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COLUMNS: Slices
of Life
You know the hype; eight glasses of water a day to a healthy body, glowing complexion, bright eyes, and good digestion. If we believe everything we read, that eight glasses a day will give us everything but the winning numbers on the lottery. So occasionally, I try it. Water has always been my nemesis. I think I’m part camel because I can go for long periods of time with no water, and I’m rarely thirsty. Now it could be that all that coffee sleights the thirst, and we know coffee does not substitute for water. In fact, the experts say that coffee dehydrates. From time to time I convince myself that, for my good health, I will do the water thing. To keep me motivated and on track, I’ve been known to measure out 64 ounces of water and put it in a container in the refrigerator, telling myself that I will drink all of that by bedtime. At other times I draw eight little glasses of water on a piece of paper, put it on the kitchen table and x one out every time I hit bottoms up. Then there’s the trick of mixing a little fruit juice with each glass. I know that’s cheating, but it is liquid. I’ve seen other people line up eight full glasses on the kitchen cupboard to keep themselves motivated. (It was so good to know that I wasn’t the only one struggling.) Now I have no way of knowing if all this water is doing the wonderful things for my body that the experts say it is, but I do know there are other benefits. More exercise definitely comes from drinking more water. Being that I am loath to drink the water from my kitchen tap, I am forced to go to Bank Street to what is still euphemistically called "Garnsey’s spring." While there, I check out the latest crop of wildflowers, sometimes walking up and down the side of the road to see them better and pick a bouquet if the line is long at the well. Then there’s the muscle building of carrying glass gallon jugs full of water to the car, to the house, and lifting them each time I pour a glass. Last, but definitely not least, my only bathroom is upstairs! Who needs the latest stair-stepper when they can do thirteen steps thirteen times a day? Don’t you wonder who is the ultimate authority who says that we need eight glasses of water a day? We do know that once one magazine publishes that statistic, every other one will follow suit. And exactly what kinds of tests do they do to determine how much better every organ functions when well-lubricated versus when it’s not? And how do they know facial wrinkles and dryness come from lack of water instead of from heredity? I can’t recall ever seeing my mother drink a glass of water unless she was taking an aspirin for her monthly migraine. The only thing I ever saw her drink was coffee, and very occasionally, a bottle of beer. She was a specimen of good health and abundant energy, and she had beautiful soft skin. She lived until two months shy of her 90th birthday. This tips me off that there may be something wrong with this whole liquid-health-craze picture. So maybe tomorrow, I’ll substitute a little more coffee for some of that water. No one will ever know! BROOKLYN: T. C. Allen, of Montrose, has had "an elephant on his hands" this week in the shape of a 7-ton monument intended for the Weston family plot at Brooklyn. Monday it was started on its journey but the timbers on which the huge stone rested broke while being hauled over Grow Avenue's (Montrose) macadam pavements and delayed the onward progress until the following morning. At present it is at Reynolds' bridge, about three miles from Brooklyn, and those conveying the stone to its destination have returned to Montrose. The difficulty being met with, may perhaps be realized, when in one mile the monument slipped from the wagon no less than five times. It requires four of the best teams procurable to draw it. AND: A.G. Mack has sold his interest in the Lindaville Telephone line to Waldie & Terry, who will put up a metallic circuit line. NORTH JACKSON: Out of the ten [school] districts in North Jackson township, only three will be maintained this winter. The other seven will be centralized, all the pupils attending a graded school at Jackson. MONTROSE: All lovers of music are requested to meet in the arbitration room in the courthouse on Friday evening, Aug. 14, at 8:30 sharp. Object, the organization of a Cornet Band. AND: Depot street will hereafter be known as Grow Avenue [named for Galusha A. Grow], the council having passed a resolution to that effect. When the broad gauge on the Lehigh Valley is established that street will have double reason to be proud of its name, for we are of the opinion that it will add greatly to the amount of business already being done in that section of the town. AND: The A.M.E. Zion Sunday school will picnic at Heart Lake, Saturday, August 8th. SUSQUEHANNA: Thursday morning, a little girl, aged three years, daughter of P. Wilmot, of Lanesboro, was run over by a D. & H. pusher engine near the depot at that place. AND: Casper Smith and James Donovan have returned from the Philippines, where they have served Uncle Sam for 3 years. HOPBOTTOM: The sudden death of Mrs. Barney Gardner, which occurred Monday, Aug. 3d, was very unexpected to her friends and neighbors. Her son, who was in the employ of the D.L.