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Dr. Seuss, Reading across America

Alaina Hopta, 9, a third grader, reads to Annie.

Jimmy Lambrakopoulos takes a break from reading to pet Annie.

Dr. Seuss and Read Across America came to Lincolnway Elementary School Friday, March 1, 2013 in a somewhat unusual manner. Annie, a Golden Retriever therapy dog, is owned by reading specialist Jenn Oswald, and Annie was invited to listen to a selected group of students reading their favorite books.

Crossing the U.S. every day

 

Arthur Levine admits he doesn't travel much, other than going to Florida once in a while, or to swap meets.

But one of his hobbies (you'll need both hands to count all of them), takes him across the U.S. without leaving his Manchester Township garage.  Between what's hanging on his garage walls and what he has stored away, Levine owns more than 400 license plates.

Not only does Levine collect license plates, but his complete collections include vanity plates from all 50 states. Dealer plates from all 50 states. Handicapped plates from all 50 states.  His next collection--he says his last-- is 'stacked' plates, or plates with numbers or letters vertically, as in Pennsylvania's college or fraternal plates.

Like most of us, he enjoys driving down the road and trying to decrypt a license plate on a car in front of him.  The trick, he says, is to understand that not all vanity plates have a logical explanation. Some are initials, nicknames.

Beyond license plates, Levine collects W.C. Fields memoribilia, Guiness Books of World Records, TV guides.

But on his business cards is "Collector of License Plates",  a member of the American License Plate Collectors Association, he's MRCANDEE on email, and a tip of the hat to his real job, a greeter at the West Manchester WalMart.

Chainsaws, ice fishing, maple sugar

 

 The annual Ridgway (Pa.) Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous is finished for this year, but check its website here for next year's event. More than 200 carvers are spread through the square and a nearby large parking lot, showing off their collections, and making more as you watch. Bears were the carving model of choice, apparently, but there were plenty of eagles and owls, and even a teeter-totter. The artists are from as far away as Germany.

Saw dust and chips were everywhere, the whine of chainsaws too. The event is sponsored by a local art gallery, without help from the Chamber of Commerce or the town. There wasn't a motel room available for miles around, and restuarants were packed. Like Punxsutawny's Ground Hog Day, just down the road, it seems this is Ridgway's one event that makes it stand out.

There's a whole lot of money flowing into town that week. But on Saturday, it ended after the auction which raised money for charity.  So, we got back into the car.

Finding snow this winter has seen something of a problem, so we headed off again to the eastern Cleveland suburbs to see a few flakes. There wasn't much snow there either, but the old standby of Chardon, Ohio, known for its snow and sugar maple festival, had more than most. Even the ponds and lakes were still frozen, and we watched Dan and Kevin wander out to the East Branch to go ice fishing.

That wasn't going well, as far as the quantity of fish goes, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves with their homemade ice fishing shelter, complete with heater, skis, and a few beers.

Up the road a few miles, Ken and Lindy were tapping hard and soft sugar maple trees (I didn't know there was a difference) for the upcoming collection and annual maple syrup-making. About 130 trees are now dressed with old white milk jugs in Tom's back woods.

It's not warm enough there yet to collect.

Nixon Park's Maple Sugar weekend

Nixon County Park naturalist Amber Carothers taps a red maple tree to get sap flowing in time for Nixon County Park's maple sugar weekend. Events begin on Saturday, February 23, at 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and continues Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

 Activities include tours of the park's sugar bush, lectures about the process of making maple syrup and sugar and hands-on demonstrations. Maple sugar products will be on sale, and attendees can eat a pancake with real maple syrup.

Cost is $2 per person for the weekend.

Growing veggies in February?

It probably shows a lack of seeing the obvious, but I was surprised to find Jim Markey harvesting vegetables at J-Mar Farms along the Susquehanna Trail Saturday.

I assumed that all veggies being grown here this time of year were from hot houses. Markey was working in two or three foot trenches, digging in the soggy soil. Bleached celery, so called because it's pale yellow-green color, is new to me. But I'm not a cook, and until Saturday, didn't much care for celery because it's usually full of stringy fiber, and generally tasteless.

Bleached celery, a local crop known for its enhanced flavor and lack of chewy fiber, is still being harvested in York Township, despite winter temperatures.

