LaMott Firehouse #1 - The Sound Of Their Siren?

Someone new to this area who is was a new resident once remarked to me that they really didn't like the sounds of the sirens from the LaMott firehouse #1. I explained to them that the reason why the sirens sounded was to notify those firefighters (who are volunteers by the way) who were not yet already at the firehouse.

There have been many times when I have heard the sirens and then maybe a minute or 2 later I would hear the cars (of the firefighters - I assume) who were driving to the firehouse.

When I first moved up here the sirens bothered me too. I also believe that there was a time when the sirens would sound at noon everyday but I'm pretty sure that they don't do that anymore.

since then I have come not to mind the sirens because I know that the firehouse is sounding them for a very specific reason.

photo courtesy of
Historic Lamott, Pa.com

The Temple University School Bus?

Now don't get me wrong but I kind of like hearing and seeing the Temple University bus that passes through our area. But it makes me kind of curious as to why I can hearing it going past at almost 1 o'clock in the morning? I mean are there students that actually travel during that time of night? Is it part of the bus's reqular schedule?

Strange!

Telephone Service Not Working Since Tuesday!

Just in case you're wondering about this and decided to look online for more information our telephone service was out since Tuesday (2 days ago). As of arond 6:45 pm today it is back on - at least I have telephone service now.

This started Tuesday afternoon although I can't be sure of exactly when but I do know that I tried to get online about 8pm Tuesday night and couldn't do it. Later I came to find out from Verizon that there was a problem with one of the telephone cables.

Now I don't know if its a case of EVERYBODY's telephone service being off but I do know that my next door neighbor's telephone service was affected too. Plus he joked about the fact that he was using all of his cellphone minutes to find out what was going on.

From what I have been able to find out there was a telephone / network cable that required some work but according to a represenative from Verizon, she said that "they" (whoever "they" are?) don't tell them specifically what the proble is they just tell them that there is a problem.

So I get a call from Verizon saying that it may be until 9pm FRIDAY that the telephone service will be restored and the next thing I know - another half hour later the phone rings!

So if my telephone service is restored hopefully that means that the rest of the area that was affected has also had their phone service restored.

Taxes, Taxes And MORE Taxes!

Well I finally finished my 3 tax returns that are due by April 15th! All three of my the tax returns are in the mail! Just in case you want to know what the "3" are? Here they are!

• Federal Income Tax
  
• State Income Tax
  
• Local Earned Income Tax

Now after being happy about finally completing and mailing in all of my income tax forms, I find that I am now angry because now I have another tax form that I have to fill out, INCLUDE A CHECK WITH A TAX PAYMENT! and mail it in because it is due by April 30th!

This additional tax is courtesy of our own little local Cheltenham area! It is called the "Earned Income Tax" and it has to be paid quarterly! I guess that I should be happy that it does have to be paid quarterly because I don't think that I would be able to pay it in a lump sum at the end of the year!

If your employer already takes out this tax then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. I believe that you still have to fill out the quarterly form though every 4 months! One of the things that makes me angry about this local tax (besides the fact that it is a tax that we have to pay and the form and payment have to be sent in on a quarterly basis) is that even if you make under $3,000 - which makes you exempt - you still have to submit your total income quarterly along with the tax payment itself and if you fall under the $3,000 income exemption then YOU have to wait for them to send YOU back YOUR money!

And don't even THINK about trying to get "by" them. If you don't pay the quarterly tax then you are assessed a fee every month that you are late with your tax payment.

Like I said I still have to fill this out and send it in by the 30th. I see where they mail you the forms and even provide you with stickers with their address on it so that you can put it on the envelope - the problem is they don't provide you with an envelope!

Basically I'm just ranting because I really REALLY hate doing this!

About the only way (I think) that I could solve this little thing that bothers me is to not have an income!

Our Local Post Office

Here is another picture of our local post office that I took with my cameraphone. Depending upon where you are located this post office is located at the top of a hill which makes it quite an effort to get there if you are going by foot! (And I have had the pleasure of doing that too!) However it is a good walk if you are into the "exercise" thing! If I were driving I might feel a little bit different about it.

Everytime I go there it seems to be quite busy! Lots of cars in the parking lot and there is always somebody who is parked right at the front because - I figure - that they don't expect to be there that long.

But all in all the post office is quite good with lots of postal supplies on hand and the people that work there are very helpful.

About the only complaint that I have heard about the post office is that there are times when the line is long and there is only one or two postal clerks - but I have found that to be true of almost any post office that I have been to - except for the one in Center City.

So plan to make good use of our local post office 'cause that's where our tax dollars are!

More And More People Are Asking Me About The Cheltenham Bus!

The last time it happened was when I saw one of my more newer neighbors at the Shoprite at the Cheltenham Mall. That particular day I was waiting for the Cheltenham bus to take me home from the supermarket but I saw my neighbor instead and they graciously offered to take me home. On the way home I told them about the local Cheltenham bus that goes all around the Cheltenham Area. It even has a stop at the local train station (the one in Glenside I think) and it has a stop at the Rowland Community Center.

I was telling my new neighbors about the Cheltenham bus and they seemed very interested in becoming riders. Since one of them is aged 55 or older they can ride the Cheltenham bus for FREE! So since they didn't know the scheduled times of the bus I volunteered to bring them a copy of the bus schedule. That also reminded me that I promised another neighbor that I would bring them a copy of our local bus schedule. The second neighbor I promised the bus schedule to has lived in this area for a very long time but didn't quite know the scheduled times of the Cheltenham bus routes.

Well that's 2 new recruits / riders for our local Cheltenham bus! The more people that ride our local bus the more it will likely stay for the area. There was a time when our local Cheltenham bus ran 5 days a week but due to the area's "budget" cuts we were at a risk of losing it altogether! But the township came up with the idea of splitting the routes with Abington so now our Cheltenham Bus rides 3 times a week now instead of 5!

I am very glad that we are able to have this local bus for our area and I know that a lot of the older residents appreciate it too!

LaMott Podcast

I should also mention that I'm working on a podcast for LaMott. You can listen to what I have on it now by going to the LaMott Page.

So far the podcast has some public service announcements on it - one which I produced myself is for our local Firehouse #1.

I'm working on including music in the podcast but the music that is chosen has to be of a specific type because of copyright issues.

I will post more about the podcast as I add more content to it.

We Had A Little Power Outage Today!

Last night I noticed that the lights upstairs were "flickering" but I really didn't do anything about it. I figured that it was just because it was so windy that something was messing with the electricity and I went to bed a little earlier than usual Then something woke me up at around 4am early this morning. The first thing that I noticed was that my little table clock wasn't lit up so I didn't know what time it was - so I checked my cellphone (that's how I knew what time it was).

Well it seems we had a power outage in the area. I call it a "little" power outage because I found out that not all of the electricity was out in the house. Some lights worked and some didn't. It seems we had a "partial" outage.

I don't know if anyone else was aware of it since it was so early in the morning. And then as a day went on it started to rain - a little heavy at one time. Around 6:30am I heard the PECO truck outside. It went away and then it came back.

Some time later the power was restored and I came to find out later that several other people had reported the outage as well. But I'm assuming that they reported it much later than 4am - because I wondered who would be up at that time since it was early on a Saturday morning.

Did you notice it or were you not affected by it?

Fishing In The Area?

