Aleo Lake Picnic

 Aleo Lake Picnic
It’s all over for another year. The Chestnut Ridge Historical Society Annual Picnic is lodged in the annals of time. As usual, this event was held at the beautiful and picturesque home of one of our members. I didn’t ask permission, so I won’t share her name, but thank you very much for graciously opening your home for us again this year.
Her refurbished barn makes a perfect place to set out our covered dish feast, protected for the hot sun and any stray raincloud. Every member of the society and their guests are always invited to attend. It’s a time for all to sit, talk, and eat; strengthening our friendships and our commitment to keep the local history of the Laurel Highlands safe for future generations. It’s a great time of relaxation and getting to know fellow members.
The vast array of foodstuff made it impossible to sample all of the different flavored dishes, but I made a great attempt. My blood sugar was up a bit the next morning even though I made a valiant attempt to make the samples small and avoided the richest desserts.
The weather was wonderfully sunny, but a giant fan kept us cool and I’m sure if there were any flies, they were blown into the next county. Sadly this year there was only one swan on the lake, but the entire grounds were manicured and in a wonderfuly beautiful conditionl.
I’ve been looking to downsize. I four bedroom house is becoming too burdensome for me. There are too many chores to keep up with for an old couch potato and climbing the stairs is becoming painful for my arthritic knees.
My grandmother Rebecca Rugg Miner had deformities of her knees and feet from the rheumatic arthritis. Climbing the stairs in her large two-story farmhouse was always a slow and painful experience for her. Her fingers and hands also developed twisted knots from that disease, but she could really cook. I always enjoyed her meals she prepared on the old kitchen coal cook stove.