& W. R.R. Co., went up to call on his mother for a few moments while the train was waiting here. He found the house open, but no one there. He finally passed through the back yard, where he found his mother dead. She went to feed the chickens and died. BRANDT: Maye Peck, having completed a course of studies at the Virgil-Claviere School of Music, has a position on [with] the Ocean Grove orchestra. THOMSON: The Baldwin family are at the Jefferson House for the summer and Mr. O'Brien's family are at the Jud Witter place on the Highlands. The above parties are proprietors of the new creamery of Baldwin & O'Brien. SOUTH MONTROSE: Work on the telephone line between East Rush, Elk Lake and Montrose is nearly completed. MIDDLETOWN TWP.: On July 27th, a bad runaway occurred on the farm of Clark Coleman. John Wood occupies Mr. Coleman's farm. The two men were mowing and had gotten through on the hill. Mr. Wood, having left the field to go home, was some distance ahead. Mr. Coleman stopped to get a water pail, when his team started down the hill towards home and ran against Mr. Wood, throwing him from his machine and came near killing him, cutting his head quite badly and bruised his left hip. The Doctor was called and examined him and found no bones broken, but shaken up. The cut on his head had 8 stitches taken in it, but he is better and we are in hopes he will be out again soon. AND: Frost here on July 27, enough to hurt corn, potatoes, beans and buckwheat. HALLSTEAD: The races were well attended. The following horses won: Fannie D, owned by Fred Decker, won the 3 minute race in strait heats; Fred Fisk's horse second, Chas. Capwell's horse third. Provido, owned by E.C. Downs, first; Mindy, owned by Glen Chamberlain, second in 2:40 race. Betsy, owned by Geo. Dobinson, won the running race. Maud, owned by W. J. Day and driven by Miss Lulu Day, won the ladies race. A horse owned by Mr. Bolles and driven by Mrs. Florence Woodward, won second. The foot race was between Ira Jones, the Binghamton High School sprinter and Michael Kilrow. The first heat was very close and was called a dead heat. The second run was given to Mr. Kilrow, as Mr. Jones did not get the start. GIBSON TWP.: W. W. Williams, whose death occurred in Binghamton last week, was as a boy a clerk in the store of John Smiley, in Gibson [Smiley Hollow], this county, and later was in business in Susquehanna, a member of the firm of Williams, Pope & Co. CHOCONUT: Mr. Murphy is building an elegant cottage. When it is completed he expects to give a dance. FOREST LAKE: It is reported that John O'Connell, while working the old Sullivan farm, was very fortunate in finding a can containing some $2000 in gold, supposed to be part of the money buried by old Mr. Sullivan, years ago. KINGSLEY: A band has organized and a concert was recently given for its benefit. Local talent being assisted by Mrs. E.M. Tiffany and Miss Lillian Byram, of Hopbottom, Mrs. Alice H. Brundage, of Somersville, Mass., and the Brooklyn Cornet Band. SCRANTON: They had a big time with Mrs. Carrie Nation down at Scranton the past week, where she was arrested four times in 24 hours by the police, fined once $10 and once $100, etc. The police and authorities adopted exactly the right course to create public sympathy for Mrs. Nation. Prominent citizens came forward and became sureties for her, and thousands cheered her and derided the police. And Carrie had the time of her life. Ex-Mayor Fellews went her bail. Mrs. Nation, on Monday, was given a hearing and the court held the matter till Tuesday, before deciding whether to fine her $100 or 30 days in jail. Her lawyers said they would not have the fine paid and they immediately applied for a writ which gave her liberty while the law under which she was arrested for selling her hatchets, without a license, is to be tested. Mr. Law, the millionaire coal operator, expressing himself as determined to push this part of the question, at his own expense. Tuesday night she went to Forest City, delivered a lecture, and the saloon smasher did a rushing business