This past week Harrold Middle School and Hempfield Senior High School performed their spring chorus concerts.  Chrissy’s concert was Thursday night, and she was in both the 7th grade chorus and honors chorus.  The band director was lively and creative and really brought a good time to the stage.  It was obvious that the kids enjoyed participating and the audience enjoyed every song. I was proud and excited to be there. My favorites were “What a Wonderful World” by the Honors Chorus and “Cripple Creek” by the 7th Grade Chorus. They ended the program with the 8th graders singing “We Go Together” and they left the stage in pairs.  This was their very last program at the middle school. Can’t wait to see what Chrissy’s class does next year!

Friday night was the high school program, and Autmn was in this one as a sophomore.  There was a marked difference in the performances from middle to high school.  Each equally wonderful but the high school numbers had a fairly high degree of professionalism and for the most part were serious.  The one that seemed the most fun was “Toon Tunes”, which were snippets of the theme songs of several popular cartoons, including the Peanuts Theme.  I could see Autmn eyeing me up, knowing I’d love it.  I almost turned on my ringtone so it could play along! 

It’s so great to see the girls perform, and see the dedication and joy and pride they have in participating.  I love these two girls!  Way to go, chick-ies!  Good job!  Love you!

This past week I was invited to do a workshop on memoirs at the McKenna Senior Center.  Although the original workshop was focused on WRITING memoirs, this one took a different turn.  We talked about the importance of sharing your story, your memories, and your life with your family, friends, and community.  And it is important.  As far back as records go, our history is based on word of mouth stories passed on from generation to generation.  It is taken from diaries, journals, letters, and publications, written by one person, seen from his/her point of view.  What we have seen and lived in our lifetime is our future, the record of our family and country.  We need to share these memories. 

But first we have to remember those things, and that was the focus of our workshop.  I has story boards with hand-drawn maps of my neighborhood while I was growing up, and one of the area around our family cabin, 60 miles away.  I had a time line drawn, photo albums, yearbooks, my journal, and lots of examples of how to unearth those forgotten and hidden events. We talked about M&M’s, ice cream, friends, events, music, and even cousins. 

It’s one thing to remember something that happened, and quite another to remember the five senses associated with those things, and how what happened made you feel.  It was a small but mighty group, and I had great responses.  But unknown to me, there is a memoir group that meets twice a month and several members were there. So we spent about twenty minutes after the workshop discussing memoir writing and sharing stories. 

I really appreciated the opportunity to share my workshop, and hope those that attended enjoyed the afternoon as much as I did.  Thank you, Mary, for the invitation!  It was great fun!

It wouldn’t be Ligonier Free Museum Day unless it was rainy and cold.  It’s tradition.  But it didn’t stop us from tramping through the puddles and muddy roads and wet grass to see the sights and hear the history. 

Our first stop after church was the Lincoln Highway Museum.  Kelly and Matt and the three boys (Peyton, Logan, Chase) along with Chrissy and Autmn and I met Kelly’s friend Amy and her group.  This was the first time I had been in the new part and was excited to see it.  But we started in the ‘bike’ room – Chrissy and Autmn both made calls (??) from the phone booth.   It’s funny to think that a phone booth was a common sight when I was growing up – I used more than my share when I was younger.  But it’s an anomaly to kids now.  Chase was the first one to try the bike – the further you rode the more lights lit on the board until you made it all the way from coast to coast.  I was really impressed with the diner and all the displays in the new museum including the original Serro’s Diner.  I especially liked the little motel room, which was very quaint and inviting.  The diner was offering free samples of apple pie, which we all agreed was COMPLETELY delicious! 

The next stop was the Railroad Museum.  Amy’s kids and Chase road Thomas the Train before walking through the station.  The favorite was the caboose, especially the top seats.  We all had wet,  muddy shoes by the time we got back to the car and tramped through the field at Compass Inn. 

That is one of my favorite stops, and this year they were actually giving tours.  My friend Carol was there (I had worked with her in the kitchen yesterday at Hanna’s Town – a lady of many talents!), and she gave the first part of the tour.  From the kitchen and serving room we went to the parlor.  I loved the cradle with the little socks hanging over the side.  Upstairs we learned about chamber pots and straw mattresses and wool blankets and quilts. It was crowded but fun. I loved the view of the Dogwoods out the beveled glass window. (Thanks to Amy for the photos at Compass Inn.)

