Parkland Press

The June 28 tragedy at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md., hit close to home for me and two of my colleagues.

Brad Simpson, chief financial officer, PA NewsMedia Association, Robin Quillon, publisher of The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, and I were meeting in a conference room just outside of the newsroom at the same newspaper that would be the topic of breaking news just a couple of hours later.

I remember one victim who walked by me. Sunglasses, hat and a grumpy hello and I said to myself ... yeah, he is a news guy.

Last week with the excessive heat wave in the Lehigh Valley, I overheard some of my neighbors talking about taking their kids to a local water park.

Shortly after hearing that conversation, I received an alert from wedmd.com about an article titled “July is Peak Time for Illness from Feces in Pools.”

The article dated June 28 and written by E.J. Mundell talked about the safety of recreational swimming in summer.

Summer is a time when many Americans spend their days swimming at water parks, community and family pools, lakes and ponds.

Nothing’s the same as it used to be;

Everything has changed, it seems to me.

No one seems to have time to play,

They hustle and bustle all through the day.

People used to be humble and kind;

Today I think people are losing their minds.

They shoot everyone they can, at will;

They walk into schools and churches to kill!

There are gangs, drive-by shootings, all over the place;

It seems there is no where that you can feel safe.

Morals, there are none; they’ve just disappeared.

To the Editor:

Some of you remember your buddy offering to change your motor oil in front of your house for a fraction of the Jiffy Lube price or flush your radiator. He even cleaned up and hosed the old oil down the gutter. Fast and cheap and you didn’t have to drive to an appointment. Those were the days.

And when your wife caught you dumping stinky paint thinner down the sink, your buddy had the answer for that, too.

What was the secret? The sewer drain at the end of the block.

How do you celebrate freedom?

In the mid-20th century members of my family and I would often gather midday on July 4 to watch the television broadcast of the movie musical “1776.”

Holiday picnics and fireworks would happen later in the day.

Among my favorite scenes in the musical remains the discussion among John Adams, embodied by Williams Daniels; Thomas Jefferson, portrayed by Ken Howard; and Benjamin Franklin, played by Howard Da Silva; about choosing the national bird.

·Center For Animal Health And Welfare, Easton, is seeking volunteers to walk dogs, assist with morning cleanings, attend off-site events to promote the shelter, cat and dog enrichment and general shelter help.

Contact Walt Hoffman at 610-252-7722 ext. 4 or cahwvolunteercoordinator@rcn.com.

·Feed The Children, Bethlehem, is looking for volunteers to join the “Weeknight Box Brigade.”

Contact Beth Baier at 610-419-9356 or beth.baier@feedthechildren.org.

·Meals on Wheels of Northampton County, Bethlehem, is seeking meal delivery volunteers age 18 and older.

An old, yellowed newspaper clipping is secured on my refrigerator with a magnet.

It reads: “You may have tangible wealth untold; caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be — I had a mother who read to me,” from “The Reading Mother” by Strickland Gillilan in “The Read Aloud Handbook”

I put this quote on my refrigerator when I was pregnant with my first child, approximately 25 years ago. I learned if I read to my children before they were born, they would recognize my voice after they were born, and that was true.

Oh my goodness, don’t get me started,

Our politicians are greatly divided!

Republicans, Democrats, it doesn’t matter,

Whatever is suggested gets torn and tattered.

It seems they lost all their direction.

They forgot the American people

Who voted for them, with affection.

They were chosen to serve this nation,

With, dignity, backbone, and pride.

But, whenever the going gets tough,

They go on vacation and hide.

Every time something needs to be done,

It becomes an imposition;

Seems nobody ever wants to give in

Pennsylvania has the unfortunate distinction of being the state with the highest number of Lyme disease cases in the country, with 12,200 cases of Lyme disease reported in 2016 (the most recent statistics to date).

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection most people get from the bite of a deer tick. If left untreated, the disease can cause serious physical and neurological problems that are hard to manage down the road.

If you are heading outdoors to go fishing, hunting, camping or enjoying other activities, I encourage you to take the proper precautions.