selling her hatchets in peace. Carrie is of medium height, 55 years old, fleshy, swarthy of countenance, quick of action, positive in manner, ready of tongue and has a rather pleasant voice. She has a wide mouth, which opens and closes when she is animated, with a motion suggestive of a steel trap. ST. JOHN’S PARISH Has New Bishop – Bishop Joseph Francis Martino, 57, Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will start a new job October 1, when he becomes the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, of which St. John’s Church of Susquehanna is affiliated. Pope John Paul II made the appointment. Bishop Martino will succeed Bishop James C. Timlin, who submitted his resignation to the Vatican last year. Bishop Martino will find a tremendous resource and significant challenge within the devotion of his flock, for which he will assume stewardship October 1. The Scranton Diocese has more than 355,000 parishioners, spread among 195 parishes in 11 counties. To serve the spiritual and quite often, many temporal needs of that vast flock, Bishop Martino will have just 225 priests. Among the many decisions waiting the new bishop will be the status of the Catholic schools, some of which have declining enrollments and the cost of keeping the schools open will be a big problem. Bishop Martino said, so far the warmth of his welcome in Scranton has exceeded any expectation. "I just hope that I have the qualities that are going to help people," Bishop Martino said. "That is what I really live for." (NOTE: Joseph Francis Martino was born 57 years ago to Eleanor Rose (Devlin) Martino and Joseph Martino, Sr. She immigrated from Ireland. He immigrated from Italy.) GOOD-BYE, JERRY – Susquehanna, on July 22, 2003, lost another of our outstanding citizens. G. Jerry Sullivan passed away after a long illness. Jerry, well known throughout the area, was involved in car sales in both Pennsylvania and New York State. Known to his many close friends as a "jokester," you had to be on the alert when he was around. I recall on one occasion, when Jerry was involved in bowling, we made a trip to Rochester to participate in a tournament. That evening – actually two o’clock in the morning – a knock came on my door. It was the hotel guard informing me that "we had to tone the party down." "What party?", I asked. "Just me and my wife are here." He said someone called him and gave him "my" room number. He apologized and left. (Yes, you guessed it, Mr. Sullivan was the culprit.) Another incident I recall, Jerry was working for a Hallstead car dealer. One of his friends brought in a practically new car to have an oil and grease job. A few hours later his friend – Rick Soden – came for his car. Jerry went out back, came back with a "clunker," tossed the keys to Rick and walked away. (Was Rick upset? Jerry couldn’t run fast enough to get away from Rick.) So long, Jerry. Please don’t try any tricks on the Great One. My sincere sympathy to Jerry’s entire family. May he rest in peace. DEVELOPMENT ASSOC. Holds Meeting – School is out. Where do the kids go? Where can they enjoy themselves without getting in trouble? We have no swimming pool, we have no recreation rooms, we have two Little League parks, but none to play on for the kids that are not Little Leaguers. The town is looking great. The Susquehanna Community Development Association (SCDA), has banded together several local citizens who are in the process of getting grants to improve the business sections of the boro. The SCDA needs help. They need more residents to get involved. At a recent meeting, many "great ideas" were discussed to improve the community. Want to get involved? The SCDA holds meetings in the boro building. The next meeting is at 7 p.m., August 27. For more information contact either Chet Walker or Darlene Slocum. SANTORUM KEEPS Getting In "Hot Water" – Our senator, Rick Santorum, a couple of months ago criticized "the homosexual life." Needless to say, he was admonished by his peers, but did they do anything bout it? No! They gave him a light slap on the wrist. Now, according to two state representatives, he is working to defeat federal legislation that would give a boost to the Commonwealth’s prescription drug program for senior citizens, PACE and PACENET. Santorum said he voted against the bill because of the "potential for mischief with respect to double dipping. Well, well, Mr. Santorum is worried about "double dipping." Hasn’t that been going on for centuries? It’s still – no doubt – going on in many, many places. Isn’t that why we elect people (like you, Mr. Santorum) to watch out for the "dd’s," to protect us senior citizens, and to help us – that are in need. So, Mr. Santorum