The Legacy of Fire Truck Santa: West Mifflin

The third weekend in December meant more Advent candles, school winding down, and Fire truck Santa. Those of us who grew up with volunteer fire companies often enjoyed a tradition of someone’s Dad/Uncle/Cousin playing Santa. This while they circled every street, distributing lovely treats. The full sized Clark bar was my favorite. For me this […]

Sled Riding the Pipeline in West Mifflin

Sled Riding in the 1970s

And though he never would wave goodbyeYou could see it written in his eyesAs the train rolled out of sightBye-bye In this cold snap, I drive to my cat colony even though it is faster to walk. Not so much faster now sliding on the snow and exerting myself to get the gate unlocked and […]

Santa Claws Magic for Al and Karen in West Mifflin

For the holidays, we are asking you to adopt a community cat caretaker to thank them for their year round work. Al and Karen are retirees living in West Mifflin. They are in their early 70’s. Over the years, they have TNVRd eight cats out of their own pocket. Currently, their colony has five cats. […]

West Mifflin School Districts Expands Nondiscrimination Protections to Include Gender Identity

West Mifflin High School Class Reunion

I lived in West Mifflin from age two through college. It was a rather brutal environment. I ended up with a decent education. I’ve written about some of those experiences.  One of my high school friends was openly gay. Others were suspected, but it was not an environment where such disclosures were encouraged or well-received. […]

Those Times When Santa Came to Visit on a Fire Truck in West Mifflin

Santa Claus West Mifflin

When I was a child growing up in West Mifflin, a blue-collar suburb of Pittsburgh, there were a few consistent holiday rituals. These included: making Advent wreaths at CCD; watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special; and fire truck Santa. Each year the local volunteer fire department would drive around the neighborhoods with Santa on a […]

How I Remember My West Mifflin School Teachers (1974-1988)

West Mifflin Area School District

Some blog posts are more for me, than for you. This is one such post. I’ve decided to make a list of all of my teachers and what impression they made on me.  I include my age when I began that grade – I was very young in my class and probably should have been […]

Welcome to Our New Blogger, Trish Mifflin

Welcome to Our New Blogger, Trish Mifflin

We want to offer a heartfelt welcome to the newest member of the blogging team, Trish Mifflin. Trish is not a lesbian. In her own words, she is transgendered male-bodied crossdresser who identifies as female, but is not pursuing full-time transition, either socially or medically. So that’s out of the way. Well, it is actually part of the […]

Now I’m Left to Wonder if Anyone Noticed That My Dad Died.

My Dad died on February 28, 2024. Early that morning, I arrived at the funeral home and see one arrangement of flowers. They were from my brother’s coworkers. Two more arrangements arrived later that day. I don’t know who sent them. That was it. We had listed ‘Kerry’s Kittens‘ as a charity in lieu of […]

My Father Died Last Night

Two years ago this month, I wrote a similar blog post My Mother Died Last Night. I don’t know if it a coincidence or a sign that my father died in the same month. This was a Facebook post I created this morning. I’m posting here to preserve it. I will write a more traditional […]

2024 Political Q&A with Summer Lee: What You Need to Know About This Incumbent Candidate for US House District 12

Summer Lee for Congress

Beyond these fundamental protections, my campaign focuses on meaningful representation for the LGBTQ+ community in politics, warding off a right-wing Supreme Court that could poke holes in LGBTQ rights based on “religious liberty,” and addressing the many disparities that the LGBTQ+ community faces in affordable, inclusive health care. Meet the Candidate This is the next […]