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View from Hickory Heights: Lessons with the Paper Cutter

I belong to a group on Facebook that posts old items to see if anyone recognizes them. The last post was one that I instantly recognized. It was a paper cutter. I have at least two of these at home, but they differ slightly from posted type. The type posted was what I would call a heavy-duty model. I am not sure if they went out of favor in the elementary school, but I used it all the time. I did lessons with shapes that I cut on the paper cutter. I had the children identify the shapes, then make a design out of it. For instance, I would give the children four black circles, two red ...

Looking at home through another’s eyes

My step-daughter is visiting. She has come east from Marina del Rey, California for a week with us and to attend a family wedding in North Carolina. She was really looking forward to spending some uninterrupted time here, in Warren, Pa. I never knew Valerie until about twenty years ago and she has been a delight added to my life. Although she has visited on holidays – the Fourth of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving – we have never had the opportunity to spend much time alone. There has always been a houseful of O’Briens, with many conversations and lots of activities. This week is ...

View from Hickory Heights: Faith and sharing a secret

A couple weeks ago I did the children’s sermon at church. At that time, I shared one of my secrets with the children as well as the adults in the congregation. When I was in treatment for breast cancer, I had to lay very still for many of the tests. I told the children that I repeated Bible verses and favorite hymns during the treatment. During the process, one of the technicians asked me how I stayed so still. He was amazed. I told him about repeating Bible verses and hymns to keep me still. That provided the perfect opportunity to share my faith with him. It is always great ...

Finding neighborliness on Front Porch Day

Once upon a time, in Warren, Pennsylvania, three wise men got together on a downtown porch. Gary, Doug, and Gary enjoyed each other’s company just chatting about the weather, the town, sports and more. Guy stuff. They wound up discussing how much fun it would be to start a Front Porch Day. What would it take to motivate folks to encourage their neighbors and friends to stop by, just to be neighborly? Even better, they might meet new people. Tom, Joe and Pat joined in, all active doers who make things happen. Together, the half dozen promoted the idea, and it quietly grew. ...

View from Hickory Heights: Back to school

Football, soccer and band camps are in full swing. We knew when the fair rolled around that it was the end of our summer. I never attended any camps in my day but my children were involved in band camp. After they arrived home, I could hear music echoing across our valley as the neighbors began to practice their instruments. We had a car pool in my day. That meant that one mother would deliver the children to school and one mother would pick them up. That saved a lot on transportation costs. It also saved a lot of time since I only had to drive a couple days a week. Once some of ...

Rounding Third: New food, old food, too much food?

We have almost given up shopping at the big box discount stores. It’s time. Their membership rates are climbing through the roof as our need for them is heading for the cellar. We have a membership at BJ’s in Olean, Dear Richard’s hometown. It’s 58 miles away and he can drive it in his sleep. Since Sam’s Club closed in Jamestown, BJ’s is the nearest bulk discount store. Although, I’ve noticed lately that many of their prices aren’t as low as Aldi. Still, there are certain purchases we drive those 116 miles, roundtrip, for the privilege of buying cheap. Annual ...