COVID-19 Doldrums

Another week past in the COVID-19 shutdown.  Alex, you're now wearing a mask to work at Gerrity's (yeah!).  A batch of disposable, anti-viral masks that I ordered 2 months ago arrived this week.  I'm so glad you, of all of us, have them since you're at the greatest risk working in a grocery store.  Starting on Monday, Gerrity's will require all customers and employees to wear masks.  That is a relief.  It feels like this shutdown will Never end, though in fact we are so lucky to be healthy and not have young children at home (which creates the huge challenge of taking care of them and working, as many of my friends at Prudential are doing).  Federal and state leaders are just starting to plan for re-opening, but that certainly won't be for a while (testing must be readily accessible - seems like the Mohegan Sun Arena may be a drive-in testing site).

Rob, you hear that Wyoming Area will begin instruction on new material by the end of the month.  That will be great, as life is getting quite boring.  On a related note, SATs have been cancelled through June (however, College Board indicates there will be plenty of testing opportunities in the fall).  One super good thing happened this week...  Mr. Butler, a WA guidance counselor, let us know that Wyoming Area nominated you for a University of Rochester award for high school juniors - the Fredrick Douglass Award.  This is so exciting!  We are SO proud of you!!  On the University website, I found information about the award program including this description:

Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award

• Demonstrated commitment to understanding and addressing difficult social issues
• Leadership and dedication to community action
• Strong grades and rigorous courses taken in the humanities and social sciences

One more unique event of the week (a "first")....  Grandad and Aunt Julie organized an Easter Vigil via Zoom on Sunday morning, including music that Julie played (french horn and piano).  It worked fine with one person speaking, but didn't synchronize well with everyone talking or singing together.  Alex, you went fishing at Harvey's Creek from 6:30 on, and Rob you were not up by 9 so missed it.  Really enjoyed seeing my whole family, which included Uncle John, Aunt Fran and the boys from Doha as well as Meghan, Anthony and Julian from Phoenixville.  Noel and Larson looked great (Noel read a lesson so clearly) and Julian of course is adorable - waved at everyone and said "Uh Oh" for good measure.  I have been thinking all week about how I can contribute more to my community, prompted by this one sentence prayer from the conclusion of the service:  "Pray that we may have grace to glorify Christ in our own day."

The weather has been cool and on the rainy side this week, which has contributed to being in the doldrums (no walks around West Pittston).  Rob, we went driving on Thursday night and hit a massive pothole on Wyoming Ave. in Forty Fort - which amazingly, Steve had hit driving the Silverado on Wednesday night.  The truck came through unscathed, but the Maxima immediately had a completely flat tire.  We called AAA - thankfully, I have not yet changed a tire - and the donut spare was on in about 45 minutes.  Now the car at Jack Williams for tire repair...  waiting to hear how bad the damage is.  On top of that, today Steve and I were supposed to see Fiddler on the Roof at the Scranton Cultural Center - but the show has been cancelled.

Alex, you've mentioned that "Dad Music" is playing on the speakers at Gerritys all the time.  Well, this song probably falls under that category since the Bee Gees are a band from my younger years.  They are world famous, and this week I discovered a contemplative song performed beautifully in concert by Robin Gibb.  It was 1989, when he was 39 years old (I was 24).  I just know this is going to be a favorite song I'll enjoy on YouTube for a long time to come.

La Gran Aventura - The Princess Years

Fifty years ago I was living in the Dominican Republic.  By far, this was the most interesting and memorable stage of my childhood (it's kind of unique that Grandad was a missionary in the Caribbean).  My parents were definitely ready for an adventure, heading off with pre-school girls to a country that recently had serious political trouble.  We left Allentown when I was 3 years old in 1968 - initially to spend time in Cuernavaca, Mexico where Grammie and Grandad went to classes at what I believe was a missionary training center.  This included learning Spanish.

About 6 months later, we arrived in the Dominican Republic to live in a city named San Pedro de Macoris.  I just looked it up in Wikipedia, and it is well known for its excellence in baseball - you can read about it here: The Craddle of Shortstops   Here's a map of the entire island of Hispaniola, showing Haiti and the DR.

Maybe it's surprising that I have many memories of living in this warm, balmy place with incredible sunsets, latino culture including wonderful music and stark contrasts of the "have's" (mostly Americans) vs. "have not's" (mostly Dominicans).  This will likely be an exceptionally long post as there is so much I can write about.  I will supplement my actual memories with details that I've gathered from Grammie and Grandad over the years.

