Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,
Our Wednesday went as planned for the most part. The funeral Mass for our former teacher friend, the visit with Mom, and the Annual Credit Union dinner at the Italian American Club went well. I even had time to squeeze in a nap.

I was thinking about the funeral all day long. I found it difficult to pray to a picture and an urn of ashes. I am so used to a casket surrounded by 6 pall bearers. I suppose that "dead is dead" no matgter what form that the deceased is in.
My mind started to wander in Church even more after I recognized the funeral director, and his wife at the service. These two were married about 10 years ago. For him, it was a second marriage. She was a high school teacher at Pittsfield High School, who was in her early fifties at the time of their marriage. I was trying to visualize the conversation which would take place after a day of work. Here is my version:

Teacher: "How did your day go today?"

Funeral Director: "The Funeral Mass at St. Joesph's went well! We did have a little traffic trouble as we left the funeral home on the way to the Church. The people on the roads didn't make it easy for the funeral procession to make its way to the Church."

Teacher: "What did you do the rest of the day?"

Funeral director: "I had to pick up a body at a nursing home in Lee around noon. The hospital called about 1 PM, and asked me to pick up another body. I had to meet with both families to discuss arrangements. After dealing with the families, I had to embalm both bodies. I contacted "the hair and make up person", and she will be coming tomorrow to prepare the bodies for the wakes."

Teacher: "You sound like you might enjoy a glass of red wine"?

Funeral Director: "Honey, you know that I can't drink red wine after I embalmed two bodies?"

Teacher: "How about a good stiff drink of gin or vodka?"

Funeral Director: "Can you not use the word "stiff" when referring to drinks in respect to the deceased?"

Teacher: "I will get you a very dry martini."

Funeral Director: "So how did your day at school go?"

Teacher: "My students were alive, but pretty much brain dead."

And the conversation continued.

Another thing about the Catholic Mass which disturbs me is the part where you display the sign of peace by shaking the hands of the people all around you. With the MRSA stuff my mother has been going through in the hospital and nursing homes, germ transferal takes place quite often by way of the hands. The Church might want to revert to old non contact way of sharing the peace. If not, should I take those hospital gloves with me when attending Mass. This is not a laughing matter.

Social Calendar -- Linda doesn't have to leave the house until this evening which is when her "Book Club Dinner / Meeting" at the home of a book club member.

I have only three things to do today. I leave the house at 10 AM to take a friend for some knee repair surgery. They will clean up his knee, and discharge him in the afternoon. This, just under 60 year old friend, will be back on his feet doing normal activities in no time at all.
Since the day surgery, and the hospital are in the same complex, I will visit Mom after dropping off my friend.
My UNICO brothers and sisters are cooking another Pasta Dinner Fund Raiser at the Italian American Club from 5 to 7 PM for a softball and baseball team from the same school. Yes, this is three nights in a row that I will have been at the Italian American Club.

Weather -- We did receive a little spring like tease yesterday, and we won't see that 60 degree weather for over 7 days.
We are locked into a pattern of Highs in the forties, and Lows in the twenties with at least one day not quite reaching forty degrees, and hitting the teens for the low. Winter doesn't want to let go!


Politics -- The AIG fiasco dominated the news. I am waiting for the final solution.

Well, I can relax for a while today until my first activity.
Talk to you soon.
Have a great Thursday. The Curley Lad