This week, a rambling of things on my mind for everyone to catch up on. Grab a good seat and let’s go!
Happy to report I am two for two now, first in contacting former Hurst showgirl Nikki Phillips (now O’Neill) and then with car show goer Art. He’s the guy who looks like me, acts like me, and collects like me. I stumbled upon him various times, and then he seemingly fell off the map. I wondered what happened to him.
That was until last week, when, just like a twilight zone episode, I look up and there he was — peeking at model car kits as I was at the Fall Carlisle automobile show. “Art,” I yelled. “Where in God’s name have you been?”
At 75 years old, he was moving gingerly, but ably. I told him about the story I wrote about him, and he is eager to have a copy! We shook hands and hugged as if he just came home from a long trip. He took out his cell phone and showed me pictures of model cars he has built and put away for display in cases. And of a woman, he’d “marry in a heartbeat,” but was taken. “All the good ones are long gone,” he told me.
Finally, though, I have a last name, an address and phone number to stay in touch with him. Several thousand people there on opening day, and I was lucky enough to spot him! My brother took a picture of us together at the vendor’s booth. Our blue shirts almost matched! Another memory made and now tucked away!
There are many thanks to be passed on to many people this week. Some of you either sent cards or dropped them off at the Webb headquarters on Kane Street in South Williamsport after the last story on cancer. Several people offered garage space for my vehicles (children) over the winter. And Terri DeSanto called and wanted me to have some of her minestrone! Yum!
Yes, I would love it, Terri. But the last digit of your phone number got cut off during your message on my answering machine! Thus, I didn’t dismiss your wish. I merely couldn’t decipher your number! So, call me back, and give me that number slowly! And later on, maybe the recipe!
By the time you read this, many of my fellow car enthusiasts will have conquered and returned from the Hershey AACA fall meet. I say “conquer” because it requires almost 20 miles of walking if you want to see and do it all. It devours your time and your money, but as they say, “a bad day at Hershey is better than a good day at work.” For me, it’s swap meet nirvana!
For most, the swap meet season ends there, but I still have Kempton and Riegelsville and the York toy show. Thus, I keep going till November. Those first two shows feature beautiful scenery (not just the cars) and fall foliage. Perfect way to cap off the picking year! You hunt deer; I hunt automotive memorabilia.
After weeks of having a small feral cat meet me in the morning for breakfast and at night for a snack, he’s gone for now. Kind of like Art was at the car shows I attended. Dagger, as I called him, became trustworthy enough to eat out of my hand, and I looked forward to seeing him when I came home. He ate well and never talked back! Always gracious.
I did see a larger cat trying to impose himself on Dagger, and his food bowl, several times and chased him away. Dagger also slept on some of my porch chairs overnight. In the morning, I often saw his tiny ears and tail shiver as he tried to get warm. “Beefing him up,” was always part of my agenda and he is sorely missed. Hope the little guy returns sometime!
Kudos to the two young girls I often see in Montoursville delivering (heaving onto porches) the local daily paper after school each day. We tend to think of today’s youth as lazy and fueled by cell phones, but these two must be real go-getters. Hope you tip them well when the weather gets cold! And girls, aim well. No one likes digging a paper out of the shrubs! I know because I used to deliver that paper too!
The Cleveland Browns and Montgomery Red Raiders football teams win in the same week! This hasn’t happened since Plymouths, Pontiacs, and Oldsmobiles were being sold at your local dealership! Congrats to both of them! Underdogs have to come through sometimes.
In the summer, you see many kids setting up lemonade stands on hot, humid days. So why don’t I see those same kids (entrepreneurs) offering warm cider or hot chocolate on cold days? It may be a big hit. Then again, school DOES get in the way, doesn’t it?
The shed organizing and cleaning are moving entirely too slowly. Mainly because I am still playing catch up with the lawn that still resembles a swamp. My other problem arises from this — I set aside boxes to discard things I swear I won’t ever use or read again, but by the time it’s full, I start rethinking.
I might use it again. So it goes right back to where it was. This is destructive behavior. It would be like you packing everyone in the family car, getting halfway to a planned destination, then turning around and coming home because you don’t want to put more miles on the car or put in more gas. What you set out to do is now an afterthought.
Might seek therapy after I put everything back the way I want it. But sitting on a leather couch and telling a stranger I have a “hoarding problem” is a waste of money. Those funds could be used to buy more stuff! Really cool stuff.
Speaking of funds, a local bank decided one afternoon they didn’t know me (after dozens of transactions at their branch office). They wanted ID from me, which I didn’t have, to prove I was who I was. But my friends, I wasn’t trying to take money out, but rather to put cold, hard cash INTO my account.
So, we all know of cases involving identity theft and security breach. But are there actually “Robin Hood capers” who are trying to put money into your account when you’re not looking?
All I have to say is, if that’s the case, you can have full access to my savings account at any time. Just keep stuffing it in, and I will be solely responsible for taking any out! Needless to say, bank officials got an ear load of G before I left. Twelve miles away, at another branch, they all “knew” me and required no ID.
Maybe shirt and shoes, but no driver license or birth certificate to get my paws on my hard earned funds!
So let’s do a recap. My buddy Art is still alive and kicking. Lycoming County proves as generous as ever to me. Terri DeSanto wants me to have some of her homemade soup. Dying and going to heaven is what the Hershey car show is like. Dagger, the feral cat, is visiting another homeowner’s porch. Papergirls have replaced paperboys on certain routes. Two football teams rise from the ashes. Shed cleaning is stalled out, and a bank doesn’t tell me “substantial penalty for early withdrawal,” but rather, “who are you?”
If variety is the spice of life, you’ve just overdosed on lots more than cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Miscellaneous Musings
This week, a rambling of things on my mind for everyone to catch up on. Grab a good seat and let’s go!