Politics:  The history of the Caribbean islands (what transpired with their native people, colonization, slavery and economic development) is incredibly sad.  As with all the native populations, relatively few colonial settlers benefited from the toil and sacrifices of many, many unfortunate others.  There had been a violent dictatorship, followed by some of years of turmoil during which the US Army and Marines occupied the DR.  In the late 1960's, it was not completely safe for Americans - at least one time Aunt Julie and I stayed with friends outside of San Pedro.  We had limited awareness of the troubled times, but it was certainly stressful for Grammie and Grandad.

Culture:  I can't describe all the cultural norms, but will mention what comes to mind.  Society was dominated by men, who might have multiple sets of 'wives' and kids.  Lighter skinned people were considered more attractive and had greater opportunities than darker skinned people.  Overweight women were considered beautiful (which is understandable in a country where many don't have enough food).  Most people were poor.  Housing was very simple, often concrete block construction with limited plumbing.  It wasn't unusual to see very young kids going around naked.  Anything of value (such as church items) should not be left unattended or accessible, due to risk of theft; and if this did occur, the unfortunate person who failed to secure the valuable item was considered to be at fault.  As an example, clothes hung out in our back yard to dry could be and were stolen.  I remember hearing a lot of Cuban music.  Christmas is primarily a religious holiday; a bigger celebration with family, friends, food, music and gifts occurs at Epiphany or Three Kings Day (Dia de Los Reyes).

Geography:  San Pedro de Macoris is on the southern coast, not too far from Santo Domingo.  Outside of town there were sugar plantations, where men were still cutting fields of sugar cane using machetes.  Kids would chew on raw sugar cane (imagine the tooth decay!).  Downtown, there was an outdoor market with all types of food items.  I remember trips to Santo Domingo for shopping and to visit family friends, as well as trips to La Romana where we also had friends.  In particular, an Episcopal Bishop Kellogg and his wife who lived in Santo Domingo were very close friends; they were very generous to all of us.  They gave Julie and me a fabulous doll house.  In La Romana there was a country club-type place with a pool that Aunt Julie and I loved to swim in.  The DR was prone to earth quakes (none serious while we were there), and everyone knew to run outside if the ground started to move.

Weather:  It was generally Hot, although there was often a breeze.  During the hottest part of afternoon, there was a quiet siesta time to rest.  Although it didn't bother us much as kids, I remember Grandad sweating a lot.  There was a rainy season in the fall, and tropical storms were fairly common (I don't remember any major damage).  Really, it was beautiful around our house - we had a garden with hibiscus and other tropical plants.  There were also small lizards and plenty of bugs (the nastiest being centipedes).  One very unpleasant memory is accidentally stepping on a centipede and getting bitten (maybe this happened twice); I think this is why meeting the occasional house centipede freaks me out, and I make other boys and men in the house deal with them.  We went to some absolutely gorgeous beaches, in particular I remember day trips Embassy Beach.  Just like in the movies, local boys would shimmy up palm trees to knock down coconuts - they would be split open, and we could drink the "milk" inside.  Actually, I don't like it at all.  We would play in the ocean, somehow eat our sandwiches including sand every time, and I remember Grandad going spearfishing nearby, 

The Church:  Grandad's church was San Esteban, of the Iglesia Episcopal Dominicana.  The church sponsored both elementary and secondary parochial schools; the elementary school was directly across the street from our house.  Grandad dealt with some significant labor problems related to the secondary school, which may have involved a strike.  His work certainly was not easy.  Here's a nice photo I found on the Diocese website.  Looking back on his time there, Grandad has said that he believes the time of the American missionary in the Dominican Republic was over.  He understood that Dominican clergy would be leading the church from then forward.

Our House:  We lived in a beautiful, large home with a lovely back yard, about half a block from the church.  I understand it had previously been a diplomat's home. The front porch wrapped around our house, and wasn't completely level.  After storms, Julie and I would take turns sweeping rain water off the porch.  One of the most disturbing memories from my childhood was waking up to find a man walking around in our house - a burglar had broken in.  Julie and I ran into Grammie and Grandad's room and climbed into bed with them.  I was absolutely terrified that he would hurt us, which he didn't as he just wanted whatever money and valuables he could steal.  The next day, the police thought I could potentially identify him and I remember looking at photos of men in a large binder, trying to see if there was anyone I recognized.  Since it was night time, I didn't get a good look at his face and doubt this could have been successful.  In retrospect, I don't understand why a girl about 5 years old would be asked to look at mug shots.  For many years afterwards, when I heard unfamiliar sounds at night it was very frightening....  I would lie awake shaking.  Here's a picture of us at home in 1969.

