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Keep Cool Without Breaking the Bank
By Chris Petry Well, it’s summer and it’s hot. Really, really hot. I hope you sun-worshipers are happy because the rest of us certainly aren’t. Yesterday, when I climbed into my car after work, I was moving my hands back and forth from the steering wheel to the gear shifter like a cat swatting a toy mouse. Black leather interiors do not serve one’s hands well when the ca
The Bugs Are Coming... Oh Wait, They're Here
By Chris Petry Anyone have ants? I never had ants. Not until a freako storm came rolling through last month and knocked out my power for three full days. It was day two when I noticed that the box of popsicles in my freezer had melted and, moving with the flow of gravity, found their way into the refrigerator below and then onto the wood floor below that. Then, as if a top-secret radio broadcas
Memorial Day 2025
By Chris Petry While the first day of summer is technically not until the 20th of June, almost everyone considers Memorial Day weekend to be the real kick off of the summer season. By that time, we’ve already experienced some fairly warm days and people have responded to them by stepping up their yardwork, planting flowers and switching out boots and sweaters for V-necks and boat shoes. C
Hey, It's Arbor Day!
By Chris Petry Arbor Day has a marketing problem. Think about it. Spirit Halloween begins opening their doors in August. Millions phone in dinner reservations and purchase heart-shaped chocolate boxes for their significant others on Valentine’s Day. Americans from the Atlantic to the Pacific and North to the Arctic Circle will let off fireworks on July 4th to celebrate their independence.
April Showers Bring May Flowers... or Something
By Chris Petry Well, we’ve officially reached the month of April and you know what that means. Yes, it’s time to don a blue pinstriped suit and umbrella like Gene Kelley in “Singing in the Rain” and wrap yourself around a light post. If 1950s musical references are lost on you, let’s just say we’re in for a lot of rain. Probably. Or, maybe not? Despite the ol
Happy St. Patrick's Day PA!
By Chris Petry This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Monday. Ordinarily, the prospect of any holiday falling on a Monday is enough to make anyone recoil in horror and dread. After all, one still needs to report to work first thing Tuesday morning. Then Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before there’s any time to catch up on lost Zzzs. Of course, a lot of people will just ramp up the
Valentine's Day is Here!
By Chris Petry Well, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air. Or something like that. I’ll probably just order a pizza, watch my usual double feature of My Bloody Valentine (1981) and Valentine (2001) and sob because nobody loves me. No! This is the year I finally take charge of my life and feelings. I’m all I need! Me! And pizza. This just in, my bloodwork reveals tha
The Science of Snowflakes
By Chris Petry As the song goes, “If you’ve got no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.” Well, unfortunately, most of us do have places to go. Namely work. If it wasn’t for the early morning commutes, no one would hate the snow. Of this I’m convinced. So, let’s just forget about all the driving nonsense for a moment, I guess the shoveling too,
What's the Deal with Ginger Bread Homes?
By Chris Petry As of this writing, the Federal Reserve has enacted its third interest rate of the fiscal quarter. These rate cuts coming after two years of steep increases. While rates will fall even more in 2025, current projections indicate it will be much more gradual and deliberate. No matter what, rate decreases will almost certainly be welcomed by the home buying public. While it
State-by-State Guide to Holiday Cookies
By Chris Petry Last month, we reviewed Google’s state by state breakdown of the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes. For the Winter Holiday season, we thought we’d see what search analytics revealed about the most popular Christmas side dishes. Well, turns out that data’s not quite in yet. However, they did analyze the most popular Christmas Cookie search for each state. Whi
