Ligonier's Best Kept Secret "ROSARY ACRES"

Rosary Acres Natural & Organic Foods!
4000 Sq Ft filled full of the things you are traveling to Pittsburgh and shopping at Whole Foods and others is right here in Ligonier!

GLUTEN FREE, BULK GRANS*TEAS*SPICES, VEGEN, HEALTH & BEAUTY, LOCAL GRASS FED BEEF, ORGANIC CHICKEN, ORGANIC FRUITS and VEGGIES ( Year Round), Raw Milk and Cheeses, Kombucha, Kefir and much more...

Everything you need without the travel!

And join our ECO-SAVINGS PROGRAM
and save 10% on everything, everyday!

Hours
Sun CLOSED
Mon CLOSED
Tues 10-5
Weds 10-5
Thurs 10-7
Fri 10-5
Sat 8:30-5

724-238-4140

Produce arriving at Rosary Acres tonight!

POWER MEAL SALAD
-includes Cranberry and Wheatberries

Egg Plant
Green Peppers
Corn...Last of the local
Kale
Chard
Basil
Apples
Squash
-All Types
Artichokes
Avocados
Bananas
Strawberries
Broccoli
Celery
Celery Hearts
Cucumbers
ELEPHANT Garlic
Red Grapes
Green Grapes
Limes
Mushrooms
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Plums
Potatoes
-Fingerling 1.5 # bag
-Buttercream Cinacia 2# bag
-Purple Size A, per lb
Baby Romaine salad
Sprouts, (lentils)
Yams
Zucchini
Tomatoes

1869 RT30
NEXT TO BULL's TAVERN
www.rosaryacres.com

Ligonier Country Market tomorrow!

Stop by and see me! I have new hoodies (this one is black merino wool with cashmere pieces and parts!) and mitts! Or find me on facebook under Turnaround Designs.

The leaves are turning. It's the perfect time for portraits!

Has it been too long since you got your family together for a nice portrait?  Let the colorful leaves play as a backdrop, while you create a lasting memory.

I also specialize in newborn, maternity, engagement and senior portraiture.  For the remainder of 2011, I am offering half-price session fees and a free 8x10.  Check out my website, Jessica Vogelsang Photography or e-mail me at jessicajerin@gmail.com for more information or to book a session.

donna's back in town!

ALL business owners, employees, & vendors

I will be set up CHAIR massaging by appointment 

@

Mommy Gear South St. Clair Street

a private room right below the store

1-877-213-3173

www.everydaytherapeuticsmassage.com

https://www.amtamembers.com/everydaytherapeuticsmassage

email me donna@everydaytherapeuticsmassage.com

I will be taking times late afternoon till evening

$1 a minute you pick the time from 5 minutes till an hour 

two kittens need a home or a rescue

Hey, DC,

 

Just wondering if you happen to know of anyone who might want an eight week old kitten.... a friend at work has two that her sister is going to put to sleep if they don't find a good home for them.  I know what an animal lover you are, so I thought you might know of someone who may be interested.

 

Hope all is well for you! 

 

Rachel

If you can provide a home for these kittens, please contact Rachel at 

724-454-3624 .

ManCans have arrived!

New at the Country Store at Compass Inn Museum...ManCans!

Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and seen on The Today Show, ManCans are man scented candles that come in a recycled soup can with a recycled label. Founder of ManCans, 14 year old Hart Main from Marysville, Ohio, donates cases of soup to soup kitchens and missions. He’s quoted “every can used was once a can of soup that provided a meal for someone who needed it”.

These unique candles come in a variety of scents such as Dirt, Bacon, Sawdust, Coffee, New York Style Pizza, New Mitt. They are made from natural food grade wax and made in the USA! Help us help Hart as we will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Ligonier Valley Food Bank.

The Country Store is located on the grounds of Compass Inn Museum, 1382 Route 30, Laughlintown, 3 miles east of Ligonier. The store is open Tuesday-Saturday, 11:00-4:00 and Sunday, 1:00-5:00. Holiday merchandise is arriving daily. Stop and visit. Although we would love for you to take a tour of the Museum, you can just stop and shop! For more information call 724-238-4983.

Mountain Palace Cold Weekend Special

With the sudden cold weather this weekend, Lacy decided to create a northern Chinese cold weather favorite. Beef noodle soup from her native Jilin Province is the choice this weekend for $5.95. Enjoy this or any of our menu favorites including Miracle Dumplings and hotpots in our Chinese art museum setting. Many vegetarian items are now available. Eleven miles north of Ligonier left off of Route 711 onto Creek Road across from Mirror Lake. 724 717-8614 http://www.mountainpalace.net/

Good Morning Ligonier!

I finally had a decent night sleep after a cortisone shot in the shoulder. Its a good day!

area schools pass the test

JOHNSTOWN — The PSSA achievement bar was raised for 2011, but the region’s school districts cleared it, results released Thursday show.

All 23 districts in Cambria and Somerset counties – and neighboring ones including Chestnut Ridge, United, Ligonier Valley and Glendale – made the grade district-wide, achieving adequate yearly progress.


Read more in the Tribune Democrat.

so, what do you think...commercial enterprise or not?

