Larry S. Geier Sr., who was best known for riding in parades and around town with his basset hounds on his motorcycle, died Sunday the 23rd. He was 64.
I never talked to Larry. I didn't even know that was his name until columnist Mike Argento wrote a story on him a few years back. But I'd seen Larry - and the bassets, Felony and Malicious Mischief - so many times that I felt I did know him.
And it's a sight that I, and probably many others around York County, will definitely miss.
Thanksgiving's over. The Black Friday shopping rush is done. So what does that mean? It's time to start thinking about CHRISTMAS!
And nothing says a York County Christmas like Christmas Magic at Rocky Ridge County Park. The event is celebrating its 25th year in 2008, and it's officially open as of last night.
And today is my 26th birthday, so I'm going to wish both Christmas Magic and I a WONDERFUL next year and more to come!
(As a side note, I've never been to Christmas Magic. I HATE the cold. I'm really thinking of going this year, because how can I call myself a Yorker if I don't??)
Courtesy of my daughter, Sarah:
It's a turkey... made from an apple, raisins, mini marshmallows and candy corn. This was a Girl Scout project this week, and it looked too cute to eat!
Here's wishing all of you and yours a very happy, plentiful Thanksgiving. Click for a holiday food surprise.
(And click here if you're not sure what the heck to do with that turkey!)
Well, guess what? The newspaper company is giving away two pairs of tickets - and the grand-prize winner will also get to meet and greet with David. I'm soooo jealous! (I can't enter because I work here, of course.)
If you win the chance to meet him, you have to let me know so I can pick your brain. Sorry, I'm that obsessed!
I mentioned yesterday that reader Mark gave a good explanation behind why people like to dip their french fries in a Wendy's Frostee.
His thoughts? "Sweet AND Salty! Such as Scrapple and Syrup, I have noticed that Yorkers like their food sweet and salty together. Everyone hold your lunch...here is a brief list of what I find (family learned) tasty..."
He goes on to mention his love of scrapple with King Syrup, as well as Ritz Crackers and Rutter's Chocolate Marshmallow Ice cream (using the cracker for a scoop), the now-famous Frostee Fries, and of course fluffernutter.
He wants to know if this is a personal thing, or if it's regional? "I know other people in York that share some of these tastes with me and have not witnessed this outside of York (I lived in and around Baltimore for almost 15 years)," he writes.
What do you think? Sweet and salty? The example that comes to mind for me is Mack's in Dover Township, where they put a mini pretzel wheel on top of your ice cream cone. Maybe that goes to help prove Mark's point! What do you think? Are there other examples of sweet/salty that you like, that I'm missing?
I got lots of answers.
Of course, there's ketchup. That's my choice for fry condiment. But I'm open-minded, so I accepted other answers too.
Joe mentions the "disgusting combo of ketchup and mayo." I think he's right... that's disgusting. But I've seen it done!
Jo says vinegar. If you've walked by a Bricker's fries stand at the fair or any other local event, you've definitely smelled this one. (Although I know people who swear that vinegar is only for Thrasher's Fries at the Ocean City, Md., boardwalk, not for "local fries.")
Mark likes his with Old Bay; I think that's a good choice. He also mentions vinegar (and Thrasher's!), as well as melted cheese "stuff," and ketchup.
In an earlier comment, though, Mark brought up the most interesting french-fry topping. This one, my friend Kara likes.
It's... Wendy's Frostee (vanilla, right Kara?) as a dip for fries.
My personal opinion on that one? EWWWWW!!! But Mark mentions a good reason behind the Frostee-Fries combo. I'l leave you in suspense for today... more on that topic tomorrow!
For my friends who like all things Pennsylvania Dutch... just finished editing this item for the Weekly Record. It's a couple of weeks away, but this way you can plan ahead!
"A Little German Christmas" program will be noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Collinsville Library in Chanceford Township.
Gerry Kershner, author of "Pennsylvania Dutch Christmases," will be available to answer questions. There will also be Amish carriage rides, jewelry making, German hand arts of wheat-weaving and paper-cutting, and primitive gourds. There will be entertainment, a bake sale and a soup-and-sandwich sale, a book sale and children's crafts.
