Having a 2 year old Again

Being 92 and 2 years are exactly the same.  This morning I went in with fresh clothes to wash my mom, and she said she didn't want to be washed - now it is 4 days since the last time I washed her, and I know she won't change anything in the meantime. But I didn't have my morning coffee yet - so I said FINE - stink - I don't care.  Which is such a stupid thing to say but I didn't want to fight.  

She is fixated on wanting a flashlight. The other week she wanted batteries for a flashlight - I bought them and it turned out there was no bulb in the flashlight.  Now I know there are a ton of flashlights in this house but, of course, do you think I could find one.  There is this a really bright one that is small, but I have no idea where it is - it is probably in my mom's room somewhere, never to be found. So on to Amazon this morning and I ordered her a new LED flashlight - for some reason she thinks she need a big one and I have no idea why.  

All this before my first cup of coffee.

Then on to the next mystery.

When Parke got up this morning, he said there was white stuff all over the kitchen floor.  He wiped some of it up but there was still some there.

The theory is that the mice in this house decided to bake something and spilled the flour on the floor.  The damn rats didn't even let us a muffin or so much as a cookie.  

Well, I think I need a second cup of coffee, I am still grumpy, but hey,

that's another day in Catasauqua - gee I love retirement.

Retirement is not for Sissies

 I am tired today.  Last night I stayed up to late watching shows I Tivo'd since I was watching Dancing with the Stars.   All the shows are now starting up, and all the NCIS shows were on last night.  

We had Friendship Circle at church last night and now, as I write this, I am boiling some of the biggest Red Beets ever seen by man.  Tomorrow I will join the Red Beet making crew at church.  

More things come out of the woodwork when you are home.  I am farther behind in my laundry than normal, because more things come up in a day.  

We take care of my mom, which at 92 she can get to be a handful.  Most days everything is ok, but there are the days she starts hallucinating or telling the therapists that we are stealing from her or saying that I pushed her down, when in truth, she decided to go up the stairs on her butt and ended up on the floor in her room with no way to get up, so I picked her up.  

My favorite hallucinations are about the house next door.  For some reason she thinks it is for sale, and that people come by and look at the concrete and shake their head no.  The fact that she cannot see anyone out her windows does not stop her from telling the stories though.  I just humor her.  I found arguing or correcting her does not work.  The other day she thought she didn't know me again and just found out I was her daughter.  I tired arguing but got nowhere.  I get downstairs and Parke says to me, going down that rabbit hole again.  I said yup; and he advised me just to agree.  

Oh, and I hate cooking every day.  I used to prepare my meals ahead of time on a Sunday, now I am home, so I prepare them at dinner time and let me tell you.  I don't like it.  

Well, that is enough complaints for now.  I have to go fold some laundry.  

and that's another day in Catasauqua.

It's True

 Yes, it's true, I am busier than when I worked.  But today just ruffles my feathers.  Wait, I don't have feathers, but if I did, they would indeed be ruffled.

One thing about retirement is that I get to sleep late.  No more setting the alarm for 6:15 AM, but this morning I had to set it for 7:00 AM so that I could meet a Verizon Technician at my church between the hours of 8:00 AM and never.  I say never because I sat there at Salem UCC, until 2:00 PM.  They had given me the time of 8:00 to 11:00 AM.  First at 12:00 Noon they tell me the Tech is running late.  Then at 2:00 PM I called multiple times fighting with the AI operator and finally after way to long I got a human.  He told me the tech was not in the area, so I reschedule for tomorrow morning meaning I have to get up at 7:00 AM again.  This time I am taking something to eat.  

Today I got hungry around lunchtime.  I found the bin where we keep left over snacks - everything was a little stale, so I settled for some Easter Candy.  I knew it was Easter because of the Kit Kat bunny.  Which, even though it said good to 11/26 - it was not.  

If they don't show up tomorrow, too bad, so sad, because I have appointments and commitments the rest of the week.  Who knew retirement would be so busy.

