Saturday, January 30, 2010

Hello on Saturday Morning

Dear Friends,



We had another pleasant day on Friday.

My day started off at Retro Fitness, but I wasn’t there at the 4:30 AM starting time. To avoid distractions, I got on a tread mill next to a full figured woman.



For Linda it was one of those days that she must have wanted to sleep late even though she had that retiree breakfast which started at 8:30 AM. I had to wake her up at 8 AM. There were only four women who showed up. One woman overslept. Another lady wasn’t there because she was just diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The breakfast is supposed to be a happy occasion. Yeah right!



I did go off to do my errands. While on the way, a person came over the icy Junction Bridge which is a mile from our home. I saw a person in a yield lane try and put on their brakes to avoid hitting my car. The person didn’t know that the Bridge was not salted. When the person applied the brakes, his car slid into the curbing as I drove by. As I kept driving, I thought “no big deal”. As I got about a mile down the road, a police cruiser with its lights flashing was heading to the scene of the accident. I am guessing that another car behind the car which hit the curbing crashed into that car. Did I cause the accident?



We did go to the Beacon Cinema to see the latest Mel Gibson movie. Linda and I both enjoyed the movie. With the senior matinee discount, it cost $13 for the both of us. Parts of the film were shot in East Boston, and Northampton, Massachusetts. Linda and I recognized the East Boston sequence since was shot not too far from our son’s restaurant.

If you remember, Mel Gibson got arrested for a DUI a while back. While being arrested, he made some racial slurs directed at people of the Jewish faith. This was not good career move for him because the movie industry is pretty much run by people of Jewish descent!



It is a balmy -.4 degrees according to my digital thermometer on the north side of our house. It usually dips a degree or two more a little before sunrise.

Yesterday’s wind was awful. I think that we reached 11 degrees for the actual temperature on Friday. With the wind chill, it was well below zero.

The wind is supposed to stop around 10 AM, but we should only get into the teens today. Florida and the Caribbean are looking awfully tempting!



Social Agenda – We shouldn’t have to leave the house until the Rotary Auction this evening at the Crowne Plaza. The Auction has a preview and silent auction starting at 5 PM, but the actual auction doesn’t start until 6:30 PM. They do have complimentary appetizers, and cookies for dessert. Some people treat the food as their main meal. I like watching the people trying to fill up a small plat

I try and select food that won’t dribble on my sweater and pants. I usually don’t succeed.



Our Sunday is already booked in. There is a book signing (second book) for a local author at Patrick’s Pub from noon until midnight. The author is a person of Irish descent who grew up in Pittsfield. Patrick’s Pub has booked in four Irish bands for the 12 hour event. I don’t think that Linda and I are going to be there for 12 hours, but it does give us something to do on a Sunday.

I would have gone ice-fishing, but it has to warm up a few degrees before I venture out on the frozen pond.

A few days ago, I saw open water at Laurel Lake. The cold weather has sure changed that over these past couple of days. We went from a record high in the mid fifties to temperatures below zero. Welcome to the Berkshires!



Politics – President Obama is going around the country trying to defend his various positions on his approach to solving problems throughout the nation. One of them could help my son in his business. The President wants to give small business owners a $5000 tax credit for every new person that they hire. Could the President and his policies be working?



Have a great weekend whether you are in warm or cold climates.

Spring may seem a long way off for us people in the Northeast, but it will eventually arrive.

The snow birds will slowly make their way back to the Northeast as the temperatures rise in Florida.

Linda and I will have more friends to play with pretty soon. The Curley Lad

Friday, January 29, 2010

Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,



As the month of January comes to a close, our typical January thaw has come to an abrupt end. It is a balmy 4 degree right now with a stiff wind blowing which makes the wind chill about 17 degrees below zero. There is no way that I am going to commune with nature on any frozen pond for the next week or so. We might not even get into the teens today. A day like this might tempt me to spend a few days with family or friends who live in Florida.



Yesterday, we had snow showers. Well, the snow showers dumped a total of 6 inches. Three inches of the white fell at two different times during the day.



The crock pot dinner was okay, but not great. Good thing that we tried it out before we invited any friends to join us.



I did go off and visited Mom yesterday. She was speaking in tongues due to a bladder infection which is currently being treated with antibiotics. Good thing that I was there for her lunch because she had trouble eating lunch by herself.

