The vintage Gillian’s Wonderland Pier Canyon Falls Log Flume Bathing Guy is still up for grabs, with a $2,000 price tag.
So is the 12-by-6-foot fiberglass Haunted Dark Ride Skeleton head, including the top hat and the skeletal hands that once gripped the front of the ride, for $8,500.
Polito is hoping another Halloween season will tempt buyers for the skeleton and the other dark ride props for sale, including a pair of coffin speakers ($600), an animated man in a closet ($1,150), and a spider automaton ($750).
A pair of vintage Gillian’s Wonderland Pier Haunted Dark Ride Haunted House Mechanical Circus Clowns, priced at $1,750 for the pair at Obnoxious Antiques.Obnoxious Antiques
Polito said about half the sold objects were sold to out-of-state buyers, but the other half “went back to Ocean City,” including the Monkey Band, which is on display with other Wonderland artifacts in the Boardwalk food court as a “Wonderland Pier Museum.”
Some of the exterior figurines were bought by nearby Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township.
Polito says the $8,500 price tag for the skeleton and hands “is a steal,” and notes that they would be perfect for a committed Halloween house decorator.
He estimates it cost $20,000 to create.
“It’s heavy,” he said. “They would have to commit to it and they would have to really want it.”
Ed Frischkorn, 30, holding the log flume miner from the now-defunct Gillian’s Wonderland Pier he purchased at Obnoxious Antiques in Burlington, N.J.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff
Over objections from some nearby residents, Ocean City Council recently voted to designate the former Wonderland site at 600 Boardwalk in need of rehabilitation and will now negotiate with developer and owner Eustace Mita, who has proposed a seven-story luxury hotel on the site.
Mita bought the site from Mayor Jay Gillian, who made the decision to close the beloved amusement park his family had owned for 65 years in October 2024.
Mita’s original proposal called for restoring the Ferris wheel and historic carousel, and preserving several iconic kiddie rides from Wonderland.
John Polito of Obnoxious Antiques with one of the men in the tub from the log flume ride at the now-defunct Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, N.J. Polito purchased three truckloads of relics that are now for sale at his warehouse on Route 130 in Burlington N.J.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff
DEAR ABBY: I have been with my wife for 17 years. We have three daughters. She doesn’t work, doesn’t have a driver’s license, doesn’t clean and rarely cooks. I often find myself so frustrated at her lack of commitment to the family that I drink and go to bed after I cook dinner. I work 60 hours a week to provide for our family and am not receiving any help from my wife. I don’t know what to do. I do all the shopping and take the girls to dance three days a week (which means I have to leave work early). It causes bad arguments. What can I do to motivate her to change?
— DOING EVERYTHING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
DEAR DOING EVERYTHING: You state that your wife doesn’t work, doesn’t drive, doesn’t clean and rarely cooks. What does she do all day? Is she watching television? Taking drugs? Is she so depressed she can’t get out of bed?
You should not be carrying the whole load yourself, but drinking and going to bed are not the answer. Ask your doctor or health insurance company for a referral to a licensed psychotherapist who can help you unravel this mess. Nothing will change until you do.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My daughter added her girlfriend to our family group chat last December. Now the girlfriend is accepting invitations from family members that weren’t meant for her. Granted, she has been dating my daughter for more than five years, but none of us like her or feel comfortable around her. We’re afraid to say anything due to our love for our daughter. How do we get her off the family group chat and stop her from being so invasive in our lives without hurting our daughter?
— CLOSING RANKS
DEAR CLOSING RANKS: No matter what you do about the group chat, the end result will have to be a conversation with your daughter about the fact that her girlfriend is not welcome at certain family gatherings. Are you willing to have that talk and face the consequences? If not, it might be best to learn to get along with the girlfriend and remember that most people do not get to pick their in-laws. If you are determined that excluding the girlfriend is the way to go, start a new group chat and emphasize to your daughter that this one is for immediate family only.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: When my husband passed away, his sister “Enid” and her husband, “Fred,” did not attend his funeral. Their grown son and daughter with grown children of their own also missed the funeral. They claimed Fred had a doctor’s appointment. This made a total of 10 people unable to come to the funeral. We all live in the same area, so there was no traveling involved. What is your opinion about me being upset?
