http://www.phillyburbs.com/enhttp://www.phillyburbs.com/http://www.phillyburbs.com/fileadmin/template/images/logo144.gif14426TYPO3 - get.content.rightThis is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/D0MxTYtDjhU/thwarted-good-deed-still-good.htmlSun, 19 Jul 2009 23:10:34 PDT]]>In sports, sitting on the bench is a source of frustration, at times humiliation, for the player.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/20/thwarted-good-deed-still-good.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/lP6tCkcjO4o/stuff-and-more-stuff.htmlThu, 16 Jul 2009 23:10:17 PDT]]>I'd like to tell you I was too sophisticated to give a hoot about Wednesday's grand opening of the Walmart Supercenter in Tullytown, but my curiosity and love of stuff, glorious, bargain-priced, brightly packaged stuff, got the better of me.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/17/stuff-and-more-stuff.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/qKsKozU7nb4/good-food-and-family.htmlTue, 14 Jul 2009 23:10:12 PDT]]>Chef Kim Heisler Quay's pesto pasta salad was especially good, but it was the story of how she got to selling it to me at the Lower Makefield Farmers Market that interested me even more.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/15/good-food-and-family.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/1lLqVZv0_0s/calling-all-naughty-dogs.htmlSun, 12 Jul 2009 23:11:05 PDT]]>Steve Agocs of Middletown recently e-mailed me about a national "Naughty Dog" contest. He figured Dog might be a contender.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/13/calling-all-naughty-dogs.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/np3VV4_mIXo/marital-throwdown.htmlThu, 09 Jul 2009 23:10:13 PDT]]>Bobby Flay - critically acclaimed chef, restaurateur, award-winning cookbook author and television personality blah, blah, blah - is ruining my life.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/10/marital-throwdown.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/yyc4c3kL24Q/perseverance-is-the-key.htmlTue, 07 Jul 2009 23:10:19 PDT]]>Cory A. Steiner, a Forsythia Gate native now raising his family in Lower Makefield, is one of those rare individuals who gets it. Life isn't about what you do, but rather how you do it. He does what he does often with a wry sense of humor and sense of cheerful determination.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/08/perseverance-is-the-key.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/rfq2mnm93nc/good-wife-guide-1.htmlMon, 06 Jul 2009 07:46:00 PDT]]>The House Keeping Monthly article, dated May 13, 1955, turns up on my desk from time to time. "You'll appreciate this," the attached sticky note often reads.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/06/good-wife-guide-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/_OUSNiKTDb0/help-save-the-pool.htmlThu, 02 Jul 2009 23:10:13 PDT]]>The only thing it takes for evil to triumph is for good men and women to stand idly by. Or in the case of Morrisville's community pool, to simply stop paying attention.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/03/help-save-the-pool.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/3A5TZ1xpzCw/strike-up-the-band.htmlTue, 30 Jun 2009 23:10:16 PDT]]>Here's an idea for Saturday - set aside some time in the late afternoon for the 12th annual John Philip Sousa concert at the Yardley Community Centre on Main Street.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/july/01/strike-up-the-band.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/eynR9VAXglU/jon-and-kate-plus-hate-1.htmlSun, 28 Jun 2009 23:22:35 PDT]]>There was lots of heated response to my defense of Kate Gosselin of the train wreck that is the TLC series "Jon and Kate Plus 8." On the outside chance that you've not overdosed on the topic, here's what readers are saying:http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/29/jon-and-kate-plus-hate-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/0B8WC1u0d_Y/jon-and-kate-plus-hate.htmlSun, 28 Jun 2009 23:10:31 PDT]]>There was lots of heated response to my defense of Kate Gosselin of the train wreck that is the TLC series "Jon and Kate Plus 8." On the outside chance that you've not overdosed on the topic, here's what readers are saying:http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/29/jon-and-kate-plus-hate.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/KmV49ivSXgg/a-bathing-suit-that-flatters-ha-1.htmlThu, 25 Jun 2009 23:30:42 PDT]]>Perhaps, with all the rain, mildew was claiming the part of my brain in charge of common sense. Maybe it was simply the too-easy access to a computer and a credit card at such a late hour.