Pocono Living Magazine and Pocono Family Magazine, two regional publications filled with articles, features and photography exploring and capturing the real Pocono Mountains living experience.
Our publications can be found at many locations throughout the Pocono Mountains region, and are available by subscription.
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Tanni Haas
Rebecca Hasting
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Amy Leiser
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Led by Perfect Touch Soccer coaches, this high energy clinic builds core skills and game fundamentals. Great for beginners and experienced players alike. January 3, noon–3 pm | Ages 6–12 (grouped by age)
A fun parent-child class where toddlers explore movement through crawling, walking, climbing, and more. Small group sizes ensure personal attention. Sundays, January 11–February 15, 10–10:45 am | Ages: Walking–2 yrs
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Kids are introduced to the fundamentals of 6 sports—basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, t-ball/kickball & ninja tumble—through active play and skill-building games. With a low 1:6 coach-to-child ratio, each child receives personalized instruction. Sundays, January 11–February 15, 11–11:45 am | Ages: 3–6 yrs
Build skills like quickness, power, and coordination with age-appropriate training to improve acceleration, footwork and movement. Sundays, January 11–February 15, 9–10 am | Ages: 7–18 (grouped by age/skill)
Your destination for sports, performance, wellness and community. 4636 Crackersport Road, Allentown, PA 18104 | 610-351-6341 | sluhn.org/camps
“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.”
― Aristotle
December 2025/January 2026
COVER by Jason Philibotte
By John L. Moore
Log rafts once numbered in the hundreds on the Delaware River. Floating logs down the Delaware to Philadelphia was colorful, dangerous
Old-growth forests once covered the mountains and valleys of the Delaware River’s northern watershed.
This was during the age of wind-powered sailing ships, and shipbuilders along the lower Delaware saw the abundance of tall trees in these forests as a source of timber for making masts.
The shipbuilders and the lumbermen also realized that floating the logs downriver could be done relatively inexpensively and much more conveniently than hauling them overland. The river’s two main branches – the East and West Branches -- rise in New York’s Catskill Mountains and join at the New York village of Hancock, some 280 miles north of Delaware Bay.
Settled in the 1780s, Hancock saw its location give rise to timber rafting as a major economic activity. The forests around the village had many stands of hardwood trees. “For many years, millions of feet of hemlock, pine and hardwood were annually run to the downriver markets,” Wesley Gould said in “The Centennial History of Delaware County, New York: 1797-1897.”
Beginning in the late 1700s, lumberjacks began logging on a commercial basis. They loped off branches from individual trees, and in winter hauled the trunks to the river. Workers there used the logs to make rafts, and then used the spring floods to float the rafts down the Delaware to markets in Philadelphia, Trenton, Easton, and other cities.
>
A hard winter with ample snow was essential to successful timber rafting the following spring, explained Bucks County lumberman Thaddeus S. Kenderdine. “A liberal supply of logs ... depended on a liberal supply of snow, for log wagons and timber-wheels could not be depended upon in the rough mountain lands or swampy valleys for hauling the logs to the river. Sleds drawn by oxen or slow, heavy horses were required. The logs were sledded to some point suitable for raft building, a level stretch at an eddy, when, before a rise of the river, they could be lashed together in shape for floating to market.”
Some rafts were small so they could float down narrow, twisting streams. “When branches like the ... Lackawaxen were too small to float a raft, what were called colts, of half size, were put together, and either run all the way down as such, or doubled up when the main river was reached,” Kenderdine said.
“Floats of logs were ... put together on minor streams. On still smaller streams like Brodhead’s Creek, still smaller floats were formed,” Kenderdine said. “Riding these down through rapids
made exciting work for the hardy woodsmen, equal to broncobusting in the Wild West, and with nothing but a pike-pole for guidance, the riders often came to watery grief.”
“Riding these down through rapids made exciting work for the hardy woodsmen, equal to bronco-busting in the Wild West, and with nothing but a pike-pole for guidance, the riders often came to watery grief.”
Colorful folklore clouds the actual history of the early days of timber rafting on the upper Delaware. One rafter – and perhaps the first – was Daniel Skinner of Cochecton, N.Y. On its website, the Town of Cochecton remembers when “he and two mates launched an 80-foot-long raft of lashed logs” from the Catskill Mountains, and sailed some 200 miles down the Delaware to Philadelphia, where the logs were purchased by shipbuilders. This occurred in the decade following the French and Indian War, which had ended in 1763.
Skinner returned to Cochecton and told everyone that he had been appointed “Lord High Admiral of the Delaware.”
According to Sullivan County historian James Eldridge Quinlan, Skinner thereafter claimed to be “admiral of all the waters of the river in which a raft could be taken to market, and no one was free to engage in the (rafting) business until he had the admiral’s consent. This was gained by presenting Skinner with a bottle of wine.”
The Upper Delaware Valley was sparsely settled when Skinner made his initial run to Philadelphia, but as the decades passed, more and more villages grew up along the river. Soon, gristmills were erected along the river, and dams were built to provide water to power the mill wheel. These dams jutted into the river, and rafts had to swerve around them. Here and there prosperous new towns erected bridges over the Delaware. In at least one instance, a transportation company dammed up the entire river.
To the raftsmen, the bridge piers and the various dams all presented hazards that made rafting dangerous work. In the spring of 1841 or 1842, for instance, a raft became stuck on a dam that served a sawmill at Mallory Brook. This happened on the West Branch above Walton.
The raft was left overnight, with the crew staying on board. “A rope had been tied from raft to shore,” reported Joshua Pine III, who as a young man had been a raftsman. “In the morning, several men started from the raft to the shore in a boat.” When “the current carried the boat under the rope,” one of the men “was knocked out of the boat and drowned.”
