A picture can be worth 1,000 words

January 26, 2024

I am not sure exactly where this saying comes from, but it is certainly true. I get pictures of the little ones from Alaska. That helps me keep up with the way they are growing. I get pictures from the kids when they are in college. That is the way I keep up with them as well. Last summer I had pictures from Africa as Carly worked there. The only thing I think about is what are they doing with the actual pictures? Recently I saw a picture of an older lady looking through a photograph album. That brought back so many memories. I have a lot of photo albums. I can take them out and look ...

Just another flurry in Buffalo

January 25, 2024

Their flight was leaving out of Buffalo Niagara International. We’d heard the ominous snowy forecasts: “Flurries in the south towns, increasingly heavy toward the city,” My daughter and son-in-law, who was hobbling on crutches with a broken leg, had come for the Christmas holiday, 2001. Alix and Ian’s return to Boston on schedule was mandatory. They were in a wedding in Maine, needing to arrive on Thursday. It was Wednesday morning, clear and dry in our driveway. The airline reported that all flights were on schedule, so we shrugged our shoulders, loaded the car, and left ...

After rough patch, Nittany Lions roaring again

January 20, 2024

By BRUCE WILLIAMS One of my Christmas presents was a book, “The Paterno Legacy,” by JoePa’s son, Jay. It brought back depressing memories from 12 years ago when the Sandusky scandal hit the fan. I love football. I played for Youngsville when we still had football. I then went to Penn ...

View from Hickory Heights: Do you know your rights?

January 19, 2024

I have no idea what got me thinking about my rights, but all of sudden I was looking up the Bill of Rights. Of course, that is the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the U. S. Yes, I do know. I heard a question on a quiz show and the contestants did not know the answer. The first source I found listed the amendments. I read through them but noticed the language seemed a little different. When I happened upon the request for a donation, I paused. What had I gotten into? This site was not the original Bill of Rights that I was looking for. Another search led me to the original ...

Big Brother is always listening

January 18, 2024

Paranoia is not one of my problems. I have never thought that “they” are out to get us. Cheat us. Control us. I hear a lot of political discussions about “they” and it’s always about the government and how they are using their records, their knowledge, to “keep us in place.” Puh-leez. Through a long lifetime, I’ve realized that the government isn’t organized enough to do that. The right and left hand don’t always talk to each other. Tom O’Brien used to call the government the “Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight.” So, I don’t waste my time worrying about ...

Flower perfect to grow in season

January 13, 2024

The amaryllis is one of the most beautiful plants of the holiday season. The lovely bell shaped flowers brighten our window sills for many days. We often see the box containing the amaryllis bulb, container and soil in grocery stores, hardware stores or garden centers. Amaryllis are easy to ...