Jim Markey of J-Mar Farms in York Township, toils in trenches where the celery has grown since being planted in October. Workers planted 11,000 stalks in October, and cooks and chefs used it for holiday meals over Thanksgiving and Christmas. By Saturday, Markey was harvesting some of the 3,000 still left,  still insulated under mounds of straw and plastic sheeting.

Markey says bleached celery is only harvested in Lancaster and York Counties, mainly because growing it is very labor intensive, since the stalks must be trimmed of all its tough dark green stalks, roots and most of the leaves removed. Even worse, winter temperatures can destroy the entire crop, as happened a few years ago when 10,000 stalks were frozen out.
 
On New Year's Day this year, however, Markey still had 11 vegetables in the ground because of mild temperatures.  On Saturday, Markey was digging bright orange carrots as well as celery.   
 

Sign of Spring

Maybe because of last week's spring-like temperatures, these snowdrops aside Phil and Mary Miller's North Hopewell Township home were blooming Sunday.

Miller says his snowdrops don't usually pop until late March, but this so far has been a warm and nearly snowless winter.

Snowdrops may have medicinal purposes, aside from being pretty and an uplifting sign of spring. This from England's Mail Online:

This small, white flower blooms in the late winter.
Traditional uses: Rub-on treatment for headaches, painkiller and poison antidote.
Modern uses: Reminyl, one of the main type of drugs used to treat mild to moderate dementia, is derived from galantamine, a compound found in snowdrop bulbs.
It helps increase levels of acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in the transmission of messages from nerve cells.
Alzheimer’s is associated with a drop in acetylcholine levels — galantamine stops or delays the decline, helping to maintain memory.
‘Galantamine was originally tested for use in conditions such as eye, gastric and heart disorders.
'It wasn’t until the Eighties that it was explored for potential benefits in dementia,’ says Dr Melanie-Jayne Howes of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

 

Chilly Cabin Fever walk at Rocky Ridge

For those of us who are going stir crazy for lack of snow, the York County Park system and Rocky Ridge Park hosted a Cabin Fever Walk Saturday. Attended by about 20 people, ecologist Robert Bull of Wilson T. Ballard Company of Shrewsbury led the hike through the snow-covered park.

Most Yorkers woke up Saturday morning to no snow at all, but Rocky Ridge was covered with just enough snow to make it look like winter, but not enough to make for tough walking.

Bull spoke of poplar trees, the different kids of oaks, maples. He pointed out the different lichen and moss growing on rocks, and explained how well today's forests are doing, compared with 100 years ago. Interesting stuff.

Most of the hikers were Cub Scouts from Pack 25 of York, and more interested in climbing rocks, drawing designs in the light snow cover and throwing snowballs.

It was a warm up, so to speak, for next week's Klondike Derby, where many of the scouters will be sleeping in tents at Camp Tuckahoe.

Snowy walk in Fawn Township

Jessica and Josh Wilson take their horses Lady and Medeira for a 10-mile once a week through Fawn Township.

It's official, spring is nearly here

It's official-- expect an early spring.

About 20,000 people crowded into Punxsutawney, Pa. Saturday on Groundhog Day to discover Punxsutawney Phil's prediction about early daffodils or late snow storms. 

This is truly all about the groundhog.

Gates opened at 3 a.m. for the four-hour production at Gobbler's Knob about a mile out of town. As usual, the forecast came shortly after 7 a.m.

Start thinking about draining the snowblower, hanging up the snow shovel.

But wait a minute. Of his 116 predictions on record so far, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an "early spring" 16 times (13.8%). As to his accuracy, according to the StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887, Phil's predictions have been correct 39% of the time.

Think about it. Officially, spring comes on March 20-- about six weeks from now. So either way, Phil will be right. But he gives us a great excuse for a mid-winter party.

Groundhog Day is Punxy's biggest day. A little smaller than Red Lion, the town bursts open every February 2. At Punxy Phil's diner, it seems all 20,000 fans try to get breakfast at one time. People wait in a line that trails out the door, into a covered area warmed by a propane heater. I waited about 45 minutes for breakfast, but didn't mind.