The last stop of the afternoon (for us, anyway) was Ft. Ligonier.  Even though I’d been there before several times lately, it’s always interesting and enlightening to hear about our local history, and see General Washington’s pistols (gift from Lafayette) and see a section of Arthur St. Clair’s home.  The fort itself is well displayed and staffed with knowledgeable and friendly interpreters. The kids posed by the tent, then Chase found a war helmet that we dubbed the ‘Fortnite power helmet’ and had his picture taken beside it. Autmn and I took a selfie just for fun.

During all the running between museums and raindrops we grabbed snacks and drinks from the back of my car — pizza, Mt. Dew, homemade brownies, bananas, Goldfish.  We all decided as we finished up the day that next year we were putting in our order early for sunshine.  Ligonier Free Museum Day is certainly due for a spectacular weather event, and soon!  Free Museum Day is the first Sunday in May, so mark next year’s calendar now and join us.  It’s fun no matter the weather.

The cloudy skies did not put a damper on the sunny spirits of those who welcomed and those who attended the opening day for Historic Hanna’s Town 2019.  It was the maiden voyage, so to speak, for the new education center and relocation of the gift shop.   I had not been in the building yet, and although I didn’t really have any disposable time today, I did take a moment to walk up and look through the shop.  It’s bright and light and appealing and stocked with lovely items.  Joan and her crew did a wonderful job arranging and displaying.  I was in the shop twice and both times there were several people looking and shopping.  Lovely job! 

There were tours several times throughout the day and the first one to walk past had at least a dozen people, who were all well engrossed with the guide’s information and explanations.  I sort of wanted to slip into the group and hear it all again. The group was in front of the tavern by the stocks, beside the goal (jail).  One young woman was very interested in the tea (which was being set up at the time) and I was able to find her information.  I’m confident that she’ll be back with her sister in November for the fall tea!

My part in the day was to be scullery maid – working in the kitchen to prepare, organize and plate the food for the guests.  There were twenty-four in the first seating and eighteen in the second – I had the first shift.  The light meal would start out with ambrosia (a light fruit salad), then move on to scones, sugared/frozen grapes, and chocolate-dipped apricots.  That was followed by four different finger sandwiches (cucumber, egg salad, chicken salad, and date).  The sweets were tea cakes, tea-pot shaped sugar cookies, a spice cookie, and pound cake (my particular favorite).  And of course, the ‘guest of honor’, spiced tea.  The tea cups were traditional china cups with saucers.

The rooms and the porch were decorated with flowers, arranged and brought by volunteers: Lilacs on the corner shelf, wild flowers in a bucket on the school desk outside, a wreath and a vase by the door, roses on the window sill, and a floral spray flanked by candles on both mantles.  So inviting and quaint. 

Lillian, who directed and hosted the event, explained that the teas had started in 1986 by Margie Albright as a fund raiser for the Elizabeth Hanna Guild.  Lillian was there from the first tea – over thirty years! – and is the expert.  She takes great pride in seeing that everything is exactly perfect, and shares some of the history of the event and the original colonial teas with the guests.  The English were (of course) well known for hosting teas, but the residents of Hanna’s Town in the 1700’s would have none of the British ways!  They used whatever spices and flavorings they had in their own back yard or stored in the fruit cellars.  Lillian also made certain that the tea  – which was brewed for two hours – was never put in cold serving pots.  The tea pots would always be warmed with hot water before the tea was poured and served.  Just watching her face and hearing the excitement in her voice tells you how much she loves doing this, and how important it is to her.  It’s great to have Lillian and her crew – both the scullery girls working downstairs in the kitchen and the serving wenches upstairs in the tea room!  All were pleasant and efficient and equally invested in making the day fun and delightful. 

Hanna’s Town has a full slate of activities going on throughout the year.  Today was just the kick-off events.  Check out their website at WESTMORELANDHISTORY.ORG to see the full schedule, including the fall tea on November 8th.  My personal recommendation is Court Days on June 22nd and 23rd, although everything is wonderful!  Historic Hanna’s Town – Where history is present.  Come see us!

It’s Spring, and it’s Easter week.  But neither of those prepared me for the crazy things that were happening with my front porch this week.  The first incident involved my porch lights.  I have 3 sets of violet outdoor decorative lights that I decided to string on the upper railing on the porch.  I usually do the back deck – all year a different color – but don’t usually do a lot out front.  But since I had them anyway, along with an extra remote for the outlet, I decided to be festive.  I plugged the remote in and attached the lights, twisting florists wire around the railings to keep the lights in place.  This was great for about two weeks, and I was enjoying the soft glow of the purple lights in the evening and in the dark of late night.

