Hello on Saturday on Halloween

Dear Friends,

Happy Halloween from the Curley's!

Hope that the weather cooperates in your part of the United States for "Trick
or Treat" night, if you have it this evening. We have a 50 % chance of late day
showers before the evening rains arrive.
Pittsfield does have it's "Trick or Treat" night from 5 PM until 7 PM. We have
enough candy for at least 200 children. Our interconnecting streets in our
neighborhood, a former apple orchard, are an ideal place for "Trick or
Treaters". We also have children from outside of our neighborhood arrive by
cars, trucks, and vans because we are such a safe and non threatening place.
For another Halloween, Linda's girlfriend will be passing out candy from our
house since she misses seeing all the children, and their various costumes. She
lives in a neighboring town on an isolated street bordered by some scary woods.
I don't think that I will be dressing up this year. Since we have a helper
passing out candy, I might just watch college football and the World Series.

Friday went as planned with a few changes. I left for golf before Linda woke up
for her retiree breakfast. I was under dressed for golf. It got so cold during
the last five or six holes that most of us couldn't wait to get back to the club
house for fun and merriment, and to warm up.
I arrived home just about the time that Linda was heading off to the grocery
store. I took a nap while she was shopping. I woke up just in time to help haul
groceries from her car into the house.

Our evening went very well, and it was totally unplanned. We were heading to my
hometown to go to a restaurant to use a coupon that Linda had purchased during a
radio auction. I didn't want it to be date night so I suggested that Linda call
another couple, and see if they wanted to join us. The south county couple said
"Yes", but they were waiting for a 6:30 PM delivery of a lounge chair.
They purchased this chair because it will be used by our male friend who is
having rotator cuff surgery on Monday afternoon. Sleeping in bed will be a
problem after this type of surgery. The chair should help out.
This lounge chair is similar to the one Linda purchased for me when I had
quadriceps tendon surgery a couple of years ago. The lever on the chair is on
the right side which is the same side as where his operation will be taking
place. It appears that he will be needing help getting in and out of the chair.
His wife is already starting to get into "Nurse and caregiver mode". She had to
go out and purchase over sized clothes because his arm will be strapped to his
chest. She will be dressing him every day, and waiting on him like a nurse,
mother, caregiver, etc. I am guessing that her pleasant personality might be
altered after a few days.
She owns a woman's specialty store, and who is going to take care of her
business?
Linda and I might have to make frequent visits to help him get to the point
where he will be able to do things for himself, and to give his wife a little
break from taking care of him.
Luckily my friend is left handed, and he will be able to use a fork, and spoon,
but there is no way that he will be able to use a knife to cut food.
I am guessing that "Nurse Judie" will be popping some of his pain pills in no
time at all!

Another baby boomer friend is going to have some repairs done to a knee next
week which is all messed up from playing high school football.
Next week, I will start in North County and visit this friend. I will head
south about 10 miles, and visit my mother in the nursing home. I will then leave
Mom, and head further south to visit with my rotator cuff surgery friend. I will
be like a worker from the local visiting nurse association.
Is this what they refer to as "The Golden Years?"

Sports -- The World Series, and college football are good enough to keep me
entertained.
The Celtics beat up on another terrible NBA Team on Friday night.

Social Calendar -- Besides "Trick or Treat", we have to think about eating
something else other than candy. We might whip up some type of crock pot food. I
might even dust off the bread machine, and whip up a fall like bread.
Linda and her girlfriend, and possibly "Nurse Judie"(before she has to go off
and work at her store) will be heading off to a crafts and food bazaar at the
Italian American Club on Newell Street. Linda dropped off her three pumpkin
breads to the club on Friday. She said that there were mostly Italian foods,
and not too many crafts. They are going early (9:15 AM) because Linda was
guessing that the food specialties would disappear very fast.
I better visit Mom at the nursing home before I start some outdoor projects.
We got invited to a Halloween party too, but we might not have the energy to
attend.

Clock Change -- This is the worst time of the year for me. Turning the clocks
back means that I will be getting up earlier than I do now. This is not good!
Linda on the other hand loves it when the clocks get turned back an hour. She
can't wait to pick up that extra hour of sleep unless I start making too much
noise. She said that I was noisy on Friday morning. Being quiet for me is not
exactly what quiet is for Linda.

As you see, we have another full day ahead of us.

Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,
Another day went as planned in Curley world. I did have a pleasant 2.5 hour
drive both back and forth from Devens, Massachusetts. I took major highways to
the convention, and the scenic route back home. Either way, it still took 2.5
hours.
My meeting went well. An elderly gentleman fell off of his chair, and hit the
floor. I think that he fell asleep, and slid off of his chair. He required no
medical attention, and he got back on the chair by himself.
I was one of the younger people in the room. The basic theme that I got from
the meeting was that the pensions that we are enjoying right now really decrease
in value the longer that we live.
There are some Massachusetts teachers right now who retired in the 70's and
80's who are trying to live on $720 per month. They are living below the poverty
level.

While I was doing my thing, Linda was writing out bills as well as doing a
little fall decorating. The pension checks should be deposited in our accounts
today to cover what she wrote out on Thursday.

I arrived home from my adventure at 3:30 PM. I needed a quick one hour nap
before our evening activity.

The Polenta dinner went very well. The two tables of 8 people that I reserved
were filled. It was so nice to have everyone who said that they would come to
the dinner show up. There was about 200 people who were served a delicious meal.
We arrived home during the first inning of the World Series Game. I decided to
stay upstairs, and watch the game in bed. As usual, I fell asleep in no time at
all. I didn't know who even won the game until I checked the computer. The
Yankees are now leaving for Philadelphia with the series tied at one game each.
Both teams are taking the train from New York to Philadelphia.

Social Calendar -- Linda is off to her end of the month breakfast for retired
women associated with Pittsfield High School.
I am going to play golf with my senior buddies today. This is after I put away
my clubs, and golf shoes, gear, etc., thinking that the cold weather was here to
stay. Well, it is 49 degrees outside right now, and we are heading for the mid
50's. It should be a pleasant day on the golf course.

Observation -- Our schools in Pittsfield are starting to have less and less
students in them because of the flu. The public in general is scared beyond
belief. I wouldn't want to be a teacher in the schools right now.
As an example of the wackiness, one of our friends, who is still teaching, was
telling us about a new directive which came down from administration. Teachers
are now supposed to have an emergency supplies if the school goes into a lock
down. Here is some of what they teachers must have:
They are supposed to have velvet, or some form of cloth to cover all windows.
Duct tape.
The are supposed to have a bucket so that students can relieve themselves while
in the locked classroom.
They are supposed to have sanity napkins in case female students happens to have
their period during the lock down.
They are supposed to have a first aid kit, flash lights,etc..
They are supposed to have cards and games so that the students can keep
themselves entertained during the emergency situation.
The teacher is expected to provide all this stuff out of their own pocket.
Do you wonder why America is not number one in the world with respect to
producing educated students?
Do you wonder why both of us have no desire to return to the classroom?

Sister's surgery -- Linda and I did go to the hospital before the Polenta Dinner
to see how the surgery went. She was still in surgery / recovery when we arrived
at the hospital around 5 PM. We were thinking that they were going to keep her
overnight. We will make some telephone calls to find out how things went.

Well, I have to do some quiet chores before loading up my car with golf clubs,
and golf gear.
Have a great weekend.
Don't eat too much leftover candy from Treak or Treat night.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,

Linda spent a good portion of the day in the kitchen baking. I love it when she
goes domestic! It brings back memories of my mother spending a good portion of
the day in the kitchen making three square meals for our family.
As we get older, the idea of standing over a hot stove and oven has become less
appealing. The attitude now is: "I want to be waited on." I am from the old
school. I like it when the female / mother / wife took care of her children and
husband. What went wrong?
While Linda was baking, the house was alive with some great smells. Two
girlfriends, who Linda was driving to BONCO, walked into the house, and said:
"What smells so go good?" They soon found out it was the pumpkin breads. Linda
gave them each a taste. They wanted to stay at the Curley's, and eat a couple
more slices / loaves instead of going off to BONCO, a 20 minute drive from our
house. Linda was the designated driver!

My visit to the dentist went okay. I have to gum my food for a couple more
hours. The dentist said that the cavity was a huge one, and he didn't want me
chew and grind on this newly filled cavity for 24 hours. The dentist had to take
out the old cavity, to get to the decay beneath it. I thought that he would
loosen it, and pop it out. Not! He had to drill his way through the old filling
before prepping the tooth for the new filling. A trip to the dentist is always
an adventure for the Curley Lad.

Sports -- I flipped between the Celtics, and the World Series last evening. My
Celtics toyed with an awful NBA team on their way to a rout.
The New York Yankees couldn't win the first game of the World Series in their
own ballpark. Good pitching will always beat good hitting. Since the mid 90's,
the team which has won the first game of the World Series has gone on to
eventually win the World Series. We shall see!
Speaking of awful teams, the National Footbal there might be one bad team that
everyone would beat up, but now there are 6 or 7 teams struggling just to win a
game or two. If it continues on like this, the league will self destruct!

Social Calendar -- I am leaving the house at 6:30 AM, and driving 2.5 hours to
the Annual REAM convention on the grounds of the former Fort Devens. It is now
called Deven's Commons. The meeting starts at 9:30 AM with a coffee hour
starting 30 minutes before the meeting. We break for lunch. We take care of a
little business after lunch, and then I head back to the Berkshires.
Linda will be enjoying several hours of peace and quiet after a routine doctor
appointment.

No, our day doesn't end when I arrive home. We are off to a 6:30 PM Polenta
Dinner at the ITAM. It is a fundraiser for our Lodge. The food, fun, and
merriment should end at around 8:30 PM. I will be one tired puppy when this day
is over.


Politics -- The President is going to meet the coffins of the latest round of
soldiers killed in action. It is little consolation to the families which have
lost their loved ones. Will sending in more troops stop the blood shed, or will
it give the bad guys more targets to shoot at? What is the solution to stopping
the bloodshed?

Observation -- A little while before the cake baking, I helped Linda move some
buckets in the storage room / furnace area. We were looking for some buckets
marked "Fall". She is getting much better at throwing things out, but isn't
quite there yet. I kept on stressing that if we haven't used the item in several
years, and we don't plan on doing so, and we don't think that anyone would could
possibly use it, then throw it out.
Some items we did find are classified as re gifting items. We do have to be
careful not to send them back to the person who gave us the item.
I believe that some of the items, which we put our hands on, have already been
re gifted once.
One item which we put our hands on was a device called "Salad Master". This is
a hand crank device that can slice vegetables in different shapes and sizes by
changing a cylindrical / cone like blades.
We got the item from my parents years ago as mom's hands became more arthritic.
I remember a man coming to the family home in Lee to sell my parents a set of
stainless steel pots and pans, which they still have, when I was about 10 years
old. The "Salad Master" device was an extra if you bought the set of pans.
I just couldn't throw out the device. I must be emotionally attached to the
item. It has sentimental value, but we will never use it. We are so lazy now
that we can purchase any vegetables sliced and bagged in any shape or size. Of
course we have electronic devices that have replaced most hand cranked items. Is
there a museum for antique kitchen items?

My sister has day surgery on her elbow today. I am hoping that everything goes
as planned. Functioning with one arm, until the healing is done, will be
difficult. Family members have already volunteered to do the cooking for
Thanksgiving at her house.

Well, I have to select a wardrobe for my meeting.
I am deciding whether to take the scenic route, or stay on main roads like the
Mass Turnpike. My GPS device has me heading East on the Mass Pike. This way is
good for us old folks who might need to use a restroom more often than the
younger generation.

Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday Morning

Dear Friends,

Another day went as planned with only a few changes. I did the garage thing
from 9 AM until 2:30 PM. I moved so many buckets that I lost count. I filled up
two of three trash cans with accumulated junk. I told Linda not to ask me what I
threw out.
I am ready to put out the Christmas glasses and coffee mugs, but Linda thinks
that it is a bit early. Since we have Thanksgiving at the other end of the
State, it is difficult to get excited decorating the house with a Thanksgiving
theme.
We will put out a few fall items, but not as much as in the past.

I am going off to the dentist this morning to fix a cavity under a cavity. I
will have the dentist shoot me up with Novocaine, before he starts drilling and
filling. I can hear the whine of the drill, and I am not even at the dentist
office yet. The dentist normally sets aside 30 minutes for filling a cavity.
When I have work done, he sets aside an hour. I can't wait!

Linda will be a baking machine today. She is making three pumpkin breads for a
weekend bazaar at the Italian American Club. While the breads are baking, she
will be making a cake for Thursday evening's Polenta Dinner at the ITAM.
I might push / encourage her to make a batch of those pumpkin cookies while the
oven is still hot. This cookie recipe was passed on to Linda by an elder member
of out ITAM Lodge. The cookies are so good! The recipe can only be passed on to
family members, or really close friends.

I am up early because my sleep apnea mask kept on falling apart while I was
trying to get some sleep. The plastic pieces are getting tired. I don't go in
for a pulmonary check up until November 19, 2009. I need to get a new
prescription, and purchase the device at a different provider. We changed health
care plans on July 1, 2009. We are playing by a different set of rules.

Sports -- I usually fall asleep listening to a Sports talk program on the
radio. A 42 year old woman, who is a Phillies fan, really wanted to go to the
World Series. She was so desperate to get tickets to the games, that she offered
her body up by way of a Craigslist advertisement. An undercover policeman
answered her request, and arrested her for Prostitution. Now that's a sports
fan!

I did watch the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on opening night of
the NBA season. Lebron James scored 38 points for Cleveland, but what good is it
when your team looses the game in your own house? I can't really sit there , and
watch an NBA game from start to finish. I put the volume on low, and read a book
at the same time.

Linda not only played Mah Jongg with her normal Tuesday group, but she was
asked to play last evening with a third group. She is a substitute in this
group. She arrived home just as the Celtic game ended.
She is out again this evening, but it is with her once a month BONCO group of
women.
As you see, no moss has a chance to grow under the feet of the Curley's.
We just need to find a couple of days where we have a totally free social
calendar. This won't happen until late next week!

Observation -- My new device that I made for the birds has not been working as
planned. Two chipmunks, and three squirrels have been eating most of my
sunflower seeds. When it started to rain yesterday afternoon, the furry
creatures left, and the birds returned. If I lived in a wooded area, I would
seriously consider shooting the furry creatures.
I set out one of my mouse traps with the hopes of killing a chipmunk. The
chipmunk set off the trap with out getting caught in it, and ate the bait
(crunchy peanut butter). They are so smart that even a "Have a Heart" won't even
work.
I have poison bait, but I am afraid to put it our because our son brings his two
dogs when he and his family travels to the Berkshires from East Boston.
I am going to win this battle with the furry creatures, but I haven't figured
out how. I feel like I am fighting the Taliban. The targets are always moving
from place to place, and they often hit and run.

Politics -- We are losing military personnel on a daily basis. It must be so sad
for loved ones to receive that type of news. Does anyone have a solution to the
daily killings, and bombings? It is so sad that the terrorist kill so many of
their own people, and for what reason.

Have a pleasant Wednesday.
Say a prayer for all of our military who are in "Harms Way!"
Will there ever be Peace in that part of the world?
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,

Another day went as planned on Monday. My first stop was to my parent's home in
Lee to remove two air conditioners. Dad wasn't home at the time. He was doing
his morning routine of socializing with some senior friends at the local
MacDonald's. After completing this task, I headed off to visit Mom at the
Providence Care Nursing home in Lenox (5 miles north of Lee). Since the weather
was rather pleasant for a fall day, I took Mom outside for almost an hour. She
loved breathing the good old fresh air while getting a good dose of sunshine.

Speaking of sunshine, a report came out that said today's youngsters are
growing up with a lack of Vitamin D, which comes from the sun. Of course the
medical solution is to give the kids a pill to solve the problem. Our parents
knew how to solve the Vitamin D deficiency by making us kids get out of the
house, and play outdoors. The younger generation wants to sit in front of
television, or use an X-Box, Wii and play video games, or play on the computer,
and surf the internet. What ever happened to grabbing a basketball, or a bat
and ball, and head off to the local park, and play some pick up games with the
neighborhood kids?

Speaking of the computers, I am so glad that I grew up without them even though
I use them daily right now to communicate with family and friends, book trips,
hotels, events, etc.
You can't watch a minute of television without seeing one of those "E harmony.
com " commercials. What ever happened to getting out of the house, heading off
to a tavern, social gathering, young professional associations, volunteer
organizations, work related gatherings, etc. and finding a lifetime partner, or
at least someone to go out with? Relationships can't materialize unless you "Put
it out there".
As an example, there are several adult costume parties this Halloween weekend
at establishments through out the county. If I was single, I would get myself a
costume, and attend a couple of parties, and hopefully make contact with a
member of the opposite sex. They have several parties this weekend that even
cater to people looking for a partner of the same sex.
If you don't want to go alone, grab a couple of friends who are in the same
situation as you.
My point is that you have to work at establishing a relationship. I believe
that it needs to be done in person. Yes, there are wacko's in the venues that I
described above, but there are just as many wacko's on the internet who make up
information about themselves.

Social Calendar -- Linda has her normal Tuesday Mah Jongg session. I am going
to attack the garage. I need to get down every bucket (at least 20 of them)
which has something to do with Christmas. I have to see what we have, and what
needs to be replaced. As I said in a previous e-mail, we are going to "do up"
Christmas kind of special since both or our sons and their families will be in
Pittsfield for Christmas. We will most likely be lit up like "Chevvy Chase"
Christmas Classic.

My new mouse traps caught another mouse. It continues to work as described on
the package.
My new bird holder set up has been working fine until I saw a chipmunk
yesterday afternoon, with his cheeks so filled with sunflower seeds, dinning at
my bird feeder. He must be getting ready for the winter at my expense! I would
use one of my new mouse traps, but I don't want to kill a bird by mistake.

My sleep cycle is out of whack today because I went too bed to early. Let me
correct that statement, I wanted to watch Monday night Football as the ladies
were playing Mah Jongg in the basement. I was watching the pregame stuff in the
family room. At 8 PM, my football watching ended because Linda was DVR recording
"Dancing with the stars" and "So you think you can dance?" I proceeded to watch
football on the bedroom television. Well, as soon as I got into a horizontal
position, I fell asleep in two minutes. By 3 AM, I was all slept out. I will
need an afternoon nap for sure!