Despite the traffic jam at the door, the wait staff was still smiling at day's end. Badges worn by all said "Team Phil".  Kay, who has worked at the diner for 30 years, was recently named Career Woman of the Year.

Visited with the other diners as they paid their check at the register. Aside from the workers, I didn't talk with anyone from Punxsutawney, but spoke with folks from Norway, Japan, Cleveland, Raleigh, Louisville, Toledo and Coney Island. Some drove in early for Phil's sunrise report, others came later in the morning to browse the concessions. One couple drove from Maine to get married here Saturday morning.

It's interesting what can be sold with some reference to a groundhog. The Trailhead art gallery had its own pole in its front window, on which a doll named Phil and human handler curled around on, trying to lure visitors into a lunch of chili, water and cookies.  It was cold outside -- nine degrees-- and snowing.

At Barclay Square, tents were set up to sell carvings, hats, chocolate, dog treats, pizza, burgers, refrigerator magnets and pens.

A downtown hotel was allegedly renting rooms for $400. Across the street, McDonald's was doing a booming business.


But by noon, much of the crowd had seen what it came to see, that is, Phil's production at Gobbler's Knob, and the sidewalks were quiet again. The craft show in the community building started closing up. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantori, was inducted into Punxy's Weatherman Hall of Fame, then headed home after buying a hoodie with Phil's picture on it.

Many towns throughout the U.S. and the world have tried to copy Punxy Phil's magic. There's Staten Island Chuck, General Beauregard Lee in Georgia, Lancaster's Octoraro Orphie, and even other weather animals like Furky the Wonder Chicken in Vancouver, Canada. All their supporters claim their mascot is the best, first, finest or most accurate.

The festival/carnival atmosphere is a lot like those found in other small towns which have created an event to put themselves on the map. Like the Glen Rock Carolers strolling through town, visitors travel for miles to see and hear the event personally.

All towns need something to crow about, to be proud of.  A woman in Punxy Phil's explained it well-- if not for this groundhog, Punxy would be just another small town whose best days are behind it, lost in middle of the woods.

Do you deliver?

A Cooper's Hawk seen sitting along side a bird feeder, apparently waiting for dinner delivery. There was a pile of red feathers nearby, maybe last night's meal?

From Cornell's website--
Among the bird world’s most skillful fliers, Cooper’s Hawks are common woodland hawks that tear through cluttered tree canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds. You’re most likely to see one prowling above a forest edge or field using just a few stiff wingbeats followed by a glide. 

Cooper's Hawks are smaller than the more commonly seen red-tailed hawk. From the Cornell website--
The red-tailed hawk is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got sharp eyes you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.

The family that Echo leaves behind

The Westminster Dog Show opens Monday, February 11, and a few local dog owners will have their best friends at the Madison Square Garden event.


Echo, a black Labrador Retriever owned by Jeff Moore of Felton, is headed to New York next week ranked sixth in the entire country. While taking a few pictures of Casbor's A Hart Act to Follow (Echo's real name), I couldn't help but notice his brothers, sisters, cousins, friends--whatever--  next to his room.

Yep, Echo has his own place. Moore doesn't have his prize canines stuffed in some small backyard shoebox.   Oh, no.   Theirs is a two-story doghouse, with 24-hour security, radio and bright lights. And it's cleaner than some people's houses.

The rest of the canine family looked as much a prize winners as Echo, but I wouldn't know a good Lab from a bad one.  Much like the cows, chickens or pigs at the State Farm Show--they all look good to me.

 The Dog Show introduces two new breeds this year, the Treeing Walker Coonhound (Hound Group) and the Russell Terrier (Terrier Group), bringing the total breeds to 187.

Enjoy 'spring' while you can

For the last week of January, today's temperatures of 64 degrees is plenty comfortable;  daffodils are pushing their way from under the dead leaves and 23 robins were seen feasting on a Lancaster County lawn.

Maybe a sign of early spring?

Or maybe not, since the low temperatures on Friday will fall to a more typical 19 degrees, following a high of 30. Enjoy 'spring' while you can.

By the way, seeing robins isn't necessarily a sign of spring. That's just wishful thinking. This from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology--

"Although robins are considered harbingers of spring, many American Robins spend the whole winter in their breeding range. But because they spend more time roosting in trees and less time in your yard, you're much less likely to see them. 