— BOTHERED IN THE EAST
DEAR BOTHERED: First, please accept my deepest sympathy for the loss of your husband. You have a right to be upset about Enid, Fred and their family skipping your husband’s funeral. A doctor’s appointment can usually be rescheduled. Funerals are a different matter. The fact is, they chose to withhold their support from you, which was thoughtless, bordering on cruel.
DEAR ABBY: After a nearly 20-year marriage, my first husband, “Lloyd,” told me his feelings for me had changed. He said we needed “some time apart,” but he didn’t want a divorce. He immediately went to a lawyer and executed a financial settlement for me, still insisting he wasn’t going to file for divorce. Six weeks later, I bought a house and moved. Two weeks later, Lloyd’s son told me my husband moved a woman in with him two days after I moved out. Obviously, we divorced.
In time, I remarried and was very happy for 13 years until my husband died. I took care of him for the last three years. A year later, my older brother became ill, and I went to help him 300 miles away. It also turned into a nearly three-year stay.
I have been back home for only a year and a half now. I just received a text from a friend of Lloyd’s, telling me Lloyd has passed away. None of Lloyd’s family contacted me, nor did they let me know his brother had died a while back. I have been so hurt by this man. After I moved, he told many lies. He said that I had been cheating, etc., and literally turned the whole community against me. When the true story came out, a lot of people apologized for treating me so badly.
I feel indifference toward my ex. The bad memories with him far outweigh the good ones, and I don’t want to go to his funeral. It would feel two-faced because I lost all respect for him many years ago. Am I wrong for not acknowledging his death?
— MOVING ON IN THE SOUTH
DEAR MOVING ON: You certainly are not wrong. People attend funerals in order to pay their respects and emotionally support the grieving family. Your presence is not required at this one. Lloyd’s family would not welcome it, and neither would the woman who helped to break up your marriage. On that day, do something you would enjoy, ideally with friends who support you.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: Two years ago, my mother bought a pair of diamond earrings for us to split. She wears one every day, and I wear the other. She tried doing the same thing with my older sister about 20 years ago, but after my sister lost her diamond earring for the second time, they mutually agreed to give up.
Last summer, my mother gave me a box of old jewelry, odds and ends. I found two diamond earrings that looked similar but weren’t from the same pair, so I took them — who doesn’t like diamonds? Now I am realizing they’re likely Mom’s half of the pairs she split with my sister. Can I wear them? I have a place for each, but would it be an act of bad faith to horn in on what was originally their tradition?
— BEJEWELED IN NEVADA
DEAR BEJEWELED: Your mother gave you the box of old jewelry. The items were hers but now they are yours. Your sister lost the mates to those earrings and the tradition ended. Your sister should have no claim on them. Wear them and enjoy them without guilt.
The novelist Emma Copley Eisenberg is not supposed to write about her new South Philly neighborhood.
A longtime resident of West Philly, Eisenberg wove its eccentricities and institutions into two books of fiction: the 2024 queer road trip novel Housemates, and the newly released Fat Swim, an interconnected short story collection featuring, among other local allusions, a pool inspired by the one at West Philly’s Kingsessing Rec Center.
Then about a year ago, Eisenberg and her partner, Art Phung, moved together across the river. Phung suggested that maybe Eisenberg could avoid writing about their new environs, so they wouldn’t have to move again. (Eisenberg made no promises.)
On her perfect Philly day, Eisenberg treks between fresh and familiar haunts, floats in the city pool immortalized in Fat Swim, and browses at least three bookstores.
8 a.m.
In a perfect world, I wake up at 8, and I go to Café y Chocolate, a wonderful Mexican brunch and breakfast spot in our new neighborhood. I read my book for a little bit until meeting a friend. The mocha they make is pretty life-changing. When my mom was in the hospital, she was like, “All I want is café con chocolate from there.”
I like to look at all the dogs. I don’t have a dog, my partner says I’m not responsible enough. So I force a friend who has a dog to bring their dog to the park to meet me. I like to run into people and hear the queer gossip of the day — who went out last night, what’s going on.
A lot of my friends have kids now, so it’s usually a good excuse to see some of their kids and hear about theirgossip at school.