One of my diehard Yankee fans, who reads my daily e-mails, was wondering why I
didn't mention the Yankee win the other evening. The win propelled the Yankees
in the World Series which starts tomorrow night. If you are a Red Sox fan, it is
so difficult to root for a team which broke my heart. I find it so difficult to
cheer for or to get excited about a team whom I grew up despising. Yes, I know
that I will get sucked into watching some of the games of the World Series. The
question is, who will I be cheering for? I could care less about either team!

Well, I might go back to bed right now, and see if I could pick up some
valuable hours of sleep before I tackle today's project.
Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Monday Morning

Dear Friends,

Sunday went as planned. I moved the deck furniture to the screened in room on
the deck. My grill is the only item on our two level deck.
I made and stained a bird feeder holder so that we can watch the birds
feasting on sun flower seeds while looking out of the family room through the
sliding glass doors.
The birds were at the bird feeders as I was watching the Patriots beat up the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in sunny old England. Luckily the Patriots have a "Bye"
week this coming weekend.

Linda had fun at the apple orchard / vineyard. She didn't bring home any wine
since we are still working on wine from the Finger Lakes region in western New
York State.
She did bring home some apples that are so large you can just about make one
pie using one apple.

Last night we had a Costco Pizza for supper. Yes, I know it is not the
healthiest of foods, but it does go well with football watching. We cooked the
pizza in the oven using a pizza stone. We have never cooked a pizza using this
stone which we purchased years ago. If you want crispy pizza, you will get it
using a pizza stone.
When our son and his wife, from Kansas, cook pizza on their grill, they use
pizza stones too. The Curley's will never cook a pizza without one.

I just got through cutting up the vegetable for a crock pot soup. It will be a
chicken and vegetable soup when Linda finishes putting in the remaining
ingredients, and spices.

Speaking of food, I think that this is the week that our son in East Boston
will be serving food for the production crew which is making a movie starring
Tom Cruise in a nearby warehouse. Tom won't be eating at "Dough", but it would
be neat if he did stop in and say "Hi" to Kevin and his kitchen crew.

We have another busy week coming up. I will be heading to Lee to see if Dad
needs anything done at his home. I am not sure if the air conditioners have been
removed. If I don't do the removal, then my nephew takes them out.
I will also stop and visit Mom at the nursing home on the way home from Lee. If
it warms up enough, I will take her for a walk outside.
Mom is still wheel chair bound.

Linda is hosting a session of Mah Jongg this evening at 6:30 PM. I will be
watching Monday Night Football.

Observation -- As I was dealing with the deck furniture, I started to think
about living in a Condo once again. The friend that I chatted with the other day
said that grandparents are selling their homes in the Berkshires, and moving to
where their children and grandchildren live. A colleague of mine did that soon
after he retired. His daughter had triplets. Him and his wife sold their home in
Pittsfield, and moved to Texas to be near / with their daughter, and her family.
Our circle of friends have children who have no desire to return to the
Berkshires to raise a family.
Some of our friends are really attached to their homes, and they have no desire
to move at all. They pretty much want to live and die in their own homes. That
was the attitude from my parent's generation.
I chatted with another lady at a luncheon the other day. Her and her husband
live in a place called Salisbury Estates (55 and older) in Pittsfield. You
purchase a one level home with a garage. You pay a maintenance fee to take care
of the lawn, plants, etc. She said that if your roof leaks, it is covered. If
you have a plumbing problem, that it covered too. When you go to sell your unit,
you get back about 80 % of your initial purchase price. There is a 115 person
waiting list to get into one of these limited units.
I guess that I am not the only one who thinks that maintaining a home forever
is not all that appealing.

Politics -- A bombing in a secure part of Baghdad killed over 100 people. Is it
time to get out of Baghdad, and Afghanistan, and let these people run their own
countries?

Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and get dressed for my activities for
today.
Linda will have several hours without interruption. She will be loving every
moment.
Yesterday, a 10 AM telephone call from her shopping buddy woke her up. She
usually doesn't sleep that late, but a 12 hour day of shopping and dinning out
must have been exhausting.

Have a great week at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Sunday Morning

Dear Friends,

Another day in our lives went as planned. Linda had a 12 hour day of shopping
and dinning out with a girlfriend. I was home alone enjoying every moment of
total relaxation. I did get off the couch a couple of times to get food and
beverages as I watched the endless college football games. If it didn't rain for
most of the day, I would have been dealing with deck furniture, seat cushions,
tables, umbrellas, etc.
When there was a lull in the rain, I did unclog two gutters. I used a step
ladder to unclog the gutter in front of the garage door. To take care of the
second drain, I climbed out a bedroom window onto the roof of the screened in
room on the deck. It wasn't raining when I attacked this gutter. As I was
removing debris from the gutter, it started raining "cats and dogs". I got so
wet in two minutes that I had to change all of my clothes, but the water is
flowing freely through that gutter.

The President thinks that swine flu is serious business. The Pittsfield Public
Schools sent about a dozen children home from school beginning on Thursday.
Maybe it is good that Linda and I are retired.

Observation One --Washing of ones hands is stressed everywhere as a
preventative measure. I was thinking that the Catholics should alter the shaking
of hands during the Mass as a "sign of peace". I told the person if front of us
the other day that Linda and I both had colds, and that it might be a good idea
to skip the hand shaking. The woman agreed!
I never liked this shaking of hands even when it was first instituted as part
of a Catholic Mass. I believed that the Mass should be a personal thing between
you and your Maker.
I actually liked it when the Masses were in Latin. When the Church went to
English, the mystical nature of the Catholic Mass was lost forever. These are
comments from a former altar boy!

Observation two -- How about the 22 year old Saudi woman journalist who is
going to get 60 lashes for talking about sex on television. Can you imagine all
the woman in the United States who would get 60 lashes because of what is shown
and discussed on American television?

Observation three -- I did receive a telephone call in the middle of my
football games on Saturday. The telephone conversation lasted for about 30
minutes (which is unusual for me). This lady lost her husband a few years ago to
cancer. She said that the most difficult time for her is when she is at home,
and alone at night.
She does have family, and grandchildren to keep her busy during the day. I
told her what we were doing, and about our grandchildren, and our trips to see
them. She said to enjoy every moment that you have with family, significant
other, and friends because you never know what happens in life. The woman didn't
have to remind the Curley Lad of this. I have already adopted this attitude in
my own life.

Social Calendar -- I have orders not to disturb the Queen until she goes off to
an afternoon adventure. Her Red Hat Group is going off to an Apple Orchard which
has gotten into the Wine making industry. I will have to make room in the
refrigerator for apples, and in our wine rack for some local bottles of wine.
I would like to work on the deck at daylight because I have to get ready for
another day of football. My Patriots play at 1 PM. I also want to see the game
between Minnesota and Pittsburgh.

Speaking of Minnesota -- Most people think that Massachusetts is a somewhat
wacky, liberal, gay marriage loving, marijuana smoking place ( you can possess
an ounce or less of the weed, and not be jailed). Well, the courts in Minnesota
have ruled that bong water can add more years to a jail sentence if it is found
to have traces on marijuana in it. Well, if you do use a bong to smoke marijuana
why would the water not have traces of the weed in it?
Minnesota is the same State that carrying a concealed weapon is perfectly
legal except for when you are in their airport or at the Mall of America.
Sorry if I offended anyone who has roots to Minnesota!

Well, I have to read the Boston Globe and the Berkshire Eagle before starting
my yard work.
Have a great Sunday!
I am mentally prepared for having a wonderful Sunday too! The Curley Lad

Dear Friends,

The yard work saga continued on Friday. I think that I can finish the task in
one more day.
The pizza party went well except for the fact that there were only 8 people,
and four huge pizzas.
The non healthy food and beverages were wonderful. I will have to chop a chord
of wood to burn up those excess calories.
I came home after the party to try and squeeze in a power nap before our 3:30
PM sign holding, but it didn't work out.
Linda was doing errands while I was doing my thing. She used a whole bunch of
those coupons which she cut out on Thursday, and purchased bags and bags of
Halloween Candy. We are prepared for 200 + Trick or Treater's in our
neighborhood.

My snow blower and riding lawnmower came back from the repair shop. They are
both turned up, and ready to go. The snow blower didn't have a bearing problem.
It was some worn belts.

We go to our assigned spot for holding those visibility signs for the
incumbent Mayor, and no one was there. After making a few telephone calls, we
ended up at our one rotary (soon to be a distant memory) in Pittsfield. We were
supposed to get an e-mail of the change. Not! There were about 12 of us sign
holders. The Mayor's one opponent had no one there representing his potential
voters. Yes, I know that what we were doing doesn't necessarily mean a vote for
our candidate

Supper at the Shamrock took place after the sign holding. There were three of
us. It was an early night especially since I missed my usual two hour afternoon
nap.

Observation -- I did get some very good responses to my discussion about the
Curley's moving into a condo (just talk so far).
One person agreed that their yard upkeep is becoming overwhelming, but she has
a multiple acre yard.
One friend suggested to plant less which he does.
Another friend suggested to make the yard work as couples experience, and
treat it like exercise. This won't happen for Linda and I at the current stage
in our life.
It is like the camping experience. When we were young, and the children were
small, camping was one of the affordable ways to have a family vacation. Now, we
don't want to be on the ground in a tent, using portable toilets, and communal
showers which run out of hot water, fighting the mosquitoes, etc.
We haven't put camping completely out of our minds. When our children decide
to have their children experience camping, Linda and I will make a day trip from
our air conditioned hotel to be with them by the campfire.

Social Calendar -- Linda is off with a girlfriend in a few short hours for a
day of food, shopping at Malls and Costco, etc.. I will miss her dearly as I
watch college football all day and all night long until she returns especially
since rain is in the forecast. I do have some house chores to take care of in
between the commercials, and at half time of the sporting contests.

I think that I might do my normal chicken Novena. I do this when Linda is out
of the house for long periods of time. She is not as fond of the chicken
experience as I am. I might have to prepare the chicken on the grill, even if
the rain is continuous. Linda doesn't have enough Yankee Candles to mask the
smell of chicken grease which usually permeates the house.

Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and send some e-mails.
Have a great weekend.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,

Our Tuesday went as planned except that I didn't go and visit mom at the
nursing home. I got tied up with yard work since it was a nice day to be
outdoors. Linda even found a few minutes to cut my hair in the back yard. I
still have another day or so work in the flower beds, as well as dealing with
deck furniture.

The neighborhood watch meeting went well. We had a 15 year veteran from the
County Sheriff's department. I asked how many are currently incarcerated, and
the make up of the bad guys in our County jail. Berkshire County has 209
inmates, and 125 people awaiting trial. About 30 inmates are female with some
who are pregnant. The inmates are mostly Spanish, Black, and gang members from
the "Bloods andCrips", Latino gangs, etc.. Drugs have brought most of them to
reside in our jails. If this is what is happening in Berkshire Count, can you
imagine what is happening in the Boston area, or any of the major cities in
general?
The inmates often come from broken homes.
We spend about $40,000 a year to keep an inmate in jail. We spend about $10,000
per child yearly in Pittsfield as a school cost.

Social Calendar -- I am supposed to play golf this morning, but I am not going
with the temperature being only 38 degrees with a wind. The end of the year
pizza party will still take place at 12:30 PM whether anyone plays golf or not.
At 3:30 PM we will be holding visibility signs for the incumbent mayor.
When our shift gets over at 5:30 PM, we will be going out for supper with a
female friend whose husband is on a business trip in Georgia.

Mouse Saga -- One of my high tech traps worked as described. I showed Linda the
deceased before I disposed of the carcass.
If you are trying to visualize what the trap looks like, it very similar to a
clip that you would use to close up a bag of chips with. I will check the traps
after sending this e-mail.
One of my old fashioned wooden traps has disappeared completely. I had set it
next to the plastic trap. Maybe the mouse got a leg trapped, and dragged himself
and the trap back to where his home is.

Sports -- I did stay up and watch the Yankees go down to defeat. I must admit
that I was cheering for the winning team!

Observation -- While I was in the back yard making a dent in the fall cleanup,
I was saying to myself that the routine is getting old, and exhausting. Linda
came out, and said that she is ready to move into a condo. Her interest in
planting, and me maintaining, and cleaning up, etc. is starting to fade as we
become more mature. If we were rolling in the dough, we would just pay for the
work to be done. More and more of us baby boomers are feeling the same way.
There is only one couple at the other end of the State who still loves the yard
work. The female in this relationship knows how to use their riding lawnmower.
She also enjoys planting, and weeding, decorating for the various seasons.
Linda spent at least five hours cutting coupons which started to back up
because of all the traveling which we have been doing.
Of course, I might have interrupted her a few times.

Observation 2 -- I felt so bad for the little girl in Florida who was abducted,
and found dead in a landfill in a neighboring State a few days later. What is
wrong with some people in this world? This is another death penalty issue if the
police ever catch the guilty person or persons.

Politics -- None that caught my attention!

I found out that my sister needs elbow surgery next week. This means that my
golfing buddy gets his rotator cuff fixed on Monday, and my sister has her
surgery next Thursday.

While chatting on the telephone yesterday, Linda found out that two people,
whom we kno, are dealing with breast cancer issues.
I am definitely afraid to ask how a person is doing with all the stuff going on
with my family, and our friends.


Well, it is time for me to decide whether to golf or not.
I am going to enjoy today and the weekend no matter what the forecast is (Rain
all day on Saturday).
Life is too short to sweat the little stuff.
Get out there and enjoy family and friends!
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad

Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,

Another day went exactly as planned. The luncheon went very. The guest speaker
from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts did a great job. She was a former
college biology teacher who now is an administrator at the college. No one
complained about the food which also was a positive. They had a Chinese raffle,
and Linda won three times. Since she is the wife of the President, some people
thought that the raffle might have been fixed.

Mah Jongg went okay for Linda last evening. She came home earlier than I had
expected because the other participants were tired.
My friend did come over to our house as Linda left to play Mah Jongg. We bonded
for an hour and solved all the problems in the world.

Social Calendar -- After a mid morning body maintenance procedure, I am pretty
sure that Linda has no other commitments.
I am going to the nursing home, and take Mom outside since the weatherman
predicted a shorts, and shirt sleeve day before a front cools things off. I do
need to finish my yard projects too.
I do have an evening commitment. There is a "Neighborhood Watch" meeting at a
friend's home at 6:30 PM.

Mice Saga -- One of the plastic traps was moved from the position which I set
it in on Wednesday. The trap never got set off once again.
I set out a wooden trap next to the plastic trap. The trap is gone. When
daylight arrives, I will see if I can find the trap, and hopefully a dead mouse
in it. I am not happy with the high tech plastic traps right now, but I won't
give up for a while!

Politics -- The executives from the banking, and auto industry will not be
getting cash bonuses (from tax payer funds). Their bonuses will be in the form
of company stock.

Observation -- My golfing buddy, who fell off of his ladder while engaged in a
home project, needs surgery. When he went into the hospital on the day of the
incident (summer time), the results were that nothing was broken. Unknown to the
guy, and to his wife, was that the report said that he had a torn rotator cuff.
The hospital doctors never sent that report to his personal physician.
My friend then set up several sessions with a therapist. The therapist was
unsuccessful in getting my friend back to normal. The therapist suggested that
my friend should get another MRI. After the concerned wife made a few telephone
calls, the person she talked to looked at the emergency room report. It did say
that the rotator cuff was damaged.
No one told my friend about this injury. My friend spent most of the summer
trying to get better while not aware of the damaged rotator cuff. Something is
wrong with this picture!
My friend goes under the knife next week. The healing from such an operation is
a slow process. His wife will be in the nursing mode for the first couple of
weeks after surgery. Good thing that us married males have someone to take care
of us.

If you live in the Berkshires, and you were planning on doing yard work on
Saturday you better like working in the rain!

Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday Morning

Dear Friends,

Linda and her girlfriends had a wonderful day together in the Boston area. The
planner of the trip got to see both of her daughters in one place. Our friend
came in from Tewksbury too when the group finally arrived in East Boston to
visit Kevin, Kyla, and our grandchild Max. After several hours of female
bonding, eventually Kevin cooked the ladies up some food at "Dough" for supper.
I prepared myself a crock pot supper knowing that I was going to have a busy
day!

Max, who was born during the first week of August, was passed around like a
hot potato. The group got to see in person the grandchild who we have been
saying is "so cute!"

While Linda was doing her thing, I did a bunch of errands before heading off to
the dentist for a "Routine Checkup". As I had guessed, the dentist found
something that requires me to get back in the dentist chair next Tuesday. My
dentist found some decay below an old cavity. Drilling and filling will take
place at 9:30 AM next Tuesday. I can't wait!

While at Walmart yesterday morning, I decided to purchase some new mouse traps.
These plastic fantastic traps are a little more high tech than the old fashioned
wooden traps that I have used in the past. These traps are supposed to make the
kill, and allow me to dispose of the mouse without touching the deceased. I set
out two of the four traps last evening laden with peanut butter. The mouse dined
at one of the traps, but didn't set the trap off. How did I know that this
happened? Once the trap is set, you are supposed to push the trap against the
wall or rigid object. When I checked the trap this morning, the trap was moved
from the wall, but not set off.
I am going to set some of the old fashioned wooden traps today. If I am
successful catching a mouse with these traps, I will return one set of the high
tech traps.

I did start my outdoor removal of dead flowers, vegetation, etc., in our flower
beds. I need another day or two to complete the task.

Social Calendar -- Linda and I will be off to a luncheon this morning in
Williamstown. I will be presiding (since I am the President of the local
chapter) over our fall meeting of REAM (Retired Educators Association of
Massachusetts). We have a guest speaker from a local college, and then we will
be taking care of our normal business. The meeting should end around 2:30 PM.
I think that Linda has a Mah Jongg session tonight, but I am not sure if she is
hosting the session.
I will be hooking up with a friend while the ladies are playing Mah Jongg. I
haven't seen the friend in over two weeks. He is leaving for a week long
business trip on Thursday. Males can bond too, except that we don't talk as
much!

Observation -- As I was driving over the streets of Pittsfield on Tuesday, I
had to pass by some of those roadside memorials for people who have been killed
in car accidents. I know that they are a form of grieving for the the ones close
to the deceased, but are they a distraction for us drivers? As you drive on the
roads in any State, you always pass by these memorials. I am not a supporter of
these homemade memorials!