I will be making halu
pkies for the BASKET RAFFLE and FLEA MARKET at SALEM UCC on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. And if you are really feeling lucky you can go over to Holy Trinity who is also having a basket raffle.  

Watch for previews on our Facebook page.   Some great baskets and great deals at the flea market.

Well, I better go.  It's almost time to make dinner.

and that's ANOTHER DAY IN CATASAUQUA

The Daffiness of Dementia

As if my mother is not funny enough, she has been hit by UTI's and Dementia.  Today she had me look out the window to see all the chairs outside at the neighbor's house.  I did not see any.  She said they probably took them inside then.  She has seen a lot of people go in.

Poor Ida, my neighbor, if she only lived the stories that my mom came up with, she would be exhausted.  Like the other day.  She saw 12 women, all dressed up and with lots of makeup on,
dancing on the roof, yes, the roof.  It was a wild party.  Supposedly the women saw my mom watching them and waved (how nice of them) and she quickly got away from the window.  I missed the whole thing.  Can you imagine?

Usually when she starts hallucinating like this it means another UTI or the continuation of the one she has had.  She drinks plenty of water and goes to the bathroom somewhat normally right now.  And now, I wash her every other day, so she has been keeping cleaner.  But if the hallucinations continue - or get worse I will need to contact the doctor again.

My mom has always been a source of entertainment.  Sometimes my true stories have been funnier than anything I could make up.  

I am used to her dementia - but not the hallucinations, sometimes they catch me off guard.  Like the day the soldiers came and covered Ida's house with a white sheet.   The whole house!  Well I argued, note to self, don't even try to do that.  

Meanwhile, I think I might finally feel retired.  I have nothing I have to do today.  So I picked another book from the "Someday I will read" pile and later I will enjoy the weather outside and read.

and that will be, Another Day in Catasauqua

Is it a Holiday today? What is Labor Day

 So I just went through my first week of retirement and I really haven't noticed much.  More like a weeks' vacation to get things done.  BUT of course, guess what happened.

I basically could not get up.  Not off the sofa or the toilet.  It took me by a shocking surprise.  Especially the toilet.  I have since stacked a bunch of pillows on the sofa so I sit higher and I have devised a way to get off the toilet; but, in the meantime I went to the Doctor.  

Well, it wasn't good news.  I thought it was my knees.  I need two new ones but must lose about 40 pounds first before my doctor will do them.  But there was so much more happening.  First my knee went numb.  I thought maybe years of putting stuff on my knees made them numb.  But then the whole leg went numb.  Sometimes when I stood most of the time when I sat and one muscle across the front of my thigh hurt like hell.

Turns out - pinched nerve in my back and I see the spine specialist tomorrow.  Most likely a shot in the back or (I didn't like hearing this) surgery.

So, please say prayer for healing, I would greatly appreciate it.

Anyway, it is Labor Day.  What is Labor Day - from Wikipedia - 

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements in the United States.^[1][2][3]

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. "Labor Day" was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the U.S. officially celebrated Labor Day.^[4

 

In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American laborer worked 12-hour days, seven days a week, in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages.  (Holy Crap)  

 

First Labor Day Parade

Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to longstanding traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.

The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it. Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, Chicago employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives.

On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the Pullman strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers and the arrest and imprisonment of Debs.

I never realized that Labor Day had such a violent start.  My grandmother did talk about going to work in a mill at a young age.  She had to stand on boxes to do the work because she was so small.  Now, you can work from home.  I can write this blog in my living room on my laptop. 

In fact, Labor Day is Another day in Catasauqua

 

RETIREMENT

 Well, it happened, I am retired - this is day 2.  First thing I would like to tell you about retirement is that the days go faster.  How comes 8 hours at work takes an eternity while 8 hours at home goes by in a flash.

Day 1 I did as I said I would - slept in, read and then went to Aldi's.  Later I went to the Catasauqua Library for my Crochet Group.  