The number of robins present in the northern parts of the range varies each year with the local conditions. During winter many robins move to moist woods where berry-producing trees and shrubs are common. "

Frozen lakes and rivers-- for now

Last week's frigid temperatures froze many of the area rivers and lakes, including Pinchot Lake at Gifford Pinchot State Park. Mike DiMatteo of Newberry Township tried ice fishing with no luck, while Earlene Dormer and Dean Swartz of Manchester Township put on skates --Swartz' were brand new-- and carved some designs in the snow. Monday's weather will be a mixed bag of rain, snow and sleet, a transition to Wednesday's expected high temperatures of 60 degrees.
 

For Monday--
HAZARD TYPES... SNOW AND SLEET CHANGING TO A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN.
* ACCUMULATIONS... 1 OR 2 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET... FOLLOWED BY AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCRETION.
* TIMING... AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND IN THE PREDAWN HOURS MONDAY... LASTING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON.
* IMPACTS... SNOW COVERED AND SLUSHY ROADS... THEN A LIGHT ACCUMULATION OF ICE ON OUTDOOR OBJECTS AND UNTREATED ROAD SURFACES AND WALKWAYS. IN MANY AREAS... THE WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION WILL BE HEAVIEST DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE.

In the snow and wind, no gloves

If you've had a rough day at work, just put yourself into these workers' shoes. Your working conditions could be worse.

Here they are, hanging by cables, 160 feet above the ground It's snowing, the temperature is about 20 degrees and there's a breeze.  It's downright chilly.

The men are working on the old Met-Ed smokestack at West Philadelphia and North Pershing, replacing old copper cables with new fiber optics, which will make Sprint's system faster and more powerful. They attach and connect cables in the snow, bracing against the wind. None are wearing gloves.

They get a few glances from the people below. Office workers leaving the York County Judicial Center, bartenders heading to a busy Friday night of customers wanting to forget the storm and kids just out to explore York in snow.

Of course, while schools were dismissed early and some office managers sent their employees, there are still the cops, state highway workers, truck drivers.
  
But at least they're inside for most of the day.

Helicopter tree trimming

By CHRISTINA KAUFFMAN 505-5436 / @ydyorkcounty A bird? A plane? No, it's a helicopter equipped with an enormous aerial saw. It's probably not something many Yorkers have ever seen unless they watched an action scene featuring such a helicopter in the James Bond movie "The World Is Not Enough." In the movie, the helicopter-maneuvered saw sliced through a building from above. But Met-Ed contracted with North Carolina-based Aerial Solutions to use one of the surreal-looking set-ups for a more productive purpose locally. For the first time in York County, the utility will trim trees along its transmission rights of way by helicopter, said Kathy Seilhamer, the electric company's manager of external affairs. Starting Monday and for the next several days, the saw will slice through branches in the Mount Wolf area, working its way along a transmission corridor that starts at Brunner Island power plant and ends at a facility near Yorkana, she said. More efficient: Met-Ed spokesman Scott Surgeoner said residents are often unfamiliar with the procedure because the aerial saws are used only in less-populated areas where the rugged terrain makes transmission corridors difficult to access. "It flies down and trims trees encroaching onto the right of way," he said. "(The time spent trimming) varies based on terrain and growth, but it's ... an efficient use of manpower and resources, and it covers much more right of way than crews on foot." He said Met-Ed spends $13 million to $15 million per year trimming trees because downed branches are the leading cause of power outages. The saw can do in a few days what might otherwise take months or weeks, he said. He said some trimmings can be left to decompose. But trimmings that have fallen onto access roads or other maintained areas are removed by a ground crew. Quick work: The contraption includes a series of 24-inch rotary blades powered by a motor suspended on a vertical boom beneath it, Surgeoner said. As the helicopter flies slowly along the right-of-way, the aerial saw quickly cuts trees and other vegetation. The saw can cut branches 8-to-10 inches in diameter without tearing, and most of what's trimmed is less than 10 inches, he said. Aerial saw trimming is completed every 8-to-10 years depending on the area, with hand-trimming as needed. Without the use of aerial saws, hand-trimming is needed every five years, Surgeoner said.

Sunday in the sun

Dogs lead a nice life. You never see a dog with a wristwatch. 

