motivated by joy.  I simply enjoy it.  All my life I studied to be an actress, all my life I enjoyed making people laugh.  That's enough motivation for me," she said.  In a city grappling with nightly air raid alerts and power outages, overworked doctors say the presence of the volunteers brings a much-needed distraction, often helping children who'd been undergoing painful medical treatment to feel happy again.  "Clowns play a very important role in the treatment of children.   They help distract the children, they help them forget about the pain, they help them not pay attention to the nurses or doctors woh come to treat them," Valentyna Mariash, a senior nurse on the Okhmatdyt cancer ward, told AP.  Despite hospital clown initiatives like Bureau of Smiles and Support across Ukraine, the need for their work grows exponentially.  "Then I see how our work is needed in the large children's hospitals located in Kyiv, I can only imagine what a great need there is in regional and district hospitals, where such (clown) activity, as for example in Okhmatdyt, to be honest, simply does not exist," Berdar said.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

Mr. James Earl Jones - A great author, a great voice! 1931-2024

Mr. James Earl Jones

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article written about Mr. James Earl Jones...A great actor and a great voice,  Because everybody knows who Star Wars' Darth Vader is, nearly every mainstream news report of James Earl Jones' death must lead with that role.  But Jones, who was born in Mississippi in 1931 and died on September 9, did so much more - he WAS so much more.  He worked so frequently - in movies, theater, and TV - and that we can only believe he truly loved his craft.  Jones was nominated for an Oscar only once, for his starring role in Martin Roitt's 1970 boxing drama "The Great White Hope".  In 1969, for playing the same role on Broadway, he'd won his first Tony Award; another came in 1987, for his performance as Troy Maxson in August Wilson's Fences.  Jones also won three Emmys and a Grammy, and in 2011, he at last received an honorary Oscar, a way of recognizing his expansive film achievements.  Though Jones was a contemporary of actors like Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, his career didn't reach the same heights; for too long, America had room for only so many Black stars - a lack of imagination that is all of our loss.  But Jones brought the deepest kind of pleasure to audiences.  His sonorous baritone -- which he's cultivated as a young student seeking to control his stuttering -- gave life to the dramatic complexity of Darth Vader, as well as to the paternal nobility of Mufasa in both movie versions of The Lion King.  How to choose a favorite among Jones' movie performances?  Here are two possibilities:  his turn as the waggish sanitation worker Roop, who woos Diahann Carrol in the 1974 Claudine, and his dual role as a scientist and a fever version of an African shaman in John Boorman's 1977 Exorcist II: The Heretic.  Though people hooted at The Heretic upon its release, Jones is astonishing. Glowering from beneath a gonzo locust headdress, he not only holds your attention, he locks you in his dream.   That's what a great actor can do, and sometimes it's everything.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

 

300 Years Later...The Story Of Bylerland Mennonite Church

It was an ordinary day.  It was an ordinary day.  Three hundred years ago, a small community of immigrants fleeing religious persecution in Germany and Switzerland came to the region near Pequea Creek in what is now Willow Street in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  The religious refugees formed Byerland Mennonite Church, one of the original Mennonite Congregations in Lancaster County. Recently the church members, including descendants from the original congregation gathered to celebrate three centuries of worship, struggle, challenges and perseverance.  Congregation members Melvin Reitz and Joyce Zimmerman described the church's history from the arrival of Mennonites into the area in the early 18th century - when Lancaster was known as Hickorytown - through to the current day.  "It's interesting how, after 300 years, some things remain the same - only different," Reitz said.  Originally, services were held in the homes of congregation members until a 20-by-14 footlong cabin was constructed around 1747 on land owned by Mennonite Samuel Boyer.

The original meetinghouse still stands across the road from the current building after being moved from its original location in 1949. Zimmerman described how the church faced the challenges of the 20th centuries.  As pacifists, members of the congregation were conscientious objectors during both world wars, serving in the civilian Public Service.  In the 1970s, old Mennonite traditions such as the requirement for members to wear plain clothing and having men and women to sit on opposite sides of the church began to fade.  "Don't hold on too tightly to the old ways of doing things," Zimmerman said. "Twenty or 30 years brings many changes.  Instead, hold on tightly to God."  Joe Garber, who served as pastor of Byerland Mennonite for 26 years, spoke about a dark time in the early 2000s when the congregation dwindled to only 30 to 35 people, filling only the first two pews in the church sanctuary.  

Original deed to the land

The former paster described a bleak meeting with church leaders in which they are told the church was likely to close or be forced to merge with another congregation.  "Byerland was on life support an in critical condition," Garber said.  "We were told in a somber way: Bylerland is dead."  Garber said it was only through the faith and hope of its members that Bylerland Mennonite was able to survive to become an active and growing community.  The anniversary service also highlighted the church's effort to reinstate prominent 18th century preacher Martin Boehm back into the Mennonite Church.  

Byerland Mennonite historic church cemetery

Boehm, a reverend at Byerland and Mennonite bishop, was excommunicated from the Mennonite church in 1775 for preaching to non-Mennonites.  Garber and fellow Rev. Matthew Buckwalter lead the movement to reinstate Boehmn's place in the church.  Boehm was reinstated in 2016, more than 240 years after his excommunication. Garber said the restoration of Boehm had a profound impact on Bylerland and the larger Mennonite community and asked the community to remember the labor and sufferiing of those who came before them.  "Thank You Bylerland for walking with us through these years," Garber said.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Church pastor Matthew Bye leads the congregation in worship. 

   

"A Point To Ponder!"

