I’m happy to report that our trip to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville last Tuesday was a success. The orthopedics department’s director, Dr. Suk, is serving as Ron’s doctor and following his review of his latest CT scan, he concluded that quite possibly he can help Ron’s disconnected collarbone with surgery. Not a plate, not a bone or joint replacement, but rather an artificial “loop” – like a tendon, to pull the collarbone back into place next to his sternum with the hopes it will fill in with blood and scar tissue. He asked Ron about the upcoming holidays and when would be a good time to schedule. Ron said “after the firewood is all cut for the winter, and after deer hunting season. Let’s make it January”. Dr. Suk said “perfect – I agree”. He’s scheduled for a prelim appointment January 5th. Please pray for Ron’s full recovery.
By Lorelei Colton A quick reminder that the Alba Church’s annual Harvest Supper will be held next Thursday, Nov. 12th, beginning at 4:30. Roast pork and all the trimmings, including homemade pie for dessert, will be served for $8.50/adults, $4- aged 12 and under, and preschool free.
I’m happy to report that our trip to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville last Tuesday was a success. The orthopedics department’s director, Dr. Suk, is serving as Ron’s doctor and following his review of his latest CT scan, he concluded that quite possibly he can help Ron’s disconnected collarbone with surgery. Not a plate, not a bone or joint replacement, but rather an artificial “loop” – like a tendon, to pull the collarbone back into place next to his sternum with the hopes it will fill in with blood and scar tissue. He asked Ron about the upcoming holidays and when would be a good time to schedule. Ron said “after the firewood is all cut for the winter, and after deer hunting season. Let’s make it January”. Dr. Suk said “perfect – I agree”. He’s scheduled for a prelim appointment January 5th. Please pray for Ron’s full recovery. By Lorelei Colton Don’t forget the free breakfast at our Alba Church this coming Saturday, the 31st, from 8 to 10am. Also, out in back of the church the FFA is having a chicken BBQ – selling for just $5.00 a half.
The Alba Church’s annual Harvest Supper is being held Thursday, November 12th, beginning at 4:30. The menu is roast pork and all the trimmings including homemade pie. There are still lots of bazaar items that will be for sale during the dinner. Thank you for your continued support. Also – don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour as Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday Nov. 1st. I really like the early daylight as we get up usually between 5 and 6am, but getting dark at 5pm makes us feel like we need to go to bed before 8:00! The older we get the harder it seems to adjust. Can anybody say “CHANGE?” By Lorelei Colton Dare I say it? Welcome to winter! We woke up Thursday to a frosty white lawn and the temperature 29˚! But wait! Sunday morning, it was a mere 24 degrees and there was a coating of snow! So much for those coleus plants that I wanted to bring in the house and winter over. “Lorelei the Procrastinator” does it again…
I worked with our CWF ladies group at church on Friday setting up for the bazaar on Saturday. I got my pot of chicken corn chowder done and had time that evening to make a couple of pecan pies for the bake sale. Our many thanks go out to everyone that made this event yet another tremendous success, especially as there were at least two other events going on in Troy that day. Would you believe we are already planning for next year? But, in the meantime, we’ll be having our annual Harvest supper at our Alba Church on Thursday, November 12th, with our usual roast pork and the entire trimmings menu. Lorelei Colton Don’t forget the annual fall bazaar/luncheon/bake sale at our Alba Church this coming Saturday the 17th from 9 am to 2 pm. All the favorite popular craft items are returning – plus many new ones. There are lots of home-canned goods and yummy bake sale items, plus the homemade soup/sandwich luncheon. You’ll have tons of fun and fellowship and come away with lots of items that will not “break the bank.” Hope to see you there!