seeks to punish his own state (and seniors) for trying to help more (seniors) pay for medication. Representatives Bill DeWeese and Mike Veon urge Santorum to stop working against Pennsylvania and the seniors and to start working for the people that sent him to Washington. (Let all of us seniors remember the above, when election time rolls around.) CONTRACT EXTENDED – The Philadelphia Phillies gave General Manager Ed Wade a two-year contract extension, "for doing an outstanding job since becoming GM." The Phillies – July 25 – are nine games out in their division. Mr. Wade is known to several Susquehanna residents (including me) as he is the nephew of the late Hugh Brady. Wade is a former resident of Carbondale. "SMOKELESS" New York – New York State cigarette smokers are "up in arms." A law has taken effect that prohibits smoking in public places – such as bars, restaurants, etc. (Strange, isn’t it, you can drink booze in clubs, etc., in many places, but no restrictions apply. Not fair to cig smokers.) TWO MILES DOWN – Drilling began seven years ago in North Grip, Greenland, and last week it touched bottom, nearly two miles deep, the deepest hole ever drilled through ice in the Northern Hemisphere. (The scientists celebrated with champagne.) The goal of drilling was to extract a continuous sample of ice, all the way from Greenland’s vast ice sheet to bedrock. GOOD RIDDANCE – The deaths of Qusai and Odai Hussein, Sadaam’s two sons, is a "plus" for the United States. But as good as that is, Sadaam must be found to secure "real" peace in Iraq. Americans are dying daily; that must be stopped, one way or another. WATER! WATER! "Not Everywhere" – According to the August issue of the American Legion magazine, in the not too distant future, water will be scarcer than oil. The world can survive without oil, but no way "can we survive without water which has no substitute." Water shortage is worldwide. In Africa, water is in chronic supply. China continues to confront shortages that threaten any visions of growth. Out West, in the California area, water is not plentiful. Las Vegas may face a serious shortage in the future. As more people move to warmer climates, more water is needed. Many of the large bodies of water have not been getting their fill. DEER LICENSES – The State Game Commission will begin accepting antlerless deer license applications by mail, only from Pennsylvania residents on Monday, August 4. Non-residents can apply, by mail August 18. Hunters will not send antlerless applications to county treasurers, they must be sent to the Game Commission’s 22 different Post Office boxes. ON A CROSS-COUNTRY driving trip, a group of guys decided to tour the brewery of their favorite beer. As they marveled at the process, one of them slipped and fell into a huge vat of beer. While the man’s friends waited outside, brewery workers tried to save him. A half-hour later, one of the supervisors came out to tell the guys their friend had drowned. "Do you think he suffered much?" one of them asked. "I don’t think so," the supervisor said. "In fact, before he drowned, he climbed out three times to go to the bathroom." The bridge seems to be a moot question. When I asked when it would be done the answer was, "I don’t know." Today they were placing stones and concreting them in place. When one side is done, they will do the other. This is on the creek level up to the bridge level on each side of bridge. Bob and Helen Stone, Pitman, NJ and Kirk and Alice Rhone spent a day with Pam and Randy Walker, on their boat at Cayuga Lake. There were one hundred and five reservations for the Starrucca School reunion, Saturday, July 26. Under the capable hands of Miriam Brooker Fancher and her committee, everything went off fine. The meal was served by the Red Schoolhouse, with tables tastefully decorated in green, and sprinkled on the white tablecloth were numbers in metallic colors. Invocation given by Genevieve King Leet. Honoring the seventieth year graduate was Margaret Skillet. Honoring the sixtieth hear graduates were Ann Brooker Figura, Robert Carpenter, Billy Box, John Levchak, Ida Mead Caruso (deceased), Raymond Sampson, Gladys Wall Stephens, Esther Wayman Dix (deceased), Lois Williams Sanford. Honoring the fiftieth year graduates were Lorene Bedford Barton, Patricia Brownell Dudley, Ruth Buck Swanson, Raymond Carangelo, Henry Glover, Loretta Kopp Wimmer, Sandra Nelson Sabwankert (deceased), Jack Stearns and Gary Williams (both deceased) and Lavern Rhone. Frank and Ruth Mroczko, Jacobs Hill Road hosted their tenth family reunion July 25-26. Family and friends drove from Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York as well as PA. Festivities included golfing, fishing, swimming, frisbee, tenting and s’mores around the campfire. Frank, his sisters and three brothers are originally from Mahanoy City, near Hazleton. Marie Soden, Tyrone, PA spent the weekend with me. There will be a buffet supper August 7 at the Starrucca Methodist Church. Cheerio! Along
