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Things got twisted when I visited my cousin Dot
Now 253 years old, Lititz was founded in 1756 by German-speaking Moravian settlers. Thirty years ago, it was the first town in Pennsylvania to create a historic district. Even today, 80 percent of the town's buildings are from the 1700s and 1800s. I spent many of my girlhood summers there at the home of my cousin, Dot. She lived on Lititz' main street next to her grandfather's home, and also the pretzel bakery. Linden Hall, now a prestigious girls school said to be the oldest girls boarding school in America, was right across the street. Dot and I often spent our mornings visiting the pretzel bakery, watching the women standing along the canvas conveyer belt shaping the pretzels from small tubes of dough. At the time, the pretzels were said to be in the shape of praying hands. In those days most of the workers were members of the Amish sect, the plain people of the region with their distinctive white organdy prayer-covering caps worn at all times. Since we were related to the Sturgis family, who owned the business, we were sometimes allowed to shape some pretzels ourselves. Looking at this new article, with all the color photographs showing the handsome old buildings and new, trendy shops, was both an old and a new experience. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named Lititz as one of this year's Distinctive Destinations. Visiting Pennsylvania Dutch country is a treat at any time of the year, but especially in spring and summer. ¦ Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you have heard by now of Susan Boyle (no relation, as far as I know) and how her beautiful singing astounded everyone in her first television appearance. The press coverage also made much of her unfashionable appearance and physique (very unkindly, too, I thought.) Two or three weeks have passed, and her name is no longer in the forefront of the news. So I guess America is all about appearances, after all. We never ask if a woman is nice, or kind, or even smart. The first question always seems to be, "Is she pretty?" It doesn't hurt to be smart, girls, and pretty doesn't always last. I remember walking out with a boyfriend named Bob. My attractive girlfriend, Sue, was a pink-cheeked blond with a chronic giggle. She and her date, Howard, came along, and Sue was in her best form, which meant that those giggles were replacing any real understanding of the conversation. Only two dates later, I (the flat-chested redhead) replaced that blonde without a struggle. It's what's inside that counts, really, and it always has been! ¦ Here's a quote from Bernard Baruch: "Old age is always 15 years older than I am." Here are couple more: "You know you're getting old . . . " When your joints buckle, but your belts won't. When you buy bras that fasten in the front. When anything new you feel is most likely to be a symptom. Well, keep on going folks. See you next week! |
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