Monday, December 24, 2012
Area churches prepare for services.
Today is a busy one for almost everyone. Last minute shopping. Wrapping gifts. Tidying up the house for tomorrow’s dinner. Preparing for that dinner. And the final touches will be put in place for tonight’s church services. Upper Milford Township is home to several churches celebrating the birth of Jesus tonight. Some will hold the annual Christmas pageant acted out by the children of the various churches. After weeks and weeks of rehearsals and learning songs, they are ready to tell the story of Christ’s birth to their family, friends and congregation members. Children dressed as angels, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, the Wise Men and more are prepared for their roles. The churches have been decorated with red, white and pink poinsettias and …
Sunday, December 9, 2012
People seem to panic when a four-letter word creeps into the forecast—snow.
A couple weeks ago it was predicted that we were to receive one to three inches of snow in the Allentown area. No big deal. Right? Of course, up here on top of the mountain in Old Zionsville, it is not unusual to receive more—or less—snow than Allentown. (We once shoveled nine inches of the white powder off the driveway, when Allentown received only a dusting!) With the prediction of the snow and slippery conditions, members of the Upper Milford Township road crew busied themselves by preparing the roadways. The road in front of my house went from solid black to black with grayish stripes. I went to Weis in Emmaus to do my weekly shopping that day. And was I in for a surprise when I arrived…well, maybe not really a surprise. Parking was at…
Monday, November 26, 2012
Country living has its own unique aromas, from flowers to skunks.
My husband and I have lived in the countryside most of our lives, with only two exceptions. After we were married, we rented an apartment near center city Allentown. Two years later, we moved into a townhouse in Lower Macungie Township. We stayed there for 10 years, then moved to our current home in Old Zionsville and back to our country roots. After 12 years away from the rural atmosphere, it didn’t take very long to re-acquaint ourselves to the smell of freshly cut grass, the cleaner air, the smell of burning leaves in fall, skunks, apples rotting on the ground, horse manure spread on the fields, and other aromas that go along with living in the countryside. As we walk outside to shovel snow or spread salt on the ice during the winter …
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Quitting smoking could save your life in a way you may not know.
We have all heard smoking is a bad habit and not good for you. Children are taught in elementary school to not even begin smoking. And those who do smoke are encouraged to stop and lead a healthier lifestyle. I remember that when I was about 15, I tried smoking. It was awful…horrible. I still do not understand why people smoke and what makes them start such a bad habit in the first place, especially young children. It tastes and smells terrible. And whoever thought of taking a bunch of dried leaves, crushing them, rolling them into some paper, lighting it and puffing away on it? An Upper Milford man I know stopped smoking after nearly 45 years of puffing on cigars and cigarettes. I applaud him—it was quite a feat. He quit gradually—…
Monday, October 29, 2012
Those falling leaves give us one last chance to have fun before the sledding season begins.
Editor's Note: This week's Under the Butternut Tree was written long before anyone had ever heard of a little storm called Sandy. Enjoy it as a glimpse into what "was" before the beauty of fall was so rudely taken away from us all. Reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. These beautifully colored leaves that bridge summer into winter look as if an artist splashed paint on lawns, streets, walkways and parking lots. This is one of my favorite times of the year. The rainbow colors of leaves are a beautiful sight, especially when driving through Upper Milford Township along the country roads. Just look down from the top of a hill and see the panoramic view. It’s gorgeous! Those leaves emerged in the spring, bringing the colorless, bare trees back…
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Weather permitting, maybe some of us can re-purpose our unused Halloween costumes from 2011.
In two weeks it will be the one year anniversary of the October 29 snowstorm—the Halloween Snowstorm, as it is often called. I am positive that no one has forgotten their harrowing experiences of those few days. Trick-or-Treat Night was canceled…unless you were fortunate enough to live in a community that scheduled the annual candy quest before Oct. 29. Halloween parties and get-togethers were also canceled. The Masquerade Ball benefitting MS was one of the events canceled in Upper Milford. My costume still hangs in the closet. But children—and adults—rejoice. With no predictions of snow as of yet, you can dress up this year for Halloween and Trick-or-Treating. And some of you may even be lucky enough to use last year’s costume. What's …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Trees, too, can become part of the family.
Twenty-two years ago we started planting sticks in our front yard. This was at a time when schools (including the East Penn School District), churches, businesses, farm shows and other organizations gave them to children and adults in recognition of Arbor Day. Over a seven-year period, we ended up with seven of those sticks, consisting of the seedlings of three blue spruce and four douglas fir trees. They were about one- to two-feet high with no branches and they looked like…sticks. We planted each and every tree that our sons brought home. The douglas fir and blue spruce trees joined an already planted blue spruce and two Japanese red maple trees. As they grew, the front yard looked more and more like a man-made mini forest. But this …
Monday, September 17, 2012
We built a trust with a family of them that were living in a tree.
Many beautiful and colorful birds call Upper Milford Township their home. They can be seen in most any tree or perched atop the electrical wires that wind throughout the area. And, even if you do not see them, they will surely catch your ear while singing beautiful music during the day. Last month, while removing bagworms from one of our trees, my husband discovered a bird sitting on a nest of two eggs. Most birds will abandon their nest if they feel threatened, leaving their eggs or hatchlings. But this bird never left the nest. It never moved. We probably could have reached into the spruce tree and petted it, but we just looked—waiting for those eggs to hatch. “When does it eat or get up and stretch its legs?” we wondered. This bird, a …
Monday, September 3, 2012
A good time was had by all at an August MS Fundraiser in Emmaus Community Park.
There are lots and lots of charities and organizations in need of funds these days. Some call on the phone asking for dollars—something everyone looks forward to. Some stand on street corners and others have a dinner or activity connected to it. One of the charities we support is that of multiple sclerosis. Our daughter-in-law, Lynette, was diagnosed with the disease a few years ago while still in her 20s. When she wakes up in the morning, she never knows if the disease has taken her eyesight or the ability to walk as she lay sleeping soundly in her bed. It would be devastating, especially with two young children to care for. On August 11, residents of Upper Milford Township, Emmaus and other outlying areas helped raise some funds for the…
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Emmaus Community Park
1401 Shimerville Rd, Emmaus, PA
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875419
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Monday, August 20, 2012
No…they are not lunches; they are thousands upon thousands of worms.
On my journeys throughout Upper Milford Township, I can’t help but see the different varieties of coniferous trees. There are various shades of green, different lengths of needles, and some even have cones hanging down. But at this time of year those brown bags begin to appear on some of them. And as time goes on, those beautiful pines and spruces can become brown and completely defoliated. This year, our front trees were “chosen.” We have four Douglas fir, four blue spruce and four arborvitae. Nearly all have been “decorated” with the brown bags. We realized we were infested and needed advice from the experts. So we called the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service and my father (we always need our parents no matter how old we get). …
Barbara Poplin
7:21 am on Monday, December 24, 2012
Knowing the exact date is not as critical as knowing Christ. He was born, He lived, He died, He arose and He will return one day. Thank God! more ›