Even experienced crews occasionally encounted difficulty in handling their rafts. Sometimes there were spectacular accidents. Pine reported that one such accident happened in the spring during the mid-1800s as a raft floating down the West Branch approached the village of Delancey.
A bridge over the river there “was built on wooden abutments, filled with stone,” Pine said. “Many … school children, as well as a number of men, stood on the bridge watching the raft, when it struck a pier, knocking it out, and letting the bridge fall into the river.”
Swift action saved the children. “The men on the bridge took hold of hands and gathered around the children and hauled them off in safety,” Pine said.
> Canal boats await cargoes of anthracite coal to be shipped over the Delaware and Hudson Canal from Honesdale, Pa. to Kingston, N.Y. The canal’s owners had dammed the Delaware at Lackawaxen and obstructed the movement of timber rafts down the river.
> Guided by a steersman (who stands at the rear and literally steers) and two other crew members, this log raft floats down the Delaware River’s East Branch.
Although some people suffered injuries, nobody was killed. The owner of the raft was a man named Crane who was also the steersman. “He had a leg broken,” Pine said. Another man suffered a broken shoulder. A third man, Nathan Terry, “was knocked into the river and would have been drowned had it not been for an old man named Edwards, who jumped in and saved him.” Pine said that Edwards wore a long coat, “which Terry seized hold of and was towed ashore.” Isaac Goodrich, who had been watching the raft pass by, “went down with the bridge and floated down on the rubbish a long way, but was finally rescued.”
“The request was not complied with, and they accordingly proceeded to the dam, blew up and tore away about 90 feet of it and succeeded in clearing a passage for their rafts.”
In one case, the raftsmen breached a dam that blocked their way. This happened in the late 1820s when the owners of the Delaware & Hudson Canal built a dam across the Delaware at Lackawaxen. They had needed to make the river deep enough for canal boats carrying anthracite coal to cross the river. The coal came from Pennsylvania mines near Honesdale and was being shipped along a 108-mile canal to Kingston, N.Y., on the Hudson River. These boats used the canal to reach the Delaware at Lackawaxen. The dam created a pool of water deep enough for the boats to leave the canal and cross the river just above the dam. They then re-entered the canal when they reached the river’s east bank.
The canal owners regarded the new dam as essential to gettig their coal to market. The raftsmen objected that the new structure prevented them from floating their timber downriver.
The rivermen told canal officials “that if the obstruction was not immediately removed, they would remove it by force,” a Gettysburg newspaper, the Republican Compiler, reported on April 22, 1829. “The request was not complied with, and they accordingly proceeded to the dam, blew up and tore away about 90 feet of it and succeeded in clearing a passage for their rafts.”
Using rafts to take timber to market wasn’t an undertaking for novices. Indeed, in his 1856 history of Delaware County, N. Y., Jay Gould reported that in 1784 a group of loggers clear-cut more than an acre of timber for use by shipbuilders as masts and spars. They hauled the logs to the Delaware’s West Branch and used them to make rafts.
• Hardwood and pine forests along the Delaware’s East and West Branches provided huge quantities of timber and lumber for raftsmen to ship to downriver markets during the late 18th century and much of the 19th century.
• The East and West Branches join at Hancock to form the Delaware River’s main stem.
• In 1829, raftsmen destroyed a 90-foot section of a dam across the Delaware at Lackawaxen that had been built by the Delaware & Hudson Canal.
• Raftsmen from the Upper Delaware sold their logs to lumber interests in Philadelphia, Trenton and other downriver cities.
Map prepared by a cartographer identified as Shannon1.
“But little of the lumber, however, ever reached the market,” Gould said. “...Not being suitably constructed,” their rafts wrecked on rocks in the river “and lodged along the banks of the Delaware far below, and one large spar lay where it had lodged on an island, about nine miles below Walton, from which fact raftsmen gave it the appellation of Long Mast Island.”
Timber rafting remained an important activity for more than a century. Quoting Alfred Mathews in his 1886 “History of Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties,” B.F. Fackenthal Jr. reported it was “estimated that fifty million feet of lumber and logs were run down the Delaware River annually some years ago, and the Lackawaxen furnished a considerable share of this lumber. The average raft of round timber was 65,000 feet, although they often ran larger rafts, and of sawed lumber they sometimes had 200,000 feet in one raft.”
“This industry reached its height from 1840 to 1845, and begun to decline about 1855, after the railroads were put in operation.”
In writing his “Improving Navigation on the Delaware River,” Fackenthal quoted a second historian, Ethan Allen Weaver, who had said that in the 1830s “it was not uncommon, during a favorable flood of water, for two thousand rafts to pass down the river in one season.”
Weaver’s “information was derived from files of old newspapers,” Fackenthal said. “This industry reached its height from 1840 to 1845, and begun to decline about 1855, after the railroads were put in operation.”
Lumbermen stood to turn a hefty profit if they succeeded in getting their wood to Philadelphia and sold it for a good price. Pine reported that in the winter of 1840-41, “ two West Branch lumbermen bought 100,000 feet of pine boards, and 25,000 feet of cherry” that had been harvested on Ouleout Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna, “for which they paid for the pine, $6 per thousand.” Hauling the lumber from the Susquehanna Valley overland to the Delaware at Walton, cost them another $2 per thousand. From Walton, the lumber went down the Delaware to Philadelphia, where they sold it for $10 a thousand. In other words, they invested $1 million in buying the lumber and in floating it down the Delaware. They sold it in Philadelphia for $1.25 million, for a profit of $250,000.
In the mid-1800s, Thaddeus Kenderdine, the Bucks County lumberman, grew up in a Bucks County home that overlooked the Delaware.
