Indiana Jones and Spacemen?

If you’re a big “Indy” fan, you’ll be happy with Harrison Ford’s return to the big screen! I took my nephew movie-buddy to the Palace Theatre to see it on the big screen for only 5 bucks. Sweet deal! My favorite Indy movie is the Last Crusade with Sean Connery as his dad, and he does pay homage to him in the movie. This is still Ford at his best, but the movie takes a weird twist. Set in the 1950’s (great malt shop scenes and CARS!) it has a certain nostalgia, but the nazi/communist bad guys are in America! Indiana Jones has always searched for ancient wonders like the Holy Grail, and I thought the crystal skull in question was another ancient artifact. It is ancient…kind of…

I don’t want to give away the story, but if you’re a sci-fi fan who skipped this movie because it’s “ancient history,” do an about-face and head for the last show on Saturday. It’s Out of This World! (pun intended)

Garlic powder! Sponge Candy! What’s new at our market?

Don “Ski” Pyskaty, our local Polish Prince of Garlic, had his wildly popular garlic powder at tonight’s farmer’s market in Barker. Folks who used up last year’s supply of the potent powder have been waiting for the Pyskatys to start the process of making freshly grown garlic into a sprinkle of flavor. It sells out quickly as more people find out how great it is. Some purists still prefer the fresh garlic bulbs and there are more of those every week!

I tried a new kind of leaf lettuce today from Humble House Gardens- it was “butter_____” (I forget) and it was nice and mild for those who don’t like the strong flavor of dark leaf lettuce. Oh, and the Goodie  Barn is now making red candy apples (yay) and homemade sponge candy!!! See what you’re missing????

The array of fruits and vegetables we see in the park every week is an ever-changing palette of colors and flavors. It doesn’t get any fresher or better than this, and there are many weeks of harvest surprises left, so come on down and tempt your taste buds. I watched folks munching on fresh cherries and apricots while they watched the fabulous Barker Community Band play in our gazebo. It was a beautiful night of sweet music and pleasant chit-chat with friends and neighbors. We love it!

Looking for the Secret Word?

If you have the answer to the trivia question in yesterday’s “Chatterbox,” look at the tabs at the top of this page for “SECRET WORD” and contact me with both to have a chance to win those Palace Theatre movie tickets.

Do you know where your children are?

Warning: this is NOT my usual “sunny” look at life.

Seeing the lovely, smiling face of an 18 year old girl in the obituary column usually brings sadness because illness or disease has robbed someone of a lifetime of hopes and dreams. Today it filled me with anger. I’m not angry with the young man who took her life, and then his own. I’m angry at the society I live in for glorifying violence. I’m worried that our values and priorities are so skewed that we cannot recognize that our children are in trouble. Do you know where your children are at this moment? Do you know what’s on their mind and in their heart?

Yes, at 58 I guess I’m in the geezer category. I know “things are different these days.” They always are. Times change, life gets more complicated, but basic values and inherent goodness should last. We give our kids every new electronic gadget to keep them occupied, give them space, give them love in our own inept way… but do we give them time?

So your kid is a top student, won scholarships, is a track star… is that what you wanted from them? Are all the things they accomplished the things THEY really wanted? If your 4.0 student just wanted to be an auto mechanic  would you think less of them? I guess the point I’m trying to make is, do YOU know what’s in your child’s heart? Do you know their hopes and dreams? I mean REALLY know. If one of their dreams shattered and their angst was too much to bear, would you know? Could they throw down the  “cool, independent” shell and come to you for comfort…and a hug…or a good cry?

My prayers are with both families, and their community. It may seem that all the bad news we hear about teens these days is random, just chance. When we see news about young people who are binge drinking, having casual sex, committing crimes or disrespecting life and property, we think it’s always someone else’s problem. Not MY kids. Not anyone I know. Guess what? I’ll bet all the parents of all those kids in the police reports said the same thing. Not my kid.

I choose to believe there are far more good and decent young people out there than the rotten apples. I am proud of all the wonderful young men and women who are a part of my community and the larger world. I want to believe they will make the right decisions in their lives, or learn from the wrong ones, just as we did, and our parents and grandparents before us. They’re carrying a troubled world on their shoulders but they will survive and make it better. At least, most will survive.

Maybe we can’t stop disease, or accidents, or wars, or natural disasters. Maybe we are powerless to intervene in the natural order of the universe. My own brother died by someone else’s hand, just shy of his 18th birthday. It was something we could not have prevented but the feeling of helplessness never goes away. No matter how many ways we can lose a child, we should never…ever…lose a child because there was not one person they could talk to, to reach out to. Our culture of violence and indifference to death has blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. It is up to us to define those lines, hard and fast, and keep our kids on the right side. We need to be able to pull them back when they get too close to losing their way. How? I don’t have any answers. I only know that I wish that troubled young man would have cried his eyes out to someone first. I wish the young lady could have seen the warning signs in so explosive a relationship. I only know that each of us is responsible for ALL the children of this world, and if it takes a village to raise a child, our village may be in trouble.

Bottom line? We are responsible for the state of the world we live in. All of us. Collectively. We may not be able to save every young person, but we ought to go down trying. Those “Have you hugged your kid today?” bumperstickers may be the most important piece of literature you read today. Hug them, love them, yell at them… just let them know that there is always something, or someone, worth hanging on for. Don’t be embarrassed to say “I love you unconditionally and am always here for you.” Start listening to your kids, their kids, everybody’s kids. We can’t save them all but we have to say we tried.

Spaghetti Dinner to benefit Daniel Sennett

Daniel Sennett was an avid baseball player for 38 years, a die-hard Yankees fan, motorcyclist and a volunteer at Sister Mary Loretta’s Soup Kitchen for 10 years. This was Dan’s life before he was stricken with a bacteria pneumonia, which changed his life forever. The pneumonia affected Dan’s extremities, which caused gangrene. The doctors had to amputate his feet, one hand and several fingers on the other hand. Because of this Dan now needs special equipment for driving and special transportation for his electric wheel chair. Dan is unable to stand or walk for any long period of time. He has made a remarkable and steady recovery. He fights back everyday, relearning how to do everything. He has prosthetic legs and is awaiting one for his hand. Any support to help Dan with his everyday challenges would be greatly appreciated!

Spaghetti Dinner Benefit will be held August 10, 2008 from   1-4pm at The Moose Lodge 617, located at 204 Monroe Street, Lockport, NY

Ticket purchase will include spaghetti and meatballs, salad, roll and butter. There will also be a cash bar, music, Chinese auctions, bake sale and 50/50 drawing. Cost is $6. in advance and $7. after August 2^nd. Tickets available at the following locations: Moose Lodge 617,   Ski Lodge,   Pleasant Valley Tavern, Or call 433-4239 Please send any monetrary donations to First Niagara Bank in Lockport  c/o: Moose Lodge – Dan Sennett- Fund Raiser.

Chinese auction donations needed

The Soda Jerks team of the Relay For Life is having a Chinese auction on August 23rd, in conjunction with the Barker Centennial Summer Splendor event in Barker Village Park. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. If you have items, baskets or gift certificates to donate, please drop them off at Thee Barker Store or contact me to make pick-up arrangements! Thank you!!

Free movie passes anyone?

Would you like free movie tickets? Lockport’s Palace Theatre starts a summer of movies this week, and you could win two tickets to see one of them. Each Tuesday there will be a new trivia question in the Union Sun & Journal’s “Chatterbox.” If you know the answer, you’ll need to check my blog for the secret word of the week. Contact me with the answer and the secret word, and your name will be put in a hat with other correct guesses. Contact me by Friday night; the winner will be drawn on Saturday.

            The movie line-up is “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Wall-E,” “Kung-Fu Panda,” “Sex in the City,” “Space Chimps,” “Mama Mia” and “Batman, Dark Knight.” Indiana Jones plays tonight at 7:30 p.m., tomorrow at 1 and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Wall-E plays at 7 p.m. Saturday, 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. on August  5, 6 and 7, with a 1 p.m. show on August 6. All seats are $5.

Don’t forget to get Tuesday’s paper!

Reality TV can be a nailbiter!

Okay, I’m a foodie. I love to watch cooking shows and the Food Network and feel like Paula, Emeril, Rachel and the rest are my friends, my foodie family. I watch them whip up fabulous recipes I’ll never try but I pick up a lot of food trivia and techniques so it’s not entirely wasted. Even better than the television cooks are the reality TV competitions. Bravo’s”Top Chef” is a winner and I love it. Gordon Ramsey’s “Hells Kitchen” is my favorite and theres never a dull moment (he’s a madman but he sure knows his stuff!) Tonight was the finale of “The Next Food Network Star” and it was a nailbiter!

All along it looked like perfectly-coiffed Lisa was in the lead. I don’t trust anyone who cooks in high heels and silk shirts. She was very knowledgeable but her theme was easy techniques to cook ritzy food. Adam, on the other hand, was a smooth-talking guy so comfortable in front of the camera he could have ANY kind of show. My personal favorite was Aaron- the husky, soul food cookin’ everyday guy you’d like to barbecue with. A marvelous cook, he’s not as comfortable in front of the camera. You know they say, “nice guys finish last,” so I didn’t hold out much hope. Tonight’s finale had the three remaining contestants tape a pilot for their show. Lisa charmed, Adam smooth-talked, and Aaron was just folksy. In the end, it wasn’t yuppie Mom or Slick young charmer who won, it was Big Daddy Aaron! His new show debuts next week and I’ll be there, watching him cook great recipes I’ll never try myself. But hey, now he’s one of the family, too!

A tough pill to swallow

Like most people, I think of my daily dose of medications as a necessary evil. I can think of better things to swallow than an assortment of pills, but it’s no big deal. The Prednisone has an aftertaste I’m not fond of, but compared to some antibiotics the size of mini-surfboards, it’s not bad. My question is, what’s so tough about swallowing a pill??? (this isn’t aimed at those with genuine swallowing difficulties)

The Boniva commercials with Sally Field (everyone’s favorite Flying Nun) make me crazy. In her genuine, heartfelt way she confides that she used to have to take a pill EVERY WEEK for her bones. Gasp! How horrible! Thank goodness Boniva only has to be taken once a month, to end the poor woman’s drudgery!

I just watched a commercial for birth control that offers to save women the dreaded hardship of having to take a pill EVERY DAY! Gosh ladies, just implant a device and imagine all the time and anguish you could save by not taking a pill EVERY DAY! How will you spend those extra three seconds a day that will be returned to you? You’ll be liberated!!

People, get with it. Just take the damn pill. Be thankful that there is a medicine, available to you, to take care of your ills. Have you ever watched a young child with leukemia gagging on liquid medicines that are part of chemotherapy treatments? Have you seen burn victims suspended in mid-air because the slightest touch creates excruciating pain? How about the soldier trying to deal the prosthesis that’s supposed to take the place of missing limbs? I have a feeling those people would consider themselves lucky to just have to take a pill a day! What about those who desperately need medicines to live but can’t afford them? What a dream-come-true it would be for them to have pills to take! Drug companies are making billions of dollars by pandering to our laziness and greed for faster and better. Once their patent for a drug runs out, they can change the size or delivery system of the same drug and charge top dollar again.

We are a culture of whiners. Everything is just “too hard.” We can’t just do what has to be done without looking for an easier way or a way out. If swallowing a pill is the hardest thing you have to do in your day, thank God for your blessings!

Don’t forget to Picnic at the Palace on Saturday!!

If you missed the post earlier this week, here are the important details. Bring your chairs, party on Main Street, and support the Palace Theatre!! Maybe I’ll see you there! Watch for news about the seven great movie weekends coming to the Palace!!!

“Picnic at the Palace”

Saturday, July 26 3-8 p.m.

Chiavetta’s chicken barbeque ($8 includes strawberry shortcake)

Free under the marquee:

“Flyin’ Blind” at 3 p.m.

Lockport Community Band at 6 p.m.

Bring your lounge chairs and relax on the closed off Main Street. There will be a free bounce house, a basket raffle and beer, wine and pop will be for sale.