I did see a former colleague of mine at the nursing home will turn 80 in a few days. He is a past President of our local UNICO group. He was sitting in a wheel chair right outside of the nurses’ station. I had heard that he had some form of cancer. I don’t think that he will ever be leaving the nursing home. His situation is a lot like what my mother and father are going through. He is sick, and his wife is trying to manage his family home. He said that he wished he had sold his place before he got sick.



Social Calendar – Linda is off to her monthly Retiree Breakfast which starts at 8:30 AM. She is not too excited about venturing off in her car with the temperatures being so low. Good thing that she got the heat issue in her car fixed last week.

I will be leaving around the same time to go off to City Hall to pay our property tax. The amount which we pay really cuts into our pension checks.

I then will make my way to Walmart to pick up a couple of boxes of the artificial logs for our fireplace.

We did talk about going to the movies at the downtown Beacon Cinemas. We are planning to go off to see the Mel Gibson action movie which is being released today. I will give you a review on Saturday morning if we do decide to go.



Politics – Most of the nation spent most of the day on Thursday talking about the President’s State of the Union’s speech. We diehard Democrats loved it! The rest of the nation thought that it was “smoke and mirrors” as the saying goes. Time will tell.



Observation – As I was leaving the nursing home yesterday, I was thinking how fortunate that the one my mother is residing at one of the best in our County. Our family can feel confident that Mom is getting the best of care. Everyone that I have been in contact with at the nursing home does a great job with the patients.

Nursing homes are not the place where I want to spend the last years of my life. Yesterday, a lady directly across from my mother was yelling at me as I walked by her room. She said; “Why did I fire two employees” who must have been dealing with the woman. Most of the time, the place is a very quiet one except for a couple of people who rant and rave, and push the call button all of the time.

When I meet my Maker, I just want to go quickly. Of course, I am hoping that this will be about 30 years + from now.



Well, I have to do some quiet chores including reading the local newspaper.

I do have a large pile of snow at the bottom of the driveway caused by the City plows, but I don’t want to wake up the Queen, and neighborhood. I will get to it before both Linda and I head out the door at 8:30 AM.



Have a great weekend.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad



P.S. There are a couple of events coming up that I am inviting my readers to attend. The first is a Polenta Dinner at the ITAM on March 11, 2010 (Thursday).

The second is a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner (March 17 –Wednesday) at the Italian American Club on Newell Street. This is the second time that the Italians are doing such and event. Last year, I had reserved two tables. Linda’s Jewish Mah Jongg friends have already told Linda that they want to attend the event. They really enjoyed the corned beef and cabbage, the chicken, pasta, the huge loaf of Irish Soda bread on each table.

If anyone is interested in either event, let me know so that I can reserve a table or two.

Both events start around 6:30 PM.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,



We pretty much were homebound yesterday. No, we didn’t sit around and act like slugs. We attacked the Christmas decorations in the basement. I was the bucket man once again. As we completing our project I made the comment that we can’t do this every year. We have accumulated so much stuff over the years, and maybe it is time to start getting rid of things. One of our daughter-in-law’s goes by the rule that if you haven’t used the item in a year or so, then it is time to get rid of it. It will take a while before we ever adopt a policy like that.



Politics – If you were a Democrat or an independent voter with an open mind, the State of the Union address delivered by our President was very well done. He sure is good at the microphone. Even some of the Republicans in the audience liked what the President was saying. Now, the question is can he accomplish his goals by getting congress to work together to solve the many issues facing our nation. I say continue to give our leader, and the people who he has working for him, a chance to accomplish those goals.



The cold front is supposed to roll in later on this afternoon. Friday will be cold both day and night. The Curley’s are prepared.



It looks like we will be having a crock pot supper this evening. I saw that Linda left out a cook book called “The Italian Slow Cooker”. I went to bed before we discussed what kind of food that we will be preparing in the pot.

We still haven’t fired up the Electric Pressure Cooker that we received for Christmas. I think that I might try a batch of baby back ribs at some point over the weekend. I will let you know how they come out.



I knew that it was too good to be true. Our Berkshire Eagle newspaper has been delivered at 4:30 AM for two days in a row. I was hoping that this was going to be the norm. Not!