Last Saturday I pushed the remote, and only the 3 feet of lights closest to the outlet were lit.  Hmmm.  I studied that for a bit, but it was already too dark to be messing around outside with light sets, so I just turned them on and off every 10 minutes to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.  It wasn’t.  No help for it.  The next day after church I decided I’d just take them down.  It couldn’t be a power surge or all the lights would be out, and there were, after all, three separate sets of light.  I unplugged the remote, put it away, and started unwinding the lights.  I only got about two twists and the end just dropped to the ground.  Half the light string wasn’t connected to the rest of the sets.  I looked closely at the wires, and the strand of three wires had been chewed through.  I had an extra string, so I followed the other half of the lights to the plug, took that apart, and restrung the new set.  There you go.  All lights working and operational!  So I’m thinking that whatever little bugger that was living under my front porch may have a strange glow, so if you see something unusual running around Ft. Allen, don’t be alarmed.  It was just the little guy under my porch that had been munching on lighted wires! 

But if that wasn’t enough, later that evening I looked outside to double check that the lights were ok (they were and still are), and noticed a mess of grass and twigs on my porch directly under the porch light.  I glanced up and noticed that some aggressive robin had decided the porch light was the perfect place to build a  nursery for her upcoming family.  Not on my watch!  I got the broom and knocked the nest down, swept the porch, and cleaned up the light.  A few hours later, there it was again!  So for about 24 hours that aggressive bird and I did battle:  She’d build, I’d destruct. I even sprayed Lysol – but apparently she thought that was a plus!  I finally wrapped the light in aluminum foil but a late afternoon storm blew that into the next county.  But we went three days with no new nest and only a few twigs on the porch so I was content that she’d relocated.  Better neighborhood… 

Alas, when I got home from work today I checked the porch.  It was back, bigger and better and bolder than ever.  Ugh.  This was war.  I put on duck boots, a rain coat, got the broom, dustpan, paper towels, and a trash bag.  I went out there in the pouring rain and knocked that crazy nest down; then I swept up all the twigs and grass and mud, tying the trash bag firmly shut.  I took the paper towels, got them wet, and wiped up the mess.  And it was a mess.  The siding, the light, the floor, even the front door and the planter in the corner.  I put everything away, cleaned up, and went to lock the front door again….  Grrrr.  That CRAZY bird already had several rows of nesting tucked onto the light.  I stomped out the door, cleaned it up again, and then took a clue from a neighbor up the street.

I took a Walmart bag and slipped it over the light, fastening it underneath.  Then I watched.  That robin came with a beak full of muddy twigs and plopped onto the porch railing.  It eyed the light and the bag and hopped around.  It flew at the light then back to the railing, then into the lilac tree beside the porch.  Now it’s not like there aren’t several pieces of prime real estate within hopping distance of the porch.  But I did start to feel bad for the bird, hopping and bouncing from rail to branch to tree and the chair and back.  I stood for over ten minutes, just watching.  Finally the robin dropped the mess out of it’s beak, shook her head a few times, and flew away.  I refuse to let this bird win and am determined to make sure her address is NOT my front porch light!  I’m not sure what will be next in the adventures of my Front Porch –  but I’ll keep you posted.  But if you see a robin flying around with her suitcase and diaper bag, with mud and twigs in her beak, …. cover your porch lights!

I have several subjects that I want to discuss but I’m running out of steam for the day.  But speaking of running…   Chrissy is on the middle-school track team this year, and I was amazed at the amount of practice they have.  She’s been really enjoying it, and I have enjoyed seeing her happy and engaged.  We went shopping last weekend and got her a shirt and two pair of running pants, which she was very excited about.

This past weekend I offered to have her stay all night with me Friday and I’d take her to practice at the high school early Saturday morning.  I was so surprised!  The school complex has changed so much.  When we drove around behind the school we drove behind the football field to the press box – which is no longer the little white box by the bleachers.  It’s a huge brick structure about three times the size.  There is also a field house – very classy! – with several parking lots and a back access road.  I parked and decided to walk my two miles around the fields and school buildings.  The view from the softball fields was amazing. 

The fruit trees were blooming in front of the school. The sun was shining and the temperature was comfy and it was quite fun.  One of these days I hope to be able to tour inside, but for now, the outside was a sight to behold!  We’ve come a long way, baby!  And I know Chrissy is enjoying track – her very first meet she came in 3rd in the 100 meter and 2nd in the 200 meter!  We are so proud of her – and no matter how she places in the meets I just wish for her to have fun and feel good about herself.  That, my friends, is the idea!

Kelly and the boys came up for the weekend – to stay until Tuesday.  And because the boys are home-schooled, classes and lessons had to be included in their days somewhere.  Kelly did some research and decided on taking the boys to the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.  Her friend Amy and her three children met us there. 

The first thing we did was go to the interactive room, when the students could make their own video, build bridges out of Lego-type interlocking pieces called K’nex.  The amazing thing there was that they all worked together, following directions from a book but also being individually creative where called for.

There was also a topography map of Pittsburgh, with movable sections that could be substituted for city-scapes rather than woodlands.  Before long the tree-laden hills were scattered with houses and bridges and buildings and even a parcel of farmland. It was a fun and amazing transformation.  Logan took a little break before continuing the projects!

While the kids were building and learning, I stepped a few rooms over and sat down in a library of sorts.  It was a comfortable, relaxing room, and as I was still fighting off a low-energy day from my cold, I settled on the couch and read for a while. 

When they were done building, we walked through the rest of the exhibits, reading about the artwork and choosing interesting bits of information from the paintings, statues, and photographs. We saw a painting of the Boston Harbor, and Kelly told me that since I’d seen that, I didn’t really have to take our planned trip to Boston this summer.  NOT!!  The docents were very helpful, interacting with the kids and having them look at the exhibits in a different light and sharing insights. 

We finished up by looking at a few hanging sculptures made from painted, melted clear plastic cups – a project that the kids could probably do on their own to reinforce their day of learning.  They had a good time, learned a little bit, spent time with friends, and got a little exposure to the arts. Not all learning is best confined to the classroom – and we learned that today!

Despite waking up with a bit of a cold (sleeping in past the usual Saturday time), I looked at Chrissy and Autmn relaxed and happy just chillin’ on my couches and decided this was the day.  I had taken a walk to look for the budding hyacinths and to my delight found several blooming crocus!  It was time for the eighth annual Crocus Tea! 

I called the girls to come upstairs and told them today was the day.  The only change would be that they didn’t have to get dressed up in ‘Grammy’s clothes and jewelry’ – they felt that they were too old to play dressup.  Autmn did, however, insist on getting a shower first and changing clothes.  I told them I was low on energy so they had to pick the menus and make the food and set the table. 

The normal fare of pizza and Vienna Sausages and grapes were scrapped and they chose Ramon Noodles (go figure) and Creamy Garlic Shells with diced potatoes, along with strawberries, cheese and crackers, M&M’s, and 2 kinds of cookies. They did the cooking and baked the pre-packaged cookies,and set the table with the good Rose china, the lace tablecloth, and stemware.  No tea for this bunch; it was Coke and Mt. Dew! 

The girls each said a blessing, and talked about how special the Crocus Tea was to them.  They agreed that they wanted to do it forever!  I warned them that someday they may have to do the tea and invite me, and further on in their lives they would be making their own group, possibly with their daughters or friends or even aunts or cousins.  This was a highlight for them.  They feel special and important and part of something that belongs only to them.  That in itself is very rare, and I hope they always know how important they both are to me and how special they each are.  I am so blessed to have them in my life, and to have celebrated eight years of this wonderful tradition.  May it continue — forever! 

Saturday February 16th was our designated Beef Day for 2019.  This has become an amazing and valued tradition over the years, starting back in the mid-80’s.  The day is chosen months in advance, and all the participants are contacted, menu set and assigned, and designations purchased.  The participants have changed over the years but the excitement, memories, and fun have only deepened.  Several years ago we left Grensburg at 7:30am in an ice storm, and were heartily relieved to arrive on Griffith Road in Smicksburg.  This year the skies and the roads were clear and dry, although the temperatures stayed at freezing or below.  That was good for the beef quarters.  This cow – which did not have a name or a number – weighed somewhere close to 700 pounds. (This is 1/4 of the cow!) It was a day-long chore to cut the quarters, trim the meat into steaks, ribs, roasts, and meat for ground beef. Nate and Dave are old hands at this now, and knew how to cut the quarters, what type of cuts came from which sections, and how to trim and designate the cuts into Rib, Chuck, T-Bone, Round, Porterhouse, Sirloin, and burger.  I know this is one of their favorite days of the year, and their acclaim is well deserved. 

With the B&B boys taking charge, most of the time Uncle Clifford and Aunt Joan just sat back and supervised, keeping us engaged in conversation and news of the family and neighborhood. Kath and I were the designated wrappers, and kept confusing our supplies, so I drew a line down the center of the table.  Kathy retaliated by drawing a sign that said “Keep out: No sisters allowed.”  Trying to soften the blow, I drew a heart that said, “Love you Kath!”  All in fun, and it was fun.  We still confused the supplies a little, though… 

This year Lynn and Sarah Pelc split their quarter with Sarah’s friend Jen, who proved to be a worthy contender in the cutting and trimming department.  She was no stranger to the process.  We were supposed to make a cheese run to Smicksburg Country Store, and totally missed out on our opportunity.  It was a huge cow and took all our time and attention!  We paused at noon to have the community lunch, which was lasagna, salad, Italian Bread, and home-baked pies (thank you, Sarah! – The Derby Pie was amazing!). Everything was delicious.

It was hard to get into the swing of the second half of the day, because we all needed a nap (zzzzz) – but we jumped back in and had our portions cut, wrapped, ground meat through the grinder twice, bagged and marked by about 5pm.  After cleaning the tables, knives, saws, grinder, and trimmers, we lugged a lot off beef out to our cars! (Thanks for your help, Nate and Dave!). It was 8pm until I personally had all the beef stacked and sorted in the freezer and all the leftover supplies put away.  I sent the leftover lasagna home with Kath and Nate in return for a piece of Sarah’s Derby Pie and a bottle of Light Italian Dressing.  Great trade off!  

As the day wound down, though, discussions led us to look into the future.  AJ and UC’s grandson Jason has taken over the farm and the cattle, but he has recently started a new construction and renovation business.  If no one keeps the farming active, this may have been our last year for Beef Day.  We are praying for a resolution that will make sense, but regardless of the future, we had Beef Day 2019, and it was everything we hoped it could be.  Thanks to our great team of beef-ers, and a wonderful blessing of friendship, family, and food!

Autmn and I woke up this morning to the news that Punxsutawney Phil had predicted an early spring.  We looked at each other and shook our heads.  That was the first time in a long time he hadn’t see his shadow!    These little guys are the ones my Aunt Joan gave me years ago.  They don’t have shadows.

We putsied about our day; she made French Toast for our breakfast and I finished up laundry.  There was nothing exciting on TV except rerun Hallmark movies and Sponge Bob, so I dug in my DVD collection for something to watch.    Of course, it had to be GROUNDHOG DAY!  I haven’t watched that in several years, and although Autmn knew the premise of the movie she had never seen it.  She was mildly interested at first, but then got really into it, and we both laughed frequently.  We liked the part where Phil ordered lunch from the cop; and the guy in the middle wanted pancakes! At the end, we talked about the character arc, although she didn’t realize that was what we were discussing.  We agreed that it took Phil way too long to figure out what he acknowledged at the end:  Whatever happens tomorrow, or for the rest of my life, I’m happy now.  That, we decided, is basically the secret of contentment.  

So we chatted about the movie, and Autmn said she wouldn’t even know if she was reliving a day until she got to school and realized she was in the same class as the last time.  THEN we discovered how cool it would be if we really COULD have a Groundhog Day experience.  We could eat anything we wanted.  We could get up in the morning, fly to Paris, spend the day, and wake up in the morning in our own bed.  We could drive anywhere, and we’d never use up the gas.  Never run out of food.  Go to a different place or do something different every day – and wake up in the morning in our own bed.  And Autmn warned me that we couldn’t sleep in; we’d have to get up early!  So 6am it is! 

She wanted to go to Florida and stick her feet in the water and lounge on the beach in her bathing suit; then go to Disney World as many times as she wanted.  I picked going to Switzerland  and just about anywhere new and interesting.  So if you happen to wake up some morning, and you can’t find either Autmn or me, don’t be alarmed.  We’re just living our Groundhog Day dream, jetting around and living the fun life!  We’ll send you a post card.  Tomorrow….