Punxsutawney Phil makes 2024 prediction!

Greetings, readers and a happy Groundhog Day, one day late! Punxsutawney Phil, that weather prognosticator for Pennsylvania, did not see his shadow yesterday. Hence, an early spring is forecasted. Thank goodness for that. I’ve always been a spring/summer person. After the holidays, winter can have itself. Lol. 

Let me know in comments what states have what types of creatures for predicting early spring. I’m sure that other states have other critters, much like our Phil. As one of my Facebook friends said, “When pitchers and catchers report to spring training, it’s spring!” I say…, “Yes!” 😉 

One year, many moons ago, I remember my mom turning on the TV to see that Phil had predicted 6 more weeks of winter. She screamed…, at the TV, no less…, “Damned rodent!” Mom hated winter. 

I’ve heard it said that the true indicator of weather phenomenon is The Farmer’s Almanac. I know what it is, but I must admit, I’ve never referred to it before. To me, I just look out the window and say to myself, ” Hey, it’s sunny today!” On the other hand, I might belt out, “Damn! Snowing again?” 

Okay, readers. Time to put a category and tags on this small, but fun gem, proofread it and post it. Until Monday, take care, love one another, hug your family and pets, and happy reading! 

Now we have our cold weather!

Greetings, readers. A happy Monday to you all. Last night, the heater stayed on, and I was snug under the comforter, for the overnight low temperature was 9°F! Brr!!! Oh, so on Christmas day, we have 51 degrees, and now, I feel as if I’m a member of an expedition in Antarctica.  

As I type the blog today, I am listening to the 1979 Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack. I love writing whilst listening to symphonic music. Usually, music from Star Trek or Star Wars will do. Sometimes though, I’m thinking of pop, only Mozart is my choice.

It’s a cafe day tomorrow. With more snow overnight, possibly 3 to 4 inches, I’ll be leaving early tomorrow. Money is tight right now, and the prices of Uber’s will be jacked up. I can’t wait for payday this Friday. Oh, that right, my conscience just reminded me, “Joseph, you have bills which need paid.” Oh heck, now how could I have forgotten that? 

Now for an update on Princess Josie’s health. I might not have put this in my blog entries, but my Facebook friends know. Josie has been troubled by a urinary tract infection. The ER vet gave her an antibiotic shot with pills to take home. I cannot for the life of me get her to eat that one pill. One day, she swallows it with a mound of treats. The next day…, no such luck. I even tried forcing it into her mouth. You talk about a tight-lipped cat. No dice! I think she’s on the mend, but never experiencing this before with either Josie or KeeKee, your guess is as good as mine. 

Well, I wish all of you a good evening, a wonderful day tomorrow and a productive week ahead. Until Wednesday, take care, love one another, give your pet an extra hug, and as always, happy reading. 

So good-bye yellow brick road …

Greetings, readers. After nine years and two months of writing the blog and other various writing projects, Rebecca and I have decided to close up shop. We will miss working together, but at the current moment it is the correct decision. The blog doesn’t pay the rent. Does this mean that I am closing the blog? Absolutely not.

The blog shall be open for everyone to enjoy and comment on, though I would ask you to please comment on my Facebook page. I visit there everyday. There are other blog topics to write about, but with me physically challenged and trying to find myself again, I’m going to take a short time off, and I shall try to get back to a once a week schedule at the beginning of the year. Rebecca said that she will also occasionally do a From Rebecca, and that is cool. She and I will have to touch base now and then to make certain that we don’t blog about the same topic. Lol. You know what they say, great minds think alike.

As we work on blog entry 871, I find myself looking back upon all the topics we’ve written about. There are a multitude of Top Ten Lists, R.I.P.s to numerous folks famous or otherwise, tons of entries about the weather, as well as blog topics dealing with Air Crash Investigation episodes and modern conveniences. It still gets me in the funny bone why Top ten list of modern conveniences was such a big hit, but it was.

I have also tried my hand at calming the country down, saying things like give peace a chance. What happens? More shootings. With only 15 people a day on average reading me, I guess I shouldn’t expect to be as powerful as a TV evangelist. 😉 We’ve also talked about natural disasters, and have prayed for those victims and families.

Am I calling this day a defeat? No. This is simply another chapter in my life. The brain is working better these days. I’ll explain why in a minute. But still I lack those tools to write that great American novel; that big hat hook that would put me on the map. I’m only 54 years old, so I’m not counting myself out yet. I know I’m not supposed to compare myself to my Dad, but hell, he wrote 30 books, albeit about theology and philosophy. My three books deal with my camping experiences and blogging. My fourth venture, of course, was as the co-author of Darren Taylor’s novel.