Our newspaper gets printed at midnight so it is a matter of when the delivery person decides to drop off the newspapers.



Observation – I was thinking about happiness, and when you know that you have achieved some form of it. I think being relatively healthy is probably a good start. I also do notice that as we age, more aches and pains seem to rear its ugly head. I also notice that we can hold off some of these physical ailments with exercise (which I should have started years ago).

I also have noticed that there is a mental part of being happy, and I think that this starts with being happy with yourself. The happiness that you have can then be transferred to a partner, soul mate, family members, and friends.

Each person can then get to this state by doing various things in their life. Maybe food and wine makes you happy. Maybe knitting or playing games, or going to the movies in the middle of the afternoon makes you happy. Maybe reading a good book by the fireplace is what works for you.

I also observed that being happy at work is very important. I can’t imagine going into work each day hating what you do for a living. The unhappiness a person has can readily be transferred to people in the workplace. I used to eat my lunch in my classroom toward the end of my career because I couldn’t stand constant complaining from some of my colleagues.

I want to be surrounded with happy people.

Being happy in retirement is important too. You have a plan before you leave that job. If you don’t, then keep on working. If you are married or have a partner, you better think about how you are going to be able to cope with one another 24 / 7. For my partner and I, this is still a work in progress.

Laugh at yourself, and life.

At the comedy show that we attended last Saturday night, the best comedian was the one who appeared to get his material from his family. All of us in the audience could relate to almost all of his jokes and stories.



Well, I babbled long enough.

Have a great Thursday!

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Hello on Wednesday

Dear Friends,



Another day went pretty much as planned.

My first activity of the day was to take out all of the Christmas lights which I have woven into in the bushes in front of our house. I now know why our electric bill was over $200 during the Holiday season.



While Linda was preparing for her Mah Jongg session, I was loading up my car with ice-fishing gear.

My first stop was to visit Mom in the nursing home. She once again was in good spirits. She told me that the nursing home was where she was living now. She also told me to cut my mustache. She wants me to return to what my High School picture looks like. My picture is one of the many which she has on the top of \her dresser drawer in her room.

A little after noon, I left Mom and headed to Laurel Lake to do a little ice-fishing for a couple of hours. When I arrived in the parking lot, I saw two sets of fishermen, and a good deal of water along parts of the shore line. I decided to skip the ice-fishing, and go an visit dad. He too seem to be in good sprits even though he was just finishing up a bout of a stomach bug.

After an hour or so, I headed back home, and Dad said that he was going off to get a haircut.

As I was driving home, I was thinking that my parents are pretty lucky to have my sister and I just 12 miles from where the family home is in Lee as well as the nursing home which is about 6 miles from our Pittsfield homes.



I believe that we have a totally free day. I think that we will turn into a couple of slugs. I want to make a dent in the 1000 page Stephen King book. I am half way through the book right now. I felt like I have read two of my normal size books. I asked Linda not to purchase any novels of this size anymore.



Politics – The President will be giving his State of the Union address. It will probably be a great speech in the mind of us Democrats. What really disturbs me is the mindset throughout the nation that Democrats are bad politicians, and Republicans can do a better job. What also irks me is that municipal employees, State workers, teachers, people on Medicare and social security, are starting to forget who has providing the “butter for their breads” as the saying goes. The Republicans are doing a good job of brain washing the American public. Of course the Republican talking heads just keep on repeating this message on a daily basis. Even our local call in radio programs have people beating up the Democratic politicians.



Have to head off to the gym. I want to be there when the doors open a 4:30 AM.

Have a great Wednesday.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,



Another day went exactly as planned. The 10 AM funeral was well attended. The 21 gun salute took place outside of the front steps of the Church since the deceased was to be buried at a later date.

The reception after the funeral at the Wahconah Country Club went very well too. The buffet style food was delicious. They had an open bar for the whole reception. This was very enjoyable for me, but I did need a nap when we arrived back home around 2 PM.



Soon after we arrived home, we received a telephone call from H & S Auto. They called to tell us that the Neon was brought back to life for a second time within a week. The loud “Pop” that Linda heard while driving her car the other day was the brake line exploding. Linda did exactly the right thing to bring the car to a stop, and call AAA.

