Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

There was actually a blue clear sky.  It was rainy and overcast for days.  Central Pennsylvania had a major flood.  We had a deadly two punch–first an hurricane, then a tropical storm one after another.  Flooding was everywhere.  The soil was saturated.  We did not have any problems with flooding but a lot of people did on lower lying areas.  It was crisp outside and it felt good being there:  thank God for small favors.  It was the lull after the storm which seemed to go on forever.  I am hoping my neighbor puts up our TV antenna tonight.  It was months ago we cancelled Dish.  It is a great day.

Tags: blue clear sky, Dish, flooding, God, hurricane, major flood, overcast, Pennsylvania, rainy, storm, thank God for small favors, tropical storm, TV antenna
Posted in balance, beauty, God, life, local, nature, seasons, time | No Comments »

Nothing is permanent.  Mates and relatives die.  Friends move away or drift away from you.  Or even die.  The complexion of neighborhoods may change.  Some people move away, others move in.  Nothing is forever.

I remember once visiting my old neighborhood, where I grew up in and realized the community had changed drastically.

There was nothing no more to keep me there. My parents and friends had moved away.  I could not go back to my old haunts.  They were not there any longer.

I had to start all over somewhere else.  And I did in Morristown.  For fifteen years I lived there.  Then my life took me somewhere else.  Pennsylvania.

Of course, at some point you realize you have so much time and have to decide where you are going to spend the remainder of your life.

There is something to be said for roots.  When you spend a lifetime in one area and invested time and energy in reaching out to others, you have roots and who else will want to help you but these very people you have spent a lifetime with.

Moving far away from your roots, the friends you cultivated for years and close relatives may leave you stranded.  There may come a time you need their help.  You will not be young forever.

Of course, there is an assumption you care about your roots and friends.  There is so many times you can move and develop roots in another area.  That usually take years.  Sometimes a lifetime.  All that needs to be considered in a major move.

Tags: friends, New Jersey, not young forever, nothing is forever, nothing is permanent, parents, Pennsylvania, people die, people move away, reaching out to others, relatives, your roots
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, life, local, love, mental health, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

It amazes me every time I go to a four way stop in crowded town and each car lets the other make a turn.  I know drivers in other areas of the country are not so polite.  I have lived or driven in NYC and NY and drivers are not that polite.  It is dog eats dog to use a cliche.  It never fails to amaze me.  Is it the slower pace here?  I just don’t know.  Central Pennsylvania is another world.

Tags: cars, drivers, four way stop, NY, NYC, Pennsylvania, slower pace
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, local, time | No Comments »

I have fallen in love with Central Pennsylvania especially the county I live in–Perry County.  It is God’s country if you allow me to be that presumptuous.  There is open space here.  Farms, valleys and two major rivers, the Susquehanna and the Juniata, lay here.

The ride up the Juniata valley on Route 322 literally takes my breath away:  it is so beautiful.  Closer to home, every time I drive into town I want to capture its beauty on film of the view offered from the hill of the Susquehanna River and its valley crisscrossed by various small islands.

I live on the edge of country.  From my window I watch the birds come to and fro my feeders.  I was thrilled yesterday when I saw an indigo bunting alight on the ground.

We have had bears raid our bird feeders several times.  In fact, this state is second in the nation for bear hunting.  The smallmouth bass fishing from the two Rivers is superb.  I never forgot my first trips up the Rivers on a airboat.  It was like entering a world I had no idea even existed.

There is so much beauty here and people who have lived here all their lives do not always fully appreciate it.  I do.  I grew up near NYC where there were not too many open spaces.

We are less than an hour away from Hershey and Harrisburg, maybe three hours from NYC and Baltimore.  It is the best of two worlds.  I do not take this beauty here for granted.  The neighboring counties are running out of land to build on.

I would like Perry County to remain in an unspoiled state as much as possible for the next generation and subsequent ones.  Perry County is a treasure I would like others to experience.

Tags: airboat, Baltimore, bears, beauty, bird feeder, bird-feeders, bird-watching, birds, country, edge of country, farms, fishing, God, God's country, Harrisburg, Hershey, indigo bunting, islands, Juniata River, New York City, next generation, Pennsylvania, Perry County, smallmouth bass, Susquehanna River, treasure, valley, valleys
Posted in animals, balance, beauty, birds, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, love, nature, seasons, time | No Comments »