One of my current projects, which is improving my brain power, is playing an app on my phone called Wordscapes. I made words, usually from a group of four or five letters at a time. The higher the level, the more words you have to make and the harder it is. I can feel myself filling out the puzzle faster than the first time I tried to play it.

Oh, yes, readers, I have had many successes in life and shall continue to do so. I don’t think I shall ever close the blog down, and will add to it when I have big news to share. For instance, I am doing a one-man performance of A Christmas Carol locally tomorrow from 5 – 7pm. Rebecca or I may possibly even write a review. For anyone in the State College area, it is at the 3 Dots Art Gallery at the corner of Beaver Ave and Pugh Street. Come one, come all.

It has been a pleasure and an honor writing for you, and it has also been a true honor and pleasure to work with Rebecca these last nine years. Again, this is not good-bye.

So I will say, friends, until we meet again, much love, take care of one another, happy holidays, and we will be in touch soon … and oh, yes, as always, happy reading.

Bear Spring Camps is officially closed for the season. :-(

Greetings, readers. October 1st is not my favorite day of the year, for it marks the official closing of Bear Spring Camps for the season. Every camper for now must begin to dream about next year’s vacation. We have a wonderful Bear Spring Camps Facebook page which helps a lot. There guests can write about their experiences and put up pictures and videos. My favorite video was Parade of the Loons. Whoever put that one up … thank you!

Now the lakeside attendants, formally known as cabin boys, are busy at work winterizing and closing the cabins. They will make note of any major repairs that need done before next May’s opening day.  When I was a youngster, one of my dreams was to be a Bear Spring Camps cabin boy. Then I saw just how hard they worked and somehow know that my weak arms would not be up to the task. I think I remember helping to bail out boats after a rain storm once or twice in my early teenage years.

Very soon, if not already, Peg and Ron Churchill will be off to where they winter. Their son Spencer will be there throughout the cold months to keep an eye on the place and they have an associate who helps out as needed.

Am I getting depressed as we type this blog entry? Maybe melancholy would be a better word. I always enjoy the spring and summer knowing the camp is open, even though I am only there for a week in August. A couple of years ago, someone posted a picture of the lane down to the cabins completely covered with a foot and a half of snow; I definitely would not want to draw the task of plowing the lane. I imagine that a plow would be attached to one of the old trucks and slowly but surely they would inch down the drive until all of it was plowed. And yikes if they got stuck.

Do I already have dreams of next year? Of course. Every good Bear Spring Camper does. As I’ve said before, with my monetary situation being what it is, I don’t see myself going for that many more years, but gosh darn it, I’m going as long as I can. We did post photos from this year’s camp experience, for those of you who wish to take a look.

On a side note, yay for the Pittsburgh Steelers! They finally won their first game of the season. With the score of 27-3, if appears that the young quarterback had a half-decent game, for it is going to be Mason Rudolph the rest of the way … unless he gets hurt. Also, on a baseball note, congratulations to the Washington Nationals for winning the National League wildcard game. I’ve read on social media folks talk about extending the wild card game to a best-out-of-three series. I would vote yes for that. To play a whole season and have it shattered by one bad game just doesn’t sit well with me.

Since we’ve talked about Bear Spring Camps for the most part in this entry, this will be linked to the Bear Spring Camps Facebook page. I hope you all enjoy.

As always, prayers go out to those who need it.

Look for a new blog entry either Sunday evening or Monday. Remember, it is football season and I love my football.

Take care, have a wonderful few days, love one another, and as always, happy reading.

Sunday evening blog tentatively set to begin again October 6th

Greetings, readers. Yes, folks, it has been too long now not having two blog entries up per week. If the truth be told, I was going to wait until football season was over, but I think I shall try to sneak in an entry on late Sunday afternoons or evenings. My readers have come to expect two blog entries a week and as you know we aim to please.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook you will know I am trying to shake a cold right now. I just got finished telling Rebecca that I feel perfectly fine but sound very stuffy. If I hadn’t felt terrible two days ago, I might have actually called this an allergy attack. Remember it is fall here in central Pennsylvania. Happy second day of fall!

It is a gorgeous day here, nary a cloud in the sky. The new building next door is being worked on in earnest. They have five stories complete on my end of the building and four stories on the end closer to Beaver Ave. Completion date is set for next August, so quite soon the plumbing, lights, and the electrics will have to be put in. That means that the outside of the building must be completed first. It seems like only yesterday they were using the jack hammers to excavate for the foundation.

I saw a marked improvement in the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend though they lost. Mason Rudolph was a wonderful young quarterback and I’m hoping he gets his first win this Monday night at home vs the Cincinnati Bengals. Other NFL surprises are the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins. The Bills are 3-0??? And the hapless Redskins are 0-3. I think Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden will be ousted if he loses to the New York Giants on Sunday.