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/26/a-bathing-suit-that-flatters-ha-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/mA3jb5yMMH4/a-bathing-suit-that-flatters-ha.htmlThu, 25 Jun 2009 23:10:11 PDT]]>Perhaps, with all the rain, mildew was claiming the part of my brain in charge of common sense. Maybe it was simply the too-easy access to a computer and a credit card at such a late hour.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/26/a-bathing-suit-that-flatters-ha.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/MaKotDl9G-s/keeping-bucks-in-stitches-1.htmlWed, 24 Jun 2009 23:30:04 PDT]]>There's a framed counted cross-stitch piece that hangs in my mother's home. It's an Amish farm scene with the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1 - "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/25/keeping-bucks-in-stitches-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/YpIxOxjixrA/jon-vs-kate.htmlTue, 23 Jun 2009 23:10:21 PDT]]>What does it say about me that I was transfixed by the on-air disintegration of a marriage?http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/24/jon-vs-kate.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/GTLm7y0YHhc/always-there-for-dogs-in-need-1.htmlMon, 22 Jun 2009 08:22:00 PDT]]>It's all in the way you look at things, and so Marianne Ahern of Lower Southampton doesn't think caring for 28 foster dogs over three years is work or even a good deed.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/22/always-there-for-dogs-in-need-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/5_vvTRdAmNU/raise-your-energy-iq.htmlThu, 18 Jun 2009 23:10:11 PDT]]>Gail McMaster is a wife, a mother of three grown boys, a teacher, a computer technology buff and, in her spare time, a member of the Lower Makefield Township environmental advisory council. She's also an avid student and researcher on all things having to do with the environment and green living.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/19/raise-your-energy-iq.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/EWas5TDUgJU/calling-l-makefield-seniors.htmlMon, 15 Jun 2009 05:14:00 PDT]]>Gail McPhaden invited me to the Lower Makefield Township building last week. That’s where the 300-plus members of the Lower Makefield Seniors club have gathered to work, learn and socialize for the last 15 years.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/15/calling-l-makefield-seniors.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/SEJMzVyUFGY/must-love-fish-people.htmlThu, 11 Jun 2009 23:00:16 PDT]]>The place, built into a hill overlooking Hulmeville Road, boasts 90 residents, two blue parakeets, a fish tank and a 100-pound Pomeranian.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/12/must-love-fish-people.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/rqfpGG4Tlu8/help-make-it-happen.htmlTue, 09 Jun 2009 23:00:16 PDT]]>If you manage to have $30 left over at the end of this work week for entertainment, I have a suggestion for parting with it. Celebrate Shelby Myro, 13.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/10/help-make-it-happen.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/cfmYHFyN8N8/who-wants-the-land.htmlSun, 07 Jun 2009 23:00:30 PDT]]>Given the price of land in Bucks County, consider this deal: In 2007, a representative of Norfolk Southern Railroad offered to make a gift of about 2 miles or 70 acres of scenic woods near the Neshaminy Creek - he wanted to just give it away for free.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/08/who-wants-the-land.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/8Gf7zl89UXA/this-dog-bill-bites.htmlThu, 04 Jun 2009 23:00:24 PDT]]>Dog and I were bummed this week to learn that State Rep. John Galloway has introduced House Bill 1243, legislation that would allow local municipalities to enact their own dog laws.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/05/this-dog-bill-bites.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/G0fMxT0I5_M/manning-up-asking-for-help-1.htmlWed, 03 Jun 2009 23:20:48 PDT]]>The man's survival instinct was good, but he couldn't say as much about his mental health. He was in trouble, and he knew it.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/04/manning-up-asking-for-help-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/7wEno4wF-hY/manning-up-asking-for-help.htmlTue, 02 Jun 2009 23:00:34 PDT]]>The man's survival instinct was good, but he couldn't say as much about his mental health. He was in trouble, and he knew it.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/03/manning-up-asking-for-help.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/mkQsfni2hyk/being-thrown-under-the-bus.htmlSun, 31 May 2009 23:00:28 PDT]]>My brother-in-law asked the other day if it was me who'd "thrown him under the bus." It was.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/june/01/being-thrown-under-the-bus.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/fqcJnPFq7I8/keeping-bucks-in-stitches.htmlThu, 28 May 2009 23:00:13 PDT]]>There's a framed counted cross-stitch piece that hangs in my mother's home. It's an Amish farm scene with the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1 - "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/29/keeping-bucks-in-stitches.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/3K5OmaLIgYY/in-favor-of-giving-kids-free-range.htmlTue, 26 May 2009 23:00:18 PDT]]>Lenore Skenazy is America's worst mom. That's what the media called her last year, when, in a column for the New York Times, she revealed that she'd let her son Izzy, just 9, venture alone through the city on the New York subway.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/27/in-favor-of-giving-kids-free-range.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/MIr1gXOazBw/naacp-drops-the-ball.htmlThu, 21 May 2009 23:00:13 PDT]]>John Jordan, president of the Bucks County NAACP, did himself no favors in the credibility department earlier this week when he proclaimed in the newspaper that he feared voter intimidation in Morrisville and so would post NAACP poll watchers to guard against it.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/22/naacp-drops-the-ball.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/JHk-XKX4t24/a-question-of-fairness.htmlTue, 19 May 2009 23:10:10 PDT]]>Rules are made to be broken. I suspect some of Morrisville's elected leaders have those words embroidered on their under-shorts.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/20/a-question-of-fairness.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/lUzsjweXLfg/famous-for-friendship.htmlSun, 17 May 2009 23:00:38 PDT]]>While Karen Leininger of Wrightstown is a bit mind-blown by her recent celebrity, son Alex, 16, has been, on occasion, mortified. One is never quite prepared to learn his mother is a real person who had a life before him. How discomforting to have complete strangers read about it.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/18/famous-for-friendship.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/mjpB8qbD5IY/support-the-fight-against-breast-cancer.htmlThu, 14 May 2009 23:00:15 PDT]]>Here's an uplifting story involving bras. (Yes, pun intended.) Seems the instruments of torture finally have been put to good use.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/15/support-the-fight-against-breast-cancer.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/XFATycI-uVE/patronize-small-towns-to-make-a-big-difference.htmlTue, 12 May 2009 23:00:16 PDT]]>As mistakes go, Margaret's wasn't fatal, but it was, well, uncomfortable. She'd ordered just three portable johns for 800 people at a beer-tasting festival, of all things.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/13/patronize-small-towns-to-make-a-big-difference.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/jBq39a8ftUY/filling-bellies-on-the-cheap.htmlSun, 10 May 2009 23:00:26 PDT]]>Experts who study hunger call it food security; not just the availability of food, but people's access to it.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/11/filling-bellies-on-the-cheap.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/JOdBM3pvh5U/readers-mixed-on-facebook.htmlThu, 07 May 2009 23:00:15 PDT]]>Depending on your point of view, my ambivalence regarding the online social network Facebook means I'm either very sensible about the use of my time or I soon shall be trampled by a stampede of young hipsters who "get it" and who will leave me in their dust.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/08/readers-mixed-on-facebook.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/KnY7tB_mZGo/trying-to-save-my-facebook-2.htmlWed, 06 May 2009 23:30:39 PDT]]>I was a firm believer that you should never turn down an offer of friendship, until there was Facebook. These days I'm guiltily ignoring on-line "friend requests" from bosses, coworkers, news sources, a Bucks County bigwig.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/07/trying-to-save-my-facebook-2.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/qcSP1Qc-MqM/making-a-living-enjoying-life.htmlTue, 05 May 2009 23:00:12 PDT]]>For people having to rethink their job choices and career paths given the economy, Bonnie Boden's story of striking out on her own - and on her own volition even before the downturn - is encouraging. There's life outside the traditional work box.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/06/making-a-living-enjoying-life.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/BCb4AD2WYfg/trying-to-save-my-facebook-1.htmlMon, 04 May 2009 06:20:40 PDT]]>No, I don't wanna be your friendhttp://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/04/trying-to-save-my-facebook-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/KRs1Ijvt8X4/trying-to-save-my-facebook.htmlMon, 04 May 2009 05:05:00 PDT]]>No, I don’t wanna be your friendhttp://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/04/trying-to-save-my-facebook.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/4BUkhPm0Tgk/college-kids-and-clutter.htmlThu, 30 Apr 2009 23:00:12 PDT]]>It's not nearly as scary as swine flu, but it is worrisome if you don't appreciate a pig sty.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/may/01/college-kids-and-clutter.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/KCmMtBHvDHI/stay-in-the-race.htmlTue, 28 Apr 2009 23:00:13 PDT]]>Upper Makefield's Theresa Martin Golding, mother of three, has just published her second children's picture book. It comes on the heels of four award-nominated novels for young adults.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/29/stay-in-the-race.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/K8attkM3DXM/go-green-for-the-animals.htmlSun, 26 Apr 2009 23:00:25 PDT]]>Don't let anyone tell you differently: Money makes the world go 'round.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/27/go-green-for-the-animals.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/UC4opMs9mQo/keeping-history-alive-1.htmlThu, 23 Apr 2009 23:30:48 PDT]]>A couple of summers ago, I got myself into hot water with some readers after I'd returned from a week-long visit to Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg and proclaimed I'd never been so bored in my life.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/24/keeping-history-alive-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/0O_0g8Efzio/ywca-fetes-women.htmlTue, 21 Apr 2009 23:00:17 PDT]]>When I stopped in to see Joan Marie Brown and Anne Coe at YWCA headquarters in Trevose the other day, the pair was busily organizing the details of the silent auction for the Y's anniversary gala next month.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/22/ywca-fetes-women.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/xVRMibzbI5c/reaching-out-to-the-little-ones.htmlSun, 19 Apr 2009 23:10:26 PDT]]>The Chinese symbol for crisis is the same as the one for opportunity. Christy Keppel's story illustrates the notion to a T.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/20/reaching-out-to-the-little-ones.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/8jcGIkJVADA/a-bored-dog-is-a-quiet-dog.htmlThu, 16 Apr 2009 23:10:21 PDT]]>I've been concerned lately that Dog is bored, and even went to the bookstore looking for expert advice on entertaining canines. I suppose that could be evidence of declining mental health. I prefer to think it's just conscientious parenting.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/17/a-bored-dog-is-a-quiet-dog.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/10bo6XEHVU4/womens-night-out.htmlTue, 14 Apr 2009 23:00:15 PDT]]>Lisa Gage is my kind of girl - one with the smarts to rescue friends and a harried columnist from a late-afternoon energy slump so they could focus on promoting "A Women's Night Out," an event near and dear to her heart.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/15/womens-night-out.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/IoFQWvlbjHg/i-cant-doesnt-live-here.htmlSun, 12 Apr 2009 23:00:26 PDT]]>Bristol Township native Erica Waller-Hill is on a mission. Again.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/13/i-cant-doesnt-live-here.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/o4PdvXl-jds/carnival-of-caring.htmlThu, 09 Apr 2009 23:00:16 PDT]]>If you're a photographer looking for an interesting project, here's an idea: time-lapse photos of the carnival rides that'll start growing up out of donated fields at Shady Brook Farm in Lower Makefield beginning this weekend.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/10/carnival-of-caring.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/tUgvG_-_Jog/mourning-midnight-for-good-reason-1.htmlTue, 07 Apr 2009 23:10:18 PDT]]>I love animals as much as the next guy, but I wondered about the grown man who shared with me his profound grief at the passing of his 2-pound guinea pig.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/08/mourning-midnight-for-good-reason-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/aNRHPjtNSCY/calling-all-canal-lovers.htmlSun, 05 Apr 2009 23:10:28 PDT]]>Feeling ambitious? Or just in need of some fresh air? The Friends of the Delaware Canal hope so. They need you to lend them a hand at spring cleaning on April 25.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/06/calling-all-canal-lovers.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/n4YGOUBKpcM/obama-mamas.htmlThu, 02 Apr 2009 23:10:21 PDT]]>It's not often a reader e-mails me on the topic of "celebratory sex." But Liz Warren, a mother of five from Newtown, isn't just any reader. She's a former obstetric nurse, and with nurses, no subject - however bawdy - is off limits. Liz made me laugh out loud.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/03/obama-mamas.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/NiF6mu6luQw/making-matches.htmlTue, 31 Mar 2009 23:00:17 PDT]]>Some matches are made in heaven. Some are made in Meg Holben's office. The results can be the same from both locations - healthy, mutually beneficial connections between people. There's nothing better.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/april/01/making-matches.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/ovVFgG4bM4k/dont-target-dog-breeds.htmlSun, 29 Mar 2009 23:10:27 PDT]]>State Rep. John Galloway was on the phone last week, telling me that in a perfect world he could say House Bill 671, which amends the state dog laws, has the stamp of approval from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/30/dont-target-dog-breeds.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/hXInvmBG-Ys/helping-women-dress-for-success.htmlThu, 26 Mar 2009 23:10:14 PDT]]>The hardest part of the work day, in my estimation, is getting dressed.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/27/helping-women-dress-for-success.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/_9-IWBTIDto/what-rock-n-roll-is-about.htmlTue, 24 Mar 2009 23:10:17 PDT]]>It was the late 1960s, then the early '70s in Morrisville, and teen rock 'n' rollers at the high school perfected their sound at Donnie Kronnagel's house on North Delmorr Avenue.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/25/what-rock-n-roll-is-about.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/L92Elwx_ngo/a-long-winter-finally-ends.htmlSun, 22 Mar 2009 22:10:31 PDT]]>It didn't matter one whit to me that when I awoke on Friday, the first day of spring, it was to find a shivering robin perched in a crabapple tree frosted with snow.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/23/a-long-winter-finally-ends.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/0TUAMg5nXd4/be-heard-on-deer-solution.htmlThu, 19 Mar 2009 22:10:26 PDT]]>As a puppy, Dog would routinely snatch all sorts of litter from the sidewalk, look over her shoulder to make eye contact, and then tear off ahead of Husband or me so we couldn't take it from her.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/20/be-heard-on-deer-solution.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/Drd9W6_ONsc/honoring-extraordinary-people.htmlTue, 17 Mar 2009 22:10:11 PDT]]>If the trick to life is learning how to let go, you could say Kathy and Tom Stintsman are master magicians. Somehow, they are able to love and lose, love and lose, love and lose, and still go on to love again without reservation.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/18/honoring-extraordinary-people.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/kzXWaEuNh2Q/deer-friends-to-gather-wednesday.htmlSun, 15 Mar 2009 22:10:27 PDT]]>It was iffy for a while, but residents who've joined to oppose the idea of an organized deer kill in Lower Makefield will be permitted to make a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation to the board of supervisors on Wednesday detailing the reasons for their position.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/16/deer-friends-to-gather-wednesday.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/Y2SGPIcGfCY/dreading-driving.htmlThu, 12 Mar 2009 22:10:18 PDT]]>Patricia Guth's story struck a chord with readers. Pat's the Northampton wife, mother, freelance writer and choral director who, while accomplished and competent in so many areas of her life, turns to a sniveling, quivering mass when asked to put her key in the ignition of the family car.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/13/dreading-driving.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/N6MvDakKxQw/just-do-something-1.htmlWed, 11 Mar 2009 05:36:00 PDT]]>Contentment in life comes down to the choices we make, but to hear Yuki Ritterson tell it, the choice didn’t feel so much like a choice back then, as it did a mandate from her psyche. Do something, Yuki. Just do something.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/11/just-do-something-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/JJocb_gFgD4/i-am-guilty-of-1.htmlMon, 09 Mar 2009 04:57:00 PDT]]>Bensalem’s Brian Driscoll, 29, confesses he’s guilty of slowing down to eavesdrop on other people’s heated conversations. He’s especially prone to listening in on couples bickering. It happens a lot in the supermarket, he tells me with a sheepish laugh.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/09/i-am-guilty-of-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/wgOZc-NL7Ng/goose-napper-is-a-low-life-1.htmlFri, 06 Mar 2009 12:08:00 PST]]>You gotta ask yourself what kind of woman dresses a 50-pound cement goose in seasonal costumes such as the Valentine’s Day cape and bonnet the goose in question was wearing when it went missing two weeks ago.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/06/goose-napper-is-a-low-life-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/nClZM5r6w3k/one-of-bucks-best-kept-secrets-2.htmlWed, 04 Mar 2009 06:37:00 PST]]>Twice in five years, I have been introduced to YWCA Executive Director Lorna Michelson in a crowd, taken her hand, and told her how happy I am that the “Y” finally has a gym on the Levittown Parkway dedicated to women only. “And it’s so affordable,” I gushed.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/04/one-of-bucks-best-kept-secrets-2.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/FuWEBrZf3eo/what-me-worry-1.htmlMon, 02 Mar 2009 04:35:00 PST]]>I worry.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/march/02/what-me-worry-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/lh18uDm54iI/driven-to-distraction-1.htmlFri, 27 Feb 2009 07:06:00 PST]]>It seems to me a sign of high intelligence to be afraid to drive, especially when you consider all the aggressive crazies on the road. And, if that’s true, I’ve been talking to some very smart ladies.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/27/driven-to-distraction-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/NJor-AsmT_A/not-all-advisers-are-equal-1.htmlWed, 25 Feb 2009 06:07:00 PST]]>Mike Garry, of Yardley Wealth Management (www.yardleywealth.net) dropped me a line after I told readers about three financial workshops to be led by a Middletown-based financial planner this month and next.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/25/not-all-advisers-are-equal-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/BQB58AbdjFI/gps-has-plenty-of-new-uses-1.htmlMon, 23 Feb 2009 06:24:00 PST]]>You have to wonder what the U.S. Department of Defense developer of the GPS would say about how we civilians are using the technology today.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/23/gps-has-plenty-of-new-uses-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/OAHaYs53bm4/mimicking-michelle-1.htmlFri, 20 Feb 2009 05:33:00 PST]]>First, it was the Culture and Media Institute. Then Husband. Next, it was a friend in the newsroom. All were grousing about the first lady’s wardrobe as New York’s Fashion Week crept into headlines and Michelle Obama smiled at us from the cover of Vogue.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/20/mimicking-michelle-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/Ksyx9UKFExM/any-romeos-for-these-juliets-2.htmlWed, 18 Feb 2009 05:50:00 PST]]>It stands for Just Us Ladies Interested In Everything Sassy. There are about 40 ladies in all — women with too much energy to sit at home and watch the world go by.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/18/any-romeos-for-these-juliets-2.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/ls1lScgGo9A/this-food-is-for-the-dogs.htmlMon, 16 Feb 2009 07:37:00 PST]]>http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/16/this-food-is-for-the-dogs.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/eR4-kqrxX1E/animal-hospital-a-dream-come-true-for-vet.htmlFri, 13 Feb 2009 05:49:00 PST]]>Veterinarian Tim Ireland has a golden retriever, a shitzu, three cats, fish, a bird, a bearded “dragon” and a cow named Milkshake, all of whom make life fun.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/13/animal-hospital-a-dream-come-true-for-vet.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/cANFWhUiYpg/what-would-st-francis-do.htmlWed, 11 Feb 2009 05:57:00 PST]]>Barbara Pearl Smith and her husband Verne Smith, both professors, are the latest humans to advocate for the Bucks deer population. I found them to be intelligent, thoughtful, well-read and pretty reasonable in their arguments against the kill. That is to say I think they’re going to be clobbered by the other side.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/11/what-would-st-francis-do.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/jIBR-hGsv1Q/would-you-do-it-all-over-again-1.htmlMon, 09 Feb 2009 07:22:00 PST]]>It was 35 years ago that Marie and Rick Kelly marked their seventh wedding anniversary. Let’s just say no one was feeling very romantic, or even very connected at that point in the union.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/09/would-you-do-it-all-over-again-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/cl3m0LHSR4o/canine-cuisines-slippery-slope-2.htmlFri, 06 Feb 2009 07:42:00 PST]]>I know it’s February because cabin fever is setting in, and that means I’m cooking gourmet meals for Dog.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/06/canine-cuisines-slippery-slope-2.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/ZfLjdKoP2-0/remember-count-your-blessings.htmlWed, 04 Feb 2009 07:10:00 PST]]>Will other police officers and their families look at the pageantry of Chris Jones’ funeral and wonder in their sadness why a guy has to be gone to get that kind of respect?http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/04/remember-count-your-blessings.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/6oOx220MkrU/updates-good-news-1.htmlMon, 02 Feb 2009 06:06:00 PST]]>Thought I’d use today’s space to catch you up on some good news.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/february/02/updates-good-news-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/5cB19avyWeQ/get-a-handle-on-finances-1.htmlFri, 30 Jan 2009 06:10:00 PST]]>When it comes to my personal life, there are just two things I’m reluctant to share with strangers for fear they’ll judge me harshly.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/30/get-a-handle-on-finances-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/nHeJEUyypj4/what-do-you-want-3.htmlWed, 28 Jan 2009 11:17:00 PST]]>For pure isolation, there is no place like the suburbs in deep winter. If you don’t want to see or talk to another soul, this is the place to pull it off.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/28/what-do-you-want-3.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/c1XKf1yZ8Qg/helping-find-children-safe-loving-homes.htmlSun, 25 Jan 2009 23:10:02 PST]]>Tracey Huegler of Lower Makefield asked me to use the space today to tell you about work that is near and dear to her heart.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/26/helping-find-children-safe-loving-homes.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/PfqN0dSavJQ/party-for-carolines-hope.htmlThu, 22 Jan 2009 23:10:01 PST]]>On Sunday, you can pay $50 at the door of Hugh Carcella Hall on Trenton Road in Falls to commune with the dead. Popular local spiritual medium Joseph Tittel will be in the house doing readings from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/23/party-for-carolines-hope.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/THO26BgPZIA/a-rising-tide-for-all-people.htmlTue, 20 Jan 2009 23:10:02 PST]]>Some of us watched the inauguration of Barack Obama with pure glee. Others, like Clyde Waite, 64, watched it in awe.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/21/a-rising-tide-for-all-people.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/Ci2Wnt7LuXU/fixing-fridge-a-familiar-story.htmlSun, 18 Jan 2009 23:10:01 PST]]>Misery loves company, and I had plenty after readers began calling and e-mailing to commiserate with me about appliance repairs.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/19/fixing-fridge-a-familiar-story.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/4t9Yy3PprtM/dog-has-his-day-in-court.htmlThu, 15 Jan 2009 23:10:02 PST]]>Love stinks and no one knows it better than Reds, a year-old pit bull pup who lives on Harrison Street in Bristol.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/16/dog-has-his-day-in-court.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/cq59q1RPcI0/not-just-pet-huggers.htmlTue, 13 Jan 2009 23:10:02 PST]]>Here's a disaster scenario: Your apartment building or neighborhood is inundated by roiling flash flood waters. It's bad. Rescuers are helping families into boats to ferry them to safety.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/14/not-just-pet-huggers.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/SPn-PkhCUpY/doing-what-matters.htmlSun, 11 Jan 2009 23:10:02 PST]]>There's nothing like feeling your life has purpose, and Mike Cestero of Newtown Township is one of those lucky souls who does.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/12/doing-what-matters.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/cEHetVElAO8/preteen-trouble-in-triplicate.htmlThu, 08 Jan 2009 23:10:02 PST]]>Sue Patterson personally petitioned the Virgin Mary for grandchildren. What else could she do?http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/09/preteen-trouble-in-triplicate.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/Yi0fodM1B8w/customer-disservice-1.htmlWed, 07 Jan 2009 06:09:00 PST]]>I’m having trouble with the refrigerator again, but not because its highcalorie contents call to me like sirens. Rather, it’s because my refrigerator isn’t making any noise at all. It’s broken.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/07/customer-disservice-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/VNeYamXZEWA/another-bite-of-vampire-romance.htmlSun, 04 Jan 2009 23:10:01 PST]]>Vampires are all the rage these days. Bloodsuckers are in.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/05/another-bite-of-vampire-romance.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/rJP737YL23o/hide-and-seek-for-grownups.htmlThu, 01 Jan 2009 23:10:02 PST]]>They call it geocaching, but I call it hide-and-geek for grownups.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2009/january/02/hide-and-seek-for-grownups.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/lQstN1DRLkc/any-day-now.htmlkfratti@phillyburbs.comWed, 31 Dec 2008 15:18:11 PST]]>Talk throughout the newsroom today is about our new year diets. We talked over yet another order of Chinese food -- wonton, egg rolls, hunan shrimp and rice.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/december/31/any-day-now.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/npYSrmi38Vw/and-so-it-begins.htmlTue, 30 Dec 2008 23:10:02 PST]]>An e-mail message from old friends arrived the other day just as I was considering my resolutions for the new year.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/december/31/and-so-it-begins.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/xmQNh47E6V4/a-blessing-not-a-burden.htmlSun, 28 Dec 2008 23:10:03 PST]]>What a comfort it is to hold a helpless sleeping infant in your arms and gaze down into his or her sweet face. And what an enormous relief to hand that baby right back to its mother the instant it opens its little eyes and starts to squirm, or worse, cry.http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/december/29/a-blessing-not-a-burden.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/s83lP7DL2QU/meet-the-authors-illustrators-1.htmlTue, 02 Dec 2008 10:58:48 PST]]>http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/december/02/meet-the-authors-illustrators-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/lOYGeqJetpM/bush-on-his-legacy-1.htmlFri, 28 Nov 2008 11:45:52 PST]]>http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/november/28/bush-on-his-legacy-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/irIRb632RWA/too-close-for-comfort-but-funny-1.htmlFri, 28 Nov 2008 11:23:45 PST]]>http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/november/28/too-close-for-comfort-but-funny-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/t2rLB5BM66c/want-to-help-heres-a-list-1.htmlMon, 24 Nov 2008 12:43:18 PST]]>http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/november/24/want-to-help-heres-a-list-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/Ileh-na9VhE/send-a-message-overseas-2.htmlThu, 20 Nov 2008 12:27:34 PST]]>http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/november/20/send-a-message-overseas-2.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/JzN4M_Styu8/send-a-message-overseas-3.htmlThu, 20 Nov 2008 11:40:30 PST]]>http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/november/20/send-a-message-overseas-3.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KateFratti/~3/mdAgKvtMRIs/down-in-the-mouth-1.htmlMon, 17 Nov 2008 14:48:19 PST]]>http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/448/2008/november/17/down-in-the-mouth-1.html