Noon
At the Kingsessing pool, I like to just kind of flop around and float. I can’t ease my way into the pool, I have to jump all the way in. I’m not a particularly good swimmer per se, but it makes me happy. After doing the pool, I always feel 10% less dead inside.
Walking from Old City back to South, I stop at Head House Books. It’s kind of magical: whatever the book is that I want, they always have it. They have good book clubs, they’re supportive of local authors, they do a lot of events.
Head House has a really good children’s section. I usually try to buy a couple of board books because they’re good for little kids and they’re cheaper. I also have a soft spot for the classic things that I read when I was a kid, like The Baby-Sitters Club and Nancy Drew. I buy a couple of kids’ books and put them in little free libraries because I find that joyful.
I also cut over to Giovanni’s Room, because they have all those $1 paperbacks out. I’ll browse around to see if they have anything that’s cheap that I want to buy for my library or for one that I pass on the way home. I might wind through a few little free libraries. I could hit the one at the Singing Fountain on East Passyunk, and say hi to Little Yenta Books.
6:30 p.m.
My partner and I go to Cafe Nhan at least once a week. I love their vermicelli bowl with grilled pork, and fried spring rolls. They have an amazing limeade too. If you follow Cafe Nhan on Instagram, they often show what broths and soups they have going that day, so you can get excited.
Eisenberg poses with a billboard along Interstate 95 promoting the release of “Fat Swim.” Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
8 p.m.
I used to be partial to Fred’s on 54th and Chester. I put Fred’s in Fat Swim. However, I will say that at Chuck’s Water Ice [on Snyder], the texture is incredible. It’s very fluffy. The flavors they have are really special — tangerine, blood orange. I like to get a gelati of tangerine and vanilla custard. I eat it as I walk home.
8:15 p.m.
If I’m feeling like I want a little nightcap, I go to Brewery ARS.They have good beer and it’s kind of a hole-in-the-wall, but not in a sports way. More in a “we might have a weird musician” way. They probably wouldn’t have the game on, but they would have a Sun Ra music video on.
10 p.m.
I watch a comfort episode of television or read a book. Right now I’m doing a rewatch of Girls, like everybody else. I get into bed at 10 and go to sleep by 11, if I’m honest.
The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
LeBron James announced he was coming to Philadelphia. Within days, someone had intentionally sunburned a No. 23 jersey onto his back. That’s commitment.
A Delco man spent a day at the beach in Sea Isle using zinc sunscreen to leave behind a perfectly outlined “James 23” sunburn. His family thought he’d lost his mind, and beachgoers assumed he’d lost a bet. But later that night he got to proudly show it off at Ocean Drive like he’d just gotten fresh ink.
The man called it “Philly toughness” … sure. This is exactly why Philadelphia sports fans have the reputation we do. We climb poles, tattoo the Phanatic on our bellies, and name our dogs after backup quarterbacks. And now someone has a LeBron jersey they can’t take off for a week.
Longtime 6abc meteorologist Cecily Tynan has spent more than 30 years as a member of the Action News team.6abc
The end of another Action News era: F
Thirty years is long enough for someone to become part of your routine without you even realizing it.
For decades, Cecily Tynan has been the person telling Philadelphia whether to grab a jacket, brace for a blizzard, or enjoy a sunny weekend. You hear the forecast while making dinner or before heading out the door and rarely stop to think about who’s delivering it.
Cecily Tynan leaving feels a little bigger than another broadcaster calling it a career because Action News is part of the city’s daily rhythm. Generations have eaten dinner while those familiar voices played in the background.
But it’s hard to argue with her reason. She’s retiring while she’s healthy enough to spend more time with her family, cheer at her daughter’s track meets, water ski in Florida, rescue animals, and, perhaps most shocking of all, cook Thanksgiving dinner for the first time instead of picking it up from Whole Foods.
First Jim Gardner. Now Cecily Tynan.
Good luck to whoever has to tell Philadelphia there’s snow coming next. Those are big rain boots to fill.
One of the best parts of watching a movie or TV show filmed in Philadelphia isn’t the plot. It’s playing, “I know where that is.”