“I awoke daily,” he said, “to see that beautiful stream, either in its summer quietude or in its winter fury, or in time of spring freshets when raft after raft passed down its waters or when they were whitened by the sails of Durham boats. The last ceased their voyages about 1850, the lumber floats, continuing fewer and fewer were a small factor by 1880, a scant few lingering ten years longer.”
By the time Kenderdine wrote a history of commercial navigation on the river, the era of the lumber rafts had ended.
“To ambitious people in a lumber business way,” Kenderdine said, the Delaware valley had “seemed a paradise for their exploitage; its water power and the wealth of pine and hemlock trees around its northern branches, whose logs had only to be cut and rolled in the water, or taken there by short hauls to float to market, appealed to those desirous of profitable trade.”
John L. Moore continues to pursue his lifelong interests in Pennsylvania’s colonial history and archaeology. The Northumberland writer has published 15 nonfiction books about Pennsylvania during the 17th and 18th centuries.
His most recent book, “Border War,” is the seventh volume in his ongoing Revolutionary Pennsylvania Series. It is available in bookstores and online at the Sunbury Press Bookstore. Over the years John has participated in archaeological excavations of Native American sites along the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers. A professional storyteller, he specializes in telling historically-accurate stories about real people and actual events in Pennsylvania history. These include the true story of Frances Slocum, a 5-year-old girl who lived as a Native American after being kidnapped by Indians during the American Revolution. Frances Slocum State Park near WilkesBarre was named for her.
Courtesy of Family Features
Throughout history, humans’ ability to rely on one another has been crucial to survival. Despite modern developments that help individuals live with minimal human engagement, the human need to connect remains.
However, in many parts of America, a trend toward isolation is emerging. Over the past two decades, people are spending more time alone and less time engaging with others in person, according to data from the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General. One segment of Americans at particular risk of social isolation, loneliness and their negative impacts are select populations who live in rural areas.
“There is an urgent need to take action and improve mental health in rural America,” said Jeff Winton, dairy farmer and founder and chairman of Rural Minds, a nonprofit mental health advocacy organization that partnered with Pfizer to raise awareness about the physical and mental risks of social isolation. “Challenges to mental health can be inherent in a rural lifestyle, including a belief in self-reliance as a virtue, fear of judgment and difficulty getting an appointment with a limited number of mental health professionals, among others.”
Many Americans are increasingly spending more time alone according to the American Time Use Survey. They are increasingly more likely to take meetings, shop, eat and enjoy entertainment at home, making it easier for them to stay within their own four walls and avoid social interactions.
“Transient feelings of loneliness or solitude may be beneficial because they can serve as motivation to reconnect.”
Authentic human connection is a basic but often unacknowledged necessity for health, “as essential to survival as food, water and shelter,” according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Health Effects of Social Connection and Community.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one-third of U.S. adults reported feeling lonely and about one-fourth said they don’t have social and emotional support (the basis of social isolation).
The concepts of social isolation and loneliness can go hand-inhand, but the two are actually quite different.
Social isolation is defined by an absence of relationships or contact with others. Someone experiencing loneliness may or may not have social connections, but lacks feelings of closeness,
support or belonging. Despite the distinction, both can have a negative impact on a person’s mental and even physical health.
Several factors can influence a person’s risk for social isolation and loneliness.
“Social connection is a dynamic that changes over time,” said Nikki Shaffer, senior director, occupational health and wellness, Pfizer. “Transient feelings of loneliness or solitude may be beneficial because they can serve as motivation to reconnect. However, chronic loneliness (even if someone is not isolated) and isolation (even if someone is not lonely) can represent significant health concerns.”
Compared to people who live in urban areas, many rural Americans experience higher rates of depression and suicide but are less likely to access mental health care services, according to the “Health Disparities in Rural America: Current Challenges
and Future Solutions” study published in “Clinical Advisor.” What’s more, CDC data shows suicide rates among people living in rural areas can be 64-68% higher than those in large urban areas.
Rural areas have 20% fewer primary care providers compared to urban areas, according to a report in JAMA, and the Health Resources and Services Administration reports more than 25 million rural Americans, more than half of rural residents, live in mental health professional shortage areas.
Among rural counties, 65% lack a psychiatrist. Nearly 30% of rural Americans don’t have internet access in their homes, which complicates the option for telehealth. These figures from Rural Minds exemplify the challenges facing rural America.
“Some people in rural communities still don’t understand or accept that mental illness is a disease,” said Winton, who grew up on a rural farm. “Rather, a mental illness can often be viewed as a personal weakness or character flaw. A lot of the stigma around mental illness results in unwarranted shame, which adds to the burden for someone already suffering from mental illness.”
Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling; it harms both individual and societal health. In fact, loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk for premature death by 26% and 29%, respectively.
Lacking social connection can increase the risk for premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day or drinking six alcoholic drinks daily.
In addition, poor or insufficient social connection is associated with increased risk of disease, including a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke.
Social isolation is also associated with increased risk for anxiety, depression and dementia. Additionally, a lack of social connection may increase susceptibility to viruses and respiratory illness.
Learn more about the impact of social isolation, especially on residents of rural areas, and the steps you can take to reduce isolation and loneliness by visiting ruralminds.org.
Take a proactive approach to combatting social isolation and loneliness with these everyday actions that can promote stronger social ties.
• Invest time in nurturing your relationships through consistent, frequent and high-quality engagement with others. Take time each day to reach out to a friend or family member.
• Minimize distractions during conversation to increase the quality of the time you spend with others. For instance, don’t check your phone during meals with friends, important conversations and family time.
• Seek out opportunities to serve and support others, either by helping your family, co-workers, friends or people in your community or by participating in community service.
• Be responsive, supportive and practice gratitude. As you practice these behaviors, others are more likely to reciprocate, strengthening social bonds, improving relationship satisfaction and building social capital.
• Participate in social and community groups such as religious, hobby, fitness, professional and community service organizations to help foster a sense of belonging, meaning and purpose.
• Seek help during times of struggle with loneliness or isolation by reaching out to a family member, friend, counselor, health care provider or the 988 crisis line.
“By
the late 1800s, the decorated tree movement had hit the United States, and the Christmas tree became commonplace in many American homes.”
By Amy Leiser, Executive Director Monroe County Historical Association
The tradition of bringing evergreen boughs and even whole trees indoors during the winter solstice began in Europe well before there were reliable written records.
These early indoor trees were not adorned with fanciful decorations as Christmas trees are today. Relatively “modern” Christmas tree traditions did not begin until the 16th century — the Protestant reformer Martin Luther is credited with first decorating a small evergreen tree with candles, representing the stars in the sky that twinkled over Bethlehem.
Although the Christmas tree tradition was brought to Pennsylvania by early German colonists, the first documented Christmas tree in our commonwealth belonged to Lancaster resident Matthew Zahn. His 1821 diary entry reads, “Sally & our Thos. & Wm. Hensel was out for Christmas trees, on the hill at Kendrick’s saw mill.”
Throughout the 1800s, the Christmas tree grew in popularity. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of England were featured in the London News in 1846 with an illustration of the royal family standing around a Christmas tree. This picture caused a sensation, and the Christmas tree became instant fashion for others to imitate.
By the late 1800s, the decorated tree movement had hit the United States, and the Christmas tree became commonplace in many American homes.
The first popular style of American Christmas trees did not look like the typical decorated trees of today. Such trees were 3 to 4 feet tall and stood on a table in the center of the room for all guests to enjoy. Ladies and children would spend hours crafting home-made decorations and ornaments using natural materials. Often, clusters of berries, nuts, pretzels, fruit, paper, raisins, cotton, and cookies adorned the evergreen branches of the tree. Small candles were clipped onto the outermost branches to illuminate the tree and show off the decorations.
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The candles would only be lit for a few minutes at a time because of the danger of fire.
Not much later, manufactured holiday ornaments became part of the tradition. The Easton Express advertised Christmas tree ornaments in 1867, while a Pottsville newspaper, in its December 1881 edition, boasted “charming little ornaments can now be bought ready to decorate Christmas trees that it seems almost a waste of time to make them at home.”
As Christmas trees became more and more popular, a demand for artificial, reusable trees arose. The first artificial trees were created in Germany in the 1880s. Concerned about extensive lumbering and the health of their forests, the German people created feather Christmas trees. Feather trees were made out of goose feathers that were dyed to resemble evergreen needles. The feathers were separated at the spine, then held secure using wire to form a branch. The branches of feathers were then inserted into a small wooden pole, representing the tree trunk, to make an “evergreen” Christmas tree. Pennsylvania Germans brought this tradition with them to America, and since then, a vast array of artificial trees in different styles, textures, materials, and even colors have come to decorate many Monroe County homes.
The National Christmas Tree Association maintains data on Americans and their Christmas tree spending habits. In 2014, the group revealed the average cost of a real tree was $39.50, and the average cost of an artificial tree was $63.60.
Households in the United States purchased approximately
26.3 million real Christmas trees with a retail value of $1.04 billion. About 13.9 million artificial trees were purchased with a total retail value of $1.19 billion. Eleven percent of U.S. homes will display both artificial and real Christmas trees this holiday season.
Whichever type or style of Christmas tree you might choose to help you celebrate the holidays, you can find one close to home. Artificial trees can be found at many different retailers. If you are among those who prefer the aroma and beauty of natural trees, you will be happy to know that according to 2012 agricultural census reports, Pennsylvania boasts 31,577 acres of land dedicated to Christmas tree farms. Monroe County has many tree farms which occupy a total of 658 acres.
Amy Leiser is a local resident and historian who has been working with the Monroe County Historical Association for 19 years. In addition to the live tours, research assistance, and museum that the organization keeps available, Leiser offers her knowledge and assistance with family charting and genealogy. Visit www. monroehistorical.org
Courtesy of StatePoint
As the sun sets over a forest stream, a beaver family gets to work. For millions of years, these large rodents with bright orange teeth and a flat paddle-shaped tail have been reshaping landscapes by craftily constructing dams that slow flowing water, creating ponds where they build their lodge homes. Chomping through the night, they drag aspen and willow branches through the water, stack them with precision, and seal the gaps with mud and plants. All this hard work benefits people and the planet.
“Thanks to their impressive building skills, these industrious animals, which are found across most of North America, are a keystone species—an animal that supports its entire habitat,” says Clay Bolt, manager of Great Plains Communications at World Wildlife Fund.
Many wetlands started as beaver-dammed streams. As the beaver pond grows, it can support an increasing number of plants and animals. Frogs splash at the edges, fish dart beneath the surface, and many species of birds find refuge in these lush habitats. But there’s an invisible benefit too – these waterlogged areas are amazing at trapping air pollution. Studies show that beaver-made wetlands provide services contributing to clean air and water worth
hundreds of millions of dollars—though to the beavers, it’s all in a day’s work.
During a heavy rainstorm, while some streams and rivers overflow their banks, a beaver-engineered stream system handles the floodwaters with ease. Their dams work like aquatic speed bumps, creating winding paths that slow rushing water. This prevents soil washing away and allows rich nutrients to settle to the bottom. Over time, this activity gradually raises the stream beds and reconnects them to surrounding land that used to flood naturally. And during dry spells, beaver dams release stored water slowly, keeping streams flowing when they might
otherwise dry up. Perhaps most impressively, these structures function like a free water treatment plant, cleaning water by trapping dirt and filtering out pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus.
