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Oct 2, 2015

It pisses him off

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explosion

I haven’t written about life in a long while. My need to write or fear or explosion is gone, but this not writing at all is unacceptable. It’s my husband and television to blame.

I had someone who has been reading my blog, from the beginning, in one day, drop me a note.

Hi! I just found your blog today and really love your writing!! It’s comical, edgy, and heart wrenching all in one!

I’m trying to catch up on the story… did your divorce ever get finalized? Did your ex marry Heather? Are you still with Dale? Who is Brian? Sorry… I know I’m cheating like flipping to the end of the book! LOL

I’ve skimmed through as many posts as I have time for (at work!) and can’t seem to find these milestone posts! Hope you and your daughter are doing quite well!

Good to know I can help someone get through their day at work. LOL

Ok, so I’ll just kinda pick up with today.

Even though I divorced John over a year ago, my name is still on the mortgage. He had six months to remove my name. We went to court 6 weeks ago and I said he could have two more months to assume the remaining mortgage or remortgage our property. This was part of the settlement and a payment plan that I agreed to stretch-out for 8.1 years so he could easily afford it and keep the house.

He hasn’t even applied. I talk to Wells Fargo more then he does and I don’t even live there. I’m over his drama. So, it’s back to court again.

Brian had to pick up Tesla at John’s tonight. I felt bad for him to be honest, because I know John can’t shut up. No matter who he’s around, he has to bitch about me. So John’s mouth is running like that proverbial duck’s backside and Brian let’s him ramble on and on as entertainment.

It’s worthy to note that John thinks I act differently in front of Brian then how I would if he weren’t present. John implied that I actually wasn’t the great person that Brian believes. Really John. It’s over. Let it go. I’m married to Brian now. (Is the song in your head suddenly?)

Part of his rambling was about Tesla not wanting to go to Disney World next year with us over Father’s Day weekend. I told Tesla we would go then because it fit everyone’s schedule that was attending. She feels guilty and wants to be home with her dad. I get that, but there are eight people involved in this trip. Brian’s parents are taking us, and now Brian is trying to work out other dates with his nephew’s and son’s schedule. Yes, I’m frustrated.

I think John should have been supportive considering the situation and just said to Tesla that it’s fine for her to go on a week’s trip to Disney and spend Father’s Day with her stepdad and step grandfather next year. But hey, that’s just my opinion.

I have other opinions. Like Dale should stop trying to contact me. Yeah, that PFA has expired but that doesn’t mean I want be friends. My friends don’t even want to be his friend. Dale shouldn’t be texting John to tell me “hi” and John shouldn’t be telling Tesla to tell me that Dale says hi. WTH? Dale and John are both duh, and I’m being nice.

So my favorite part of Brian telling me about John’s monologue is: John said it pisses him off every month when he has to sign that $500 check that’s being mailed to me.

That made my night.

~P.

Filed Under: John, Just Life, Tesla · Tagged: ,
Sep 27, 2013

Bike riding and sand castles at Pinchot Park

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Filed Under: Just Life, My Photography, Tesla · Tagged: , , ,
Sep 9, 2013

Indian Echo Caverns Pennsylvania

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For nineteen years (1802–1821) the caverns were the home of William Wilson, known as the Pennsylvania Hermit. Wilson withdrew from society after his failure to halt the execution of his sister WElizabeth for the murder of her twin sons. Following her death in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1786, William wandered westward across southeastern Pennsylvania, settling in the caverns in 1802. The Sweets of Solitude: Instructions to Mankind How They May Be Happy in a Miserable World, an essay supposedly written by Wilson during his time in the caverns, was published following his death. (Wiki)

Indian Echo Caverns 228

 

Directly underneath

Indian Echo Caverns 229

A sketch from William's diary, sad that he did not reach his sister with the pardon in time.

A sketch from William’s diary, sad that he did not reach his sister with the pardon in time.

So we learned that the first visitors of the caverns were….wait for it….Indians.  After that it was the French fur-trappers.  They were hanging out in the caves, building fires, staying dry and waiting for animals to be caught in their traps.  That was back in the 17th and 18th Centuries.  In the 19th Century ole William set up camp until from 1802 until 1821, dying a cave resident.  After that, the caves were open to people passing through, perhaps looking to advertise their business cheaply.  The first graffiti was an advertising for pretzels.

Ad Fail: The company went out of business.

Ad Fail: The Lebanon company went out of business.