The trailer delivers plenty of that. You get SEPTA stations, Market East, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Center City rooftops — Reacher himself even slams a guy’s head against an Inquirer vending box. We knew Reacher was filming here last summer but seeing the finished product is still oddly satisfying.
Maybe the action scenes will be great. Maybe the mystery will keep us hooked. But let’s be honest: Half of Philadelphia is going to spend every episode pointing at the TV and announcing exactly where they filmed it. (Bonus points if you can call out shots of Toronto masquerading as Philly.)
NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst John Kruk following the Phillies’ loss to the New York Mets on Tuesday.NBC Sports Philadelphia
John Kruk on national TV: A
Every time John Kruk joins the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, it feels like someone accidentally invited your funniest uncle to a black-tie wedding.
This week, the conversation somehow turned into Kruk admitting he doesn’t really own ties, that most of the ones he brought were clip-ons, and then struggled to button his collar while Joe Girardi and Jason Benetti narrated the ordeal like it was Game 7 of the World Series. At one point, Kruk declared facing Randy Johnson was easier than putting on the tie.
That’s why Philadelphia loves him.
Kruk makes millions of viewers feel like they’re sitting in the living room watching baseball with a friend who wandered in wearing whatever he found in the closet. He’s knowledgeable without acting like the smartest guy in the room, and he’s never afraid to laugh at himself.
Sure, NBC can put him in a jacket and hand him a tie, but they can’t make John Kruk stop being John Kruk.
From left: Former Eagles receiver Terrell Owens, the Phillies’ Bryce Harper, and former Flyer Eric Lindros.Associated Press
LeBron James is the latest reminder that the biggest names in sports don’t just tolerate Philadelphia anymore — they want to play here. And once you start thinking about it, the list is pretty impressive: Bryce Harper, Saquon Barkley, Terrell Owens, Jim Thome, Cliff Lee, Dr. J, Eric Lindros, Moses Malone. Each arrival felt like a holiday. Not every move worked out perfectly. (Sorry, T.O.) But that’s beside the point.
For decades, Philadelphia fans carried around the idea that stars preferred bigger markets, warmer weather, or flashier franchises. We were the “underdogs.” Now, one of the greatest basketball players of all time looked around the NBA and decided he wanted to spend the final chapter of his career was South Philly. (We just have to convince him to move here now.)
A crowd strolls along the boardwalk in Wildwood on Monday, May 26, 2025.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Now comes the important part: Please film it there.
Hollywood has a habit of setting shows in one place and shooting them somewhere completely different. But Wildwood has too much personality to fake. The boardwalk, the neon motels, the tram car. If you’re going to call the show Wildwood, you have to earn it.
Besides, if The Four Seasons can film down the Shore and Reacher can turn Philadelphia into an action movie backdrop, there’s no reason this one can’t let Wildwood play itself.
If nothing else, we deserve a season of spotting familiar landmarks instead of arguing online, “That’s clearly not Jersey.”
I just bought a South Philly house with a pristine 1950s bathroom. Everyone who sees it says I MUST keep it, pink toilet and all. But I want radiant heat flooring, marble, and a moody paint scheme. Am I a monster?
Earl Hopkins
NO, you are not a monster! As a homeowner, you have free will to do whatever you want with YOUR property. I’m all for architectural character, so a ’50s-style bathroom sounds beautiful. But if you want to scrap it for a more modern style, who am I — or anyone for that matter — to tell you differently? Go for it!
What do you think, Stephanie?
Stephanie Farr
As someone who has pink tile in her bathroom and initially hated it when I moved in, I’d urge this reader to sit with it for a while (beyond just sitting on the toilet). My pink-tiled bathroom has grown on me over the years and now I kind of love how it feels anachronistic. I’m in the modern era in the rest of my house, but when I go to the bathroom I’m transported back to the 1950s. It’s a bathroom time machine!
Earl, how much do you think you should let others influence your decisions with your house? Do you take input from guests? Should guests even be offering input on someone’s bathroom?
Earl Hopkins
No! This reader shouldn’t let any guests sway their opinion or steer their vision.
No. 1: Buying a home is hard.
No. 2: What may be odd or strange to one person, may be the very quirk that convinced them to purchase the home in the first place. In this case, they may have fallen out of love with the bathroom, or knew a remodel was in the cards. Either way, it’s their business.
