Now is the time for Twenty! Are you ready?

Just 10 years ago we were preparing for our entry into a new century.  Not really because the new century began with the year 2001.  (Two Thousand One).  We were face to face with the end of time.  Surely all of the clocks in the world would stop, because computer programmers hadn't planned on a year beginning with 20 instead of 19. Airplanes would fall from the sky, and nuclear defense systems would collapse at the stroke of midnight January 1, 2000.
When we awoke on New Years Day that next morning, the sun had come up as it had for centuries, the newspaper was in the mailbox and small birds few across the sky in erratic patterns.  Just as Ebenezer Scrooge awakened on Christmas morning and everything was, as it was, and it was good, so had we awakened to the dawn of a new day, and it was New Years Day.  The world had not ended.  There was hope.  The new decade was here, and those next ten years were certainly tumultuous.  However, as we look backward at those years how will we label it?

I grew up in the 60's and 70's.  LA and I were married in the 90's.  Maybe we could call the last decade the Two Thousands.  A local radio station personality quipped they should be called the 'Naught Years'.

Further complicating the this dilemma is the fact that some people referred to some individual years as 'two oh four', 'two oh six' or 'two oh nine'.  When I took my car for service, the tech at Bonner Chevrolet would ask me which car I had for service that day.  I'd say, "I have the Oh four Impala", or "The Oh five Malibu.  He understood.  LA is considering a new vehicle in a few months, how will I refer to it's year of origin?

I recently watched an episode of "The Colbert Report", where Stephen refers to the Vancouver Olympics as occurring in "Oh ten".  So is the next decade to be nameless as the last?  Shall it fade into obscurity?  Will the next decade be an extension of the unnamed one just past?

Let's cut the cord and separate the past decade with the new one born this week.  I say we are ready for Twenty!  "Twenty Ten".  It has a familiar ring to it.  It wasn't so long ago that we started all of our years with "Nineteen".  Let's not be satisfied with another year or decade of indecisiveness by calling next year "Two Thousand Ten", or the inevitable predictable "Oh Ten".

If we don't act now, we run the risk of having future generations wonder why we weren't thinking ahead.

Happy New Year, Twenty Ten

Click the link to the right. "Twas the night before Christmas"

  I took a day off from work last Friday.  There were some things on my mind I wanted to get in done before the Holiday's.  My Christmas shopping was finished.  I wanted to straighted up and clean the basement.  An unusual  thing to have on my mind to do, perhaps a small dose of OCD kicked in, as I'm not usually that fussy.  The completed project would have taken a few days,  but what I did took 2 hours.  I just wanted to remove some trash, get the place a bit more organized, and to sweep up.
  Once finished I took some time for relaxing.  Sat in my chair with the laptop computer sitting where it's name implies.  I noticed that a tiny lens at the top of the laptop lid was facing me.  With a camera, I should be able to make a recording, I thought.  Once I found the related software and started it up....I was looking at a video of myself, looking at myself.  Soon  I was able to record myself looking at a video of myself.
  I spotted a book with Santa's face on the cover, picked it up, started the recorder, and recent history was made.  My first production.  I hope you enjoy my video debut.
     Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays..

The first snowfall....and Santa Claus

LA and I were out and about yesterday, picking up 'stuff' from here and there.  I was the passenger in the car, so I had the pleasure of noticing just how splendidly the first snowfall of the season had blanketed the landscape.
It really was beautiful.  To use an overused metaphor, it was just like Currier and Ives.  Light fluffy snow adorning every twig, on every branch of every limb on every tree.  It covered the lawns, but left the roads clear and wet.
I remembered being 8 years old, born and raised on Davies Alley, we didn't have much, but we had the best sleigh riding hill for blocks.  There was a good excitement about the first snowfall.  We knew that it wouldn't be long and Santa Claus would once again traverse the globe giving presents to all of the good boys and girls.
I really don't remember this part, but I am told, that when Santa arrived in downtown Pittston, my sister was charged with the task of getting me to town to see Santa.  There were a lot of good boys and girls there, and the line for Santa was very long.  Mary Louise (my sister) and I persevered, after what seemed like hours for both of us, and for completely different reasons.  I sat on Santa's lap and told him what I wanted for Christmas.
Afterward, on the way home, I spoke to Mary Louise.  "Weesa, I've been thinking about Santa Claus....and", and my sister is thinking, "Oh my, here it comes.....", as I continued, "I think that 'HE' was the real Santa Claus."
And you know, I was right!  He was there.  Amidst all of the decorations and children and parents, Santa Claus was there.
Let's not one of us forget how we once looked forward to snow, and Santa Claus.  Don't forget how we rode our sleds down long neighborhood hills.  Remember when you sat on Santa's lap and knew that he might deliver that football, EZ Bake Oven or a Red Rider BB gun on Christmas morning.
There will be plenty of time left to curse the snow covered road and icy sidewalks.