There were a few other acts of graffiti following the abandonment of the caverns.  In 1929, Mr. John Beiber (no relation to Justin, our guide told us) opened the caverns to the public, with the paths improved and gravel added for safety.  The rooms of mineral deposits were opened for viewing, and handrails, light fixtures, etc. were added to assist in navigating the cavern.  It is dark, chilly, and damp, and often eerie inside, with tales by our guide about dragons and zombies.

Indian Echo Caverns 067

J. Lehner 1858 Andrew

J. Lehner 1858 Andrew

 

HI At least they kept it short.

HI
At least they kept it short.

red graffiti

red graffiti

 

I found this promotional photo from 1970 on the Indian Echo Caverns website and thought it was the bees knees.  😉

Historical photo from 1970

Historical photo from 1970

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Vintage Postcard

Vintage Postcard

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In 1942, Mr. Edward S. Swartz, a Hershey native purchased the caverns and his family still retains ownership.  The color of the caves has not been altered, they really are that colorful!

We also enjoyed the Conestoga Wagon display and the petting zoo.  🙂

Click on the first thumbnail to open the photo gallery. Enjoy and stop back again soon!  ~P.

 

Filed Under: Dale, Family, My Photography, Road Trips, Tesla · Tagged: , , , , ,
Aug 12, 2013

Ski Round Top in the Summer Lewisberry PA

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There is always activity at Ski Round Top located in Lewisberry, PA.  That mountain isn’t just for skiing anymore.  My stop there over the weekend was brief, just to check out what activities were available when there wasn’t snow on the ground.  I liked what I saw.  So did my daughter Tesla, and we have plans to make it there before school starts again for her and me.

What we found most interesting was the huge balls they were rolling down the mountain.  People climb inside and go for a roll.  There was screaming and screeching coming from inside the balls, but those sounds were of enjoyment.  People couldn’t get back to the top fast enough to do it again!

Also included in the “Trek Ticket” is zip lines.  That is second on my list to do.  I’ve never zip-lined or rolled down a mountain in a ball.

I snapped a few random photos of things that caught my eye.  Enjoy by clicking the first thumbnail to open the gallery.  ~P.

Filed Under: Balloons, Just Life, My Photography, Tesla · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Aug 12, 2013

Gifford Pinchot Park~Always a fun place to visit

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Pinchot Park Lake has been a favorite place of mine since I was a child.  Now it is a favorite place of my daughter’s and Dale’s son, Andrew.  There is so much to do and nature to enjoy and the best part…it is FREE!  The park is a great place to take photos.

Click on the first thumbnail~P.

Filed Under: Just Life, My Photography, Tesla · Tagged: , , , ,
Aug 12, 2013

Fatty Fernow & Darryl Fluffhead

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When wild life comes to your door–or picnic–an ordinary day becomes extraordinary.  A toad and bird became best friends with the kids, at least for the day!

Click the first thumbnail to enjoy the photo gallery!  Thanks for stopping by! ~P.

Filed Under: Just Life, My Photography, Tesla · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Aug 11, 2013

Friends…who needs them?

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Everyone. And, you can never have enough.

The best part about friendship is, you get to pick who becomes, and stays, your friend.

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Last night my family and I went to a cook-out at friends of mine from high school.  Trisha had bought fun toys for the kids, enjoyed by the adults as well.  The most fun we all had was with the B’Loons.  A $1 item consisting of straws and thick goo that you blow into abstract shapes, and if you’re lucky, you pinch them off as you remove the straw and have a pretty bubble.  Blowing these bubbles was much more difficult than you would imagine.  Just the right amount of air pressure to the glob of hopefully, non-toxic goo, and you get a beautiful orb of fun.  They’re sturdy when you blow them up correctly.  I had the brilliant idea of throwing them into the pool and later, into the fire.  The fire would shoot the bubble way into the sky and delight everyone, not just the kids.  Yes, we are easily entertained.

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Trisha and David cook some mean ribs and potato soup.  Good food makes for great friends. 🙂  Eventually, all the lawn chairs in their yard were taken by well-fed friends, who eased back and relaxed.  The conversations were non-stop around the fire pit, as we toasted marshmallows for S’mores.  Comic relief fell to the kids.  When new people arrived and heard me calling out to Tesla, the name didn’t slip by these 80’s hair band junkies.  They asked Tesla if she was in the band.

“Your name is Tesla?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re in the band, huh?”

“I’m not in a band.”

