Happy new year! Cheers to all in 2010 God bless

What was that place called that is on east main street that years back had a craft supply style store in it? This was when I was wee little. I love the porch and screen door. Always looked like it belonged in the south.

getting ready!

The Flying Chef

Sorry, everyone but, the weather is a little too unpredictable right now. You may see me later today for the sale or perhaps over the weekend. Thank you for supporting my store and I will post my new merchant web site when it is finished.

Sincerely,

Heather

Neiki 2000-2009

we will miss our little cat "Neiki"

while our minds are poised to celebrate the new year....

...perhaps we should be asking....

What is Barack Obama doing?

Some distressing civil liberties questions must be asked about an ever-lengthening list of decisions, proposals, and observations by President Obama.

To begin, Obama is the first president to give an international law enforcement organization like Interpol free rein within the territorial confines of this nation, presumably not excluding the arrest and exportation of Americans to be charged with crimes under international law. 

Put simply, this means the Constitution is no longer the supreme law of the land in America. Thanks to Executive Order 12425 , which Obama signed Dec. 16 without explaining why, the supreme law of the land is now arguably whatever Interpol says it is, most likely as directed by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, in conjunction with the United Nations. 

Read more in The Washington Examiner.

 

Donna, I love this photo of The Toy Box. ;)

See more on Donna's blog.

Good morning, Ligonier!

today i am taking my sweet kitty "NEIKI " To rest she used to love to sit with us in these chairs on hot summer night. We will miss her
joyous*

darn, the web cam must be down.....

Ligcam

I wanted to see how the Diamond  looks in this beautiful moonlight.

moonlight ski tour anyone? notes from Maggie Neid.....

PJ & I went to Florida for 2 weeks in November and Buckley, our 8-month old Golden Retriever, experienced his first dive in the ocean. He spent hours fetching the ball and riding the waves.  We traveled from the beautiful ocean to the wonderful winter wonderland back to the Inn for the holidays. We had our family over at our home for Christmas this year and we really enjoyed ourselves.  Buckley really liked having everyone over to play with him.  We have many great deals this month that you won't want to miss!  Don't forget that we have cross-country ski rentals for $18 a day and $13 for half a day. We are wanting to do a moonlight ski tour so be sure call us if you are interested!  We hope to see you soon!

 

Sincerely,

 

Maggie Nied

Innkeeper/Owner

Ligonier Country Inn

SALE

My store is moving and Thurs is the last chance to get great sale items.

All Christmas is 50% off.

Lancaster Pottery 30% off

Emmerson Pottery 20% off

Many hostess and craft items 20 to 50% off.

Poinsettia Baskets for the door, NOW $5.00

Fall 50% off.

Apple Bakers Rack $40.00

I will be at the store from 11 AM to about 4 PM. Look for the open flag.

The Flying Chef is moving to a web store. Keep up to date via my blog. http://theflyingchefligonier.blogspot.com/

Bobs last day! Also its Bob long day today!!!

dance for peace

Saturday, January 2.

The title of the event is Dances of Universal Peace. (6:00 to 8:00 PM). The Dances of Universal Peace are simple, meditative, joyous, multicultural circle dances that use sacred phrases, chants, music and movements from the many spiritual traditions of the earth to touch the spiritual essence within ourselves and recognize it in others. Building on the work begun by Samuel L. Lewis in the 1960s, they promote peace and integration within individuals and understanding and connection with groups worldwide. There are no performers nor audience: new arrivals and old hands form the circle as everyone sings and dances together.

Led by Diana Pelletier.

anybody cook with tumeric?

Does it turn your skin yellow?

I can't get this yellow off my thumb and I can't figure out where it came from except perhaps tumeric.  LOL

Good morning, Ligonier!

Ligcam

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Don't stress out

Everyday Therapeutics is doing on-site massage tomorrow in town. Starting at Bo-Peep Fine Yarns. My laptop is out of comission right now and doing some research for a new one. Thank God for my Blackberry!!

724-396-4337

Glacier116@hotmail.com

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Come hear the village musicians play the Egyptian ballet, hark the herald Angela sing, the wedding March, a Leroy Anderson medley, stars and stripes forever, the radetzky March. Colyn Fischer will play a Scottish violin solo. Rt Moeller will play a violin solo. Come listen at 2:30 at the town hall.

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LIGONIER'S LANDMARK BAKERY-DELI-COFFEE CAFE

HEY THERE EVERYONE!!! HERE'S HOPING EVERYBODY HAD A FANTASTIC CHRISTMAS!!! AFTER A WELL DESERVED BREAK WERE ALL BACK AT IT HERE AT THE BAKERY. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR CHRISTMAS.

TODAY FOR YOU ENJOYMENT WE HAVE FRESH HOMEMADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE CHILI. IT'S JUST THE THING TO WARM YOU UP ON THIS COLD WINTER DAY.

DON'T FORGET THAT WE HAVE BOAR'S HEAD MEATS AND CHEESES FOR YOUR SANDWICH OR TO TAKE HOME BY THE POUND. WE ALSO MAKE MEAT AND CHEESE TRAYS, POTATO SALAD, TORTELLINI SALAD,PASTA SALAD,ETC.
FOR YOUR NEW YEARS BASH OR ANYTIME OF YEAR. CHECK US OUT.

ALL KINDS OF COFFEES AND TEAS ARE HERE. INCLUDING CAPPUCINO,LATTES. ESPRESSO, REAL CHAI TEA, ETC. COFFEE STARTS AT JUST $1.00 PER CUP. AND IT'S THE BEST TASTING COFFE YOU WILL FIND ANYWHERE BAR NONE. SMOOTH RICH AND DELICIOUS WITH NO BITTER AFTERTASTE. TRY SOME!!!

WE HAVE FREE WI-FI. JUST BRING YOUR LAPTOP IN SIT DOWN WITH YOUR FAVORITE BEVERAGE AND PASTRY AND SURF AWAY!!!!

HERE'S WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!!

BILL & LORI

Come see the village musicians

Come see the village musicians today

fair warning to Mellow Mikers...I may have a finished table of contents tonight...

Oh, the humanity!  Of course, we still have a gazillion songs floating around to make another book.  I plan to print a few copies of this book in case anyone needs one.

MELLOW MIKE AT THE LIGONIER TAVERN TONIGHT

6:30 TO 9:00

The more the merrier.  Come to sing.  Come to listen. Come to get mellow.

SLED RIDING

Heading out today to take advantage of the snow and sunny weather. So where is the best hill in Ligonier? We used the hill behind the high school last year. Not bad. Anyone know of any good spots?

Good morning, Ligonier!

Ligcam

read this nice promo for Cara's book.....

Moxie, The Dachshund of Fallingwater was written by Cara Armstrong, Curator of Education at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.

CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Saviors birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!

making your New Year's Eve plans? here are a couple of ideas...

Colonial Inn  724-238-6604  New Year's Eve Reservations are being accepted starting at 4pm/ The Bookendz are playing 9pm-1am party favors and champagne toast at midnight.

Ligonier Tavern  724-238-4831 Lauren Bevins singer/ songwriter will perform 9-midnight down stairs bar plus lots of dinner specials

okay, so I'm 54 and I'm a bit behind the Gen Y folks....

Yes, I know, I blog.  I'm sure there are great uses somewhere in my life for Tweeter and Facebook but so far, I see them as tools in the box, not a centerpiece to my life.

For now, I am trying to get my mind around taking all my CDs and getting them into a Droid.

I got my first iPod this year and since it only has the capability to store several hundred songs, I have been very slowly selecting songs.  The iPod is pretty much a "clean the house" play list.  It full of things I enjoy listening to while cleaning.  I also imagine these tunes as the perfect background for that dream Dragonfly Teahouse, kinda cool book, music, thingy I might one day open.

I hear you, all you Gen Y folks saying, but what about multiple playlists and syncing?  Well, I know one friend who lost music with a sync caflooee and I just don't want to take any chances.....

Now Droid has entered my life and with it comes the promise storage of maybe 4000 songs.  That MIGHT be enough storage to hold all of my CDs.  So, now, with full faith that I can get it all in there, I'm ripping into iTunes, starting with the classical binder.  [Don't worry, I'm keeping all the CDs safely tucked away.]

It's been so long since I have seen album artwork.  I toss covers and store my collection in binders.

I just tried to make a copy of the album cover of this Prima Voce LP in iTunes but they don't let you copy the big beautiful version.  I managed to find this little version through Bing.  I'm listening to Enrico Caruso while typing out this post.  He was my father's favorite male operatic vocalist.

I'm really bummed.  My favorite classical LP has no artwork available through iTunes.  Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto by Anne-Sophie Mutter - where is it???

Here's the YouTube.




So, when I go to move this music into the Droid, you'd think it might take the album art with it?  Well, for now I can't figure the how of that one, but the music moves and that's the most important part.  ;)

So, now you know what I'm doing this snowy evening.  Please enjoy a bit of music with me, eh?  Isn't it lovely?