Rural Brotherhood is this Thursday the 15th hosted by the Ogdensburg Church, starting at 7pm. All are welcome. I heard and saw several flocks of geese heading south this past weekend – winter is certainly on its way. I’m in hopes I’ll have some good, positive news to report back to you folks next week following Ron’s and my trip to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville for consultation regarding help for his disconnected collarbone. By Lorelei Colton Ron and I returned home Sunday from a couple of very wet, yet very fun, few days camping at the Bloomsburg Fair. I’m pleased to say that our Minnequa Grange booth that we set up last week in the Agricultural Building placed a respectable 4th place – especially at a “State” Fair! We even saw our booth in a two second feature on WNEP Channel 16 on Tuesday evening when they were filming the many things at the fair, and the giant pumpkins in our building. As I’m sure you saw on TV, most of our stay was held in the rain, but, from what we hear, things got pretty soggy up here as well – especially on Saturday. However, it did not stop Ron and me from enjoying so many of our favorite things – especially things to eat. I had a sampler platter with halushki, halupki, pierogie and a potatoe pancake. Plus I had an oyster sandwich plus some roasted peanuts. Ron’s picks were a beef brisket sandwich, rice pudding in a cone, and a giant cinnamon bun. Yeah – he likes the sweets while I like the salty (and greasy) foods. The weather put a damper on the number of campers there – at about half the normal and, to the number of spectators on the grounds as well. We were also a little disappointed not being able to find a few of our favorite booths. The Leather Man, the Stanley Products (where I buy the witch hazel lotion) and there were no spring bulbs for sale in the Horticulture Building. There were several animal buildings no longer near the Arena (at Gate #5) plus we noticed several lots just empty. I was able to pick up the anise taffy for my mother-in-law and we certainly got our exercise in parading the grounds for four days – even in the rain. We tore down the booth Sunday morning in about 20 minutes and headed home – in the bright sunshine. I also enjoyed shopping at the Good Will store located not far from the fairgrounds. Although I was pretty tired when we got home, after I got a nice hot shower I slipped down to Canton for the Fall Fling and visited a bit before heading back home. I did stop at a couple yard sales though. When we arrived back home in Alba, Ron was out scoping the grounds and was quite disappointed to find that there were just 2 unripe pears left on the tree, with the rest lying on the ground riddled with bee stings! But on a better note, it seems the apples are about ready for picking – what didn’t get thrown over the fence to the cows. Sympathies are extended to the family and friends of Jim Sherwood, proprietor at Sherwood’s Personal Care Home, who passed away last week. Don’t forget the Alba Church’s annual fall bazaar/luncheon/bake sale coming up on Saturday October 17th from 9am to 2pm. This is our CWF (Christian Women’s Fellowship) group’s biggest fundraiser of the year with proceeds going towards our many missions and outreach throughout the community and in our own church family. There will be lots of homemade items and a delicious homemade soup/sandwich luncheon – available at very reasonable prices. See you there! On October 9, 1855, Joshua Stoddard patented the first calliope, or steam piano. On October 10, 1865, John Wesley Hyatt patented the billiard ball. On October 11, 1983, the last hand-cranked telephones in the United States were replaced by dial phones in Bryant Pond, Maine. On October 12, 1492, Columbus landed in the central Bahamas, probably on San Salvador. On October 13, 1884, Greenwich, England, was adopted as the universal time meridian of longitude. On October 14, 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. became the youngest recipient to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He was 35 years old. Quote by Mark Twain: “Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and opponents will do it for you.” A bit of “wit” & “wisdom”: Robert’s wife was, shall we say, a casual housekeeper. One day Robert teased her by saying, “Look! The dust is so thick on the coffee table that I can write my name in it!” She replied sweetly, “Yes, I know. That’s why I married a college graduate.” (ya gotta love it!) By Lorelei Colton We’ve had some pretty typical weather for autumn as we headed into the fall season with the morning temperature last Wednesday on the 23rd a crisp 39˚ here in south Alba at 6 am. And, it was pretty foggy as well. But the sun came out bright and sunny for Ron and I (and Palin, of course) to head to Bloomsburg to set up the Minnequa Grange booth exhibit in the fair’s Agricultural building. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful ride – taking route 220 down and traveling through Benton and Millville – quaint little villages and towns – and arriving at the fairgrounds at a little before 3 pm – the opening of the building for such exhibits. We had the booth set up in just a little over 2 hours which got us back home while still daylight which is always a good thing. Coming home we did see several deer in fields grazing and hoped they heard us tell them to “stay there!” Though it was a very successful day indeed we were still pretty bushed when we got home – doing these kinds of things at our age…
I want to wish my mother-in-law Beverly Colton a very “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” on October 1st – the day after mine. When we travel down to the Bloomsburg Fair we always bring home her birthday present – a box of salt water taffy, usually the anise flavor. It seems nice to be able to get her something she truly likes – as, what does she really need? Her new little dog, “Libby”, is a cute little miniature short-haired dachshund who, I swear, must have a little Jack Russell in her as she always springs (literally) into action when I stop nights after work to pick up the newspaper and visit a bit. She’s such a nice pet and so good for mother to have around. By Lorelei Colton Sympathies are extended to the Holmes family in Canton, and to the Ribovich family in Ralston following their recent losses. Lois Ribovich was the news correspondent for Ralston for the Canton Sentinel.
I used a little of my time off this past weekend to get at least one batch of jam done for our upcoming fall bazaar at church (October 17). As it is the most tedious to do, I started out with the orange marmalade and it appears to have turned out pretty good – those that like it tell me, anyway. I find as the weather gets that “fall” feeling to it I have more ambition to pitch in and get “jammin’”. By Lorelei Colton Rural Brotherhood is this Thursday, September 17th, hosted by the Alba Church. It starts at 7 pm and all are welcome to attend.
