The Times-Tribune from Scranton, Pennsylvania • 8

Features B2 THE YiRANION TIMh THE IR18UNE SATURDAY, APRIL, 2004 Daughter and father need to stitch up their differences Dear Annie: I read the letter from Dover, N.H., who asked about taking her young sons to the ladies room. When I traveled with my nephews, ages 4 and 6, 1 came up with a solution. I let them use the mens room, but told them they had to sing loudly together the entire time they were in there. They gleefully complied since it allowed them to use the big boys bathroom. They knew if they stopped singing, Auntie had no problem walking in, so they were consistently cooperative.

Not only could I hear the boys clearly because of the reverberation of the room, it made everyone around us smile. North Powder, Ore. Dear What a clever and amusing solution. We salute you. Dear Annie: Last week, a dear friend invited my wife and me to dinner at a fancy club in honor of his wifes 60th birthday.

Three other couples also attended. The waiter took our cocktail orders and asked the host if he would be paying the tab for the drinks and the food for the party of 10. The host told him point-blank that everybody was paying his own way. He would pay for his wife and himself. The rest of us were rather surprised, but we ordered and paid.

The next day, several of the other guests mentioned that they were offended by the way the party was handled. We gladly would have given a party for the birthday girl at any one of our residences. Have times changed so much that an invitation to a birthday celebration at a restaurant is just a nod for a do-it-yourself party? Bewildered in CamariUo, Calif. Dear Camarillo: Times have changed only for those hoping to get out of their duties as hosts. Your friend should have made it clear when he issued the invitation that there was an invoice attached.

However, since he is a dear friend, we hope you will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he didnt know any better. ANNIE'S MAILBOX is written by Kathy Mitchell ondMarcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column, for Creators Syndicate. This whole situation strikes me as being both tacky and odd. How should I respond to his request? Speechless in Vermont Dear Speechless: You are under no obligation to return the sewing machine, but it might help to explain why to your father. Tell him the machine means a great deal to you and his request hurt your feelings.

To keep peace in the family, how about offering to let your stepmother sew the curtains at your place? It will give you an opportunity to get to know her better, have a cup of coffee and chat, while the work gets done and the machine stays on the premises. Personal advice Annie's Mailbox chine will be passed on to my daughter. I am terribly upset. Am I wrong to assume that once you give someone a gift, especially something with great tal value, that it is quite rude to ask for it back? I do not understand why Dad needs this particular machine. He can well afford to buy his wife a new one.

Frankly, Im surprised shed want to use his dead wifes old sewing machine. MATES: WYOU cameraman reflects on four-decade career Besfcbete PLACES TO GO I THINGS TO DC IN NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA SUNDAY Purple Rain: Prince Musicology Tour, Bryce Jordan Center, 8 p.m.; $68.50145. Love Songs: Choral Artists of NEPA, Songs of Romance," Scranton Cultural Center, 2 p.m., $15. Hear This: Sinfonia Youth Orchestra, An Afternoon of Classical Music, Abington Heights High School, Clarks Summit, 3 p.m., $5. 842-4297.

TODAY On Stage: Coppelia," Ballet Northeast, Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, 7:30 p.m., $15. 825-3515 or 639-1303. On Stage: La Fille Mai Gardee, Ballet Theatre of Scranton Senior Company, Scranton High School, 8 p.m. and Sunday, 2 p.m. 347-0208 or 347-2867.

Something Different: Casablanca, Sant Andrea Society fund-raising charity ball, Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel, cocktails and hors doeuvres, 7 p.m.; dinner, 8 p.m., per couple. Music by The Poets. 586-1975 or 341-5299. Today Institute for Senior Learners at Marywood University: AARP 55 Alive Mature Driver Course, today and April 24 or April 19 and 21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

348 6237. Covenant Women's Spring Event: Covenant Presbyterian Church, 550 Madison 12:30 p.m., $10. 346-6400. Lake Ariel Region Historical Association: free lectureslide show presentation on the history of Lake Ariel, 2 p.m.. Lake Ariel Elementary School gym.