A Massachusetts man got arrested for breaking into cars. He had a suspicious
looking bag when he was nabbed by the police. The man claimed that the items in
the bag were his ex wife's sex toys. They turned out to be the items stolen from
several cars. This is a new excuse for the bad guys!

Observation 2 -- CNN had an interesting article about marriage:

"Where you live may affect when you get married, study finds


* Fewer couples are walking down the aisle in the U.S., study finds
* Arkansas, Utah and Oklahoma are states where people tend to marry younger
* Couples tend to marry later in states with higher numbers of
college-educated adults (Massachusetts is one of these States)
* Nevada, Maine and Oklahoma have the highest percentage of divorced adults"

Observation 3 -- I wanted to get a new sleep apnea device since mine is getting
tired. I thought that it would be easy to get a new prescription. Since I
haven't seen my Pulmonary guy since 2005, I had to make an appointment. The one
hour appointment takes place in mid November. This appointment includes blowing
into devices until you almost can't breathe. This is another appointment that I
am not looking forward too!

Well, I have to do some quiet activities. I think that I will skip the flower
bed work until Thursday.
Have a great Wednesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,

My outdoor projects never took place as planned on Monday. Procrastination and
retirement seemed to be linked to one another.
I did have the riding lawnmower, and the snow blower picked up so that some
routine maintenance could be done on both machines. The snow blower was acting
strange last winter. When I described the issue, the repair man said that it
could be a bearing issue. I can't wait for this bill!

I did go to the Providence Care nursing home in Lenox to visit dear old mom.
The therapist was working on Mom's remaining leg when I walked in. I thought Mom
has progressed very well with respect to strengthening of her leg, and doing
more physical things on her own.

I did leave Linda alone so that she could do her projects without much
interruption from me. Yeah Right!

My UNICO meeting went well except for the fact that more events and projects
are starting to fill up the month of November and into December with respect to
my (our) social calendar.

Today Linda and I are going in two different directions. Linda and some
girlfriends are doing a road trip to visit with her friend's two daughters who
are currently in the Boston area. They are eventually going to visit Kevin and
Kyla, and their son Max, and have some kind of food at Kevin's restaurant
"Dough" in East Boston.

I have so many projects to take care of that I don't know where to begin.
I also have the dreaded routine dental checkup at 11 AM. The dentist seems to
always find something wrong with my teeth. One visit seems to turn into two or
three.

Sports -- I hope that your baseball teams won yesterday. I can't get into the
playoffs since the Red Sox aren't one of the participants.
The Patriots are gathering all their gear and heading to England to play this
Sunday's 1 PM game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are playing at Wembly
Stadium. The 80,000 available tickets sold out in 6 minutes.

Politics -- They caught a NASA scientist trying to sell secrets to the
Israeli's. I have no patience or sympathy for spies. This is a crime against our
Nation. Death should be the penalty for spying! This most likely won't happen
because we have jailed spies in the past. Have I gone from a Liberal to a
Conservative?

Weather -- We have a mild day on tap here in the Berkshires. I need to
accomplish some outdoor tasks today before the next front rolls in, and
temperatures dip a little. We are into a cycle of not so good weather on the
weekend.

Observation -- I have been feeding the birds the past couple of weeks. Every
morning I have been checking to see if the bird feeders are exactly where I
left them. So far, so good! I am hoping that the bears don't remember the tasty
sun flower seeds that I use in my bird feeders.
Actually, there haven't been many bear stories in our local newspaper over the
past couple of months. People have been paying attention to the wildlife people
about not putting out bird feeders in the summer time. My not feeding the birds
in the summer has cut down on the chipmunk population too.
The one thing that I have to deal with is mice. I am going to set out some
peanut butter laden traps in our garage. Every time I go to straighten out the
shelves in our garage, there is evidence that the mice have been living and
playing in our garage. I will not be using have a heart traps. Death is the only
solution!

Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Sunday Morning

Dear Friends,
Hello from the Sheep & Wool Festival. Linda is having so much fun that she has
already booked in mentally for next year's event. They have been doing this
festival since 1980. I don't know how she missed it.
Now you are probably thinking if I am having the same amount of fun that she
has been having so far. Let us say that I did have to take a couple of breaks,
and go back to the car to have a couple of cool ones.
We are going back for the second and final day so I will give you a better
assessment of how things actually went on Monday morning.

The good thing was that the predicted rain never materialized on Saturday. We
will not be so lucky today. What kept me somewhat sane was a food pavilion where
I could sample foods and wines , and also watch people spin yarn from the wool
of sheep. Maybe I will buy a spinner, and spin wool for Linda so that she
doesn't have to shop in any yarn stores.
They also had a display of border collies herding sheep as well as border
collies leaping to catch frisbees. The border collies reminder me of our son's
dog Billie. Billie would have had fun at the event except for the fact that he
is getting a bit old to do some of those activities.

There were two food vendors outdoors which had very long lines. We arrived so
early that we were able to sample their foods before the never ending lines
formed. One of these vendors was making a fortune selling deep fried artichokes.
They were wonderful!
The second vendor was selling Chicken Pot Pies. We decided to late to try this
type of food. By noontime the lines for chicken pot pies was never ending. This
booth will be our first stop today.

50 paces from the Rodeway Motel is the Skytop Restaurant & Brewery. They are
not connected, but you do get a 10 percent discount on your food bill if you are
staying at the Motel. We ate a Friday lunch there that had the best Calimari
that we have ever had so far in our lives. There was enough to serve four people
which we weren't expecting. Their handcrafted beers were wonderful too.
Last night we had supper there, and the Prime Rib was cooked perfectly. We
asked for medium rare, and that is the way that it was cooked.
We went to bed early since Linda was so tired. She shopped from 8:30 AM until
5:15 PM. The festival is supposed to end at 4 PM. Linda kept shopping until the
vendors closed down their yarn booths.

I couldn't send an e-mail yesterday because our "mouse " died, and I am not
good at running a laptop without a mouse. We puchased a new one at a Mall on the
way back to our hotel on Saturday.

I sort of knew that I was in trouble yesterday when I walked into a tent which
had sheep, and they showed the type of wool that you would get from each breed
of sheep. The first penned in sheep started Baaing at me.
I definitely did have to count sheep to get to bed last night. They were
everywhere in my brain last night.

Well, I have to prepare my body for today's activities.
Say a prayer that I can make it through another day.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,

Another day went as planned in both Kansas and East Boston. When you can see
our two grandchildren in the same 24 hour time period located in to different
States, I consider that very fortunate.
We left Kansas after having lunch at "Arthur Bryant's" barbecue restaurant not
too far from our older son's home. It was just Danielle, Isabelle, Linda, and I.
This establishment was the second Kansas place featured on the Food Channel as
one of the top places across the country. One serving of food can feed two
people. Mike was having leftovers when he got home from work.
The flight from Kansas to Boston was right on time. Kyla and Max, our second
grandchild, picked us up at 7:30 PM. After bonding with Kyla and Max for a
little while, and eating a small "Saturday Night Special" which Kevin whipped up
for us, we loaded up our car, and headed back to the Berkshires. We couldn't
bond with Kevin because his right hand man has been out sick for a couple of
days. Kevin was running the restaurant pretty much alone. He does have a
faithful set of workers and drivers to help him get through these past few days.

I was semi wired so I tried to unpack my suitcase. My bag got randomly
inspected, but when they closed the bag back up, the zipper got all messed up. I
had to do a little cutting to open the bag. I am guessing that they opened my
bag because I was carrying a high suspicious container of barbecue sauce from
one of the two places which we went to. The bag was an older bag, and was
almost ready to be thrown out. Well, the "almost" part has now become a
certainty!

There is no time to take a day off for the Curley's. We are going off to that
10 AM funeral which I talked about in a previous e-mail. We really can't use an
excuse to skip the funeral. The deceased was always present at one of the
multiple Christmas Eve parties which we always attend.

Observation -- We met two interesting sets of people during our travels on
Wednesday. While at the barbecue place, a hulk of a man came over to our table,
and said to keep Isabelle at her current age. He said that he has a house full
of teenage girls with raging hormones who are also experiencing girlfriend, and
boyfriend issues, etc. He implied that it wasn't such a pleasant time in his
life that it was when his children were Isabelle's age. He was having lunch with
a male friend!
Another couple , whom we met on the airplane, was returning from visiting their
grandchildren in Kansas too. They spent the Columbus Day weekend with their 1
and 3 year old grandchildren. They couldn't wait to get back home, and go back
to their retiree routine. They said that they were exhausted chasing around
their grandchildren. Like I said before, child rearing is a young person's task.
Speaking of child rearing, Kyla and Kevin are trying to work out the details of
what to do with Max as Kyla goes back to work during the first week of November.
I volunteered Linda and I if there is some kind of emergency, but I don't think
either of us could be full time Nannies since we live 2.5 hours away from each
other.

Observation Two -- The Kansas City Star newspaper had a front page article about
a bigamist. His wife of 20 years, and the guy's newest wife happened to be
chatting with one another about the wonderful man that they were married too.
They found out that it was the same man! What was also strange is that the two
wives lived in apartment complexes next to one another. I would love to hear the
follow up story on this article.

Observation three -- I read an article in the technology section of the Wall
Street Journal, which someone left in the Kansas airport, that said that e-mail
is on the way out. Facebook and Twitter are what most people are doing today.
The response time from friends is quicker than on e-mail. Facebook and Twitter
can be dangerous for the Curley Lad. Linda already has a Facebook account. I
might have to start one soon.