Family:  When we arrived, it was Mom, Dad, Julie and me.  Diana was born in 1970 (a baby had been lost to miscarriage a bit earlier).  Given Grandad's stature (and given the size of the house & grounds, with limited appliances), it was normal to have servants.  I remember just a couple of them, but in particular Henny was a nanny to the kids - a sweet person who loved all of us.  A birthday party picture from the DR that's hanging along the stairway was from a joint "half" birthday party that Aunt Julie and I had along with neighborhood friends including Henny's children.  And inserted below is a 1970 picture of all us kids, in front of Henny's house.  There was an earth quake after Diana was born, and I remember Henny running to get her from the crib.  Grammie worked as a teacher for a time (maybe one year?) while we lived in the DR, which was possible due to Henny.  Grammie was also a girl scout leader - I think she enjoyed this, and it was certainly fun for Julie and me to spend time with the big girls.

Food:  First of all, it was not safe to drink water unless it had been boiled.  This had to be done daily.  In our pantry, there was a large cistern on the counter for storage of sterilized water.  Locally, most people seemed to subsist on a popular dish - rice with a kidney bean sauce (moro de habichuelas).  We had a fairly normal, varied diet although some foods were difficult to get.  Chicken and rice (arroz con pollo) was a particular favorite, and we did have rice & beans regularly.  Staples could be purchased in Santo Domingo.  Produce came from the downtown market.  Grammie and Grandad were very careful about what we ate; Grammie tells me she is proud that Aunt Julie and I didn't get any food-related sickness.

Visitors:  My Nana and Grandad came several times - this was a highlight for us, very special!  Nana regularly made clothes for Aunt Julie and me, sometimes matching.  (She also knitted us mittens as we grew up; I still have a pair of which with "CR" knitted into them).  Later, Nana laughed about being told "You must have been very beautiful when you were young.", which meant that she must have been quite fat as a  young woman.  My Uncle Bob and Aunt Mary came, along with cousins Bruce, Brian, Mary Lee and David (you have met the boy cousins at our Grotto Restaurant parties).  Although they lived relatively close in Florida, Grannie and Grandad Zeller did not come as the strenuously objected to this missionary stint.  Here's a photo from one of Nana and Grandad's visits.

Neighborhood and School:  There were a few other well-off families living in attractive houses across the street, with kids around our age.  Julie and I played with them and also with Henny's children.  I started school at the San Esteban elementary school probably when I was just turning 4.  I went to kindergarten and first grade learning Spanish at school, while talking English at home.  Julie also started school at San Esteban.  We wore blue school uniforms.  I do remember occasionally riding the school bus bringing kids home at the end of the day - and seeing some desolate houses on dirt roads and young kids hitting baseballs on dirt lots.  I learned to read first in Spanish, then picked up English - I'm told I could read from the New York Times but with a Spanish accent.  Our house was relatively close to the ocean, which had rough beaches.  There was an open-air cantina along the beach a few blocks away, were Grandad would sometimes take Julie and me.  It was a great treat for us - we had soda (one of us liked grape, the other orange - can't remember which was which).  In a different section along the beach, there was very desolate looking wharf  built out over the ocean which we were told used to be a slaughterhouse.  We understood that sharks still frequented this section of the beach, as they had been attracted by blood.  Outside of town, toward the East I think, there was a rocky section of the coast with many blowholes.  Here's a picture that's similar to what I remember:

The Princess Phenomenon:  As daughters of the "padre", Julie and I were treated as being quite special.  We had nice clothes (many of which Nana had made for us) and shoes, particularly as compared to local kids.  We had a fantastic yard - mostly the kids came over to our house to play.  I remember feeling free to walk around the school building.  Our Mom was pretty and wore nice dresses.  We probably got away with some bad behavior.  In short, I remember feeling like a little princess.  It was fleeting time in my childhood, but fabulous while it lasted.  We did eventually learn that we couldn't get away with Everything....  one day Julie and I decided to skip school, and instead played in the yard next to the house.  We were throwing our school bags up into the air to celebrate, when Henny noticed us from the window.  She immediately came out and marched us over to school, where we arrived late to our classes.