Stephanie, I feel like a bathroom is such an intimate place in someone’s home. What do you think?
Stephanie Farr
I totally get that. I think complimenting someone’s bathroom is fine but criticizing it — or the homeowner’s style preferences — is rude.
I agree that if this person wants to renovate it they have every right to make their bathroom look like something out of the Beetlejuice house instead of out of 1950s South Philly. But, in case they feel like these comments from guests are coming out of nowhere, there is a deep appreciation for old Philly places stuck in time, particularly in South Philly. There’s an entire Instagram account called South Philly Time Capsules that features houses that haven’t been changed in decades and the first pinned post is of a pink bathroom.
Earl, do you think there’s a way to pay homage to the old bathroom if and when it is completely modernized? Should this person take a photo of the bathroom now, frame it, and hang it up in the redone bathroom or is that just asking for more criticism?
Earl Hopkins
Oooh, that would be a nice touch; a great way to pay homage to the home’s roots. Plus, it could make for a great story to share with new visitors.
Stephanie Farr
And maybe they should save a few pieces of the tile to incorporate somewhere in the new bathroom or home too. And before the remodel, they should definitely throw a bathroom potty to send off their old restroom in style.
The buyers: Nick Matteo, an accountant, and Sandy Matteo, a nurse, both 63.
The house: A 2,282-square-foot split-level coastal colonial with 3 bedrooms and 2½ baths built in 1993.
The price: Listed for $699,000; purchased for $650,000.
The agent: Maria Sacco Handle, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach-Margate
The ask: The Matteos were ready to sell the home in Willow Grove where they raised their family to fulfill the dream of moving year-round to the Shore. They wanted a place that their children and grandchildren would want to visit and that would combine their love of the Shore during the summer with enough year-round community appeal.
“By the time I was 58, I was trying to convince my wife to move down there full time in Wildwood,” Nick said. “That took a lot of convincing.”
Nick and Sandy Matteo wanted a home that combined their love of the Shore with enough community to keep it interesting all year long. Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
The search: The Matteos shared two condos with another family in Wildwood and initially focused on the Wildwoods in their search. But people kept talking to Sandy about the charms of Brigantine.
“People were telling us that you’ll get much better value than you would in Wildwood,” Sandy said.
They were very close to making an offer on a house in Wildwood, when Sandy decided they should drive back up the Garden State Parkway, down the Atlantic City Expressway, and over the bridge to Brigantine.
“We looked at 10houses in twodays in Wildwood,” Nick said. “We found one we thought we liked, looked at it the second time, and put a bid in for $130,000 less than the asking price of $880,000. The offer never made it to the seller.”
In Brigantine, they fell immediately in love with asplit-level house facing the golf course with a for sale sign out front.
“It was 5:30 p.m., and I looked on my phone and saw a couple places, and we drove by here,” Sandy said. “I said, ‘This is the one.’ ”
They called the listing agentfrom out frontof the home, and she offered to show it to them the next day. “I said, ‘No, we’re about to buy a house. Can you show it to us, you know, any chance tonight?” Sandy recalled.
“She said, I’ll be there in 15 minutes.’”
Nick and Sandy Matteo were in love at first sight with this Brigantine split-level. They called the real estate agent from the car. Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
The appeal: Although the house needed some upgrades, it immediately spoke to them, combining the Shore location, across from Brigantine’s golf course, with the sturdy bones of a year-round house. “We went from one split-level to another,” said Nick.
“We came in and I saw the staircase, and the fact that it was all split-level, I just love that,” Sandy said.
The deal: The house was listed for $699,999, and they offered $600,000. The seller came back at $650,000, which they accepted. The seller, whose sisters had lived in the house, later offered a $1,000 credit for the non-working oven.
The money: Nick says that once he was able to sell the shared condos in Wildwood, one for $450,000 and the other for $569,000, the couple cleared enough money to start their search. They started with a budget of $800,000.
Selling their family home in Willow Grove, which they’d bought in 1992 for $152,000, meant they would be able to pay off the mortgage soon after closing. But to get there, they first put 20% down, and the rest in a 6.25% mortgage. Once the money from the Willow Grove sale comes in (sale price was $640,000), Nick says they will pay off the Brigantine mortgage.