I really do miss fishing! I haven't done it in quite a few years! The last time I went fishing was I would say about maybe 10 years ago when my mother and I went to the Schuylkill River to do some fishing.


Cheltenham has an annual fishing derby for the kids but so far I can't find anything about fishing for the adults. The picture that you see to the left was taken from another site that also talked about the fishing derby for the kids.

As it stands right now I'm just going to have to find out if I can find out more information about fishing in the area for adults. It's something that I really want to get back into.

Just In Case You Didn't Know There's Another Convenient Business In Our Area

Since we are right in the midst of tax season I thought that it would be a good idea to let you know that there is a copying and printing store located on the corner right near 17th and Cheltenham - right on the Philadelphia side.

They do copying and printing, business cards plus a whole lot more!

I have been in there quite a few times and the people that work there are very nice and friendly!






The Printing Word

1726 Cheltenham Ave

Phila., PA 19027
(their card says 19126 which was our old zip code)

(215) 224-4550

Wind Advisory For The Philadelphia Area!

So that means that the wind advisory is in effect for us too since we are so close to Philadelphia.

The wind advisory stays in effect today from 10am to 10pm and I noticed that the wind didn't really start kicking up until earlier in the afternoon.

I don't know about the others that live in this area but I can definitely feel the wind coming through the windows. I know that a lot of the houses in this area are older houses - more than one hundred years old!

I hear the trees brushing up against the house, I hear my windchimes out back and I will occassionally hear something rolling down the street.

Hold on to your hats - because we have a few more hours to go before the wind advisory is lifted.

Here are some links to our current weather conditions:

Wind Advisory

Weather - Philadelphia

In the meantime I'm inside drinking a nice hot cup of tea!

It's Still Winter!

The weather is oh-so-cold, the wind is blowing and yesterday we had a lot of heavy rain! But perhaps this picture will remind us of what we have to look forward to as far as warmer weather is concerned.

This is the area just past the LaMott Community Center. I took it some time ago and it was probably during one of my excursions to the LaMott library. The community center kind of takes up a whole block - sort of. In LaMott, Cheltenham its located on Willow Avenue, but also on Sycamore and I guess you could say that the back of it is on Graham Lane. I believe Graham Lane stretches from the LaMott Firehouse #1 all the way down to Sycamore and this picture was taken near Sycamore and Graham Lane - which is probably about 3 or 4 blocks long. All the houses on Graham Lane don't look like these houses. The houses in this picture are located on only one side of the street. As you go further down Graham Lane there are houses on both sides of the street.

But it does look quite peaceful doesn't it?

Sister City?

I do know that our Cheltenham has a "sister" city called Cheltenham which is located in Gloucestershire, UK.

I don't know too much about that area but was watching a program on BBC and just wondered if their area and our area had any similarities.

I do know that our township has a "twinning" committee that has to do with bringing our two townships together.

Here are a couple of pictures that I got off of the internet





Cheltenham, UK does have some very gorgeous areas. Some of the areas do kind of look like here in that we do have houses that are made out of those big stone pieces that look like some of the homes and buildings in the UK. It does seem that our houses are more packed together than they are in the UK but I'm sure I just need to find some more pictures of that area.

I did find out that their Cheltenham has a bed and breakfast! That would kind of be a neat idea for our own little Cheltenham area.

Hopefully This Will Provide Some Inspiration During The Next Few Cold Months Ahead!

Gorgeous Cherry Blossom Tree - isn't it?

I took this picture some time ago - probably during one of my walks to the store.

It is a very gorgeous cherry blossom tree and I kinda don't remember when I actually took this picture but it could have been during the early or late spring.

Hopefully seeing this picture will help us get through the cold winter months that we have ahead! For instance last night was the coldest night of the season and now later on during the early part of next week - Monday - we may hit 60 degrees in January!

But for right now it's cold out there!

Christmas Decorations?

I have to admit that I am just as guilty for not having any Christmas decorations showing outside my house but I wonder why not as many people have decorated their houses for the holidays. Something as simple as a simple wreath hanging in the window is better than nothing.

But like I said above I'm just as guilty for not having any Christmas decorations on the windows or doors. It's just that my mind has been on other things and before I knew it - it was the holidays! This is something I vow to remedy during the next Christmas season even if its just a simple wreath that I hang on the window!

I'm sure that time got the best of a lot of people when it came time to decorate their homes for the holiday season and there were some people that did decorate their houses. But it was like maybe 3 or 4 houses in a block that decorated and the rest were dark. I remember there was this certain house on the 1800 block of Cheltenham Avenue that had a big inflatable Santa right in front of their house - as a matter of fact the man was putting it up while I was walking to the store and we had a chance to chat. I didn't see the big Santa this year.

So next season I vow to have some type of Christmas decoration for the windows even if its just a wreath!

Seeing holiday decorations puts people in a Christmas mood - including the people that do the decorating.

Shopping Within Walking Distance

There is a RiteAid that is within walking distance of where I live. It's not a short walk but it is a good walk. And it's a good walk for exercise as well. As I have blogged about before, I have a chance to see a lot of people walking around the neighborhood and a lot of them tell me that they walk for exercise. (I even know of one neighbor that keeps her car parked and walks to do her shopping and errands.)

Of course you can't get everything at the Rite-Aid but they will do in a pinch! They do sell eggs and milk and bread. If you get their circular in the mail then you can find out about what things they have on sale. A few days after Christmas they had a lot of 50% off sale products in the store and by the time I got there they had sold out of a lot of the things that they had on sale.

You can also refill your prescriptions by email.

Here is the basic information about the Rite Aid in our area:

Rite Aid
1401 W. Cheltenham Ave.
Melrose Park, PA 19027
(215) 782-8950

Customer Service is

1-800-RITEAID

Trash Day?

As I was going to the store earlier today I noticed that a lot of people had put their trash out for trash collection. Normally our trash collection day is on a Tuesday but because of the Veteran Day holiday, the trash will be collected a day later.

Now the only reason why I know this is because our community sends its residents a yearly calendar that notes important dates on it. That is how I knew that the trash wouldn't be collected today. I was talking to a neighbor who was talking about the leaf collections that the township makes and I noticed that he had put his trash out today as well. He told me that even thogh he gets the community calendar in the mail (like the rest of us residents do) he said that he never pays attention to it.

So basically I guess that I am just saying that you really should pay attention to the community literature that you get in the mail because it has a lot of good and important information on it.

Did You Qualify For Your Free Thanksgiving Turkey Yet?

The Shoprite at the Cheltenham Mall has a promotional Thansgiving promotion where if you spend $300 or more then you can get a free turkey by Thanksgiving. Of course they have been having this promotion for many years now and now that time of the year has rolled around again.

People tell me and I have to agree with them wholeheartedly that its not too difficult to spend over $300 at the Shoprite if you have about a month and a half to do it. Many people (myself included) have gone shopping at the Shoprite to buy something and end up buying more than originally planned! The store always has a sale going on and sometimes there will be a sale (or sales) on an item that hasn't been advertised in their circular which is delivered to the immediate area. I get a circular every week since I am located near it and live in the near area. So I know that means that the residents in LaMott and Cheltenham get the circular in the mail and I'm sure that there are immediate areas like Wyncote, Mt Airy and maybe even northeast Philadelphia that get the Shoprite circular as well.

I know that the other area supermarkets have similar promotions. I'm sure that both Acme and Pathmark have their own Thanksgiving turkey promotions as well but since I mostly do my grocery shopping at the Shoprite, I'm mostly acquainted with their turkey promotion.

I do know that Shoprite is going to be busy for the next few weeks - those days leading up to Thanksgiving when everybody will be shopping for Thanksgiving. So the sooner you qualify and get your turkey the sooner you'll avoid the Shoprite "rush"!

November 13, 2007 - got my "free" turkey today!

It's kind of interesting because someone mentioned to me that the earlier you get your turkey you stand a better chance at having a better selection to choose from and this was certainly true when I picked my turkey today. There were a lot of turkeys in supply at the Shoprite this particular day and it will be interesting to see how it goes as the days go by leading up to Thanksgiving.

*By the way Shoprite will be open on Thanksgiving Day in case you have to do some last miniute shopping

Election Day In LaMott!

Here's a picture of the LaMott community center on Election Day! The LaMott community center is where my polling place is.

As you can see there are quite a few banners that were posted outside!

As the years go by, election days in the community are becoming more important than ever!

"Help Wanted"

I just noticed that there was a "Help Wanted" sign outside a hair salon on the block of 18th and Cheltenham. I think the name of the place is "Photo Finish" - which I thought at first was some kind of photography place but they do hair.

I don't think that the place has been there long and I have noticed it from time to time. So if you live in the area you might want to check it out. It's also located right near the bus stop for the routes "C" and "22" bus that run along Cheltenham Avenue.

I don't know how long the sign has been there but if it sounds like a job that might interest you then you should go and see if they are still hiring.

Leaf Collection Begins For Our Area!

I should also mention about the area's collecting of the leaves. LaMott/Cheltenham has 4 scheduled pickups for leaf collection. Two of the pickups are for loose leaves and the other 2 are for bagged leaves.

The first leaf collection for the area is scheduled for Friday, October 26, 2007.

Leaves can be raked to the curb as early as one week before the scheduled pickup.

* - By the way they were right on schedule which was kind of disappointing because I was hoping to rake some more leaves to the curb. I was hoping that because of the rain that they wouldn't be picking up the leaves.......so now the next schedulted loose-leaf pickup for our area is November 30th

We Have Lost Our Beloved Mailman!

Because of problems with an injury we lost our beloved mailman Jim!

He sent me a letter explaining it all and I subsequently found out that he sent a letter to everybody in the area! (I still have the letter and will post more about it when I have the letter in front of me)

I know that I will miss him and I'm sure that a lot of the other residents will miss him too. But the fact of the matter is that being a mailman is a very physical job and as much as we hate not to have him anymore we don't want his injury to get worse.

I have met our new mailman and have had a chance to talk to him - I have to get his name! - and he seems very, very nice.

Our Little Local Library - The LaMott Library

I got the cutest little email from someone that works at our local library - The LaMott Library. He expressed his thanks for me putting the library hours on my LaMott Page.

Actually its called The LaMott Free Library

also included is The LaMott Community Center (in the same building)

7420 Sycamore Avenue
LaMott, PA 19027
215-635-4419

lamott@mclinc.org

Our library may not be the biggest but it is definitely the most friendly!

The Quarterly EIT Statements Are Due By The End Of This Month!

Earned Income Tax!

I have really come to hate filling this out!

Just in case you don't know residents are required to fill out and file quarterly Earned Income Tax statements. The Earned Income Tax is a 1 percent tax on earned income that has to be paid quarterly. If you make under $3,000 a year then you don't have to pay the tax but you do still have to fill out the form - even if you have no earned income for the past quarter. You have to fill out the form and note the reason why you don't have any earned income - to make a long story short you have to fill this out regardless of whether you have any earned income that has to be taxed.

The next quarterly statement is due by October 31st, 2007 and it is for income made between July 1st and September 30th of 2007. And just like the federal tax you have the yearly form which is due by April 15th of next year.

Now we already have 2 other taxes that have to be paid by homeowners in the area. One is the property tax and the other is the school tax. And this earned income tax would be the third tax payment that has to be made / filled out.

I still hate it!

The Community Garden(s)

Would it be the community garden or the community gardens? There is more than one gardening plot that is here!

What you are looking at is a picture of the community garden that's located right inside of LaMott! It is a block away from Penrose Avenue and is located (on one side) at the 1800 block of Graham Lane. It is a block long and most of the gardening plots are used by the residents but there are some students from Temple University that also use it. As long as I have lived here there have been issues with the garden such as people coming from as far away as New Jersy to use one of the plots.

But of the people that do have plots there they are quite friendly for the most part. A lot of them love gardening just for the love of gardening.

If you are a resident and are interested in getting a gardening plot there the best thing to do would be to ask one of the gardeners about who to contact in order to get one of the plots. It doesn't cost you anything to have one of the plots BUT you do have to agree to the upkeep and maintenance of your gardening plot.

According to what I have heard the area is owned by Temple University and they have a campus located just across the street

A View TO A Post Office!

Of course you have to know that I took this picture as I was walking up the hill and to be quite honest with you I probably took this picture just so I could stand still and rest!

For those of you that don't know this is a view of our newest post office as it is being viewed from Penrose Avenue. As you can see if you are going to this post office from Penrose Avenue then you are going to be walking up the hill!

Some people consider the walk good exercise and it just reminds me of the people that I see walking around our neighborhood who are out just walking - some are getting their exercise and some are just out walking!

So if you don't have a car but need to get to the post office - don't worry because you're not alone. At least our local post office is within walking distance if you live in the LaMott/Cheltenham area - although its much closer to the LaMott area.

The post office has all the services of a regular post office. Of the times that I have been there there are usually 2 people manning the customer service. The lines can get quite long sometimes and there have been times that I have been to the post office and while standing in line I have heard other people "grumbling" about how long it is taking to get waited on - but oddly enough it is usually coming from the people who have driven there and not those who have walked there (including me).

The people that work there are very nice - especially one lady in particular - I hope she is the one that waits on you because she is very pleasant and very personable. (I have even seen her handle herself in situations where a good amount of calm is needed). There is also a guy that works there that has long brown hair - he's a "character" - and I mean that in the most nice possible way!

Of course you can get your postal needs done, there is also a stamp machine there that is working - oh I say about 80% of the time, they have post office boxes available (*A side note here - I noticed at the post office at Broad and Stenton in Philadelphia that the rates for the post office boxes have gone up!) and the usual array of post office stationary, etc that you can purchase!

New Song Added To LaMott Radio Playlist!

A new song has been added to the LaMott Radio playlist!

It has been some time since I have updated the playlist and I just wanted to make mention of it now.

In case you haven't heard the station before it is an Internet station and the format is half local information regarding the Cheltenham, LaMott and Philadelphia areas and half romantic music.

Give the station a listen, vote for your favorite songs and if you visit the station's website you will find out all the contact information including the request line where you can request music.

A View From A Post Office

Actually what you are really seeing is a view from our local post office. That street that you see below is Penrose Avenue and if you are familiar with this view then you know that it is an uphill walk from there!

Actually it is quite a nice view except if you are afraid of heights!

It's Hot As Heck!

There is just nothing more to say! It is as hot as heck outside! The current temperature is 95 degrees!

Go thee and find an air conditioner!

And STAY THERE!