Day 2 is busier - got up - took care of Mom, then she had a video doctor appointment at 12 noon,  The doctor was 45 minutes late, but we finally got that over with.  Then I made a charcutier board for tonight's Friendship Circle, went down to church and hung a welcome back banner.  Now I am home writing to you.  I have things to do for next few days.  I really don't see me getting bored soon.  

I worked 50 years, 48 of them in Title Insurance so I think it was time to call it quits.  My legs have been giving me more problems than usual - I thought they would get a little better.  Darn

I want to finally do things that I had put off before .  Go places, see things and do things that you just don't get to do when you work all the time.  

Who knows what time will bring.

especially in Catasauqua.

And that's another day in Catasauqua
 

Starting a New Chapter

 Well, the time is finally coming.  As of the end of August I will be retiring.  I have worked  since I was 18.  First for Attorneys then I worked for Hamilton Abstract Company for over 30 years and after that two additional Title Companies.  

I have a total of 48 years in Title Insurance.

I am not sure what is next. I do know 2 reasons I am retiring - 1)  I will be 69 this month, it just sounds like I shouldn't be working yet.  2) My mother needs more care.  Would you believe she is 92.  Right now we are battling a UTI which causes hallucinations.  The Ugly Midget is back.  From what I understand he is on my neighbor's roof.   Parke thought she would stop seeing him after she said he was not there for her but for Parke, my significant other.  

Every day is an adventure, not knowing what kind of mood she will be in, what she will remember or what she thinks.  This week she doesn't know my name - I am simply known as Parke's girlfriend.  

If that is what I will be like in 30 years, make sure someone puts me in the home.  

One thing I know - I might get to write more here.  Just my mother's hallucinations are a hoot.

I might get a little relaxation in.

I might clean out drawers and closets I have put off forever.

So we shall see.  I will take it day by day; and maybe share her some of the stories here with you.

Because, it will be.......

Another day in Catasauqua

Freedom Let it Ring

 If you want a good cry today, listen to Trace Adkin's song Arlington.  I know it's July 4th - I am not all decorated like I used to be.  I do have one American Flag out and I asked Alexa to play patriotic songs, which led to the song Arlington.  I cried.

Two years ago the freedom of what woman can do was taken away from us.  Roe vs. Wade was overturned.  I called my friend Cathy and all I could say was Cathy and she knew and felt like I did.  Being 67 I can remember what woman went through with back room abortions.  But that day freedom was taken away.  I cried.

Yesterday the BBB was passed, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you a Rich White man, you lost a little freedom.  You might not feel it now, but I guarantee you will.

Today is July 4th, today we celebrate the Declaration of Independence - “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.” 

I think right now we are losing that happiness.  I remember hearing patriotic songs on the 4th and they made cry, but not because I was sad, but I was proud, proud to be an American.  Proud to think about how our forefathers fought for freedom.  

My family came from Poland.  Their names are at Ellis Island.  This country is made up of immigrants, everyone, unless you are a Native American. Yet we are persecuting immigrants right now.  I know some are in the country illegally, but all they are looking for is the same thing we want, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.  

Isn't there a way to help, instead of sending them to Alligator Alcatraz?

And, if they can build that in a few days why can't we do that for the homeless.  Remember what the Statue of Liberty had engraved on it -  

 Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.  Send these, the homeless, temptest-tost to me.  I lift my lamp beside the golden door.   

I cried

Do you remember 9/11 - Cathy called me to tell me - we came together as nation that day.  Showing the world nothing can tear us apart.   Except right now we are letting something tear us apart.  We aren't the same.  We lost the happiness of the USA.

Do you know what I like to hear on this day - July 4th - it's not a speech by Washington, Lincoln or JFK.  It's  a speech from a movie President in the movie Independence Day where we are attacked by Aliens.  The space kind.

"In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Mankind, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interest. Perhaps it's fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, we will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on. We're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our independence day." yup - I cried.

Best line is - We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore.  So true!