“Brigantine was economical for us,” Nick said. “It will allow us to maybe buy other things, like a pontoon boat.”
The move: They closed on the Brigantine house May 29 but didn’t make the full-time move until July 16, after their Willow Grove house sold. Sandy went down first with the movers.
Life after close: The first week afterthey moved in, the drains backed up with seaweed and other unappealing things, requiring an urgent visit from theplumbers from Zoom Drain. The oven needs replacing, and the Matteos are awaiting the installation of a new deck, a hot tub, and new shrubbery out back. They’d like to freshen the facade and get to some other upgrades, like central air, but have discovered the near impossibility of getting contractors down the Shore in summer.
The oven is one of the things that needs to be replaced or updated at Nick and Sandy Matteo’s Shore house. Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
Despite those challenges, the family is ecstatic. Their son, daughter-in-law, and 6-month-old grandson claimed a sunny upstairs room with a bay window, and everyone is raving about the view of the golf course and community garden across the street.
“My kids are elated,” Nick said. “They want to come down every weekend. My daughter-in-law said, ‘I’m going to bring the baby, and I’m going to set up shop down there.’ That was just the home run.”
They’ve been warned about Brigantine’s notorious buzzing greenheads, but otherwise think they’ve found a warm and active year-round community, with Atlantic City right over the bridge if they need any excitement. The beach is just a few blocks away.
“I love it,” Sandy said. “It’s a true community.”
Did you recently buy a home in the Philadelphia area or South Jersey? Share the story of how you did it. Email Inquirer real estate reporters at properties@inquirer.com.
DEAR ABBY: I am living in total dysfunction with my daughter (32) and husband (75). I am retired and going on 76. My daughter will not work and is controlling my life. She has OCD and refuses medication. It’s so bad that she has become completely dependent on me. She makes me drive her and yells at me while I do. If she doesn’t get her way, she yells and calls me horrible names. The police have been called to the house in the past, but it only made things worse for me.
She has been accepted to a college with a partial scholarship for her second master’s degree and wants me to fund her housing. Her father, who is also verbally abusive, leaves home before she gets up and comes home around 8. He then sits in the driveway to avoid her. I have been abandoned to deal with her.
Abby, I taught school for 40 years, raised three kids and did all the work around here while he worked a cushy job for his parents. I also found on his phone that he has a girlfriend. I am so upset living with him that I want out of this house and away from him.
I daydream of getting my own apartment and living alone. If I file for divorce, my husband will go after my pension. He has no retirement savings and still works. What can I do?
— UGLY SITUATION
DEAR SITUATION: Talk to a lawyer! Have you done so? Your assumption that your pension isn’t safe may not be true, and a good attorney may be able to help protect it.
Additionally, I urge you to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 right away. Even though no one has been physically violent, you are still a victim of emotional (and possibly financial) abuse. No one should have to live under the conditions you have described.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: I recently found out that the state removed all of my good friend’s children and placed them into protective custody. I got this information from a local news website I was browsing one day. She is being charged with multiple felony counts of child neglect. I knew she didn’t have custody of her kids prior to finding the article, but she never mentioned to me what was really going on. This woman has been like a sister to me for years.
I’m torn about how to feel. I have yet to tell her I know the true situation. We haven’t spoken since I found out. Do I reach out and ask for her side of things? The article laid out that the neglect had been occurring for years. I feel awful that I never knew how bad it truly was for her kids. Part of me wants to ask what is going on; another part wants to disconnect from her forever.
— MAY NEVER KNOW THE TRUTH
DEAR MAY: What have you to gain by contacting this woman and telling her you know the situation? The story has been all over the media, and she likely assumes that everyone knows about it. If, in light of your long relationship, you feel you would like to be supportive, then reach out to her. However, if you’re merely curious, then listen to your gut and step out of the picture.
Every year, people ask: “Should we still care about the spotted lanternfly?”
It’s been nearly a decade since it showed up in Pennsylvania and threatened the balance of the ecosystem. Back then, things got so spooky that people started calling 911 (and were respectfully asked to stop doing so).
