My father, a good and loving man, passed away 8 years ago. It was a miserable week in early March, so services, even limited ones for the immediate family, couldn’t be held. Instead his cremation urn was installed in the mausoleum space without fanfare, with the expectation of a small service in a month or two as weather permitted. Those services never happened. Instead my mother, a woman I love dearly, and I had an obnoxious fight. We hadn’t spoken to one another again until last summer at my future daughter-in-law’s wedding shower.
In those 8 years, a lot had happened but we quickly caught up with each other’s lives. Our apologies were as quick as they were brief, without a glance backward as to why they were necessary in the first place. Forgive, forget, move on.
My mother was one of 15 children and growing up in that environment instilled in her a need to save everything–someone might be able to use it! was her motto. Her tiny cape cod home was bursting at the seams with things she was holding onto–some things still new in their boxes. When she began to use a walker, all those extra things in her rooms were becoming trip hazards and she asked my help in sorting out and clearing out the mess.
The mess comprises 3 floors! The basement, my father’s workshop, is off limits to me. My mother insists that all the tools (woodworking tools) belong to my younger brother–a man who has never shown any interest in wood working at all. (Unlike me, who with the help of my father, built a dry sink 40 years ago and i still have it!) But I digress. Mom cannot travel up or down stairs anymore, so she doesn’t know that the tools have rusted and because my brother never used them in 8 years are practically worthless at this point. Sigh
We spent the weekend, opening boxes and plastic bins filled with all sorts of bizarre gadgets and “As Seen on TV” items…LOL. Laughing at the absurdity of each item, we determined who might best make use of it and made piles–some for grandchildren, some for her sisters.
After I helped her clean out drawers and cabinets in the spare room, I labeled the piles and called everyone on her list of recipients–come claim your items within a week or they would be in the trash!
Since we were making some real progress, we treated ourselves to a break. We sat at the table to rest and regroup when my mom pulled a box out from under the table where she sat. “Here,” she said, “I want you to have this.” I opened the box to find my father’s Bible, the one he carried with him to school when he was young, the one he had his whole life. I swallowed hard and asked if she didn’t want to keep it…but she said she knew how much it meant to me.
The tears streamed down my face as mom and I talked about my dad’s last days. What she faced alone with him, beside him to the end. I don’t know how she endured. She told me she couldn’t go through his wallet for 2 years after he passed, but now she felt she could start to pass his things along and she especially wanted me to have this.
It’s old and weathered but holding it made me feel so close to my father again. I promised my mother my husband and I will visit again next month to help sort out and clean another room and she’s happy about that. She reminded me she has 2 more rooms on the main floor–then we have to clean the upstairs and the attic! There’s undoubtedly more of my father’s things to be found and dispersed, but my father’s Bible will remain with me until I pass it to my son.
Elephants are amazing creatures! They are the largest living land animals on earth and have the largest brain in the animal kingdom! They hear and communicate by foot stomping, and creating a low-frequency rumble that generates seismic waves in the ground that can travel nearly 20 miles. The sensitive skin in an elephant’s trunk and feet helps them to pick up the message, and interpret them as a warning, or distant danger.
There are three recognized species of elephants – The African bush elephant (also known as the Savanna elephant), the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant.
The African elephants used to be considered one species, until genetic studies concluded that they were separated between 2-7 million years ago.
African elephants are typically significantly larger than their Asian elephant cousins, with bulls growing up to 13 feet tall and weigh between 4,000-7,500 kg, while Asian elephants reach no more than 11.5 feet, and weigh less, between 3000-6,000 kg.
African elephants ears are larger, and reach up and cover the neck, while their skin is also more wrinkled. Asian elephants have a twin-domed head with an indent in the middle (known as ‘dorsal bumps’), whereas African elephants have fuller, more rounded heads. African elephants also have concave backs, while Asian elephants have convex or level backs.
The African elephant is on the left, in comparison to the Asian elephant, on the right.
Both female and male African elephants have tusks, but only male Asian elephants do. An elephants tusks are used for digging, debarking trees, moving trees and branches when clearing a path and for attacking and defending when fighting. By raising the tips of their trunks above the water’s surface, elephants can cross rivers totally submerged walking on the river bed–their very own snorkel!
Elephants form deep, intimate family bonds and live in groups, known as a herd. These herds have a matriarchal head, which means the oldest, and usually largest, female in the group will lead the herd. She is referred to as the matriarch. A family usually includes the mother, her sisters, daughters and their babies.
The size of the herd will depend entirely on the size of the family and the terrain they have chosen to live on. Normally a herd of elephants can number between 8 and 100, however there have been recorded aggregations of up to 1,000 around watering holes.