Just a Social Singlet Club: dance. 9 p.m., Victoria Inn Suites. Pittston Township. 457-0425. Daughters of the American Revolution Scranton City Chapter: anniversary luncheon, noon, Lackawanna County Visitors Center.

Guest speaker is Nancy Menapace, who will speak on first la Places to go, things to do Dear Annie: My mother died two years ago. Shortly after her death, I helped my father with the painful task of sorting through Mothers belongings and helping him move into a new, smaller residence. Dad gave me Mom's old sewing machine, saying as their only daughter, it made sense for me to have it as a keepsake. My father has since remarried. He recently e-mailed, asking if he could take back the sewing machine on his next visit.

Apparently, his new wife wants to make curtains for their home and requires a sewing machine. He assumed the machine was sitting unused in my basement, but its not. He did add that he wants it to stay in the family, so when he dies, the ma- III jMi t4lU Spring holiday plants part 2 So, what should you do after potted holiday plants stop flowering? It is always wise to follow the directions that came with the plant but if there are none, here are some general tips. Remove the spent flowers and place the potted plant in a sunny, fairly cool location. Keep the soil moist, not wet, and let it dry out slightly between watering.

Plants kept for several months benefit from occasional fertilizing with a dilute houseplant food. Plants kept for a long time eventually outgrow their containers and should be repotted using a commercial potting soil mix. Choose a container, preferably one with drainage holes, proportional in size to the plant. Some plants, like the Easter lily, can be planted outside in mid to late May. Acclimate the plant to the outdoors by placing it in a wind-protected area, gradually giving it more light and less protection.

Remove from the pot and plant in a sunny, well-drained spot. Top with a layer of mulch. If they become established, they should bloom in midsummer in future years. Questions? Contact your local cooperative extension office. In Lackawanna County call 963-6842 or email TERRY SCHETTINI, Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County home of classic rock" 1 06.9 Elegant Ccnmcaloa Dresses Accessories TIIY KARE aiiLtmnvs mioppe yIE Druilrr1! Ihmnmrr i aimzzuz.

3 1240 Quincy Dunmore 961-4274 LUNCH NONFHII-LJI MMA MON-SAT 430 -f Gift Certificates Available As on Makeover March I Madness! a fX $100 Off WWt lug i whiter 3RBGE3TEn faster V1Q0TS: Masters and pets are dancing machines nan said a huge implosion dust cloud began drifting up Lackawanna Avenue, forcing him and reporter Andy Palumbo to quickly slam the window and duck inside. Mr. Keenan also photographed or taped Presidents Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and both George Bushes. But the stories he remembers most fondly were features he did with former anchor Debbie Dun-leavy on cancer survivors and the Childrens Miracle Network. His most treasured memory concerns a story he shot at Camp Dost, for kids with cancer.

Billy Wiggins, who had brain cancer, wanted to try put his camera. Mr. Keenan used some of the tape Billy shot in the story. A few months later, Mr. Keenan was told that Billy died.

Billy Wiggins is the one he will never forget. Thanks for the memories Mr. Keenans work helped WDAU and WYOU win two regional Emmys. Still built like a bull, he recalls years (before the introduction of the lighter betacam), when he lugged around a 19808-era camera, tape deck and battery belt weighing in excess of 80 pounds. His four children Deborah Ann, Joseph, Jimmy and Ann Marie and seven grandchildren, the oldest of whom is a freshman at East Stroudsburg University, and his wife Mary Ann, are among the main reasons for his retirement.

He wants to spend time with them. "Hes probably the best photographer the area has ever seen, said David DeCosmo, WYOUs Lackawanna County reporter, who often teamed up with Mr. Keenan. He was as much a part of the story as any reporter who worked with him. He not only photographed the story, he listened to the interviews.

They would prompt him to include something extra pic-torially in a story. Over the years, Mr. Keenan tried to repay the kindnesses shown to him in his early days in television by helping out young reporters and photographers. Hes an all-round nice guy. He has a lot of patience and is a great teacher.