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my latest "Reader's Digest" one last time, in case I missed something important, when I can across a one-page story that featured a colored photo of one of my favorite authors, James Patterson.  His story read:  In America we urge everyone over the age of 18 to vote, but only 15% of voters read books.  Only 15% of us perform the life-affirming, sanity-bolstering, empathy-forming act of spending time inside somebody else's brain.  Fortunately....in spite of cellphones, in spite of online gambling, in spite of the current storm of shortsighted politics -- the habit of reading books is not yet on the brink of extinction.  Not Yet!  Today's booksellers and librarians are not the sitcom stereotypes who give judgy looks when someone brings the latest bestseller to the counter, or who will shush an overenthusiastic teen to churchy quiet from 60 yards away.  Today's booksellers and librarians are extraordniarily good at understanding and motivating.  Armed with empathy, wit and professional training, they take the confused, the fearful, the frustrated, and help them become more keen-eyed, sharp-eared and justice-attuned.  What they do is crucial for their country, especially right now.  They understand in their hearts and souls that in the beginning was the word.  Day after day, they find the right book for the right person, and in so doing, they help save people's--and our collective--lives.  And maybe our sanity.  A "Point To Ponder" was written by James Patterson, one of my favorite authors and writers.  One of his latest books is: "The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories Of The Magic Of Reading!"  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

James Patterson

Voting In 'Fat Bear Week' Begins

It was an ordinary day.  Today's story takes place in Anchorage, Alaska.  This past Wednesday, voting started in the annual Fat Bear Week contest at Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve, with viewers picking their favorite among a dozen brain bears fattened up to survive the winter.  The contest, which is in its 10th year, celebrates the resiliency of the 2,200 brown bears that live in the preserve on the Alaska Peninsula, which extends from the state's southwest corner toward the Aleutian Islands.  The animals gorge on the abundant sockeye salmon that return to the Brooks River, sometimes chomping the fish in midair as they try to hurdle a small waterfall and make their way upstream to spawn.  Organizers introduced this year's contestants on Tuesday - a day late - because one anticipated participant, a female known as Bear 402, was killed by a male bear during a fight Monday.  Cameras set up in the park to livestream footage of the bears all Sumer captured the killing, as they also captured a male bear killing a cub that lipped over the waterfall in late July.  "National parks like Kaatmai protect not only the wonders of nature, but also the harsh realities," park spokesperson Matt Johnson said in a statement.  "Each bear seen on the webcams I competing with others to survive."  The nonprofit explore.org, which streams the uncensored bear campers and helps organize Fat Bear Week, on Monday hosted a live conversation about the death.  Katmai National park ranger Sarah Bruce said it wan't known why the bears started fighting.  "We love to celebrate the success of bears with full stomachs and ample body fat, but the ferocity of bears is real," said Mike Fitz, explore.org's resident naturalist.  "The risks that they face are real.  Their lives can be hard, and their deaths can be painful."  The bracket this year features 12 bears, with eight facing off again each other in the first round and four receiving byes to the second round.  They've been packing on the pounds all summer.  Adult male brown bears thpicallyweigh. 600 to 900 pound ini midsummer.  By the time they are ready to hibernate after feasting n migrating and spawning salmon - each eats as many s 30 fish per day - large males cn weigh well over 1,000 pounds.  Females are about one-third smaller.  When fans vote in each round, they shouldn't only consider the bear with the biggest belly.  Bear fans are instructed too vote n the ursine that they believe "best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears."  Bear 909 Jr., who last week won the Fat Bear Junior competition for the second time, will face Bear 519, a young female, in the first found.  The winner will face the defending champion, Grazer, described as one of the most formidable bears on the river.  Another first-round match pits Bear 903, an 8-year-old male who's given the nickname Gully after he developed a taste for seagulls, against Bear 909, the mother of Bear 909 Jr.  The winner faces a two-time champion, a bear so large he was given the number of the equally massive airplane, Bear 747.  In the other half of the bracket, the first-round match has Bear 856, an older male and one of the most recognizable bears on the river because of his large body, challenging a newcomer, Bear 504, a mother bear raising her second known litter.  The winner will face perhaps the largest bear on the river, 32 Chunk, a 20-year-old male who once devoured 42 salmon in 10 hours.  He's estimated to weigh more than 1,200 pounds.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

Bear 32 Chunk

  

Lancaster's Properties At Risk! Part I

It was an ordinary day.  Driving around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania taking a few photos of buildings that will soon be gone!  For those who live in the city of Lancaster, they already know that we have lost our historical Gunzenhauser Bakery and the historic Reist House, a farmhouse that dated back to 1795.  There are many more historic buildings throughout the county, some abandoned, some divided, some threatened by development that will be lost in the near future if we don't do something to stop their destruction.  A few of the more historical buildings were featured in my local newspaper this past September.  As I read about them I felt I should begin to document these places in case someday soon they might be totally destroyed. The first two that I decided to take photos of and write about are the Roslyn Mansion on North President Ave. and the Hoober-Eby Barn which sits along Route 501N along the Lititz Pike near the Manheim Township High School in Neffsville.  Both are in need of some work, but destroying them, as a few other beautiful buildings were in the past, is a crime to society. My guess that the main reason the old buildings aren't preserved is the cost.  I'm sure that the cost to renovate and/or preserve a large old stone home or a huge wooden barn must be tremendous and probably the price to destroy the building and rebuild it is probably less money, but these old buildings are a piece of the history of Lancaster County.  They can never be replaced as they once stood!  And...I certainly don't have the money to help in their reconstruction.  Maybe some day we will be able to find a way to renovate and make new again the old decaying properties that are so historical to Lancaster County.  I, for one, certainly don't care to have an ALL-NEW Lancaster County! 

This is the Roslyn Carriage House which was designed by C. Emlem Urban
and built in 1896.  The main mansion has been renovated.  The 4,000-square-
foot carriage house had a restoration setback when a wall collapsed in 2020
during construction.  The building has since been stabilized, but the work
is still incomplete.  Here's hoping it will be done soon and not demolished!

                                           

The Hoober-Eby Barn at 2797 Lititz Pike has a brick foundation
 and sits next to an assisted care facility and señor community.  If
either property expands, the large barn could be threatened.  Is the
cost too much to restore it?  

The entrance to the barn with the date listed on the stone.

One final house is located at 907 Lititz Pike in Warwick Township.
This small home sits very close to the Lititz Pike and underneath the
modern siding is an 19th-century structure, possibly older.  Road
construction could endanger houses like this.  How do we go about
preserving homes such as this...or do we just tear them down and 
build anew?  How sad!!  

1 + 1 = MORE(or LESS) Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story titled 1+1=More (or LESS).  But...why does one plus one equal More?  One possible answer is 'it just does!"  That is really a variation on "Because I said so!" - and answer that has been frustrating children for generations.  It is quite right to feel frustrated by that idea.  Math can seem like a world of rules you just have to follow, which makes it seem rigid and boring.  Whereas my love of math is somewhat driven by my love of breaking rules, or at least pushing against them.  both of those impulses play an important role in advancing human understanding, and in particular mathematical understanding.  So other than think about why one plus one is two, let's go a little further and question whether it's even true all the time.  Sometimes, one plus one can equal more than two. If you have enough cash on you to buy one cup of coffee, and your friend has enough to buy one, then together you still might have enough to buy three.  Because if you have 1.5 or even 1.9 times the money needed for a cup of coffee, that still only gets you one cup on your own.  One plus one can also equal more than two because of reproduction: Say you put one rabbit and another rabbit together.  You might well end up with a lot of rabbits.  Or sometimes it's because the things you're adding together are more complicated : If one pair of tennis players gets together with another pair for an afternoon of tennis, there ends up being more than pairs of tennis players because they could play each other in all sorts of different combinations.  If the first pair are called A and B, and the second pair are called C and D, then we have the following pairs in total: AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, CD.  So one pair of tennis payers plus another pair makes six pairs.  Sometimes, one plus one is just one, like if you put a pile of sand on top of another pile of sand, then you get one pile of sand.  Or, as an art student of mine pointed out, if you mix one color with one color, you get one color.  Or, as I saw in an amusing meme, if you put a lasagna on top of another lasagna, it's still just one lasagna (a taller one).  And, in some situations, one plus one is actually zero.  If I say "I'm not not hungry," that means "I'm hungry,"  Some children find it very funny to say "I'm not not not not not not not not not not not hungry!" and dissolve into hysterics because they know nobody has been able to keep track of how many times they said "not."  The point here is that one "not" plus one "not" is the same as zero "nots."  Now, you might thing that these aren't really situations in which one plus one equals something else, because they aren't really addition, or because those aren't really numbers.  You're welcome to think that, but that's not what math does.  Math instead says: Let's work out the context in which one plus one really does equal two, and contexts in which it doesn't.  And in doing so, we'll understand something about the world more deeply than we did before.  Math isn't really about getting the right answer; it's about building good justifications.  This gets implemented in schools as children needing to learn different "strategies" for doing the same thing, and I often hear parents complaining how pointless this is because if they can do something one way, why do they need to know all these other ways?  But, having different ways to think about something constitutes a deeper understanding of that thing, and it gives you more ways to check that what you're doing is secure.  Imagine we were designing a jungle gym for children.  We'd want to test it in every possible way to make sure it's safe.  We wouldn't test it by just playing on it in sensible ways: We'd want to jump on it, swing from it, bash into it, fall from it, and try to pull it out of the ground, rather than simply trusting that we built it well.  The solidity of math comes from not wanting to trust things, but wanting to jump and swing and know that our framework will hold up.  One of the reasons the framework is so strong is precisely because we question it so deeply.  I hope that we will start seeing mathematics as a place to pose questions and explore answers, rather than a place where the answers are fixed and were supposed to know them.  And I hope we will place more emphasis on those who are curious, and who follow their curiosity on a journey that may be slow and without a clear destination, a quiet walk through the countryside rather than a race to the finish.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

"I Know A Story...Knowing Everyone's Business On Town Party Line" Story

It was an ordinry day.  In the village of Oregon, during the years when party lines were the means of phone communication, some like to listen in on news and gossip.  About 5 miles north of Lancaster lies this little town of Oregon, with a dozen houses - including two very attractive Victorian houses - a church that seats about a hundred people, a hotel that originally was a stagecoach inn, a two-room schoolhouse, and a stone mill powered by a dam and millrace.  This is the town from which Oregon Pike got its name.  My future wife spent most of her growing-up years in this town.  Telephone communications were somewhat crude in those days, and most telephone customers had a "party-line."  In Oregon, the party line could handle up to eight customers, although most did not have more than six. That means that six customers could hear what any of the other five customers were saying.  To identify which customer a phone call was for, there were different rings.  The phone could give a long followed by a short ring and pause and then repeat the same signal.  Or it could be a short followed by a long, or two longs or two shorts or any combination that could be recognized.  The customer was supposed to answer only those calls that were intended for him.  Other customers who were not quite certain might answer to determine if it was for them.  When any customer picked up the receiver, anyone on the line could hear a click and could also hear a  click when he hung up.  Telephone customers could buy a private line if one was available or wait for one to become available.  Or they could get a line with only two or four other customers, if available.  These all cost more.  And some people loved their party lines; they would sit and listen to the news and gossip of Oregon.  My mother-in-law lived in Oregon and knew of one customer, in particular, who was famous for tuning in.  Everybody on the line knew her by name and actions.  One day my mother-in-law was talking on the phone and heard the "click," which was not followed by the hang-up click.  She knew!  After a while, she said, "Mrs. ***, it's for me.  Please hang up!"  Nothing happened after several repeats of the request.  Finally, a voice said: "Ach, sista net Mich." ("Oh, it's not me."). It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Get It Twisted Story"