Happy 4th of July - may you take this day to remember what it is all about.  Remember what freedom means.  Remember the flag, the Statute of Liberty, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States of America.  Remember those who died for our freedom, for America,  

Liberty is the right to live free, you and me, let us not lose it to any authority which chooses to oppress us.  

and I cried, but that's another day in Catasauqua.

The Great Dirt Hole of '24

 Last night while I was at crochet group at the Catasauqua Public Library, my friend, Judy asked what Parke thought about all the trucks going by.  I wasn't sure what she meant until this morning.  

As I did the morning struggle to get in the car while parked

on Howertown Road during school traffic, I was memorized by the fact there were 2 giant dump trucks in front of me, crossing paths.  When I looked down, I saw that dirt covered parts of the street; and then it dawned on me, these were the trucks Judy was talking about.

The trucks that were putting the end to an era.  The trucks that were filling the Catty pool with dirt.  

Yesterday after work I was making a run to Hartzell's to pick up a prescription.  I had seen pictures of the pool being filled with dirt on Facebook, but when I saw it in person my heart dropped.  

The pool which opened in 1935, Grand opening July 11, 1936, which measured 60 feet by 220 feet.  The pool which became my home away from home in the summer months.  The pool where I learned to swim and where I tried to learn to dive but couldn't.  The pool where I hoped to be one of those ladies that sat under the tree (best spot on the grass) someday, watching my children play and swim.  But it never happened, we sat along the fence.  Three generations of my family swam there, my mom, me and my son.  The pool was now a giant dirt spot.  

I am not going to get into the politics or price that led to this.  My point is I am sad to see it go. It is an end to something that lasted 89 years.  

It was where I got snow cones and pretzel rods as a kid. It was where I met friends, and even fell in love once.  It was the pool. 

Yes, the Catasauqua Swimming pool has bit the dust, literally, and that's another day in Catasauqua.

 

Happy Father's Day

For many, many years I did not celebrate this day.  Yes, I did with my ex-husband and son.  Plus today I called my son to wish him Happy Father's Day, a special one with a baby on the way.  I had a grandfather I celebrated and Pop-pop my Step-Father but never a Father.  

You see, my mom and dad were divorced when I was 4 months old.  My grandmother thought it best that I had no contact with him.  Let me tell you, she was so wrong.  I met my paternal grandparents once, they came to my grandmother's house, they seemed so nice and brought me a giant stuffed rabbit, but I remember hearing her tell them to never come again.  And they didn't.  

When I around 17ish my Aunt Anne, my Father's step sister mentioned where my dad was living. I thought here it is, the opportunity to contact my father.  Visions of uniting were in my dreams.  The man would take me in his arms and call me daughter.  I wrote a letter, in it I gave him options.  One my phone number to call me. Two, write me back. OR three, if he did not want further contact from me, just put the letter in the self addressed stamped envelope and mail it back to me, at least I would know he got it.  I would respect his wishes and never contact him again.

Well, I am guessing you know what happened.  The letter came back in my self-addressed stamped envelope.  No comments, no hello daughter.  No, I love you.  

But I still love the man who donated his sperm even though I will never know what he thought about me.  He passed away December 5, 2022.  I didn't know until a few months ago when I googled him.  I did this periodically.  I was sad that no one let me know, but then who would.  Does anyone in his family even know I exist.

All I know about him is what I read in the obituary:

Luther was an amazing husband, father, and grandfather. As a long-time member of the Paradise Hunting and Fishing Club in Weatherly, Luther was known for his love of hunting and fishing. He enjoyed the opportunities to pass he love for the outdoors onto his children and grandchildren.

An amazing father.  

It looks like I have half-siblings, but I guess I will never meet them.  I wasn't even mention in the obit, although my twin brothers, who died, were.  

I don't write this blog out of hate, I write it out of love.  Love for the father I never knew, but also as a message to those fathers out there.  The ones that leave and never ever have contact with there children again.  You leave a hole.  You leave a hole so deep in a child that you could not  possibly understand.

I would have been happy with a birthday card or a phone call.  One I love you in the last 64 years would of sufficed.  

As usual I don't really celebrate this day: but let me say this -to my dad in heaven, happy father's day.

And to my heavenly Father, thank you for always be there.

and that's another day in Catasauqua

Getting Back to Normal

 Ever day is a new day and with each new day comes a little more normalcy in our lives.  Today was the First Day of Sunday School again.  Of all the things that I missed the most during Covid was my Church family, especially the children.  

Tammy, bff and co-teacher and I are blessed with a great group of children.  They are smart, even when I think they aren't paying attention, they are.  They are funny, they do and say the funniest things, I am always laughing with the.  They are our future leaders and I don't mind leaving the world to them.

The most popular spot in our room is the hot chocolate corner and of course, the marshmallows.  We had all kinds of marshmallows.  Big ones, small ones, flavored ones and the kind that are in marshmallow cereals.  I seen them wear marshmallows on their head, spear them with coffee stirrers and finally put them in their hot chocolate.  

I learn, as I teach them and I have been learning for over 30 years.  All the children that have come through have blessed me in some way.  When I see some of the ones that I had years ago now married with children I realize how old I am.  But you know what, the new ones keep me young.  They give me energy that I usually don't have and let me tell you, covid  had sucked a lot of my energy away.  Even though I worked every day, nighttime was mundane.  Come home, eat and sleep - repeat.  

When I cleaned the room last week I found a lot of spider webs, one daddy longlegger, which Linus tells me is the most poisonous spider but is unable to bite humans with its fangs, and the world's most hardest  marshmallows that ever existed.  Along with out dated snacks, candy that was 2 years old and some other outdated items.  

Today is was only Linus and I.  We did the lesson about Deborah and Barak, talked about what we can do for others in the church.  Talked about the food bank, the church carillons and daddy longleggers.  Being it was only the two of us, we were done early so we threw yarn balls around and then did some origami, unsuccessfully.   But I was never happier.  

Yes, maybe we are taking baby steps to becoming normal and some things may be never normal again, but for today is was at Salem UCC Sunday School, and that's another day in Catasauqua.

Let's have some Cheese with you Wine, oh wait that gets delivered on a Tractor Trailer

 It's a rainy day, a soggy Memorial Day weekend.  I can't help but read Facebook and one of the Catty pages is really getting bogged down with whining about noise and tractor trailers.   Especially Fed Ex tractor trailers.  But we need to face one big fact - none of use could live without tractor trailers, they bring us our food, our clothes, our medicine and basically everything.  Unless you live your life on a farm, raise animals, butcher them, and grow all your food you rely on tractors trailers.

• Of the 1.9 million semi-trucks that operate in the U.S., one-third of them are registered in California, Florida and Texas.
• In 2015, commercial trucks traveled an estimated 279.8 billion miles collectively.
• A typical semi-truck diesel engine weighs 3,000 pounds.
• 70 percent of American goods are transported via semi-trucks

During Covid we even relied more on Fed Ex  and Amazon.  Let's face - some of us didn't go out to shop and we had everything delivered. 

I worked for Fed Ex (for a whole week) and do you know what that truck was full of - everything.  Chewy.com; medical supplies, rugs, furniture, box after box after box going somewhere around the United States.  It gets from place to place by tractor trailer.  

Yes I know that the tractors trailers are big and our streets are small - I live on Howertown Road, I hear it all, trucks being the quietest.  Motorcycles and loud cars don't bother me like they bother my mom, who has to say OY every time they go by.  

I lived at 2nd and Mulberry Streets growing up and I am old enough to remember the noise from the Brewery.  And lets talk about the airport, I could hear planes start up and roar overhead.   They are much quieter now.  Oh, and what older Catasauquan cannot remember the banging from the Phoenix Forge.

Oh our poor ancestors.  Historically, manufacturing was Catasauqua's principal industry, and, in 1839, it was the location of the first manufactured anthracite iron in the nation..  Betcha that was a nuisance at the time.    

Let's face it, there always something to gripe about, but I love Catasauqua, the small town charm, it might not be the best place to live but it surely is not the worse.  I love the trees, the parks, and yes I to will miss the pool this year but it is what it is.   We have Skelly on Race Street that makes me smile and we have a lot going for us and that's what we should be happy about. 

You can complain if you wish, but the next time you have get a box from Amazon, or Zulily or anything for that matter, remember it probably was on a tractor trailer at sometime.  and that's another day in Catasauqua

Memorial Day 2020

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday which occurs every year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  Formerly known as Decoration Day,(my grandmother called it this) it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.

The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882^.   It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend.  (Thank you Congress I love a three day weekend)  The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress' change of date within a few years. (whew)

Memorial Day 2020 will soon not be forgotten, for in Catasauqua we are still in the RED Zone of the Covid 19 Quarantine.  So gatherings, parties and picnics are not a good idea unless it is with your family that you been stuck with for the last 146 days - yes it has been that long. 

Yesterday I ventured to Lowe's, which is  apparently the gathering place for the world - I haven't seen so many people since this all began.  I got some fertilizer and tomato plants, and apparently an impossible to open propane tank replacement, which is going to mean a return trip to people central to either find someone bigger and stronger than me or get a new tank. 

So today we will have grilled (hopefully) chicken and potato salad and pretend for the day that this is normal..  I don't like the phrase the new normal,  I don't want this to be our new normal   As I sit here and write I see things around me that represent my normal,  a bingo dapper, bills, and paper work.   My new normal has hand sanitizer, gloves and masks to my right.

Somethings from the Covid Crisis  I keep just because they make me smile.  Notes from my bff Cathy.

Yes, today is Memorial Day, a day to remember the fallen in Armed Forces, who secured our freedom and liberty.  Today that is what I will remember. 

and tomorrow, well, that's Another Day in Catasauqua

A case of Corona

A case of Corona means something different today - more like a virus than a good time.  In an effort to keep Catasauquians updated, I am posting any cancellations, or virus updates for our area on my Facebook page.

So what are you suppose to do at home as this virus sweeps the nation.

Yesterday I said to Parke, we should play cards - some gin rummy or Uno - we use to have fun doing that.  But as computers and iphones and Amazon prime filled our time we got away from that.  What have you gotten away from that you might like to try again?  Board games, cards, baking, crafts?  I crochet and I saw on Facebook a meme that said Crocheters have been in training for this.   So true, I have enough yarn at home to complete dozens of projects.

If you want to use your iphone or computer,  learn a new skill like belly dancing, a foreign language or learn to whistle through your fingers.  Here is a great article - 50 Amazing Skills you can learn on YouTube

 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/572087/learn-skills-on-youtube

The thing I miss the most is Church, the singing, the prayers and the people.  They are all like my family and to be without them makes me feel like a piece of my life is missing.

I am lucky to have people at home with me, if you know someone who doesn't it is
time to reach out to them in a phone call!  Check on them, see how they are handling the situation.  Let someone know you care.

Meanwhile at my house I won't consider it a crisis until my mom has no where to go every morning.  So far her and her friends have been meeting at the buffet.  So it's not a real crisis until my Mama stays home.

and that is another day in Catasauqua.

The Paradox of Evil

You know, I don't like to post, to often, my personal opinions on anything.  I prefer telling something historical or an event in and around Catasauqua.  But today I am troubled. 

Yesterday there was another senseless shooting in a church, not to mention a stabbing at a Rabbi's house.  And what bothers me the most is the fact that the shooter in the church was shot dead by security.  I know the security guy was doing his job, he saved countless lives, but he took a life in a place where rule number six is Thou shall not kill.

The volunteer security member was a former reserve deputy sheriff who is a firearm instructor. So my question is, why not just wound him. 

When did we become as aggressive of a society as the evil we so often point out.

The paradox of evil.  What's the answer - I have none. 

Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it[a] to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Matthew 5: 38-39 You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Are those the answer, turning the cheek, or leaving the gunman go.  No, it would of caused more deaths.  Did God put the security team in the right place at the right time - to protect his people.

I don't know - but in searching the scriptures for an answer I came up with the next one.  For some reason this struck a chord.  In the ever increasing evil that seems to plague us as a society, we need to look for the source, we need to find answers.  

Ephesians 6:12 -  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

and unfortunately, that's another day in Catasauqua.

When I was a Little Girl, I Kept a Dragon in a Jar

When I was very little,

I thought I kept a dragon in a jar.  Every so often I would let him out to fly around and then I would scoop him back up and place him into the jar again.  My dragon's name was Puff, of course, the song by Peter, Paul and Mary was popular at that time, I was about 6 years old. 

Puff was an actual puff, you know the puff that is bigger that a dandelion puff, the way the seeds of a plant spread.  Anyway, when I was a child I caught one of these big puffs (thinking it was a dragon, hey I didn't know what a dragon was suppose to look like, don't judge me)  and that was what I kept in my jar.  It was truly magical, I had it in the jar for days and I would let him out to fly and I would run around the yard with him.  I sang to him (Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the see and frolicked in the Autumn mist with a girl called Beverleeeee, sorry I am a creative singer) I tried to feed him. but he didn't eat anything.  But like my grandfather taught me, you can't keep creatures in a jar really long, they will die.  So eventually I left him fly away.  I truly loved Puff, I told him all my secrets, well at least the secrets of a 6 year old girl.

So why am I tell you this, well, this morning on my way to work suddenly there was a puff on my car window.  It plopped right directly in front of me, like it was looking at me, then it swirled across my window, just like a little dance and I smiled and all the memories of Puff, my dragon, came rushing back to me.  I even had tears thinking about it.  Isn't it amazing how little things can make you happy.

In this world, as a grown-up, it seems like it takes a lot to make us happy.  Everything seems so technical and we are skeptical of everyone and everything.  But, then I thought about it, isn't the simple things  still what make us truly happy.  Think about it.  A baby being born, love, a smile and even a fart makes us laugh. (Yes, Barbara I am thinking about you!).

Today I am thankful for that magical puff, the one I met today, and the one that played with a lonely little girl back in 1963.  Heck, maybe it was the same Puff.

May you find still find pleasure in the simplest of things.  Don't let life get so busy and complicated that you miss it. 

Smile, because, that's another day in Catasauqua.

The Loss of a Firefighter Made Me Think

My Mom always has the WFMZ news on in the morning.  As I passed through the living room this morning they were talking about bringing home the body of Erik Hirner.   Erik was an 11 year veteran of the Reading Fire Department and a life member of the Charotin Hose Company in North Catasauqua.  


Erik lived in North Catasauqua and was only 38 when he departed this life from injuries sustained when his motorcycle collided with an SUV.  

Today a procession will bring him home and to the Funeral home in Northampton for a viewing Sunday and Memorial Service Monday.  This is a sad time for all Firefighters and his family and friends; and I am sure that so many are asking why.  

This morning I thought about that on my drive in.  I don't know why; but I do know that we should live our life everyday to the fullest that we are able,  because we don't know when our time is up.   

Now, I don't mean that we should live recklessly or party like it is our last.  I always had this dumb way of thinking, if I died tomorrow, how long would the line at my funeral be and how long would my obituary be.  I know it sounds lame but I want to be more than 3 lines that say....Beverly Werner of Catasauqua died peacefully in her sleep leaving behind a son, 3 grandchildren, her partner and her dog.  No, I want it to say Past President of Consistory, choir member, Sunday School Teacher and occasional Blogger.  I want it to go on and on.  I want people to miss me who didn't even know me personally but knew me as "that nice lady who smiled"  "the lady who always said Thank you kind sir" when the door was hold open for her.  

Lately this world has been filled with a lot of hate.  Social media, which for me, was a way to see what was happening with friends and family has turned into a playground for adults insulting each other's politics.  

Twitter has turned into a weapon.  We have the freedom of speech but lets not turn it into the freedom to be stupid.   Where is the love, where did it go.  

As we mourn the loss of this young man, let it help us not to ask why but to ask how we can be better.

and that's another tear in another day in Catasauqua.

Firefighter Erik Hirner 

Procession & Service Information

Procession from Reading

Departing Reading Hospital 

through the city approximate time 1pm - 2pm

VIEWING
Sunday, June 3rd from 6 PM - 8 PM
Schisler Funeral Home
2119 Washington Ave
Northhampton, PA 18067

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Monday, June 4th at 11 AM
A viewing will be held prior to the service

Schisler Funeral Home
2119 Washington Ave
Northhampton, PA 18067

Spirits of the Past

Yesterday morning I spotted a cardinal in some bushes in the alley behind my house.  I saw it while on my morning walk with Blade, my dog.  I didn't think much of it yesterday, but this morning the cardinal was now squawking at me.  Let me add, it was REALLY squawking, so much it caught my attention right away.   They say cardinals are angels.  They say a cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed.  When you see one, it means they are visiting you.   

I immediately thought of a friend of mine - Miriam - she loved cardinals, she passed a few years ago and then of thought of Shirley, another friend who passed a little over a year ago and suddenly I had a hole in heart from the loss of several friends over the years.

It's inevitable, as we get older, we start to loose friends and family.

As I continued walking, I was really sad, but then I thought of all the good things these friends brought to my life and I became filled with love; and suddenly the hole in my heart was filled. 

Death happens, it will happen to me one day.  But this morning I realized that life is full of love.  Loving memories, love of friends and family, the love of my dog and I would say the cat, but cats, I not so sure about.  The world doesn't need love, it has it - you just have to recognize it and share what you have with everyone else.  So that one day, when you depart this life to go on to the next one that you don't leave holes, but instead you leave love.

and with that it is another day in Catasauqua.

The Fourth in Catasauqua-Huzzah!

Declaring our Independence!

It seems that every year I write a post about the 4th of July in Catasauqua, and that is because BFF, Cathy and I always go to the George Taylor home for the festivities and the reading of the Declaration of Independence.  

Cathy and I were pleased to see that more and more people are attending the presentation.  This year it was an “interactive” reading of America’s Declaration of Independence – complete with patriots, loyalists, and muskets.  Huzzah!  

Original desk of David Thomas

The first couple of years Cathy and I went it was lightly attended, now you better get there early to get a good spot to watch;   oh, and listen to Gettysburg’s Antebellum Marine Band!

Jean in the Garden

Got to love the strains of the Patriotic music along with people strolling about in costume.  If you visit the George Taylor home at some later date, check out the garden that is taken care of by another BFF, Jean.  It is beautiful.


Cathy and I did something also different this year and so did the Historic Catasauqua Preservation Association, they celebrated the Froth of July with a exhibition of breweries, bottles and beer at the Beiry House Museum located at 8 Race Street in Catasauqua.  (Thanks Ben for showing off your collection)

Heads up (that was a beer pun) if you ever get the opportunity to tour through the Beiry house do it, it is beautiful! The house is decorated with original pieces.  Along with the art work  of local artist,  Bob LeFevre of the homes and businesses of Catasauqua. He collection is  breath taking, along with other artists,  the whole museum is a great experience.

 A visit to the upstairs is a must, but do not be alarmed by the headless women they are only mannequins (yes Cathy!)

Oh - and get this - The Biery House is available for special occasions.  Affordable elegance for small gatherings - such as - Birthday - Showers and special occasions. And here is what I want to do - but I might be too old, Fancy Dress-Up Tea Parties for the birthday girl!!!  Call 610-264-9716 for information.

I would like to end with this from the Declaration of Independence - 

"He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

...

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

...

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

....

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever."

("He"-is King George, just in case you didn't know there for a moment)

and that's Another day in Catasauqua ........