“By protecting beaver families and welcoming them back to waterways, communities can benefit from their building skills to create landscapes that better withstand severe weather, support wildlife, and suppress wildfire, one carefully laid stick at a time”
Recent studies have also found that areas with beaver activity burn much less severely during wildfires – suffering only onethird the damage compared to similar areas without beavers. In the western United States, where landscapes are subject to drought and wildfires, fires often burn everything except areas surrounding beaver complexes. There, even during dry spells, water continues to soak into the ground, refilling underground water supplies and keeping plants moist. Putting this into practice, World Wildlife Fund is working with ranchers in the Northern Great Plains to recreate beaver habitat by constructing dams—Beaver Dam Analogs or BDAS—that mimic the crafty rodent’s water management systems to store water, a particularly precious resource in this arid habitat. Some landowners are even seeing beavers return thanks to the more favorable conditions provided by BDAs.
“By protecting beaver families and welcoming them back to waterways, communities can benefit from their building skills to create landscapes that better withstand severe weather, support wildlife, and suppress wildfire, one carefully laid stick at a time,” says Bolt.
World Wildlife Fund’s new “Stories of Hope and Wonder” is an ongoing series that connects people to the wonder of nature and offers hope for a future benefiting both people and wildlife. Each month, Stories of Hope and Wonder will feature a different species overcoming some of nature’s toughest obstacles to ensure their survival. To read past editions of Stories of Hope and Wonder visit www. worldwildlife.org/hopeandwonder.
J
By Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
anuary 3 is International Mind-Body Wellness Day, a great occasion to consider what you can do to improve your overall well-being and ability to cope with various stressors. One option is to let yourself be inspired by some of the many wellness podcasts available. The thing about podcasts is that you can listen to them whenever you have a spare moment, even when you’re doing other things. Here are some of the best ones.
(Available at: Apple, Audible, Spotify)
If you’ve ever thought about taking up running but need a little push to get started, listen to Another Mother Runner. Created and hosted by Sarah Shea and Dimity McDowell, veteran marathon runners and moms of three and two kids respectively, this podcast deal with all aspects of running. Recent episodes discuss how to say healthy and injury-free before a race, what to eat to get in optimal form, how to increase your stamina and overcome pain, and how to develop the mental toughness to accomplish what you set out to do.
(Available at: Apple, Podtail, Spotify)
While Another Mother Runner is aimed at moms of all ages, the Strong Moms Fitness Podcast is specifically for expectant and newly-minted moms. The brainchild of Daisy Bravo, a certified pre and post natal exercise specialist, this podcast is all about helping women stay fit during and after pregnancy. Through conversations with a variety of other experts, Daisy covers
topics such as the proper diet and exercise regiment, which vitamins and supplements to take to stay healthy, and how to get a good night’s sleep despite all the things on your plate.
(Available at: Apple, Podbean, Spotify)
The Fit Parent Podcast focuses on yet another demographic, namely middle-aged moms and dads who’re often struggling with staying fit amidst life’s many other and sometimes conflicting demands. Created and hosted by Tyler Pourteau, a well-known fitness coach and certified personal trainer, this podcast explores questions like how to set fitness goals and stick to them, get in the necessary steps despite a sedentary job, stay on track with healthy eating while traveling or eating out, and how intermittent fasting can boost your metabolism.
(Available at: Apple, Audible, Spotify)
Where the previous three podcasts discuss how parents can stay physically fit, The Wellness Mama Podcast is more concerned with parents’ (and especially moms’) overall well-being. Created and hosted by Katie Wells, a certified health coach, mom of six, and author of several books, this podcast offers a holistic approach to emotional wellness. During interviews with various experts, Katie covers important topics such as how to maintain a healthy mindset and outlook on life in the face of obstacles and how to overcome perfectionism and self-doubt.
THERE’S NO
Celebrate the holidays surrounded by great company and even better cuisine in the Pocono Mountains. From romantic dinners by candlelight to farm-to-table experiences, our local chefs are serving up something for every palate. Visit PoconoMountains.com to see all of our mouth-watering dining options and make your reservation.
(Available at: Apple, Audible, Spotify)
Like The Wellness Mama, HERSelf discusses how parents can de-stress their lives and enhance their emotional well-being. It was created by Abby Green and Amy Kiefer, two moms who, after long careers in sales and nursing respectively, decided to share their life experiences (they each have three kids) with other moms. Recent topics include the importance of asking for what you need, how to create and maintain a satisfying relationship with your partner, and how to love your kids without losing yourself in the process.
(Available at: Apple, Audible, Spotify)
Dr. Margaret Robinson Rutherford, a clinical psychologist who’s been practicing for more than 30 years, draws heavily on her extensive experience on her podcast, The SelfWork
Podcast. Recent episodes explore topics such as emotional self-regulation, self-acceptance and love, and how making and maintaining close friendships can strengthen your emotional health. One of Dr. Rutherford’s central points is that emotional well-being requires one to acknowledge and address one’s own needs instead of trying to satisfy everyone else’s needs.
Courtesy of Family Features
It’s no secret – people love their pets. Last year alone, people spent $147 billion on their pets, according to the American Pet Products Association, which included throwing what has turned into one of the hottest invites on social media these days: pet parties. There have been more than 1 million posts using #DogBirthday to show off these celebrations.
With dog birthday parties and adoptions being celebrated across the country, entertainment ideas can be borrowed from regular parties – but the special guests will need to be taken into account when planning a party designed for pooches.
