Does Chocolate Make Your Tail Wag?

Thought for the day:  I've been told it's actually easier to drive in Pennsylvania in the winter. Know why? The potholes are filled with snow.

If  you can give directions to towns named Blue Ball, Intercourse, and Climax with a straight face, you must live in the state of              Pennsylvania.

No kidding. Those are actual town names, along with Lover, Virginville, Bird-in-Hand, and Mount Joy. Nothing boring about those names, huh? (Think they have a town named Two-in-Bush, too?)

Like many other states, Pennsylvania is a patchwork of industrialized areas, rich farmland, mountains, and a whole wealth of colorful history. Know the origin of the Keystone State nickname? In an arch, a keystone is the vital central stone that holds all the other stones in place, right? Well, Pennsylvania was the vital centerpiece of the thirteen original colonies, both geographically, as well as in the economic, social, and political development of the country. Pretty cool, huh? Didja know Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from 1790 until 1800? And what's more important, it's also the birthplace of Philly cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, and TastyKakes, too. Oh, and let's not forget Hershey, the chocolate capital of the country. Ya gotta love a state with that tasty claim to fame.

                                                              Ready to look around?

The Liberty Bell is one of the things most of us associate with Pennsylvania. Did you know the first one was actually forged in England? Rather ironic, eh? That first bell, commissioned in 1751 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges, the state's original constitution, had a crack in it when it arrived, so it was melted down in America and recast. (Of course, the second bell also developed a crack.) The bell, originally known as the State house bell, bears these words from Leviticus 25:10— Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. And on July 8, 1776, the bell did, indeed, proclaim liberty, as it rang from the tower of Independence Hall to summon all citizens to come hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Later on, abolitionists adopted the bell as their symbol, and they're credited with renaming it the Liberty Bell. Following the Civil War, the bell was taken on a tour around the country as a symbol of unity, and a replica of the bell later toured to promote women's suffrage. The replica's clapper was chained to its side during that time, keeping it silent until women won the right to vote. When the nineteenth amendment was ratified, the replica bell was brought to Independence Hall, and rung in celebration.

This is Philadelphia's Independence Hall, the birthplace of the 1776  Declaration of Independence. For safekeeping, the Liberty Bell was removed from the tower and stored in a church basement in Allentown from 1777 until 1778.

This is the historical site of Drake's oil well, the first oil well in the United States, drilled in Titusville in 1859.

Practically any schoolchild can tell you Betsy Ross sewed the first U.S. flag. That's what most of us were taught, right? This is her home, celebrated as an historical site, but the thing is, there's  no definitive proof she ever made that flag. Guess that makes the story a folk legend.

Pennsylvania's Laurel Caverns is one of only two known catacomb-type caves in the world.

During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington's Continental Army Camp was located at Valley Forge from 1777-78. We visited this camp some years ago, and even our kids were shocked at how incredibly small the soldier's beds were.

Gettysburg Civil War battlefield-- the site of Abraham Lincoln's well-known Gettysburg Address. Four score and seven years ago...

In 1849, with the assistance of a white shopkeeper, Virginia slave Henry "Box" Brown made his way to freedom by having himself sealed inside a crate and shipped to Philadelphia abolitionists. There, he became a renown spokesman for abolition, as well as a published author.

The strict religious community of Ephrata Cloister, forerunner of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, was founded in 1732, and the last surviving resident died in 2008. The sprawling property is now owned and maintained by the state.

No pictorial of Pennsylvania would be complete without at least one picture of a horse-drawn Amish carriage.

So, here it is.






Okay, ready to move on and check out some of the laws still languishing on the books in the fine Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?

• It's against the law to discharge a gun, cannon, revolver, or any other explosive weapon at a wedding. (Shotgun weddings aren't nearly as stressful there.)
• It's illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator.  (Oops. Better stick to the stove.)
• Any motorist driving on a country road at night must stop every mile to send up a rocket signal, and then wait ten minutes for the road to be cleared of any livestock before proceeding. (Every mile? Whew! That'll make for a long trip home.) 
• A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug. (Just push it over in the corner of the room there behind the door...)
• It's against the law to sing in the bathtub. (But you can tap dance.)
• Fireworks stores may not sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents.
• Sorry, but if you've ever participated in a duel, you're ineligible to serve as governor.
• Any motorist who sees a team of horses approaching must pull off the road, cover his vehicle with a camouflage blanket or canvas, and allow the horses to pass.
• It's against the law for a minister to perform a marriage ceremony if the bride or groom is drunk. (It's okay if the minister has a nip or two, though.)
• It's illegal to catch a fish with your hands, with dynamite, or with any other body part ... except the mouth. (Yum, fresh sushi.)
• In Allentown, it's against the law for any man to become aroused in public. (Saltpeter in the water supply maybe?)
• In Danville,  fire hydrants must be checked ... one hour before any fire. (How do dey know?)
• In Hazelton, it's against the law for anyone to sip a carbonated drink while lecturing students in a school auditorium. 
• In Morristown, a woman must have a permit to wear cosmetics. (Men, however, do not.)
• Sorry, but in Pittsburgh, it's illegal to bring a donkey or mule onto a trolley car. (So keep yer ass outta there.)
• In Ridley Park, it's against the law to walk backwards eating peanuts in front of the Barnstormers Auditorium during a performance.
• And finally, in Tarentum, you aren't allowed to tie your horse to a parking meter. (But officer, it's a Mustang!)

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Okeydoke, it's once again time for (ta-DA!)

The Weirdest News Stories of the Week

***  It's only fitting that this week's first story took place in Pennsylvania. Eighty-eight year old WWII vet David Kime was such a lover of fast food burgers, his idea of eating healthy meant having lettuce on his burger. So, when he passed away this week, his family decided he should have it his way one last time. On the way to the cemetery, the entire funeral procession went through the Burger King drive-thru, and left with Whopper Juniors all around. Even one for Kine, whose final burger was placed atop his coffin along with the flowers.

Weird? Maybe a little, but I think it was kinda sweet.

***  Have you ever watched your favorite pooch dancing the mamba around your living room and clearing all the knickknacks off your end table with a couple well-placed swishes of his tail, and thought... Boy! I sure wish I had a tail like that?

If so, lucky you! Thanks to Japanese inventor Ishiwatari, you may soon be able to buy a robotic tail of your very own. His purported communications device attaches to a belt, and has sensors which monitor heart rate. So, just think! You wouldn't have to actually tell anyone how excited you are... your new tail can say it for you! You think it'll be the next best thing since Casual Fridays? I dunno. Maybe it'd be fun once in a while... like maybe every other Furs-day?

***  This one isn't new news, but it's news to me. You're all probably familiar with ultimate sports, but have you ever heard of a sport that entails the use of a stun gun??? (Hmm, I seem to have tails on my mind.) Yep, the sport of Tak Ball involves a player (with over-sized balls) trying to throw an over-sized game ball into a net while other players try to stop him by  hitting him with a stun gun. No tackling allowed in this game, but there's no limit to how many times a player can be zapped. Yipes. Gives a whole new meaning to shock jock, doesn't it?  Tsk, tsk. Utterly shocking.

                                        Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.