I think now that she will be driving a safe and warm car (heat issue repaired last week). She could even drive it on the Mass Pike!



I arrived home from Retro Fitness around 6:15 AM this morning. By not getting to the gym at 4:30 AM, there seemed to be more distractions for me to deal with.

As I was watching the television mounted to the tread mills, and stationary bikes, I usually like to watch ESPN. This channel has a lot of commercials for devices which you can purchase that if used properly can get you body in great shape. Why do the people demonstrating these devices already have perfect muscled bodies with no body fat? I want to see overweight people like the ones on “The Greatest Losers” program, or people with my body type in those commercials.



Social Calendar – Linda is the only one socially engaged today. She has her Tuesday Mah Jongg session, and then her monthly BONCO at a friend’s house this evening.

I was thinking about visiting Mom at the nursing home, and giving Laurel Lake in Lee another chance. I have six live bait left. The only problem will be the glare ice that has formed because of the 24 hour rain that we have had for the past day or so. When the ice has no snow cover, it is dangerous to walk on it without creepers. It is also dangerous cutting a hole with an auger because you can spin around as the auger does its job, and this is from the voice of experience. Also, falling on the ice while carrying the auger can be painful too. I have done this several times in the past.



Weather – The cold front is not supposed to settle in until Friday.



Sports – I did watch a sporting contest last evening while trying to make a dent in the 1000 page book which Linda chose for me. The Celtics won their second game in a row. There is no question that they need their big man if they have any chance of winning a championship.

Here we go again. Brett Farve is flip flopping between playing football next year and going into retirement. There are some people who need to work, and he appears to be one of them.

I am picking the Colts to win the Super Bowl.



Speaking of the Super Bowl, I haven’t mentioned the Annual Curley Super Bowl Party because we might not host one this year. It is not that we are going to a bar one or someone else’s Super Bowl party. As we get closer to Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 7, 2010), I will let you know whether the event will happen or not. We already lost one couple who will be in Boston for a Celtic game on that date.



When I exited the house a little after 4:30 AM, the local newspaper was at the bottom of my driveway. I am hoping that we have a new carrier, and that the person continues dropping off the paper at such an early time. The local newspaper has been arriving later and later each day. Sunday, it wasn’t delivered until 8 AM. I don’t like it when Linda and I are pawing over the newspaper at the same time.



Well, I have a couple quiet activities before I get dressed and make some serious noise.

Have a great Tuesday.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Monday, January 25, 2010

Hello on Monday Morning

Dear Friends,



Our day went exactly as planned except that the Football teams that I hoped would win were not successful.



The memorial service at Temple Knesset Israel went very well. Linda attached the Yarmulke with a hair pin to my head. The service lasted a little less than an hour.

The son gave a long eulogy about his Mom. As he was describing her life, I felt like she was describing my mother. Every thing that his Mom did while my friend was growing up; my mother did too in her life. His parents even got married the same year as my parens, 1946. His mom knitted hats, gloves, and sweaters, just like my mother. His mom baked cookies and cakes and shared them with friends and relatives. His Mom quit school around the eighth grade, during the depression, to help out her family. My mother did too. Since my Mom was one of the older females in her family of 10, she helped raise her younger brothers and sisters. His mom was pursued by this man who wouldn’t give up requesting her hand in marriage, and that was the relationship between my mother and father. As a matter of fact, I was looking at my mother and father’s wedding picture the other day, and I noticed the name of the photographer on the picture. The photographer was my friend’s grandfather. Aren’t we all connected in one way or another?

Another positive of attending the service was that we met some teachers whom we haven’t seen in some time. We chatted for a while, and the group of us were the last ones to leave the Temple.



We did go from the Temple to the grocery store. The grocery store was like a zoo. Actually it was like when a snow storm is predicted, and people feel the need to stock up with a couple day supply of food even though they have enough at home. We went in for 10 items, but it seemed to take for ever to check out of the store. We waited in the 15 items or under isle, and the clerk shuts off her light as we were waiting as the third people in line. I would have left the grocery cart, and walked out the door, but most of the items were for me. It was mostly fruit that we purchased.

