DO YOU CRY...
When you see Veterans, both young and strong and old and feeble, marching behind the colors?
When you see them stand at attention, saluting our flag?
When you hear the National Anthem, It's A Grand Old Flag, God Bless America?
How about when you hear the Military Branch Songs...
ARMY!
"Over hill, over dale, as we hit the dusty trail...."
NAVY!
"Anchors aweigh, my boys, anchors aweigh..."
MARINES!
"From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Triploi....."
AIR FORCE!
"Off we go, into the wild blue yonder, flying high into the sun...."
COAST GUARD!
"Here's the Coast Guard Marching Song, we sing on land or sea...."
I do.
Tonight was the Veterans Day program for my son's school, the Wallenpaupack North Intermediate School. My heart was bursting with patriotic emotion - pride for the veterans who attended, sorrow for the ones who could not, because they were killed in the line of duty, or have been a POW.
You could hear nothing but the rhythmic steps of the Veterans as they marched together into the gymnasium. You could hear a pin drop as they placed a ceremonial wreath before us, to honor those who have fallen. I could not keep the tears from escaping as the mournful sound of Taps echoed throughout the room.
I could not sing with the audience as we ended the program with God Bless America - but my heart was singing:
GOD BLESS OUR VETERANS.
Thank you for all you have done, for all you have sacrificed, for all you are doing. You are loved and appreciated.
Vietnam Memorial Photo courtesy of hookbrother, Child with Flag courtesy of Jeff Turner, via Flickr Creative Commons.
Monday night, another mom called to ask me if I had heard that the pending field trip to Harrisburg for 
Tuesday was cancelled...because of snow.
"SNOW?" I bellowed. Softening a bit, I recalled an October day 5 years ago, when we received a dusting of snow. My kids were ecstatic and got the sleds out - but after only two runs down the slope the snow was gone. I came back to the present.
"I doubt they'll cancel it," I said. "How much snow could we get?"
6:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 28. I peeked out the window - whoa - what's this? The ground is covered. I had a sick feeling in my stomach; my son was going to be devastated that yet another field trip will be canceled due to weather.
I turned on the TV and watched in surprise as the school closings scrolled by. I snorted when I saw "Wallenpaupack Area School District - CLOSED TODAY."
Marveling at how quick the schools are to close these days, I was ready to wander down memory lane - remember walking 3 miles uphill both ways in blizzards to get to school? - when my reverie was interrupted by a snapping sound - and the TV went off. Then it came back on - but then it went off again, for good. Along with the lights. Hmmmm.
We were not prepared. The kids had no snow boots yet - I thought I had till at least Halloween before I had to think about snow stuff. We had no bottled water, but we did have flashlights, a kerosene heater, and some oil lamps.
By late morning, I bravely ventured out to Wal*Mart with the kids. Soon, the hubby called to say the power was restored, but I bought some bottled water anyway...along with boots and snow pants. We got some popcorn and movies from Blockbuster.
After a supper of hot tomato soup, we decided not to watch a movie - the power flickered again. I lit the oil lamp, and we got out the Sorry! game. We finished out the evening munching on chips and saying "Sooooorrrry!" without really meaning it.
WINTER IN THE POCONOS - Be Prepared in Case of A Power Outage!
Last November, I created a slide show after an overnight snowstorm transformed our area from autumn to winter with a lovely, soft, white blanket of snow. I thought I'd share it again - enjoy!
CLICK HERE - OVERNIGHT "SNOW"-SATION
This was another Wild Card Wednesday post.
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Lake Wallenpaupack Snow Survival Tips © 2008 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved. Originally published by the author on PikeWaynePABlog.com - "Snow Survival Tips at Lake Wallenpaupack"
Lake Wallenpaupack
Scranton PA: Woman Gets Arrested for Cursing at Her Toilet & Wins a $19,000 Settlement
It’s been a while since I wrote a Wild Card Wednesday blog. Unfortunately, today is Thursday, but this blog fits 
the category so well, I’m going to put it in there anyway.