Politics -- More Health Care stuff as well as attempting some international
diplomacy.

Well, I have to select funeral attending clothes.
I would start up the washing machine, and do a load of my clothes, but the
washing machine might make Linda jump out of her bed. I am thinking that I might
have to wake Linda up, or she will miss the funeral.
Have a great Thursday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday Morning

Subject: Hello on Wednesday Morning from Leavenworth, Kansas
Priority: Normal Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 9:05 AM Size: 5 KB

Dear Friends,
We had another pleasant, but quiet day here in Kansas. My cold got the best of
me Tuesday, and I went down for an afternoon nap before our grandchild did.
Right now I have what would be called a chest cold.
As I said before, I don't like being sick even if it is something minor like a
cold.

In a few short hours we will beheading back to the Northeast. If all goes well,
we should arrive at Logan Airport at 7:34 PM. After a quick "Hello and Goodbye"
to our other son, his wife , and our other grandchild, Max, we will head west on
the Massachusetts Turnpike for our 2.5 hour ride home. I am figuring midnight
for an arrival time back in Pittsfield.

We had a fun time here in Kansas! Our son and his wife have been great hosts.
Last night, they made grilled pizza for us. It was so good. Danielle usually
puts the ingredients on the pizza dough, and Mike does the grilling on a couple
of pizza stones which he gets good and hot in the grill. There was just a few
pieces left for Mike to take for lunch today.

It has been interesting to watch the little things that they do as parents when
their child doesn't do what Mom and Dad expects Isabelle to do. As an example,
they have already established a "time out" routine when Isabelle is done eating,
and starts throwing her dishes, food, utensils, etc. They have her sit in her
high chair, face a corner of a kitchen wall. When she calms down they return her
to the kitchen table, and explain to her that what she did is not the correct
thing to do when she is done eating.
I was trying to remember what we did when Mike and Kevin did the same things
when they were growing up. Linda remembers everything that our children did as
toddlers. I must have repressed the not so good things of child rearing.

Mike just went off to work. We said "Goodbye", and he said to have a safe trip.
My ears are so plugged up, that I almost couldn't hear what he said. It was
embarrassing for me!

Politics -- Health Care is getting close to being a reality. I was wondering if
us people who do have and pay for health care will be getting any relief?

Count Your Lucky Stars -- We had another baby boomer pass away the other day.
We will be going to a 10 AM funeral on Thursday morning for this guy. The
gentleman was 63 years old, and he died of liver cancer. He has been in a
nursing home since September 20, 2009. He wasn't a drinker.
It goes back to my theory that some people are dealt "a crappy deck of cards"
in life.
Life is good for the majority of us. Make sure that you take time to enjoy it!

Observation -- As I watched my son put on his summer weight combats boots. He
already was in his military jump suit. I was thinking that clothing stores don't
make money off of these military personal. For at least 5 days a week (for the
job that he is doing now), they are dressed in the same set of clothes.
Seeing my son got me thinking about dress codes for Public School Children.
Some states do allow uniforms for public schools. I was wondering how those
dress codes are working.
When we first arrived in Kansas, 70 students where suspended from this one
school for constantly violating the dress code. This school didn't have a
particular dress code.
There has been much discussion about dress codes in our community. We have a
set policy in the Pittsfield Public schools, but no one wants to enforce it. The
Public gets involved with the discussion because one high school is in downtown
Pittsfield. As people drive by during the day, and see some of the students
sneaking a cigarette on the sidewalks outside of the school, they see some of
these scantly clad students. They get on all those talk programs, and vent their
anger of what they observe.
Once again, this should be a parental issue before the students even enter the
schools in the morning.

Have a great Wednesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,

We are down to our last day and one half left of our visit. Monday went well
especially for Isabelle since her Mom flew in from Denver. We happened to be
playing in the front yard as Mike and Danielle came in from the airport.
Isabelle knows who her mother and father are!

The crock pot dinner went well for supper last evening.

Politics -- They finished the Rush Limbaugh interview on the "Today Show" this
morning. He was asked to think of a word when the interviewer responded with a
name. The interviewer said: "Obama". Rush Limbaugh responded with: "Disaster." I
would bet that many of my readers would agree with his assessment.
Today there is a vote on the Health Care Issue. The vote might be strictly
along party lines.
I am so glad that our President hasn't given up the fight to reform Health
Care. It also would be good if the Congress men and women didn't have their
health care system, and got on board with whatever plan is agreed upon. "What is
good for the goose, is good for the gander" as the saying goes.

Weather -- We have another cool one here in Kansas for today. There is a 70 %
chance of rain as we fly back to Logan on Wednesday.

Parents-- I chatted with my father yesterday by way of a cell phone call, and
asked how things were going for him, and mom? He did say that the therapists are
really working on getting Mom to use her one leg. It is not at easy task since
they are dealing with a 93 year old woman who has to be reminded about working
hard to strengthen the leg. Oh well, my sister and I are not the only ones who
have to deal with aging parents.

Social Calendar -- I think Danielle wants to bond with Isabelle since she has
seen her since she left to visit some military friends in Denver on Friday
night.
Supper for tonight is already set. Mike is going to make pizza on the grill. He
made the dough last night after supper. All we have to do was choose what we
want for toppings on the pizza.

Observation -- I finished savoring another book. It was a Michael Crighton book
with a 1968 copyright. The author was a former doctor.
A black person in the book was called a "Negro" when this book was written.
The setting of the book was in the medical community. How appropriate with the
Health Care issue up for a vote today. Basically what I learned from this book
that medical community is very similar to the political community. There is a
hierarchy among doctors just like in the political community. You can be a young
"hotshot" doctor, but you still have to play by the rules of the established
doctors. If you butt heads with the establishment, you can end up at some
hospital in the middle of nowhere.
Some of the established doctors were some of the worst surgeons.
I found a connection between the medical profession and the teaching
profession. When I first started teaching, you were given the toughest classes.
If you survived them, then you might be rewarded with an upper level class of
some of the best students in the school.
If you butted heads with the establishment, you could be guaranteed the worst
schedule possible.

Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad

Hello on Monday

Dear Friends,

We had another pleasant day in Kansas. I acted like a slug as I watched both
New England teams as they went down to defeat, the Red Sox in Boston, and the
Patriots in Denver in overtime. I am not wearing any of my Red Sox gear or
Patriot gear until we get back to Massachusetts on Wednesday night. I had to
purchase a nondescript article of clothing for the flight back to Logan.

It continues to be cold in Leavenworth. We won't get out of the forties for the
next few days. The average high at this time of the year in Kansas is normally
around 68 to 70 degrees.

I am the only one up right now, but that will change shortly. Mike will be
picking up Danielle at the Kansas City airport this afternoon. Linda and I will
prepare a crock pot beef roast for supper this evening with all the fixings.

Politics / News -- I just got through watching Rush Limbaugh on the Today Show.
The interviewer asked if President Obama has done anything correctly (in his
mind)? He couldn't think of a single thing. The interview also asked if he
represents the Repuplican Party? He said "No" , and he has no desire to do so.
Hillary was also interviewed by another reporter in Sweden. She had to justify
the feeling by some people in this country that her role has been "marginal."
Anyone can show faults from the outside looking in.
I always believe that people should walk in the shoes of the people who they
are complaining about, and their perspective would change in a heartbeat.

Observation -- As we was in the Super Walmart last evening purchasing some
clothing and food items, we noticed for a second time that there was very little
traffic in the store. Even though the place is open 24 hours, and it is a place
for one stop shopping, I don't see how the store is going to make it unless more
customers are in the store purchasing items. The store is relatively new, and
time will tell if it makes it. There still is a town in Massachusetts which has
denied Walmart to build a store in their community. Luckily we still have a
hardware store in Pittsfield which you can actually talk to a human being who
knows what they are talking about. Bigger and better doesn't always seem to be
the best way to go.
Yes we have a Wamart and a Home Depot in Pittsfield. Yes, I do use them since
they are two miles from where we live. The other day , I had to fix some leaky
sink faucets. I went to the little guy, and he knew exactly what I was looking
for, and he took care of me instantaneously. It was so nice not to have to go up
and down the isles of those mega stores.

Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Sunday Morning

Dear Friends,

We had a pleasant, but cold day in Kansas on Saturday. The birthday party never took place since the birthday boy had a double ear infection.
We decided to pack up the car, and head toward Kansas City. Our first stop was lunch at a place called Oklahoma Hoe's Barbecue, Visualize a garage station, like a Mobile Mart, with a separate room, that serves all kinds of barbecue stuff starting at 11 AM. When we arrived, the small place was packed, and it wasn't even noon time (it opens at 11 AM). Any kind of tender meat, beef, pork, ribs, etc, was there for the offering. Beer and soda was also available.
We heard about this place on the food channel when they did a segment on the best barbecue places across the United States. There is another one in Kansas called Arthur Bryant's Barbecue. We will hit that one the next time that we visit Kansas.
After a quick lunch, we headed off to downtown Kansas. They had a plaza where they had those bouncy castles, and pony rides. Isabelle has so much fun, but she really loved the pony rides.
She has already been on a regular size horse when she visited her other grandparents who lives in Minnesota. The horses belogned to a fiend of Danielle's. I can see Isabelle eventually taking riding lessons when she gets a little older.