Plan a pup party with these tips from Mindy Weiss, a best-selling author and event planner for notable celebrity clients.
When hosting a dog party, make sure there is plenty of space for the pups to play, whether it’s a fenced yard or a large indoor area. The more room they have to zoom around, the happier (and safer) everyone will be.
Keep the dogs entertained with activities like a ball pit, kiddie pool or basket of tennis balls. If you’re feeling ambitious, hide treats around the yard for the dogs to find. It’s a great way to keep their tails wagging and their minds engaged while they have a blast.
Subtle accents can elevate any party. Pick a theme that can come to life through the decor and details, such as a “retro dog disco,” where both the humans and dogs can dress up. Small touches like personalized dog tags or themed water bowls and dog treats can make any pet party a memorable event.
When guests and dogs are moving indoors and out, alongside (often messy) food, flying insects will likely try to sneak their way in. That’s why no party is complete without this top pet party essential – the STEM Attracts and Traps Flying Insects Light Trap. It is people- and pet-friendly when used as directed, insecticide-free and uses a soft UV light to attract flying insects with a dual-sided, refillable cartridge to trap them. It can also be used throughout the home in kitchens, garages, around pet feeding stations and more.
Don’t forget about the humans. While the dogs are the guests of honor, the humans might also enjoy a nibble. Consider staying on theme with mini hot dogs, bone-shaped pretzels or “pup pop” cake pops.
Just like humans have best friends, dogs do too. Before sending out invites, make sure the guest list includes dogs that are friendly with your pup and play well with others. A little preparty check can help ensure everyone has a good time.
Learn more at stemforbugs.com.
By Katherine Uhler Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center
Keeping humans healthy is a big job, but at least we can whine, complain, and otherwise describe our symptoms in exquisite detail to determine the cause of the problem. We concern ourselves with prevention and treatment of illness and injury, not only to individuals but for entire communities and populations. We know that injuries and illnesses stem from many sources including viruses, bacteria, insects and other creepy-crawly vectors, weak immune systems, and physical dangers such as ice and snow.
Animals are susceptible to many of the same kinds of health problems we suffer. Although they don’t outwardly display problems often, because that would draw predators, it is possible through observing and caring about wildlife, to not only become a sentinel for their problems, but to help prevent it as well. Wildlife issues may easily become human issues. Some animals get diseases which can be passed to people, or to our pets. Other simply become injured and need a hand until they can heal themselves.
In any case, the following are some simple rules and ideas that can prevent putting wildlife in harm’s way during the winter months.
Luckily, bears are beginning their denning season and aren’t generally up and about until March or so, but feeding bears reduces their fear of people, a process called habituation. Bear that do not fear humans risk being trapped, or even killed when their behavior crosses the lines of human-determined acceptability.
There are folks who not only hand-feed bears, but invite them into their homes, and even feed them marshmallows “mouth-tomouth”. This behavior endangers every other person that bear
comes in contact with. The other problem for bears is garbage. Keep it in closed containers INSIDE your garage until garbage day. You can’t blame a bear for being a bear, and all kinds of critters love our garbage. At the very least, attach a suet feeder to the inside of the can and place an ammonia-soaked sponge in the suet feeder. The odor will repel most animals.
First, feeding deer is feeding not only deer, but bears and rodents. Concentrating animals around food spreads disease like wildfire. All those mouths munching on the same pile, poop accumulating, etc. is just not safe. Rodents harbor many dangers which can cause human disease- Hanta virus, plague, ticks carrying Lyme disease and several other more recently discovered tick-borne diseases etc. Deer will not starve to death without your help, and the lean winter months will help to reduce the birth of fawns, helping to naturally balance the population.
To do it properly, however, requires some commitment on your part. Just as with deer, you are artificially concentrating individuals, which can contribute to conjunctivitis and salmonella outbreaks, causing death to the birds for which we are trying to care. Frequent emptying of seed, washing of the
feeders in a mild bleach solution, and sweeping of the areas beneath the feeders will prevent most of these problems. It also will prevent attracting rodents, the uninvited nighttime visitors to feeders.
“We concern ourselves with prevention and treatment of illness and injury, not only to individuals but for entire communities and populations.”
Indoor-outdoor cats can contract and bring inside parasites and diseases from wildlife. Keep your cats indoors. They and you will be safer and healthier for it.
Freezing ponds and lakes strand wildlife occasionally. Ducks become frozen in water. Loons and grebes land and cannot take off . Deer even fall through thin ice. Do not venture out onto ice unless you know it is thick enough to support you. Call for help if you are sure an animal is in distress.
so that conflicts don’t occur in winter between you and wildlife attempting to share your abode. Animals attempting to den in one’s attic, crawlspace and inside walls can do real damage, and introduce fleas etc. into your home. Relocating them in cold weather generally results in the animal’s death, so prevention is better for homeowner and animal.
Have a safe, healthy and warm winter!
“Cold temperatures and slick roads can wreak havoc on vehicles, making even a short commute across town a hazardous trip.”
Courtesy
of Family Features
While snow may be one of the highlights of winter, wet roads and ice can make for dangerous driving conditions. Cold temperatures and slick roads can wreak havoc on vehicles, making even a short commute across town a hazardous trip.
Before you step into the driver’s seat this winter, pay special attention to the safety of your vehicle and consider these tips from the experts at your local Discount Tire to ensure you’re ready to hit the road.
Built for the cold and designed for better traction in winter conditions when temperatures drop below 45 F, winter tires can provide better traction on slippery, wet and icy roads, which can lead to striking curbs and other objects that scratch, dent and scuff wheels. Changing wheels and tires each season can ensure you have the best traction possible and protect summer or all-season wheels from the harsh effects of snow, ice and road-clearing chemicals like salt.
Tread depth determines a vehicle’s safe stopping distance, which is vital during winter weather when all-season tires can take an average of 110 feet to stop at 30 miles per hour compared to 81 feet in the same conditions for winter tires. You can check the tread depth by sticking a penny upside-down in a tread groove – it’s time to replace your tires if President Lincoln’s head is visible.
Tires lose air due to impacts and pressure of bumps and turns. Colder temperatures can also impact air pressure. For every 10-degree drop in ambient temperature, tires lose one pound of pressure (PSI). At least once a month, especially before long trips, check the pressure in your tires or stop by a Discount Tire location. Low pressure can lead to poor handling and gas mileage, excessive wear and overloading. Keep a tire pressure gauge in your vehicle to ensure each tire is filled to the manufacturer’s recommended inflation level and add air as necessary.
In cold and icy winter weather, wiper blades can stiffen and become damaged. While your wiper blades’ lifespan will vary based on where you live and the weather you deal with, experts recommend replacing them every six months. If your wiper blades squeak or leave streaks on your windshield, it’s time to replace them.
The older a tire, the higher its risk for failure. As tires age, the rubber becomes harder and brittle, losing elasticity and strength.
Check the DOT number stamped on your tires’ sidewalls to see if it’s time for replacement. If you’re not sure what tires are right for your vehicle, a tool like Treadwell allows you to easily input vehicle information and driving habits to receive a personalized recommendation.
Regular tire rotations help ensure proper traction. Tires should be rotated every 6,000 miles, or earlier if uneven wear develops. One easy way to remember: Have your tires rotated every other time you have your oil changed.
Many newer vehicles have replaced spare tires with tire inflation kits that include puncture-coating sealants and air compressors or run-flat tires. Check to see what your vehicle has and consider adding a roadside assistance plan in case you experience any issues during inclement weather.
To locate a store near you, or search for winter tires specific to your vehicle and driving habits, visit discounttire.com, where you can save up to 30% on wait times in-store, or use the mobile app.
“Turquoise seas, verdant jungles and world-class resorts, the Mexican Caribbean is the perfect destination for a wide range of travel experiences.”
Escape the chill this winter and discover the signature paradise of the Mexican Caribbean. This stunning region boasts endless experiences to suit every type of traveler in 12 distinct destinations, from popular spots like Cancun, Tulum and the Riviera Maya, to hidden gems like Holbox, Bacalar and Playa Mujeres.
With powder-soft beaches, turquoise seas, verdant jungles and world-class resorts, the Mexican Caribbean is the perfect destination for a wide range of travel experiences, from solo wellness retreats to couples' getaways, family vacations and more.
Here are the top five reasons to book a getaway in the Mexican Caribbean:
Get ready to shake off the cold in the Mexican Caribbean's balmy tropical climate where average daily winter temperatures hover in the mid-80°s F and nights rarely dip below 60° F. Sunshine is just a short trip away, with direct flights available from more
than 40 U.S. cities to international airports in Cancun, Tulum and Cozumel, most of which are five hours or less.
The foundation of the Mexican Caribbean's culture centers around the ancient Mayan civilization and the magnificent archaeological sites that draw visitors from around the world. For an authentic experience off the beaten path, explore Maya Ka'an, located two and a half hours south of Cancun. This enchanting region showcases the enduring legacy of the Mayan people, with the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - as its centerpiece. Here, visitors can engage with local artisans and discover lesser-known archaeological sites like Muyil, which is situated on the Sian Ka'an lagoon, a name meaning "Where the Sky is Born." Once a key stop on a Mayan trade route, Muyil's canals now offer visitors the opportunity to swim and float in natural lazy rivers.
Nature enthusiasts will love the variety of outdoor activities available in the Mexican Caribbean. With its diverse geography,
visitors can explore jungles, nature reserves and protected marine environments, all while unplugging from daily stress. Swimming, snorkeling and diving in cenotes is one of the most unique experiences in the Mexican Caribbean. These limestone sinkholes dotting the landscape have crystal clear waters, regional fauna and more to explore. Ancient Mayans considered them to be the entrance to the underworld. In Puerto Morelos, the Cenotes Route boasts 60 cenotes over a span of 21 miles, accompanied by other adventure activities including mountain biking, ATVing, ziplining, rappelling, horseback riding, bird watching and more.
The Mexican Caribbean is one of the world's top wellness destinations, offering luxury spas, holistic mind-body practices, and traditional healing rituals. For a truly restorative winter getaway, Tulum and Holbox offer distinctive experiences. Tulum is celebrated for its spiritual ambiance and laid-back atmosphere, offering a range of personalized wellness activities. Visitors can enjoy beachfront yoga, rejuvenating treatments at seaside spas, and temazcal ceremonies guided by traditional Mayan practices.
Holbox, a charming car-free island, is ideal for those seeking a more untouched experience. This free-spirited destination boasts beachside massages, ample yoga and boutique hotels offering a variety of holistic experiences including sound baths, Ayurvedic rituals, spiritual retreats and more. Holbox's tranquil environment and natural beauty make it an ideal escape for those looking to connect with nature.
Culinary enthusiasts will be delighted by the variety of options available in the Mexican Caribbean, many featuring traditional Mexican and Mayan ingredients and techniques. For an unforgettable culinary journey, visit Riviera Maya, home to a wide array of dining experiences, from taco stands to fine dining establishments. Notably, Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Riviera Maya and HA' at Hotel Xcaret stand out, as each were awarded One Star designation by MICHELIN Guide Mexico in 2024. More casual options abound on the Fifth Avenue pedestrian thoroughfare and surrounding streets.
Are you ready for an unforgettable tropical vacation this winter?