We did have to get one item to replace an item that I opened up, but couldn’t use it correctly. We like to have oatmeal in the house. We were supposed to buy the one minute kind. I tried making a bowl of oatmeal with this old fashion oatmeal. I followed the micro wave instructions. I stepped away from the kitchen while the oatmeal was brewing in the microwave. When I returned, the container, that I was brewing the oatmeal in, turned into Mount Vesuvius. Oatmeal was dripping down the side of the container. Oatmeal was on the walls of the microwave. I cleaned up the mess and went for a less healthy box type cereal.



We dropped off the groceries at home, freshened up, and headed off for the 2 PM wake. Our friends, who drove in from New Jersey while on a family visit, were in the parking lot before we arrived. They were waiting in their car until 2 PM. I had to teach them the Curley method of attending a wake. I always arrive at the funeral home at least 10 minutes before the starting time. If the door to where the body is being viewed is closed, I just wait in line and socialize with the other mourners. If the door is open, just walk right in give my condolences to the family. I always try and tell a funny story about the deceased to break the tension, and limit the tears. Yesterday the priest was there to say a prayer service at 1:45 PM. If I wasn’t in the parking lot discussing the Curley wake procedure to our friends, I would have made the family prayer service.



We arrived home in time for me to watch football, and for Linda to watch her ice-skating. I really didn’t watch football. I had the volume down low while trying to read Stephen King’s, “Under the Dome.” I read 275 pages of this 1000 page book. Linda purposely bought this book for me so that I could savor the book. I will finish this book before this week is over. The book so far has been a good read for me. The negative is that you can’t hold the book in one hand. I would never carry a book like this on a plane. I would have to check it in as luggage!



Today we are off to a Mass for the deceased. We are to meet in the Church at 9:45 AM. Since it is raining and windy, the Irish clubs will be setting up the honor guard inside the Church as the pall bearers walk the deceased down the isle to the altar.

I talked to the son of the funeral director, who is a member of our Irish Sister City Committee yesterday, and I asked where the reception was after the Mass since the deceased will be buried at a later date. The reception is at the Wahconah Country Club. The deceased was a member of the golf club. The deceased was a full blooded Irishman. The celebration of his life could be an all day affair, but I am up for the challenge (not sure about Linda).

My point of describing all of this stuff about death is that not all wakes and funerals have to be about gloom and doom.

The Irish treat it as another event which could turn into a celebration. I think that they have the correct idea of how to deal with losing a loved one!



Have a great day at work or play.

You will know what Linda and I will be doing.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Monday Morning

Dear Friends,



Our day went exactly as planned except that the Football teams that I hoped would win were not successful.



The memorial service at Temple Knesset Israel went very well. Linda attached the Yarmulke with a hair pin to my head. The service lasted a little less than an hour.

The son gave a long eulogy about his Mom. As he was describing her life, I felt like she was describing my mother. Every thing that his Mom did while my friend was growing up; my mother did too in her life. His parents even got married the same year as my parens, 1946. His mom knitted hats, gloves, and sweaters, just like my mother. His mom baked cookies and cakes and shared them with friends and relatives. His Mom quit school around the eighth grade, during the depression, to help out her family. My mother did too. Since my Mom was one of the older females in her family of 10, she helped raise her younger brothers and sisters. His mom was pursued by this man who wouldn’t give up requesting her hand in marriage, and that was the relationship between my mother and father. As a matter of fact, I was looking at my mother and father’s wedding picture the other day, and I noticed the name of the photographer on the picture. The photographer was my friend’s grandfather. Aren’t we all connected in one way or another?

Another positive of attending the service was that we met some teachers whom we haven’t seen in some time. We chatted for a while, and the group of us were the last ones to leave the Temple.



We did go from the Temple to the grocery store. The grocery store was like a zoo. Actually it was like when a snow storm is predicted, and people feel the need to stock up with a couple day supply of food even though they have enough at home. We went in for 10 items, but it seemed to take for ever to check out of the store. We waited in the 15 items or under isle, and the clerk shuts off her light as we were waiting as the third people in line. I would have left the grocery cart, and walked out the door, but most of the items were for me. It was mostly fruit that we purchased.

We did have to get one item to replace an item that I opened up, but couldn’t use it correctly. We like to have oatmeal in the house. We were supposed to buy the one minute kind. I tried making a bowl of oatmeal with this old fashion oatmeal. I followed the micro wave instructions. I stepped away from the kitchen while the oatmeal was brewing in the microwave. When I returned, the container, that I was brewing the oatmeal in, turned into Mount Vesuvius. Oatmeal was dripping down the side of the container. Oatmeal was on the walls of the microwave. I cleaned up the mess and went for a less healthy box type cereal.



