The Rooney Bin

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘let’s party.’”—Robin Williams             If each month of the year was assigned a different color, there is no doubt March would be spring green, the color of nature, health, growth, fertility and shamrocks. March 1 is generally considered the start of spring by meteorologists, who divide the year into ... Read More

It’s a bird. It’s a plane, It’s Superman, and the comic book superhero’s birthday is today…or so some say. The Man of Steel is one of about four million people known as “Leaplings,” because they were born on Leap Day. The Earth circles the Sun once every 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 45 ... Read More

“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature affects the cure.” –Voltaire             The cold and influenza season peaks in February. Everyone seems to have come down with something this winter including Rooney Bin residents; we’re hoping it’s soon to be over. However, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, virus ... Read More

Mark Twain said, “An American has not seen the U.S. until he has seen Mardi Gras in New Orleans.” It’s Mardi Gras season, so let the good times roll. New Orleans is best known for its tradition of wild Carnival events featuring Cajun food and drink and parades of large colorful floats with revelers ... Read More

For a relatively short month, February has quite a few holidays, beginning with Feb. 2, Groundhog Day. Florida winters are generally mild, so the celebration lacks the impact of the Groundhog Day parties that take place up north. For example, in western Pennsylvania thousands of people gather to watch groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerge from ... Read More

“Gray hair is a crown of life.”—author Lailah Gifty Akita Much to my surprise, I recently became a trend setter. A couple of months ago I made a decision to go au naturel…hair-wise, so to speak. It happened because I missed a color and cut during Hurricane Dorian and as an inch of white grew ... Read More

“The more things change the more they stay the same.”—proverb Fast cars, women’s rights, communication innovations, concerns about the environment are all Twenties issues—the Roaring Twenties that is. Ironically, they also are among social and political issues U.S. citizens share a century later. As we enter a new decade, it is interesting to look back to ... Read More

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…Shouts of “Happy New Year!” will soon usher in a new decade. Watching fireworks explode when the crystal ball drops at Times Square is a famous New Year’s Eve tradition in America. New Year’s Eve customs vary from country to country, but many are based ... Read More

“Shopping is a woman thing,” humor writer Erma Bombeck wrote. “It’s a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase.”             My how the shopping game has changed since Bombeck made that witty observation. Women still enjoy shopping, but ... Read More

A green llizard took a ride on an Alleghany locomotive on the Binmeisters model train layout. Leaping lizards! The holidays are upon us, and it’s time to bring in the Christmas greenery along with the occasional lizard.  I raise the issue because it came up on the ever popular Nextdoor discussion group on ... Read More