In other sports news, the baseball playoffs are just around the corner. The Pittsburgh Pirates will not be in it, so I’ll take a quick glance to see if there are any other teams I am interested in rooting for before investing my time.

While watching NFL football, I have seen advertisements for new and returning TV series’. I’ve got to tell ya, I can’t say that I am truly dying to see any of them. If I really wish to see something there is always that beautiful invention called On Demand. With my new writing project now well under way (yay!) I think I shall watch TV catch-as-catch-can on Demand. I love Xfinity and its cable box.

Continued prayers go out to all who need it.

That’s all the news from here. Until next Wednesday, have a good week, take care, and happy reading.

What a busy day we’re having, and I nailed my 3 Dots performance

Greetings, readers. Between getting ready for next week’s shoulder surgery – complete with its follow up appointments – and other office goings on – such a meeting with my accountant – it has one heck of a busy day. As it just so happens, today is also what we call pay everything day. That means checks for rent, Rebecca, and other such end of the month expenses. Usually Rebecca and I are done with the blog by now, but we are just starting it at 12:07.

Speaking of the blog, while I am in the hospital overnight next week, Rebecca will take care of the mid-week blog entry. I’m certain it will be a great one. When I come back from having my shoulder worked on and can use that arm and hand to type, I plan to get back to the second entry of the week, probably on a Monday since Sunday Football is back. So look for that within a few weeks.

Well, my performance at 3 Dots (the local artists hangout) was a smashing success. I sung a set of Beatles songs, and a set of KISS. It was extremely unfortunate that the weather did not cooperate. The pouring rain kept the attendance very low. But the folks who were there loved it. Also, it gave me the opportunity to show my work ethic that whether I’m playing in front of 200 people or 2, I gave the same all-out performance. The entire show was captured on video and at some point I might put it up here on the blog or my Facebook page.

You know me, readers, I love to talk about the weather. This early morning was beautiful. A cloudless sunny day. Now some white puffy clouds are appearing and I don’t know if that means rain tonight or not. For those of you who were or are still in the path of Hurricane Dorian, my prayers go out to you.

Please send prayers my way for a successful arthroscopic procedure next Wednesday. Rebecca will have a blog post for that day, and I’ll be back with you the following Wednesday with a blog entry. Until then, have a good week, take care, and as always happy reading.

From Rebecca: Short note while Joe is away

I had a different subject picked out for a blog entry while Joe is away at Bear Spring Camps, but it has been a long day and all I have energy for is a quick update.

Joe is having a good time at camp, after having a couple of mishaps on the way there. Those of you who follow him on Facebook already know he got into a couple of traffic jams, and had a back spasm on the morning before he arrived at camp. The joys of Wifi in restaurants let him communicate in almost real time, before entering a sparse internet zone at camp.

I was with Joe’s cat, Princess Josie, today and she is doing well. She snuggled against me a few times during my visit and I got to pet her a bit. She didn’t shed as much as Keekee used to every year while Joe was away, but Josie did shed a little more than usual. My theory is that Joe’s daily interactions with his cat just naturally thins her coat and it builds up when he is gone. Anyway, we spent some time together and it was good.

I’m not sure if the next blog entry will be next week or the week after that. Until then, as Joe would say, have a good week, take care of yourself and your loved ones, and happy reading.

T – 1 day

Greetings, readers. Here’s a quick blog entry just to let you know that Rebecca and I are still breathing. I am leaving for my annual trek to Bear Spring Camps tomorrow morning. I don’t know if she will post a new entry while I am gone or not, I shall leave that up to her.

Yesterday was my kitty cat Princess Josie’s second birthday. That post got many likes on Facebook. I have a rather cute picture of me and Josie when she was a small kitten, approximately a week after I got her. I can’t believe she is two already. How time flies.

Joe and his new cat Princess Josie

I’ve been running around like a chicken with a head cut off trying to get ready for camp. I hope to be out of here and on the road between 7:30 and 8:00 tomorrow morning. I had been leaving at 10am, but that got me to the Danbury, Connecticut rush hour on interstate 84, and I do not wish to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic again. I will be stopping at Southington, CT, slightly past Hartford, for the fifth straight year. It’s a nice Motel 6 with a Denny’s right next door and a gas station. How’s that for convenience.

Already I’ve been in a blind panic trying to figure out how much money I need to save in the bank account to cover the final expense of the rental car. As most of you know, rental agencies put a ‘hold’ on the car, but don’t charge you the amount until you bring it back. God forbid you get into a horrible accident and have to pay for the car. I am knocking on wood as we speak. Lol.

