Odds & Ends

An older picture of me in my Irish Princess
tiara for those who said they wanted to see it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and welcome to this week's Tuesday 4. Thanks to Annie for the questions...especially welcome right now as a distraction during these days of forced social distancing. 

I don't know how things are where you are, but today is day one of a shutdown of non-essential businesses here in PA. Exceptions are grocery stores, pharmacies, medical offices, (I'm assuming) gas stations, and restaurants are open for take-out orders, but no dining in. I haven't heard anyone say anything about banks, but I have to wonder when we are hearing that we should avoid using cash due to the germs and that some venues like the PA Turnpike will not be taking cash (just drive on through and they'll snap a photo of your license plate and send you a bill). Many churches are also suspending services.

There are some good stories coming out of this crazy mess we find ourselves in and I love hearing them...like the people who shop for their elderly friends family to reduce the risk for them, or the school bus drivers in WV who are running their regular routes to deliver meals to at risk children at home, or the stores that are setting aside special hours for only senior citizens to shop. Good on all of you. I hope when this is all over we can all say that we stepped up, that we did our part to make this easier for all of us, that we didn't think only of ourselves.

Now, on to today's questions.

Odds & Ends

1. Ever been to a drive-in theater?  Many times. My town used to have one of the last ones around. It was sad to see it go.  Would you like to see drive-in theaters make a comeback?  It would be nice, as they are a really fun way for a group of people to go to a movie, but it would be tough these days with all the light pollution and noise.

2. Should towns provide community entertainment like bands in the park, fireworks on the 4th, community picnics or is the cost just too much?  Those are certainly nice things to have, but with all the other needs most communities have I'm not sure that towns should be expected to provide them. A better thing would be to have committees who can focus solely on those events and find funding or do fund-raising to pay for them. My town has a week-long July 4th celebration and that's how they run it and fund it.

3. What would you change about your town if you had the power?  Mostly just the look of the downtown area. It's neat and clean but not particularly attractive. Otherwise, I think my town is a pretty nice place to live.

4. My little high school offered 3 courses of education: business, university track, and general education where you could also major in shop, carpentry, home economics and metal working, etc. Would you like to see schools bring back business courses, shop classes, and home economics?  If they have done away with them, I certainly think they should be brought back. Our school still offers all of those. We are fortunate to have a career and technology center that serves three school districts and teaches traditional things like auto mechanics, carpentry, masonry, and plumbing but also offers training in food service, nurses' aides, graphic arts, computers, cosmetology, hair stylist, etc. Kids spend half a day in their regular high school classes and then come to the center for half a day. 

Our high school is also the only one around that still offers an agricultural track through Future Farmers of America. Kids who choose that can learn about taking care of livestock, growing plants, and the maintenance side of things like carpentry, welding, plumbing and more.