It was an ordinary day.  Opened my latest Reader's Digest and there on page 17 was the photograph of a big pretzel.  Not just any pretzel, but one that had been made in the small town of Lititz, Pennsylvania, a 15 minute drive from my home.  The story was titled "Get It Twisted" and was written by Emily Tyra.  The tale of the pretzel's enduring populararty crisscrosses a medieval monk with a modern mall mogul, with a lot of twists and turns in between.  The story began around 610 C.E., when a monk in northern Italy braided ropes of bread dough to resemble crosssed arms in prayer.  He baked the treats until golden and gave them as rewards to his students at the monastery.  That iconic knot shape became popular with bakers in Europe during the Middle Ages, and Germans especially took to the art of pretzel twisting.  Starting as early as the 12th Century, German bakers hung pretzel-shaped signs. above their doorways as a symbol that you could find fresh baked breads inside," says Saveur writer Ben Craig, adding, "Pretzels were once so special that medieval painters would dab a few on the table of the "Last Supper."  Germans brought a passion for pretzels to the New World, especially to Pennsylvania Dutch country, which is a misnomer for Pennsylvania Deutsch.  The state produces roughly 80% of the pretzels sold in the United States today.  The country's first commercial pretzel bakery opened in 1861 in Lititz, outside of Lancaster.  Its founder, German-born Julius Sturgis, claimed to create the first hard pretzels -- made crisp so they could be stored for long periods without going stale.  Sturgis's descendants still make hard pretzels at their factory in Reading, Pennsylvania.  This twisting tale isn't complete without homage to "Auntie" Anne Beier, who started selling hand-rolled soft pretzels in 1988 at a Pennsylvania farmer's market to help fund her husband's dream of providing free family counseling services for their community.  Auntie Anne's is now the largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise in the world, with over 1,700 locations.  Now....for a cameo from actor Adam "Happy" Shapiro.  The Philly native became pretzel vendor to the stars during the pandemic, when he perfected a Philly-style soft pretzel and offered it from his Los Angeles driveway to friends.  His pretzel pop-up became a Hollywood hit - and a bona fide business.  "Happy" pretzels were given out at the 2023 Academy Awards, and Kristen Bell, Ryan Seacrest and Tyra Banks all professed their love.  Feeling starstruck?   There is no twist ending here.  Just an abiding admiration for a doughy delicacy with Old World traditions, all wrapped up with a bow.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "'Nibi Is Searching For A New Home" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Opened my morning newspaper and there on page A2 was a photo of this handsome young....BEAVER.  Not the guy that used to be on "Leave It To Beaver," but the beaver known as "Nibi".  Her story read.... Whether a 2-year-old beaver named Nibi gets to stay with the rescuers she was known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild as winter approaches in Massachusetts has ended up in court - and caused such an uproar that even the governor has weighed in.  "To literally see people from around the world come together to protect this beaver is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life," said Adam Teper, an attorney representing Nibi's rescuers.  A judge on Tuesday said that for now, Nibi will be allowed to stay in her home at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, located northwest of Boston.  A hearing has been set for Friday in the case the rescuers filed against Mass-Wildlife, the state's division of fisheries and wildlife, to stop the release.  Nibi has been a hit on the rescue group's social media since she was a baby, and posts about her impending release garnered thousands of comments.  An online petition to save Nibi from being released has received over 25,000 signatures, lawmakers have weighed in, and this week Gov. Maura Healey pledged to make sure Nibi is protected.  Jane Newhouse, the rescue group's founder and president, said that after Nibi was found on the side of the road, they tried to reunite her with very beavers who could have been her parents but were unsuccessful.  After that, attempts to get her to bond with other beavers also didn't work.  "It's very difficult to consider releasing her when she only seems to like people and seems to have no interest in being wild or bonding with any of her own species," Newhouse said.  Nibi has a large enclosure with a pool at the rescue operation and will also wander in its yard in a rehabilitation space, Newhouse said.  "She pretty much has full run of the place.  Everybody on my team is in love with her," she said.  Newhouse said she has asked MassWildlife if she could get a permit for Nibi to become an educational beaver to schools, libraries and town halls. But, she said, with the recent denial of that permission came the ordered release of Nibi.  MassWildlife said Thursday that it is "committed to protecting the well-being of all wildlife, including Nibi the beaver."  It added that Nibi "will remain in place at this time" as agency officials 'work with Newhouse Wildlife Rescue on the best steps forward."  Newhouse said her fear is that a release would mean certified death for her beloved "diva" beaver, who doesn't know how to live in the wild.  "It doesn't give her much time to figure out how to build a lodge for the first time, how to build dams for the first time, how to store all of her food before winter sets in," she said.  Newhouse said that beavers usually leave their parents between the ages of 2 and 3, so it's possible that over the next year Nibi will show more interest in wanting to be in the wild.  But unless that happens, she wants to keep her safe.  "She loves her life here," Newhouse said.  "She's spoiled rotten, and she's got lots of room to run around and her own little pond, all the food, fruit, veggies, nuts, berries she wants."  What do you think?  I could keep her in my Villa at Woodcrest Villas, but...I'm not quite sure they would go for that.  Than again...I could try it and not say anything to anyone about it!  As long as she's quiet...it might work.  Perhaps my two cats, Snickerdoodle and The Gray Lady might like to have a new friend....a beaver!  Nah!  That would never work!  Oh well!  Here's hoping that Nibi will find a good home and get a chance to live out her life in the company of friends in her own little pond with all the food, fruit, veggies, nuts and berries she wants!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

"Nibi" The Beaver

 

"Pennsylvania Starts Disbursing Millions To Student Teachers" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The proverbial check is in the mail for more than 2,000 future educators seeking support from Pennsylvania's high-demand stipend program to support student teachers.  The commonwealth allocated $30 million this year to fund the second go-round of the Student Teacher Support Program introduced by the Shapiro administration.  After an initial $10 million allocation in 2023, lawmakers in the General Assembly agreed to raise the program's funding by an additional $20 million in this year's budget;  The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is tasked with administering the program.  According to PHEAA, 2,052 applicants were selected to receive $10,000 stipends.  A total of 4,125 applications were received as of Wednesday.  "Disbursements will be done on a rolling basis. We anticipate that we will be scheduling them weekly as we start out and then eventually they will run as needed," said Bethany Coleman, PHEAA's vice president of public relations, communications and marketing.  The Shapiro administration has prioritized reinvigorating varied labor pools of what they view as critical workers including nurses, police officers and classroom teachers.  One way is through supporting student teachers who are required by law to work a 12-week, unpaid placement in schools toward obtaining certification;  Most applicants to the stipend program will receive $10,000.  Some are eligible for $15,000 for working in schools with high needs or a high rate of classroom vacancies.  Classroom mentors are eligible for up to $2,500 for supporting the student teachers.  To receive a stipend, recipients must commit to teaching in Pennsylvania for three years after they've been certified.   About 700 applicants shared the initial $10 million allocated to the program last year.  It wasn't nearly enough.  The Pennsylvania State Education Association said 3,500 student teachers applied within the first three hours, indicating heavy interest and need.  Some advocates estimated  the program would need as much as $75 million to fully fund all requests.  PHEAA has put that figure at $445 million.  "There is a real need to invest in our student teachers.  We saw how many people applied last year when we made these stipends avaiable for the first time ever," Gov. Josh Shapiro said.  "So in the bipartisan budget I signed into law this Summer, we doubled the amount of funding available for student-teacher stipends in Pennsylvania.  "This is a commonsense  investment to make sure student teachers are fairly compensated for their work - and it will help lower the barriers that keep Pennsylvanians from pursuing a teaching degree, so we can get more dedicated, qualified teachers into our classrooms," he said.  As for me, I student taught in a high school in York County, Pennsylvania in 1966 in the wood shop.  I had over a half-hour drive to reach the school.  I had to supply my own lunch and the clothes that I needed for my student teaching.  I received "ZERO" for any of my expenses.  But, I wasn't expecting to be paid, since I wasn't a full-fledged teacher....yet!  Why student teachers who are in the classroom now need to receive a stipend...well, I'm not sure why they get the money.  They knew when they chose to be a teacher that they would need to do student teaching, so I believe they didn't need to be paid.  But, that's my thought on the subject.  Anyway...It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The Story Of "Issei Noodle!"

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in front of Issei Noodle in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania admiring the colorful painting that graces the wall in front of me.  An especially colorful example of how art and Asian cuisine are colliding and can be found on a brick wall in downtown Lancaster.  Camp Hill-based artist Aron Rook painted a massive ramen mural last year on Issei Noodle.  The restaurant has been creating some recent buzz with the opening of Hi-Fi Izakaya in the back.  Izakaya is a term for a Japanese, typically after-work establishment in the vein of what many would call a pub.  Rook says she was given broad artistic freedom for the mural, within the general directives to include ramen, bignata fabric patterns (a traditional Ikinawan dying technique) and an homage to Andre's parents, Robert and Naomi Pham, who created the original Issei Noodle in Carlisle, PA.  Two birds at the top of the mural are meant to represent the parents.  They're holding up fish cakes.  Rook learned while developing the mural that the ubiquitous pink swirls on the latter are said to represent the whirlpools in Japan's Naruto Straight, which show up every six hours due to changing tides in a narrow body of water with some unusual underwater geography.  Rook was left as a baby on the doorstep of an orphanage in Seoul, Korea, and raised in Pennsylvania by her adoptive family.  "I've not felt a need to search for my biological parents because I am 100% them and continue our ancestry," she says.  "I feel my ancestors have always been with me since a young age and feel fortunate to have been the daughter and granddaughter of a family who supported my connection to the arts and therefor allowed me to experience creativity, which I believe was hereditary."  In recent weeks, she's been working with some students from Lancaster Art Vault on a mural involving boxing gloves for the Bench Mark Program, founded in 2014 at a gym to work with underserved youth.  As for the ramen mural, Rook says a good time to view it this time of the year is between 6 and 7:30 p.m., as there's a moment when the light of autumn's golden hour falls over it completely.  "I hope that the mural makes people hungry for Issei and fills their eyes with glorious vibrant colors that saturate their spirit and all their senses feel warmed and joyful," she says.  The mural was painted by artist Aron Rook on the side of Issei Noodle in downtown Lancaster and is a colorful reminder of how art and Asian food are colliding.  I photographed the mural at approximately noon when there was no sun, but the sky was bright!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

  

Telltale Telomeres: What Do Yours Say About Your Aging Process? Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about telomeres, the protective tail end of your DNA chromosomes which tell the tale of your life.  Every time a cell divides, a tiny bit of the telomere attached to its DNA is lost.  Over time, when those ends become too short to protect the cell, your stem cells stop dividing and "die."  When that natural cell-aging process is sped up by chronic stress, smoking, poor nutrition, lack of exercise and/or exposure to toxins in the environment, you end up with prematurely shortened telomeres.  That increases your risk for premature aging, cancer, and chronic conditions, like diabetes, dementia and heart disease.  Fortunately, research shows you can do a great deal tp preserve your telomeres - and slow down cellular aging - so you achieve a RealAge that's younger than your chronological years.  The top four steps you can take are to: 

1. Add polyphenols to your diet from fiber, soy protein and healthy fats found in avocados, olives, nuts and fatty fish. 

2. Eat seeds such as chia, sesame, and fix for snacks and with veggies.

3. Indulge in foods rich in vitamins E and C such as kiwi, blackberries, broccoli, sprouts, and tomatoes.

4. Reduce stress and increase exercise with daily physical activity (at least 30 minutes a day) and meditation - we like 10 minutes in the morning and before bed.  The good news?  Soon there may be a drug that helps lengthen your telomeres - two are now in large animal trials.  For more info, check out "The Anti-Aging Advice for Every Decade" at iHerb.com/blog.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "I Know A Story...Knowing Everyone's Business On Town Party Line

It was an ordinary day.  About 5 miles north of Lancaster lies this little town of Oregon, with a dozen houses - including two very attractive Victorian houses - a church that seats about a hundred people, a hotel that originally was a stagecoach inn, a two-room schoolhouse, and a stone mill powered by a dam and millrace.  This is the town from which Oregon Pike got its name.  Telephone communications were somewhat crude in those days, and most telephone customers had a "party line."  In Oregon, the party line could handle up to eight customers, although most didn't have more than six.  That means that six customers could hear what any of the other five customers were saying.  To identify which customer a phone call was for, there were different rings.  The phone could give a long followed by a short ring and pause and then refer the same signal.  Or it could be a short followed by a long, or any combination that could be recognized.      The customer was supposed to answer only those calls that were intended for him or her.  Other customers who were not quite certain might answer to determine if it was for them.  When any customer picked up the receiver, anyone on the line could hear a click and could also hear a click when the phone was hung up again.  Telephone customers could buy a private line if one was available.  Or they could get a line with only two or four other customers, if available.  These all cost more.  And some people loved their party lines; they would sit and listen to the news and gossip of Oregon.  My mother-in-law lived in Oregon and knew of one customer, in particular, who was famous for listening in to the conversations of others.  Everybody on the line knew her by name and actions.  One day my mother-in-law was talking on the phone and heard the "click," which was not followed by the hang-up click.  She knew.  After a while, she said, 'Mrs. ***, it's for me.  Please hang up."  Nothing happened after several repeat of the request.  Finally, a voice said: "Ach, sit net Mich."  "Oh it's not me.").  The author of this story lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Hit King Dead At Age 83. Learned His Lesson The Hard Way!!"

It was an ordinary day.  And then I opened my morning newspaper to the sports section and read the headline..."Hit King Dead At Age 83."  One of my all-time favorite baseball players for many years, Pete Rose, had died.  Pete was baseball's career hits leader, but a fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game that he loved so much and once embodied.

Pete, stealing a base!

Pete died this past Monday, but the cause of death has yet to be determined.  Perhaps a "Broken Heart!"    Over the weekend he had appeared at an autograph show in Nashville with former teammates Tony Perez, George Foster and Dave Concepcion.  For most of his fans who came of age in the '60s and '70s,  no player was more exciting than the Cincinnati Red's #14.  Known to most as "Charlie Hustle," the superstar with the shaggy hair and muscular forearms.  At the dawn of artificial surfaces, divisional play and free agency, Pete was old school, a conscious throw-back to baseball's early days.  Millions could never forget him crouched and scowling at the plate, running full speed to first base even after drawing a walk, or sprinting for the ncxt base and diving headfirst into the bag.  It was in 1989 that Major League banished him and issued a brief statement expressing condolences and noting his "greatness, grit and determination on the field of play."  Cincinnati Reds principle owner and managing partner Bob Castellini said that Rose was "one of the fiercest competitors  the game has ever seen" and added: "We must never forget what he accomplished."  Pete was a 17-time All-Star!!   The switch-hitting Rose played on three World Series winners, including the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies....Go Phils!  He was the National League MVP in 1973 and World Series MVP two years later.  He holds the major league record for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890) and the National League record for the longest hitting streak (44 games).   I know you should never say "Never," but what are the chances of someone matching those records?  He was the lead-off man for one of baseball's most formidable lineups with the Reds' Championship teams of 1975 and 1976, with teammates that included Hall of Famers Bench, Perez and Morgan.  But, no milestone approached his 4,256 hits, breaking Ty Cobb's 4,191 hits.  It was a total so extraordinary that you could average 200 hits for 20 years and still come up short.  Rose's secret was consistency, and longevity.  Over 24 seasons, all but six played for the Reds, Rose had 200 hits or more 10 times, and more than 180 four other times.  He batted .303 overall, even while switching from second base to outfield to third to first, and he led the league in hits seven times!  He also played for the Montreal Expos in 1984.  "Every summer, three things are going to happen,..." Rose liked to say, "the grass is going to get green, the weather is going to get hot, and Pete Rose is going to get 200 hits and bat .300."  He caught up with Ty Cobb on September 8, 1985, and surpassed him three days later in Cincinnati, with his mother and teenage son, Pete Jr., among those in attendance.  Rose was 44 and the team's player-manager.  Batting left-handed against the San Diego Padres' Eric Show in the first inning, he smacked a 2-1 slider into left field for a single.  Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, watching from New York, declared that Rose had "reserved a prominent spot in Cooperstown."  After the game, a 2-0 win for the Reds in which Rose scored both runs, he received a phone call from President Ronald Reagan.  On March 20, 1989, Ueberroth (who would soon be succeeded by A. Bartlett Giamatti) announced that his office was conducting a 'full inquiry into serious allegations about Rose.  Reports emerged that he had been relying on a network of bookies and friends and others in the gambling world to place bets on baseball games, including some on the Reds.  Rose denied any wrongdoing, but the investigation found that the "accummulated testimony of witnesses, together with the documentary evidence, betting activity by Pete Rose in connection with professional baseball and, in particular, Cincinnati Reds games, during the 1985, 1986, an 1987 baseball seasons."  In August 1989, at a New York press conference, Giamatti announced that Rose had agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball, a decision that the Hall of Fame ruled in 1991 left him ineligible for induction.  Can you imagine how Pete must have felt.  Hey...it was his own fault, but it must have been the end of the world to Pete.  I only hope that those that followed in Pete's shoes, learn the lesson that Pete learned....before they make the same mistakes.  Only time will tell!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy,      

"Short Corn" Could Replace The Majestic Fields Story

It was an ordinary day. Reading in my morning newspaper about taking a late-summer country drive in the Midwest.  Along the way you will more than likely see row after row after row of 12-foot-tall green, leafy walls that seem to block out everything other than the sun and an occasional water tower.  The skyscraper-like corn is a part of rural America's scenery as much as red barns and cows.  But soon, the towering corn will be a thing of the past, replaced by stalks only half as tall as the green giants that have dominated the fields for so long.  "As you drive across the Midwest, in perhaps the next 10 years, you will see a lot of corn that is half sized developed by Bayer Crop Science, developed to prevent the 12-foot high corn from being destroyed in the powerful windstorms that now roam the landscape.  The corn is being tested on about 30,000 acres in the midwest with the promise of offering farmers a variety that can withstand powerful wiindstorms that could become more frequent due to climate change.  The corn's smaller stature and sturdier base enable it to withstand winds of up to 50 mph - researchers hover over fields with a helicopter to see how the plants handle the wind.  The smaller plants also let farmers plant at greater density, so they can grow more corn on the same amount of land, increasing their profits.  The smaller stalks could also lead to less water use at a time of growing drought concerns.  U.S. farmers grow corn on about 90 million acres each year, usually making it the nation's largest crop.  So it's hard to overstate the importance of a potential large-scale shift to smaller-stature corn, said Dior Kelley, an assistant  professor at Iowa State University who is researching different paths for growing shorter corn.  "It's huge. It's a big, fundamental shift," Kelley said.  Researchers have long focused on developing plants that could grow the most corn, but recently there has been equal emphasis on other traits, such as making the plant more dought-tolerant or able to withstand high temperatures.  Although there already were efforts to grow shorter corn, the demand for innovations soared after an intense windstorm - called a derecho - plowed through the Midwest in August of 2020.  The storm killed four people and caused $11 billion in damage, with the greatest destruction in a wide strip of eastern Iowa, where winds exceeded 100 mph.  In Cedar Rapids, the wind toppled thousands of trees, but the damage to the corn crop only weeks from harvest, was especially stunning.  "It looked like someone had come through with a machete and cut all of our corn down," Kelley said.  Although Kelley is excited about the potential of short corn, she said farmers need to be aware that cobs that grow closer to the ground could be more vulnerable to diseases or mold.  Short plants also cold be susceptible to a  problem called lodging, when the corn tilts over after something like a heavy rain and then grows along the ground.  Bayer expects to ramp up its production in 2027, and Leake said he hopes that by later in this decade, farmers will be growing short corn everywhere.  "We see the opportunity of this being the new normal across both the U.S. and other parts of the world," he said.  I only hope they can create the new variety while I am still around to see it and perhaps have a chance to eat some of it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The old style corn on the left with the new, short corn on the right.

Did We Squish Out Lanternflies? Story

It was a ordinary day.  Reading about the spotted laternflies which seem to have gone AWOL.  Just a year ago, New York City's flashiest new insects were impossible to miss.  This year, the insects have all but vanished.  Although there is no official count of the insects, spotted lantern flies have been more difficult to spot in the city this past summer, experts said.  If 2020 was the year the invasive insects took New York City, 2024 might be remembered as the year New Yorkers got their city back.  "They're still out there," said Brian Eshenaur, an invasive species specialist at Cornell University.  "But, we're just not seeing them at the numbers we have in the past couple of years."  Could it be that New Yorkers' fancy footwork has kept the bugs' population at bay?  "We like to think that we're making a difference by stomping on the spotted lantern fly," Eshenaur said, noting that a single female can lay more than 100 eggs in a season.  "So if we're doing that, yeah, we might be making somewhat of an impact."  But he and several other experts noted that factors other than squishing the bugs may have more to do with their decline.  "You'll notice I mentioned that one last," Eshenaur said in an interview.  Scientists still have a lot to learn about the dynamics of the lantern flies' American invasion, and it is too soon to say whether this year presents the new normal.  The lantern fly is also continuing to spread.  "It's still on the move," Ehenaur said.  "We'll be living with the spotted lanternfly in the foreseeable future."  Spotted laternflies, which are native to parts of Asia, were first detected in the United States in 2014 in eastern Pennsylvania.  The insects pose no danger to humans, but they are agricultural pests, feeding on the sap of grape vines, fruit trees and other plants.  They are also hardy travelers.  Officials urged members of the public to report lanternfly sightings and to stamp or squash the insects - a challenge that many (thought not all) New Yorkers took up with enthusiasm.  But this past summer. has felt different.  The lantern flies are still blanketing some neighborhoods, including parts of Staten Island.  But overall, the insect population appears to have stabilized or even, in some places, declined.  "The invasion wave, as we call it, has dissipated somewhat," said José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ecologist at Rutgers University.  The same pattern has played out in Philadelphia, experts said, and is not uncommon with biological invasions.  "First you see really rapid population increases, which is what we experienced in 2020 and 2021," Ramirez-Garofalo said.  "And eventually you do see that spotted lantern flies and other invasive spies eventually get what we call natural enemies."  Over the last few years, some birds, spiders and wasps might have learned that lantern flies could make a tasty meal; these predators might now be helping to keep the lanternfly population in check, establishing a new ecological equilibrium.  "Think they're just integrating into our ecosystem," Moore said of the lanternflies.  In some places. the masses of lanternflies might also simply have moved on after chewing through their favorite foods.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Getting ready to squish a lanternfly!

