Low-key and hot holiday. Bob had a big picnic brunch with his family in Millersburg and we ended the day with a cook-out at the Battistis in Camp Hill. Hope everyone had a great weekend and that they are now safely home . . .

Quiet day. Nothing to report. Almost too warm for comfort. Bob and I spent a great part of the day on the stoop chatting with friends on their way to ArtFest. With attendance projected to be between 300,000 to 400,000 the $5 charge will produce nearly a million dollars at least . . . The city will take note, so don't be surprised if the MusicFest on July 4th and September's Kipona also inaugurate a gate fee . . .

A pleasant day but with a lot fewer people on the street than I had expected . . . Finished unpacking our most recent order of books and cards. The One Pot French cookbook ($19.95) is back in stock. New gift books for people turning 40 or 50. Don't exactly know how to market our Naughty Dots book; just like the connect-the-dots book you had as a child but the resulting pictures are definitely NOT for the kiddies . . . Our friend Gary O'Leary found our trip down a Greek mountain too lame and suggests instead a motorbike ride along a rocky cliff: http://www.wimp.com/scarytrail/ . . .

Bob and his niece Trish Boyer spent the morning decorating family graves in the Millersburg area. They were at five different cemeteries and Bob was pleased to see that there were new flags honoring veterans at each site . . . I have corrected my Rockville Bridge error in yesterday's post and have learned that Taylor is more or less a suburb of Scranton . . . Appreciated visits from a variety of shoppers today. Everyone in a pleasant holiday mood . . . Everyone says I have too much time on my hands; how else could I find so many weird but wonderful things on the net; and most of them totally worthless in the collective opinion . . . now if you want a real thrill ride, climb into a trucker's cab and drive down a steep Greek mountain. Be advised: this ride might give you a headache. It did me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AK3pSd7Oz4

Our friend and retired school teacher Jack Brandt has just finished a course in ceramics at HACC. He is full of enthusiasm for the experience and encourages anyone with an interest to check out the college's possibilities. His several works range from the standard mugs and tumblers to several very creative pieces. I am featuring one that I especially like. Sleek design, don't you think? It is from his private collection . . . I am surprised to learn that there are so many trainspotting enthusiasts in our neck of the woods. There are dozens and dozens of local videos available on http://www.youtube.com/. Just type in trains, Harrisburg, Pa and you will get hours of footage. Now, to be honest, watching a freight train passing by for five minutes won't set your heart aflutter unless you are an aficionado, but the trip across Rockville Bridge with views both up and down the river was interesting. (You can ride all the way up-river to Taylor though I don't know where that is, but we did pass the PPL Corp's nuclear power plant on the Susquehanna if I am not mistaken.) But, as I told you before, real trains "smoke" according to JJ, so most of these don't qualify and we would be back to Kipper cartoons in no time, I fear . . .

First, my thanks for those notes of concern sparked by the brevity of yesterday's post. I was not ill, just at a loss for words . . . Have been in a funk most of the day. I was awakened at five a.m. by the street sweeper and it took ninety minutes to fall back to sleep. In that time I thought about the blog and what I might write today. Maybe something about Memorial Day? But that got me to thinking about what has been memorable these last several months and it has all been BAD. Maybe there is something to that "end of the world" prediction for 2012 . . . Our cozy center city life that has been envied by many for years is becoming unglued at an alarming rate . . . The State Library has been virtually shuttered and the statewide system severely undermined . . . No more ten-minute saunters through the first floor exhibits at the State Museum; admission fee too expensive for a few refreshing moments with art . . . City Hall is in chaos and apparently rudderless . . . The People's Free Festival that we began as the Harrisburg Arts Festival in 1968 (now known as ArtsFest) is now charging admission "to keep out the trash and attract only serious shoppers." No more evening strolls for Schnader's French fries or Dodge City strawberry shortcake without first coughing up five dollars a head. But vendors can be happy that they will only have to serve the city's elite . . . Piccola wants control of the city schools to remain with the mayor's office despite the lack of any expertise on her part. The voters be damned. Buxton, at least, opposes this outrageous idea . . . City Council unanimously voted to rescind the rights to several parking meters that CAN residents have been using with permits for years. Council claims it will rake in at least $130,000 a month by penalizing these citizens. That is misplaced optimism, I can assure them. Many of those spaces along North, Second and Forster that are involved are as often as not vacant during the day. This is not going to be a budget-saving windfall. Talk of retaliation for this short-sighted slighting has already begun. Is another Tea Party uprising at hand albeit with sangria? . . . Stocks and world markets have taken another serious hit just when we thought recovery was underway . . . No fireworks for the Fourth . . . Mayor wants to double the property tax . . . Corbett wants to muffle free speech . . . No wonder I couldn't fall back to sleep . . . Time to get out of town. How about a ten-minute motorcycle ride through the back roads of Bedford County: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1LWHhWYmPo

Very nice day. Walked to the bank. Surprised that the streets were so empty. Have people already begun their holiday? . . .

Today was the annual bikers' day in Harrisburg. The sight of motorcycles lining the street as far as the eye can see is most impressive and no picture really does the scene justice. One wonders what it must be like in Sturgis, S. Dak., when thousands of bikers assemble there. Most of the bikes were fairly standard to my untrained eye; none that I saw were as creatively painted as those I've seen in the past. But the sense of "community" permeated the air. And while the group has managed to have the helmet law altered to its liking, I was pleased to note that virtually every participant had a helmet handy . . . Received another bogus e-mail from Verizon indicating that I had only 48 hours to cough up my personal information before my Internet service was disconnected. Do people really respond to these requests? Guess so, or the scammers would find another approach . . . A full calendar of "Pride Day" events is scheduled for the next two months in the Central Pennsylvania area. Unfortunately the website is currently under re-construction so I will share some of the events with you as they approach . . . Friends John Bartolotta of Highspire and Jon Howard in West Virginia each sent me in-progress pictures of the Barnard statues at the Capitol which I had not encountered in my Internet search. I also had not been aware that Barnard was a Bellefonte native. You might want to give this a quick eyeball: http://www.milnercarrconservation.com/portfolio/project.cfm?projectid=49

I guess today’s post should be rated “X” so be sure to keep it hidden from the kiddies . . . Hiked up to the Capitol this gray afternoon to see what is up with the renovations to the park. The new area surrounding the Mexican War monument is quite an improvement and welcomed. However, I was there at the behest of a wheel chair user who said the “improvements” had eliminated the ramp from Strawberry Square (it has become a series of short stairs) and that she has no access to the park at all now. And as far as I could see, she is right. She said she and others have made numerous calls to various state agencies to point out this deficiency but they have been shunted about without anyone addressing the problem. Perhaps a reader can help . . . Noticed that the George Gray Barnard statuary at the Capitol entrance is more-or-less visible again. It has been under wraps off and on ever since I came to Harrisburg in 1962. When first revealed in 1912 there was a public outcry since the males’ genitals were on display (though cherub-like as was the fashion). Barnard agreed to cover them up and, it is said, got back at his critics by slathering on a lot more than was necessary to hide the offensive “members.” I have searched the Internet for a picture of the originals without success (though Barnard’s works are given a lot of attention) but I am sure that the State Library once had a book that featured them during a Paris exhibition. Barnard, incidentally, never got paid what he had been promised thanks to the financial scandals that plagued the building project—maybe another reason for his “exaggerations?” . . . The British Government is about to tackle a problem that has bothered me since my journalism days—the media practice of identifying an alleged rapist or child abuser without naming the accusers. Even when a person is found innocent of the charges he/she will be suspect for the rest of their lives and those who provided “false witness” will never be known. There is of course a general outcry from feminists, who fear that genuine victims will not come forward, but I think that is a ridiculous claim; not identifying either party until a determination is made should hurt no one. In my opinion our own news outlets should reconsider their current policies as well . . .

Bob and I chowed down at Rick May's graduation party tonight; Mary Ann always has plenty of food. Nice cake, too. Glad that both Rick's and Mary Ann's parents were able to attend. It was pleasant to talk with them . . . The old-fashioned rose that topped the iron courtyard fence for more than a decade began to look ratty a few years back. I was in favor of tearing out the whole thing. Bob was too--half-heartedly. We consulted horticulturalist Tucker Hill from Etters who advised us to cut it back severely. It could rejuvenate, but if it didn't we wouldn't have lost anything. We secretly thought the major pruning had killed it so we were surprised when it suddenly flared to life with more fat buds than we had seen in many a year. Now we think we should nurse it along and perhaps train it to grace the top of the fence as it once did . . .

Another beautiful day today; almost summer . . . This is not supposed to be a political blog, but that seems to be where the action is these days. I was thinking earlier of apologizing for yesterday's post, but then another bombshell today . . . Judge Lewis handed down his decision on one of the "Bonusgate" defendants and the severity of the sentence flabbergasted just about everyone. It has been pointed out that the Democrat will spend more time in jail for his white collar machinations than did the Republican who killed a man in a hit-and-run just a few years ago . . . Or is a Republican judge just giving AG Corbett a resounding victory to enhance his image since his campaign for Governor is already sputtering? This political manipulation gets curiouser and curiouser and reaches into the most unlikely corners . . . Apparently JJ has learned more than his mastery of the computer. In processing the picture of the tin signs for today's log I found a couple of strange photos in the camera. The "date and time" stamp left no doubt that JJ was responsible; not at all sure what he was attempting, however. I think he has quite a way to go before we can christen him the next Ansel Adams . . .

Congratulations to Rick May who is receiving his master's degree from Harrisburg University tonight . . . Dr. Coldren tells me that he believes those beautiful roses on the median of Forster Street are a strain called Knockout. They certainly are . . . Nice new street-side planters near Manga Qui . . . Jon Carfagno and Larry Kirkhuff are having a new slab of concrete put down in front of their North Street home . . . The news that Governor wannabe Corbett, angered by his critics, wants to infringe on everyone's civil rights is appalling. He is trying to get protected information from Twitter and plans court action if he doesn't get his way. This is OUR tax money at work, folks. Next he will want your FaceBook, credit card or bank password. Wonder how long until I am investigated for typing this . . . Corbett has wasted tens of thousands of our money during his tenure, and now he wants the keys to the cashbox? . . . Are Pennsylvania voters that dumb? Well, unfortunately, quite a number of them are . . .

A gray Day After . . . I do not know why I bothered to vote; in all the major races I only voted "right" once. (Well, actually I voted "right" every time; it was the other voters who got it "wrong.") Being politically naive, I was surprised by the outcome of several races. I did not anticipate Buxton's easy win and I thought Holden's negative Health Care vote would have had a greater impact . . . Regardless of your party, the end to Specter's career was somehow poignant; he had, over the years, done so much for Pennsylvania and the nation. Even in my most vigorous "Vote Democratic" years I gave him my support. That he should fall as "a man of principle" is heroic . . . We are left with two potential senators that none of us truly wants . . . Was pleasantly surprised on my 9 a.m. walk to find that someone had already cleared away all the signs from the Forster Street median between Green and Third Street. We could once again enjoy the roses . . . Well, having said all that, I still need to lift my spirits, and what could be better than a picture of Cecilia having a wonderful ride on Poppa's back . . .

A cool and rainy Election Day. Some disappointments are undoubtedly in store for me, but at least the neighborhood clutter will soon be gone. Forster Street, especially, has been a litter bin for the past two weeks . . . On the other hand, Bob, who does all our shopping and goes everywhere, has made a curious observation. Driving through Harrisburg, all the hoopla is Democrat against Democrat. On the West Shore, it is just the reverse--Republican against Republican. It is, after all, only the primary . . . But what if we could leave the signs up all year. Then, when house-seekers come around and ask "Well, what is this neighborhood like? Are the people friendly? Will I fit in?" we can simply point to the signs. They do go a long way to describe the attitudes prevalent in an area . . . This is Post 327. It has been almost a year since Eric Webb got me started on this blogging thing. Originally it was meant to stimulate sales at The Bare Wall, but somewhere along the way I have generally forgotten to sing the praises of our wares. (But hopefully I have managed to entertain, if only for a minute.) . . . Apparently without knowing it I have undermined my own enterprise. People used to come in and ask "What's new?" Now the first words out of a customer's mouth are "How's JJ?" Maybe it is time for a title change. Instead of TBW Daily Diary it could be The Prince Hour-by-Hour or something such . . . I will have to think about it . . .

Rainy day . . . our phone has been ringing constantly all day with solicitations for votes. Expect the same will continue till the late hours of the evening. Don't care who you are for but please cast a ballot tomorrow . . . St Michael's Church on State Street, our polling place, will be offering its usual Election Day pastries and soups for take-away . . . theBurg reported today that the hotel intended for State and Second is a dead deal. A five story office building with street level retail/restaurant space is now contemplated. Back to Square One: all formal approvals for the former project are now cancelled and the process will have to begin all over again . . . Had a minor "tweak" with my computer this morning; hope this was not a harbinger of things to come . . .

Nice day if a bit breezy . . . Happy birthday to Jack Barnett . . . Bob started on the courtyard garden this afternoon and I helped out a little. We found that 70-year-old men cannot do all that they once did. We had to leave some of the chores for another day . . . JJ and Teddy decided to explore today's newspaper for a new house and they found one that they liked; who wouldn't? $1.6 million . . . Note to realtor Jacquie Kirby Hensel: if you get a phone call from a youngster and his stuffed buddy, be advised that two indulgent godfathers did NOT agree to underwrite this latest " I want . . . " We have, however, stocked some "cheezy chippers" for the Prince and his sister's next visit . . .

Hordes of people in the neighborhood today attending the Harrisburg Young Professionals house tour. Everyone was in a good mood--some "happier" than others. I understand there was free booze along the route . . . Tuesday is election day and it cannot come soon enough. My mailbox is crammed with postcards making a lot of promises; the airwaves are cluttered as well. Many of the messages are pretty bland. In my opinion the most offensive ones are for candidate Sestak but I don't recall what he is running for . . . Pity poor Ron Buxton who apparently has some stiff competition this time around. He papered our neighborhood this weekend encouraging us to vote for him; BIG PROBLEM: he directed all of us to the wrong polling place! . . . Should you be bored and with some time on your hands, note the "next blog" button above this one. It will take you to hundreds of other sites with a variety of interests: Horses, knitting, photography, expectant mothers, same-sex parenting, "just our family." etc. These are world-wide, a lot from Australia. But if you find one you like, tag it immediately. It is doubtful that you will find it again . . .

Spent Thursday evening watching one of the strawberry festival parades in Buckhannon, WVa. Lots of pom-pom girls, twirlers, and little youngster dance groups. Also a lot of gaps, just like our parades here . . . Tonight Bob and I watched the fireman's parade. A lot of emergency vehicles with sirens blaring and quite a few high school bands. Bob pretended to be interested, but I believe he was humoring me . . . There will be some band concerts later tonight which I surely will look in on . . . Tomorrow is the BIG parade at 1:30 p.m. I am sure to snatch a peak unless we are overrun by Harrisburg Young Professionals passing by on their spring house tour . . . you can join me at http://tbprariedog.camstreams.com/ . . .

Nice foot traffic in the store today, but no one had news for the blog . . . In planning your patio for the summer you might want some outdoor decoration. To this end, all our $14 tin signs have been reduced to $10 until the end of the month . . .

Jacquie Kirby Hensel called to remind me that the Harrisburg Young Professionals spring house tour is this Saturday. She will be showing the Billo/Kerr property for sale at 805 Green Street and two other available properties in our neighborhood will be shown as well . . . The opinion I am about to offer is sure to be unpopular with a lot of people, but I am not about to apologize for it . . . The passion for painting fire hydrants as gnomes, patriotic figures or day-glo abstracts first surfaced during the Bicentennial celebration in 1976 if memory serves. A few were cute but most were not, particularly after a year or two of weathering. In general, these artistic efforts were merely streetscape litter . . . I think the simple one-color scheme (orange, yellow or red) is much less offensive to the eye and, perhaps more important, is immediately obvious in an emergency. If my property were burning, I wouldn't want a second's delay while the responders try to locate their hook-ups . . .

Cold and rainy and not a single customer . . . Mike Billo and Lonnie Kerr are back from a glorious vacation in Hawaii. And what awaited them? . . . Some months back a gas leak developed in the 800 block of Green and the gas found its way into the Billo/Kerr home. Emergency repairs were made and the street was patched over to await a permanent fix in the spring . . . My beauty sleep was interrupted this morning at 7 a.m. as the permanent patch was applied. Then Mike dropped by at noon to check the property only to find the gas leaking in again. To make it short, the roller used to flatten the new macadam was heavy enough to again rupture the gas line, and up came the new patch so repairs could be made. Does this mean that I will be awakened tomorrow morn at 7 a.m. again? . . . For those of you searching for an end-of-school teacher's gift we might suggest our large silvered ceramic apple, $18 . . . The weather gave a soggy start to the annual strawberry festival in Buckhannon, WVa., but when I last looked in the carnival was open and all the rides spinning. Don't know when the parades begin, but you can check for yourself at http://tbprariedog.camstreams.com/ (Double click the picture for a full-screen view) . . .

Proud Poppa Eric Battisti sent us this picture of fifteen-month-old daughter Cecilia over the weekend. I was startled by the girl’s pointing finger. Her brother and our godson JJ used to do the same thing repeatedly when he was small. We were concerned enough at the time to consult pediatrician Dr. Bob Coldren about the matter. What did all this pointing mean? Was JJ trying to tell us something? Dr. Bob explained to us that the “pointing” was not at all unusual among the young and was, in fact, a good sign. It indicated that the brain was active and inquisitive. JJ was not yet talking, of course, but when he pointed we always tried to get him close to the object of interest. It might be just a leaf or a flower or perhaps a colorful magazine cover. Kids are curious about everything. Anyway, I dug back into our picture albums (no easy task; I swear JJ has been photographed more often than Marilyn Monroe) and finally came up with a photo of JJ that I knew to be there. What surprised me was the fact that it was dated June 2007, which meant he was fifteen months old at the time . . . I am wondering if JJ will be teaching his sister from his bag of devious tricks. Just last week he was watching his favorite cartoon dog Kipper on the computer when Eric said that as soon as this segment was over they would be heading home. JJ wasn’t ready to go. His little fingers drummed on the desktop for a moment, and then his hand grasped the mouse. Dad wasn’t watching, but I was: ever so stealthily JJ maneuvered the arrow to the time-lapse feature below the picture and deftly slid it back almost to the beginning. “JJ, we have already seen this part,” I whispered. He glanced at me sternly with a “keep your mouth shut” look and then broke into an impish grin. Dad never caught on . . . hope you noted Rick May's comment on yesterday's post. A plant was stolen from their step over the weekend . . .

Larry Kirkhuff and Jon Carfagno are back from a Mexican vacation . . . The gusty winds created electrical problems in the 200 block of North Street for about 20 hours; the situation was rectified about six o'clock this evening. A tree went through a church window on North Front Street . . . My Sunday morning routine was disrupted by the British elections; my Welsh farming program was pre-empted for political analysis; had to satisfy myself with The Greetings Programme on Scotland radio . . .

Very high winds tore many of the tulips off the poplar tree I mentioned yesterday. They also pulled off the OPEN part of The Bare Wall sign. We were not surprised; we arranged to have the sign refurbished last August but the promised repairs were never made. We will still be open at the hours to the left, so if you do not see the sign, please try the door . . . Travel safely; gusty conditions are to continue through Sunday, Mother's Day . . .

The tulip poplar at Green and Briggs is in bloom . . . Neighbor Mary Ann Furedi-May was pictured and quoted in today's Patriot-News article concerning the recent attacks on women in Riverfront Park. The reporter interviewed her while she was walking her dogs, Luna and Cooper. If the pups offered their opinions they weren't cited . . . Now, as I write, I received a phone call from Melissa Herman in Maryland. She just finished reading The Blue Orchard and decided to check Amazon.com to see what other readers thought of it. She was surprised to find my R. Fink entry so we had to exchange tidbits of info on the subject. You will recall that I talked about Melissa's stint as weather girl on WHP-TV and her radio talk show several months ago . . . Spotted this little gem in the 1000 block of Green on one of my morning walks and simply had to go back for a photo to share with you. The baby clematis (clem-a-tis, if you are British) is not even a foot tall yet and already it is a plant to treasure . . .

JJ skipped school today to spend time with Grandpa Tom. A bike ride along the river and a pancake breakfast at Roxy's got their day of togetherness off to a good start. Have yet to know if Tom survived whatever came next . . . Angela Lawson in Chambersburg to watch grandson Jordan pitch his last school baseball game of the spring season . . . Saw a motorized wheelchair going up Green Street this morning. The woman passenger was on her cellphone. Wonder if the new cellphone traffic law covers this situation . . . The annual Midtown-wide yard sale will be held Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Anyone have jigsaw puzzles? . . . Arrived this afternoon and just in time for Mother's Day: fancy-barrelled purse ballpoint pens with extra refills in a presentation box, $16.94 . . . Was hoping to tell you about the new "Dirty Jokes" book ($9.95) but I can't get it out of Bob's hands . . .

We have at times joked about the fact that Bob appeared on stage with Tallulah Bankhead in Separate Tables at Williamstown, Ma., when he was young, but the truth is that Bob has had a rather distinguished career treading the boards hither and yon . . . Many of his theatrical appearances were with the Twin Valley Players in up-country Dauphin County—The Pajama Game (Hines), Gypsy (Herbie), Take Me Along (Ned Miller), Damn Yankees (Applegate), Fiddler on the Roof (Tevye), and Man of La Mancha (Sancho). He was also in one of Theatre Harrisburg’s productions of Carousel . . . But “the only time I got professional pay” was when he reprised his role of Hines in The Pajama Game at the Savannah (Ga,) Little Theater. The scheduled actor got sick just before the opening and, knowing that he had done the role before, Bob was called into service with almost no rehearsal; he faked his way through the blocking and dance numbers . . . As twelfth-grade English teacher at Millersburg High School, Bob was called upon to direct the student shows each year. Some went better than others, he admits. Among those student productions were Nude With Violin, Brigadoon, Damn Yankees, Wonderful Town, Bye Bye Birdie (twice), Oklahoma, Little Mary Sunshine (his favorite), The Fantasticks, and Guys & Dolls . . . On occasion he still yearns to be part of the theater scene, but he admits that most of the plum roles don’t call for a 70-year-old man . . . But wouldn’t we all love to see him as a dancing chorus boy in West Side Story . . . He and a friend did bring down the house a few years ago when, as a lark at a convention, they did the Sisters act of Vera Ellen and Rosemary Clooney from the movie White Christmas complete with ostrich plume fans. They were so-o-o-o good that an encore was demanded. The whole thing was caught on tape but Bob has squirrelled his copy away and even I haven't seen it . . .

Long-time readers will know that I am a die-hard fan of Susan Boyle, the Scots singer who lost the Britain's Got Talent competition but conquered the world; her first album was the champion CD seller of last year. Well, I am happy to report that all is well with Susan. She has been invited to sing prior to and during the Pope's mass in Glasgow later this year. Last week it was announced that Susan would soon start to record a second CD due for release in November; she has yet to sing a note but Amazon.com already has over two million pre-orders for the disc . . . The three rose bushes in the center of Forster Street near Third have begun to bloom; they will continue to do so well into November. I presume these were planted by the Harrisburg Young Professionals. If so I urge them to plant still more of these bushes. Wish the center island were lush with them, they are so pretty . . . I am hoping to sell a couple of Lucille's silk scarves this week ($36). I want every one's Mom to be happy come Sunday . . .

The Finger

I was never a fan of super heroes when I was a kid. Superman and Wonder Woman performed too many incredible but unbelievable feats. I was amused however by the campy Batman TV series: POW! SHA-ZAM! . . . Now that I am much older, I sometimes fantasize about being a super colossal hero myself. I call myself Laser Finger, and all I need do is point to something that irritates me; like Harry Potter with his magic wand I eliminate the source of aggravation and I am again my calm and likeable self . . . my first target would be blaring car radios. Does my finger simply shut it off or do I give the driver a flat tire? Maybe I transport him to Death Valley and hope he doesn’t find his way back . . . My finger would render speechless those late night screamers who pass through the neighborhood but I have yet to determine the length of their sentence; if I give them voice too quickly the people in the next block will suffer . . . Summer’s boom boxes laced to bicycles have not yet appeared, but my finger is itching to do some demolition work on them . . . I wish the Laser Finger had worked just a few weeks ago. An obese young mother came charging up Green Street followed a half a block later by a sobbing two or three year old whose little legs could not keep up the pace. Rather than sympathize, the mother kept screaming back at the child with all the four-letter words in her vocabulary. (Well, to be honest, she only had one, and that started with an “f”.) I haven’t yet settled on her punishment, but I assure you it will be severe . . . Being a super hero is not always as easy as it appears . . .

Good to be back on my own computer though there is still a glitch or two. Of course, the first thing I got was an e-mail purportedly from Verizon asking for all my personal data. The company assured me this was a "phishing" excursion. Incidentally, where did that spelling come from? Does it stand for something? Let me know . . . Thanks to Mary Lingus we have give-away menus for the Greek festival May 14-16 . . . Historic Harrisburg Association will be celebrating National Preservation Week with festivities at its headquarters, Third and Verbeke, on Monday, May 17, beginning at 5 p.m. . . . Still some nice Mother's Day cards in stock for this weekend. If Mom gardens, we have an especially nice "kit" of lotions and such that will take care of her hands ($15.00) . . . our collection of six colorful Bistro napkins is back in stock, also $15 . . . and our collection of four bamboo place mats are doing well, too. You guessed it--$15 . . .

Humid and oppressive . . . An almost sleepless night. The windows are open now, and the screamers from Restaurant Row paraded up our street half the night. There was also a motorcyclist who ripped up and down North Street every hour or so. I wasn't the only one to have suffered . . . Since there is no news today I offer you this photo of the Green Street sentinels that entertain everyone who passes by. JJ loves to stand outside and bounce a ball; those fuzzy heads follow its every move, up and down . . .

Very sorry to report that Dr. Coldren is back in the hospital--minor complications from his surgery last week . . . Happy to report that Rick has me back on my own computer, at least temporarily. Our fingers are crossed . . . Am very appreciative of the response to our new pottery collection; we have sold seven pieces already. Still a wonderful selection, however. Come take a look . . . I want to call your attention to our new over-sized postcard books ($9.95). Each contains thirty different images on a particular subject. The wine poster volume would be especially appropriate for invites to a wine and cheese party . . . Remember that Mother's Day is this weekend. We have several items that would make a nice gift . . . Going places is always nicer when done with friends; Teddy and Luigi go along with JJ often . . . Karl Singleton, candidate for the 103rd, was visiting in our neighborhood today. Brooks Montecastle has already been here. Cannot remember when this legislative seat was so vigorously contested . . .