We’ve all been so concerned with the icy cold temperatures that most of us didn’t realize this is the last Sunday in January.
Can I have an Amen?
This weekend we have a teeny reprieve of sub-freeing temperatures for a few days but then another brief cold spell and hopefully after that, the temperatures will moderate, said the man in winter denial.
We may be frozen over in Greater Pittston, but things are starting to heat up with spring activities like the Railriders’ announcement of their coaching lineup for March.
Even though it’s January, it felt so good to hear news like the upcoming baseball season.
Right around the corner is the NASCAR Daytona race, and this weekend is the tennis finals from Down Under in Australia.
Just looking at a region with a warm climate gives me hope for an early spring.
Although nobody was laughing in the Deep South when a lot of my friends received something none of them ever witnessed in their lives — snow.
If you are like me, you saw a ton of social media photos from South Carolina to Florida to Texas with people trying to drive in the snow, people having snowball fights, or folks using anything in the shed to clear snow.
One of my friends from Charleston, South Carolina, posted a video of her chopping the icy snow off of her steps with a hammer.
I, in my best Wisenheimer voice, told her there was a really neat tool called a shovel that would be very helpful. I don’t believe she thought it was humorous. She told me she couldn’t remember where the shovel was located.
For many, it’s been a few decades since their area received snow and for others, they may have never witnessed snow in their entire lifetime, like some in New Orleans, for example.
Most municipalities didn’t have a single snowplow, so they made do by driving a payloader down the street to clear the snow.
I can’t even equate to what they experienced because we see it all in Greater Pittston.
We may not get a hurricane, but we get the remnants from a hurricane and of course we’ve seen tornadoes in our area.
Speaking of frigid temperatures, this past week, the Secretary of the Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED), Rick Siger, landed at Pittston for a Downtown walking tour. It was 8 degrees that morning.
I, being a fair-weathered guy, didn’t like it one bit, but I still had a job to do.
The night before the walk, I texted Mayor Michael Lombardo asking if the walking tour was still on. His reply was “yes,” to which I replied, “crap.”
Since I don’t own a winter coat, I had to layer and find my warmest shoe boots. I have winter gloves, but working a camera with gloves can be challenging — but I managed to do so. I never wear gloves to shoot, but when the temperature is 8 degrees, I don’t have much of a choice.
Halfway through the tour, I noticed my gloves were not keeping my fingers warm, even though it would have been worse if I didn’t wear them with the breeze.
Having poor circulation in my hands and feet has been a curse all of my life, going back to about the age of seven.
Mayor Lombardo is not one to squander an opportunity to show off the city to a state or federal official, especially when it involves potential future funding. I can’t blame him for that.
So, approximately 15 of us, including the press, walked from City Hall to The Slope Amphitheater to the Tomato Festival lot to the proposed seven-story housing/American Theatre to the Waterfront Warehouse.
Secretary Siger found the tour of the Waterfront Warehouse and the city’s Downtown improvements, including the future housing and theater project, very impressive.
At the Waterfront Warehouse, we had a chance to warm up and speak to the secretary.
I was lucky enough to get a ride back to City Hall when the event was wrapped up.
On a side note, I liked when Secretary Siger referred to Downtowns across the Commonwealth as the “living rooms to our communities.”
Of course, he’s right. Downtown areas are the central location of everything that happens in a town or city, just like your living room at home.
All Pittston needs is a Jumbotron at the Tomato Festival lot for everyone to gather during the summer nights.
Wait a minute, I better not put any more ideas in Mayor Lombardo’s head, or city administrators will throw me out of the city.
Besides, it won’t be long before a gigantic robot with an electronic screen will be placed at the festival lot. I guess that will do for now until the Mayor figures out a place for that Jumbotron.
Speaking of spring, the notices are coming out already for the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, St. Patrick Dinner. That’s another good sign of spring coming.
Quote of the Week
“Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.” — Ban Ki-moon
Thought of the Week
“I believe economic growth should translate into the happiness and progress of all. Along with it, there should be development of art and culture, literature and education, science and technology. We have to see how to harness the many resources of India for achieving common good and for inclusive growth.” — Michael Mandelbaum
Bumper Sticker
“It’s not enough to have economic growth. You have to distribute wealth throughout all of society.” — Tabare Vazquez