Thankfully, their wrath was not as bad as we feared. Lanternfly numbers have declined, but efforts to control them continue. They still pose threats to vulnerable plants, especially grapevines.
Active from July through December, adult lanternflies remain a pest to be dealt with. Recent seasons have been more or less mild, but lately I’ve noticed more and more of the inch-long plant-hoppers crawling around Philly. I even caught a crafty one hitching a ride on the hood of my car.
We’re told to kill them on sight, but… I truly hate having to stomp on them, and it’s not just because they are experts at effortlessly escaping certain death. There’s something special about them. Heck, they even make for extraordinary tattoo subjects. They can’t help that they wreak chaos.
At any rate, it’s important to know how to identify, prevent, and treat spotted lanternfly damage. Use our guide here.
Storm warnings have been outdoing the actual storms in the Philly area. The Inquirer’s resident weather expert Tony Wood explains why thunderstorm forecasting remains one of the most elusive pursuits in meteorology.
What are you doing out there? This is your spot to shine, dear reader. I’m looking for new stories and moments to feature. Send your story in an email (pictures, if you have them, are welcome). You may see it in an upcoming edition of this newsletter.
🎤 Let me pass the mic to business reporter Joseph DiStefano.
Pennsylvania mushroom growers welcomed this month’s U.S. Department of Commerce preliminary finding that Canadian farms are selling mushrooms to U.S. grocery stores at unfairly low prices.
The ruling against “dumping” threatens to make mushrooms more expensive to import, easing competitive pressure onfamily-owned U.S. growers in an industryalso under pressure from a shortage of harvesters amid the U.S. immigration crackdown.
“This ruling supports the long-term health of our industry” in Pennsylvania, said CJ Ciarrochi, CEO and fourth-generation owner of Modern Mushroom Farms in Toughkenamon, Chester County, part of the Fresh Mushrooms Fair Trade Coalition supporting the case against the Canadians.
But one of the largest area growers called the decision a protectionist move that would enable aging U.S. farms to avoid upgrades and leave consumers with fewer choices. — Joseph DiStefano
DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been married 31 years. We have a great marriage. We work from home, so we spend pretty much every minute together and enjoy each other’s company so much that it isn’t an issue. That said, I will also share that I’m a basement musician. It’s my hobby. I play guitar and sing. In the past, I have appeared in bands as well as solo formats. I’m also a pretty good songwriter. I have written a number of songs, including several about my wife and the love we share.
My challenge is that my wife isn’t very musical. She can go days at a time without listening to any music at all. In the big scheme of things, this might not sound like a huge deal. I am cool with it. But in all our 31 years together, she has never asked me to play anything for her — none of the songs I have written for her or covers of famous songs.
I have pointed this fact out to her more than once, hoping to drop a hint that, even if she doesn’t appreciate music, asking me to sing one of those songs for her would make me feel like she appreciated the effort and thought. When friends and family ask me to play them, she always says she likes them, but the requests never come from her. Am I asking too much to expect it, or should I just let it go and stop writing them?
— STILL WAITING IN VIRGINIA
DEAR STILL WAITING: Face it — the woman you married 31 years ago has never been a music lover, regardless of who the composer is. However, writing songs about your feelings is a form of free expression, and I don’t think you should quit doing it if it’s satisfying for you. ‘
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DEAR ABBY: I am a single, retired female. I have a personal side business that keeps me quite busy, and I’m blessed to have many friends. I am also active in community and church events. My issue is that a lot of my friends who are inactive and retired invite me to dinners, the theater and parties, sometimes at the very last minute. Then they become annoyed when I decline. They also endlessly keep me tied up on the phone or on text messages with utter nonsense.
I am a people-pleaser and feel bad when I must decline an invitation. I have proper manners and know etiquette, but this has become frustrating and annoying. I have endlessly responded with, “I would love to go, but I need advance notice,” to no avail. What to do?
— PERPLEXED IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR PERPLEXED: Because you are a people-pleaser and want to offend no one, continue responding as you already do, “I’d love to go, but I need more advance notice than you have given me.” While you’re at it, it isn’t rude to be too busy to chat if someone calls at an inopportune time. (You can always screen your calls if they are oppressive, and take your time responding to their texts.)