Again, I’ll leave a From Rebecca option up to her and we will resume regular Wednesday entries on August 21st … which just happens to be my mother’s birthday.

Until soonest, take care, have a great day, and happy reading.

P.S. Construction update. I have already lost half my gorgeous view. 😦

Go Spikes Go!!! :-D

Greetings, readers. I’m very sorry that I did not post a blog entry yesterday. I was feeling extremely drained, both emotionally and physically. Here where I live, we have had several days of rain in a row. This is not good for me, because I suffer from depression. Even though it is overcast, chilly, and looks like it could rain at any moment, my mood is much better today. So, I thought I would put up this blog post to let you know what’s been going on in my life the last few days.

My friends, Traci and Smith, accompanied me to a State College Spikes baseball game a few nights ago. We are the single-A, short season team for the St. Louis Cardinals. There are only 33 home games in the whole season. I purchased what is called a Flex Book; 14 tickets, which can be used at any time. The price was reasonable, so I jumped at it. Traci, Smith, and I went to a game the other night against the Williamsport Crosscutters. Yes…, That is one word. I looked it up.

The game we went to was in honor of Josiah Viera. He was a young teenager who suffered from a rare genetic disease called Progeria. The genetic disorder causes children to age rapidly, and die young. For a number of seasons, he was the inspirational leader in the Spikes clubhouse and dugout. On opening night, the team retired his number on the jersey, number 10, which he had worn so proudly.

I am going to have lots of fun this season going to several games. I love it when they have fireworks after the game. If any of you live in a town or city that has been minor-league baseball team, please share it with me on my Facebook page, or in the comments section.

SPECIAL NOTE: Due to an appointment which cannot be changed, I have asked Rebecca to come in and work on Thursday this week, instead of Wednesday. So until then, I bid you a great few days, take care, love one another, and as always, happy reading.

Computer woes and other goings on

Greetings, readers. From the time Rebecca left last Wednesday afternoon, I tried four separate times to dictate a story or blog entry. For no reason that I could discern, the Dragon Speech Recognition program refused to open. I don’t know if it was related or not, but it was followed by a cascading series of desktop icons not opening. None of my Steam games would open properly, however I could get Steam’s homepage icon to open when selecting the “run as administrator” option. As Arte Johnson on Laugh-In used to say, “Verrrry interesting.”

Slowly but surely by Sunday afternoon I got the games up and running, but the blog entry that I put up had to be typed. By Monday, I had almost everything running, less the speech recognition program. Again, I was typing away on Monday afternoon writing the extra blog post. Only today when Rebecca came, did we get the Avast anti-virus working, which detected and corrected all problems. Rebecca said, “I didn’t do anything.” I think the computer knows who’s boss. 😉

This morning walking home from coffee, a friend startled me from behind. She didn’t know about my heightened startle reflex or fragile back. She apologized, we hugged, and I thought all was right with the world. Then she got reprimanded by my coffee buddy Smith, and the next thing I knew the friend was walking away in a huff, obviously embarrassed. I am sure it will all blow over in a day or two. That brings back vivid memories of me at childhood at school. One time in the auditorium, a girl behind me sneezed and I proceeded to jump six feet in the air. Even the principle who was giving a speech had to stop and chuckle, even though I could tell he didn’t mean to laugh. The girl behind me felt so bad and apologized later. I told her it wasn’t her fault, I am the one who startles easily.

Let’s see, what is planned for the rest of the week? I stumbled on a Charlie’s Angels movie script project I started a while back for the original cast, and contained in its three pages were so many flaws in logic that if I chose to do this project I would start from scratch. The premise wasn’t bad but I think I was working too quickly and missed obvious blunders. I read on a web news page, that a new Charlie’s Angels film will be released in theaters soon. Grrr. I’d like to know why every time I get psyched to do a Charlie’s Angels film, another bunch of folks beat me to the punch. My bad luck, I guess.

Lastly, I am having a devil of a time trying to find the right connector cord to my recently acquired digital camera. A trip to Best Buy is in the works. I have a cord to connect it to the television set, but that is no help with getting the pictures on my computer. Hopefully, Best Buy or Wal Mart will have said cord.

As for Sunday, I have another busy weekend planned but will try my hardest to get the entry up by mid to late Sunday afternoon. For those of you who read the being in camp mode entry, it should have been linked to the Bear Spring Camps Facebook page, but in all honesty I don’t know how to do that. Rebecca will have to teach me. There is definitely an increase in readers when we make the link to their page.

So, until then, I bid you a wonderful few days, enjoy the sunny weather if you have it and bunker down if you don’t, love one another, and as always happy reading.