Reunion

Family, friends and acquaintances had a reunion at the Orchard View Swim club in Schnecksville, PA two months ago, where we celebrated the good memories of our childhoods. Childhood friends occupy an intimate place in our minds that people we meet later in life do not, for the honest, immature brain connects emotionally rather than intellectually, and those bonds form memories uncomplicated and pure. The pool was built in an empty field only a few hundred yards to the rear of our house when I was five years old, so my siblings and I spent many hours swimming recreationally and on the competitive team that swam against other clubs from the Allentown area. Some of the people in the picture were close neighbors and close friends so we played football and capture the flag and camped out and did other things that kids do. In retrospect I consider myself to have had an idyllic childhood roaming through the fields chasing insects and fishing and feeling unconditionally loved and accepted by my parents and siblings. In later life I learned that a secure childhood was not the experience of many people, so I thank my parents and fate for having born me into those circumstances. Most of the people in the picture concur that Schnecksville was a wonderful place to have grown up during a time when children played freely until dusk without fear of violence and without the overly structured childhoods and internet related problems that seem to burden modern children. It was a golden age in my memory at least. Time of course has formed many new lines on our faces and some bulges on the belly, which prompted me to joke to one of the young lifeguards sitting nearby- “...just think, in fifty years you too can look like this!” And we all hoped that their memories would be as pleasant.

Beaver Meadows

Walked the Beaver Meadow Loop near Marienville, PA yesterday, a three mile circle that originates over a dam then crosses through decidous, pine and spruce woods, before crossing a boardwalk at the opposite end of the pond and circling back on the opposite side. The local drought has lowered the water level at the far end, and most of the gulleys and smaller streams along the trail are dry. I have not walked this trail since the dog died in 2018, and found it to be a well defined single track for most of it's length, with sections that once were the railroad bed of a narrow guage train used for logging in the late 1800's. The trail is mostly flat with mild inclines and roots as the worst impediment to hiking, although I wondered why it does not more closely follow the pond circumference. Perhaps the dam-built by the WPA in 1936-once flooded a much larger area so the route delberately avoided old bogs. The campground shown on the map was dismantled a decade ago, and the area is not used much in the present day.

Drill baby Drill

The gasoline tax in Pennsylvania is 57.6 cents per gallon, which here in Warren translates to $3.59 per gallon as I write this. United Refinery Company produces the gasoline in town and manages their 'Quik Fill' chain of stations, which always charge more than in surrounding towns despite being mere yards from the source. Every station in town, which includes an 'independent' Sheetz , charges the exact same price and changes their price up or down within seconds of one another. The same gas in Erie, 65 miles west and in Marienville, 45 miles south, often costs 20 cents less. The gasoline in New York state, about 15 miles north costs 20 cents less, owing partially to a ten cent lower tax rate there. Most local residents assume that price gouging and collusion to maintain a monopoly-perhaps by threats by United to refuse to sell gas to any stations that seek to charge less-is what accounts for the high prices in Warren. Fortunately the cheaper gas in New York means that whenever we go north for groceries or some other reason we fill our tanks there. Occasionally people will drive thirty miles to the Seneca Indian resevation in southern New York where there are no taxes and so gasoline is presently $2.95 a gallon. United procures their raw crude oil from western Canada, although "in larger markets like Erie or Buffalo, gas stations must compete with numerous suppliers, which drives prices down." So Warren's relative isolation and lack of competition allow United to control the market. It is ironic that in this economically depressed area of the nation people consistently pay some of the highest prices in the nation, which at the moment averages $3.18 per gallon nationwide. Still, I witness drivers in parking lots sitting in their cars and trucks with the engine running for fifteen minutes sometimes, so apparently the cost is not so egregious as it seems. Beth and I have considered electric vehicles, but our present travel needs and finances still favor convential gasoline models. My Mirage obtains 47 mpg and the Outback 29-30, but until costs come down-which our government does not allow when it forbids Chinese imports-we cannot justify the purchase except in terms of climate and pollution reduction. Solar panels for the Warren house also would not pay for themselves in our lifetimes, so we are forced to admit our hypocrisy in advocating for cleaner energy while using it only in our bicycles and lawn equipment; our conscience does suffer for it.

Dry July and August

Beth and I rode our bikes on a bike path on the Seneca resevation in southern New York on Monday,Sept 1st, where the Little Valley Creek had dried up upstream of the Allegheny River. Along that path we also passed a large mudpuddle that was filled with hundreds of fish that had been isolated from a main pond. Today I returned to that place and found road access about a mile away, so I walked in with a net and bucket and rescued several dozen fish to the deeper water. I was surprised to find large catfish gasping for oxygen among the smaller sunfish, and caught whatever I could to take to safety. Near the puddle was a great blue heron that had found easy picking among the trapped fish, so Nature's seeming 'cruelty' can be a blessing for another species. As a human being I followed my impulse to help, knowing that droughts are a natural pheneomenon, but also that they are being exacerbated by human climate change. UPDATE: I returned to the puddle today,Sept.9th, where what remained was a muddy pool about three inches deep and six by four feet wide. All but a few sunfish had been eaten by herons and raccoons, yet to my surprise four catfish ranging from 6 to 10 inches were still alive. I netted them and perhaps 3 smaller fish along with two dozen tadpoles and transferred them to the larger pond. With no rain predicted for the upcoming week, the few fish and remaining tadpoles will die. UPDATE: Sept.13th- The first 2 pictures show the dried mud that has become the graveyard of the remaining tadpoles, now being eaten by flies and bees. Less than two weeks of evaporation killed the hundreds of fish and tadpoles that I had originally tried to save...