The "Get It Twisted!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story in my Reader's Digest magazine that told of the loops of a popular snack that tell a warm, winding tale.  The tale of the pretzel's enduring popularity crisscrosses a medieval monk with a modern mall mogul, with a lot of twists and turns in between.  It was in 610 C.E. when a monk in northern Italy braided ropes of bread dough to resemble crossed arms in prayer.  He baked the treats until golden and gave them as rewards to his students at the monastery.  That known shape became popular with the bakers in Europe during the Middle Ages and Germans especially took to the art of pretzel twisting.  The pretzel sign in front of a business in the Middle Ages  was a symbol that you could find fresh-baked breads inside the business.  Pretzels were once so special that medieval painters would dab a few on the table of the "Last Supper."  Germans brought a passion for pretzels to the New World, especially to Pennsylvania Dutch country, which is a misnomer for Pennsylvania Duetsch.  The state were I live produces roughly 80% of the pretzels sold in the United States today.  The country's first commercial pretzel bakery opened in 1861 in nearby Lititz, PA, outside of Lancaster, my hometown!   Its founder was German-born Julius Stugis who claimed to create the first hard pretzels - made crisp so they could be stored for long periods without going stale.  The Sturgis family still makes hard pretzels in nearby Reading, Pennsylvania.  Hard or soft, pretzels go with just about anything.  The twisting shape tale can't be compete without homage to "Auntie" Anne Beiler, who started selling hand-role soft pretzels in 1988 in a Pennsylvania farmer's market to help fund her husband's dream of providing free family counseling services for their community.  Auntie Anne's is now the largest hand-rolled soft pretzel in the world, with over 1,700 locations. Now for a cameo from actor Adam "Shappy" Shapiro.  The Philly native became pretzel vendor to the stars during the pandemic, when he perfected a Philly-style soft pretzel and offered it from his Los Angeles driveway to friends.. His pretzel pop-up became a Hollywood hit - and a bona fide business.  Shappy pretzels were given out at the 2023 Academy Awards, and Kristen Bell, Ryan Seacrest and Tyra Banks all professed their love for the treat.  There is no twist ending here.  Just an abiding admiration for a doughy delicacy with Old World traditions, all wrapped up in a bow.  PS - I still make trips to my nearby Lancaster Central Market in downtown Lancaster, PA. on occasion to get fresh pretzels that have just been made and placed in bags for sale.  The smell is unbelievable and the taste is out of this world.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Through The Viewfnder...The Art of Photography Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my local newspaper's article titled "Through The Viewfinder - Exploring The Art Of Photography.  Every week my local newspaper publishes a small article titled "Through The Viewfinder."  It shows an image taken by one of the newspaper's photographers.  It may be an image that goes with one of the day's stories or might just be a special photograph that the photographer wanted to show to the newspaper's subscribers.  Each photo is explained as to how it was shot and what method was needed to take the photo.  The camera's ISO is given as are the shutter speed and f/stop.  The photographer's image is usually shown under the photo with any comments they might have for the reader.  Most times it is about a half-page in size.  This weeks "Through The Viewfinder" photograph goes to Suzette Wenger who has been on the staff for many years.  When I was still teaching photography at Manheim Township High School, I would invite Suzette, as well as many of the other great photographers, to visit my class and explain the reason for taking the photos and exactly how they determined the settings for the photograph.  I enjoyed the class as well as the students who were listening to the presentation.  Today's story tells of an Eastern black Swallowtail in its fifth instar phase stage.  I'm not so sure I can explain what that was, but at least I understood the settings on the camera that were used and why she used the settings that she did.  She also told how the image was processed,  Today's Image was processed withSkylim software.  She selected 20 each of saturation and vibrance, 20 accent AI and 15 structure from the filter packs that are available.  She then cleaned up some dust spots and performed dodging and burning, along with cropping the photo in Photoshop.  For those not familiar with photography terms...that's OK.  The nomenclature was given for those learning what everything is in the field of photography.  I always enjoyed when one of the newspaper photographers visited and spoke to my class.  I made sure to take notes, since at times they gave information that I hadn't known....believe it or not.  Today's photograph was a colorful image of an Eastern black swallowtail in its second instar stage.   Suzette told the class that she had been watching these critters for the last month or so as they try to annihilate her parsley plants.  She didn't have the heart to get rid of them, but they trashed my food last year, and I didn't want to lose my crop again. My classes always looked forward to visits from the photographer at the local newspaper, since they talked about just about anything and everything and tried to explain how you have to go about taking the photograph.  To be honest...I enjoyed the talks just as much.  A big "Thank You" to all the photographers at the newspaper who talked to my classes when I was still teaching.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This image was made by Suzette with a Nikon D6 body and a 105 micro lens.  The ISO was set at 1600, the shutter speed was 1/125th of a second and the f/stop was set to f/16.  As much as I hate them, a tripod was used to enable a sharp image.  A speed light was employed via bouncing the light from a light gray shed that was behind the subject.  This helped to fill in the shadows.  If the image isn't real sharp, it is because I took the picture with my camera from the newspaper and not my own camera.  If what you are viewing on your computer isn't real sharp, it is because I had to go through so many steps to show you the image.  

The Gillian's Wonderland Pier In Ocean City, N.J. Story

It was an ordnary day.  Reading in my morning newspaper about Jack Brubaker, "The Scribbler", visiting Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, NJ.  The Scribbler celebrated his 10th birthday on June 8, 1954, by scoring a hole-in-one on the final whole of the Tee Time Miniature Golf Course on the boardwalk at Ocean City, New Jersey.  A hole-in-one entitled a golfer to a free game.  It was the best birthday present ever.  On Monday, the Scribbler stood at the entrance to Tee Time, listening to an attendant complain about the imminent closing of a business that opened elsewhere on the boardwalk in 1930 and relocated next door to Tee Time in 1965.  That is Gillian's Wonderland Pier, at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk.  Gillian's was closed for the day Monday, but in mid-October it will close forever!  The Scribbler has missed his last shot at riding on one of the carousel's herd of horses or up and down with the caterpillar roller coaster.  The Wonderland Pier and its most memorable component - a 140-foot-tall giant wheel, the most distinctive feature of the city's skyline - is three weekends away from succumbing to the reckless claws of change.  This is not news.  LNP carried the story about the losing of the attraction last month.  But, the Scribbler was here to tell you that being onsite - and especially not being able to go inside on a weekday - magnified the sense of loss, a sentiment many Ocean City residents and visitors have expressed on social media.  "As a kid you looked for the Ferris Wheel while going over the bridge (into Ocean City)," recalls one Facebook user. "Then you knew you were at the shore.  Such excitement!  Please save the wheel!"  Thousands of Lancaster County residents, including yours truly "The Ordinary Guy", knows exactly what that commenter means.  Ocean City was Lancaster's preferred summer beach for many years.  Practically everyone went there in the middle decades of the 20th century - before Ocean City, Maryland; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and other resorts drew some families away.   Gillian's Wonderland Pier is closing because Jay Gillian, the city's mayor, sold it to Eustace Mita, owner of Icona Hotels in nearby Avalon and Cape May.  Many Ocean City residents fear a new hotel will displace Wonderland Pier.  "This is something that can't be replaced.  It's a place the whole family could enjoy," one observer told the Scribbler.  He was staring up at one of the eight fairy-tale artworks on the front of the building.  Humpty Dumpty falling off a wall.  The Scribbler's sister, Judy Brubaker Veser, has taken her grandchildren for rides on the Ferris wheel and remembers riding it with her father.  "It was my favorite ride when I was little, and Daddy was the one who'd go up with me," she recalled.  "He would always rock (the gondola) like crazy when we would stop on the top to let riders off at the bottom.  I'd scream my lungs out, and he'd swing it harder."  Last Monday, Ted Greenberg, who covers the Jersey Shore for NBC10 in Philadelphia, filmed the Ferris Wheel and interviewed boardwalkers, including the Scribbler.  He observed, somewhat wearily, that this was his fifth news segment about the end of Wonderland Pier.  At the Tee Time Miniature golf Course, where the Scribbler snagged his hole-in-one 70 years ago, everyone seemed to be having a good time, including the operator who groused about impending loss of business at the end of the boardwalk.  But, he did say, "It didn't have to be this way.  It's all about the money!"  Isn't it always!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Dear Scribbler...I will miss it as much as you will.  I loved the rides and the fun at Wonderland Pier.  LDub.  PS - I noticed that you are 3 months older than I am.  How's it feel to be an old guy?  

Gillian's Wonderland Pier