Parchment Paths

            Wilkes-Barre. We all know it for one reason or another. Maybe for the two colleges squeezed unto the same street, maybe for The Fine Arts Fiesta or possibly The Kirby Theater. Or maybe you know it because the best library book sale in perhaps the state also takes place in Wilkes Barre.             Like most communities in North Eastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre has its own local ghost stories. As in most ghost stories, the dark past does not stay buried forever.             Francis hadn’t heard the stories though she grew up just a few towns over from The Diamond City. As an adult, she found herself working at The Shady Oaks Nursing Home by the Susquehanna River.  At first glance, it seemed to be a standard nursing home, a cute name and elderly patients crowding the T.V. room no ma...

                       The light is dim; the air is musty, and yet there is something else lingering in this house. House, it can hardly be called a home any more, if it ever was.  How could it have been with its macabre paintings and its ghastly past?              The trouble is, that ghastly past is so vague and yet it hovers over the house like the dust that lays on every surface.  You need only to creep in through the broken windows, edge your way over the broken floors and come to the main staircase with its askew red carpet to see what I mean. Look at those skeletal paintings atop the stairs. Were they placed there for a Halloween party? Stories say no, they were part of the home’s normal décor.  What does that tell you? Maybe nothing, maybe everything.  Stop by some time and find o...

        Opening weekend of the Pennsylvania RenaissanceFaire looked different this year, the masks, less crowds, no wondering performers, actors, or vendors. Some performers, vendors, and shows were missing from past seasons.   Notably missing were the Lady Mayor, the Grave digger, The Bee Folks, and Human Chess.       While, I couldn’t help but notice the changes, I kept thinking, “I’m actually here, it’s actually open.”  Most faires made the painful but understandable decision to close this season. I can only imagine how difficult that was for all involved.       That being said, those of us who call the PRF home are so blessed that we can walk through the gates at all, We can see shows, shop, and enjoy good food and drink.       Yes, the shire is quieter, some vendors and performers could not join us, yet, the shire is open. For an entire day, I was home again. I bought incense and soap fro...

  This Tuesday I finally made it back to my local farmer’s market. It’s been around a year since I was there last and I’ve missed it. There’s just something special about coming home and making a sandwich with bread from a local bakery and a tomato from a local farmer and then washing it down with cider from a local orchard.   I know that the people who sold me the honey crisp apples either grew or picked them, maybe both. The couple who sold me the bread and cookies baked them.   The market doesn’t just provide me with healthier food and allows me to support local business, it keeps my community connected. This year has been difficult for everyone, which makes community connections even more important than usual. I try to support local businesses whenever I can. We will get through this, it will just take some time.    

I returned a library book today,  a book I finished months ago. It's been sitting on my shelf  Waiting to go home.   Finally, today it did.  This simple event made me wonder what else could go back to  normal? 

As a Disney fan, I was moved to tears to read that Walt Disney’s lamp was still being lit in Disneyland.  During Walt’s life, he had an apartment on Main Street in Disneyland in California. Whenever he was there, he’d turn on a lamp in a street facing window to let people know he was there. After his death, cast members continued to light the lamp as a reminder that his spirit would always be in Disneyland.   Some even claim that his spirit literary  resides in the lamp. The park is closed now due to the Corona Virus, but maintenance and security continue to maintain the grounds. They also keep Walt’s light lit.   The light reminds visitors and furloughed workers that someday they will be welcomed back. It reminds the remaining staff that they while conditions seem bleak now, the light will always be there. Their co-workers will come back, visitors will come back, and happiness will come back. Things seem dark right now all around us, jobs have been lost...

We are not superheros. We do not wear capes, or even scrubs. We run registers and stock shelves. We keep you fed, clothed, entertained, and well.  Please, respect that. We only want to work and pay the bills. We do not want to die because you want to shop. Your "get out of the house" shopping trip is our hazardous situation.