Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Springtime in a Small Town

 Spring is finally here. And for the residents of Beaver Pennsylvania, that's a relief to know. After months of cold winter weather and weeks of damp March/April/May showers, it seemed as if spring had forgotten our little town.

But spring is making a comeback.
  • If in the fall it looks like all the life is slowly being drained out of the world, the spring seems the exact opposite, as if life is being squeezed into it. Everything appears fresh and renewed, bursting in spring newness. Every color is to the most extreme and vibrant degree. The greens of the trees and grass are GREEN, the pinks of the flowers are PINK, and the blue of the sky is BLUE. As you can see, this fact rings true on our street (see picture above).

  •  As I mentioned before, people in Beaver are very prone to catch spring fever.  As I ride my bike up and down River Road and around town, I notice all the people out and about, taking advantage of the beautiful weather. Some are playing in the parks, working in their gardens, taking brisk walks, sitting on park benches, or like me, riding their bikes. That's one of the great things about living in a small town. You can get practically anywhere in town by walking, or riding your bike. This past week since the regular soccer fields were closed, my team got to practice by the fire station which is only a few blocks away. It was nice not to have a ten minute drive to get to practice and be able to walk home in the warm evening twilight. I think the place where people mingle the most in the spring/summer around here is River Road since the scenery looks so pretty this time of year.  Yesterday I saw a woman reading a book on a park bench while a man sat leaning against a nearby tree and strumming on his guitar.

  • Besides the spontaneous spring activities, there are some organized events planned as well. The Beaver Town Yardsale took place this Saturday. People flowed from one street to another to mull over the many yardsales and see who's junk would become their treasure.  Museums all over the county were open to visitors this weekend for the Beaver County History Days. I wasn't able to participate in this event, but from what I saw from last year's celebration, I'm sure it was a big hit. Fort McIntosh was rededicated with great fanfare on Saturday in front of it's beautiful new memorial which was built as a thank-you present from the president of the dredger company, whoose ugly dredger has graced our river for the past few years. The Borough is gearing up for all the other upcoming summer festivies as well, such as the Memorial Day Parade, Garrision Day, the summer carnival, and more.

Ah, spring.....its such a great season, isn't it? What's spring like in your town?


     












    Friday, April 29, 2011

    A Unique Way to Dye Easter Eggs.....and More Easter Fun



    He is Risen! Alleluia! After 40 days of fasting, prayer and self-denial, the time for celebration has finally come!

    Even though its hard to remember sometimes, we can't forget that the Easter season lasts longer than just one Sunday. Are you kidding? Do you think that those 40 straight days of preparation and repentance were all for just 24 hours of rejoicing? Of course not! The Easter season lasts a full 50 days.

    Besides the holiday itself, my favorite time around Easter has to be Holy Week. When Palm Sunday arrives my excitement starts to build up. By the time the Sacred Triduum rolls around I am absolutely pumped! All three days are filled with some rich traditions which I love: from the seven church walk on Thursday evening to the blessing of the Easter baskets on Saturday morning.

     We had already bought all the candy we needed from Malley's while staying at my grandma's house a week prior, so I spent the days leading up to Easter getting ready in other ways. Since I'm the least busy and don't live out of state, I was a good candidate to become the official family Baker of the Easter Goodies. On Holy Wednesday I made some special Holy Thursday rosemary buns, which are a close cousin to Hot Crossed Buns. My mom was right, though. I should've started them earlier in the day; They weren't done till 12:40 a.m. ! But despite that, they did turn out pretty good. On Holy Thursday, my friend came over and showed me how to make her grandma's famous nut roll, which, by the way is DELICIOUS! It was my first experience making nut roll and I was surprised at how easy it was. On Holy Saturday I made an Edelweiss Coffee cake. Yummy! There's still one last piece I'm saving in the fridge.

    And let's not forget my most favorite pre-Easter activity: dying eggs. I love taking plain white eggs and transforming them into colorful masterpieces. The process reminds me of the transition from winter to spring.

    Upon looking up tips for dying the eggs, I came across this fun method:
    http://www.rd.com/slideshows/11-ways-to-dye-easter-eggs-naturally/

    I thought it looked like such a fun project to do, but unfortunately, this year I can't. But if you're unlike me and don't have an egg carton full of hard boiled colored eggs that are still needing to be eaten, perhaps you can try it for yourself. Let me know if it works!

    Monday, April 18, 2011

    A New Post is Coming Soon

    Dear Readers,

    I am very, very sorry that there have been no new posts lately. I know it is no fun to read a blog that is never updated. But never fear: a new post is coming soon!

    Editor Gets Piece Published in Online Publication



    (See link below)



                                                      
                                           http://www.homeschoolliterary.com/?p=210

    Monday, March 21, 2011

    Happy Birthday to The Missy Times!

                                            

    Tomorrow, March 22nd marks the 5th birthday of The Missy Times. That's right, The Missy Times has been around for half a decade! Isn't that amazing?

    The little newspaper has certainly evolved:

    -March 22nd, 2006-
    The first issue of The Missy Times is created

    -August 17th, 2006-
    The first Guest Writer appears in The Missy Times with a piece titled "Local Artist Set To Launch College Career". His name was Phil Koshute.

    -January 4th, 2007-
    The first sponsor (unofficial, that is), "Nick's Junkyard of Sansa MP3 Players" is aknowledged in The Missy Times.

    -January 23rd, 2007-
    A typewriter is first used to write a few of the articles. This method would not continue, however, as hanwritten pieces remained the favorites

    -January 31st, 2007-
    The first Missy Times interview is conducted.

    -March 13th, 2007-
    The results of the first ever Missy Times survey are posted. The survey question was: "Which do you prefer? Mail or email?" 83% of the participants liked mail.

    -September, 2007-
    The Missy Times is published in pink ink. Comics appear for the first time, though they do not contiue to remain a popular feature. The first official sponsor, JHU Applied Physics Lab, is aknowledged.

    -November 1st, 2007-
    "Leave it to Beaver", the local Beaver news column, is born.

    -February, 2009-
    The front page drawing is published in color.

    -March, 2009-
    The Missy Times reports on March Madness.....again. It's the fifth time in it's history.

    -April 4th, 2009-
    The Missy Times celebrates three years with a special issue.

    -September 21st, 2009-
    The first photo (not drawing) appears on the front page.

    -February 2nd, 2010-
    "The Anonymous Files" is born.

    -November, 2010-
    The first special holiday edition of The Missy Times is created.

    Happy Birthday to The Missy Times and thanks to all my loyal subscribers!

    Have You Checked Your Mailbox Lately?


                                                                        Inside the Times
                                                        "Editor Meets Food Network Chef"
                                                                       Readers' Recactions
                                                   "Whose Fish Will Be on Your Plate This Friday?"
                                                             "Breakfast at The Inn on Negley"
                                                              "An Epic Tale on a Tiny Scale"
                                                                          Did You Know?

    Tuesday, March 15, 2011

    More Yummy Products From Trader Joe's



    The last time we went to Trader Joe's, I found a bunch of yummy items to add to my "Trader Joe's Recommend Products"  list:


    Strawberry Yogurt O's

    Cranberry Apple Butter

    Lavash Flat Bread

    Lemon Heart Cookies

    Yucca Chips

    Mandarin Orange Chicken