March and April can be tricky as we break the bonds of winter with some days starting off with spring-like weather and ending with winter temperatures.
I shot a baseball game on Thursday for the paper. It was fairly warm during the day, but as the game started at 4:15 p.m., the winds started up, and a spritz or two of rain began. By the evening, the temperatures dipped down to 32 degrees.
Those two nice days of warmth were a tease for me and it’s never enough. Looks like seasonable temperatures will be norm for the next week or so.
My friend cut her grass on Wednesday, even though she said the grass wasn’t long enough, but she just felt like doing it. That’s her thing in the summer; she just loves cutting grass — so much so she will do her neighbor’s yards as well. I bet you wish you lived next to her.
I have to admit, it was nice getting out and shooting baseball, America’s favorite pastime sport.
It’s always a challenge shooting sports going from winter sports to spring sports and you feel a bit rusty in doing so. I never feel like I’m on my photography game at first, but it doesn’t take long before I’m back in the grove.
If you are interested, Crestwood downed Wyoming Area by the score of 8-3 after the Warriors briefly held the lead 2-0.
It will be great to see Major League Baseball back in full swing, and that means it’s only a matter of time before our Railriders light up the PNC Field in Moosic.
I haven’t been shooting there a lot over the last few seasons, but I hope to get there a few times this year including the home opener on Tuesday, April 8. Their season starts on Friday, March 28 when they hit the road before coming back for the 8th.
The winds have played havoc this winter going into spring, so covering a tennis match, for example, is not much fun with the ball being blown all over the place.
In another four weeks, we should be in good shape weather-wise, with some warmer temperatures.
Soon enough, the West Pittston Cherry Blossom will be upon us. This year, for the first time, the event has an official sponsor Big Top Rentals.
Big Top has been involved with the Cherry Blossom Festival for many years providing tents, but the Farrell family has stepped up financially and wants to really make a difference with the festival.
The same format for the festival has been pretty much the same for decades and it might be time for some changes to bring in more people to West Pittston.
Food trucks were introduced instead of a food tent, and it worked pretty well. The parade stepped off an hour earlier, and that makes total sense.
Maybe this new infusion is just what the Cherry Blossom Festival needs to launch it into the future.
This past week, it was announced the federal Department of Education (DOE) would be shutting down with the power being handed over to the states.
I was checking into the ramifications with this happening.
It looks like there would be a loss of federal funding where many PA schools rely on Title I and other funds.
Special education and disability services would be impacted, college financial aid would be left up in the air. Standardized testing could potentially change as well as teacher certification and professional development.
A big concern for every parent is, with the school lunch and nutrition programs no longer receiving DOE money, how much would the Commonwealth of PA have to step in to fill those voids.
I get the idea of cutting the fat out of bloated government but not sure the DOE could be sliced and diced.
Pennsylvania and other states will have to put more money into funding education and that will affect your pocketbook, no doubt.
I’m not sure what the answer is, but maybe cutting back would have been a better alternative then cutting out. We shall see what happens next and how Gov. Shapiro and his administration will respond.
Schools in wealthier districts may adapt more easily, while lower-income schools could suffer from a lack of resources, increased inequality, and reduced support for students with disabilities.
So it looks like we will have some traffic delays with work being conducted on the SPC Dale Kridlo Memorial Bridge, formerly known as Ft. Jenkins Bridge, until the end of 2025.
Last week, it took me about 15 minutes longer to get from the west side to the east side, so during rush hours, plan accordingly lane for restriction between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. until the project is completed.
These delays will only be a precursor to when the actual work starts when tearing down and building the two new bridges due to be completed by 2030.
We have to be lucky to have two bridges; the poor folks in Nanticoke just had the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge close.
That’s it for this week, have a great week ahead.
Quote of the Week
“Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer, the days will grow longer, and the weight of winter will lift from your shoulders, leaving you free to dance in the sun once more.” — Anita Krizzan
Thought of the Week
“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart. Each leaf, each petal, each blade of grass unfolds with perfect timing, reciting its verse in nature’s grand symphony.” — Rainer Maria Rilke
Bumper Sticker
“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’” — Robin Williams