While a lot of the houses in the area are older house a lot of them don't have central air (like mine). We rely on the kindness of the air conditioners that we have in our windows.

As a matter of fact while I was walking home the other day I heard an air conditioner in a neighbor's window and it sounded like it was winding down to its last legs. It sounded like metal was rumbling around in the air conditioner. In fact that air conditioner didn't sound too good at all. So I guess it's time for them to get a new air conditioner.

While there are lots of sales on air conditioners, I generally find that the Shoprite at the Cheltenham Mall have good deals on air conditioners. Sometimes you can get a good air conditioner there for under $100.

I Noticed A Lot More Houses For Sale

As I went to the store Saturday I noticed that there were a lot more houses for sale. One house that previously had a "For Rent" sign on it now has a "For Sale" sign on it. There is one particular house on Cheltenham Avenue that was previously up for auction now has a "For Sale" sign on it as well. There is also another property for sale on Cheltenham Avenue.

I don't know the circumstances of why these houses were put up for sale. I do know that the area had and still has a lot of older residents but some of them have died off and I guess either their estate or their heirs want to sell the property.

As much as I love this area I hate seeing property being put up for sale. I'm sure that whoever put these houses up for sale had their reasons and they are probably very good reasons too. It's hard being able to stay in this area. The property taxes are high and we get 2 property tax bills a year. Someone told me that in Philadelphia there is only one property tax bill a year.

Crossing Cheltenham Avenue!

Ever try crossing Cheltenham Avenue? It's no picnic let me tell you!

At the time that I took this photo you can see that it's hardly no traffic which is a rare occurence! On some Sundays there seems to be hardly any traffic and Saturdays seem to be the worse!

Often times when I'm trying to cross Cheltenham Avenue the drivers will take pity on me and stop and let me cross. But since Cheltenham Avenue is 2 lanes going both ways that means that the other drivers have to cooperate as well!

In this picture you're looking at the Philadelphia side of Cheltenham avenue going towards Broad Street. I think I was on my way to the store when I took this picture.

There is not a Septa bus in sight!

Well The 2nd Property Tax Bill of the Year Came Yesterday!

The 2nd property tax bill came in the mail - and by God its a BIG one! I don't know about your property but the bill for mine is over $2,500! Now you can't pay this property tax bill in installments but you do get a (2% - I think) discount if you pay this property tax bill early.

There was a reference to the "Homestead" Act but you must have already filled out the form for that. If your property is part of the Homestead designation then you can pay your property tax bill in three installments. However there are some conditions and there are also some very stiff penalities. If you claim the Homestead option and choose to pay your property tax bill in installments then you are not eligible for the discount. Also too if you pay your installments late then you could be charged a 10% penalty.

Now I looked this all over when I got the property tax bill and I thought that it would just be a good idea to have this money saved in advance of the time that it was due. That way you would have the money early enough to be able to pay the discounted amount. But not everyone has this financial capability.

To tell you the truth I really think the best option for paying this property tax bill is just to have the money saved up in advance so you can pay the discounted amount.

Quarterly EIT Taxes Due By July 31st

This reminder popped up on my computer screen! It's a good thing that it did because I totally forgot about it!

Just in case you don't know - EIT stands for Earned Income Tax. It is a tax that the residents pay on their income. Currently it's 1 percent of our income that is taxed. However the residents have to file an estimated tax return quarterly - every 4 months. The current one is due by July 31st - which - this time - is on a Tuesday and not the weekend.

What you have to do is fill out the quarterly tax form - which you can get from the company that is handling the taxes - and send it in along with your payment. I have talked with these people on more than one occassion and I have found out that while you don't have to send in the actual copies of proof of your income you DO have to fill out the form - regardless of how much your estimated income is. You will not be reminded to send in the tax form and you won't get a reminder in the mail. You have to remember to do this on your own! (Which is one of the reasons why I have put a "reminder" on my desktop).

If you make less than $3,000 a year you won't owe any tax BUT you still have to fill out the form and send it in.

I don't have the address in front of me but I will add it.

Lots of friendly chatter on the Cheltenham Bus Today

The Cheltenham Bus was full of friendly chatter today as we each went to our different stops. Just in case you don't know the Cheltenham Bus is our local bus that runs throughout the Cheltenham area. It goes to the Cedarbrook Mall, the Cheltenham Mall, and the train station. For area residents that are over 55 the fare is free. For residents under 55 the fare is $4 per trip But you can buy a 10 trip ticket for $10 - that makes it $1 per trip.

There was a time back where our beloved local bus was in threat of being cancelled but the township decided to split the week with Abington so now our Cheltenham Bus runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I think that this is much better than not having the bus at all. I do wish that that Shoprite logo was on the bus because that was advertising revenue for the bus - thus helping us to keep it running.

Foreclosure Laws In Pennsylvania

In previous posts I have talked about the devastating effects of having one's home go into foreclosure so I thought that it would be a good idea to post here about the foreclosure laws in Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania Foreclosure Law

- Pennsylvania Judicial Foreclosure Available: Yes

- Pennsylvania Non-Judicial Foreclosure Available: No

- Primary Security Instrument: Mortgage

- Timeline: Typically 90 days

- Right of Redemption: No

- Deficiency Judgments Allowed: Yes

In Pennsylvania foreclosure law, lenders may foreclose on a mortgage in default by using the judicial foreclosure process.

Pennsylvania Judicial Foreclosure

According to Pennsylvania foreclosure law, the lender must send a notice of intent to foreclose to the borrower before any foreclosure proceedings may begin.

The notice of intent must be sent, by first class mail, to the borrower, at their last known address and if different, to the property secured by the mortgage. The notice should not be sent until the borrower is at least sixty (60) days behind in their mortgage payments.

Foreclosure Law in Pennsylvania - Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

In the notice, the lender must make the borrower aware that his or her mortgage is in default and that it is their (the lender's) intention to accelerate the mortgage payments if the borrower does not cure the default within thirty (30) days. This means that the remaining balance of the original mortgage will come due immediately.

Pennsylvania foreclosure law states that if the borrower does not cure the default by paying the past due amount, plus any late charges that have accrued, within the thirty (30) days, the lender may then file a suit to try and obtain a court order to foreclose on the property.

If the court finds in favor of the lender and issues an order of sale, the property will be sold at a Sheriff's sale under the guidelines established by the court. The borrower has the right to cure the default and prevent the sale at any time up to one hour before the Sheriff's foreclosure sale.

Lenders have up to six months after the foreclosure sale to file for a deficiency judgment. Borrowers have no rights of redemption under Pennsylvania foreclosure law once the foreclosure sale is complete.

Cheltenham Community Station

Cheltenham does have its own community station on Comcast Cable's channel 42. It is a listing of news, bulletins and current events in and around the area of Cheltenham and LaMott. You can also access this information online by going to:

Cheltenham Community News

You can also find out how to have your community announcement added to the community bulletin board. It seems to be an easy process. You can also view more Cheltenham and LaMott related information by going to my LaMott Pages.

There isn't any similar kind of station for community news if you have Dish TV or satellite TV.

Free Barbecue At The Cheltenham Shoprite!

That's right! The Shoprite at the Cheltenham mall was going to have a free barbecue. It was officially supposed to start at 2pm - unfortunately I was on my way home. But I did get to see them set up! They had the biggest grill I have ever seen and people were already lining up for the free food! It was part of a promotional thing to promote a cookbook that had receipes by men only.

May 15th - Primary Election Day!

Yes I went to vote today. For those of you who in the area that don't know where our local polling place is it is the LaMott Community Center which also houses our local library.

I went during the later part of the afternoon and as always the volunteers that were there were helpful as usual. They are there to answer any questions that you may have.

As far as the number of people that were voting it wasn't a large amount but at the time that I was there the voting booths were busy and there were a number of cars parked all around.

I do know that there was a question being put before the voters in our area about the area imposing another tax on income - supposedly to reduce the amount of money that residents pay in property taxes. The cost of the property taxes in this area has always been a very sore subject for the residents here because the taxes are so high! And what makes it worse is that we the residents get 2 separate tax bills in the mail! I don't even think you can pay them in installments - the property taxes have to be paid in full - both times!

The Students are moving in (or out?)

I saw a small uhaul truck parked outside and of course its because of the students. As I write this I don't know if they are moving in or out. I'm guessing that they could be moving in but I don't know for sure.

With all the rumors circulating around about whether or not Temple's Tyler School of Art will close their campus in Cheltenham you wouldn't be able to tell by all the students that are moving in (or out). I know some of the students don't want it and I know that some of the parents don't want it. I see the students all the time either walking to the school or coming from the bus stop and walking towards the school. There was a time back when the students used to sun bathe on the grounds of the dormitory. I have seen some students on the campus with their easels painting - mostly the scenery around them. I've seen a few students who live in the Lynnewood Gardens Apartment complex which is right across from the school. There are cars parked everywhere! The campus has a pretty big parking lot from what I can see but still there are cars parked all around the campus including the street that I live on. I hear the sounds of the car doors slamming, the students talking, the students arguing and the students laughing.

I don't mind the noise too much. It's always good to hear activity in the area. I do mind when they park their cars in front of the driveway. I have heard from other neighbors about this when the cars are blocking their driveways and they have had to call the police.

So this "moving in" period is bound to last for the next couple of days.................

A Job Opening For A Mailman

I was at our local post office yesterday and the was a notice on the front door announcing a job opening for a mailman. If you're interested here is the contact information for our local post office:

800 Ashbourne Rd,

Cheltenham, PA 19012

(215) 887-4551

You should also remember that the price of stamps go up on May 14th. The stamps will go up 2 cents from 39 cents to 41 cents. So while I was there I stocked up on some 2 cent stamps. As a matter of fact I advise you to get your stamps as soon as possible because I'm remembering the last time the price of stamps went up and I was at the post office (not our local post office but another one) and the place was packed! And to make matters worse they were out of the 2 cent stamps. ( wasn't going to waste my trip so I bought 3 cent stamps.)

But back to the job opening for a mailman......If you are interested in the job you can contact the post office at the number above.

I do remember one time when our regular mailman was on vacation and the replacement one had said how much he liked the route and how he would like to have it. I wonder where he is?

Local Gas Prices?

If there is one thing about this area its that people are always in their cars! So I found this little widget thingie that lists the prices of gas locally. It should be on the right side of this blog. I just pasted this widget today and while its showing up ok in Netscape, it's not looking to cool in Internet Explorer. This isn't the first time I've had problems like this when I add something new so I'm going to wait awhile and see how it goes.

Back to the gas prices! With the weather getting warmer people are out more and that means more driving and more getting gas. I have seen people come into the local BP and buy a dollar's worth of gas and they weren't ashamed to admit it! So if you're wondering where the cheapest gas prices are in this area - here ya go!

Spring is Here!

I took this picture as I was going to the store today. (I have to learn to take better pictures!). Flowers are popping up everywhere and I'm not just talking about the dandelions.

It seems more people are putting plantings on their property than last year - that's probably why I have seen so many cars at the Home Depot at the Cheltenham Mall.

Of course with this nicer weather more people are out and the kids are out playing around and more people are working on their houses.

This House is NOT for Sale!

Today as I was walking down Willow Avenue to go to the store I noticed a sign on one of the houses (actually it was a note) that said (in no uncertain terms) that "This House Is Not For Sale". I got a smile on my face because I know that these people must have gotten a lot of people asking them if their house was for sale. At least they put up a note that said that it wasn't for sale. Politely speaking the home wasn't the best looking home on the block but that didn't really matter. It can really be hard to maintain a home - especially when its an older home. If and when you don't have the money either you do the work yourself or it just doesn't get done! Now that the weather is starting to get nicer I see more and more people working on their homes and some of them are doing it theirselves. I'm not going to say that they love working on their houses (maybe some of them do) but when the weather is nice they are out there.

I don't know what's the story with the "This House Is Not For Sale" house. It could be any number of reasons. The people that live there may be older and can't do the work theirself or it could be a reason of not having enough money. Whatever the reason is I can certainly identify. Outside work like trimming trees, painting a house or just general outside repairs and maintenance can cost a pretty penny. Not everybody that lives here is rich and there are a lot of older residents who are just getting by with their pension or social security.

I have receive more than a few mailings that said something to the effect of "We want to buy your house" - how they got my name I will never know. I actually had someone knocking on my door asking if this house was for sale (which I thought was rude!). Realators are always on the lookout for houses that are for sale in this area. I have even had people see me outside and ask me if there were any properties in the area that were for sale. I have kept my eye out for properties that are for sale and have given this information to a few of them. As a matter of fact I noticed 2 "for sale" signs today as I was walking to the store. One was right on Cheltenham Avenue between 19th and 17th streets and the other property for sale was a few blocks up.

It's a terrible thing not to be able to pay for repairs or general maintenance but just because a house is not the most prettiest one on the block doesn't mean that it's for sale.

People Are Looking For.......

Power of Attorneys in Wyncote

This was one of the latest internet searches that led to my LaMott Directory Page. The top attorney listed is located at Logan Square which is a very far distance from Wyncote in Philadelphia. Although I know that people will travel a greater distance if it means that they will find a good attorney but there are attorneys that are located within the Wyncote area.

There is an Eastern Montgomery Chamber of Commerce which I'm sure would have some attorneys as members. There are 2 attorneys listed in the LaMott Directory. One is located in Abington and the other is located in Jenkintown.

Earned Income Tax?

In case you aren't aware of it, Cheltenham has what is called an "Earned Income" Tax. What this means it that your earned income is taxed. Every 3 months you are required to pay the estimated tax on your income and then at the end of the year you file (and pay) your earned income tax for the past year. The yearly tax return is due by April 15th which is the same due date as the federal and state income tax.

Now if your income is less than $3000 for the past year then you don't have to pay the tax BUT you do have to file the return. The consequences of not filing the return is fees and penalties!

I remember when this tax was first introduced some years ago and I remember filling it out and mailing it back in. However I have talked to some people who said that they just ignored it and didn't send it in. (Sometimes I wish that I had done the same - sigh!). I don't know if anything happened to them as a consequence and I was just not willing to take the chance.

But the bottom line is that this tax is mandatory and has to be paid.

To find out more about this tax you can call the Township's Administration Office at:

Township Administration Building
8230 Old York Road
Elkins Park, PA 19027
215-887-1000

Another Sad Story About Someone Losing Their House

I just found out about this yesterday. Another neighbor in the area has lost their home - not their house, not their property - but their home! It's always so sad to hear stories like this because I know that people in this area have lived in their houses for years! Unfortunately in this case the cost of the property taxes was the culprit! Mind you, the property taxes in this area are very high and what makes it worse is that there are 2 property tax bills that are due each year! Someone told me that in Philadelphia there is only one property tax bill.

The first property tax bill due in April is the smaller of the two. The second property tax bill is due in September and is more than twice the amount of the first bill! When the property taxes are paid as part of the mortgage bill that makes things a little bit easier but not everyone has that type of mortgage.

I do not know the particulars of this neighbor's situation so I don't know what their financial status was (or is) but I do know a little about this property tax thing. On the property tax bill itself it says that the property taxes have to be paid by the end of the year or their will be a lien put on the property. And of course if that lien isn't paid then the property can be sold for the property tax amount owed. Now here is where I get a little foggy.......Does that mean that whatever the house sells for the property tax bill is paid but what happens to the amount that the house sold for that is more than the tax bill itself? Does that extra amount go to the property owner or does it go to property tax people? Is the house being sold for its fair market value or for the amount of the property tax owed only?

I've seen a lot of ads and literature about how their are sales of properties for the amount of back taxes owed so does that mean that they are selling the properties for just the amount of the property taxes owed?

It may seem like a very good opportunity for the real estate investor but it is not a very pleasant experience for the people that are losing their homes.

By the way from what I have heard the people that lost their home are temporarily living in a house a few blocks away. As a matter of fact from what I have been told their property has already been sold!

Robbery Attempt At The PathMark in the Cedarbrook Mall

I heard about this on my way home from shopping. A man tried to rob an armoured car guard with pepper spray. He sprayed it in the gurard's face and the guard turned around and shot the robber multiple times. The robber managed to get away but he collapsed a short time later and that was when he was found by the police. He is currently in the hospital.

Now this happened today around 1 pm and I didn't hear it on the news until about 4pm. I heard it on KYW News Radio. So by the time the local TV news comes on there should be more information about it.

Comcast versus Direct TV?

Just came across one of my old posts:

Well I can't comment on the cable modem thing but its interesting that you mention the cable/dish thing. Seems Comcast and DishTV are trying to outprice each other. Guy came to my door from Comcast saying that he was talking to all the dish owners about getting cable because Comcast has this new deal where they combine phone/internet/cable services for something like $99.


The dish TV provides more channels and the times that it has been un-operative was during bad rainy weather or some really dark cloud cover. It's only happened a few times a year. I will say this though and its a matter of taste but the Direct TV's weather channel doesn't do the local weather as thoroughly as Comcast's TWC (must be a different version). Another pet peeve is that you don't get the local cable channel that has all the area announcements - I think its called the public access stations. If I could I would have them both but if I had to choose it would be the directTV.

It would be nice to have them both and I do have a neighbor that does have them both.

It's Cold!

I haven't posted here for awhile. It has just been soooooooo cold! Mr. Tappe used to say that during the summer we are all out and about but during the winter we hibernate!

It has just been brutally cold for the past few days. The rain melted a lot of the snow and ice but we're now getting colder temperatures and stronger wind gusts. This area is known more its single family homes and a lot of them are older single family homes and unless there are tightly sealed I know that the residents (including me) are feeling the effects of those cold winds!

During the snow period a few of us on my block were shoveling snow, I see some of the men are braving these cold elements to do some outside house repairs and the kids/teenagers don't seem to be too much affected because they can be heard out and about. I actually saw one of the Temple art students wearing a pair of (long) shorts! Me, I had on my coat, gloves, hat and 2 scarfs!

I know that when the weather gets warmer we will all be out and about again! But until then its just too, too, cold!

PA Friends Webring

I am the moderator of this webring and you can find out more about it by going to the ring's main page at:

http://a.webring.com/hub?ring=pafriends4

The main requirement to join this webring is that your website have something to do with the Pennsylvania area. It doesn't matter what city or county you live in - as long as it is in PA.

You can also have a website that has something to do with PA as well.

Besides my LaMott Page there are a couple of other webring members.

So if you think that you would like to find out more about the webring, please click the link above.

The Property In This Area?

Well it happened to me again. I was walking to the store and someone asked me about the property in the area. They were interested in buying property in this area because they liked it. They also told me that they have a young child and just wanted somewhere nice to live.

Oddly enough they told me that they couldn't find any "for sale" signs and I say that its odd because I have seen more than a few in the past year! I guess that's just because I live here.

I was also talking to a realtor a few months back about something else and HE mentioned about his interest in the area - not only because he's a realtor but because HE has a property in the area and I think that he also used to live in the area as a child too.

This isn't the 1st time that I have been asked about the property in this area. People see the area and like it and are curious or interested about it and a few people have asked me to keep a lookout for any property that becomes available.

It's odd in a sense because there have been periods where there were no houses for sale and then just the opposite will happen and then there are quite a few houses for sale. LaMott is an historical area and some of the houses are over 100 years old and a lot of the residents are older residents and when they die their family will either sell the house or live in it themselves. It's a 50/50 kind of thing. One of my neighbors was an 80 year old man and when he died his family put the house up for sale and it took about 4 or 5 months before it got sold. Another neighbor on my street was an elderly woman who stayed in her house after her husband died and when she died the house was put up for sale. In that case there wasn't even a "for-sale" sign on the property because it was sold in a matter of days! There's a house on the next block that has a "for sale" sign on it. I don't know the people that own it. There's a house on Cheltenham Ave. that was recently sold at an auction. And I'm not even counting the houses that I DON'T iknow about. I've heard from some about the high property taxes and that paying them is a problem and they are considering selling as well.

Since its located just a "hair" from Philadelphia its sort of like the Phildelphia area. In fact a lot of people told me that they didn't even know that this area existed.

Who Serves The Best Hotdogs?

I found this very interesting blog that talks about which places have the best hotdogs. So far there is only one listing for Pennasylvania so if you have a place that you'd like to recommend be sure to visit this blog.

http://hotdogsinthecity.blogspot.com/2006/12/blog-post_13.html

The Day After Christmas At Our Local Post Office...

There was no way around this. I had to go. I thought that if I went during the early afternoon that it wouldn't be crowded but it was. But you know what? As much as the people in line were grumbling the 2 postal workers that were there were trying to be as pleasant as possible.

This is a relatively new post office. The closest one before it was the post office that was located in the Cheltenham Mall near the movie theater. With this new post office it is within walking distance for me and I should be grateful that its here.

There may be times when you might be able to "quickly run in and do what you have to do" but don't count on it. And if you do manage to get there when there is no line, consider it a blessing!

An Additional Leaf Collection for Route 8

I saw this information posted around the around while I was out today. It didn't mention whether it was a loose-leaf or bagged leaf collection but it's scheduled for Jan 2, 2007 at 8am

LaMott Radio!

Well I finally decided to put the radio station back on the air and the Internet! It took me a long time to make this decision! First you can "take a listen" and find out more about the station by going to:

http://www.live365.com/stations/roseb44170

There are still a lot of "kinks" to be worked out. For instance I have to re-coordinate all of my pages that mention the radio station and that will take a while. But you can listen to the station now.

What kind of radio station is it? Well I'd like to think of it as an "ambience" kind of station. What does that mean? Just some nice background music that people can listen to while they are doing what they are doing - whether its housework, yardwork, taking a walk, or just some nice, pleasant music to listen to.

There is a "request" line and you can also send in your comments and suggestions.

Enjoy!

What is the weather outlook for the 2006-2007 season?

Just click the link below

Weather Prediction

They are predicting a warmer than usual season (from Dec 2006 - Feb 2007) - We shall see.................

Storm Watch and Strong Winds

The severe thunderstorm watch lasts until 10pm tonight. (Right now its almost 7:30pm).

For more detailed information you can click on the link below because it will take you to the Weather Channel's webpage

http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/local/USPA1801?alertId=58427&dbSeq=null&par=OAP&site=OTDRV&code=1004100971

Tonight its supposed to go down to 39 degrees with a lot of windy conditions. Skies are forecasted to clear after midnight.

The Widener Estate

I'm starting to find out a LOT of information about this estate. First of all the man who it was named after was on the Titanic. Presently the estate is owned by someone else who has made no mention of what he intends to do with it. It is hoped by some that it can be turned into some sort of historic preservation.


I have passed by this estate many times and it is located across the street from our local post office.

It is in a current state of disarray but hopefully that will change in the near future.

Here are some related links:

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/
jenkintown/10363118.htm

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/discus/messages/5676/
5592.html?985747013

http://www.preservationalliance.com/news_lynnewood.php

I'm Learning Google Earth??????????????

And it ain't easy! The picture on the right is showing my first attempt at trying to learn how to post. Actually its a new feature (at least new to me) of Google Earth that show a map of your specific area.

For those of you that don't know Google Earth is a map-like program that shows ariel views - not just inside the United States but all over the globe. Of course the first area I looked for was my own and I was surprised at the detail. Basically you can see the area from above - meaning the rooftops but you can zoom in and out as well.

What I'm working on is learning how to add my own overlays to the maps. There is a Google Earth community (a messageboard-type forum) where you can join (for free) and post your own overlays. And there are a LOT of members and they post everything from where they live to interesting sites in their area. So I'm learning how to do that too.

If others can post about their communities then I want to be able to add our community as well.

And that reminds me - if you have any "interesting" areas in the LaMott/Cheltenham area that you would like to share just let me know and I will add it to the overlay map.

Property Inspections Will Begin

To ensure sump pumps and other clean water sources do not illegally discharge into the sanitary sewer system, an inspection program will begin. An inspector with proper ID will visit each property. Property owners must allow the Township inspector to enter the premises and must correct any illegal discharges or else face surcharges of $100 per month on their sewer bills.

For more information, call (215) 887 - 6200, ext 223

The Cheltenham Bus - more interest in.....

More people are asking me about the Cheltenham Bus (of which I am glad because the more people that use this bus the more likely we will continue to have it).

You may be surprised that the bus may not look like the one in the picture. Sometimes the bus will need maintenance but don't worry though because another (white) bus is used as a replacement bus until the original one is ready.

Area residents who are seniors can ride the bus for free. Other residents (like myself) can pay the cost of $4 per trip or (what I do) buy the ten trip tickets for $10 - that equals $1 a trip.

The bus travels all around the Cheltenham area. I usually use it to go shopping at the area malls. But it also goes to the train station as well. Here is a copy of the bus's schedule in .pdf format.

http://www.cheltenhamtownship.org/bus/Schedule2005.pdf

The website link is located below:

http://www.cheltenhamtownship.org/bus/

Weather - Severe Wind Alert For Our Area

Wind Advisory

NEW CASTLE-KENT DE- INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL- KENT MD- QUEEN ANNE'S-TALBOT-CAROLINE- SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON- SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH- EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM- GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND- ATLANTIC- CAPE MAY-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY- COASTAL ATLANTIC- COASTAL OCEAN- SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE- BERKS-LEHIGH- NORTHAMPTON-CHESTER- MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE- PHILADELPHIA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILMINGTON...DOVER... GEORGETOWN... REHOBOTH BEACH... ELKTON...CHESTERTOWN...CENTREVILLE... EASTON... DENTON...NEWTON... WASHINGTON...MORRISTOWN... FLEMINGTON... SOMERVILLE...NEW BRUNSWICK...FREEHOLD...SANDY HOOK... TRENTON... PENNSVILLE...GLASSBORO... CAMDEN...CHERRY HILL...MOORESTOWN... MOUNT HOLLY...JACKSON...MILLVILLE... HAMMONTON... CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE... OCEAN CITY...ATLANTIC CITY... LONG BEACH ISLAND...WHARTON STATE FOREST... JIM THORPE... STROUDSBURG...READING... ALLENTOWN...BETHLEHEM...WEST CHESTER... NORRISTOWN...DOYLESTOWN... MEDIA

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM EST SUNDAY.

LOW PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES INTO SOUTHEASTERN CANADA OVERNIGHT AND SUNDAY. COOLER AIR WILL PUSH INTO THE REGION BEHIND A COLD FRONT TRAILING BEHIND THE DEPARTING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM.
THE COMBINATION OF THE INTENSIFYING LOW AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES WILL KEEP GUSTY WEST WINDS OVER THE AREA. WESTERLY WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY. THE RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL HAS SATURATED THE GROUND... THEREFORE... THE FORCE OF THE STRONG WIND MAY BRING DOWN WEAKENED AND SHALLOW ROOTED TREES... AND UTILITY WIRES... WITH SOME AREAS EXPERIENCING POWER OUTAGES. ANY OBJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT OUTSIDE UNSECURED MAY BECOME AIRBORNE IN THE STRONG WINDS.
THE EXPECTED HIGH WINDS CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT... ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE AND LIGHT WEIGHT VEHICLES.


USE EXTRA CAUTION WHILE VENTURING OUT ON AREA ROADWAYS.

The LaMott Firehouse #1

The LaMott Firehouse #1 is located on Penrose Avenue

What I Noticed.....

As I was going to the store I noticed that one of the houses had what looked
like an apple tree growing near their house. Odd because I never noticed it
before. I know that one of my neighbors has an apple tree but I haven't seen
any blossoms on it. There are supposed to be some trees that grow acorns and
other nuts but I haven't located them yet.

We Lost Another Beloved Member Of The Community

I'd rather wait and get permission from the family before I post his name
here but he lived in this community for a very long time. I'm going to miss him a lot because he was a neighbor of mine. I talked to his relatives just a few days ago and they are going through a lot.

I Was Bragging About The Area

I saw a woman interested in one of the houses that is up for sale. She seemed very interested and I was telling her about the area. I told her about the community garden, the community center and about how nice the area was. Homes don't come up for sale too often in this area.

Our Library?

I recently found a picture of the LaMott library's building and it occured to me that it really would help if there was a sign of some sort on the outside of the building to help show where its located.  I have been asked more than once by people where the library was located.  I even remember a girl asking me about the building in general because that's where our polling place is and she didn't know where to go to vote!

It's Very, Very Early on a Saturday Morning!

The sun hasn't even come up yet!  All I can hear outside are the sounds of the insects chirping.  There's the occassional siren in the distance and for a minute or two I heard a strange squeaking sound but it went away.  Every now and then I will hear a car going by.

I know I'm not the only one up because I can see some lights on in other people's houses.  Since today is Saturday there will probably be a lot of people outside doing yard work like cutting their grass or hedges - and things like that.

