herbiehancock

In an earlier post , I showed you some pictures from our local parade.  I only saw part of that parade because we had set a time to meet my son and his girlfriend for dinner and had to leave the parade early.  Later I found out that I had missed a flash mob as part of the parade.  Wouldn't you know it!  I would have loved to have seen it.  It would have been even more fun to participate in it.  It wasn't near the size as some of the flash mobs you've seen videos of, such as the one in Grand Central Station , but for our little town, it was a fun event just the same. The employees and family and friends of our local hospital were the ones who organized the flash mob.  They kept it a secret so that those watching the parade would be surprised.  Even though I didn't get to see the flash mob in person, it was still neat to see the video of it.  Maybe you will enjoy seeing it too.

In a small town on a Saturday night, Who knew? That so many would think that the very best thing to do  would be sitting and watching the parade go by from left to right. We watched but never questioned why. Riding in chairs on a truck--  there goes the city band! Oh and don't forget the Spangler's candy tanker  and the trolley that came along  with the Dum-dum sucker man. Who would have guessed there are so many kinds of Shriner? Those riding little cars and little bikes (One bike lost a chain in front of the diner) . Big men wearing tasseled fez caps,   and some dressed like clowns going round and round in twos, and those on flying carpets wearing gold hats  and pointed shoes, (Well, you know, there's nothing finer!)

I frequently wonder about how decisions are made when it comes to running a local newspaper.  I am often puzzled as to why some stories are told and some are not.  Why are certain bits of news deemed important enough to go on the front page while others are relegated to pages further back?  I really have to question the thought process involved with these decisions sometimes. This seems to be especially true of the small town newspaper that is published here.   As an example, when the huge earthquake struck Haiti this week, that news was on page nine of our local newspaper.  On the front page was an article full of tips on how college students can use their time wisely. (!!?)  I have nothing against college students using their time wisely.  In fact, I think it is a very good idea for them to do that.  I have a son who is a college student, and I certainly want him to use his time wisely.  However, doesn't it seem like the news from Haiti sho...

A 91 year old woman was apparently murdered in her own home here in my little town last week.  It happened just a few short blocks (about a five minute walk) from my home, very close to the park where I love to walk.   The news of this incident has changed my town overnight.  This is the first murder here in more than sixty years. Little information has been released about the case.  There is much that isn't being said. Details are sketchy, and police are not releasing much information at this time for fear of compromising their case. What the police officials here ARE saying is that we should all be vigilant about keeping our homes secured and watching for suspicious vehicles and people in our neighborhood.  We have been told to be extra cautious after dark.  In a town where everyone says hello as they pass you on the sidewalk, whether they know you or not, this advice is hard to take.  It feels as uncomfortable as an ill-fitting suit of clothes....

1.  When your son's picture is in the local newspaper, someone at one of the local banks cuts the clipping out of the paper, laminates it, and sends it to you in the mail.  This keepsake arrives just two days after the paper came out--sometimes before you have even had time to read the paper yourself! Oh, and you don't even have an account with that bank!!   Members of your church and the people that you work with also take the time to clip these kinds of photos and articles out and save them for you. 2. You have three potlucks to attend in one week--one a fundraiser at the local school for the high school orchestra, one with a church  fellowship group, and one at your work place as part of a Christmas celebration.   These are the pineapple carrot cake cupcakes* I made for the orchestra event we attended tonight. 3. It takes you over an hour to get back from buying a gallon of milk at a grocery store that is five minutes away from your home because the town...

Here are a few sights from my weekend walks. This is a brazen bunny that only moments before I took this picture was in my neighbor's garden enjoying a feast on the fresh produce. (Brazen--I like that word. The definition of brazen is "Marked by flagrant and insolent audacity.") Mushrooms (or maybe toadstools?) growing in another neighbor's yard. It seems like there ought to be a leprechaun or a fairy sitting on one of these. Oh wait, let me look closer. Is there something there? Or maybe someone? Oh yes, now I see him. There he is. A tent is set up in the parking lot at the drug store. No the circus isn't in town. It's the Amish. They come and sell home grown farm produce from this tent during the summers here. This week they are advertising strawberries for sale. This is the helicopter pad at the local hospital. Accident victims are sometimes brought here by helicopter. Also patients are sometimes transferred to here or from here via helicopter in c...