Arbor Day in Catasauqua

The participants in the Arbor Day Program

Catasauqua has been named a Tree City USA Community by the Arbor Day Foundation.  It is the 15th year Catasauqua has received this national recognition.

The Tree City USA Program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska by J. Sterling Morton, who was originally from Michigan and when he moved to Nebraska, missed the trees very much.  The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and an estimated one million trees were planted that day.

The families of the honored

I went to the ceremony today mainly to honor the memory of Miriam Laudenslager.  An October Glory Maple was being dedicated in honor of her service to her church and community.  Bob Bastian along with many others did a wonderful ceremony, it was informative and heart warming. There was a proclamation read by  the Mayor and a State Proclamation brought by State Representative, Joseph Brennan.  I didn't get the name of the young gentleman from the Forest Service, but he was a delight.  Those who were honored, besides Miriam where Glen Stine and Frederick T. Muehlberger.    There was a pretty good turn out, which was wonderful to see.  Refreshments provided by the Mayor were delicious, I grabbed a cookie before leaving.

But, there was something missing today, besides Miriam.  That was a scarf, Miriam almost always had a scarf on.  I did a quick run home and dropped one off to Karen, Miriam's daughter.  As I drove away, I saw the bow around Miriam's tree and thought, yup a tree that Miriam would be proud of.

I leave you with this quote from J. Sterling Morton, "The cultivation of flowers and trees is the cultivation of the good, the beautiful, and the ennobling in man, and for one, I wish to see the culture become universal" and that's another day in Catasauqua.

Kudos to Blondie's

Well, you can't write a blog about our town and not mentioned that Catasauqua was mentioned on something other than the news.  Our own Rebecca Zukowski got to say Catasauqua, Pennsylvania on the Food Network show, Cupcake Wars.  There was something surreal watching her and her assistant run out of her Front Street Store in the beginning of the show. 

I have never watched Cupcake Wars before and I probably never will again.  The first round the contestant were given weird combinations to use in the cupcakes, like pork bellies and figs, Salmon and caramel and Blondie's pick, pickles and peanut butter.  She did well with what she was given and made it to the next round.  Sadly though she did not make it to the final round because the judges felt that her cupcakes were not "decorated" enough.  Who eats fondant decorations anyway. 

I say congratulations Rebecca for making it to Cupcake Wars, and no I don't want to try a pickle peanut butter cupcake.  By the way congrats for Michelle, who did win, I am glad she won over the guy, no one should be making cupcakes with pork bellies and liking it.   And that's another day in Catasauqua.

Happy Earth Day Catasauqua

It's raining.....it's pouring......the old man is.....oh never mind, he is watching a baseball game. (Maybe he won't read this blog).  Anyway to get to the point of this blog, HAPPY EARTH DAY.  Earth Day started way back on April 22, 1970.  In the 70's we were really oblivious to environmental concerns.  The war in Vietnam was raging, we were driving gas guzzling cars and we didn't care - gas was leaded and are you ready for this...... sit down......gas was .36 cents a gallon.

The idea of  Earth Day came to Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes as national coordinator.

 Earth Day proved popular in the United States and around the world. The first April 22 Earth Day had participants and celebrants in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States. More importantly, it "brought 20 million Americans out into the spring sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform."


www.earthday.org has an informative site, which list activities happening today, plus what we can to for our earth.  I just took the Footprint quiz and I didn't do to good - it said that if everyone lived like me we would need 4.6 Plant Earths for the resources I use.  Oy.  I guess I better change some of my ways, I am sure Planet Earth will appreciate it, and besides, we have no where else to go.

Also check out  how Google is celebrating  Earth day 2012 with an animated Doodle on its home page.

Well, that's it for now, it's a sleepy rainy Sunday, at least I thought it was, so I went shopping.  OMG what a mistake.  I went over to Target, Christmas Tree shop and Five Below, traffic was crazy.  I guess everyone had the same idea ---instead of snoozing - SHOPPING!  Anyway we really need the rain so let it rain!!!  and that's another day in Catasauqua.

Never try to read the paper with a Cat

As a cat owner, I know that there some things you cannot do in the house.  Things that attract the cat, like running the can opener, opening the refrigerator and don't even think about moving the cat treat box because even if the cat is on the third floor they will hear it.  Moments ago I saw Tipper, my cat, leap over the sleeping dog in a single bound when he saw me reach up to the top of the fridge (that's where the cat treats are).

After dinner I decided to read the newspaper on the front porch.  Can you believe this weather? I am off tomorrow so I have been using this three day weekend to do gardening and houseclean the kitchen.  So I decided to relax and enjoy the weather for a little bit.  As I started to read the newspaper, Oakley, the neighbor's cat came over to my porch.  Oakley has my mom trained to feed him dry food and cat treats.  I endeavored to ignore Oakley.  As I was reading the Comics a paw came over the top of the paper pushing it down.  I said no, no treats Oakley, I am reading the paper. 

Next Oakley jumped up on the arm of the chair, pretending to rub his head on the chair, he then decides to wash my arm with his sand paper tongue.  I still tried to read the paper, and then it happened Oakley sat on top of the paper and I had no choice but to pet him and scratch his ears, when he got off my lap I went in and got him some treats, this is when Tipper leaped over the dog. 

After treats I went back to reading the paper, however whenever I picked up the paper and tried to read it this somehow signaled Oakley to again jump up on my lap.  After several tries I gave up, it was now getting dark and Oakley had finally left and was back over on his porch. 

I will now try to read the paper on the sofa, but I know, as soon as I do, Tipper will come over and sit on top of the paper.  Some things are inevitable in life, and cats not letting you read the newspaper is one of those things.

Enjoy the weather and that's another day in Catasauqua.

A mural in Catty?

I would like this mural outside my back door!

One of my BFF's at work, Barbara just mentioned that there was an article in today's Morning Call about a proposed mural on Front Street.  I was like .....what?

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Catasauqua plans to beautify the Pine Street gateway to the borough with a large mural.
The painting is one of several improvements planned at the intersection of Pine and Front streets, where many commuting motorists cross the Lehigh River on their way to and from the borough each day.

The old brick facade, next to the Lukoil gas station, contains several bricked in windows. Borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder said borough officials mused that the windows could serve as "windows to the past," featuring elements from Catasauqua's history, such as the George Taylor House and other notable sites. However, such an element is at the discretion of the chosen artist and his or her proposal.
Goldfeder said the goal of the mural is to beautify the gateway to the borough. It would be placed amid a growing commercial stretch (*I thinking that's stretching it a bit)  along Front Street to the Pine Street Bridge and beyond.

The mural is the most obvious improvement of the entire gateway," Goldfeder said.

The work will be funded with a $40,000 matching Community Development Block Grant. Lehigh County is allotting $36,000 and the borough is kicking in $4,000.

Goldfeder said the mural is expected to cost $10,000 to $12,000 with the rest of the funds for such possible items as new streetlights, lighting for the mural, crosswalks, benches or even a bus shelter."

I don't know - a mural really - I am all for new streetlights, crosswalks, benches or even the bus shelter.  How about beautifying the town with flower planters or some nice trash containers?  I am always impressed with Hershey, Pennsylvania when the girls and I go for a Joyce Meyer Convention every year.  That have huge flower planters and hanging flower pots that just brighten up the city. 

Who knows, maybe I will love the mural, I hope so I will pass it every day once the Pine Street Bridge opens again. 

What I think Catty should do to raise some money is sell tickets for the chance to be the first one over the bridge when it reopens - I would pay for the chance to do that.  OH, PINE STREET BRIDGE HOW I MISS YOU.

and that's another day in Catasauqua.