It's warm now - even humid which is strange because its so early in the morning.

Cobblestone?

One of the reasons why my area is historic is because of the landscaping. One home in my area has cobblestone in the driveway and they have a historical plaque as well.

Cheltenham Webcam?

I don't think that there is a webcam site for Cheltenham and I'm thinking about starting one myself.  For webcams in the near area you can go to my webcam page at:

http://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/webcam.htm

Local "Earned Income" Tax!

I'm not too fond of this little tax that has been imposed for this area.  I just filled out the quarterly form that has to be done every quarter.  There is no notification - meaning they don't send you any notification/reminder of it being due.  You have to remember to do this on your own.

For those of you that don't know about this tax, it is a 1% tax on a person's earned income that has to be paid quarterly.  In most cases your employer will automatically take this tax out of your paycheck but if not then you have to do it yourself.  There is a $3,000.00 minimum but regardless of how much you make it has to be reported.

Someone's Very Happy!

It must be because of the gorgeous weather and temperture but somebody is outside singing.  It's a woman and boy is she in a great mood!

Gusty Winds!

Oh man is it windy! and cold!

It's not like the last time when the power went out a few months ago!  It happened sometime during the morning and was fixed by 1:30 in the afternoon.  Doesn't mean I wasn't freaking out though!  I was just bored!  There's only so much you can do without electricity!

Yes, the snow is HERE!

I was trying to find a webcam picture that I could put here but I couldn't find any. The closest I came was a beach in Point Pleasant NJ.

and a shot of Chestnut Hill that you can see by going to:

http://ChestnutHillCam.ww.com

Maybe I'll have to take this on as a project of my own and set up some kind of webcam view-thingie!

Well since its a Sunday the mood is a little bit more quieter than if it were a weekday. There are kids going door to door working to shovel snow. I saw a few neighbors clearing the snow off of their cars and I can hear a few snow shovels and the snow blower across the street.

I still haven't ventured out today but I have got a lot to do inside to keep me busy!

Yes it's snowing but........

some of the cars are still driving by like a bat out of heck!  Even with the dip that's on the corner they are still driving by so fast!  This is NOT the kind of weather that you want your car to get damaged in!  We're supposed to get a few inches of snow tonight but more snow tommorrow!  All together we could get about a foot of snow!

Where am I?

Inside drinking a hot cup of tea and typing on the keyboard.......

Broad & Stenton!

Kind of curious thing:

I noticed at one of the gas stations on one of the corners a guy asking people for 40 cents as they drove up to the gas pumps.

Saw a couple of guys out today.....

It was bitterly cold (at least to me) and on my way to the store I saw a guy who was having trouble with his car.  He had the hood up and it seemed like he was waiting for someone.  On my way back another guy had joined him and he was talking to someone on his cell phone.  Two girls had gone to the store to purchase a gallon of milk, a couple of people buying gas - all this before noon on this Sunday morning!

The Cheltenham Bus - Complaints?

I heard a few "snippets" of some very interesting information!  One particular day the Cheltenham Bus was late.  I later came to find out that the bus had broken down and another one was used in its place.  This of course made the bus late when picking up people.  I found out that some of the people complained!  To make matters worse the driver wasn't familiar with the route.  I say - SO WHAT!  Instead of just cancelling the route after the bus broke down another bus was used to carry out the route which (in my honest opinion) was a very nice thing to do.  Remember that senior citizen residents ride the bus for free and there was talk some time back about discontinuing the route altogether but fortunately a solution was had.

What makes this whole thing more irritating is that I myself was on that bus on the day in question.  Of course after waiting for it for a while I thought that maybe I had missed it or that it was just running late.  Just as I was about to go back home - here it came!  I saw that it wasn't the regular driver and just figured that the regular driver had the day off or something.  I found out that the bus had broke down and that the bus being used was a replacement one.  The driver wasn't familiar with the route and the route itself involved many turns and round-a-bout ways. 

This bus driver was very nice (and very nervous) but the people on the bus (me amongst them) weren't angry or complaining because we were just happy that the bus was there.  During the route to pick up a couple of passengers their doorman had said that they had went back upstairs but the driver was nice enough to come back and get them.  So the route was late but everybody got to where they wanted to go.  There was one man that seemed a bit annoyed that the driver wasn't familiar with his stop but (to me) he seemed to take it in stride.  So everyone got to where they wanted to go and I figured that that was the end of that.  But the next time I boarded I had found out that someone had complained.  I think that that is really a shame.  We are lucky to have this sort of local transportation and it was a Godsend during the last Septa strike.  And as much as this bus has been on time and accomodating - having one bad incident is not worth the fuss!  Just think if we didn't even have this bus route!  The driver(s) help the passengers with their groceries - both on and off the bus (something that Septa doesn't do) and they try to be accomodating as best as they can.  We should be very grateful for this service!

I hope we haven't lost our mailman

You know you get kind of use to your regular mailman and I noticed that a different one delivered the mail.  I could tell because they were using those new-looking white vans.  Besides our regular mailman is - well - a - man!  And the one that came today was a woman.  I have it on some very "inside" information that this route for delivering mail is a very desirable one and I know that there is at least one guy that wants the route.  But I like the mailman that we have now.

Whew! I made it!

Remember what I said before about me seeing them get the leaves while I was on my way home?  I got home and went back outside to rake the leaves to the curb so that I could catch them before they got there.  Well I did manage to rake the leaves to the curb but they didn't come and get them so I thought that maybe I missed them.  I saw the other leaves raked to the curb across the street so I thought to myself that I couldn't have missed them - could I?  I know I saw them getting the leaves and even the mailman told me that they were getting the leaves.  Oh well - there wasn't anything I could do about it right now.  But I'm happy to say that a few days later they did indeed come and get the leaves.  I would have captured a picture of it to post but I was too slow!  Oh well - maybe next time.

Christmas Lights?

I must confess that I'm one of the ones guilty of not having Christmas lights (or any other kind of Christmas decoration) on the windows or outside of the house.  On my last errand to the store I noticed that there are a lot of others who don't have them as well.

Personally I want to change this even if it only means having a wreath or something smaller.  I think people get a kick out of seeing Christmas decorations.  It may put them in the holiday mood or even brighten up their spirits.

I saw that someone had a great big giant Santa on their lawn and I have seen a few windows with the simplest of decorations.  I like that there is a variety and that not everyone has the same amount of decorations.  Variety is good!

Somebody is in a really good mood

as they whistle while walking down the street.  It's kind of dark right now and I really can't see who it is but I can definitely hear them.  Usually I will hear the mailman whistling while he is delivering the mail but the mail has already come so this could be somebody else.  But whoever they are they are certainly in a good mood!

Snow is in the forecast!

The weather channel is talking about snow for next week - Tuesday, Wednesday - there abouts........Of course I'm not ready - what else is new!  But I plan to be ready with the rock salt, the snow shovel and the hot chocolate.

I have seen some very interesting things happen in the area when the snow has fallen.  For instance (this was a few years back) but a car was stuck in the snow on the 1800 block of Graham Lane and a couple of residents came out of their house, snow shovels in hand to help get the stuck car out.

One of my neighbors said that we the residents kind of hibernate during the winter and he's right.  If we get a really big snow storm we'll have a hard time of it but I know that everyone will do their darndest to make it through!