The Shirley Drive In

02/24/2025

02/23/2025

02/23/2025

You know you’re getting old when you use the heated seat in your car to help with your back pain instead of to stay warm. 😆

02/23/2025

02/23/2025

It's OK: To repeat clothes. To use an old phone. To buy 2nd hand items. To live in a small home. It's ok to live a simple life.

02/23/2025

"Two weeks ago, my 90-year-old mother, Catherine Ritchie, was preparing herself for bed at around 9pm. After brushing her teeth and hair, she turned around to find her bed completely engulfed in flames. She made an attempt to extinguish the flames herself by throwing blankets and pillows on the fire. The smoke and heat were so overwhelming that she immediately got disoriented, gave up fighting the fire, and decided to flee. She pushed the emergency call button she wears on her necklace, called 911, and attempted to get out of her now engulfed bedroom. She walked into the closet several times thinking it was the door that leads to the hallway. It wasn’t. She couldn’t find her way out. She was stuck. Smoke everywhere.
Across the street, 4 boys saw the smoke and reflection of flames. Not an adult in sight. 4 kids who took immediate action to save an elderly woman who they couldn’t guarantee was home and who 3 of them had never even met. One started breaking the glass on the front door. One called 911. One went to the back door and began kicking it in. One went to the neighbors for an ax and help. Within minutes, a door was kicked in by a 14-year-old child who found my mother in the hallway outside of her bedroom and picked her up in his arms. Kids who are told about all the things they aren’t old enough to do saved the life of the most precious and beloved woman we know. Courageous young men. Young men who risked their own lives, their own safety, perhaps their good standing with their parents who might have chosen for them to do otherwise, and they carried my mother out of her burning home into the street, where firetrucks and ambulances would soon arrive.
Dylan Wick – 16 years old, Nick Byrd – 14 years old, Seth Byrd – 16 years old, and Wyatt Hall – 17 years old, thank you! Thank you for your selfless acts of heroism and courage. Thank you for not allowing this to be the tragic end to our mother’s amazing life. Thank you for staying with her, hugging her, and helping her feel less alone until we could get to her. Thank you for being the kind of young men who thought about another person above yourselves. Thank you for staying safe yourselves as well. Thank you to your parents who obviously raised you in such a way that lead to you making life saving and heroic decisions on behalf of someone else. Thank you for more than we know how to thank you for! We will forever be indebted to the time you bought for us and the example you set for us. God Bless each of you for being such a blessing to us.
Sincerely,
Michael Ritchie, Karen Ritchie Sontag, Pat Ritchie, Jimmy Ritchie, Kelly Ritchie, John Ritchie, Tim Ritchie, Tom Ritchie, Missy Ritchie Nicholas, Ryan Ritchie, and 42 very grateful grandchildren."
Photo Credits goes to the respective Owner ~

02/23/2025

02/23/2025

02/23/2025

Dear Woman Behind Me in Line at the Grocery Store,
You don’t know me. You have no idea what my life has been like since October 1, 2013. You have no idea that my family has been through the wringer. You don’t know that we’ve faced unbelievable hardship. You have no idea that we’ve been humiliated, humbled, and left destitute.

You have no idea that I’ve cried more days than not; that I fight every day to keep bitterness from consuming my heart. You have no idea that my husband’s pride was shattered. You don’t know that my kids have carried adult-sized worries on their small shoulders. You have no idea that their innocence was stolen from them for no good reason. You know none of this.

What you do know is that I tried to buy some food for my kids, but the EBT machine was down, so I couldn’t. I didn’t have cash or my debit card with me—only my SNAP card. All you heard was me saying, “No, don’t hold it for me. My kids are hungry now, and I have no other way of paying for this.”

You didn’t judge me. You didn’t sneer, “Maybe you should have fewer kids.” You didn’t say, “Well, get a job and learn to support yourself.” You didn’t look away in embarrassment or shame on my behalf. You didn’t make any assumptions at all.

What you did was pay that $17.38 grocery bill for us. You gave my kids bananas, yogurt, apple juice, cheese sticks, and even a peach iced tea for me—a rare treat and indulgence. You let me hug you as I promised through my tears that I would pay this forward. I will pay someone’s grocery bill for them. That $17.38 may not have been a lot to you, but it was priceless to us.

In the car, my kids couldn’t stop gushing about you—our “angel in disguise.” They prayed for you. They prayed that you would be blessed. You restored some of our lost faith. One simple and small act changed our lives. You’ve probably forgotten about us by now, but we haven’t forgotten about you. You will forever be a part of us, even though we don’t even know your name.

You have no idea how grateful and embarrassed I am that we pay for all our food with SNAP. We eat well, thanks to the government, and for that, I’m grateful. I love that the government ensures my kids are cared for—it’s one less worry for us. But I also wrestle with pride and embarrassment. I tell people we’re on SNAP, almost defiantly, daring them to judge us.

Only those closest to us know why we’re on SNAP. They know my husband is a hardworking man who was laid off after 17 years in management. They know we were relocated to a new state only to be left homeless when the house that came with his job was no longer ours. Only those closest to us know my husband works part-time while tirelessly searching for more. They know he’s submitted countless applications, with far fewer interviews in return. Too many jobs now only offer part-time work. And it’s not easy for a 40-something-year-old man to find a job that can support a family of five kids.

You don’t know any of this, but it didn’t stop you from showing compassion and generosity to someone you’d never met.

To the woman behind me at the grocery store: You have no idea how much we appreciate you. You have no idea the impact you had on my kids. You have no idea how incredibly thankful I am for you. Your action may have seemed small, but to us, it was monumental.

Thank you.

Thank you for not judging us. Thank you for giving my kids a snack when they were hungry. Thank you.

Just thank you.

Forever,
Andrea
The woman in front of you at the grocery store with the cart full of kids who are no longer hungry.

02/22/2025

No injuries were reported, officials said, after a section of concrete collapsed onto Interstate 90 in the Prudential Tunnel in Boston on Friday, damaging some vehicles.

Transportation officials said recent weather likely played a role in the collapse.

02/22/2025

02/22/2025

My parents recently saw four stray cats in their garden. Given the harsh winters, my dad decided to give them a shelter to protect them from the cold.
The shelter: created an isolated "condo" for them, ideal to keep them warm.
Installation: Installed a platform to store their food and water, to protect them from other wild animals.
The nest box: A bird nest box has also been added, bringing an extra touch of entertainment to the garden.
👉 Building shelters for stray animals is an admirable initiative, especially during harsh winters.

02/22/2025

Sclafani family fishing in Canal by Smith Point bridge, Shirley, NY Summer 1968.