Unusual Sights in Catasauqua

When entering Catasauqua over the Pine Street Bridge an awesome sight occurs, the Presbyterian Church's steeple towers over the town, and especially in spring and summer when the trees are with leaves the whole picture just reminds me of a perfect small town.

As I was driving home from work Thursday night I noticed something unusual as I was approaching the Bridge. The cross on top of the Presbyterian Church looked strange. It seemed oddly shaped. I thought that something had maybe happened to the cross, but as soon as I got closer I saw 2 birds perched on the cross. How funny, I guess any place in the rain is good for a bird.

It made me think about my own church, Salem UCC at Third and Walnut. We have a tree growing out of what use to be a steeple. In case you didn't know, Salem had a steeple, but it was hit by lightening and removed many years ago. Now we have that castle like top and in there grows a tree. My friends and I think we should come up with some sort of slogan for t-shirts, like "God like's Salem so much that he planted a tree on the roof" or maybe, as mentioned by my BFF, Cathy last night "Salem branches out".

But now Presbyterian can have a slogan..... "The Presbyterian Church, where God's creatures come to roost"........ and that's just Another Day in Catasauqua.

Batter Batter Swing

It's that time of year again when I start yelling batter batter swing for no apparent reason when I see the Phillies play baseball on TV and tomorrow is the big day! Yes, tomorrow is Opening Day for the Phillies, at 1:05 PM vs. the Astros. But, will opening day be played during a snowstorm? Probably not, Philly may see a mix of rain and snow at the end but odds for accumulating snow in the city are pretty low. So why I am writing about Philadelphia when my blog is about Catty -because there are some big Phillies fans in Catty - a shout out to the Boyers and to the Reiters two Phillie Phan Phamilies (ha, did you like the way I did that). Since my good friend Rami wanted a mention in my blog, here it is - Rami are you a fan? I hope so, because if not, you're surrounded by them.

So how are the Phillies going to do this year? There's been alot of hype about the pitchers, will there be a lot of no hitters, but on the other hand there are a lot of injuries, including Brian Bocock and Dominic Brown. I saw both of them play last year with the Iron Pigs, so maybe we will be seeing them again at Coca Cola Park.

I must say I am starting to learn more about baseball since the opening of Coca Cola Park, which is practically in Catty's back yard, plus watching Daily News Live Comcast SportsNet with "P" everynight helps. Of course, most of the time I am looking at the guy's ties, they really wear some nice ties.

I will blog about the Iron Pigs next week, I have tickets for Friday and Saturday nights. But for now, Go Phillies, batter batter swing.... and that's another day in Catasauqua.

Fish on Friday

I was reading Tuesday's paper and I see that we have some Lenten Fish Dinners in the area. First I see that Holy Trinity Orothodox Catholic Church at 1023 Fifth Street, North Catasauqua has one from 4-6 PM,Fridays during Lent. There website at http://www.holytrinityoca.org/ lists the meal as including fish (hey no kidding) halushki, vegetables and desserts. Dinners are $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children ages 6-12, Ages 5 & under free. Eat there or take out (take out should call ahead 610-264-0822). Also they are doing a Pierogi Sale $6.00 per dozen, fully cooked in butter and onion also Fridays during Lent 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, call 610-443-0268 to order.

There is a second Lenten Fish Dinner at St. Andrew Roman Catholic Slovak Church at 1239 Third Street, North Catasauqua, 4:30-6:00 pm $8.50 for adults $4.00 for children ages 5-10 call 610-264-3384 if you need more details.

Reading these made me think of Fridays growing up in Catty. My grandfather was catholic and every Friday we would have a fish dinner. I really like fish and I can remember some great dinners of haddock, clams, the occasional lobster tail and my grandmother's famous salmon croquettes, which I really didn't like back then, but for some reason I am sure I would appreciate them more now. But what a really miss the most from those Friday night fish dinners are my grandmother's french fried potato quarters. They weren't french fries exactly, she would cut the potato in quarters and fry them. She would get them the perfect, they would be a golden color just slightly crisp on the outside and super tasty on the inside and not greasy at all. For some reason I can never make them like that. But maybe some things are not meant to be copied. That's what makes our fondest memories, those special moments that we cannot duplicate. I think I will always remember the smells and tastes of Fridays from childhood and now I think I just might have to stop by one of these churches for dinner. Hey... but that's another day in Catasauqua.

Trying to find Spring in Catasauqua

It was Sunday, March 27, the calendar tells me it's spring, the groundhog told me it's spring, so I decided to try to find signs of spring in Catasauqua.

First I say to Parke that I am going to take a walk and try to get some pictures of the signs of spring. He said he was taking a walk to the golf course and back so I told him I would join him, on the way back I would hit Hartzell's to pick up a prescription. As I gathered my camera and slipped on my jacket I turn to find Parke in a parka, knit cap and gloves pretty much his snow shoveling outfit. I sighed heavily. He said that Saturday he went for a walk and it was so cold that he was half frozen until he got back. I nodded and off we went. To my dismay, Parke was right, it was cold and windy out, I had to put my hood up and to further rub it in, we passed two sets of couples, all dressed like Parke.

Parke wanted to know what I wanted to get pictures of. I said flowers, buds on the trees maybe a robin, something that tells me spring is coming to Catasauqua. Well, along the way we did find flowers. I was surprised to see hyacinths, lots of daffodils and a rogue tulip here and there. We made it to the golf course and Parke said, "why not take a picture of the golfers, that's a springy shot." I said, "No, they are there any sunny winter's day to."

On the way back we split up as I headed to the playground. Ah, more signs that warmer weather is on the way. A girl on her bike, a boy skateboarding by, then it hit me, like a knife through the heart, someone had a "Let it Snow" wreath on there door with evergreens still on there porch. PEOPLE IT'S SPRING wake up and smell the pollen. Well at least their yard didn't lie, daffodils were blooming at the side of the house!

Then I saw them, 6 robins on the top of the 3 dips, I tried to get a picture but the darn birds must be adverse to paparazzi, oh well I did manage to get a picture of one. I have attached some of the pictures I took, the one of the pool house down of the playground is actually a picture of kids playing basketball over at the playground another sure sign of spring, kids at play.

Well, the wind might have nipped at my nose and my cheeks were rosy when I got home, but like the song sung by Bette Midler says, "Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snow, lies the seed that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes the rose"....and that's another day in Catasauqua.

My thoughts are in the toilet

Yesterday I went to the Lehigh Valley Home Builders show at Stabler with the family. Okay, so I know today's post is not about Catasauqua but I am posting it anyway, it is my blog. The best part of the show, other than getting to be with my son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren along with my daughter-in-law's family was one item at the show that just tickled my funny bone and had the potential of tickling other parts to.

This item was a toilet, not just any toilet; oh no, this was the king of toilets. First the lid automatically goes up as you approach the toilet. This toilet could play music and had a heated seat. It also had a bidet that could clean you up and then the seat featured a warm air dryer that could blow you dry. And last but surely not least, which has potential to especially please other members of your family--a built in air purifier, which continually neutralized the air in and around the bowl, leaving the air fresh and clean during and after your bathroom visit.

On my drive home I was thinking, how "George Jetson" this was. Remember when he got dressed in the morning on the cartoon "The Jetsons." Basically he was tossed out of bed, and everything else was done for him, hair combed, teeth brushed and getting dress was done by machines/robot/computers and he was on his way. I bet George had a toilet like this one to! I am surprised that we don't have more "Jetson" like things in 2011. Parke, my significant other, is still waiting for his Jet Pack. The 1964 Worlds Fair promised us we would all be traveling by jet packs in the future, well that was 47 years ago, shouldn't we have those jet packs by now.

Oh, well I guess in the meantime, we will have to settle for the toilet that washes and dries our butts.

I want to thank everyone who has been reading my blog and giving me such upbeat comments. I am leaving now for a walk to get some ideas and or pictures for tomorrow's post but in the meantime...this is just another day in Catasauqua.

I think that I shall never see....

As I drive home from work each day I come to the corner of Pine and Howertown. I can't help but look at the huge chunks of tree in the yard on the corner. The big old tree that stood there was cut down, I know not the reason why, but it amazes me when I see the cross sections of that tree. The rings of a tree tell its history. Dendrochronology (wow, try using that in a sentence today) is the scientific method of dating a tree, mainly counting the rings. Every night when I pass by I think, wow that would make a great table. I get visions of carrying a hunk home and shellacing it, but alas, I think that would be an impossible task.

Catasauqua was settled in 1805 and chartered as a Borough in 1853, was the tree there then? Did George Taylor pass by that tree ever. He built his house in 1768.

I find trees amazing - did you know that there is a a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine still growing in a "secret location" somewhere in the White Mountains of California which is almost 4,800 years old. That means that tree was a sapling somewhere around 2789 BC or BCE which I just recently learned is more politically correct.

As I walked up to where the tree once stood, I was in awe, the beauty of the wood even more awesome close up. "I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree" was written by Alfred Joyce Kilmer about living trees. But a tree's beauty is more than trunk deep, its beauty extends all the way into the core itself. As I touched the wood I could not help but think how God is such an artist to make something so beautiful on the outside and on the inside.

That's just another day in Catasauqua.

A new Blogger in Catty

Hello. My name is Bev Werner and I have decided to do a blog about Catasauqua from Catasauqua. You might ask why? Let me tell you why. I like Catasauqua. I have lived in Catasauqua most of my life, except for a small lapse of judgment when I was in West Catasauqua, which is technically Whitehall, which I quite never understood why if it was West Catty is was part of Whitehall Township. Anyway let me get back on subject. I like Catty, I like living in Catty and I just want to share my thoughts and times in Catty. I will try to list what's happening in Catty, although I probably don't know everything and I will share my adventures in Catty. If you would like me to list an upcoming event in my blog please email me at BAMwer@aol.com and put "Another Day in Catasauqua" in the heading. Thanks and I hope you come back often to Another Day in Catasauqua.