We had a nice visit with daughter in law Barb and granddaughter Renley this past weekend, visiting the Phipps conservatory and the aviary in Pittsburgh. The city-about a 2 1/2 hour drive south for us- is one of the more picturesque in the nation I think, located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which together form the Ohio river. The Ohio eventually enters the Mississippi in Illinois. I do not possess a smart phone, but am thankful that Beth does when traveling, for the contorted turns needed to navigate through Pittsburgh are much easier with GPS. Otherwise I prefer paper maps; there is something satisfying about holding an Atlas and being able to trace ones progress and destination with a glance. The picture was taken by Barb near the top of the 'incline', a cable car offering this view from a nearby ridge.

Ukraine

There was a fundraiser in Warren last night at the woman's club, attended by a few dozen people, many whom have been helping Ukraine since the beginning of the war. The pictures include local Piper and Ogla from Poland, Myself and Iwona from Poland and Beth and Lena from Ukraine. The following synopsis describes what has been going on here and there: >>Matt McKissock, a resident of Warren County, was moved by the destruction in Ukraine and wanted to contribute to relief efforts... He co-founded the Ukraine Relief Initiative, a group aimed at assisting Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Warren community members have also been supporting Ukrainian refugees through a community center in Krakow, Poland, demonstrating a global impact... A Warren-based non-profit called WARRN has been established to support refugees settling in the area, including Ukrainians. This organization assists with matters like plane tickets, transportation, English classes, and housing.<< Local business owner Piper was one of the first to accompany McKissock to Poland and has been there 8 times since. She was the woman who influenced Beth and me to become involved. When they arrived in Poland, the Warren people went from not having any plan other than the desire to help, to purchasing a building in Krakow and establishing a community center.That refuge offers food and other needed supplies, language classes, sports programs and other forms of support for the thousands of war refugees who fled, and continue to flee Ukraine. Olga from Poland and Ukrainian refugee Lena help run the center and fund raise, Iwona is a research psychologist who provides counseling in Krakow and is researching how a grass roots organization from Warren continues to flourish when many other aid groups from 2022 have disappeared. The answer to that question seems to be a committed empathy and determination to do what is right regardless of an American government that has lost it's moral compass. Together people from both here, Ukraine and Poland have been able to offer hope to the displaced Ukrainians-many of them elderly-who literally have nothing to return to. No home, no families, no money. Poland is not their home and many return anyway, but until the war ends their future is uncertain. The center gives mostly women a place to recover and gain back their confidence and hope and skills to move into a better life when the war finally does end. Most Ukrainian men are not permitted to leave the country, and most would not leave even if allowed, preferring to defend their soil against Russia and Putin-described accurately by the late John McCain as a murdurous mafia posing as a country...The family that Beth and I are sponsoring were refugees in Krakow at the beginning of the war, having fled Bucha where the Russians were massacring civilians. The mother and two children returned to be with their husband and stayed with grandparents in Moshchun for some months, but that house was bombed. Aid groups then provided a modular house for the family while the grandparents stayed in their partially repaired home. We continue to send money monthly and recently bought a boiler system so that they may heat the house. Moshchun and nearby Kyiv endure almost nightly drone strikes. The Ukraine Relief Initiative here in Warren continues to accept donations, and a Facebook page provides more information.

Pride and My Response to the Baptists, in language they might understand...

“The Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly voted to call for the overturning of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.” >It is difficult to comprehend how a religion that purports to represent God could endorse the discrimination and prejudice which the above vote indicates. Apparently neither you nor your congregation truly understand the tolerant, inclusive compassion that defines spiritual love and enlightenment. Your emphasis on sexual acts rather than the love and respect shared between homosexuals is not what the bible emphasizes. Your complete trust in ancient texts written by middle eastern males during a time of patriarchy rather than following the spirit of love within each of us is also questionable. In truth, homosexuality is common within God's creations: “ While the exact reasons for homosexual behavior in animals are still being studied, scientists believe it can play a role in social bonding, strengthening relationships, and even co-parenting. Dolphins, bonobos, lions, giraffes, and sheep are known for same-sex sexual behavior. Some male sheep exhibit a lifelong preference for other males. Penguins, albatrosses, and flamingos have been observed engaging in homosexual behaviors, including pair-bonding. Squid, snails, fruit flies, and roundworms also exhibit same-sex sexual behavior. Same-sex interactions have also been documented in reptiles like garter snakes and amphibians like the American toad. The prevalence of homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom challenges traditional views of sexuality and challenges the notion that it is unnatural." As the Creator of all things and the giver of free will to humans, Love is the reason we are here. Compassion for humanity and other life forms is why we are here. To spread joy and acceptance rather than hate and division are why we are here. Lofty goals which your beliefs do not embrace, no matter how you attempt to justify them with biblical references. The separation of church and state exists for the precise purpose of preventing the bigotry of some religious beliefs. The government does not force you to believe in or practice homosexuality, it seeks to protect gay relationships with the same legal protections that heterosexual marriage entails. In fact, one wonders why some ‘Christian’ businesses seek to exclude serving homosexuals, but do not ask a customer if they beat their wives or abuse their children. Please re -examine the origins of your views and endorse a more inclusive, holistic interpretation of the Bible that includes All of God's wondrous Creations.< -W. Jacobs