Bethlen attorney Peggy Hooker said the addition of the Graceful Aging Wellness Center -- a fitness facility available to Bethlen employees and Ligonier area seniors -- and the American Hungarian Archival Room would not extend the Heritage Center's social, recreational, civic or cultural uses.

But Supervisor Tim Komar questioned whether the wellness center would be defined as a commercial enterprise under the township's zoning ordinance because the facility would be offered to the general public for a fee.

Read more: Ligonier Township senior-care facility work outlined - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_759289.html#ixzz1ZQro1ZeT

Anwar al-Aulaqi killed

News Alert: U.S.-born cleric and al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Aulaqi killed, Yemen says
September 30, 2011 5:48:57 AM
----------------------------------------

Anwar al-Aulaqi, the radical Yemeni-American cleric and one of the most influential al-Qaeda operatives wanted by the United States, has been killed in Yemen’s Marib province, Yemen’s Defense Ministry said Friday morning.

http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/46MP2V/EWJ0BP/TB62K9/TDMDZW/VRPNN/JY/h

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com

Ligonier TV is coming soon!

Dog Found!

We found Wador--thank you!

ALERT ALERT dog missing photo to follow

American Foxhound -brown and white - male - orange collar - lost on the Wilpen strip.


Call Tammy @ 724-875-8950.


ALERT ALERT ALERT

How bad is the water? CBSNews reports....

Watch water on fire

Sherry Vargson, of Granville Summit, Pennsylvania, shows CBSNews' Armen Keteyian how water from her faucet lights on fire because it's infused with methane gas.

The video is at CBSNews at http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7362579n or

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7362579n#ixzz1ZLxwTjQJ

A Better Way by Joe F. Stierheim

A Better Way

Joe F. Stierheim

The circumstances on 9/11—the 9/11 of 2011 and not the 9/11 0f 2001—have caused me to think. On 9/11 of this year, the tenth anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York City, the TV was filled with nonstop images and rhetoric of destruction, death, anguish and vengeance. A recount of the occurrences of that day and the subsequent happenings that were spread out over years were recalled on radio and in newspapers as well. There were memorial services in countless locations throughout the country.

I well understand the need to honor those that died in the attacks that took place on that day and the desire to teach those who were not yet born at that time the immense horror of what took place. But is there not a better way to do that?

As a nation, we condemn the attacks, now as well as then, as being acts of terrorism, violence and destruction that were beyond understanding. We reject any thought that they were justified. We announced to the world that we were totally opposed to such acts and would not condone them. Yet in our remembrances of that day, we recreate them in detail. For what purpose?

We say we want to follow ways of peace, to extend justice, equality and democracy to all nations. Does our dwelling on the execution and effects of one of the most horrific acts of covert terrorism to ever happen aid us in those efforts? Do we spend our time, energy and money in this way simply to present an example of what not to do? Is that effective? Hardly. More than likely it simply causes a desire in the viewer and the listener for vengeance, retaliation in kind, a repetition of violence and destruction and, in these days of war by remote control and “improved” weaponry, a loss of other innocent lives. In other words, a continuation of the same.

If we truly want the opposite of death, destruction and sorrow, then why do we not observe the day by putting those opposites into effect? The opposite of destruction is construction, the opposite of sorrow, joy and of death—life. It isn’t difficult to think of many ways to demonstrate such things. In every neighborhood of our country there is a need for such things. Why not start this custom—tradition—right here in this neighborhood? It has to start somewhere. Why not here?  If it is meant to, it will spread. If it does make it to other neighborhoods, other sections of the country, why let it stop there?

Dream a little. Think what this could mean. More than confining our efforts to our homeland why not carry them abroad—to other countries where they are needed? And let the recipients know where it comes from and why—that this act of good will and kindness is our answer to the terror that was brought to us. Out of our pain and sorrow we give to you this token of hope for the future of us all.

What if it were possible to do this? What could be the result? All over the world, in small ways, we could reverse the symbol that is 9/11. Out of sorrow could come joy; out of destruction could come construction; out of pain, healing; out of violence, kindness; out of despair, hope. Out of death could come life.

The principle is sound. Work for what we want and not against what we don’t want. Put our energy where it counts. The principle is worthwhile in any number of situations. What if something like this were tried and it didn’t work? We’d be no worse off than we are now. But if it did work? Then the act of terrorism would be marked and known worldwide in a positive way. That would truly be an effective way of countering and nullifying the act of terror itself. Let everyone know that terror gains nothing but that positive works can gain everything.

Sound impossible? Maybe it isn’t. The point is, is it worth a try? What have we to lose?

Let’s try a better way to remember 9/11.

Who's this classy fellow! Nice camera

History and the Fine Art Print , Opening

Friends of 28,

We are looking forward to seeing you this Saturday October 1, 2011 day for the opening reception of Jim Miller: History and the Fine Art Print, from 7 - 10 PM. Special musical guest, Mr. Aaron Elliot will be on hand showcasing his numerous talents! As always we will have refreshments for everyone. The exhibition continues through October 29, 2011


Gallery Hours: Tues - Fri Noon - 6 PM/ Sat 11 AM - 4 PM / Appointments Welcome / Admission is Free



--
28 West Second
Gallery & Studio Space
28 West Second St
Greensburg, PA 15601
724.205.9033
www.28westsecond.com

rasphone

Wow....I've been renewing my learning curve on IT topics and just discovered a block in McAfee that prevents email and password stealing.  I am amazed since blocking this action just how many programs attempt to access this information even when I am not using the program!!!!

EPA asked to improve air standards at Marcellus Shale wells

"Janet McIntyre, a resident of rural Butler County, testified that air emissions from 10 Marcellus Shale wells within a mile and a half of her home, plus a compressor station and three fracking waste holding ponds, have put into the air a bad smell that has affected 30 people in her neighborhood. "If I go outside for more than five minutes, I get a severe headache and burning eyes and skin and a metallic taste on my lips," she said. "The air is chocking me and my neighbors, too. I feel it's coming from those fracking waste ponds around me."

"Areas of the country that have more fully developed shale plays are experiencing significant effects from the cumulative impacts of oil and gas production," Ms. Nardone of the Sierra Club said. "Here in Pennsylvania, as development and production grows at a rapid rate, air contaminants and their effect on human health are a grave concern. Action by the EPA is long overdue to help regulate and monitor the rogue natural gas industry."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11271/1178075-113.stm

How will Marcellus drilling in Ligonier affect *your* air and health?

How will the Marcellus gas operations impact your air and your health? Learn more at an important informational meeting on October 4^th at 7:00 PM at Ligonier Town Hall. Drilling, fracking, compressing, and distribution activities all produce air pollution that can affect your health. At this meeting, you will hear from Joe Osborne, attorney with Group Against Smog and Pollution who has expertise on the air issues surrounding Marcellus gas drilling, and Pam Judy who has personal experience with the health effects related to gas operations. Q and A session will follow. Free Admission.

Sponsored by Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group, Mountain Watershed Association, Jacob’s Creek Association, and Loyalhanna Watershed Association

Connections Menu for Wednesday

EAT-IN or TAKE-OUT

Today's Soup: ($3 or $5)

Corn Chowder

Salads for today: ($5 or $7)

Wheatberry with Apple & Fennel

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Red Bean & Tuna

Chickpea & Feta

French Potato & Green Bean

Dilled Green Bean

Curry Chicken

Spicy Peanut Noodle

Chicken & Wild Rice with Cranberry

Choose one or ask for an assortment

724-238-9611

events by Ligonier Radio

• THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30: The Pennsylvania Room of the Ligonier Valley Library will have a display commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9-1-1 through the end of September. The display features photographs and memorabilia as well as a hand-painted, quilted wall hanging of the Twin Towers.
• OCTOBER 1: The United Universalist Fellowship of Ligonier Valley will hold a used and unique yard sale on Saturday, October 1 from 9 - 4 PM. The sale will take place on the church grounds, just past Ligonier Beach. All proceeds from the sale will benefit area food banks.
• OCTOBER 1: Westmoreland Walks taking Steps Against Breast Cancer will hold their 10th annual walk at Pavilion #7 at Twin Lakes Park on Saturday, October 1st beginning at 11AM. To sign -up, call 724-382-4148 or pick up a registration form in the Chamber office.
  
• THROUGH OCTOBER 1: The Country Market at Millcreekis open every Saturday through October 1st from 8 AM to noon. For more information call 724-238-6702.
• OCTOBER 7-9: Silver Bear Graphics will hold a Book Publishing Symposium on October 7th-9th at the Laurel Mountain Christian Camp in Rector. This symposium is for authors, writers, readers, agents, publishers and anyone who is passionate about books. For registration and more information, call 724-613-1814.
• OCTOBER 13-27: The Hollow Tree Players present Once Upon A Story, an interactive storytime for children ages 18 months to 3 years of age and and their parents and guardians. The event takes place from 10:30 AM-11 AM on October 13th and 27th at Mommy Gear. For more information, call Donna at 724-238-7970.
• OCTOBER 14-16: FORT LIGONIER DAYS! It is everyone's favorite time of the year in Ligonier...Fort Ligonier Days..the weekend of October 14th through the 16th. Stay tuned to the Valley for more information concerning Ligonier's biggest event of the year! Listen for the schedule of events updated hourly.
• OCTOBER 20-NOVEMBER 12:A mini exhibit of photographs by the Westmoreland Photography Society will be on display in the Pennsylvania Room lobby of the Ligonier Valley Library from October 20th through November 12.
• OCTOBER 21-31: Take an autumn stroll all along the Diamond from October 21st through the 31st and see the creative entries in this years' annual Scarecrow Contest. Don't forget to vote for your favorite scarecrow!
• OCTOBER 22: The Duquesne Tamburitzans are celebrating their 75th year with an October 22nd performance at the Ligonier Town Hall. Don't miss this event. Call 412-396-4134 for more information. 
• OCTOBER 21-30:The Valley Players of Ligonier will present the musical comedy spoof Dracula..the Musical on October 21, 22, 28 and 29th at 7:30 PM and October 23rd and 30th at 2:30 PM. For tickets and reservations call 724-238-6514.

the original press release for the LVSD college credit program

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release – 9/18/2011

For more information contact:
Chris Oldham, Superintendent
Ligonier Valley School District
333 West Main Street
Ligonier, PA 15658
(724) 238-5696
coldham@lvsd.k12.pa.us

Ligonier Valley School District Students to Earn Associate Degrees
Through Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
While Attending Ligonier High School

The Ligonier Valley School District, in conjunction with Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, has unveiled its plan for high school students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an associate degree.

The opportunity, the first in a Pennsylvania public high school, is offered to entering freshmen and sophomore students in the District’s Advanced Studies and College-Career Prep tracks.

Eligible Ligonier High School students will be able to enter an academic track that includes coursework from Pennsylvania Highlands leading to an Associate of Arts General Studies or an Associate of Science Business Administration.

Both of these degree programs are available from the College in a completely online format. Ligonier’s students will take advantage of online coursework, as well as Pennsylvania Highlands Accelerated College Education classes taught by Ligonier High teachers. The remainder of the degree requirements will be met through the transfer of dual enrollment courses from three other institutions of higher learning (Mount Aloysius, University of Pittsburgh, and Saint Francis University) that currently endorse a multitude of Ligonier Valley High School’s core and elective classes.

The proposal, designed to increase college accessibility, as well as to enhance the meaningfulness of the high school experience, was presented to Pennsylvania Highlands Community College by Ligonier Valley Superintendent Dr. Christine Oldham.

"As post-secondary tuition costs continue to rise, the unintended consequence of this cycle will be decreased post-secondary accessibility due to economic constraints. We absolutely need to rethink education into a K-16 model. Ultimately, our greatest concern must be student achievement.

"High schools have long struggled with making the senior year meaningful, as well as with truly preparing students for college or career. What better way to promote an education that prepares students for their futures than to provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, earn an associate degree while in high school, and then either transfer into other degree programs as college juniors, or move directly into the work force as degreed employee candidates?"

At 2011-12 tuition rates, and with alignment of ACE courses, dual enrollment transfer courses, and the online Pennsylvania Highlands courses, the General Studies degree can be achieved for less than $4,000; the Business Administration degree for less than $6,000. The long-term benefits of this opportunity are significant in both student time and financial expenditures. Interest in the program has been outstanding, with more than 25 percent of the total 9th and 10th grade classes enrolling.

Ligonier Valley has grown their dual enrollment offerings from seven courses at the start of the 2010-11 school year, to 27 courses at the start of the 2011-12 school year. Participation in the District’s dual enrollment courses is available to ALL student attending LHS, and with 88 college-credit earning opportunities, there really is opportunity for every student to experience college in the high school.

Ligonier High School Principal Ron Baldonieri noted, "Even if students are not entered into one of the associate degree tracks, they still have the opportunity to complete enough dual enrollment credits to reduce their college requirements by two or three semesters."

More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. Christine Oldham, Superintendent, Ligonier Valley School District at 724-238-5696, or coldham@lvsd.k12.pa.us.

Well, I'm here and I'm first so... Good morning, Ligonier!!

Here's another rose for ya.  This is Clara's rose.  Clara was my grandmother, the one I never met because she died when my father was a child.  I grew up in a house built on land subdivided from the old farmhouse.  My father transplanted this rose bush from the farm house to our house.  When my father died, I brought it here to Ligonier.  It was a spectacular bloomer and gave us two stories of flowers on my childhood home.  I have a fairly shady garden now and just this year transplanted it to a spot that I hope gives it more blooming pleasure.  ;)

Morning Greeting

I sorta miss seeing a Good Morning Ligonier and I have a proposal that I just ran by Diane.
If you are on first, its your pleasure to give us a Good Morning greeting. Whether its your own photo, some news, or the Webcam ala Diane, give us a greeting to get us started.

But you can't do it two days in a row.

So at most you can do it every other day, and it gives someone else the chance to greet us all.

Good Night Ligonier!

These puppy's where dropped off at little hollow farms yesterday

Looking for home for 2 adorable puppy's that were dropped of at Diane from little hollow farms anyone interested please call Diane 724-582-6619 or joy at 724-600-9476

This Kitty Needs A Home

This darling kitty is in need of a loving home.  She is most likely from a litter that was born this spring and is very tame and loving in nature.  She is great around children and dogs and purrs the minute she is held.  Could you give this kitty a home?  Please call 724-757-1565 if interested.  Many thanks!

Connections Menu for Tuesday

Need a good pick-me-up for lunch? Try one of our healthy salads ($5 or $7, eat-in or take-out):

Chicken and Wild Rice with Cranberries & Pecans

Chickpea & Feta

Spicy Peanut Noodle

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Tuna & Red Bean

Wheatberry with Apple & Fennel

Not sure which to choose? Ask for a combo!

Visit us at:

109 South Market Street

724-238-9611

it's Mellow Mike night

MELLOW MIKE 

Ligonier Tavern

6:30 to 9pm

come to sing

come to drink

come to laugh

come to eat

come to read

come to listen

come to get mellow.....

additional office proposed for 412 West Main

Ligonier planners voted on Monday night to recommend that borough council approve a second-story law office at 412 W. Main St.

Attorney Russell McGregor requested to occupy the second story of the house. Property owner Mark Graytok operates his optometry practice on the first floor.

Read more: Ligonier planners recommend approval of 2nd-floor law office - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_758881.html#ixzz1Z9WktM9r

Pittsburgh Steelwheelers

One Westmoreland County resident was front and center to cheer on her teammates during the 11th annual 5 kilometer run, walk or wheel challenge to benefit the Pittsburgh Steelwheelers.

Katie Smith, 26, of Stahlstown says all money raised from the event will be used to help cover the cost of sports wheelchairs, equipment and travel expenses for regional and nationwide tournaments for her quadriplegic rugby team, as well as another local paraplegic basketball team, both based in the Pittsburgh area. The Presidents Challenge 5K is hosted by the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, or WPTLA.

Read more: Westmoreland resident cheers Pittsburgh Steelwheelers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/guestcolumn/s_758749.html#ixzz1Z9Vq8CLZ

Fifth Annual Used and Unique

Backyard Sale

October 1

Doors open 9 AM to 4 PM

Proceeds benefit Westmoreland Food Bank and 

UU Fellowship Community Outreach Programs

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 

of Ligonier Valley

1.5 miles east of Ligonier on Route 30

(Next to Ligonier Valley Beach)

the disappearing cartoon

Thought I ought to explain the disappearing cartoon posted twice by Elizabeth.  The method she was using to post the picture had the effect of making all previous posts disappear from view.  I have no problem with the content and have invited her to repost the graphic using Blogger tools.

Housekeeping Estimates are available!

Call or click to get a FREE estimate with no obligation to a contract unless you like what you see!

Helping Hands For Home is your number one choice in organizing and cleaning. We offer deep-cleaning, organizing, spot cleaning and even whole room makeovers. With our affordable rates, you can get the job done and have the time you want and need instead of spending grueling hours on your home projects. Leave it up to our cleaning experts to get the job done, in a timely manner and with the prices you can afford!

Helping Hands For Home

108 S St Clair St
Ligonier, PA
15658

Ph:724-691-2614
Email:kwaters@helpinghandsforhome.com
www.helpinghandsforhome.com

Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday 10am-6pm EST

BEANERY WRITERS PROMPT

The Beanery Writers Group September 24, 2011, Writing Prompt


I’ve been attempting, sometimes (no, often) unsuccessfully, to send out a weekly prompt from the Beanery Writers Group. I keep hearing that recipients of the prompt are writing even if they don’t send me the results. Some have sent the results, and some have been posted. I will continue sending out the prompts weekly (or at least try weekly) as long as I keep receiving positive responses.

PROMPT:
Write a 26-word story where every word begins with a different letter of the alphabet.
To make the story longer, keep writing---repeating the instructions above as often as your story requires. Remember, each successive 26 words must begin with a different word of the alphabet.
OR
Name story
Write a story where successive words begin with the letters of your name. Use your middle name, and if you have a maiden name, you can include that.
To make the story longer, keep writing---repeating the instructions above as often as your story requires. Remember, each successive set of words must have successive words using the letters in your name(s).

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sit down for 7 minutes and just write. Then, if you feel so inclined, develop your 7 minute writing further.

Send your results to beanerywriters@yahoo.com . Even though we haven’t responded to each submitter, some responses have turned into posts on the Beanery Online Literary Magazine (www.beanerywriters.wordpress.com).

NOTE: The Beanery Online Literary Magazine seeks submissions for the autumn season and autumn special days, including Labor Day, September 11th events, Election Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving---and even Christmas and New Year’s eve/day.

MELLOW MIKE

I’d like to thank all those who came to Mellow Mike met at my home last week. I’d especially like to thank Diane Cipa for turning control of the event over to me at several points.

There was the usual camaraderie, music, readings…and Mother Nature presented us with a gift: a perfect autumn evening. The event was able to be held on our large patio, just as I planned.

I told Diane that she would know when I was ready to read my piece that the sign would be my wearing a maroon colored faux fur bathrobe. While lounging on a lawn chair, I lamented the passing of the soap opera, All My Children, the last episode which was to air the coming Friday (September 23). I was particularly upset that the timing of the episode was during our Beanery Writers Group meeting. I was going to miss it unless I irresponsibly skipped the meeting.

It had been announced beforehand that there would be a funeral for summer and a welcome to autumn. After working through the song Autumn Leaves, Dmitri read a sonnet to honor both those seasons.

As Dmitri returned to his seat he twice waved and called out Cheerio to the listeners.

Later I indicated to Diane that it was time to sing The Wayward Wind, an introduction of the announcement of our special undisclosed birthday party guest.

When the music was finished, I presented a quiz to the Mellow Mikers. No one was able to identify the unidentified guest from either the quiz or the clues tossed around during the evening.

At the end of the quiz Diane presented a drum roll, which signaled to a blue-haired man that it was time to jump out of a cake (a large decorated box resting on a picnic table). In his hands he carried the identity of the undisclosed birthday guest.

The blue-haired man, Dmitri, then turned his keyboard on and danced, waving around the two front panels of Cheerios boxes.

Yes, that was our undisclosed birthday guest. Cheerios turned 70 this year.

To read my skit and/or the questions on the quiz click on these links:

A House Frau Loses the Soap All My Children

and/or

An Undisclosed Party Guest Turns 70 in 2011

Additional early autumn reading:

Fresh Apple Cider and a Drunk Moose

Pittsburgh Penguins Practice Hockey

Playing with unknowns underground: 4 Stories

By Sandra Steingraber

WHEN I MOVED MY FAMILY FROM a cabin in the woods outside of Ithaca, New York, into a house in a nearby village, it felt like a faith healing. I could walk again. A sidewalk stretched from my door out to a craggy maple tree and then connected with another sidewalk that headed down the block toward Main Street. Here was a track, upon which the wheels of a double stroller could roll, that linked me to coffee, library books, postage stamps, hardware displays, bank tellers, and a bus line. Hallelujah.

Out in the woods, foxes and newts had roamed our backyard, but I myself wasn’t doing much roaming. The road that connected me and my children to the rest of the world was ditched on both sides and carried trucks and a 50 mph speed limit. Nobody was going to be tricycling along it, and trips to obtain cash, band-aids, or wallboard nails involved car-seat buckles, tantrums, and drive-through windows.

But now I sat on my front stoop and grinned. To be sure, the village sidewalks—century-old slabs of stone—were neither plumb nor true, but this was evidence that they had outlasted a generation of street trees whose roots must have lifted them and then, in dying, set them down uncrumbled but askew.

Read the four stories that flow out of this at http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5504/

Cain is certainly no stranger to adversity, having recently overcome Stage IV colon and liver cancer. Even though he's known as the "pizza" candidate for his years as head of Godfather's Pizza, his background is much broader than that. After he graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in mathematics and a minor in chemistry in 1968, Cain landed a job as a ballistics analyst for the Department of the Navy, where he was responsible for the calculations that ensured battleship rockets hit their targets. "It's not an easy thing to do," he said. Cain later completed a master's degree in computer science and entered the business world where he led several companies--most recently Godfather's--and chaired the National Restaurant Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. His résumé--from mathematician and rocket scientist to restaurateur and now politician--isn't exactly a typical one for a presidential candidate. But Cain said that while his presidential run may look unlikely from the outside, it's actually part of his larger career trajectory of seeking out new ways to test himself.

Read more on Yahoo.

HIRING at Ligonier Tavern

Hey! Good Morning Ligonier!

Its a beautiful start to a Monday.

How To Teach Your Children About Money

This one seems to be a smart and simple method.

"After Ava got paid (she could earn up to $1 each week), she had three jars: Give Away, Savings and Spending. She first put 10 cents in the Give Away jar, 25 cents in the Savings jar and the remaining amount in the Spending jar. This worked so well for us. When we were at the store, often Ava would see something she wanted. We never had any arguments; we would simply say, "We'll have to go home and see if you have enough money in your spending or savings jar to buy it."

See more in the article here: The Secret to Living Well on $40,000 a Year by Kimberly Palmer
http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/113561/secret-living-well-40000-Year-usnews

What do you think about this LVSD program?

LIGONIER — Two years from now, many Ligonier Valley School District sophomores will have two caps to wear at their graduation.

One will be presented by their high school, the other from Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.


Read more in the Tribune Democrat.

Mountain Palace - New Special for Today!

Mountain Palace regrets to report that the bean sprout special has been changed to pork, celery, and shredded potato with rice for $6.95. Unbelievably, the large supply of bean sprouts Yuzhen nurtured this past week is already gone. One would have thought it was enough to feed an army, at least a small army. We are open today from 11:30 until 6:00 for your dining enjoyment. We still have a good supply of the ever popular Chinese jasmine tea in addition to our usual menu and some new types of Miracle Dumplings. Shrimp with chives and egg dumplings are becoming popular and we now have meatless celery, onion, and ginger as well as bean sprout, chive, and egg. Steeler fans having no game until tonight may want to enjoy the afternoon in our Chinese art museum setting with some homemade authentic northern Chinese food. Dine in or take out. Still eleven miles north of Ligonier left off of Route 711 onto Creek Road directly across from Mirror Lake. 724 717-8614 http://www.mountainpalace.net/

Basket Party Today!!

All proceeds benefit the
New Florence Fire Company

OVER 72 Baskets

Doors open at 1:00 pm
Drawings start at 2:00 pm
Tickets are $5.00
Light Refreshments

Herman Cain for president....!!!

He won the Florida straw poll in a major upset.  Love it!

TOSS OUT THE TAX CODE and give us 9 percent flat income tax - 9 percent flat corporate tax - 9 percent sales tax.

Walk for Ando 2011

I wish more of you could have attended this wonderful event.
The day was perfect for a walk through town.
The sponsors participation is much appreciated. All walkers received all sorts of goodies for their dogs: treats; fun magnet sets; a bandana; a retractable leash; a dog bowl, and much, much more. I think we got our $20 back in gifts!

Officer Eric and Blek.

To see our K-9 teams in action is outstanding and FUN.
For the benefit of our K-9 teams, please try and come next year.

looking for fundraising advice

If you wanted to sell bricks, T-shirts and commemorative plaques to support a local project, where would you go locally or at least in Pennsylvania, to purchase these items?  Any recommendations?

The Long Way Home...

On September 15th, Allegory Gallery debuted its first fine art show: The Long Way Home.  Artists from around the world were asked to create pieces rooted in the idea of their interpretation of "home"for the newly built Project Space.  Some of the artists approached the creative challenge literally with representational paintings, building schematics and work based off of old photographs. Some of the other artists tackled the theme abstractly – drawing on mythology, internal dreamscapes, and snatches of poetic dialogue.  The show includes work by Cora Yee, Gina Chalfant, Sheila Thornton, Iviva Olenick, James Kao, Natalie Willemsen, Elizabeth Castaldo, Celine Sheridan and Joyce Werwie Perry.

"The Long Way Home" will run until October 12th at Allegory Gallery at 139 East Main Street.  Prices are available upon request.

Above is a picture from the opening reception, where members of the community celebrated the new show and the grand opening of the newest store in town.

Mountain Palace Open Friday

As a reminder, Mountain Palace is now open Friday evenings from 6:00 until 10:00 as well as our usual Saturday 11:30 until 9:00 and Sunday 11:30 until 6:00. Our special this week is pork, bean sprout, and chives with rice for $6.95. Of interest to our vegetarian customers, Yuzhen has made some new dumplings. We now have celery, onion, and ginger as well as bean sprout, chive, and egg Miracle Dumplings. Those are in addition to our usual beef, Chinese radish, onion, and ginger; pork, sauerkraut, onion, and ginger; and, as of last week, shrimp, egg, and chive Miracle Dumplings. Lacy is also continuing with pork lomein on the menu. Come to Mountain Palace to enjoy homemade authentic northern Chinese food in our Chinese art museum setting. Eleven miles north of Ligonier left off of Route 711 onto Creek Road directly across from Mirror Lake. 724 717-8614 http://www.mountainpalace.net/

Letter from A Local Farmer to Fellow Farmers

Thu, Sept. 22, 2011
Over the past year, our operation has grown tremendously in size and revenue and it's increasingly obvious that we need more help, beyond that of friends and family. In particular, we need field labor and wash house/greenhouse labor. Over the past two months we've interviewed many folks and even setup a trial basis with a few. We're quickly realizing that labor will likely be an impediment to our growth, as we've been largely unsuccessful finding individuals that are reliable, and at a minimum, will pay for themselves. We both have experience managing large staff of skilled labor, engineers in my case. However, we're finding there is a set of new issues when managing unskilled labor. :)From the following articles:
“The hours and outdoor conditions make it tough. Better wages are part of the solution.”
– Cheryl Cook, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Deputy Secretary of Marketing and Economic Development
“Wage is not the answer. Some of our farmers are paying $12-18 / hour with additional benefits. Mechanization is not the answer. The problem is the job itself, look at the conditions: working seasonally and outside versus in air conditioning and year round. It’s a cultural thing.”
– Jeff Grove, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Local Affairs Director and Agriculture Labor Specialist

Take a look here:

Labor Part One: Non-Local http://pasafarming.org/resource/PDF/RFIN/Mar_April07.pdf

Labor Part Two: Hire Fresh Hire Local http://pasafarming.org/resource/PDF/RFIN/May-June2007.pdf

Have you laughed yet today?

Stop in Connections today for a great cup or bowl of Tuscan Bean Soup ($3 or $5, eat -in or take-out). Lots of salads and great desserts. And just baked "Laughing Seed Bread" for sale by the loaf ($4).

109 South Market Street

724-238-9611

Do you need a large chalkboard?

Ligonier Valley Library has a large, 8' x 4' green chalkboard looking for a good home.  It has been in storage so it looks a little dirty, but it is in great shape.  All you need to do is come and pick it up--remember that it is quite large.  Call the library before you come:  724-238-6451.

new construction in Ligonier

Visit Montgomery & Rust.


Stacked Flats in the Armory

• A total of six Stacked Flat units will be offered in three buildings.
• Base model Stacked Flat units are approximately 1,600-1,800 square feet, excluding garages.
• Base prices range from $275,000 to $285,000.
• Single floor living.
• 9' ceilings for first and second floor unit.
• Homes highly insulated to assure energy efficiency.
• High efficiency (93%) furnaces and air conditioners with fresh air ventilation system.
• Andersen windows with low-E glazing.
• Structured wiring for high speed internet connections, TV, and telephone, plus integrated security system.
• One car garage with opener.
• Front porches with view of the park.
• Low maintenance exteriors featuring brick, Hardiplank siding and heavy-duty roof shingles.
• Additional options available, including energy efficient tankless water heaters, decorative box beams, sound systems, and kitchen and bath upgrades.

drilling in Westmoreland

Balya gave a heated response to Marcellus shale opponent Jan Keifer of East Huntingdon while explaining his support for an industry that has provided jobs and cash in the region, which has been struggling to secure both.

"What's the solution? We are not bringing industry to the United States because of the cost of employees that are higher than in other countries," Balya said. "What are we supposed to do? There's people who know how to do this right. I think we have a moral obligation to try to do it correctly."

Read more: Westmoreland drilling opponents vocal - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_758295.html#ixzz1YmEnpni3

get the warp drives ready

Can particles travel faster than the speed of light? Most physicists would say an emphatic "no", invoking Einstein's special theory of relativity, which forbids superluminal travel. But now physicists working on the OPERA experiment in Italy may have found tantalizing evidence that neutrinos can exceed the speed of light.

The OPERA team fires muon neutrinos from the Super Proton Synchrotron at CERN in Geneva a distance of 730 km under the Alps to a detector in Gran Sasso, Italy. The team studied more than 15,000 neutrino events and found that they indicate that the neutrinos travel at a velocity 20 parts per million above the speed of light.

Read more on IOP.

Penn State study: New take on economic impact from shale gas

A new Penn State study of the economic impact of the Marcellus Shale has found that Pennsylvania natural gas development in 2009 created roughly half the jobs and economic activity reported in earlier, industry-financed studies. The study, which examined not only how much money Marcellus Shale drillers spend on wages, leasing and royalty payments in Pennsylvania but also where and how those dollars are spent, found that "a significant portion" of the money left the community where the land was leased or was not spent in the year it was earned.

David Kay, a senior extension associate with Cornell University's Community and Rural Development Institute who has studied past Marcellus economic impact studies, called the new report "the most careful study of the issue that's been done to date." Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center welcomed the report, adding that although it does not address the issue of a statewide drilling tax, it makes the case for such a tax by alluding to "a lack of direct revenue to local governments, plus human, health, and environment impacts."

Read the article at http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/penn-state-study-shows-more-modest-economic-impact-from-shale-gas-1.1195154#axzz1Yk59L97R

tossed a bucket of pee...I don't blame him

York, Penn. (WHP) -- A 91-year-old Pennsylvania man is cited for throwing urine on the sidewalk to keep neighborhood kids off his property.

Our sister station WHP CBS 21 talked to this man, who admits to doing this. But he says he feels like he had no other choice.

Read more on WTSP.

events by Ligonier Valley Library

What's happening at the Ligonier Valley Library?

municipal liens

If the Ligonier Township Municipal Authority is facing a deficit, then I'll reiterate my position that they ought to file liens against properties for unpaid services.  Perhaps they've moved forward with a lien process and I missed it, but if not, let's get to it.  Those of us who pay their bills ought not to have to carry those who do not.

municipal authority facing deficit

Ligonier Township Municipal Authority officials are taking steps to avert a deficit, projected to hit $366,000 by March 2013, without raising rates for water and sewage customers.

Officials are developing a budget to go into effect on April 1. Passage is expected in November.

Read more: Possible shortfall vexes Ligonier Township water utility - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_758044.html#ixzz1YgP3IRSe

It's a beautiful day in Ligonier.

;)

privacy

This would apply, among other forms of such tracking, to cell phones. It would also require telecommunicationscompanies(including providers of cell phones) to get our consent to collect data from locations where we use them. Where do we go with cell phones in our ears? These companies, without telling us, already convey this location information to the FBI without our knowing we're being tracked as we talk.

And there also is this mass graveyard of privacy:Facebook. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said: "Here we have the world's most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations, their communications with each other, and their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to U.S. Intelligence." Facebook is not being run by the state, but the state keeps its eye on Facebook. Years ago, George Orwell's "1984" had a large reading audience. Where are they now?

Read more:FBI is on your cell phone. Do you care?http://wnd.ha-hosting.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=346997#ixzz1YaYe4KJl

Cool new app on iPhone

cam wow app this is at beach surf fishing in Maryland right now

Don"t Miss The K9 Police Dog Demonstration This Saturday!

Ligonier Township K9 Office Blek is shown here in last year's Memorial Walk for Ando demonstrating how he is able to control a suspect until his partner, Lt. Eric Eslary is able to handcuff the offender.  Blek and 3 other police dogs will demonstrate their many skills starting at 12:00 in the parking lot of the Holy Trinity Church following the dog walk through town. Approximately 50 dogs attended last year's event and then enjoyed the Doggie Limbo Contest and other games afterward. Registration begins on site at 9 am with the Walk starting at 10:00 am.  Many area merchants have shown their support by donating gift certificates and other items for the raffle. Refreshments and t shirts will be available on site. All proceeds for this event go directly to the Ligonier Township K9 Fund to support the program! If you are unable to attend and wish to donate, you can send a check made out to the Ligonier Township K9 Fund to the event sponsors, Beaufort Services Inc.  3731 Rt. 711, Ligonier, Pa.  15658. Hope to see you there rain or shine! 

and the poor guy can't even sneak a cigarette

When Ronald Reagan ran for re-election in 1984, his slogan was "Morning in America." For Barack Obama, it's more like midnight in a coal mine.

The sputtering economy is about to stall out, unemployment is high, his jobs program may not pass, foreclosures are rampant and the poor guy can't even sneak a cigarette.


Read more in the Chicago Tribune.