Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,



I was so excited that our computer is working normally now that I woke up earlier than I should. No big deal because that is what naps are for!



It is a balmy 6 degrees above zero as I begin this e-mail. When I return from Retro Fitness, the temperature usually drops a couple degrees more.



I did thaw out from yesterday’s bell ringing. People dropped more money in the Salvation Army kettle because I think that they felt sorry for us standing out in the cold. We sent one of our friends home after an hour. He was improperly dressed, and my friend and I could see our friends turning cold and blue.

One of the guys who we relieved from the shift before used to run the Ski Patrol at Bosquet Ski area. He said that he had done a double shift. Since he worked Ski Patrol for those many years, he knew how to dress properly. He is actually my neighbor directly behind our house on Winesap. He took one of the bells, which weren’t working that well, and brought it home and fixed it. When he returned, he was so upset because he got too close to his pellet stove (to get the chill out), and burned a big hole in his expensive ski pants. I was thinking that he was lucky that he didn’t turn into a human torch!



Isn’t it difficult to believe that Christmas a week away? As I look around the house, and see all the decoration which Linda put up, I was thinking of the many days it took her to do so. I think that we should leave everything up well past Christmas. She said that if we were among the rich and famous, she would have house for each season. Each house would be decorated for that season so that all that she would have to do is dust off the decorations instead of returning them to the many Rubber Maid buckets which we use for storage. This is just a pipe dream since we don’t have any rich relatives to leave us any money in their wills.



The pot roast dinner was super last evening. A little effort in the morning, and the crock pot on for ten hours, provided a hearty and tasty meal. I put the carrots, onions, and potatoes in the crock pot too. A loaf of Italian bread, which I purchased on the way home from bell ringing, which was on sale for $1, completed the meal. You need comfort food when it is cold out side. You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen if people would use their crock pots.



Observation – When we were doing our bell ringing on Thursday afternoon, it was amazing watching what people were wearing as they enter the store. One guy had on a short sleeve shirt, and a pair of jeans. Visualize a temperature creeping into the single digits with a 20 mile an hour wind, and here is this guy dressed like it is summer.

Another thing that I noticed, and it wasn’t just yesterday, Walmart has been non stop busy. Every time I go in the store, the parking lot is full of people. In this tight economy, people are spending more money at Walmart than at the higher end stores. Our Walmart started adding more food items, and people are treating it like a Super Walmart, just without a deli and meat, and fresh vegetable section. I even noticed that we are purchasing more food items instead of going to the local supermarket which is in the same shopping complex. What did we do without stores like Walmart in the 50’s and 60’s?



Parent update – Linda and I did stop in and see dear old mom the other day. She keeps on saying that she wants to go home. My sister and I have to keep reminding Mom that she needs so much help if she does go home, that it is difficult to do so. We might try getting her home after Christmas, but starting off with a couple of days at a time along with the required Visiting Nurse Association, and the Home Health Care people. We want to see our Mother happy, but she needs so much help.

We have so many friends who have dealt with a situation like ours, and they say that the nursing home is the best place for Mom, even though it is heart breaking for my sister and I.



Social Calendar – Linda is getting up earlier than she would like to today. She is off to her 8:30 AM Pittsfield High School retiree breakfast. I have a bunch of errands to take care. I think that there might be a birthday present to wrap for our grandchild Isabelle who turns 2 on December 29, 2009.

I will most likely need a nap today if we do decide to go out with some friends this evening.



Have a great weekend!

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad