Working

This may be the main difficulty in living in the Poconos - finding a good-paying job. The tourist industry is big, but it does not pay very well, unless you are working to get tips. The 'life span' of these jobs can be a little disheartening, as tourist season is pretty well defined as being summer and ski season. Really, I wish people took more advantage of the beauty here in the spring and the fall foliage, but the traditional summer vacation is still king.

The people up here as a resourceful lot, as mentioned before. If they have a skill such as being handy around the house, they market it to the fullest extent. We have a 'guy' who works for the county during the week, but on weekends and evenings he is doing electrical, plumbing, roofing, etc. If you are good at what you do, the word-of-mouth will get you more jobs than you can handle.

Most people seem to have at least two jobs in order to make ends meet. My husband has joined that brigade, working at a tourist destination and a local restaurant. There is also a large contingent who commute to NYC everyday to get the higher-paying jobs. Really, a bear of a commute, but to some people it is worth it. Ironically, this area was populated by many coal miners to supply the railroad industry, and many of the innovations in railroading were developed here, but the passenger railroad was abandoned in the 1970's. I know those people who commute each day would welcome a train, but now we have to get approvals, etc., to start the lines up again. And the rails are already there, being used for industrial shipping!

In spite of all that, the living here is worth it. The cost of living is lower, the stress is less, and the people are friendly.

Spring at Last

One day you are getting ready in the morning and you realize that you do not need to put on a sweater or a jacket. That is my new definition of Spring! You ride down the roads, which are riddled with potholes, (another story there) and the trees are many shades of green and the flowers are little bright spots of color on the roadside. The nights are still crisp and cool - jacket worthy, actually - but the days are bright and warm. The rain is refreshing and when it leaves, there are rainbows. (However, for the life of me I cannot get a picture of a rainbow - do I have to glue a camera to my hip!)

So, of course, the one time of year when you want to drive around and really get an eyeful (okay, autumn you want to drive around, too), gas prices become so high that you really feel that it is a waste on money. We sincerely try to bundle trips - to the store, and the bank, and the cleaners - but now we also try to appreciate the beauty around us as we do our errands. We have even added a picnic at the local state park as part of our errands, to try to enjoy the beauty.

Speaking of gas, PA has pump-it-yourself gas stations, so when we pulled into a small station two towns over, we were surprised when the owner comes out and starts to pump the gas. My husband asked him why and the gentleman said that it is easier for him to do it, less hassle to clean up afterward because, "after all, there is a limited gene pool up here and they get confused easily." We did not know if he was kidding, but he looked serious about his comment. We came to the conclusion that he was having a bad day.