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

Our local post office had a beautiful Norfolk pine in its lobby.  For a long time (several years) it was a flourishing tree. It must have liked the the light it was getting in that spot.  Then it started losing branches and started dying.  There seemed nothing our postmaster could do about it.  Once a branch becomes brittle and breaks off it is too late.  Some of the branches were still healthy.  Finally it died.  I had the image in my head how healthy it once (???).  I felt so bad when she took it out of there.  She suspects it got over watered.  It was so beautiful once.  And now its dead.  I just felt bad for it.

Tags: Norfolk Pine tree, post office, the light was perfect for the Norfolk Pine, The Norfolk Pine at the post office, The Norfolk Pine Tree was dying, The Norfolk Pine was flourishing, trees
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I felt bad about the Norfolk pine dying at the post office.  It was looking so full and healthy.  The postmaster neglected watering it regularly and branches starting drying up and breaking off.  When a branch does that, it is too late.  Not all of the branches were breaking off:  parts of the tree were still healthy so the tree was not beyond hope.  She was watering regularly the tree now but I remember the way it had looked and I felt sad.

Tags: Norfolk Pine tree, post office, the neglect of the Norfolk pine tree
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I still come across so many people I have never seen before.  I have lived in this small town of 800 going on nine years.  And this fact amazes me.  Of course, the people who work in the local supermarket, diner and post office know everyone.  They have worked in those establishments for years and have come across every resident of our small town between the three of them although that does not help me.  The postmaster knows all the local gossip.  Almost everyone comes into the post office at one time or another.  In fact some people come to the post office just to chat.  The two cashiers in the supermarket have been there for years.  Quite a few residents come in there to grab some bread or milk or some other item they just ran out of.  It is more expensive buying items there but you have to travel sixteen miles to get to the next, nearest supermarket.  And gas is expensive.  The diner in town has the the old fogies who mill around and share the latest gossip over a cup of coffee every morning.  These places don’t even include the local pizzeria or ice cream parlor (which will open up in the spring).  Of course, I frequent all these places (except for the diner) but it is still not unusual for me to run into someone I have never seen before.  We are all creatures of habit and that includes me so I should not be surprised when this happens.  Our circles just did not cross.

Tags: bread, creatures of habit, cup of coffee, diner, gas, ice cream parlor, local businesses, local gossip, milk, old fogies, pizzeria, post office, postmaster, small town, spring, supermarket
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It was cold and wet, an utterly miserable day.  I quickly “dashed” to the post office and then the local supermarket and returned home.  When I left, three dogs squeezed past me into the yard–only because they liked going through doors and could do that.  I was only gone fifteen minutes and all three dogs ran in (???) immediately in the house when I opened the front door.  Even the dogs did not want to be out long.  It was that kind of day.  It could have been worse:  the temperature could have been a little lower and we would have had snow.  Nevertheless, I am glad I had heat and was inside.

Tags: cold and wet day, dogs, pets, post office, snow, supermarket, winter, yard
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The worse thing about depression is you isolate yourself.  Staying in the house reinforces your isolation.  Going out in the sunlight is therapeutic.  All of a sudden you are exposed to different and other worlds.

Even if you do not talk to others (and this is hard not to do), you realize your world is not the only world.  There are multiple universes around you evolving.  A simple thing like going to the post office or the local supermarket can make a difference in your life.  You rub elbows with other people.

You hear snatches of conversations even if it is not directed at you.  It makes a difference.  Others have struggles in their life.  It is so easy to magnify your problems.  Going out exposes you to other peoples’ lives.

And there are those who have fractured relationships–marriages that are breaking up or simply for one reason or another are presently under a lot of stress.  And you overhear conversations that reflect this.

You are not alone.  You may find yourself reaching out to others.  And none of this would have happened if you continued to isolate yourself.  Go out.  It matters.  And reach out to others.  Your problems may shrink in proportion to others.  Isolation is never good.

Tags: conversation, depression, go out, God, isolate yourself, magnify your problems, marriage, other people, post office, reach out to others, relationships, stay in the house, stress, struggles in life, sunlight, supermarket, talk to others, therapeutic, you are not alone, your problems, your world
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I spritz the Boston fern in the post office almost every day.  And the Norfolk pine.  It is a conversation opener.  Last year the two Boston ferns were not doing well.  Then I started misting them both every day.

I had a running conversation with the clerk who has a dour disposition whether the two plants were going to make it.  It broke the ice.  We gradually became friends.  Now I say “Hello” to him every time I am in the post office.  And we usually exchange a few words.

I continue to mist the plants.  Sometimes I threaten to spray the postmaster.  She runs in the opposite direction when I point the mister towards her.  Or just laughs at me.  She knows I am not serious.  It is just a little game we play.

Other customers smile when they see me in the post office spraying the plants.  It is a great conversation opener.

Tags: Boston Fern, conversation opener, customers, friends, misting plants, Norfolk pine, plants, post office, postal clerk, postmaster
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Our Postmaster, Sonya, lends an ear to everyone in our small town of less than a thousand.  Everyone has to get their mail or buy stamps.

She hears every body’s stories.  She knows who is ill, most people by their first name and even where they live.

She is the local “psychiatrist” although she does not dispense too much advice or any pills.  When someone is dying, she hears about it from the nearby relative.

Sonya lives nearby and given enough time she meets just about every resident unless you are a hermit and never leave your house.  Every person need stamps or eventually has to weigh a package.

The post office is the focal point of this town.  There is the local diner where all the old fogies congregate every morning and share the latest gossip.  The diner (and our supermarket) are only a distant second place to meet locals.

Sonya has the pulse of our small town.  There is very little she does not know about its residents.  She is usually very discreet about the gossip she hears every day.

The postmaster of our small town knows almost everything about almost every body.  She just has to know when to shut up.  Sometimes that is hard for her to do but most of the time she does a good job.  Everyone knows Sonya.

Tags: buy stamps, hermit, latest gossip, lend an ear, local diner, local psychiatrist, mail, old fogies, post office, postmaster, small town, stamps, weigh a package
Posted in balance, death, health, knowledge&learning, life, local, politics, relationships, time | 2 Comments »

I miss those magnificent oak trees that I passed by every time I went to the local post office.  They were only a block away.

I talked once to the man, “Drummy?” who informed me he planted them decades ago.  He lived until 101 and was called the oldest boy scout in the county.

There were only three left.  I had moved away and once was visiting my old haunts.  The last three were gone.  There were holes where the trunks used to be.  They were 100 foot plus high stately oaks.

They were not diseased but were cut down because if they ever fell down, they might do major damage to the three nearby houses.

The trees did nothing wrong and I was glad I did not live in that town any longer because every time I would pass that street I would think of those trees.  I (???) still mourning their death.

Tags: 100 feet tall, 101 year old man, death, mourning the trees, nature, oak tree, oldest boy scout in the country, post office, trees
Posted in beauty, death, life, local, nature, time | 2 Comments »

I want to thank the people who are in my life.  I know most people will never read this and I will leave out people and I realize Thanksgiving has passed but it is never too late to do this.  All these people take the “extra step” and I do not want to take any of them for granted.

First the medical team

(1) Dr. Hume for your kindness and helpfulness

(2) Dr. Cornelius for your patience

(3) Dr. Blake for her thoroughness

(4) Dr. Mital for your ability to listen

Then,  P & R and Bob and his team who takes care of our cars and keeps them running smoothly, I thank you for your honesty and competence and for standing up to your work even when it costs you and most of all for always giving me the time of day when I have a question about my vehicle

For both of my sisters Fran and Marilyn who are always there when I need them

For Tony for your support:  you know who you are

For Sara, who I have known for over fifteen years and is one of the reasons I still write for her encouragement never abated

For the audience at the local coffeehouse who laughed at my material encouraging me to continue to find the humorous in everyday situations

For Elizabeth Yon wherever you are and the years you spent moderating our writing group

My two kids who years ago I thought I never would have but they came and have blessed me immeasurably

All the many people who God put in my life including those from my small church who have blessed me with their presence

To Sonya who welcomes everyone at the local post office and gives me one more reason why I want to stay in my small town and Perry county

And most of all for my wife who inspires me and still makes me laugh after all these years and came into my life when I was not looking, who thinks she is better than me at Scrabble (she did lose the first ten games she played against me).  As an editor she has no equal.  My website and blog would never have come into being if it was not for her (she is the webmaster).  I “pop” out my bed each morning because of her.  And she bakes a pretty “mean” apple pie.  She gives me a reason to cook.  And that is no small thing.  And after six years she still wants to sleep in our bed.  I call her “serendipity” although she can really be stubborn (for that matter so can I); nevertheless, I thank the Lord every day for her.  I did nothing to deserve her.

Tags: apple pie, audience, blessed, blog, car mechanic, cars, church, coffeehouse, competence, cooking, doctor, editor, encouragement, find the humor, friends, God, honesty, inspires me, makes me laugh, my kids, my wife, post office, Scrabble, serendipity, sisters, small town, stubborn, take for granted, take the extra step, thank people, thank the Lord every day, thank-you, thanksgiving, the Lord, those who serve, webmaster, website, writer, writers group, writing
Posted in balance, beauty, children, God, health, humor, knowledge&learning, life, local, love, marriage, mental health, relationships, time, wisdom, writing, your job/mission/profession | No Comments »

The best discoveries are always when you least expect them.  Today I was walking my dog and I picked something off the middle of the road.  It was a two inch diameter bird nest.  It had to have been built by a ruby-throat hummingbird:  it was so small.  Somehow it fell off the tree.  I had never seen such a small nest before.

Later on in the day, I was driving home after making my daily trek to the post office and a turkey hen and her nine babies passed in front of me to my amazement.  I stopped my car, mouth open, and let the baby turkeys pass.

I do not even know what turkey babies are called.  What was even more interesting to me was at least half of the babies were a different size:  she must have hatched half of her brood at a different time.  I had never seen baby wild turkeys before in my life.  You never know when the next discovery will come.  It is all serendipity.