Favorite Memories:

• Going to the market in downtown San Pedro.  I remember picking our bananas from large fronds.  Also Grammie would drive the car, which caused some mayhem - the policeman directing traffic in the middle of an intersection near the market would jump down from his concrete block and run to the side of the street when she drove by (as it was very unusual for women to drive at all).   
• Getting fresh chicken.  Well, one way to get fresh poultry was to go directly to the farm.  This was quite an experience, and you might not think young girls would find this nasty process so riveting.  But we did.  So upon arrival, there in front of us was an enclosure full of live chickens. In Spanish of course, the farmer would ask which one you wanted.  Your parent would pick it out, and then with one swift twist of the neck, it was dispatched.  The chicken's head was them cut off with a large knife and its body was turned upside down in a metal cone for the blood to drain out.  (If by any chance the chicken somehow escaped from the farmer or the cone after its head was removed, it would run around without its head until re-captured.  Completely fascinating!!! )  The chicken body was then dropped into boiling water - this scalding loosened feathers, after which a group of women continued to process the chicken by removing all the feathers, cutting off the feet, removing entrails, washing and wrapping it paper.  Then you bring it home and make dinner - it doesn't get any fresher than that!!  
• Celebrating Three Kings Day.  I never believed in Santa (I don't think Grammie and Grandad encouraged this), but I did believe in the three kings.  I remember watching the lights from a passing ship out on the ocean the night before Epiphany, and being so excited that the kings were coming (and bringing me presents the next day).
• Ship Tour.  On a not-so-favorite note, once when Nana and Grandad were visiting we toured a large ship (maybe a military ship, I'm not sure).  Anyway, Julie and I were walking ahead of the family up to the bow, where there was a large crank.  Julie suggested I should turn it, which I regrettably did - turns out, it was a horn which was deafeningly loud and scared me to half to death.  I'm telling you, Julie was a handful.

Another favorite story, speaking of Julie....  On one of Grandad's trips to Santo Domingo, Aunt Julie stowed away in the back seat of the car and popped up to say "hello!" when he was well on the road.  I'm sure he was not too thrilled when this happened.  Grandad stopped at a gas station with a telephone to call Grammie, so she would know where Julie was.  Meanwhile, Julie walked around to the back of the gas station and was very excited to meet a kitten (or kittens?).  Once the way on to Santo Domingo, there were suspicious sounds from the back seat and Grandad asked "What was that?!"  Julie didn't want to let on right away, but eventually had to admit that it was a cat - which rode back and forth to the city with them, and then we ended up adopting.

On the whole, this was a magical time in my childhood.  I had my sister,  a built-in community and friends, great living and playing space, and active, young parents.  I'm glad I could share some of these memories with you both.

Holy Week 2020

When I was growing up, the 6 week season of Lent capped by Holy Week was a busy time at church.  There were Lenten dinners (where I was introduced to tuna casserole) and services on Wednesday nights.  Then there were services on Maundy Thursday (everyone in Northeast PA seems to call it Holy Thursday), Good Friday and then 3 services on Easter.  At Gloria Dei, I remember a sunrise service literally at sunrise (6 30 am?), a 9 am service and an 11 am service.  I believe the 9 am service was a Lutheran service in Swedish for a local group of ethnic Swedes that periodically had services at the church.

Things are much less religious for us.  Pretty much, we go to Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday services.  The hymns are wonderful.  When you boys were little, we had egg hunts (in the back yard, weather permitting, or otherwise in the house).   Following the Carroll tradition, your Easter baskets were hidden and it was mostly fun - though sometimes not hidden especially well and other times frustrating to locate - for you to find them.  Grandma made a big dinner, and had more Easter treats at her house.  We dressed up for church, got Easter flowers and enjoyed the spring air & early crocuses and daffodils.

Well, this year it has been very quiet.  Rob, you drove us to the Wyoming Cemetery to put a tulip at the Carroll gravesite.  It was peaceful - no one else was there.  It will be "just us" for our Easter ham dinner.  I expected no church at all, but tomorrow morning we are experimenting with a Zoom Easter service that Grandad will officiate.  Seems that it will include us, Aunt Pam, Wyncote families, the Elkins Park family and the Doha family.  Very interesting!!  Alex, you aren't into church besides you have plans to go fishing super early in the morning (likely at Harveys Creek).