   Saw Enzo, a golden retriever, enjoying Sunday's sun streaming through the back window of his owner's Jaguar in York Township.  Enzo does the thing while riding in the owner's convertible, and when riding in a car with a sunroof, sticks his head out the top. 

Ice in southern York County

Goats belonging to Bryce Cooper were confined in an ice-covered fence.

Dan Potter of Naylor Wines trimmed vines in spite of the ice.

If you live in the city of York, you probably didn't know about all ice that froze on trees and wires, forcing a few minor power and phone outages.

In Hopewell Township (that's the Stewartstown area) at least, there was plenty of ice to go around, although the roads were still in good shape as of this writing.  Ice was very spotty, being heavy in one neighborhood and non-existent a short distance away.

Snow tire rant brings positive results

In the interest of fairness, I add this addendum to a January 4 blog post about a Tire Guy that put snow tires on the back of my front wheel drive vehicle. I could only afford two and Tire Guy didn't say he wasn't allowed to put them on the front. The capsule version is that I was ticked off and felt robbed of $200.

A copy of that blog was sent to the consumer relations department, and the next day, I received a phone call from Tire Guy.  He wanted to "make things right" for me, he said, and asked what it would take.

Well, I had to buy two snow tires that I didn't need for $200. Snows on the back of a front-wheel drive vehicle are useless in getting up a hill.  I had to buy two more--for the front-- while I was in Cleveland to be safe and mobile in deep snow.  I didn't need the back snows, would have rather had new brakes, but that's not going to happen now.

And I wouldn't expect Tire Guy to take back tires that  I had driven for about 1,000 miles.  Seems nothing could be done, I said.

Ten minutes later, got another call from Tire Guy. He talked with his regional manager, and I will have the $200 refunded to me.  Great, I say, I'll bring in my old tires to be remounted on the back and I'm happy.

Nope.  I was refunded the entire amount for two tires, and kept ALL the tires. 

"But that's not fair to you," I say. "Let me bring the old tires in, and at least you can sell them used or something."

Tire Guy rejected that idea. "No, you keep them all, because if I take back two tires, they'd be from the front, and we'd be back to where we started."

I'm still scratching my head. His shop is still convinced that having snow tires on the back of a front wheel drive car would help me get up a hill in snow.

I must be missing something.  But I'm smiling.

House feels cozy, temps will rise to -28

With unseasonably warm weather bathing York County in flower-blooming temperatures, I checked Sunday's paper from up north, the Fairbanks, Alaska, News-Miner. It's so cold up there that on Wednesday, the high temperature will only be -17F.

The next time you whine about living more than a block away from a Rutter's Farm Store or temperatures dipping into the 20s, re-read this story.

Fairbanks, the Golden Heart City, is a little smaller than York city-- without York's suburbs.  It's a wonderful place to visit and loaded with history, but as much as I enjoy winter, I've lived too long in warm weather to enjoy winter in Fairbanks. Fairbanks in summer, however, is magical.

For more reading about life in rural Alaska, check "In The Bush", a colorful column about dogs, weather, snowmobiles, moose ribs and using snow for insulation.

The full column about some  recent chilly temperatures can be found here, but here are some excerpts.



"I don’t mind a good cold snap. With the wood furnace burning downstairs and a big pot of moose ribs simmering on the cook stove on the main floor, the house feels cozy. Old Clarence has joined the two house dogs, snoozing on the rug during the day and sneaking onto the sofa at night.

One thermometer outside reads 58 degrees below zero. The other one reads 59 below. The official reading at the airstrip is -43, but that is in Celsius (-46 Fahrenheit) and, being higher on a hill, gains a little elevation in temperature.

I’ll break trail to the tent in the morning and return here by nightfall tomorrow, I decide, if the weather is warmer than 35 below.

Two days later, temperatures rise to -28, and the forecast sounds more promising."


Trappers and lifelong Bush residents Miki and Julie Collins have written three books, which are available at Gulliver’s Books in Fairbanks. 

And what are you looking at?

Heard someone early this week describe the Pennsylvania State Farm show as a farm zoo for city folk. Exactly.

What show fans get beyond the animals are programs about health, nature, cooking and baking, photography, sewing. Every minute during the farm show, there's something going on that you should see. Really.