The entire matriarchal herd will protect a newborn calf, and help to raise it. Males have a very different behavior pattern. They usually leave the herd between the ages of 12 and 15 after reaching puberty. Males who have left the family unit will either live temporarily with other males, or may just be alone for the rest of their lives. Even after pursuing and selecting a female mate, a male elephant will then resume his predominantly nomadic and solitary life, to roam alone.
elephant matriarch leading her herd
Female elephants have the longest pregnancies of any mammal at 22 months and give birth to huge babies. The average newborn calf will weigh between 200-250 pounds! Thankfully, the average birth is a single calf but although twins are rare, they do occur occasionally.
An elephant’s skin is very thick–about an inch thick–and although it’s tough, it’s also very sensitive! Elephants love mud baths–which they use as sunscreen for protection–and dust baths which they use to remove parasites.
Elephants will show affection to other members of their herd by stroking their heads or backs with their trunks to console or comfort them. If an elephant herd comes across a pile of elephant bones, they will stop and touch the bones with their trunks, and stay there for a long while. Are they grieving? Showing respect? They do not exhibit the same behavior with the bones of other animals.
But one the most interesting facts I discovered about elephants is this: They are afraid of bees! Imagine!
Passing motorists on highway 322 or the combined 11 and 15 just outside of Harrisburg might notice something odd atop an old railroad bridge piling in the middle of the Susquehanna River. In the few fleeting seconds that it’s visible from either road, it can elicit an almost confused feeling. I’m sure the words “Was that the Statue of Liberty?” have been uttered more than a few times by those driving by.
In fact, it IS a replica of the Statue of Liberty. The unique replica of the Statue of Liberty stands in the Susquehanna River in Dauphin County. She currently rises 25 feet from an old bridge piling in a section of the Susquehanna River known as the Dauphin Narrows. “Of all the replicas across America, it’s one of the larger ones,” says Gene Stilp, who also believes his statue has the best location. The original was erected in 1986 and constructed from fiberglass and venetian blinds.
The inception of the statue was veiled in secrecy, only known by a few local men in Dauphin. The idea was the brainchild of Stilp, a non-practicing lawyer and engineering hobbyist. He drafted plans and began construction of the statue using plywood and venetian blinds in a friend’s garage. Upon completion, Stilp gathered a few of his friends whom he could trust with his secret, and on the night of July 1, 1986, 12 men set out to put their Lady Liberty in her place.
One of the men, safety coordinator Steve Oliphant recalls, “I was concerned about taking a bunch of knuckleheads with a 450-pound statue out into the Dauphin Narrows. It can get dangerous out there.” With only a few small boats, Stilp and his men paddled out onto the Susquehanna to the old Marysville Bridge piling. “We were 32 feet in the air, and it was pitch black, and we had to be very careful,” mused Stilp. Using only ropes and their combined man power, the men hoisted the 450 pound construction up the 30 feet to her perch. The men then convened over pizza and beer, not knowing they had sown the seeds of local legend.
Only meant to last for a few weeks, the first statue stood until 1992 when a series of storms forced her removal.
Six months of construction later, a four-ton replica of Lady Liberty was airlifted to the stone pedestal from which she had fallen five years earlier. This new statue, constructed of metal, wood, and fiberglass with a polyester finish cost an estimated $33,000 to complete. It was a triumphant moment for the people involved and the surrounding communities, with over 100 spectators watching the event. The statue was met with applause and cheers as it was secured into place. This small Pennsylvania town had its landmark back. “I knew we were going to get it done, no matter what the naysayers said. I’m not a sculptor; I’m just an amateur who is winging it,” Stilp said.
Stilp’s creation remains to this day. She endures freezing temperatures and howling winds, the baking sun and violent storms. Stilp is still involved with the statue, organizing a cleanup every few years that draws large numbers from the community. “It’s a tough time for America, so it’s nice to have a reminder of what people will do together. Everyone coming out and helping out. That’s a community,” said local songwriter Alex Kaschock.
I don’t know about you, but I love that first cup of coffee in the morning! The hot, bring-me-back-to-life liquid makes getting out of bed in the morning well worth it! No one, and I mean NO ONE makes a better cup of coffee than my husband. This is not up for debate.
That being said, I have often wondered what makes a great cup of coffee? Is it the beans, freshly ground? (Hubby’s does not use those.) Is it an expensive crap-o-chino machine? (Hubby uses a Mr. Coffeemaker.) I believe it’s the perfect blend of coffee beans and water (that perfect ratio IS apparently a HUGE secret…lol) AND atmosphere. The house is warm and cozy and the views are spectacular!
looks too complicated
If i had to venture outside the house to buy a cup of coffee, what might i look for? A good name, I expect. Starbucks does not convey good coffee taste to me–nor does Dunkin Donuts–McDonald’s? forget about it! Okay, maybe atmosphere would be a better choice to lead me to that perfect cup!
So I went looking into Pennsylvania travel spots for recommendations on a great cup of coffee. What i found was so much more interesting! I present…The Coffee Pot of Bedford, PA!
The restored Coffee Pot in Bedford, PA
This coffee pot really is giant. In fact, it’s 18 feet tall and 22 feet in diameter, making it big enough to hold over 800,000 cups of coffee! It was originally built in 1927 by David Koontz, a local gas station owner. He constructed the coffee pot of brick and metal sheeting to attract travelers along Route 30 (also known as the Lincoln Highway) to stop at his gas station.
original Coffee Pot
When it was originally built, the Koontz Coffee Pot was used as a small restaurant. In 1937, it became a bar and was attached to a hotel. It also served as a bus stop, but, rather interestingly, it was never a coffee shop.
In the 1980s, the Bedford Coffee Pot was officially closed and, by the 1990s, it was in bad shape and was nearly torn down. Fortunately, the local community came together, along with the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor, to save this incredible roadside oddity.
In 2004, the Bedford Coffee Pot was moved across Route 30 to the entrance of the Bedford County Fairgrounds. And, over the years, it has been beautifully restored.
Sad though, never a coffee house. But what a gimmick!
One of the smallest frogs is called a spring peeper. It’s maximum length is 1 1/2 inches and males make a chirping, cricket-like sound in spring mating season.
The Goliath Frog, found only in Western Africa, reaches about a foot in length and constructs its own ponds for its tadpoles to grow in.
Wood Frogs, found in Northeast America and Alaska can survive below freezing temperatures in which up to 65% of their bodies turn to ice! In the winter, the Wood Frog’s body freezes and its heart stops beating. They also stop breathing and remain in this state until spring.
Frogs in general do not drink water, they absorb it! They have almost 180 degree vision and cannot eat and keep their eyes open at the same time! And most frogs have teeth!
One last interesting thing about frogs…a group of frogs is called an army.
Humming birds are amazing birds and one of my absolute favorites!
Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly in different directions. They can hover forward, backward, sideways, in mid-air, and even upside-down! They can also fly in the rain and shake their heads off to remove drops of water. What is incredible though is that they can shake their heads as fast as 132 times per second and rotate up to 202 degrees. And they can do all of this while flying!
Hummingbirds have a very fast metabolism, which is nearly 100 times faster than that of an elephant.
They eat nectars and insects such as ants, gnats, mosquitoes, and wasps the entire day just to survive. These hummers can feed every 10 to 15 minutes and scout between 1,000 and 2,000 flowers every day for food.
Don’t judge them by their size as hummingbirds have speed and stamina. They have been clocked in direct flights at about 30 mph and in courtship dives at 45 mph. In addition, their heart can beat up to 1,200 times per minute when flying and 225 times at rest. And their wings? Well, they can flap to as fast as 70 times per second on a regular flight and 200 times when diving.
Once a hummer has found a food source, it will return yearly. We generally begin to see ours in mid-April (depending on the warmth) and they depart in September. Our neighbor once told us that the hummers would fly to his windows in the spring and “say hello” and that’s when he knew it was time to get his feeders out. (Although hummers have no sense of smell, bears do and in early spring the sweet smell of the sugar water attracts bears, so we take our feeders in every evening.)
We found that in the mornings, the hummers will indeed fly at the window to “announce” they are up and to signal they are ready for breakfast…LOL
Spring is a time of renewal, rebirth. A chance to clean the slate and start again. Sweep out the old and usher in the new…
Every spring, households across the country engage in a ritual called Spring Cleaning. Pre-covid, my ritual was simple yet satisfying. I would target an area in the house, clean and organize, and remove any unwanted or unnecessary items.
NOT our house–I would freak out
But, Post-covid, that wonderful process has completely fallen apart. An interloper has intruded onto the scene and is hindering my best attempts to complete my mission!
Just the other day I was spring cleaning the kitchen, the refrigerator specifically. Following the previously tested and approved process, I would remove all the items from a shelf. Then I would check the expiration date on the package…tossing those whose freshness had passed. The surviving items I would wipe with a clean cloth and after washing the shelf, put the cleaned items back.
But that was all destroyed by covid.. I was removing items, checking their freshness dates and tossing the bad ones into the trash. Or at least I thought I was. As I was tossing items in the trash, hubby–better known around here as the Interloper–was removing them!
“I can still eat this…” he’d say, removing a jar of garlic olives.
“But you haven’t yet…” I told him, taking the olives back and tossing them again.
“But I will now.”
And the olives were placed BACK on the shelf. A container of yellow mustard followed the same route…and he only eats Golden Mustard…back on the shelf it went.
Finally, I tossed a can of biscuits that had seen better days…nearly a month after it’s expiration date. The Interloper insisted HE would make them with our dinner that evening and removed them from the trash, smiling. I had my doubts, but I returned his smile. I was picturing the day he would be enjoying garlic olives, alongside his mustard covered biscuits!
UPDATE:
Later that afternoon, I was sipping some tea, enjoying a cookie (or 3), when I heard a gunshot!! Frantic, I jumped up and ran right into the Interloper–who had also heard the gunshot! Confused, we searched high and low but saw nothing or no one who could have fired a gun. The mystery, however, was solved when I opened the refrigerator…the dang biscuit can exploded all over my clean refrigerator!
Sew Colorful 