East Coast Happenings

[Diane Amberg]

They're b-a-a-ck. This is UD move in weekend and Newark is crammed with lost parents and kids overloaded with boxes.One learns when not to bother trying to go down town and we have to add back at least 10 minutes to our travel time all over the area. In about two weeks it gets better. we're still doing some downsizing and shifting aound with our house. I thought we had found a new owner for my very old  piano, but it didn't work out. We commited homicide on it this morning and the city will take the remains to the piano grave yard later this week. I kept the pretty top and the music stand front to do something with some day.

[Diane Amberg]

It's amazing how fast things can change. After finally giving up, having my piano moved to the curb, and arranging to have the city come get it, things happened quickly.  Wednesday evening we heard music coming from the curb and found one of our older neighbors having a great time playing it. He was sad that we hadn't found a home for such a professional piano that was just a tiny bit out of tune. The next morning ,when a lot of people walk their dogs ,again I heard very well played classical music coming from the piano out at the curb. Al was up stairs ,put up the window and yelled down that they could have it if they wanted it. It was the family from the next cross street down ,same number as ours, 23, only about 5 houses away. The 16 year old daughter plays very well and it was love at first sight. It was the Pastor's family from the local Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Nice folks. We occasionally have swapped mail when it was delivered to the wrong 23.
Turns out they have a good friend who is a professional piano tuner and restorer. He came out that after noon to take a look. (In the meantime we called off the city pick up.) He said it was exactly the kind of piano that is worth restoring. It has a great sound board still, and just barely needs any work ( Weaver Upright Grand) He and the daughter are going to put new felts on the hammers, tune it and it will be ready for another generation of piano lessons. He is going to teach her to tune it and she will be able to care for it herself. We gave them back the pieces we had removed, but not damaged. He brought a piano mover's dolly with him and they loaded it on and pushed it home. It was a delight to see it going down the street with the whole family,Tabitha, her brothers, sisters, parents and their friend, pushing it along. I am so pleased it got a good home. I have visiting rights. HA!
   On a much sadder note, most of you know I did grow up out the country, six miles from here in nearby PA, in a big 1870 Victorian house with a barn, chicken houses, etc. Sunday evening we had a nasty thunder storm blow through this whole area. The current owners of our old place were not home, except for the 17 year old daughter who was upstairs,  in what had been my sister's room, doing homework. Suddenly there was a huge crack of lightning that hit the barn, which is rather close to the house. The place is right on top of a hill, so the house had always had lightning rods because strikes are common, but nothing this huge. She called 9-11 and got out, thank goodness. All the surrounding fire companies, 8 of them, were called. It was really creepy hearing my old address dispatched for a working barn fire.  The radiant heat from the burning barn set the house siding on fire and damaged anything else that was near by.The firefighters did save the house and made a good stop on the barn as far as that goes. They saved the attached wood shed and water curtains saved the line of work trucks parked out side and up wind from the barn. There is no public water out there so they had to set up tanker relays from a mother tanker that got water from about a mile away at a hydrant just inside the Delaware line.
They run a landscape and yard business there .Unfortunately a lot of his smaller equipment and business supplies were in the barn and were a total loss. He will rebuild of course, and hopes his insurance will cover it all. A lot of happy childhood memories were associated with that 1870 barn.

[Mom70x7]

What a sad experience with the barn and the fire - and how wonderful that as much was saved as was. It sounds like an old-fashioned fire-line, almost. 

As far as the piano goes -        

Hearing the music coming from the curb must have been a delight both times, and any time a piano is saved is a good time. Happy memories going with the piano and soon-to-start with the piano. The pictures in my mind are delightful.

A true win-win. 

[Diane Amberg]

The barn fire and a photo of it made the front page of the Chester County Press, which is one of the weekly papers for the area where I grew up. Among other people, they interviewed my sister, who went there after I called her. She got some of the facts wrong about the history of the house, but that's no surprise and isn't important.

[Diane Amberg]

It's 9-11 one again. Always remember, don't let it fade away into history.

[Diane Amberg]

I thought I'd spend a few minutes on here this morning.Haven't had my dose of Kansas gloom and negativity yet today, although it is raining, so the gloom and doom folks may be out there somewhere. I'm not sure why they think anyone enjoys reading all that. We are all bombarded with that everywhere we look now. Thank goodness for Public Television and ROKU and such.
My hummers have gone, but I left the feeder up and have had some migrants stop by on their way to Mexico.
Newark Community Day was held up and down the U D green last Sunday. It was a perfect day and there were some 15,000 people enjoying it all. We had our usual fire company tent up on The Green and gave out fire safety materials . We do a ''spin the wheel" game where the kids spin a wheel and have to answer a fire safety question to win a prize. Very successful and fun.
Al had his scoping again yesterday. It seemed to be OK, but we have to wait for the the biopsy results.
I had my own physical and EKG in prep for cataract surgery next month.  I've developed an electrical problem in my heart. It's a left bundle branch block, (LBBB) which is just a sign of an aging heart.The electrical impulses are slower passing through the heart tissue on their way to cause the chamber to contract.  Nothing is done for it, at least not now.
It's starting to look like fall here and the cooler weather is very nice, although we've had a very mild summer altogether. My BIL and SIL are coming in from AZ soon. I'm really looking forward to that. She also told us we're going to be great Aunt and Uncle next March. The first little people on either side of my family in many, many years. Whoopee!
You may have seen it on the news ...We had a tour bus flip over near here last Sunday with 58 injuries, two deaths and several more still very critical. All our mass casualty training was put to use for that one! We had 18 ambulances, including two of ours, a bus for the walking wounded and two helicopters taking multiple trips to 5 hospitals and treatment centers. All the victims were orientals from NYC and had been on a three day trip to Washington.The driver has been charged with those deaths.
Have a great day all.

[Nancy]

Nice to hear from you again.

[Catwoman]

Hope you and your hubby are both doing well!!!!  Thinking about you and sending you some Kansas sunshine!!!!!!! 

[Diane Amberg]

 Hi Nancy and Cat.Thanks, we are doing OK and enjoying our own sunny weather... with your infusion of Kansas sun ,we can't miss! HA! Fire prevention requests are flooding in now so it must almost be October.

[Diane Amberg]

Yesterday was a whirl of emotions. We had fun at a friend's 50th birthday party yesterday evening, but spent the afternoon sick with worry over an acquaintances 8 year old daughter. The family had been dog sitting the SIL's pit bull and it attached the 8 year old daughter, locked on a bit her arm off... a baby sitter was at the house at the time...can you imagine? Our EMT's responded and made arrangements for her to be flown to AI DuPont hospital for children, who then made arrangements for the chopper to take her on up to Children's Hospital in Philly, where two microsurgery teams were waiting. It took more than six hours, but they were able to use an artery from her leg to help reattach the badly damaged arm. It will be some time before they know if the surgery will be successful.They don't know how much ,if any function she will regain. Unfortunately the dog had flipped out so badly that the police had to shoot the dog to get it off the little girl, even after it had bitten her so badly. So sad.