For details, call 927-9014.
It's Saturday in York County. (And heavens, we've had "bad weather." We need bread, toilet paper and milk, ain't so?) So where do you go?
Well, if you're MY family, it's definitely here:
In our case, we headed out to the West York Wal-Mart today for our big grocery order. Holy cow, was that place packed. And the turkey section... boy, was that a madhouse!!While we were there, we ran into my friend Nina's parents and younger brother, doing their shopping.
So what's with the bread-milk-toilet paper phenomenon? I don't know, but our commenters on the winter weather story yesterday even picked up on it.
Guess that qualifies as a true "Only in York County."
Really, I don't like snow. But there's something about the first snowfall of the year that does make me a little happy.
I took this picture of the tiny bit of accumulation driving north on Bull Road outside of Dover, while running errands today.
This really doesn't do justice to how peaceful and pretty it looked.
Meanwhile, I'm just glad I don't live a little further east; my mother-in-law, outside of Philadelphia, got 5 inches this morning!
It's REALLY getting cold outside, and I hate it. But I'm lucky; I work inside.
Unlike this guy:
That photo was taken this morning by Jason Plotkin, one of our staff photographers. In it, Bob Decker, a crossing guard at the corner of Philadelphia and Broad streets in York, is bundled up against the morning cold Thursday as he eyes traffic during his morning shift near Goode Elementary School.
Those of you who know me well know that I am NOT a cook. We're very lucky that my mom lives with us and sees to our dietary needs, because otherwise, Hubby would be eating even more ramen than he currently does.
But Sunday night, Mom was tired and I was feeling ambitious, so I made dinner. And, in the style of my friend Megan, I thought I'd take some pictures and show you how it came out.
What I made was chicken fajitas with orzo pasta.
To make the orzo, I just browned it lightly in an oil/butter mixture, then added a little bit of water and simmered it. When it was done cooking, I added some onion powder, garlic powder and grated parmesan cheese. (Mom remembered later that I should have added a boullion cube, but instead, we put seasoned salt on it after we served it.)
We had gotten a package of pre-seasoned chicken fajita strips from our recent Angel Food order. So I didn't have to do too much to them... just threw them in a skillet with a bag of mixed frozen red and green bell peppers.
Here they are cooking:
The one thing I did add was a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic. We like things garlicky.
I managed to set the table with the tortilla fixings while it was cooking. Here's the finished product!
Bonus cooking experiment: When I was done, I took the leftover tortillas, sprayed them with some olive oil, and sprinkled them with seasoned salt and garlic powder, then baked them at about 400. Homemade tortilla chips!
Every language has its "words of wisdom." I talked about fortune cookie proverbs yesterday... but today, I have something even better - Pennsylvania Dutch proverbs!
These are from November's Pennsylvania Dutch Heritage Group newsletter, which got them from "Proverbs of the Pennsylvania Germans" by Edwin Miller Fogel, Ph.D.
Vum saage was mer heert saage, Grickt mer gern uff's Maul geschlagge.
That one means "Repeating hearsay often brings punishment."
Die greeschde Sarye macht mer sich selwert.
That's "One's greatest cares are self-made."
En zweebehnichi Sau gleicht niemand.
Any guesses? It's "No one likes two-legged swine." (Um... sure!)
And one more good word of wisdom:
Saag mir mit wem du gehscht un ich saag dir wer du bischt.
"Tell me who are your friends and I will tell you what you are."
There you have it, good advice from our "Dutch" ancestors!
I just love fortune cookies. In fact, I've got almost 20 of them taped to my computer monitor.
My favorites?
"Soon life will become more interesting."
"Your life gains the stability you desire." (Now, which one is it??)
"If you chase two rabbits, both will escape."
"Real courage is moving forward when the outcome is uncertain."
Oh, and this winner (which, to be fair, wasn't MY fortune but rather my brother-in-law's):
"You look pretty!"
So what happens when you take one of my favorite things - fortune cookies - and combine another of my favorites - the Pennsylvania Dutch lifestyle?
Find out tomorrow!!
Now, I drink a lot of Diet Pepsi. I mean, really a lot.
How much, you ask?
Well, some of you know that last Christmas, I acquired an iPod nano. As of today, I have 201 songs, 13.8 hours of music, on said iPod. And it's only a little more than half full.
And all but about a dozen songs on there came courtesy of the good folks at Pepsi and Amazon, who would give you an MP3 download for every five Pepsi codes you put in. (There's one code inside the cap of every Pepsi.)
Here's the bad part: In theory, this means I drank about a thousand Pepsis since the promotion started in, I think, January of this year.
Why is this bad? Because I'm sure it's closer to 2,000. I didn't save every single cap from the bottles, and I didn't bother cutting the codes out of my 12-packs of cans when I got those. And don't get me started on all the sodas I've drank this year in restaurants...
Yikes.
It was Salvo's Pizza.
Bless you, bless you, bless you, Mandy. I was beating my head into the wall trying to remember!
Now, tonight, I have to go pick up the nuts and other goodies that she sold as a fundraiser.
And soon enough, it'll be Girl Scout Cookie Time... my diet is already in danger!!
I was hoping for more response on my intentions to see David Byrne in concert and perhaps get a tattoo of some of his song lyrics.
I wanted to give a big "thank you" to my sister Louise, whose husband sports a massive number of tattoos, for some good advice on safety, should I go that route.
And I want to say hi! to new commenter Laura, who is also a David Byrne fan and a soon-to-be Yorker. Laura, if you're going to the show, you'll have to let me know.
Meanwhile, in other concert news and weird relatedness, one of my staffers, Matt, went to see Smashing Pumpkins in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday... a day after I posted about a real-life pumpkin smashing!
For those of you who don't know the staffers of the York Daily Record, we're an eclectic bunch. One of the most unusual among us is Tom Joyce, our political reporter.
Tom's a good guy, and this weekend, something not-so-good happened to him. You have to read it to believe it, but his blog post title says a lot: Smashing Pumpkins.
Go read his post and show Tom some love!
Those of you who've been reading for a while know that, since this summer, I've been on a quest to get a bit healthier and lose those last ::cough:: pounds. Wait, sorry, you didn't hear that? Sad to say, it's somewhere in the 25-or-so range.
Here are some previous posts about my health and exercise efforts. The short version is, I've been exercising with my best friend, and for the last couple of months, we've been doing that at the local Planet Fitness.
Well, I made a big leap this weekend. Instead of just going as his "guest," which means I never go more than a couple of times a week when we get together, I sprang for my own Planet Fitness membership.
Here's my new membership card. Aren't you proud of me?
So far, I did some cardio on Saturday, when I joined, and again last night. I'm hoping to go again tonight and do some weight training.
Wish me luck!
I've got a soft spot for big, fuzzy animals. (If you've met or seen photos of my dog, you shouldn't be surprised.) So it's no wonder I just love alpacas.
Well, one local alpaca farm is having an open house this Saturday, so if you like these amazing creatures as much as I do, maybe you should check it out.
Alpacas of Sunset Fields, in Codorus Township, near Glen Rock, is having the open house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The day will feature a seminar on raising alpacas, and owner Kate McKelvie will display and sell all sorts of alpaca items, she said.
Want your own alpaca? Breeding stock will be available at reduced prices for the day, and those who are new to raising alpacas or interested in getting started can purchase a DVD with instructions on the care and maintenance of these animals. And if you want to find out more about the open house, including directions, visit www.sunsetfields.com or call 235-5661.
Want a peek at the farm's alpacas? Check out these photos, submitted by Kate:
I got this joke third-hand... it's from a Web site called "Traditional Amish Enterprises," which was referenced in a colomn in the Lancaster New Era called "The Scribbler," which was reprinted in the Pennsylvania Dutch Heritage Group's November newsletter.
