A Gathering Spot for the Cousins

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Scranton Christmas 1938-1960

Have you checked this out? There was an article in the paper about this several weeks ago. It's pretty cool. http://www.scrantonchristmas.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 18, 2009

Scranton, P A

"Scranton may not be the best place to visit…but it is the best
place to be from!"

You know you are from Scranton when……
> You can name every town between Wilkes-Barre and Carbondale (in
order!).
> You know that there is a huge difference between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.
> Your Church and favorite “beer garden” are conveniently located on the same corner.
> You know the difference between halushki and halupki.
> Your three favorite holidays are: St. Paddy’s Day, the first day of
buck season, and the night they light the Times Tower.
> You know “up da line” from “downda line”.
> Driving to your brother-in-law’s in Wilkes-Barre constitutes going out of town for Thanksgiving.
> You’re on the local funeral director’s Christmas card list And you
have one of his calendars hanging in the kitchen.
> It takes you a good three minutes to read the Sunday paper
> You’re one of the few Americans who cares where Hillary’s father is buried.
> You’re not worried about that fire plug in front of your house working because there aren’t enough firemen left to turn it on anyway.
> You know the airport’s really in Avoca.
> It’s pronounced “COOpan”, DOOOpont”, and “Troop”
> You can tell the difference between an “Irish” church and an “Italian” church just by the name.
> When giving directions you always mention at least one bar or funeral home.
> You know what a “corpse house” is.
> You insist on calling them “column banks”.
> You tell everyone from out of town that the reason you live here is because “It’s the best place in the world to raise a family,” and then complain because there’s nothing for the kids to do, no jobs except minimum wage, etc.
> You brag about your brother who has a big job in Philly.
> Your immediate family has at least one person who “works” at Tobyhanna (or “The Depot”).
> You’ve ever ridden a bus to Atlantic City, ” ‘Cause it only costs 12 bucks and they give you 10 in quarters”.
> You plan your summer vacation “to the shore” around the fireman’s and/or Church picnic.
> You love Penn State and the Yankees and hate Notre Dame and the Red Sox.
> When you were a kid you used to get your sneakers at the A-cummy.
> You would never walk down Mulberry Street at night. (or, for the older generation, Lackawanna Ave)
> You’ve never even been to Steamtown.
> As far as you’re concerned it’s “Rude 81? because you think Jersey drivers are the worst in the world.
> You pronounce the following correctly: chimbly, li-bary, sangwich, Scra-in, and brudder.
>Your chuchi lives next door to your noni.
> Kill-bossy is the main course at Christmas dinner.
> They’re HOAGIES dammit!
> Someone in your family “went tudda U”.
> You order a “tray of pizza”
> You have seen the largest pothole in the world
> You miss Sugerman’s
> You have seen an accident on Route 6 (two points if you have been in
an accident on Route 6)
> You think that all of the local town names are really part of “cotton eye joe” lyrics (thanks to krz)
> You have seen the olyphant anchor
> You have seen a war tank on the side of the road
> You know what a “smidgen” is
> You have drank keystone light for six nights in a row
> You have ever hung out in Dunkin’ Donuts or on the Old Forge Main
Street for an entire night
> You remember the Globe store (2 points if you ever ate at the Charlmont)
> You have ever felt the Steamtown Mall’s floor shake beneath your feet
> You have recently become a Syracuse Basketball fan, even though you never were before (due to Gerry McNAmara with help from Billy Celuik)
> You own a Quint’s Army or NAvy t-shirt
> You have eaten an entire box of Krispy Kreme donuts in 20 minutes
> You know who Tilly and Tony the elephants are
> You know someone who has ridden in the Grump’s cart around Lackawanna stadium
> You don’t brag about your brother who’s at least 30 and still lives at home with Mom & Dad
> You have had to explain to your buddies on your a) dart team, b)
bowling team, c)softball team, d) all of the above, that you can’t make it Wednesday night “bee-in dat” you are on swing shift
> You have at least one article of clothing with a picture of The Grump
on it that you’d never wear in public in a million years
> Your mom makes the world’s best piggies and smashed pa-tay-das
> You can’t give directions without pointing, even if you’re on the
phone
> You know the difference between the Riverside & Nebraska sections of Archbald
> You have eaten a “ha-dawg” from Coney Island
> You have ever taken the highway over to the next town just to avoid
> traffic lights
> You have ever wondered how Sneaker King keeps going out of business
> You can depict each town by the Christmas decoration on its telephone pole
> You have ever put off bringing your college friends home until St. Patty’s Day
> You are connected to everyone through at most 3 people
> You have carried a keg in the woods to party
> You spend at least two nights of La Festa week walking around in a circle
> You catch yourself singing the “Van Scoy” diamond song
> You know that Schiff’s dresses up their Mr. Schiff maniquin as Santa Claus every year
> You have ever joked about rocks falling into Wal-mart
> If only in the background, you were on local television at least once
>You hate that radio commercial that says “on Munday street, on Munday Street, that’s right, on Munday Street.”
> You, your brother, your sister, your mom, or your dad was born in CMC
> You count one, two, tree

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Happy Anniversary, Betsy and Mike!

I can't believe it's been 30 years!

Friday, October 16, 2009

BY JOSH MCAULIFFE (STAFF WRITER)
Published: October 16, 2009

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Noah Severino DeSantis was born with a disease that severely hinders his ability to breathe in his sleep.

Now some friends of the Tripp Park infant's family are banding together to raise funds that will help him, as well as his parents, rest a bit easier at night.

On Oct. 24, the Nurses for Noah fundraiser will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Tripp Park Community Center. The event will include food and beverages donated by dozens of local restaurants, a number of basket raffles and, weather permitting, a classic car display.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children 5-12, and will be available at the door.

All proceeds benefit the DeSantis Fund, which will go toward round-the-clock nursing for Noah, who just returned to Scranton after spending the past few months at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Born on June 16 at Moses Taylor Hospital, Noah, son of Anthony and Jeanne Waznak DeSantis, was transported to CHOP's neonatology intensive care unit on June 18 when his oxygen levels began to plummet.

There, he was put on a ventilator as doctors performed a battery of tests. Eventually, he was diagnosed with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, an extremely rare respiratory disorder that impairs the body's automatic control of breathing, particularly during sleep.

"He does breathe a little bit (while sleeping), but not much. Not enough to release his carbon dioxide," Mrs. DeSantis said.

Noah received a tracheotomy on July 31, and each night before bed he's hooked up to a ventilator. He will require 24-hour nursing for at least a few years.

Back home since Tuesday, Noah's "doing very well," said Mrs. DeSantis, who has another son, 2-year-old Nico.

"This is a lifelong syndrome," she said. "As of right now, there is no cure. Every kid is different. Our hope is that when he's a little bit older, he'll just need a mask to sleep with. Time will tell."

Mr. DeSantis' best friend, A.J. Zangardi, and the couple's next door neighbors, Jim and Ellen Cummings, came up with the idea for the fundraiser. According to Mrs. Cummings, about 22 residents from the Village at Tripp Park, where the DeSantises live, have stepped forward to help.

"You can't even imagine. And it's all ages," said Mrs. Cummings, noting Dunmore High School, where Mrs. DeSantis teaches, and Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, where Mrs. Cummings works, will have dress-down days in support of the cause on Oct. 23.

"One man (from the neighborhood) just stopped and handed us a check. We never saw him before," she added. "It's just been a really, really humbling experience for my husband and I."

"We're 100 percent appreciative of this," Mrs. DeSantis said. "It's extremely nice."

Contact the writer: jmcauliffe@timesshamrock.com If you go

What: Nurses for Noah Fundraiser on behalf of Noah Severino DeSantis

Where: Tripp Park Community Center, 2000 Dorothy St.

When: Oct. 24, 3 to 7 p.m.

Details: Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children 5-12, and will be available at the door. For more information, visit the Nurses for Noah page at www.facebook.com.

ARTICLE ABOUT NOAH

http://www.scrantontimes.com/arts_living/1.337563

Wednesday, October 14, 2009



I Hope You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

Dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance..
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Counting the hours .....

until Noah is at home, safe and happy in the arms of his family!