Searching for Coral

Posted 1/30/19

I receive a decent number of letters to the editor here at The River Reporter—nothing that’s overwhelming my email or weighing down the mail carrier, but several per week. I appreciate …

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Searching for Coral

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I receive a decent number of letters to the editor here at The River Reporter—nothing that’s overwhelming my email or weighing down the mail carrier, but several per week. I appreciate whenever someone takes the time to write us, or to engage with the news and offer their feedback.

Ed Wesely’s recent letter about the Pond Eddy Bridge has generated quite the conversation in my inbox about PennDot and historical bridges. This week, we received a letter in the mail—neatly written in scrolling cursive, on three pages of slightly yellowed notebook paper. As far as presentation goes, it doesn’t beat the letter in my possession written to a previous editor with pencil on a giant piece of wood—but it got my attention.

“Sorry it’s handwritten, I don’t have a printer,” the writer says, before going on to add that she won a subscription to TRR from a penny social and has been “hooked” ever since. “Kind of disloyal, I guess,” she goes on, “since I worked at The Wayne Independent for 30 years.” The letter is signed by a Coral A. Ripple, by way of Equinunk.

I don’t know why this particular, witty letter made my day better, but it did. Ms. Ripple, you had us cracking up in the TRR office in the middle of a stressful week. Unfortunately, some of the more moxie-driven statements aren’t necessarily fitting for the My View page—and we wanted to track you down to explain.

We tried our best, Ms. Ripple, utilizing the internet, shared connections (you and I have a few) and eventually finding your number online, only to be met with a line that goes to no one. I won’t give out personal information here, but we did have a few leads, and just couldn’t track you down in time for publication. So, if you’re reading this Ms. Ripple: thanks for writing in, and give us a call if you like—we’re looking for you!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Lepro, Managing Editor

I had a dear friend who recently passed away at the age of 90. She would often tell me of issues in her life, and she liked to empty what she called her “b----h bag.” I would like to do that now, relative to issues recently covered in this very fine publication.

Number one: [The ambulance situation.] Having had personal experience with an out-of-town ambulance service, I found they didn’t know how to get where they were supposed to be going or how to get back where they came from. Our local volunteers know where they’re going and what to do when they get there, and how to get back where they need to be. They may look “scruffy,” as one of our city transplants said. They do not have fancy uniforms. They come out of hay fields or barns, if they are farmers, out of the stone quarry, if they are—well, I guess I can’t say stoners, but you know what I mean. After all, what’s the smell of the barn if your kid is bleeding to death?

Number two: [The wall.] Does Trump seriously think he’ll ever get elected again for the families that he’s disrupted? Maybe there’s still some pieces of the Great Wall of China we could import? My son served on a Carrier, The America. They used it for bombing practice and sank it. It had 5,000 people on it while in use! We could put people on the next one, worth millions of dollars, that we plan to get rid of. Put some dirt on it so they can grow their own food, let them fish, so they can support themselves. A few professional people to help them on their way wouldn’t cost billions of dollars. And a woman wouldn’t have to pawn her wedding ring to feed her kids!

The third issue was commented on recently by a gentleman in your Letters to the Editor regarding the TV commercials where they repeat the phone number two, three and sometimes four times. If I can’t get it off the screen, or after two repeats, I’m beyond help—forget it. And the one where they tell us it’s a real situation with the woman screaming for help at the foot of the stairs, and we’re filming it from the top? Well, you’ve got time to do that—you’re waiting for an out-of-town ambulance!

Very truly yours,

Coral A. Ripple

Equinunk PA 

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