I prefer to stay on the subject of real estate in Pike and Wayne County, but sometimes you have to deviate from the norm. Since many residents of northeast PA head to Scranton often (myself included) I thought this would be interesting to my readers.
Indeed, NEPA (as Northeast PA is known) is an interesting and fascinating place.
A while ago, Scranton PA made the news because a woman was arrested for cursing out her own toilet as it overflowed, spreading gross liquid across her bathroom floor and into her kitchen.
Her windows were open, and her neighbors heard her use some unsavory language - and called the police.
That in itself is silly. I do not generally say “bad words.” I don’t like movies riddled with foul language. My dad had a pretty rough mouth. But it never occurred to me to call the cops on a potty mouth.
The next part - the cops arrested her for disorderly conduct. (remember she was inside her own home.) Wow. This is what the citizens of Scranton pay taxes for?
The story doesn’t end there - the ACLU got involved and this lady successfully sued the city of Scranton and won a $19,000 settlement.
Scranton is a hurting city - it made the Forbes list of America’s Fastest Dying Cities. And now, because of something so STUPID, they have to shell out nearly $20,000. More taxpayer dollars, literally flushed down the toilet.
What's concerning me about this, however, is that some people commenting on a local message board are upset over this lady winning a "frivolous lawsuit." I for one am upset that she was arrested over this in the first place.
Read the story from WNEP.com here.
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Scranton PA Toilet Lawsuit, © 2008 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved. Originally published by the author on PikeWaynePABlog.com - "Curse Your Toilet in Scranton PA and Get $19,000"
Mice are such cute little creatures, when they are in a cage, running on their wheel or curled up into a warm, fuzzy ball, 
asleep in a pile of fluff.
But when they boldly stroll through your kitchen, uninvited and unwanted, brazenly swiping kibble from the dog’s food bowl, and hiding behind the refrigerator, they are no longer cute. They are a menace, they are a nuisance, and they need to be exterminated.
For years, my husband and I purchased those cheap little Victor Mouse Traps, and after scaring the dog by snapping it a few times, we’d smear some peanut butter on the little lever and after a day or two, all of the invaders would be taken care of. We usually had only a few mice in the spring and again in the fall.
This year though, is different. Perhaps due to the foundation repair my husband has been doing, or perhaps because they feel the burden of the collapsed economy, the mice have been relentless.
“ENOUGH,” I cried, after screaming my head off when one little beady eyed creature came about six inches from my foot, and just stared at me.
A quick phone call to Rich at Pocono Pest (570-226-9481 ) brought him and his partner John to the house, and they started spraying for ALL sorts of pests - including these invading rodents. The guarantee is for a year - and it was under $300. No more traps, no more peanut butter, no more bullying mice stealing my dog’s food.
If you have a pest problem - whether it’s recurring fleas (they are nasty and the bombs DO NOT WORK!), mice, hornets and wasps, cockroaches, ants - anything uninvited, basically - why not save yourself the hassle of trying to deal with it yourself?
Calling an exterminator like Pocono Pest can save you lots of headaches, and lots of wasted money. Pocono Pest (RLO Enterprises) covers all of Pike and Wayne County. They are reliable, effective, and affordable. I have personally recommended Pocono Pest for years, and will continue to do so…I first became a customer years ago when the house we purchased was infested with fleas. Haven’t had a flea in my house for over a decade.
Sellers, buyers do not want to buy homes where there is evidence of mice, ants, or other pests. In today’s market, buyers can be as picky as they like. Don’t let something so easily solved hinder the sale of your home.
See other Tuesday Real Estate Tips here.
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Pest Control in the Poconos, © 2008 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved. Originally published by the author on PikeWaynePABlog.com - "Pocono Pest Control"
(This was originally posted on PikeWaynePABlog.com)
This weekend, October 25, 2008, Weichert Realtors Paupack Group will be hosting several Open Houses in Fawn Lake Forest. If you've been thinking about selling your home, and would like to put it on the market, please contact me for a price evaluation and to learn about my unique marketing plan.
The Fawn Lake home that I originally had planned to hold open has a contract pending, so I'm looking for a new home to market and put on display!
It's not too late to get in on the action - I'd love to talk with you and tell you about what Weichert and I will do for you.
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Pike & Wayne County, Lake Wallenpaupack & Northeast PA real estate listings, homes & property for sale. The Hideout, Masthope, Wallenpaupack Lake Estates, Tanglwood, Indian Rocks, Fawn Lake, & more.
In July 2007, I joined the very exciting office of WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Paupack Group. In 2008, we closed more transactions than any other real estate office around Lake Wallenpaupack.
I don't want to bore you with a mundane "About Me" section, so I've left many details out. If you really are interested and want to find out more about me, you can read my full professional REALTOR profile here.
If you think that profile sounds too stuffy, try this unstuffy one...it's a bit tongue-in-cheek; I like it better than the "professional" one. I'm definitely "unstuffy."
What have some of my clients said about me? Here's my Testimonials Page. I am not good about asking people to brag about me, but there are a few kudos there from past clients.
Enough about me. Let's get back to Northeast PA real estate. Even in these "tough times" I am selling real estate - in Dingmans Ferry, Lake
Ariel, Lackawaxen, Lake Wallenpaupack, Hawley, Honesdale, and all over Pike and Wayne County.
I love being a real estate agent; I love hunting down properties, either through tax maps, on the MLS, or driving around Wayne or Pike County.
My favorite thing to do is market listings: I LOVE taking tons of pictures, coming up with interesting descriptions, and blogging about homes for sale. If you'd like to learn more about selling your home, click here!
Sometimes I am dressed in a very business like suit; but most times I'm in jeans and boots (or crocs!), ready to go tromping around wet leaves and rocks or ice and snow looking for the property boundary ribbons....
I'm always ready for an adventure, and eager to take my clients with me.
Real estate law requires that the Consumer Notice be linked on all website pages. It is a disclosure explaining the relationships consumers have with agents, and our responsibilities to you.
I am a member of the following real estate associations:
National Association of REALTORS Pennsylvania Association of Realtors Pike / Wayne Association of Realtors
Currently, I focus on residential sales, homes, and property in the Hawley - Lake Wallenpaupack area of Pike County and Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
I maintain two real estate websites for Northeastern PA.
KarenRiceSells.com is a newly launched site focusing primarily on homeowners who want to sell their homes. I list homes for sale all over Pike and Wayne County, from Hawley to Honesdale to Lackawaxen and Greentown...and everywhere in between.
WallenpaupackLakeProperty.com is a buyer oriented site and offers easy searches of the Pike/Wayne MLS and a great place to look for your new vacation home, home to retire in, and of course, if you are looking to relocate and find a new primary home.
Click the links below for some of the searches:
Pike / Wayne County foreclosure listings
Wallenpaupack lakefront homes for sale. (Click to see 'em!)
ALL lake front properties for sale in Pike and Wayne County.
MORE REAL ESTATE LISTINGS:
Communities in Wayne County include:(these are the most popular; there are more!)
Some Pike County Communities:
Feel free to Search the Pike/Wayne County PA MLS - free! Create your own account so that you can create and save your own real estate searches.
Pike County PA is one of the fastest growing counties in the northeast United States. Because it is convenient for commuters, offers clean air and mountain magic, provides top quality schools, Pike County surely is a desirable place to live and raise a family. Real estate taxes are much lower compared to our neighbors in NY and NJ.
Both Wayne and Pike County have an affordable cost of living, especially when compared to the nearby metropolitan areas of New York and New Jersey. Many residents find that it's a wonderful place to put down roots and still keep their high paying city jobs.
Pike County Links:
Hawley/Lake Wallenpaupack Chamber of Commerce
Pike County Chamber
Pike County Industrial Development Corporation
Wayne County Links:
Wayne County Chamber of Commerce
Wayne County Visitor Information
Wayne County Economic Development
MORE LOCAL LINKS: CLICK HERE!
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