Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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Borrowing a musical passage from John Lennon: "Imagine...it's easy if you try." I will attempt to set the theme for a Christmas Season that you may not have thought about since you were a young child. Imagine a world with no war or the possibility of such, as exemplified by the current conflict in Ukraine. Imagine a planet where all religions manage to set their differences aside and live together in harmony. Try to visualize an America where the citizens are not so divided in ideology, and...
Long before football fans became aware of chronic traumatic encephalopathy...oops!! I just broke a cardinal rule of writing - which is trying to grab the reader’s attention with a good opening line. So, if you’re still with me, I will start anew from scratch. Back In The Day Long before football fans became aware of concussions and other brain injuries common to many players, athletes were exposed to a number of medical issues that were handled much differently than today. There were no certified trainers in the fall of any of the years (1964 -...
Setting The troll sightings took place along I 99 in Bedford County Pennsylvania in the summer of 1986. A rather portly troll approximately 33 years old and rumored to weigh over 175 lbs at the time was spotted (as expected) waiting patiently under a bridge that carried I 99 over state route 869 near the vicinity of the little hamlet known as St. Clairsville. In spite of the fact that this sighting took place along an interstate highway, very few people actually witnessed the super sprite sitting in the shade of the overpass on that hot and hum...
Most of us who were fortunate enough to have both parents present while growing up, probably remember Dad more so than Mom as the chief disciplinarian in the family. Not always so in the Potchak household – If Dad was working second or third shift, Mom was fully capable of handling the family and any mischief her boys may have encountered. And… As we grow older, there are countless times when we all have asked ourselves, “What was I thinking?” or “Why did I do that?” Such was the case again, here. Come to think of it, maybe I shouldn’t m...
“If you’re offered food, and you decide to accept it and take a bite, you’d better finish eating the entire offering.” Now, I’m not sure if that preceding line was a commandment in other homes, but it sure was in mine as I was growing up. My mom would add, “It’s rude to taste something that a woman bakes and then not finish eating it.” As I grew older, I deduced that my parents were not only concerned about hurting others’ feelings, but their thoughts on the consumption of food were also a result of them growing up during the Great Depression w...
I’ve never been that little kid who felt abandoned when he wandered a few steps away from his parents in a crowded department store, but I do have an inkling of how he may have felt. Let me explain.... The largest track meet of the year As the head track coach at Northern Bedford years ago, there were times when I had to get home early from a track meet. During those times, I would usually go home with my wife (who regularly attended most meets) and rely on my assistant coach, Harry Guyer, to supervise the kids on the bus during the trek h...
When it comes to garments and fashion - what’s in style and what attire is best for different situations - I admit that I am a total moron. The only exception to my insufficient vesture knowledge is my underwear. I wrote the book when it comes to a man’s underclothing and I am an expert regarding what choice a man should make when it comes to donning a particular style. Jockey briefs From my early childhood years through my forties, I’d always worn jockey briefs. I guess my mom purchased those for me when I was a kid and I just never quest...
After completing a recent Google search, I discovered there are a number of people known for statements concerning history repeating itself. The adage that I found that best fits the story you are about to read is the quote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana in his 1905 book, The Life of Reason, deserves credit for this thought-provoking quote. A cool, wet, dewy morning I was on my way to a doctor’s appointment one morning about 20 years ago, and before I left I took our dog out to do her bus...
If you’re a baby boomer, you might recall a television show back in the day entitled “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” The show’s host was Art Linkletter, a well-known TV and radio personality at the time. He would present clips of the funniest things that kids said during his on-air interviews with them. I can testify that his presentations were authentic, because they definitely hit home on many occasions. My phone interview Early in my teaching career, I noticed an ad in the local paper for a job opening in the pharmaceutical sales field....
Author’s Note: Because of the recent passing of actor Carl Weathers, this story came to mind. My wife and son were with me in the car and I was somewhat distraught, to say the least. We were on our way home from visiting my dad in a Johnstown hospital and the outlook for him was not good. I pulled into a local Sheetz store on Route 56 in the East Hills section of the city to purchase some gas and waited with patience in line, but I allowed enough room for the driver of the car in front of me to maneuver and pull out when he was finished pumping...
As a child, there was a large tree in our backyard that the members of my family and our neighbors called a chokecherry tree. Our parents told us to never eat the little fruits from that tree, or we would choke to death. The fact was that the tree, in reality, was a wild black cherry tree that started to grow long before I was born. To this day, I don’t think that my parents lied to us – more likely, they heard this tale about the chokecherry tree and out of ignorance and caution, they passed on the information to their kids. Now, most chi...
The prelude When it comes to making a purchase, never argue with a woman. My wife warned me that the on-line price I found for two Seresto flea and tick collars was too good to be true. And, of course, she was right. When I told her of the deal I got, which was less than half of the expected price, she asked me what the tracking number was on the order. And I replied, “What tracking number?” Not an order number, nor a tracking number, nor a confirmation number were given to me. The collars were fake, and I halted the transaction by calling my...
Like so many of us, some of my favorite memories growing up involved the Christmas holidays. My mom always had an assortment of nuts set out for visitors, and my siblings and I were permitted to indulge in our share of the treats, too. I remember well, that all of those tree nuts still had the shells intact, and part of the joy was using the nutcracker to open the shell and relish the tasty nut inside. Sadly, those delicious treats led to some undesirable consequences, time and time again. Usually within a half hour of my self-indulgence, I...
There’s an old adage that says, “opposites attract.” When it comes to how my wife and I were raised in different types of households, this expression hits the proverbial nail on the head. The verbal variations in each of our families was most apparent when each family attempted to retell an occurrence or event. The following exemplifies my point. The real story About 30 years ago we owned a yellow lab named Taffy. She wandered too far away from our yard one day and ended up on Route 869 just west of the town of New Enterprise. When she returned...
The summer of ’69 – “Those were the best days of my life.” Yes, Bryan Adams and I have that common thread. Where his summer revolved around the front porch and playing a guitar with his band, my days were more associated with hanging out with Susie, working a summer job, and getting ready for the upcoming football season. For those of you who played high school football, you know this was a crucial time in the life of a player – particularly going into one’s senior and final year. I found work that summer on two different farms, but it was...
The Northern Bedford and Southern Cove areas lost an extraordinary member of our community last Monday with the passing of Wayne Corle. (See obituary in this week’s Herald, Page A-3.) Perhaps you knew Wayne as a talented body shop owner like few others who could repair a crashed vehicle and make it appear brand-new. Or maybe you'll long remember his ear-to-ear grin as he ribbed you or joked about something, to which you could only smile in return. Like a stand-up comic with a well-rehearsed routine, Wayne would spout off five or six jokes in a...
Thomas Wolfe once proclaimed, "You can't go home again." And, to be frank, I've always felt that he was mistaken. If you've ever logged on to my site, you can plainly read my thoughts on that matter. In 2005, Jon Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles teamed up together for a megahit duet, where they asked my very question, "Who says you can't go home?" I was relieved to learn that others felt like I do in that regard. Personally, I've found the path to return there and I make a homecoming trip multiple...
As I think back over the many incidents that took place in the education field during my tenure, I'm reminded of the following: The awards assembly Once during the middle-school achievement awards assembly, a teacher started to read the names of students who had earned BUG Awards. She started out by saying, "For those of you who may not know, B-U-G stands for students who have brung up (their) grades." The spelling bee And earlier that year, the teacher in charge of administering the...
Like it or not, we've all been guilty of miscommunication blunders at one time or another during our lifetimes. The following scenarios involving verbal miscues and acts of misunderstanding did indeed occur. However, because of each story's short duration, none made the cut for a lengthy narrative standing on its own. I'll start out with a true story from the third grade. The subject of the flub was my good friend, Tom Myers. (May he rest in peace.) During a spelling bee, Tom actually tried to...
The Pittsburgh Pirates meant everything to me while growing up in Central Pennsylvania in the late '50s and early '60s. I knew the team inside and out – the lineup, the coaches, the announcers, even the advertisers on the TV and radio commercials. I had most of the Pirate statistics memorized, including the then-current batting averages of Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, their RBIs, home runs, walks and on-base percentages. I could tell you the number of times Clemente stole a base and t...
In 1971 Neil Young began his search for a "Heart of Gold." Had his quest continued for another dozen years or so, he surely would have discovered one in a baby girl, born in the northern part of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, in 1983. And it didn't take long for those associated with the proprietor of this heart of gold to realize that the young lady possessed something not only vast in size, but rare and precious, too. A young witness At about 3 years of age, this same little preschooler apprehe...
June 1, 1992, is a date that will live with me in infamy. That is the day I turned the big 4-0, and the day when I offered my son some pointers for his upcoming competition in the school's track and field day. Notice, I did not say, "he asked me for some help." Instead I offered, then begged, then coerced, and finally demanded that we go into the garage where he could pick up some valuable tips to better his distance in the standing long jump. Dad and coach – it never works As a former track a...
Editor's Note: In the April 11 issue, the Herald incorrectly ran Dave Potchak's column that initially appeared on March 14. Below is the column that should have appeared last week. The Herald apologizes for its error. Most of us who were fortunate enough to have both parents present while growing up, probably remember Dad more so than Mom as the chief disciplinarian in the family. Not always so in the Potchak household –if Dad was working second or third shift, Mom was fully capable of h...
Most of us who were fortunate enough to have both parents present while growing up, probably remember Dad more so than Mom as the chief disciplinarian in the family. Not always so in the Potchak household –if Dad was working second or third shift, Mom was fully capable of handling the family and any mischief her boys may have encountered. And... As we grow older, there are countless times when we all have asked ourselves, "What was I thinking?" or "Why did I do that?" Such was the case again, h...
In his younger years, our son was a deep sleeper to say the least. This usually presented little problems for his mother and me until he got nauseous and sometimes vomited in bed, without fully wakening. That very sight and the accompanying odor have to rank close to the bottom of duties parents must deal with when raising kids. I know this to be true, especially for the miserable moms out there who usually end up handling the mess. In my son's early years, the clean-up process was not a big dea...
My wife and son were with me in the car and I was somewhat distraught, to say the least. We were on our way home from visiting my dad in a Johnstown hospital and the outlook for him was not good. I pulled into a local Sheetz store on Route 56 in the East Hills section of the city to purchase some gas and waited patiently in line, but I allowed enough room for the driver of the car in front of me to maneuver and pull out when he was finished pumping. I was facing him, but I needed to use that...
In the early ’60s, an open dialogue between teenagers and parents was about as common as a chitchat between David Duke and Malcolm X. In our home, this dialogue gap was widened still further. Mom and Dad were sneaky, and if they weren’t comfortable talking about a particular subject, they had a few tricks that they used over and over again to avoid having to explain things to the kids. The most common tactic was to just not talk about it, and hope that it would go away. Naturally this only worke...
Statistics indicate that most of us love the Christmas Season and feel it's truly the best time of the year. Gatherings with family and friends, attending a religious service, observing the anticipation experienced by the little ones, and hopefully having some time off from work all bring to us a positive sensation not experienced very often at other times of the year. Unfortunately, figures also show that it's not always a joyous time for many of us. Besides glee, the holidays can bring many...
