Webb Weekly

If you are like me, for the past several weeks you’ve probably shared summer travel experiences with friends and neighbors. Especially for those with school-age kids who play fall sports, these school-free vacation months provide the opportunity to share some time away. But regardless of your family status, most folks welcome a break from the ordinary to enjoy a respite away from the daily routine.

Mom called you in a panic the other day. She’d lost her keys and by the time you arrived to help, she’d found them. In the refrigerator. These kinds of things keep happening, not often but often enough, and you don’t know quite what to worry about. But in the new book “When Memory Fades” by Nathaniel Chin, MD, you’ll learn about the journey ahead, for both of you. You can’t remember why you walked into a room. You got lost last week, going to the bank.

Among the many quotes attributed to Winston Churchill, one is his alleged response when criticized for using prepositions at the end of his sentences: “That,” he supposedly said, “is the type of nonsense up with which I will not put.” The quote is almost certainly apocryphal (that is, of doubtful authenticity). But nonetheless, it still shows the tortured syntax that results when trying to avoid this purported grammar gaffe.

On July 4th, the only thing we were thinking about was picnic food, fireworks, keeping cool in the river, and everything was red, white, and blue themed. It was summer, and nothing feels more like summer than the Fourth of July. On July 5th, Kenzy asked me a question. “Momma, when we get home from the river, can I decorate my room for Halloween?” she asked.

Smiling and saying hello may seem like such a simple thing. I’m guessing most of us do it when we see family or close friends. But what about the person we don’t know? The cashier at the grocery store. The person walking toward us on the sidewalk. The coworker we pass in the hallway every morning. The waiter taking our order. We never really know what someone else is carrying. They may be having the best day of their life. Or they may be having the hardest.

The weather changes, and the local fishermen switch to Bass. But many folks continue to reach out. I am not an expert on fishing, but I know a few things about our Pennsylvania trout. They will send a picture and ask a simple question. STOCKED or WILD? It is getting awfully difficult to determine the answer. I will sometimes look at my old notes from ICTHYOLOGY 345. The online forums are no different. The posts and threads are rather interesting. They are split 50/50.

This is hardly the time of year when anglers are thinking about catching trout; instead, bass, walleyes, and an assortment of panfish are probably what occupy their intentions on any given day. I understand since I too love to pursue a variety of the “warm water” fish species, but I’m also a dedicated trout angler and even during these summer days those “cold water” fish still get some of my time.

Tragically, every year as the hunting season gets underway and the “army” of Pennsylvania hunters hits the woods, unpleasant discoveries are made. As these hunters travel deeper into the woods than normal in pursuit of small or big game, the chances are all too real that they may come across a hiker or camper who has passed away. Frequently, the deceased person was simply not in the best of shape to handle the rigors of their outdoor activity.

The greatest event in youth sports will be on our cover and featured within our pages for the next two weeks. I am sure most of my readers know Little League baseball and softball are also the largest youth sports programs in the world. It’s hard for me to even get my mind around that this will be the 79th playing of the Little League World Series. So why am I talking about it this week?

In Editorials 25 Views I don’t like it. You don’t like it. But, unfortunately, our dislike doesn’t stop the march of time. And that means summer is winding down and the new school year is right around the corner. Again, just because it sucks — and it does — doesn’t mean we can ignore it. So what can we do to make the transition back to early mornings and catching busses a little less painful?