The regular monthly meeting of Minnequa Grange will be held Tuesday, September 22nd, at the grange hall, beginning at 6:30 pm. Please bring finger foods for refreshments. Vegetable gardens are now winding down – ours is about done, completely – and we are grateful to those folks still sending items our way from their overflow. We’ve done up more corn and I’m freezing some red peppers to put in the sweet mixed pickle I’ll make to sell at the bazaar when I get my cauliflower. And, in response to the “guy up on Sister St” about the vegetable comment at the COG dinner, he was right in assuming it came from a waitress trying to “push” the green beans. Of course we know he likes vegetables – and always has a really nice garden to support it. I’ve seen several dead porcupines along the highways lately. I wonder if that means anything other than they’re very unlucky. By Lorelei Colton I hope you and yours had an enjoyable long Labor Day weekend. The weather was surely great, but, again, we can use some rain. I’ve been having trouble with my knee so I was hoping to give it the R&R it needed, but that didn’t happen, not entirely, anyway. Playing catch-up with laundry and housework plus I stood in the kitchen for a few hours Saturday doing up my tomatoes into some sauce – I ended up with 9 pints – which I’m going to call that “good enough” for one season. I made a trip up to the Amish market above Columbia Cross Rds and picked up a few things for us eat fresh, like green beans and a melon and – one item in particular was a sweet onion that was bigger than a softball! They have beautiful stuff. I was told that Betty Ferguson gleaned over 5 bushels of pears from her one large and one small tree in her front yard. Wow! I ran downtown to Canton early Saturday morning to their farmer’s market and purchased several bake sale items from a young lad that was planning a trip somewhere and those items, too, were quite delicious.
By Lorelei Colton Autumn is trying its darnedest to invade what little bit of summer we have left to enjoy. We had a mere 45 degrees last Wednesday morning around 6am. Most of us are complaining of allergy issues such as headache, sneezing, itchy eyes, and general all-over achiness. We even have our dog Palin on an allergy regimen following a brief trip to the vet clinic.
By Lorelei Colton We have had some really gorgeous sunny days lately and most of us are unwilling to give in to the fact that summer is nearing its end. However, I did see a reminder that spring also may be hanging around for a bit – in the form of a few bright yellow dandelions scattered around the yard. Sunday morning it was a crisp 49 degrees and very foggy. According to the ole’ almanac of “Wit & Wisdom”: So many fogs in August we see, So many snows that year will be. Snow I can handle. Twenty plus degrees below zero? Not so much. I finally got the “um-teen” bushels of laundry from camping etc. caught up and hung on the clothesline in the bright sunshine to dry, but our garden is a field of weeds and neglect. It started out so great but the changing weather patterns have really left it much to be desired. Ron has picked several cucumbers, green peppers, and finally some tomatoes, but for the most part there is very little we are going to be able to can or freeze. There’s always next year. On the other hand, the flowers seem to be flourishing quite well – if tended to, naturally. Many folks are kind enough to bring flowers into church on Sundays and Julia Palmer’s gladiolas are beautiful indeed. Thanks for sharing with us Julia!
By Lorelei Colton We’re back in those hot, hazy, humid days of summer. “Dog Days” ended over a week ago. Ron said the temperature reached 95 degrees here in Alba and I believe it was all of 90 or 91 in Troy – when I looked, anyway. Once again I dread next month’s electric bill.
Can you believe that Jenn, the shoe store owner where I work, found a bright orange/red maple leaf in the back yard of the store? And my husband Ron tells me he ran over a few brown oak leaves with the lawn mower this week, and lots of leaves (and nuts) are falling off our black walnut tree. In August? Fall will be here before we know it. Actually, we did have morning temperatures a week ago in the mid 40’s. The kids are clamoring into the store getting “back to school” shoes, with some starting as early as next week. Alba Borough Council held its’ regular borough council meeting Monday, August 10, 2015 at the First Christian Church of Alba’s basement.
Council received updated information regarding the Sister Street and Cemetery Road resurfacing project. Last month, council agreed to proceed with a grinding and paving project that had a preliminary estimate of just over $26,000 contingent on the budget staying at or beneath the original quote with ditch work to be performed by Canton Township at an additional fee. Councilmembers sought other professional road construction opinions and found the original estimate to be understated for the scope of the project that had been outlined. By Lorelei Colton As I sit here at the computer compiling this column, I’m waiting for the predicted thunderstorm to arrive. We really need the rain – as I told you the corn was pointed straight up to the sky craving moisture. However, that was last week… We had a band of scavenging raccoons ransack our sweet corn, leaving just about a dozen of short, skimpy ears – the rest trampled down and devoured. Lovely. The green beans succumbed to too much rain – leaving them musty and even moldy. Ron has picked a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes, and the big ones – that I was going to use to make spaghetti sauce – are really coming on nicely. But, when you go to pick one that looks quite red and ready, the bottom has been eaten by either snails or slugs or something. It’s heartbreaking! I hope other people are having better luck than we are in those categories. It turns out we’ll be buying sweet corn and tomatoes from the locals to do our preserving.
By Lorelei Colton They have officially closed the books on another successful Troy Fair event. The stats I read in the newspaper indicate that it was one of the best ever as far as daily attendance goes, with a lot of fair-goers waiting until later in the day when it wasn’t so beastly hot. Ron and I went for awhile on Wednesday, my day off, and thought that it was terribly hot, especially when we were walking around looking at various attractions. I was quite surprised, to say the least, at how expensive most everything seemed to be, so our fair treats were limited to a milk shake and an ice cream cone – plus a couple bottles of cold water, a very welcomed commodity indeed. However, we did get quite a bit of visiting done and got to look over new vehicles, ATV’s, the chainsaw carvings, the 4-H building, and the quilts and photography. And in the grange building where our exhibit was displayed we took in the vegetables, flowers, and animal mounts.
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