Parchment Paths

  Sometimes we miss out on beauty because we have very specific expectations about where to find it. We see impossibly bright fall foliage on Instagram and think, “I need to find that place. That is where true beauty lies.”           Yet today, I found beauty sitting in a Barnes and Nobel on a grey, drizzly day. The café windows look out unot the parking lot and above the clumps of cars and the local Lowes are hills dusted with pale green, yellow and red trees. Above the trees stretched a grey sky. It was beautiful, faded like an antique painting tucked away behind racks at a thrift store.

  For my birthday this year a friend took me to a local cat café, Purrfect Mugs in Plains, PA.   For a surpise, she booked us time in the Cat Den.   Some cat cafes gave the felines mingling in the café, but at Purrfect Mugs they have their own separate room. It was $10 a person for almost an hour playing with the cats of all shapes, sizes, colors, and personalities.    My favorite was the adorably grumpy, big cat Klondike, though fluffy, sweet Foxy, Patsy Cline, and Linus were awesome. Honestly, they were all great cats, and aside from the resident cat Sterling, all of them are up for adoption. Note: the cats mentioned by name here may have already been adopted by the time you are reading this.  Before going in to visit the cats, we both ordered iced cinnamon roll lattes and blueberry almond cookies. They were both delicious and I was pleasantly surprised that we were allowed to take our drinks into the cat den.  While they don’t serve sandwiches or what I consider to be meal items,

  This July Dad and I visited the historic town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. Renamed for 1912 Olympian, the town dates back to 1818. When the local railroad’s inventive new switchback railroad made the town both prosperous and famous  it became quite the tourist attraction.            Walking along the streets, you can still see the town’s Victorian roots.   Many of the surviving mansions are still sanding as Bed and Breakfasts, other businesses or private homes.           While Dad and I had some specific places we wanted to visit, me moslty meandered through the town.   We were both surprised how busy the town was for a Monday  and were glad we found a space in the parking lot by the train station. We paid $8 for the whole day and it made the trip much less stressful than if we would have had to hunt for street parking.   The town is awesome but be warned, parking is scarce if you can’t get into the lot, so get into town as early as you can.           After looking around a bi

  The Electric City Aquarium is a small aquarium nestled into what used to be the Steamtown Mall, now The Marketplaceat Steamtown , located in Scranton PA.   For those asking, yes, this is the same Scranton PA the TV series The Office takes place in and the old mall is mentioned a few times in the show, though the new name and aquarium did not exist at the time of the show.           In order to arrive at The Marketplace, I needed to do some brief navigation through the city and also finding a spot in the underground parking garage.   The website mentioned a parking a fee, but it was free the day we visited.   Once we arrived inside The Marketplace, you’ll walk through the indoor shopping space and while there is a lot of empty space there I was pleasantly surprised by how many shops and offices there were.           My niece, nephew, and I only looked around breifly, choosing to head directly to the aquarium, located in the center of the marketplace.   Again, it’s a small aquarium

  Antiquing with Dad, Poking around dusty treasures, Butter churns, stained glass, Books with yellowed pages, Glittering jewlry in cases, Action figures, shiny eyed dolls, Fur stoles and leather jackets. Forgotten family portraits, post cards Just waiting to be found And loved again.

              Last week I brought home a new addition to my home, a kitten I have named Ghost. As you may have guessed from the name, the kitten likes to hide, a lot.   Her elusiveness is understandable; she was born in my Dad’s backyard and was coaxed into a neighbor’s house for the winter. She lived there with her mother, siblings, as well as the family’s two cats and one dog. It was a full house that she was slowly adapting to when her mother and one sibling found a home.             Then, I brought her to my house where it’s mostly just me. So, she hid, sometimes so well I had no idea where she was. Once, she hid behind the washer and dryer and could not get back out. Even after the washer was moved, she was still hesitant to creep out for food, water and her litter box.             Since then, she has started to come out from her hiding spaces and explore. She will sit on top of the couch, rather than under it. She will play with her toys and eats even if I’m in the room. Prog