Tags: baby wild turkey, beauty, bird nest, birds, discovery, dogs, God, pets, post office, ruby-throated hummingbird, serendipity, turkey hen, turkey hen and nine babies, walking my dog
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I love my local diner.  For the first five and a half years I did not even set foot in it.  It is a mere three miles from my house.  Finally I started going there.  I was waking up early and frankly was lonely.  My wife was not up yet.

At first, I would just get a cup of coffee there.  I was learning about the lives of the waitresses (I do not like the word server) in dribs and drabs.  I learned that Sharon had almost worked there for thirty years.  She loved what she did.  And there was Jane and others whose lives I slowly entered.

They were making a living from serving me (and others) but it was more than that.  They had running relationships with most of their customers.  The local diner’s rules were pretty relaxed:  I saw customers going in back of the counters and serving themselves coffee because the waitress was just too busy at the moment.

I would sit at the counter taking in all the conversations around me.  You might say I was eavesdropping without being too obvious about it.  I heard some big tales especially about hunting.  This county shuts down when hunting season for deer starts the Monday after Thanksgiving.  In fact, this state ranks two in the nation for bear hunting.  Some of the tidbits and snatches of conversation I heard were fascinating.

I would not talk to too many people.  I could tell some customers, particularly the men, were curious who I was.  I would take my time, let them take me in.  One waitress asked me if I had just moved here.  It was only last summer when my town had their 200 year anniversary.  I realized I had to do things a little differently if I wanted to meet people in this town.

I started watering the plants in the post office and gradually grew to know the postmaster and the other clerk:  we became friends after a period of months.  I would water the plants six days a week.  And not only that, I would run into other people.

I started going to a local church where I felt very comfortable and met people in my community there.  Going to the local diner was just another step in my involvement into the community.

Going to the diner had other ramifications:  I would occasionally go to the the Susquehanna River which was less than an hundred yards away.  I went there today and mist was rising in swirls from the surface of the water.  It took my breath away.  I have spent more time visiting the River in my town since I started going to the diner the last four weeks than in the first five and half years I have lived here.  All because I am occasionally getting my morning coffee at my local diner.

It is an absolutely magnificent River.  It is another world.  You never know what you are going to see there.  It could be a bald eagle or a great egret or some other exotic bird or creature.  Usually when you least expect it.  I missed having being able to walk to it which had been a five minute walk from my house in Duncannon.  Now I am back.  There are so many reasons visiting the diner has changed my life.  Visiting The River is only one reason.

Tags: 200 year anniversary, bald eagle, bear, birds, church, coffee, community, conversations, customer, deer, Duncannon, great egret, hunting, local diner, meet people in town, morning, my wife, plants, post office, postmaster, Susquehanna River, thanksgiving, waitress
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I get so absorbed in the beginning of the day I simply do not notice the birds coming to my feeders.  In the first few hours I am waking up.  I really do not know what happens to me the first hours of the morning.

I am very focused in the beginning and can’t relax.  I make my daily trip to the post office, spray their fern, check my box.  There are always the pets I have to take care of:  we have a menagerie–eight cats and four dogs.  The dogs are always eager to go out and do their thing in the yard and they are none too shy about telling me.

At some point, my concentration switches.  I have done the most pressing tasks and can relax a bit.

I did notice some others things earlier:  I forgot that in the middle of the woods someone once planted a clump of daffodils.  I noticed that they were white and also a larger variety unlike the others in our yard.

I also noted that the blackberry and raspberry bushes had new growth (I can not tell them apart this time of the year).  I was thrilled to notice that.  In June and July I will be picking raspberries and blackberries respectively.  I can’t wait.  The only downside, I attract ticks picking berries and they gross me out when I discover one on me.  I just want to get rid of them as quickly as possible.  My wife always wants to gently release them in our yard.

I still remember once last summer discovering seven ticks on me after one berry picking expedition and frantically shook them off of me.  This year I plan to put repellent on me and expose as little skin as I can when I pick the berries.

My wife made several pies last year and I can’t wait to taste another one.  I absolutely love blackberry and raspberry pies.  Last year at the end of the season I accidentally discovered a gigantic patch of blackberries I did not know was there.  I was trying to reach some berries and had gone further into the woods than I had ever gone and there it was.  I will have to fight my way through a wall of briers but I will have more blackberries than I can ever pick.  This time I will freeze some and give away more pies.  Of course my wife will have to bake them.

To get back to the birds, who I do not see right away when I get up, sometimes I am not really here and I am in some different place and at some different time.  It might take a few hours to settle down in the present and do nothing for awhile.  Then I will notice the birds who come in a steady stream all day.  I just have to slow down.  And do nothing.  For awhile.

Tags: berry bushes, bird-feeders, bird-watching, birds, blackberries, blackberry pie, cats, daffodils, deer-tick, dogs, eight cats, flowers, four dogs, my wife, pets, pies, plants, post office, raspberries, raspberry pie, ticks, woods
Posted in animals, balance, beauty, birds, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, nature, seasons, time | No Comments »