I was heading into the house on a summer day in 1999 when I found a pigeon sitting on the stoop in front of the back door. As I approached the back door, the pigeon did not fly off and even when I stood in front of it, it did not move. I sat down on the stoop next to it and was able to pet its head and as I did, I noticed a band on its leg. It was a racing pigeon. Up close, its colors were gorgeous. Not just gray feathers, but emerald green and purple and black adorned its head and chest. I had no idea a pigeon could be so pretty. Continue reading
Tag Archives: PA
Get Your New Year’s Eve Weird on in PA
A million people are expected to spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square to watch the famous ball, crafted out of Waterford Crystal, slowly descend to welcome in 2017. Millions more from around the world will watch the event unfold on their televisions. But New York City isn’t the only place to be that evening. Many cities and small towns in Pennsylvania also have New Year’s Eve celebrations where things are dropped. Weird things. Pennsylvania has taken the art of dropping things, or in some cases, raising things, to a whole new level as the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. Continue reading
The Lab and the Basset Hound
Several years ago my husband Steve and I were huddled downstairs during a snow storm the week after Christmas. At some point that evening, we went out to the garage to get more drinks and check the snowfall. I turned on the outside light to see how much snow had already fallen and saw two dogs, a Black Labrador and a Basset Hound, standing in the yard. Continue reading
Duke’s Last Hurrah
At first, she denied the dog was hers. But my husband Steve was sure it was her dog because the other Golden Retriever that had been at our house, a young pup, was right there in her yard. She finally admitted that the dog lying in our garage was her dog when Steve told her that the dog had not caused any trouble and we just wanted to help him get home. Showing Steve her arm, which was in a sling, she told him she was not allowed to drive and that her husband wasn’t home. Steve told her that wasn’t a problem, that he’d drive the dog to her house now that he knew whose dog it was. Continue reading
The Chipmunk, the Washer and My Ass
Three years ago when I arrived home from work I head a scratching noise coming from behind the dryer and I immediately knew that there was some type of critter in the flexible dryer duct that leads from the dryer to the vent mounted on the outside wall of our home. I knew without a doubt that there was an animal in the dryer duct because it had happened before. Continue reading
Lucy and Ginger
My husband Steve and I have had at least one Saint Bernard at any given time for the past 16 years. To accommodate them, we have a kennel, that is actually a 12 foot by 20 foot building that is insulated and fully equipped with water and electricity. Surrounding the dog kennel is a large fenced in area that allows our dogs to run and play all day without direct supervision. This has worked out well for us and for the Saints. Saint Bernards, which were originally bred in the Swiss Alps, love being outside and they love the cold and snow . Although their kennel is insulated, and although we have wall heaters for it….we’ve never had to turn on the heat; the dogs have a very natural ability to keep themselves warm. Continue reading
The Flea Circus
When I was a little girl I desperately wanted to see a flea circus. Having seen them on various television shows and in the cartoons in the Sunday papers, I couldn’t wait to see one in person. When I asked my mother where we could find a flea circus, she told me that she didn’t know but that she didn’t think someone could really train fleas to do tricks. She said she thought the whole idea of a flea circus was itself a trick. I didn’t really understand what she meant, I just knew I wanted to go to a flea circus.
A few weeks ago my husband Steve and I, along with some friends, went to the Sherman’s Valley Heritage Days in Blaine, Pennsylvania. This annual event features old farm equipment, steam-powered engines, people in period costumes, home-made baked goods, arts and crafts and this year… ta-da…Marty’s Flea Circus! It took me fifty years, but I finally found one.
Marty, flea wrangler extraordinaire, told the audience, which was mostly children, the names of the fleas and from where they came, including one that he got from Evel Knievel. The trained fleas did all kinds of tricks, from moving steel balls to being shot out of cannons and jumping into cans. Unfortunately, now that I’m in my fifties, my eyesight isn’t as good as it once was and I had trouble seeing the tiny fleas. But the children, whose eyesight is not yet aged, saw them clearly. 
Daily Prompt: Tiny
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Hobo the Wonder Kitty
It was May 2nd, 2012 and I was in the kitchen when I heard my husband Steve call to me from outside, “Lorrie, come here, you’ve got to see this.” Continue reading
Wolf Sanctuary of PA
Lately Facebook seems like it’s a place for people to disagree about everything from politics to the best apple pie recipe, but sometimes a gem sneaks into my feed. Such was the case last week when Only in Your State made a post about the Wolf Sanctuary of PA. As it turns out, this little gem is located within thirty miles of my home but until I saw it on Facebook, I had no idea it existed. Continue reading
Batter up!
I was in bed watching television late one evening when my then college-aged daughter came out of her bedroom and said, “Mom, look at Jo, she’s just running back and forth in the hallway.”
I looked towards the doorway of my room and saw Jo, our Cocker Spaniel, shuffle past my doorway, then shuffle past again, going in the other direction.
“I don’t know what she’s doing,” Kinsey said as Jo ran by again, her nose pointed up towards the ceiling.
“It looks like she’s watching something,” I said.
Kinsey looked up. “Bat!” she yelled as she ran back into her room, “It’s a bat!” Continue reading
Splendippity 