the Way...With P. Jay
A couple of weeks ago, a Scranton paper reported that restoring passenger train service between Scranton and Hoboken, NJ, could cost Pennsylvania and New Jersey taxpayers a lot more if Congress approves a Bush administration plan to reduce the federal contribution to new railroads. Railroad proponents also worry a lower federal share could threaten the long-planned project and hope President Bush’s plan for so-called new-start railroads is sidetracked. Perhaps a little icing on the cake can be found on the web page of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. "The big transportation news," the Chamber reports, "is the return of passenger service from Metropolitan New York/New Jersey. If all goes well, by 2006 you will be able to board a train in Hoboken, New Jersey and ride all the way to Downtown Scranton. Or, you can hop on board in Scranton, ride to the Hudson River and take the PATH train right into Manhattan." Rowland Sharp, chairman of the Susquehanna County Rail Committee (SCRC), does not think the target date is realistic but he is confident the project will be completed. Sharp does not stand alone. At least not in Susquehanna County. Other members of the SCRC share his opinion and last week the Board of County Commissioners held a hearing on its proposal to create a rail authority and no one opposed the idea. "I was a bit surprised that there was nobody at the hearing who opposed it" (railroad authority), Sharp said. "The only people who showed up for the hearing were proponents of the whole thing." Besides Sharp’s testimony in support of a rail authority, Tom Lopatofsky, owner of Lenox Propane in West Clifford spoke in support of returning rail service to Susquehanna County. And the Borough of New Milford sent a letter endorsing the proposed rail authority. Sharp said the next move will be for the commissioners to enact legislation creating the authority. He said there may be additional legal steps. Asked when he thought the authority would be formed, Sharp said he would not make any predictions because it depends on how long it will take to unravel any red tape that may be involved in the process. He said there is a strong likelihood that the authority will be formed by the end of the year. In his testimony at the county hearing, Sharp said the creation of a rail authority would "help the economic development process by retaining jobs, creating new jobs and helping to determine the future direction of the county." An additional purpose of creating an authority is to facilitate the retention of existing businesses and to attract new businesses to the county through the creation of additional rail infrastructure such as sidings and transload facilities. Sharp said the success of the authority depends entirely upon the shippers, the railroads, state and federal funding and the members of the authority. Regarding passenger service, Sharp said that, although the feasibility study showed inconclusive results, it is important for an authority to be created and to be in place for that eventuality. And there can be no denying that there is a great deal of interest in shipping by rail. More on anterless deer licenses All hunters who plan to apply for a doe license in Pennsylvania this year should become familiar with the new wildlife management unit system. The system replaces the 67-county management unit system that has been in place since the 1920s. Under the new system, all anterless license applications will be sent to the Game Commission in Harrisburg where they will be processed and forwarded to the county treasurers who will issue the licenses. One of the most important details to remember about the new anterless license allocation procedures and wildlife management unit system is that hunters are now applying for a license to hunt in a management unit, not a county. You are no longer limited to hunting in one county. It doesn’t matter which county in the management unit issues your license. The license provides the privilege to hunt the entire wildlife management unit as defined by its boundaries of highways and rivers. More detailed information will be printed on the applications, official envelopes and in the 2003 Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations.
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Five And Counting
Will it be whoa or go?