“You must be in the band if your name is Tesla,” they insisted.

“There is no band named Tesla,” she informed them.

I wasn’t right there to hear this conversation, but shortly after the exchange, Tesla called me to the side for a “private talk,” her words, not mine.

“Mom, those boys are saying I’m in a band.”  (The “boys” were adults.)

I started to laugh and she gave me a deep frown, eyebrows knit and all.  “Well, there is a band named Tesla,” I told her.

She gave me the hairy-eyeball look, trying to determine if I was joking.  “Where are they?” she asked.

“If the band is still playing, I imagine they are performing somewhere in the world right now.”  I know this is a generic answer, but one a seven-year-old would accept.

“But, I’m not in the band,” she stated.

“No, you’re to young to be in that band, honey.  They’re all old now.”

“Well tell those boys I’m not in the band.”

“Okay, I’ll tell them.  And by the way, you’re not named after the band.  You’re named after the scientist, Tesla.”  I told her, matter-of-fact.

“Good,” she responded, clearly relieved not to be named after a rock band, and ran off to play in the pool.

We all got a good laugh out of it.  The “boys” continued to joke with her about “being in the band.”

I feel lucky to have so many great friends.  Ones I can depend on in the good times, and the bad.  Friends that don’t judge.  Friends that care.

In the long run, sometimes all you have to fall back on are those friends.

Making memories,

~P.

 

 

Filed Under: Just Life, Tesla · Tagged: , , , , ,
Aug 7, 2013

National Night Out~ Dover PA

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A huge thank you to the Northern Regional Police Department, Dover Township, Dover Borough and the Dover Fire Department for the successful, National Night Out in Dover.  This was the second celebration for Dover and the rain held off for hundreds of people to come out and socialize at the fire department on Canal Street.

Click on the first thumbnail to open the photo gallery.  Enjoy!  ~P.

Filed Under: Dover PA, My Photography, Tesla · Tagged: ,
Jul 27, 2013

Emma’s Fun Day at Brookside Park, Dover PA

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“The family of a 2-year-old girl with a rare genetic disorder is holding a fundraiser Saturday in Dover Township to benefit research on the syndrome.

Emma’s Fun Day is named for 2-year-old Emma Dull, who was diagnosed last year with Pitt Hopkins syndrome, according to her mom, Stacey Dull. Emma started receiving therapy and undergoing tests when she wasn’t hitting some milestones as a baby.

Eventually, tests revealed that she had Pitt Hopkins, a syndrome characterized by a missing gene on her 18th chromosome.

Dull said only 250 people in the world have been diagnosed with the disorder. Parents formed the Pitt Hopkins Research Foundation several years ago to fund research .”  (YDR)

We spent our afternoon at Emma’s Fun Day at Brookside Park, in Dover.  There were fun, creative games, crafts, a magician, food and more.  We had a blast and all the proceeds go to a good cause, the Pitt Hopkins research fund.

Emma is a little cutie pie and enjoyed the day right along with us!   ~P.

Dover Township family raises funds for rare genetic disorder – The York Daily Record. <——click here for full story on Emma Dull

Filed Under: Family, Local and Worldwide News, My Photography, Tesla · Tagged: , , , ,
Jul 26, 2013

Homemade Slip N Slide

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After a water balloon battle that came down to Tyler versus me, we broke out the bottle of Dawn dish soap and made a Slip-N-Slide out of a paint drop cloth.  It didn’t take long for my neighbor, Deb, to add the plastic bag her new mattress arrived in, and in no time, we had fun trying not to break any bones.  Well, I was trying that is, the kids don’t really think about their bones breaking during moments like this.  Tyler, Blaine and Tesla were reckless and daring, as usual.

My brilliant idea of the day. Make a slip-n-slide.

My brilliant idea of the day. Make a slip-n-slide.

Ammo

Ammo

The playing field

The playing field

 

The battle lasted longer than I thought; many balloons didn’t break on the first throw.  We had about 80 balloons, the green ones looked like hand-grenades.  The tie-dyes were really cool and everyone’s favorites.

After Deb cut open the mattress cover, I womaned up and joined in the fun.  Deb didn’t want involved, so she stuck to taking pictures.  Didn’t hurt myself, but I admit, I’m tired.  Good thing Suz is coming over and making dinner!  🙂

What a fun, but exhausting day!  A day that memories are made from.  ~P.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Family, Friends, Just Life, My Photography, Tesla · Tagged: , , ,
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