To learn more and plan your trip to The Signature Paradise, visit MexicanCaribbean.Travel.
Courtesy of BPT
The desire to bring the outdoors in continues to inspire homeowners and designers alike. Natural, earthy neutrals and a variety of green shades are key to this trend as it encompasses more areas of the home. In fact, according to independent research among homeowners, the vast majority of consumers (88%) are interested in color palettes other than white and chrome for their next kitchen or bath remodel, with a preference toward neutrals and earth tones like greens.
So if stark white kitchens and baths are no longer trending, how can you celebrate natural neutrals and greens in these spaces? To help you get started, Kohler now offers a variety of bath and kitchen essentials in these colors, merging modern and vintage aesthetics to bring a sense of tranquility and timeless style into the busiest rooms of your home.
"The healing power of nature helps explain why we're drawn to these colors," said Alex Yacavone, Senior Manager at Kohler, Industrial Design Studio. "Greens and earthy neutrals effectively create a serene, soothing environment to elevate any room."
Neutral elements for a timeless, nature-inspired style
When you look at what creates timeless interior design, it's clear that it's rooted in thoughtful materials, classic silhouettes and livable color. Elements of nature, paired with classic design details, ensure these spaces remain relevant and comforting over time.
Born out of an appreciation for craftsmanship from previous centuries, bath and kitchen options from Kohler embrace the quiet beauty of neutrals that can make an elevated statement in their own right.
Looking for a stylish bathroom addition? The Artifacts Cast Iron Free Standing Bath in Dune is inspired by the charm of turnof-the-century homes, like a vintage treasure rediscovered but enhanced by the comforts of modern design - such as a gently curved rim for added neck support. You can also customize your Artifacts bath with a set of ornate ball-and-claw feet.
Creating a stunning focal point inspired by studio pottery, the Derring Oval Sink in Bourbon Rutile celebrates the beauty and authenticity of handcrafted ceramics. Each sink is finished with unique artisanal glazes that produce fascinating surface effects, with a hand-carved texture that accentuates the glaze's subtle tonal variations.
If you've always wanted a sink that embraces farmhouse style, the streamlined apron-front Whitehaven Cast Iron in Truffle is perfect for remodeling projects. The Self-Trimming design requires only a rough cut to new or existing 30-inch standard cabinetry for simple installation and beautiful results. Crafted from enameled cast iron, the sink resists chipping, cracking or burning for years of beauty and reliable performance.
“Greens
and earthy neutrals effectively create a serene, soothing environment to elevate any room.”
In exploring nature, people are drawn not only to the earthy neutrals that bring calm and familiarity to interiors, but also to the pops of green that breathe life into a space without overwhelming it.
With the Kohler Heritage Greens collection, you can transform your kitchen and bath using bold, nature-inspired hues. This collection is inspired by carefully curated iconic greens from the Kohler archives, brought back to life in current kitchen and bath products. Inspired by the beauty of the outdoors, these shades are perfectly suited for classic or contemporary designs, and will blend effortlessly with your existing decor:
B Fresh Green (1971) is a lively shade reminiscent of a spring garden, ideal for adding bright energy to kitchens and bathrooms.
B Aspen Green (1978) captures serene tones of mountain pines for a calming color that works as a neutral or makes a statement in any space.
B Teal (1987) is a deep, dramatic green/blue blend that infuses striking, nature-inspired character into your design vision.
Bringing greens into the kitchen or bathroom allows you to experiment with nature's neutral hues that pair with a wide range of design aesthetics. Kohler's Heritage colors showcase the versatility of green by offering a serene, calming atmosphere with Aspen Green and a deeper, moodier tone with Teal. The differences in hue demonstrate how green carries a lasting appeal, showcasing how green can sit in modern and classic spaces alike.
Searching for a piece that draws inspiration from traditional furniture and architectural elements? The Memoirs Stately Pedestal Sink in Teal offers crisp, clean lines evoking the splendor of fine antiques.
Similarly, the Memoirs Stately Toilet in Aspen Green features the elegant architectural look of the Memoirs collection along with vintage-inspired Stately design, combining performance with traditional style.
Neutral, nature-inspired colors and finishes can lead to grounded spaces that feel connected to the natural world, evoking a fresh, timeless appeal that's versatile and welcoming. Come home to the colors of nature at Kohler.com.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
"Is There a Santa Claus?" reprinted from the September 21, 1897, number of The New York Sun.
In 1897, Dr. Philip O'Hanlon, a coroner's assistant on Manhattan's Upper West Side, was asked by his then eight-yearold daughter, Virginia O'Hanlon (1889–1971), whether Santa Claus really existed. O'Hanlon suggested she write to The Sun, a prominent New York City newspaper at the time, assuring her that "If you see it in The Sun, it's so."[3] In so doing, Dr. O'Hanlon had unwittingly given one of the paper's editors, Francis Pharcellus Church, an opportunity to rise above the simple question and address the philosophical issues behind it.
Church was a war correspondent during the American Civil War, a time that saw great suffering and a corresponding lack of hope and faith in much of society. Although the paper ran the editorial in the seventh place on the page, below even one on the newly invented "chainless bicycle", it was both noticed and well received by readers. According to an anecdote on the radio program The Rest of the Story, Church was a hardened cynic and an atheist who had little patience for superstitious beliefs, did not want to write the editorial, and refused to allow his name to be attached to the piece. [4] More than a century later it is the most reprinted editorial in any newspaper in the English language.[1][2]
Dear Editor—
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety Fifth Street
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere
insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.
We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
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To schedule your appointment, call 610-402-7880 (hematology oncology) or 610-402-7884 (surgical oncology). To learn more, visit LVHN.org/CancerCare.