And now you get it!
Did you hear about the Amish flu?
There are just two symptoms. First, you get a little hoarse... then, you get a little buggy!
I kill me.
Jo was kind enough to invite me to a recent apple butter-making weekend in North Codorus Township, which I ended up getting ill and missing.
But she was then even more kind and shared some photos of the two-day event with me. Take a look:
It's ketchup!
Specifically, Heinz Ketchup. I hate any other brand of ketchup. (Thanks to Dan for pointing out that distinction in a conversation the other day.)
We were talking about what we put on McDonald's chicken nuggets. (Yes, they're a diet no-no... but they're soooo good...) I maintain that I'm strictly a ketchup girl, no sweet-and-sour or barbecue or honey mustard. Not that those aren't good, but ketchup's better.
That reminded me of something Mark had mentioned in a previous comment... I'll leave you in suspense, if you haven't read his comment already, but here's your next pop quiz... what is an appropriate York County condiment for french fries? (Multiple correct answers here, so vote early and often.) I'll weigh in on that (fattening) subject in a coming post.
Here's the Girl, in her Halloween skeleton finest:
She had fun! Hubby came home from work, and joined by him, Big!Fluffy!Dog! and my best friend's two kids, we made a quick loop around our neighborhood, which took less than an hour. That's OK, they got plenty of candy.
And, because I live in the greatest neighborhood ever, I got my own treat - several of the families in our neighborhood were passing out adult beverages to the grown-ups with the trick-or-treaters, something to keep us warm and mellow on a chilly evening with screaming children everywhere.
Lots of fun!
Jo went to Muddy Creek Forks in Brogue, Chanceford Township, recently, as part of a surprise trip with the local historical society.
She took this nice photo of Muddy Creek that I wanted to share:
One thing you'll notice... people around here don't call it "Brogue," though that's the village's name. They call it the Brogue. Why, I don't know! Maybe it works like saying "the Susquehanna Trail" or something.
On Dec. 4, I get to hear David Byrne play at the Strand!
Hubby got tickets for us as a joint birthday present.
For those of you who don't know, David is a co-founder of the Talking Heads, and he's done some great solo work musically and in art. I last heard him in Harrisburg in 2004 as part of his last concert tour.
He's seriously my favorite musician ever. I'm seriously debating getting a tattoo in the coming months, and the top choice right now is a line from one of his songs.
Don't suppose there are other Byrne fans out there reading this, are there?
... and because I do, here are a couple of sites around the good ol' Internet that regularly tickle my funny bone. As a warning - some of these sites contain posts that might not be suitable for work or kids; other times, they contain stuff so funny yet so appropriate that I'm showing it to my 8-year-old. So use some good judgment.
Passive-Agressive Notes: passiveaggressivenotes.com
You almost have to see these to believe them. Like the note taped to a work fridge that says "I know the Dow just dropped 600 points. But please don't eat lunches that are not yours. Thnx."
Failblog: failblog.org or, to see only G-rated "fails," failblog.org/tag/g-rated.
Here's a good newspaper-related fail:
see more pwn and owned pictures
Finally, here's a Youtube video that almost makes me want to turn vegetarian:
So, tickle my funny bone some more... where do you find funny stuff online?
If you read this blog, you're probably interested in York County. And if you happen to have lifelong ties to York, you might be interested in the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, which happens to be holding its November meeting today.
The group is going to meet at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 309 S. George St. in York. Business meeting is at 2:15 p.m.; then, at 2:30, there's going to be a program on the history of St. Mary's Parish, from 1852 to the present day, presented by longtime parish member James Geubtner.
The society says anyone is welcome. If you want details on today's event or want to learn more about the society, you can call Cynthia Hartman at 927-9396.
Here's one I've heard a few times in recent weeks. I don't think it's York-specific; in fact, I think it's just old-fashioned, but I'm open to discussion.
It's that someone has "been doctoring" for an ailment, instead of "been seeing the doctor."
It does fit the Yorkism tradition of economy of words, though!
Anyone else familiar with this one?
