Sister Josephine, left, and Sister Anna, right, watch as Sister Maria Angeline hops through the hopscotch diagram in the parking lot behind St. Nicholas Church in Wilkes-Barre on a recent afternoon.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Enthusiastic folks share their zest for life
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‘I love what I do,’ Environmental Educator Kathy Kelchner said as she began a ‘Tree Trek’ program at Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on Wednesday.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Church volunteers Greta Ketschner and Emma Oley help create enthusiasm for Vacation Bible School by playing ukeleles at their’ campsite’ in the Shavertown United Methodist Church parking lot, where they have a skillet ‘warming’ over a faux fire.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Mary Therese Biebel
First Person
Friends of the Osterhout Free Library were prepared with 300 bags of books, sorted into three different categories, at their recent drive-up book sale. They are getting ready for another sale, set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 8 at Saints Peter and Paul Church on Hudson Road in Plains Township.
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When I was walking along South Pennsylvania Boulevard in Wilkes-Barre late on a recent afternoon I spotted three Sisters of Christian Charity playing hopscotch in the parking lot/playground behind St. Nicholas Church.
Sister Anna, Sister Josephine and Sister Maria Angeline are not strangers to me, and they didn’t mind when I hopped through the hopscotch diagram, too, or when I took their picture.
I really like what the photo represents; it gladdens my heart that three grown-ups have the youthful energy to enjoy a game so many of abandoned as kids. And, who knows, they may have inspired passing motorists to put more exercise — and more fun — into their own lives.
As I sifted through other images last week, looking for other examples of what Dear Abby used to call “dandy day-brighteners,” I focused on a photo of naturalist Kathy Kelchner, who led a “Tree Trek” at Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on Wednesday.
“I’m an environmental educator,” she told the five people who showed up for the nature program. “And I love what I do.”
It shows. Kelchner is a natural at sharing nature lore, and not just about quaking aspen, Eastern hemlock, white oak, red oak, hawthorn, white pine, spruce and the many other trees of the park.
Finding the remnant of a turtle egg, she suggested a skunk or raccoon may have found a turtle’s nest. But then she caught a whiff of a musky scent that was not quite as strong as the scent of a skunk and concluded the predator had been “one of our foxes; a big male fox.”
It was a pleasure to watch her in action as she shared her insight into the natural world, doing what she loves to do.
The volunteers at Shavertown United Methodist Church seemed to love what they were doing, too, as they posed with tents and kayaks, marshmallows and “campfires” around the perimeter of the church parking lot on a recent Sunday afternoon.
Their creative effort was designed so that families who came to pick up material for Vacation Bible School — it was virtual this year, because of the coronavirus — could experience a bit of a camping atmosphere, in keeping with the VBS theme.
Certainly, that took extra effort. But think of the memories they created.
Finally, the Friends of the Osterhout Free Library’s recent book sale made me want to stand up and cheer, or at least drive up and cheer.
Knowing they couldn’t hold the enormous book sale they’ve had in years past, the dedicated volunteers filled 300 bags with either five mystery stories, five hardcover fiction books or 10 paperbacks. Patrons drove through a church parking lot, handed over $10 per bag and specified what they wanted.
The books themselves were a surprise — sometimes a very satisfying surprise.
“I know of at least two cases where they must have gone home and said ‘Hey, these are really nice books,’ because they came back for more,” Irene Martin, president of the Friends group, told me on Friday.
The Friends sold about 275 of their 300 bags, which you might expect would have net $2,750. But some patrons were extra generous with donations. “We ended up with $3,400 for the library,” Martin said.
And the good news continues. Because their first drive-up sale was a success, the Friends will hold another drive-up sale, set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 at Saints Peter and Paul Church, Hudson Road, Plains Township. This time there will be additional categories, including children’s books (divided into picture books, chapter books and young adult fare) as well as biographies, history and science fiction, plus the original categories.
If you opt for the paperback category, you may even find a gift from local author Nina Bocci, who donated 40 autographed copies of her latest romance to the book sale.
As for me, I am happily reading Patrick Taylor’s novel “An Irish Country Girl,” which was one of the many books my mom bought last weekend. She was so glad to get to the drive-up sale, she bought three bags full. And now that biographies are being offered, I’m sure she’ll want to go back for more.