RARE FIND: Gary Dahler from Campbelltown Road brought in this
rare find to show our readers.

These are twin black walnuts, an anomaly of nature because they
share one stem rather than each having their own stem.

Gary tells us that these walnuts were the last to fall from his
tree, dropping about 12 feet — without falling apart. “I was
surprised they survived intact from that high of a fall,” he tells
us.

Gary had originally planted 10 black walnut trees but only two
trees survived. “The others fell prey to deer, rabbits and the
lawnmower,” he reports.

Meanwhile, the black part of the nuts will stain anything, so we
handled them pretty carefully. They got progressively darker while
they sat on our desk and, at the moment, are covered not just in
black but in a fuzzy material that resembles mold. Maybe that’s not
a natural occurrence but a result of their indoor environment,
partially closed up in a bag.

Gary tells us the walnuts have a very strong taste but are good
for baking. And, it’s literally one tough nut to crack — as
evidenced by this sturdy covering.

A SALUTE: Complaints about upkeep of cemeteries had been a
staple of letters we receive and one prompted a news story and,
surprisingly, action from a senior at Smethport Area High School.
The Era recently featured a story on Parker Gorrell who, as a
senior project, had taken care of about 150 grave markers in McKean
Memorial Park, Lafayette.

Angela C. Shipman of Lafayette was one of those who had written
to us about this cemetery and now  has passed along her gratitude
to Parker. “I know that I personally saw you at the park over the
summer as I walk there almost every day!” she wrote.

“It was so refreshing to see that our cause touched you, and I
applaud you even more so for being a young volunteer and doing
something so nice for so many,” she wrote.