In the larger world....  over the last couple days Pennsylvania has passed out California with COVID-19 cases.  Edie (who is now a retired nurse) emailed me that her friends still working in the ICU at UMass in Worcester do not feel safe.  Locally, Luzerne County has a significant number of cases - with Hazleton being our hot spot.  Some good news - cases in New York seem to be starting to plateau.  Gerrity's keeps taking steps to improve safety for customers and employees, which makes me feel somewhat better about your work shifts Alex.  One big disappointment this week.... Governor Wolf announced that public schools won't re-open this year.  Rob, you are (sort of?  I can't really tell) studying for US History and Computer Science AP tests.  Your May SAT has been cancelled.

We got a new hot water heater this week, with less than a day elapsed between smelling a burning rubber smell in the basement and having the new heater installed - thanks to Carpinet Plumbing.  This was a perfect time to deal with cold water & have workmen come, since we are home anyway.  Steve has been getting our front and upstairs porches ready to use, and planning to plant flowers etc. in the back yard.  So we continue to hang in here - appreciating spring weather, walking on nicer days, supporting local businesses (that's not too hard when it's Ballyhoo) and knowing that we are very lucky to be healthy.  Here's a picture Steve took of crab apple tree blossoms and our forsythia out back....

In The News - Our "Charmin Plant"

As a follow-up last week's post....  just a few days after we drove by the Proctor & Gamble plant in Mehoopany and I mentioned that it manufactures toilet paper & diapers, I saw an article in USA Today about its production of extra toilet paper to meet current demand: Toilet Paper "shortage"  Pretty funny !  It has been kind of amazing to see empty shelves at local stores, and just hard to understand why toilet paper is one of the products people are hoarding.

In other news on coronavirus COVID-19, this week grocery and other stores (like DD) have put in transparent plexiglass/plastic sheeting to help protect cashiers.  The official guidance on face masks seems to be changing - it would be best for everyone to wear them, although right now there isn't enough supply for health care workers and the general public.  I ordered some a few weeks ago, which if they arrive will be very helpful especially for work at Gerrity's.  In the meantime, we can cover up with scarves, etc.

The official news on the pandemic is so upsetting that we are trying to focus on it a bit less.  We are hearing that travel and social distancing restrictions are likely continue another 4-6 weeks.  I have a co-worker in New Jersey whose brothers have been diagnosed with it and talked to another one yesterday who has a terrible cough and is debating whether he should be tested.  If that's even possible, since so far testing is being limited to suspected cases after a medical assessment.  So far we have been very fortunate to stay healthy.  Let's be very careful so it stays that way.   

Summer visits to NE PA

Yesterday I had a day off from work, scheduled because it was supposed to be Rob's last day off from school at Wyoming Area due to "COVID 19 break".  The break is being extended at least though April 6th.  So, to help us escape from the house and give Rob some driving time, we went on a trek to the Tunkhannock area.  Rob, you drove out Rt. 92, across the Falls bridge and on to Tunkhannock.  (It must be mentioned that as we went through Harding you asked whether we were driving past Lake Scranton; this was not quite right, as in fact it's the Susquehanna River.)  Then went into town and on the Rt. 6 bypass as we attempted to locate Tunkhannock's riverside park - never did find it.  We switched drivers and continued on our expedition.

Rob, I had started telling you about summer vacations in Mehoopany, where my family stayed at least two summers during the mid '70's.  My earliest memories go back to the late 1960's, when we visited from Allentown going north on the turnpike to Wilkes-Barre through the Lehigh "tuntel", as I pronounced it.  (The tunnel was put through in 1957 to create an efficient route past Blue Mountain.  Below is a picture of the tunnel from 1989, as construction of a second tube was in progress.)

So here's what sticks out in mind about summer visits to the greater Wilkes-Barre area.....

South Franklin St, Wilkes-Barre:  I remember the rectory immediately next to the St Stephen's church (where my Grandad was the minister from @ 1948 - 1972) being a beautiful home, with handsome woodwork and including a stair lift that could be used for rides or sending luggage up/down.   This was directly across from the Boston Store, now Boscov's.  It had a large kitchen, a lovely shady backyard (adjacent to the Westmoreland Club side entrance/parking area), and I got to sleep in a four poster bed.  I also remember pushing myself on a ride-on toy train engine down the concrete walkway next to the church.  Aunt Julie and I were taken on outings to the River Common a couple blocks away, where I remember playing Ring Around the Rosie* and London Bridge is Falling Down.  We also had visits to The Boston Store across the street, which had a coin operated carousel kiddie ride in the basement (as older girls, I remember how much Aunt Julie and I liked the escalators - and getting a stern talking-to by the store clerks after going the "wrong way" by running up the Down escalator).  Yes, we could be quite bad.  We also had many visits with Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob, a couple blocks away at their home on S. Franklin Street next to the Wilkes campus (as little girls, I remember getting "horsey" rides on the backs of cousin Bruce while Julie rode on cousin Brian).  Here is what the rectory looks like a recent photo of the rectory, which is now the Luzerne County Historical Society library, and of a stair lift complete with kitty.

Mehoopany:   As you noticed yesterday, this town is up Rt. 6 then past a huge Proctor & Gamble plant that I remember being called the Charmin plant.  I believe the cabin was available to us due to the kindness of the Weatherly family (my impression is that Mr. Weatherly was also a minister).  It was very close to a dairy farm, with an enclosed area for the cows on our side of the barn.  Here we got a first-hand view of what must be done if Mama cow needs a bit of help from a farmer (or was it a vet?) delivering Baby calf.  It was also smelled rather unpleasant depending on which direction the wind blew.  I remember staying up almost all night reading a book I found on a cabin book shelf, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe - what a great book!  We swam in the Susquehanna River, at a nearby "beach" which was actually just rocks similar to the river front by the bridges in West Pittston - this necessitates wearing sneakers.  Also, Grammie had Aunt Julie and me swim across the river with her (and back), I assume to prove that we had perfected our swimming skills.  You asked me yesterday Rob, did you wear a life jacket?  Of course not!  After dark one night, Grandad took the kids on a snipe hunt up the road, which involved taking brown paper grocery bags and flashlights.  We wandered around in the woods for a while, needless to say no snipes were caught.  In downtown Tunkhannock we got treats at Gable's bakery and went to the Dietrich theater, where I remember seeing Herbie the Love Bug.  As an evening activity, we sometimes drove over through Tunkhannock to watch local bears eating garbage at the dump.  The dump (which was on Rt. 92) has been covered over and is now a sports complex that I pointed out to you yesterday, Rob.  Here's a fairly recent photo of the town of Mehoopany including the bridge.  Our cabin was on the left side, up the river.  Based on what we saw yesterday, it appears it's been remodeled/expanded to become a year-round home and is part of the farm property.

As an aside, do you remember when a bear took a snooze in West Pittston in a tree on Exeter Ave?  It was just a couple years ago, you can read about it here:  Bear Visit to WP

Beaumont:  Well, my grandparents had lived in the rectories of churches where my Grandad served (in New Haven, CT; Johnson City, NY: and finally at St Stephens).  When thinking ahead to retirement and to give themselves needed time away from work/home obligations, they bought land from Dr. Farley who was the president of Wilkes College at the time. It was the lower portion of his property in Beaumont - about 15 minutes outside of Dallas.  Rob, yesterday we turned off Rt. 309 at the Nulton/Kopca Funeral Home and drove up Butternut Hill Rd and then partway down to see the house.  Without foliage, we could see the garage, the side and front of the house with picture windows looking out over a beautiful valley.  It's a split-level home with a flat roof, which I believe was a Frank Lloyd Wright design.  Here are some memories from this home....   When Aunt Julie and I visited, one of the highlights was breakfast when Grandad often had a fried egg.  Julie and I would watch carefully as the meal progressed, since Grandad would eat the egg white first and then would eat the entire yolk in one bite.  I'm sure he took his time and made this somewhat of a production, knowing that we were fascinated with the fork being carefully aligned under the yolk, which he then then raised slowly and neatly up to his mouth.  On hot days Nana took us to a swimming hole a few times, down the hill then right on to Buckwheat Hollow Road - the swimming hole was to the left on South Run.  We would hike up the hill to the Farley's property and into the woods where there was a large rock to picnic on.  There were family dinners on the patio; I remember the dinner we had there after Grandad's funeral, when Nana said it was a lovely get-together but there was one person missing.  Nana lived there for a few years after Grandad passed in 1979, though it was isolated and quite difficult for her in the winters (which were colder and much snowier then).  It was hard to say goodbye to their dream home, but in the early 80's she sold it and moved into a small home in Dallas. It was on Lehman Ave, near Davenport St where Aunt Pam lives.  Dad and I helped her with packing and getting ready to move toward the end of my high school years.  I then lived with Nana on Lehman Ave while going to King's College.

Harvey's Lake:  Harvey's Lake was and still is a great spot for summer fun.  As a young girl, I remember stopping at a nearby farm to watch very large and menacing-looking bulls on the other side of a substantial fence.  We also swam at Sandy Bottom Beach, which was a public beach though 1984.  It had a food stand, where I remember Grandad getting french fries with vinegar.  I found a nice photo - see below.