We never made it to Walmart to purchase cold weather gear. We actually need turtle necks and a winter coat. It never reached the 50 degree mark on Saturday. 47 degrees will be the high for today. They already showed pictures of the fans tailgating at Arrowhead Stadium this morning at 7 AM. The Chiefs play Dallas at 1 PM.

I am fighting a cold. I am content to sit on my butt, and watch Professional Football all day long. My Patriots play at 4:15 PM. This game will be nationally televised. I think that the Red Sox might be doing battle today also in Fenway.

We drove to the Irish Festival last evening around 5 PM. Again visualize a small town of about 4000 people growing to over 20 thousand people. The festival is located on a side street, but the grounds are very small. We drove around looking for a parking place. We were improperly dressed. We gave up! We went to an Italian Restaurant a couple of miles from where Mike & Danielle (& Isabelle) live.

Politics -- "Don't ask, don't tell" , Health Care", and whether to send more troops to Afghanistan took up most of our President's day on Saturday. He is having problems taking care of all of his campaign promises.

Observation -- I was watching the Good Morning America Show, and there was a lady on from Foxboro, Massachusetts, home of the Patriots. She wants schools to be able to randomly test students for alcohol use and abuse. She lost a daughter due to an alcohol related death, so this has been her cause. They also had on a Civil Rights person who said that this is too much of a violation of our civil rights. She urged the parents to get more involved with their children.
One time, I did bring in my personal breathalyzer to school. I let my students try it out. One of my students had a blood alcohol reading of .05. Anything over .08 is legally intoxicated in Massachusetts. He told me that he was partying the night before. The alcohol never wore off from his partying.
I remember a high school dance where our vise-principal wanted the teacher chaperons to do a sniff test as the students walked into a dance. Most of us chaperons wanted no part of being professional sniffers.

Have a great weekend.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Saturday Morning

Dear Friends,
The warm and fuzzy feeling between Isabelle and me has finally arrived. It took
a little longer than I had expected, but that is okay.

Isabelle doesn't realize that her Mom isn't even. While I was taking my nap,
and Isabelle was taking hers on Friday, Mike drove Danielle to the Kansas City
Airport. She went to Denver to see a girlfriend and her husband who are
stationed in Germany, but who are attending a conference in Colorado. They are
all staying at the home of the girlfriend's sister in Denver. Her girlfriend is
expecting her first child.
Danielle said that this was her first trip without being with her daughter. It
would have been more difficult to say goodbye to Isabelle if she wasn't taking a
nap.

We were near the freezing mark here in Leavenworth last night. We might not
reach 50 degrees today. Another cold night is on tap for this evening.

Sports -- I watched my Red Sox lose for a second consecutive night. I haven't
quite given up on them yet. Four teams have come back from a two game deficit.
There is always hope.
The Patriots play on Sunday at 4:15 PM. Their running back Fred Taylor has an
ankle injury that appears to need surgery. A winning team needs a running game
if they have Superbowl aspirations.

Social Calendar -- Isabelle has a 10 AM birthday party this morning. You know
those Curley's, if we are invited to a party, it is difficult to decline an
invitation.
I think that we are going to find some time to attend the Irish Festival after
Isabelle takes an afternoon nap. The festival is outdoors.
Linda and I might have to make a trip to the Super Walmart, and pickup a couple
of turtle necks. We didn't pack winter like clothes. My warmest article of
clothing is a Red Sox hoodie. We packed clothes according to a ten day forecast
which didn't have any 30 degree weather in the forecast.

Politics -- Just as I predicted, there was a good deal of negative response to
our President receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The national news featured Rush
Limbaugh's comments that I just got through watching. I knew Rush would make
some not so nice comment, and he did!

Observation -- I have savored three books since we have been in Kansas. I need
to take a break, and take an more active role in entertaining Isabelle.
I mention the reading of books because one of the books was about tracking a
terrorist who arrived in the United States on an airplane which arrived at JFK.
The terrorist began his killing spree in New York.
The United States anti terrorist task force had their office over looking the
Twin Towers. They kept on referring how wonderful the towers looked from their
office building. I checked the copyright of the book which I was reading. The
copyright date was 2000, which was a year before the destruction of the twin
towers. I thought that this was kind of freaky!

Have to go and play with Isabelle.
She just woke up!
Have a great weekend. The Curley Lad

Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,

I am the only one up right now, but I can hear Isabelle coughing which means
she will be up soon. She has a two week old cough. The doctors think that it
could be a cold, and allergy combination. Whatever she has, has not slowed her
down at all.
The grandpa / grandchild issue still continues, but it is getting better.

Sports -- I did stay up and watch the Red Sox lose their first playoff game. A
three run homer by their opponents, and no offense made for a happy day for the
Los Angeles Angels.

Politics -- Can you believe that our President was awarded an unexpected Nobel
Peace Prize. I must not be the only person who thinks he has the United States
heading in a good direction.
Do you think that the terrorists submitted his name as a potential candidate?
Can you imagine what the Republican talking heads will be saying about this
Peace Prize during their radio and television programs today?

I see that our military leaders convinced the President to send more troops to
Afghanistan. This does go against his campaign promises to get our troops out of
the world wide conflicts.

National News -- The gun toting mom, who made national news because she carried
her holstered and visible hand gun to her kids' soccer games, finally used her
gun. The police think that her and her husband used the hand gun in a murder
suicide. The couple was having some marital problems, and was talking about a
separation. The tragedy is that their three children are now without a mother or
father.

Observation -- As we watch our son and his wife raise Isabelle, I am so
convinced that they are doing such a great job of child rearing. I can really
see the love being passed on just like we observed with our other son and his
wife in East Boston with their two month old child. I think that it really takes
two people to raise a child.
I don't know how the single Moms can do it by themselves. We do know some great
single parents, who are doing such a wonderful job raising their children, but
has to be exhausting.
The mom deals with day care, a job, and then has no one to help them when she
comes home from work.
Single moms who do raise a well balanced child deserve a medal of honor!


I don't know what is on our social agenda for today.
The Irish Festival doesn't start until 5 PM tonight.
I think that we will go there on Saturday during the day.

Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,
We had a pleasant day at the Kansas City Zoo on Wednesday. The weather was
nice, and there were no crowds which made it even better.

The warm and fuzzy feeling between me and my grandchild hasn't occurred quite
yet. Grandma and Isabelle are still bonding quite well.
I am not implying that my granddaughter runs and hides from me, or starts
crying or screaming, but she just prefers Grandma over Grandpa.

Sports -- There were three baseball games on television yesterday. It is so
difficult to get excited when your team is not any of them. I was hoping that
the Twins could knock off the Yankees. Not!
My Red Sox play this evening. There is a one hour time difference in Kansas so
I won't be up as late as my East Coast friends who watch baseball. Go Red Sox!

Politics -- 1 in 4 people worldwide are Muslims. I hope that the majority of
them are peaceful. I am reading a book about a not so peaceful one who is in
America killing people, and who is systematically killing the Air Force Squadron
who bombed his village, and killed his family and relatives. It is a book of
fiction, but I could see some real life connections.

I see where the number crunchers are putting dollar figures to the Health Care
Package bill being pushed by the President. AARP supports the bill, and I do
too!

Weather -- It is dark and dreary outside in Leavenworth today. It is supposed
to be like this for most of the day. The temperature then drops like a rock. We
have the appropriate clothing to get us through this cold spell.

Observation -- There are Irish people in Kansas, and nearby Kansas, Missouri.
There is a big time three day festival in Weston, Missouri about a 20 minute ride
from Leavenworth. They have a brewery, and a Pub called O'Malley's that are side
by side, and owned by the same group of people. They will have some Irish bands
playing, and this little town will be rocking all weekend long. We have heard
some of the bands before like "The Young Dubliners". I can't wait for the
weekend!

Have to answer some other e-mails.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday Morning

Dear Friends,

We had another pleasant day in Leavenworth on Tuesday. We went off to a family
working farm that has everything for children. We were there with about 10 bus
loads of school children. I told everyone that the weather was going to be
relatively nice, well we were are under dressed, and only Danielle had an extra
jacket in the car. No one will listen to me anymore.
For the second day in a row, our grandchild hasn't warmed up to Grandpa.
Isabelle always goes to Grandma to have her hand held or if she wants to be
picked up. She doesn't scream, yell, or hide, but she just say "No" when I make
an offer to get close to her.

We are off to the zoo in a couple of hours. We are all dressing with layers of
clothes since it is 36 degrees out right now.

Sports -- I watched the seemingly never ending baseball game in which the Twins
were victorious. It was a smart move for the Yankees to play the winner of
Tuesday's game today at Yankee Stadium. The Minnesota Twins will arrive in New
York hungover from the celebration of the win and exhausted from the extra
inning game.
My Red Sox don't play until Thursday in Los Angeles.

There is a Wamart not to far from our son's home. It is one of the largest ones
in the United States. We might go there on Thursday since there is a 100 percent
chance of rain. Kansas is going to get their first frost this weekend.

I have been reading the Kansas Star each morning. It is like a larger version
of the Boston Globe. The same time of incidents which occur on the East Coast
happen in the Midwest. Bill Graham has a daily religious column which we don't
get back East. This religious aspect hasn't decreased the bad thing which
people do to each other or themselves.