He always had time for young photographers. Anybody who spent any time with Jimmy came away as a better person, said WNEP photographer David Jones, who worked with Mr. Keenan at WDAU and WYOU for 18 years. "I never met a reporter I didnt like, Mr. Keenan said.

The feeling is mutual for Ms. Dunleavy, Keith Martin, Russ Spencer, Andy Palumbo, Bob Reynolds and many others who put together their first televi- sion news reports under Mr. Keenan's tutelage. Citmg Mr. Keenans artistic skills and his sensitivity, WYOU news director Frank Andrews said, He has covered every major story in this market.

He's irreplaceable." No Credit Check No Application Fee Proof of Income Nr Reouired FROM I At his first camera assignment to shoot a fender bender at Green Ridge Street and Wyoming Avenue Mr. Keenan found a twist. The driver of one of the two cars had just bought a brand-new Cadillac. He had driven it only about three blocks from the dealer when it wrecked and was beside himself, to say the least. It was that kind of an eye for news and the unusual that kept Mr.

Keenans career rolling. He eventually became WDAUs night photographer. The 2:30 to 11:30 p.m. schedule was tough, considering that in addition to shooting and developing film, he also had to be back in the studio to edit the film and run studio cameras for the 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

news shows. (In those days, WDAU ran its early news at 7 p.m.) That made it really difficult, because we came out of the news at 7:30 and youd have to go to the school board or council or whatever was happening that night, get back in time to process the film or edit it for 11, he said. In those B.C. (before color) days of television, WDAU used black-and-white reversal film, basically a black-and-white negative. When it was shown on the air, it was electronically reversed to a conventional black-and-white picture.

During the editing process, however, as Mr. Keenan cut and pasted film pieces together, he was seeing negatives. Tricks of the trade Mr. Keenan said it was veteran photographers like Jack Scannella and Larry Kresge who taught him all the tricks of the trade. Tricks, he said, that came in handy in August 1972, when the remnants of Hurricane Agnes flooded the Wyoming Valley.

I spent the first four days in helicopters, Mr. Keenan said. One of the first local news photographers to shoot film from a helicopter, Mr. Keenan is responsible for most of the aerial footage still in existence of the Agnes flooding. It was Mr.

Powell who arranged for the helicopter owned by businessman Jack LaRue, of Consumer Coal Co. The copter was based in the 1900 block of East Gibson Street adjoining Nay Aug Park. Mr. Keenan said he and Mr. LaRue had one close call.

The low fuel light came on, forcing a landing at Sky Haven Airport in Tunkhannock. Among his other memorable shoots, Mr. Keenan recalls interviews with boxer Mohammed songwriter Sammy Kahn and the Great Implosion which brought down two blocks of downtown Scranton's Lackawanna Avenue buildings to make way for the Mall at Steam-town. As he was shooting from the eighth floor of Scranton National Bank Building, Mr. Kee AITEMTON PENN STATE BOSTON COLLEGE FANS September 10-12, 20Q4 VI V- Fir Mv-jl VrJ-jrr I ir- raftJ-'g VH lu 1.

.1 MONDAY On Exhibit: Legacy: Hope Horn, Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall, University of Scranton. 941-4214. Grab the Mike: Open mike, Lab's Frosted Mugs, 1369 Adams Ave. On Exhibit: Sam Barrese, Old Dog, New Tricks, Artistic Impressions Art Gallery, 873 Scrantorv Carbondale Highway, Route 6, Si-niawa Plaza 1, Dickson City. 941-0560.

tion is a must. 575-8649. Sunday Juet a Social Singlet Club: walk Lake Scranton, Sunday, 3 p.m. 457-0425. Polish Union Easter Fair (Swlanconka): Polish Union Community Room, Wilkes-Barre, Sunday, 2 p.m., $17 includes dinner, program and music.