The best thing about Harvey's Lake, though, was Hanson's.  Our family did not have much extra money, and as a special treat we could ride the rides at Hanson's Amusement Park once a year.  We kids would be SO excited to do this - as I imagine you were for rides on the Boardwalk at Ocean City MD, at the New York State Fair and at local carnivals & fairs.  This was long after the Park's heyday, and the place was in some disrepair (it closed in 1984).  But we didn't really care.  Aunt Julie and I rode the wooden roller coaster many times, and I also enjoyed the small kiddie roller coaster and especially the Merry-go-Round (which I still enjoy very much).  I found this fascinating in-depth story that you might enjoy:  History of Hanson's Amusement Park  Also, here are three pictures from the glory days of the Park and a roller coaster photo which seems to be a later one.

Not too far away....  in Shavertown, we also had swimming and picnics at the Valley Tennis & Swim Club with Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob, who were members.  They were good tennis players, I remember watching some of their matches.  When you took tennis lessons at Wyoming Valley Indoor Tennis a few years ago, I recognized it and realized Aunt Mary had brought me there with her as well.

Camp Lackawanna:  St. Stephens Church sponsored a camp for many years, Camp Sterrett located west of Tunkannock near Vosburg.  Next door was a sister camp, a YMCA Camp.  The Presbytery of  Lackawanna acquired the properties and established Camp Lackawanna in 1962.  There was a cooperative arrangement by which kids connected with St. Stephens were included in camp programs.  This led to Aunt Julie and me going to Camp Lackawanna over summers for a week at a time when I was in 5th-7th grade.  I remember being very homesick the first year, then afterwards it was fine.  We had a good time - with bible study in the mornings, crafts, hiking, swimming at the pool, canoeing on the Susquehanna etc.  It is truly wonderful to be out on the river.

Our first year, Cindy Clauser from Slatington was in our cabin.  She and I became pen pals, and have stayed friends ever since.  She married Dennis Reitz, and as you know they live in Palmerton and have two kids older than you are - Mike and Becky.  Rob, yesterday we took Sugar Hollow Road to the top of Doll Mountain on the opposite site of the river - if we had a clear view would have seen this, the Vosburg Neck where camp is located.

Red Rock:  After the Mehoopany cabin days, we switched over to tent camping near Ricketts Glenn State Park.  We stayed at Goods Camp Ground, which is at the bottom of the mountain.  From there, we could head over to visit Nana & Grandad and get together with the Kerr family.  I will say that camping was not my fave thing to do - I was not so fond of outhouses, the possibility of sleeping on top of rocks & tree roots, or rainy weather then camping (for multiple reasons).  I distinctly remember being encouraged to make toast using a stick held over the campfire, which was spectacularly unsuccessful - the bread ended up limp and smokey.  But there are some interesting and memorable things to mention.  Grandad liked to fish, so we would sometimes go out on a boat with him at the lake next to the campground - it had plenty of stumps, and I called it Mosquito Lake (an on-line search has just revealed that its actual name is Beaver Pond).  We did shopping and laundry most often in Benton.  We went for drives at twilight to see deer along the edges of open fields.  We hiked the falls trails (up and down) at Ricketts Glen.  And best of all we spent many wonderful days at Lake Jean, in the park at the top of Red Rock mountain which has boating, a great beach for swimming, bath house with hot showers, and a snack bar.  You will remember this from a couple summer picnics we had at the beach and from winter walks when we are staying at the Ricketts Glen family cabins which are near the beach parking lot.  Here is the Goods Campground sign, looking relatively better than I remember it.  And a nice picture of the Lake Jean beach.  

* Ring-Around the Rosie has pretty gruesome origins involving symptoms of the plague.  Seems a little ironic to think of it now, while there's another epidemic.  We sang it this way (of course, at the end you collapse on the ground):

"Ring around the Rosie

A pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes
We all fall down"

On What Was Lost (and What Was Not)

Every so often I think about what was lost as our nuclear family and households on Monument Ave and Seventh Street broke up.  Besides the grief and emotional fallout of losing our relationships with Dad, some "things" that were important to me are lost .  And I know there were lost "things" that were very important to you too.  A few items that come to mind are a doll I believe I got in Ventnor (the only early childhood item I had, as Grammie is a cleaner-outer), my high school diploma and yearbook, and all my memorabilia from being pregnant, your births and earliest years.  Also, I had put aside your favorite toys from baby/toddler/pre-school days, stuffed animals, blankets, a bottle or two, etc.  I am truly sad for your things that were lost.  I did start saving again, mostly from our days on Sharpe St, so there are some toys and many books.  During those years, I also made very difficult decisions including the decision to divorce your Dad.  I remember telling you about that decision Alex, as we drove along the Back Road in West Wyoming one day - it was so hard.  I told myself that I never want to disappoint you like that again.

