This is as good as the late night comedy segments! Between Pat's eyebrows and Joanie's ears, I can't stop chuckling! Talk about PAINFUL childhood memories! OUCH! What a cute picture of Dale -- I remember him perfectly. I have lots of great memories of going with Pat and the kids down to "the crick" during summer vacations. How lucky we were to be so close to a "swimming hole." I remember the rope that was hanging a ways out where "the crick" split and people would swing from it. I remember one time Barbara Feller was doing that and almost drowned because of a strong current.
My mother told me a story of taking me down to swim off the "pier" when I was quite young. Some man with a wooden leg had taken it off, laid it on the bench and jumped in to swim. My mom said she did everything she could to keep me from seeing the leg because she knew I'd make some embarrassing comment (gee, I hope I've changed). I wonder who he was. I never remember anyone like that in later years. Somewhere I have a picture of the Bloomsbury men building that pier. I know my father was one of them.

Thanks, Linda

Thank you for inviting me to post on your blog about our great town! I tell people about life in Bloomsbury and at first they don't believe me! I was happy to see the post from Donna, because I had lost contact with her also.

We're still in NE Pennsylvania, but in another location. I remember when Donna came up to visit when we lived in Wallsville. Since then we moved several more times, and now are living near a little town called Fleetville for the past 20 years.

I look forward to creating a profile and sending in my memories from time to time. I didn't remember about Dale and Bill liking those green peppers, but I do remember sitting in the back room of "Leo's" eating chocolate cookies. That's were I was when I had my eyebrows plucked for the first time.....by Donna.....and it hurt like heck!!

More later....Love to all you Bloomsbury kids! Love, Pat

Reintroducing Myself

Our family lived in a small row home at 33 Willow Avenue. My parents are James W. Gardner (Co-Owner of Sheets & Gardner) and Arlene (Scherer) Gardner. I have six siblings: Pat, Jim (Whitey), Bill, Jackie, Terry and Laurie. I was the fifth child and I was born in 1953. Back then there were three girls and three boys. Our home had two bedrooms, one shared by the girls and one shared by the boys. My parents slept on a sofa bed in the living room. We had coal heat and no bathroom. This might be a bit too much information but I remember keeping a milk bottle under my bed to use at night so I wouldn't have to go outside in the dark to use the outhouse. We had a shower in the basement but the basement had a dirt floor so when taking a shower you had to set newspaper down on the floor before taking your shower and you would pick it up as you worked your way back to the old spiral wooden stairs after your shower. Initially there was no telephone yet it was the greatest thing when we did get one even though it was a party line. Those were the good old days.

Bloomsbury was a unique little town especially since you basically knew everyone in the entire town and I have many fond memories that I will share on here little by little as time permits. I hope you enjoy my memories as they are posted.

OOPS, I wasn't ready to post! First mistake of many, I'm guessing :(
I wanted to add this: one of the main things I remember about Dale was this: when my father Leo would have a special on green peppers for a nickel each, he and his brothers would come to the store with big smiles on their faces (esp Billy) and buy as many as they could and eat them raw. They LOVED them! I remember my dad and mom thought they were so cute.
Now I'm ready to post!

Linda, thanks for inviting me to your blog! This is a new venture for me so I have a lot to learn about it. I will tackle the "profile" section when I have a little more time. I was selfishly delighted to find a section on "cow thumps" because for years I had been asking people if they ever heard of them but all I got was a lot of suspicious looks and offers of therapy. I'm finally vindicated! I never could find any reference to them online but now I know why -- thanks to the blogger who set the record straight by telling us it really was a "callathump."
I was happy to see Dale Gardner on the site. I lost touch with Pat and would like to know if she's still in northern PA. Dale, if you read this, will you please let me know? She was usually the one to come running by the house out of breath announcing the latest "cow thump." What welcome and exciting words those were!