"If a tree falls in the woods..."

Happy Thanksgiving one and all.  Have you ever heard the philosophical question; If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?  This post will provide the facts I need to answer the above question.  I would like to think that this blog is used by someone other than myself.  Actually, I'm not even sure that my wife reads this.  So is it all for naught?  With no one here to read it, does it send a message?

I think it does.  This blog actually gives me an opportunity to comment on things as I see them.  My views are valuable, just because they are mine.  You......Yeah, You..... You too have valuable insights that should be shared, just as I do.  Here is the opportunity to explore the possibilities of sharing your views with me.  I'm doing my part, now it's your turn.

Prove to me that the tree makes noise when no one is there.  Do you hear the silence?  I do, and it's sometimes deafening.  We can ponder the meaning of life, and perhaps answer the question once and for all..

Post a one word comment.  It's time for roll call.            Happy Thanksgiving.

Here comes the Sun -- Do en do do

If you see me smiling on a sunny day, it's partly because I'm saving money.  Last month you may have seen the "Keystone Energy" van parked in my driveway.  Lea Ann and I decided to invest in Solar Energy, and had 16 panels installed on the rear roof of our house. They are generating electricity from sun up to sundown.  In direct sunlight, our system is capable of producing over 4000 watts of electricity.  That's enough to power a hair dryer, a microwave and 15 - 100 watt light bulbs.  When we don't use all the electricity we make, our meter spins backwards.  (I've seen it)

The system was not inexpensive, but with State and Federal incentives, it's downright practical.  We hope to have the system pay for itself in about 8 years.  With PPL increasing rates in January, our savings will increase too.  And the Sun never increases it rates!

Have any questions about it, just ask me  I'm beaming!

Sharing isn't fun, when it's the flu.

LA and I enjoyed a long weekend celebrating her Dad's 80th birthday with the family, as we all converged on Las Vegas last week. The weather was nice, for the desert. We ate too much, slept to little, and managed to have a terrific time. We had three family dinners which united four families living in 3 different states, that's something that doesn't happen enough,

Sitting in a 757 on the tarmac of McCarren International Airport, first delayed by the fact that AF1's scheduled arrival in Newark, coincided with ours. Then being pull back to the gate, and waiting an additional hour to service a malfunctioning door, makes you aware of how many people aboard aren't feeling well. Coughs, clearing of throats, crying children accompanied by a warm aircraft being cooled by a poorly working air conditioning system; We were sitting in a 250 passenger petri dish. I had the flu by Tuesday, LA had it by Thursday.

I had my seasonal flu shot three weeks ago. Perhaps it was H1N1, but we weren't tested to see what it was. Maybe it's better not to know if there's another round looming. Sharing isn't fun when it's the flu.

More soon, but in the mean time......

Please feel free to post to the blog. It's hear for everyone to use, and share information. Click around, visit the Susquehanna Estates Community News page. (The link is on the right side of the blog page) Use the SECN page to get the latest local weather. The Jenkins Township weather link connects you to Intellicast. It's one of the best comprehensive weather sites I seen.

There are links to the local newspapers, as well as the USA Today website.

Let me know of other links you'd use. Oh, and feel free to post to the blog!

Welcome to Susquehanna Estates Blog

Hello Neighbors!

I'm pleased to add this blog to the Susquehanna Estates Community News page. Feel free to use the place, just keep it clean. Let everyone know what's on your mind. Make announcements. Vent. Let everyone know where the new potholes are. Let us know when what date you've selected to have your Holiday Open house. (wink) Give me some ideas as to what you'd like to see on the Community News page, and I'll try to figure out how to make it happen. The "Salavantis Development" link appears to be incorrect. I'll keep looking around the internet to find another. Watch for occasional updates.