Let It Snow

Which way are you going?

looking for something regular to do for the new year?

Here are some ideas from Ligonier Radio:

• LIGONIER VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM is open Saturdays at 9AM. On St. Clair Street across from McCracken Funeral Home.
• WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY GROUP. For those interested, please call Peggy Carney at (724) 694-2911.
• AL-ANON is a group for family and friends of alcoholics. Meets Thursdays at 9:30AM in THe Pioneer Presbyterian Church on West Main in Ligonier.
• MOTHERS-OF-PRE-SCHOOLERS meet two Wednesdays a month at the Covenant Presbyterian Church. To join, call Caren at (724) 539-7472 or Nicole at (724) 238-3982.
• LIGONIER VALLEY YMCA: Free aerobic thearapy classes each Tuesday and Thursday at 10:45AM.
• ANGEL FOOD MINISTRIES provides residents of Ligonier with half price groceries. Sponsored by local churches. Find out more by calling (724) 694-9901.
• LIGONIER LIBRARY RE-READABLES USED BOOK STORE is open at the Library. Books, CDs, DVDs, and more.
• NEW FLORENCE LIBRARY QUILTERS meet the forth Tuesday of every month. Bring your own project to work on.
• LIGONIER VALLEY FOOTBALL BOOSTERS present the "Buy A Brick Program." They are raising money for improvements at Weller Food. Get you name on a brick for the field! Call (724) 238-4333 or (724) 238-7702.
• CURRENT EVENTS ROUNDTABLE is the second Thursday of each month at the Holy Trinity Parish Meeting Room.

newly adopted children had such a FIRST day!

The adopted children came from an orphanage in Ethiopia who had never seen snow.
"First day, we got home very late that evening, but when we got home, it was like God's gift again, because it was snowing and beautiful. We put on all this snow gear, and we went out and made snow angels and went sledding. They were out of their minds with excitement. They thought this was the greatest thing that ever happened."

Read more on 620wtmj.com.

FASCINATING....

A Michigan man who was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 says he witnessed Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab trying to board the plane in Amsterdam without a passport.

Kurt Haskell of Newport, Mich., who posted an earlier comment about his experience, talked exclusively with MLive.com and confirmed he was on the flight by sending a picture of his boarding pass. He and his wife, Lori, were returning from a safari in Uganda when they boarded the NWA flight on Friday.

Kurt HaskellLori and Kurt Haskell

Haskell said he and his wife were sitting on the ground near their boarding gate in Amsterdam, which is when they saw Mutallab approach the gate with an unidentified man.

 

Read more on Mlive.com

events by Earth Lotus

After some careful consideration, I decided not to attend the New Year's Silent Retreat.   While I will probably attend another Retreat during the Winter, for now, it felt right for me to stay put.

With that being said - I'm offering the following modified Class Schedule this week.  This class schedule will also be reflected on the website:

Monday, December 28th - Morning Intermediate Class (9:30am - 11:00am)
Tuesday, December 29th - Morning Beginner Class (9:30am - 11:00am)
Wednesday, December 30th - Morning Intermediate Classes (7:30am - 9:00am, 9:30am - 11:00am)
Thursday, December 31st - No Classes
Friday, January 1st - No Classes
Saturday, January 2nd - No Classes


Melissa

Ligonier man receives another chance.....

Larry Brown Jr. (right) and his sister Wendy Fircetz spend some time with family in their parents' Latrobe home. Brown, who was diagnosed in 2008 with a disorder that crippled his body's primary filtering organs received a kidney from his sister in October.

Read more in the Tribune Review. 

Good SNOWY morning, Ligonier!

Ligcam

Sale

Hello everyone.

Lancaster pottery is now 30% off. That is $9 off unique $30 trays!

All food products excluding candy are 50% off. Get a bargain on oatmeal, dips and jellies.

All ornaments are 50% off.

Many more savings. Look for the open flag and stop in.

Good morning, Ligonier!

Ligcam

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Diane by Droid

Follow Me

http://theflyingchefligonier.blogspot.com/



http://twitter.com/flyingchefstore



Post a favorite recipe, craft or upcoming class.

servers fighting over a table stop in tonight to let the wonderful servers at ligonier tavern fight over you!
joyous*

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Diane you're so right

Jeff is great! He helped me get the blackberry that I have now. I've been wanting the droid for my phone\internet needs. The bb just isn't cutting it anymore. He was so helpful and is actually my neighbor. He said if you need anything let me know when I got this back in may. You can see him and his wife walking around town. I say hey verizon lol when I see him. They are so sweet and nice. Everyone ask for him. When he helped us he said oh you live in ligonier. I said what are you stalking us jokingly. Here he's basically in my back yard! Small world and I wouldn't trade it!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Good morning, Ligonier!

Ligcam

hope all had
joyous*

merry christmas joyous*

merry christmas
joyous*

did Santa visit the library last night?

Don't panic, Janet.  Found it surfing.  Cool, huh?

I have become a DROID.......thanks to Jeffrey Gohn. ;)

Ligonier resident, Jeffrey Gohn, works for Verizon Wireless and recently made THIS Ligonier blogger a DROID.  LOL  After overcoming my freak out fears about smart phones, Jeffrey assisted JC and me - with exceedingly gracious patience - and now we're on the road to DROIDdom.

This picture of Jeffrey is my first on the DROID.  That picture of Amy was my second.  My third picture was of Amy's floor.  Won't post that one.

For anyone trying to reach me by text, have patience.  I'm moving up the learning curve.

So far, I like everything about the DROID except that it is big and heavy compared to other cell phones and so not that comfortable in my hand while taking on the phone.  I can get used to that because so much else is COOL, double COOL!

The navigation is awesome!  It even gives me a street pic when I arrive at my destination.  There's a pedestrian option which I can't wait to use in NYC or the Burgh.

Hubby and I had lunch at Carol and Dave's Roadhouse yesterday and Dave showed us even more fun stuff about the Google star app.  You can see the stars on the other side of the earth!

Anyway, if you wish to become a DROID, contact Jeffrey Gohn.  He's our Ligonier connection for all things Verizon Wireless.

jeffrey.gohn@verizonwireless.com

724-836-2440

724-875-9870 mobile

Or ask for Jeffrey when you stop in at the Verizon Wireless store in Greensburg.

a hearty thank you to Amy @ Ligonier Office Supply

Amy's can do attitude made sure my little nephew received his special magic stones in time for Christmas.  What a doll.  Thanks, Amy!!

LIGONIER OFFICE SUPPLY

116 West Main Street, Ligonier, PA  15658

NOTARY PUBLIC

Office Supplies, Copies, Fax Service

UPS Shipping & Typing Service

724-238-3230

724-238-3625 fax

how lovely

Miss Himler was a prolific American Scene painter in the WPA tradition, popularized in the 1930s by Works Progress Administration artists who sought to portray and ennoble everyday life. Many of her paintings are of the houses and factories of her native Latrobe, where she lived in the family home next to Loyalhanna Creek. She also painted the Westmoreland County countryside, drawing inspiration from her own 70-acre farm north of Ligonier, which had been established by her grandparents, George and Mary Himler, after leaving Bavaria around 1841.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09359/1023606-294.stm#ixzz0ai9Gq5MU

Good morning, Ligonier.......and Merry Christmas!!!

Ligcam

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve, 2009, 11:15 p.m.....and I'm sitting here at my computer for a few moments, trying to remember my many other Christmas Eves. In my early years, the winter air would be peppered with Santa's sleigh bells about this time of night, with a hushed warning from my mother that we really ought to be asleep. Sleep? Impossible after hearing the bells. But always, after a few minutes, my sister and I would be sound asleep. We would wake up screaming and giggling as we ran downstairs to see if Santa stopped at our house! And of course the tree skirt (actually a white bedsheet) was covered with presents! What a glorious sight! What a joyous memory!

By the time my brother arrived in the fall of 1950, I was "enlightened" about bells and such Cristmas secrets....or so my parents assumed. I think that was the year that I went to the 5&10 and bought a cake decorator set for mom, and some work hankies for my dad. After everyone was asleep, I crept downstairs and place the wrapped items under the tree. When the household was tingling with excitement in the morning, I was adamant that I DID NOT know where these items came from. "See?", I danced around joyfully, "There really IS a Santa Claus!! How else would these things get here?" I considered this one of my best Christmas moments! I think that year was when I learned it truly is better to give than to receive. Such fun!

Christmas Eve changed twenty-fold for me in the years that followed. I sewed Christmas "jammies" for my sons every year, and once when I ran out of time, there was a package of red flannel with snowmen on it under the tree. It was addressed to my second son, with a lengthy note from Santa as to why it wasn't sewn into p.j.s yet. That accepted, I made them the next day, no harm done. There were years of family and food and gifts, enough to cover half of Ligonier, candle light Christnas Eve services, and then home to prepare for the big day. I never seemed to have enough time to do everything I wanted to, but I usually pulled off a traditional day by staying up all night and working. By then I had become obsessed with trying to have everything perfect. I HAD to have mistletoe, I HAD to have fresh holly, kumquats, pomegranites, a touch-the-ceiling tree, I even made plum pudding! The gifts had to be wrapped just so! We HAD to gather round and sing carols....etc....A real Dickinsonion affliction!


Sometimes life changes are such gifts. Years later, Christmas Eves became dependent on my sister and my aunt and uncle. I slowly realized that , as it does in Whoville, Christmas comes anyway. You don't have to have all the superficial trimmings to make it a traditional day. Everything doesn't have to run by a stopwatch. Christmas comes, whether you are ready or not. The important thing is that I finally learned that Christmas is in my heart all year long; that I can gift at any time of the year, with time and talent, if unable to afford a lot. I don't have to make each Christmas a carbon copy of the one the year before. I need to remember to celebrate goodness twenty-four/seven.

That said, I can sit here reminiscing, knowing that not one gift is wrapped yet, and because of other committments and lost time, instead of a ceiling high beautifully decorated tree, I have a Christmas branch in my living room. It's just like Emmett Otter's! I mailed out a few cards yesterday, and will send New Year's greetings to the rest of my distant friends. Instead of wrapping gifts, I had a wonderful dinner and spent a laughter filled evening with my youngest son and his wife's family. Nothing done...do i feel hysteria? Absolutely not. I finally accepted the fact that one can only do as much as one can, and not one iota more. I can't create the perfect day anymore; nor do I want to try. I finally feel peace this Christmas Eve, not the anxieity I allowed in my life other years. So now I will bid you goodnight, on this holiest of nights, and go upstairs to my Christmas room and wrap a few things. If I don't accomplish much, I will put each gift in a holiday bag and call it good; no bows, no frills, but a gift of love without anxiety!

Merry Christmas to each of you on the cold winter night!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

A Sad Christmas Song

The late, great Stan Rogers - First Christmas.

I wonder if I could work that up for a Mellow Mike sometime?

Car Wash - Take 2

I made it back down to the new car wash (does it have a name?) and had a good experience. They've been open about a week now, and have most of the glitches worked out. The automatic machine for the automatic wash is still a little persnickety in cold weather. You have to remember to wait until the car ahead of you is done before feeding money to the machine. Today, the owners were there to help folks out. The machine accepts coins, bills, and credit/debit cards. If you put in more money than necessary, you'll get the change in dollar coins, which can be used the next time. (The proprietors had to have the bank order dollar coins just for them!)

The automatic washes are $5, $7, $8, and $10. All include an undercarriage spray - remember to stay back as the car ahead of you pulls into the bay, or else you'll get wet too from the overspray. The difference in price reflects additional soaping, clearcoat, etc. The $8 and $10 washes are the only ones that come with the dryer blast as you leave.

After you pay, pull in and STOP when the stop light turns on. Your front wheel has to be in the right place for things to start. The wash is touchless - no brushes at all. Soap get applied first, then high pressure (pulsing) water - back and forth a couple times. It does a very good job - much better than the old car wash.

The tricky part is getting in. You must be traveling eastbound on 30, and the entrance is between the two lights. There are three ways to get in - skip the first two and go to the third, which is also the entrance to the Fishing Post. The first entrance is narrow and leads directly to the automatic wash, which is fine if there's no line. The second isn't really an entrance at all; the curb is angled so that it is an exit only. Traffic patterns are still establishing themselves, so be patient and try not to block 30 (as I almost did!).

The automatic bays look like they have a countdown timer to tell you how much time you have left - a very nice feature to have.

I think I'll be going there pretty regularly this winter.

traditional latin mass

Trying to find the closest Traditional Latin Mass for Christmas.  Anyone have an idea?

Grab a Seat

Grab a Seat
Originally uploaded by brettgross

Snow and Bow and Boughs

Snow and Bow and Boughs 2
Originally uploaded by brettgross

Panorama of the Gazebo

Panorama of the Gazebo
Originally uploaded by brettgross

The Gazebo

The Gazebo
Originally uploaded by brettgross

Lights Under the Snow

Lights Under the Snow 2
Originally uploaded by brettgross

The Town Tree

The Town Tree
Originally uploaded by brettgross

Gina in the Cold

Gina in the Cold
Originally uploaded by brettgross