No programs to suit you? Wander down to the cattle barn and pet the alpacas or sit on longhorn steers named Happy Bear or Blue Ridge Buckshot. See a display about where your acorn squash comes from. Watch someone make potato donuts. Most city folk won't get much closer to being a farmer than during this week.

It's not all squishy cow pies and odors that would gag a maggot--although there are plenty of both.  Check in with Shaver's Creek Environmental Center and listen to Jenn talk about eagles, turtles, snakes and bugs. Listen to the state health department explain why everyone ought to learn the new CPR. Eat a potato donut. Talk with Governor Corbett or Mrs. Corbett as they tour the barns. Discover why Pig #1 really is a better animal than Pig #2.

At the York Dispatch, we're big on showing what York County people are up to at the show. They might be square dancing, racing horses around barrels, shearing sheep or eating a potato donut. But sometimes, that's the problem. Draft horses, their carriages and equipment, for example, are fabulous subjects, but few are from York, or, if they are Yorkers, we've photographed them a dozen times already.

Horse shoe throwers and all their expressions are great to shoot, but few are local. During the weekend's high school rodeo, only three York girls were entered. One boy, but I couldn't find him.

So, above, you'll find mug shots of some of the animals at the Farm Show. They don't have names, I don't care where they live.  They are just animals at the farm who watch you wandering past their cage as much as you watch them.

They just stand there, wondering what in the world you're looking at, and thinking they'll be going home soon.

And by the way, they think your pink cowboy hat is fabulous.

Farm Show opens!

Kami Landolfi, 12, of Dover, cruises around the barrels during the Pennsylvania State High School Rodeo.    The Pennsylvania State Farm Show opened Saturday, January 5, 2013,  to the usual huge crowds.

Snow tires-- a rant

Permit me, please, a rant. This blog is primarily for photos, so let me try to paint an image for you.

Imagine my spiffy front wheel-drive van midway up a hill on the way to my York home. In just two inches of snow, the tires start to spin, losing traction in the slush. Oh so carefully, I back/slide down the hill, get a running start. I blow right through two stop signs on the hill and finally make it to the house.

I need snow tires.


As a semi-retired (translated as 'no money')  newspaper photographer, I'm in the snow getting pictures of the day's happenings. Living on top of a hill complicates matters in winter.

So I call my favorite tire man and explain the situation. "Sure", he says happily, "we can put FOUR snow tires on my car." No, I say, can't afford FOUR. I can only afford TWO. After all, I know I need brakes, too, but that will have to wait.

He repeats FOUR. I repeat TWO. Can't do it, he says. Gotta have FOUR.  It's policy. I'm sure he can hear me scratching my bald head as he explains:

"If you put snow tires on the front of your van, the back end will slide out from under you as you go around a turn. It's unsafe. Company policy dictates FOUR tires," he says.  But I can't afford FOUR, I say. I need brakes, so my bank account can handle only TWO.

Besides, if my half-worn, three-season tires are spinning in the snow, do we really care that the back end will lose traction in a turn? Hm, not if the car's stopped dead on hill. What they're saying is that my FOUR half worn three-season tires have more traction in snow than TWO snow tires on the front. Very illogical.

So I go to another Tire Guy. Same story. And another. I'm beginning to think that insurance companies do, in fact, rule the world. And the tire companies want to sell FOUR tires and not TWO.  It's a conspiracy. Apparently only people who drive for a living and don't own a tire store believe snow tires on the traction wheels make sense.

I make one more call to another Tire Guy who works for a big tire chain, well known in these parts. Surprisingly, he says "Sure, we can put on TWO tires for you."  Great, I'll drop it off, come back after lunch and then head off to snowy Cleveland and Buffalo for New Year's Day feeling safe and secure in my TWO new snow tires.

These Goodrich tires are pretty, aggressive and have big, deep and manly treds, with which I can conquer Mount Snow.  Arrrrg!

Feeling good with a full stomach, I catch a ride back to the Tire Place and find TWO snow tires on the van-- on the back wheels. Nooooooooo! Front wheel drive-- you know, where the traction is?  Should be on the front! 

Having traction on the powerless back wheels won't help me get up my hill to a warm house, I say to the Tire Guy. The old front tires will still spin.

"Oh, but you're wrong, my friend," Tire Guy says with an evil grin. "We always put TWO snow tires on the back of a front wheel drive vehicle, it gives you better traction for going up the hill."  He said this with a straight face, which was terribly maddening. Even frightening.

Well, you just put a couple hundred dollars on the back wheels-- you didn't tell me where they were going-- and, in my humble opinion,  they are useless there. Take them off, I say.  Tire Man says, "Sure, but it's going to be a couple hours to get a lift free. And it'll cost you $93 to remount your old tires."

Gotcha!  Ka-ching!!!  Ka-ching!!!  Ka-ching!!!

So, faced with paying another fee or leaving TWO snow tires on the back, I had little choice. OK, I'll buy TWO. By the way, you did put the old --but still plenty good-- tires in the back of the van, right?  "No," Tire Man says. "We tossed them."   Noooooo!  Dig them out of your tire dump.  And by the way, take the tire disposal fee off my bill too. "OK," he says with a sigh of resignation. "Oh," he says, with a brightening expression, "Your brakes are shot and the van needs a front end alignment." Yes, I know it needs brakes and will be fixed as soon as I find some extra bucks. Sheesh.

The chances of bringing my car back here to get it done are about as good as getting a snow tire on my bike. Maybe if it's put on the back. But wait, that's rear wheel drive, so they'd put it on the front?

My blood pressure medicine wasn't working and I could feel blood boiling at the top of my head. If he had mentioned that tires were going to be on the back in the first place, I would have driven off, never bought the tires.

Hey, wait a minute...

Duh.

If I wasn't in a hurry to leave town, my favorite mechanic, Charlie Hoffman in Dover, would have remounted the first pair onto the front.
 
Stopped a few miles down the road for gas, and noticed that the left rear wheel doesn't have a wheel cover. I call Tire Man and ask if he sees it laying around. "Oh, he says. "Forgot to tell you that we dropped a wheel on it and broke it. Find another one, and we'll reimburse you." Thanks.  Just a lovely experience, eh?  It got so bad, I was giggling. Didn't want to cry.

Later that day, I'm in Cleveland. Snow is minimal, only about a foot deep.  Can't steer around an intersection, front wheels spinning like a blender.  I need tires on the front, period.  I find another tire shop with the same name, since I want the same tread--big, deep and manly.  Aaarg.

Can't be a problem here, since there are only two wheels left. "You're next up," Tire Man 2 says. "Get on it right away." Cool, I'll wait.   "Well," Tire Man 2 says. "It's probably going to take 2-3 hours."  To put TWO tires on? Look, just mount and balance the tires. No inspection, no specials, no nothing. Balanced and mounted.

After dinner, I'm smiling because I have TWO traction tires on front, TWO follow-behinds on the back. I'm ready for Jack London and Yukon King weather. Bring it on.

For illustrative purposes only, but a good idea?

The bill is presented, but it's a few bucks more than quoted. Why?  "Oh, Tire Man 2 says (they say a lot of "Oh", as in "Oh, you caught me.") "We accidentally charged for lifetime balance and tire disposal fees.  We'll dig the tires out of our tire dump and put them in your van." Thanks. They even laid them on plastic to keep my sleeping bags clean.

"Oh," he says.  "By the way, your brakes are shot and the van needs a front end alignment." Now, I had said mounted-- period. I wanted out quickly, no inspection, so I could get on the road. I know the brakes are shot-- Tire Man already told me. Do I see a pattern here?

Now, with FOUR snow tires, brakes will have to wait even longer.

I'm not questioning that with snow tires on the front only, the rear end would try to catch up to the front when buzzing around a corner. Watch it happen on You Tube. But do you think Tire Man really believes that TWO snow tires on the back would help me get up the hill to my house? I'm no engineer, but that's just not logical.

Is it?

Camel-Lot at Aldersgate UM Church

 The Children's Christmas Pageant at Aldergate United Methodist Church in York Township took a fun turn from the typical seasonal presentation, called "Camel-Lot". Throughout the play, children bought and sold camels at the sale site, all the time with the underlying Christmas message.

All the lines weren't spoken perfectly, some were missed entirely. It's a good bet that Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa didn't care much. These are the faces of pure cuteness.