Politics -- I have to admit that I have not been paying much attention to what
has been going on in Washington. I think health care is still on the front
burner.

Observation -- Every time that we travel to a different place in the United
States or the world, I think that I love the Northeast the most. I still like
the Northeast even though several friends have purchased properties, or rent for
months at a time in warmer climates like Florida.
Is there any place in the United States that could have all four seasons as
well as the fewest natural disasters? Every place that we have been has its
drawbacks. Florida and the Georgia area is unbearable during the summer months.
When our son and his bride to be at the time was stationed in North Carolina,
and living in the Pinehusrt area, with golf courses everywhere, the summer
months were too warm.
San Diego, California was too nice almost every day of the year. If you escaped
the cities in Calfornia and built in the mountains, there is a good chance that
your house would burn to the ground by means of a wildfire. If you live in
hurricane prone areas like Florida or the Gulf Coast, you always worry about
your property making it through a storm.
We have been to some fun places like New Orleans, but us East Coast people
could never make it through a summer there because of the heat.
Parts of the country get too much water, and other parts not enough. We have
such a large natural amount of water that they draw down the lakes in the fall
in preparation of the winter snowfall. They couldn't do that in places like Las
Vegas because they don't get enough rain to fill their water supply.
You get my point! I am so glad that we live where our country had it origins.

Have to go, and prepare for the day's activities.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,

As you see, the Curley's are on the move again.

Kevin dropped us off at Logan airport around 9 AM on Monday.
As usual, I held up up the line with my sleep apnea device an other things that
set off the alarms at the security check point. They had to send my things
through a second time through the x-ray machines. Linda could have been at our
gate if she didn't have to wait for me. She kept on saying that traveling with
me is like traveling with a child. I need a good deal of supervision. This is
why we like going to the airport early. Traveling with the Curley lad is always
an experience.

We arrived in Kansas a little after 1 PM. Danielle and Isabelle picked us up at
the airport. They live about a 25 minute drive from the airport. Isabelle was
excited to see us, but she did tend to gravitate toward Grandma Linda. After a
quick sandwich for lunch, I went down for a nap at 2:30 PM. Usually Isabelle
takes one too, but she was wired, and Danielle decided to keep her awake until
bedtime.
I almost slept through supper since my nap lasted for 2.5 hours. Actually
everyone was at the supper table when I surfaced from the guest bedroom located
in the lower portion of their home.
Danielle is a crock pot queen too, so we had another crock pot meal. This was a
breakfast concoction which you put in a wrap. It was yummy!
Since Danielle is taking two college courses several times per week, their
crock pot will get a work out all year long.

Isabelle is up and having breakfast right now, but I seemed to have made her
cry when I tried to approach her. This is the second child in the last few days
that I seem to scare them, and make them cry. A mustache, dark eyebrows, and
wild hair makes me into a Halloween monster every day of the year.

Well, my son is into Halloween (similar to a Chevvy Chase Griswald Christmas).
There are indoor, and outdoor decorations everywhere including a couple of blow
up creatures on their front lawn. I think that he might win the prize for the
most decorated house during the Halloween Season in their neighborhood.

Isabelle is cute as ever, not just because she is our grandchild. She has
reddish hair with blond streaks that looks like she went to a beauty saloon to
have it done.
She knows a few more words since we last saw her in June. Isabelle is like the
energizer bunny when she runs around the house and their yard. Our son Kevin was
like this too when he was growing up.

Sports -- I did watch the Vikings and their old man (he will be 40 years old
this weekend) quarter back Brett Farve do battle with his former team, the
Packers. The Viking are the fifth team with a 4 and 0 record as we go into week
5 this weekend.
My Patriots are playing Denver at 4:15 PM this coming Sunday. I can't wait.
I still have my Red Sox playing during the middle of the week to keep me
entertained.

Social Calendar -- We are going to an Arboretum today to commune with nature
during the mid morning. I think we are going to make a middle of the week trip
to a zoo too.

Observation -- Linda and I love the grandchildren experience so far. We are
trying to visualize Isabelle, and her cousin Max when they are together at our
house in the Berkshires at Christmas. I already have wishes from my Queen to
over decorate our house for Christmas.
We also can't wait for Danielle's brother and his wife to have their baby girl
(their first) in January in Minnesota.
We also have the two grandchildren Matthew and Malakai) from my sister's
family.
We will have to find a time, and place when all the families and children can
be together sometime in the future.

Weather -- We are going to reach 67 degrees today, and a little higher on
Wednesday before a rainy day arrives on Thursday. After that wet day, the
temperatures drop like a rock. Shorts, and short sleeve shirts will have to be
put back in our suitcases. We both packed half of our clothes for mild weather,
and half of our clothes for cooler weather.

Have a great day wherever you are.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Monday from East Boston

Dear Friends,

Our Sunday went as planned. We arrived at our son's place just in time to watch
the Patriots do battle with the Ravens. The Patriots were victorious, but it
went down to a final play for the Ravens. A perfectly thrown ball was dropped by
a Raven's player --> game over! If the guy caught the ball, it would have been
game over for the Patriots. Good teams seem to win the close ones.
The Patriots seem to be getting into a grove. Tom Terrific is still a little
rusty, but as the season progresses, the other teams better take notice.
The Dallas Cowboys are disappointing. They better turn things around soon, or
their coach might be fired.
My brother-in-law is a diehard fan of the Cowboys. He can't be loving how the
Cowboys have played so far this season!

Our grandchild, Max, is growing rapidly even since the last time that we saw
him. He likes watching football too. I must have passed on those genes.
We slept on a different air mattress last evening. Kevin found a hole in the
other one which we used the last time we slept over. This one did stay inflated.
I think that Linda and I are getting too old for being on the ground anymore.

Speaking of being on the ground, we haven't gone camping with our friends for a
couple years. It might be time to pass the gear on to the younger generation.
Portable toilets in the middle of a camping ground, and communal showers are
starting not to appeal to us right now.
I am not ruling out completely the camping experience. When Kevin, Kyla, and
Max decide to try it as a family, we would probably like to go with them.
Linda and I took our kids camping shortly after they were born. There were some
great times and great memories which the younger generation should experience.
Yes, we know that we can purchase a frame and inflatable mattress so that we
will be off the ground. A few years ago, we did purchase one at Walmart, and
went off to Burlingame State Park Camping ground in Rhode Island with some
friends. The air mattress had sprung a leak in the middle of the night, and we
ended up trying to sleep in our car. This was the last time that we went
camping.

Fun and Merriment-- Besides the usual game time munchies, Kyla prepared and
cooked a meat loaf in the crock pot. It was wonderful! We are going to try and
cook a meatloaf in our crock pot when we get home.
Kyla's is working on being a domestic goddess in the kitchen. I say "working"
because she has a kitchen full of new appliances, and they are finally getting a
good workout.

Observation -- As I watched the Patriots, and other games too, I realized that
football is not a game for wimps. These guys, who play football, are like
gladiators. Every weekend there is a chance that they will get knocked out of
the "ring". I couldn't even bare to watch the reruns of a players getting hurt.
They even had to helicopter in a Raven player to Mass General Hospital because
they thought he might have broken his neck during the game. The guy was so big
that he couldn't fit into the MRI machine in the hospital. X-Rays indicated that
nothing was broken. The guy wanted to get on the airplane with his teammates,
and head back to Baltimore. I am not sure if the hospital discharged the guy.
The average player usually gets beat up so bad that by the time he is in his
early 30's, he is considered old, and ready to retire.

Politics -- It was a deadly weekend for our troops in Afghanistan. 8 of our
soldiers got killed in a fire fight. This doesn't include the two who were shot
and killed by a bad guy dressed up as an Afghan soldier.
Can we win this conflict even if we send off 40,000 more troops who have been
requested by the military commanders?
If you remember, the Russians saw such a conflict as a "no win" situation, and
they just quit the battle.
I don't want us to put our "tails between our legs, and run", but I would like
someone to tell me the strategy of how we can win this struggle!

Have a great week at work or play.
Linda and I are off to a good start.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Sunday Morning

Dear Friends,

Linda and I danced the night away at the wedding which we attended. I think we
arrived home near midnight. I slept in the spare bedroom because my snoring
could have been a problem since I consumed a few beverages during the open bar
portion of the wedding reception. I woke up at 3 AM with the television volume
cranked up, and tuned into ESPN. I groped for the remote control, and couldn't
find it until I realized that I was sleeping on top of it. Oh Well!

In a few short hours, we will be heading east to visit our grandson Max and his
parents in East Boston. My plan is to arrive by 1 PM so that I can bond with my
son as we watch, on television, the Patriots do battle in Gillette Stadium.
The Red Sox play their final game of the season in Fenway. The Baseball
playoffs start next week.

While at the wedding, I saw this very pregnant woman who looked like should was
going to have the baby right there at the reception. She was carrying the baby
in a very elevated position. I guessed that the "child to be" was a boy. She
confirmed my guess.


Politics -- Nothing exciting.

Observation -- I am at a loss for words. I think that I destroyed too many
brain cells last night. I do remember that the brother of the bride had their
almost one year old child with them. I went over to say "Hi" to the baby, and
she started screaming at the top of her lungs. I was told by her father that she
doesn't like people with mustaches. I tried saying "Hi" later on at the
reception, and the baby's response was the same.

Have a great Sunday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad