This and That in Ambridge So Far

Ambridge is a wonderful place, a community like nothing I've experienced before. Katherine Regan is my kind, loving, sharp-minded, Irish, Catholic, retired school teacher, 92-year old next-door neighbor. She has lived in that house her whole life. Her hearing is not the best which means that there are plenty of opportunities to "come on up" which translates to "come sit on my porch and talk with me for a while", which I enjoy. She told me how I have come to Ambridge at a bad time, thinking of the good ole war days when the steel mills flourished and everyone had a job. I am surprised at how well she gets around, always working in her yard and driving here and there. She gives me the Pittsburgh and Beaver County newspapers a few times a week which is how she keeps up with the happenings of her home...never owned a computer. She retired from teaching the year before computers were to be implemented into the school system. I am not surprised she has such a sharp mind although I started to suspect a bit of decay one day when a man fell on the sidewalk and cut is head with his glasses. Katherine asked the paramedics if they needed some tissue to clean him up. So... But she is 92.

It has been a fun summer month here: a bus tour of Pittsburgh, a going away party for a new friend, visiting the Warhol museum downtown, seeing the city at night from Mt. Washington, a house-cooling party, reading ahead for classes, moving people into their new homes, bike rides on hilly roads, chatting with family on gmail-chat which allows Naomi and me to see each other, swimming, moving people into their new homes, playing (and dominating) Settlers of Catan, visiting different flavors of Anglicanism, walking all over town, writing down crazy dreams as I have started to keep a pen and pad by bed, taking care of insurance and car stuff, learning the Greek alphabet, playing at an open-mic night, meeting new house-mate, going to the movies and helping people move into their new homes.