489-6877 or 489-0690. Upcoming Institute (or Senior Learners at Marywood University: book discussion group, Monday and May 10, 10 a.m. to noon. Crystal Room. Nazareth Student Center.

348-6237. LISTINGS should be sent three weeks prior to evenlto life- stylesmirnesshamrock com or Times Tribune lifestyles Department, Alto DalebookHappenings, Scranton, PA 18503 Besides taking part in numerous competitions, the group regularly does demonstrations at local churches and nursing homes. Crowd reactions are usually quite enthusiastic, Ms. Stahley said. We try to make it as entertaining as possible, she said.

You can do the most basic things and people think its the most amazing thing. Of course, theres more to it than winning awards and performing in public, at least for the Dog House Dancers. Ms. Gilbertson enjoys the camaraderie of the group, which typically meets once a week to offer feedback on each others routines, as well as freestyles inclusiveness (the WCFO has senior and handicapped divisions, for both humans and dogs) and not-too-competitive atmosphere. With some of the other doggy sports, it's My doggy's better than yours, she said.

And it's just a whole lot of fun. Its a very entertaining sport, Ms. Hoyson said. Its just pure entertainment. THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER contributed to this Stony Contact the writer Came See Why Everyone is Talking About Our Quality, 5srvic3 cPrica! rv cJ dies and their grieving.

Lackawanna Audubon Society: Adopt-A- Highway Project and Forest Acres Sanctuary Cleanup. Meet at McDade Park at 8:30 a.m. or at the sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. 586-8343. PoconoLshlgh Romance Writers: meet every third Saturday of the month.

Palmer Branch of the Easton Area Public Library, Newburg Road, Easton. 1-610 258-4513. Jitterbug Dancing: Saturdays, 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., DAV, Dickson City, $4. 383-7961.

Storytime: Borders, Dickson City, Saturdays, 11 a.m. 340-1044. Oldlet Dance Party: Mid Valley, Chapter II DAV Hall, Storrs Street, Dickson City, Saturdays, 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. 489-8112.

Aromatherapy Soap Making Class: Saturdays, 1 to 2:30 p.m., 212 Depot Suite 2, Clarks Summit, $25. Registra suited to the twang of country music. In formal competitions, dog costumes are limited to collars and wristbands. The humans, however, can wear whatever they want, so long as it fits into the theme of their routine. When dancing to Boxcar Willies version of King of the Road, Ms.

Hoyson dons a hobo outfit. For Ms. Stahley, its what else? a Mexican cabbie uniform. Improvisation is key in canine freestyle, and its not only the humans who have a say in the matter. For instance, one day Ms.

Hoyson was trying to get Sawyer to shake his body by blowing in his face. Instead of shaking, Sawyer put a paw to his mouth, as if he was wiping away a kiss. Undeterred, she simply began blowing him kisses as part of the routine. When its all said and done, dog and handler are judged according to technical merit and artistic impression. Dance precision, costume coordination, dog attentiveness and keeping time to the music all weigh heavily in the process.

If you've got something entertaining, and within the rules, you got yourself a title," Ms. Stahley said. At least 10 of us have titles. i I I FROM B1 Its all about precision and control. Heelwork-to-music is more of a technical competition.

Its tougher to get high scores. They want the moves to be very precise and exact," said Ms. Hoy-son, of Shavertown, who came up with a heelwork routine for Sawyer in which the dog performs a sideways walk that sort of makes him look as if hes floating off the ground. Freestyle has more in common with gymnastics. Ms.

Gilbertson has developed a nearly two-minute act in which Indy performs a frenetic combination of weaves, jumps, twirls and spins to the beat of Bobby Ry-dells Wild One. Speaking of the music, handlers must choose a soundtrack that complements the size and quickness of their dog. For Hummie, her Kerry blue terrier, Wyoming resident Gay Stahley is currently using the upbeat Mexican number, Tijuana Taxi." Meanwhile, Ms. Hoyson thinks Sawyer is best ft 141 8. Main Pittutoo Come See Us For Your Custom Made Drapes.

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