I remind myself about what as Not lost, and at least one gain.  I believe we are all more empathetic for other people, and much more aware of realities of mental illness (and that our society does not have enough of a safety net for people who suffer).  Our country, community, schools, libraries, hospitals, etc. are in-tact, which is not true for places of war, political turmoil and natural disasters.  Some people can never "go home".  I have my job, which is a source of tremendous stability for all of us.  We have our family (with one glaring exception), friends and local activities.  I have the very sweetest memories of your infant and younger days living at Monument Ave, along with so many pictures.  It was incredibly fortunate that when making final visits to the 7th Street house, we found all the photo albums I had put together over the years starting in the mid 80's.  Steve also found 2 sets of Grandpa's dog tags, and I recovered my wedding dress & MBA diploma from Wilkes.  And while I won't be passing along to you all the "stuff" I had once planned on, you will have this blog (a true "gift", along with effort, care and love that is integral when trying to be a good parent).

Mostly, we have each other.  And a new life we had to build for ourselves.  Aunt Pam is your most loving and enthusiastic booster.  The unexpected, extra bonus is your stepfather.  Steve's commitment to being a caring parent to his girls as well as you boys, thoughtfulness, energy and financial resources combined with mine have allowed us to have this lovely, comfortable home on Montgomery Ave. and given me a solid foundation to support you both through college and beyond.  What we are doing now is looking forward with hope and excitement for the future.

Here's a pic of you guys looking pretty happy, after Thanksgiving Dinner in 2017.

COVID-19 Update

Another week has gone by.  Around the world, everything is changing.  Fundamental things in our daily lives are different - other than driving around a bit for a change of scenery, walks around town and getting groceries & some takeout food we are staying home.  It occurred to me this morning that we all like our houses, which is truly a blessing....  we are happy at home, a line that sticks in my mind from the Queen song "You're My Best Friend".

Government leaders are making critical decisions that will affect lives, including potentially lives of our family members (although we have a first world healthcare system, the US was not effective in pandemic planning and is struggling to respond cohesively).  It seems like we have some tough choices, but the best way forward is to shut things down as much as possible NOW to reduce infections.  One fantastic thing is that it appears that Steve and I will keep our jobs (working at home), which unfortunately many other people are losing. It's a scary time.  The stock market is incredibly volatile, we are almost certainly headed for a recession, and there is a glut of oil on the market (unheard of in my lifetime), but not surprising with travel restrictions, flight & cruise cancellations and drop in commercial/industrial demand as the economy weakens.

After a long and tiring week of work juggling my normal job responsibilities & business continuation, listening to the news I am feeling a little emotional today.  Alex, while Gerrity's seems to be doing an especially good job with meeting needs of our community, I'm worried about you being exposed at work.  I'm worried about Grammie and Grandad, who have been doing their own shopping - a very bad idea, in particular because Montgomery County has the most cases in Pennsylvania.  I worry about Steve, since he has asthma.  Not so much about you, Rob, as I have you home & know you are sticking close.  What if any of us get sick or our friends, kids/teachers at school or co-workers get sick?

So what to do now?  Try to keep washing hands, using hand sanitizer and not touching your face.  Aunt Pam is giving video lessons, which her kids enjoy plus they are practicing a lot (!)  She is also recording hymns/music which is being included with services that Pastor Jen Baer at Trinity is recording and posting on-line, since church services are suspended.  Alex, you are working hard between on-line classes at Misericordia U and stocking produce.  And (finally, after a few months) you are getting a hair cut tomorrow with Kim at A Little Off the Top!  Rob, you have been doing school assignments, playing on-line games and driving with me.  Steve is keeping busy with Olympia Chimney work, watching "scam the scammer" videos and doing some yard clean-up (though it's still cold).  Alex, I've been doing Prudential work in your room which is quite comfortable - and the kitties don't seem to mind sharing their space.  I'm also trying to do cleaning projects, plus baked banana bread this morning (with loaves for Daisy Ct and Davenport St).  It is comforting to do simple things like watch videos on You Tube.  So here's one that makes me smile, a wonderful choir competition performance from the TV show Glee: