Through An ‘Old Timer’s’ Eyes
By Howard ‘Mac’ McDonald

Pearl Harbor Day, which lives on in the memories of most older Americans, didn’t get much media attention this year. There was a World War II song, “Let’s Remember Pearl Harbor,” and I don’t think I’ve heard one line of it since back in the ‘40s.

Most of our conflicts have been started by one foul deed committed by a bunch of sneaky cowards. Each time, we have been caught off-guard. A battle cry always seems to emerge. There was “Remember the Alamo,” and then, “Remember the Maine,” referrring to the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor.

The tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001, caused more deaths than Pearl Harbor, but they are not the cause of the war in Iraq. Because of poor intelligence, we have been bogged down in a war that never should have happened. There is no battle cry from this sad time in our history. If it were up to me, it would be, “Let’s kick butt and then get out of there.”

Speaking of sneak attacks, after reading what Time Warner Cable has done to Coudersport, I think that company must be run by bunch of low-life people who don’t care how many lives they ruin. I hope the powers that be at GKN in Emporium do not follow in the footsteps of Time Warner.

The Endeavor last week ran a story about Community Supported Agriculture. I was raised

on a farm and I think it’s safe to say that not many young people these days want that backbreaking work as a vocation. It takes a special breed of man or woman to till the earth.

Cameron County has little ground that is suitable for farming, but a few hardy souls give it a try. Most have other jobs to supplement their income. The main crops are corn and hay. Beef cows seem to be the animal of choice, but there are some who raise hogs.

To me, the most tedious farming has to be dairy farming. Seven days a week, twice a day, you have to be there to milk the cows. The state sanitation rules are strict. The only dairy farmer I know of in Cameron County is Barney Bauer. He leases a lot of land to raise enough feed. John Mason is another farmer who leases a lot of land. You will see these two all over the place working the land.

Some of the others I know who are involved in farming include Ken Bailey, Junior Grimone, Bill Lyon, Wes Ostrum, Earl and Jeff Reed and Bob Rupp. These are the major producers. A lot of other people raise some pretty big and beautiful gardens. Also, the hunting clubs plant food plots for the deer and we have some Christmas tree farms.

Emporium’s Christmas Parade was nice and the kids from the high school should be commended. Thanks also to the fire department for showing up with the trucks. Pretty girls, music that makes you want to march, and good weather -- it doesn’t get any better than that.

Meanwhile, the Chambers of Commerce are encouraging people to do their Christmas shopping locally. These brave people who take on the biggest retailer in the world deserve our support. There are not many of them left.

My wife and I were headed out for a Christmas party, so we put our puppy Sarge in the bathroom, since he has outgrown his kennel. I put everything I figured he could chew up out of his reach. When we got home, I tried to open the bathroom door and it only budged a couple of inches. He had somehow gotten the carpeting loose and had it shredded into a ball bigger than a basketball.

With lots of pushing and some bad words, I finally got the door open just wide enough for me to slip through. As I squeezed in, Sarge shot through the opening and I was right on his tail.

I was angry, but my wife reminded me, “He’s only a puppy.” She said she wanted to replace that carpeting anyhow.

I know one thing: as soon as I find a place that sells larger kennels, we’ll have one that fits him.