Happy to report I am two for two now, first in contacting former Hurst showgirl Nikki Phillips (now O’Neill) and then with car show goer Art. He’s the guy who looks like me, acts like me, and collects like me. I stumbled upon him various times, and then he seemingly fell off the map. I wondered what happened to him.
That was until last week, when, just like a twilight zone episode, I look up and there he was — peeking at model car kits as I was at the Fall Carlisle automobile show. “Art,” I yelled. “Where in God’s name have you been?”
At 75 years old, he was moving gingerly, but ably. I told him about the story I wrote about him, and he is eager to have a copy! We shook hands and hugged as if he just came home from a long trip. He took out his cell phone and showed me pictures of model cars he has built and put away for display in cases. And of a woman, he’d “marry in a heartbeat,” but was taken. “All the good ones are long gone,” he told me.
Finally, though, I have a last name, an address and phone number to stay in touch with him. Several thousand people there on opening day, and I was lucky enough to spot him! My brother took a picture of us together at the vendor’s booth. Our blue shirts almost matched! Another memory made and now tucked away!
There are many thanks to be passed on to many people this week. Some of you either sent cards or dropped them off at the Webb headquarters on Kane Street in South Williamsport after the last story on cancer. Several people offered garage space for my vehicles (children) over the winter. And Terri DeSanto called and wanted me to have some of her minestrone! Yum!
Yes, I would love it, Terri. But the last digit of your phone number got cut off during your message on my answering machine! Thus, I didn’t dismiss your wish. I merely couldn’t decipher your number! So, call me back, and give me that number slowly! And later on, maybe the recipe!
By the time you read this, many of my fellow car enthusiasts will have conquered and returned from the Hershey AACA fall meet. I say “conquer” because it requires almost 20 miles of walking if you want to see and do it all. It devours your time and your money, but as they say, “a bad day at Hershey is better than a good day at work.” For me, it’s swap meet nirvana!
For most, the swap meet season ends there, but I still have Kempton and Riegelsville and the York toy show. Thus, I keep going till November. Those first two shows feature beautiful scenery (not just the cars) and fall foliage. Perfect way to cap off the picking year! You hunt deer; I hunt automotive memorabilia.
After weeks of having a small feral cat meet me in the morning for breakfast and at night for a snack, he’s gone for now. Kind of like Art was at the car shows I attended. Dagger, as I called him, became trustworthy enough to eat out of my hand, and I looked forward to seeing him when I came home. He ate well and never talked back! Always gracious.
I did see a larger cat trying to impose himself on Dagger, and his food bowl, several times and chased him away. Dagger also slept on some of my porch chairs overnight. In the morning, I often saw his tiny ears and tail shiver as he tried to get warm. “Beefing him up,” was always part of my agenda and he is sorely missed. Hope the little guy returns sometime!
Kudos to the two young girls I often see in Montoursville delivering (heaving onto porches) the local daily paper after school each day. We tend to think of today’s youth as lazy and fueled by cell phones, but these two must be real go-getters. Hope you tip them well when the weather gets cold! And girls, aim well. No one likes digging a paper out of the shrubs! I know because I used to deliver that paper too!
The Cleveland Browns and Montgomery Red Raiders football teams win in the same week! This hasn’t happened since Plymouths, Pontiacs, and Oldsmobiles were being sold at your local dealership! Congrats to both of them! Underdogs have to come through sometimes.
In the summer, you see many kids setting up lemonade stands on hot, humid days. So why don’t I see those same kids (entrepreneurs) offering warm cider or hot chocolate on cold days? It may be a big hit. Then again, school DOES get in the way, doesn’t it?
The shed organizing and cleaning are moving entirely too slowly. Mainly because I am still playing catch up with the lawn that still resembles a swamp. My other problem arises from this — I set aside boxes to discard things I swear I won’t ever use or read again, but by the time it’s full, I start rethinking.
I might use it again. So it goes right back to where it was. This is destructive behavior. It would be like you packing everyone in the family car, getting halfway to a planned destination, then turning around and coming home because you don’t want to put more miles on the car or put in more gas. What you set out to do is now an afterthought.
Might seek therapy after I put everything back the way I want it. But sitting on a leather couch and telling a stranger I have a “hoarding problem” is a waste of money. Those funds could be used to buy more stuff! Really cool stuff.
Speaking of funds, a local bank decided one afternoon they didn’t know me (after dozens of transactions at their branch office). They wanted ID from me, which I didn’t have, to prove I was who I was. But my friends, I wasn’t trying to take money out, but rather to put cold, hard cash INTO my account.
So, we all know of cases involving identity theft and security breach. But are there actually “Robin Hood capers” who are trying to put money into your account when you’re not looking?
All I have to say is, if that’s the case, you can have full access to my savings account at any time. Just keep stuffing it in, and I will be solely responsible for taking any out! Needless to say, bank officials got an ear load of G before I left. Twelve miles away, at another branch, they all “knew” me and required no ID.
Maybe shirt and shoes, but no driver license or birth certificate to get my paws on my hard earned funds!
So let’s do a recap. My buddy Art is still alive and kicking. Lycoming County proves as generous as ever to me. Terri DeSanto wants me to have some of her homemade soup. Dying and going to heaven is what the Hershey car show is like. Dagger, the feral cat, is visiting another homeowner’s porch. Papergirls have replaced paperboys on certain routes. Two football teams rise from the ashes. Shed cleaning is stalled out, and a bank doesn’t tell me “substantial penalty for early withdrawal,” but rather, “who are you?”
If variety is the spice of life, you’ve just overdosed on lots more than cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Gerry Ayers
AUTHOR
PROFILE