We dropped off the groceries at home, freshened up, and headed off for the 2 PM wake. Our friends, who drove in from New Jersey while on a family visit, were in the parking lot before we arrived. They were waiting in their car until 2 PM. I had to teach them the Curley method of attending a wake. I always arrive at the funeral home at least 10 minutes before the starting time. If the door to where the body is being viewed is closed, I just wait in line and socialize with the other mourners. If the door is open, just walk right in give my condolences to the family. I always try and tell a funny story about the deceased to break the tension, and limit the tears. Yesterday the priest was there to say a prayer service at 1:45 PM. If I wasn’t in the parking lot discussing the Curley wake procedure to our friends, I would have made the family prayer service.



We arrived home in time for me to watch football, and for Linda to watch her ice-skating. I really didn’t watch football. I had the volume down low while trying to read Stephen King’s, “Under the Dome.” I read 275 pages of this 1000 page book. Linda purposely bought this book for me so that I could savor the book. I will finish this book before this week is over. The book so far has been a good read for me. The negative is that you can’t hold the book in one hand. I would never carry a book like this on a plane. I would have to check it in as luggage!



Today we are off to a Mass for the deceased. We are to meet in the Church at 9:45 AM. Since it is raining and windy, the Irish clubs will be setting up the honor guard inside the Church as the pall bearers walk the deceased down the isle to the altar.

I talked to the son of the funeral director, who is a member of our Irish Sister City Committee yesterday, and I asked where the reception was after the Mass since the deceased will be buried at a later date. The reception is at the Wahconah Country Club. The deceased was a member of the golf club. The deceased was a full blooded Irishman. The celebration of his life could be an all day affair, but I am up for the challenge (not sure about Linda).

My point of describing all of this stuff about death is that not all wakes and funerals have to be about gloom and doom.

The Irish treat it as another event which could turn into a celebration. I think that they have the correct idea of how to deal with losing a loved one!



Have a great day at work or play.

You will know what Linda and I will be doing.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Hello on Sunday Morning

Dear Friends,



The Neon couldn’t be worked on during the half day that the repair shop is open on Saturday. Life with one car is difficult, but we are trying to manage.



The comedy show at the Crowne Plaza went well. There were three comedians who performed to the sold out crowd in the ballroom of the hotel. We liked only one out of the three. He had us laughing through his whole performance. The last performer, who is supposed to be the headliner, was mediocre at best.

We saw several people whom we know even though the crowd was mostly from a neighboring town, and it was a fund raiser for the Dalton Police association.. Some friends recognized us, and there were three empty seats in our row. We were one big and happy row.

The comedy show started right on at 7:30 PM, and ended at 9:20 PM. Yes, I would go again if the tickets were free.



The highlight of the evening was actually before the show. We had supper at the second floor bar/ lounge. They have what they call a “lounge menu” as well as the full dinner menu. The limited lounge menu is what we decided to order. Each item on this menu cost $5. A couple of these items were enough to keep us content. I think that our circle of friends would like going to this place for lunch or supper.



The Temple service at 11 AM, a quick stop at the grocery store for a few items, the wake at 2 PM, and NFL playoffs at 3 PM are all that is on our social calendar today. I am not sure what Linda is going to do while I am watching football. If we didn’t have those death related services to attend, I was all set to have a playoff party, and invite the usual suspects. There is not enough time to coordinate such a party today. Some of the usual suspects are out of town this weekend too.



I tired to get rid of a television yesterday, and I wasn’t successful. It is a small television which works fine, but we are into the HD television mode, and we already have a television in every bedroom, in the screened in room on the deck, and we have two HD televisions. I thought that I could just drop it off at our local recycle / burn the garbage plant. Not! The attendant said that they don’t take televisions. He said that Goodwill will take them for a fee. It would cost me $20 to get rid of it at Goodwill. You pay a fee according to the size of the television. Linda thinks that I should put it out with the curb side trash Wednesday, and put a sign on it that it is free and in good working order.



Politics – The Democrats throughout the country, who are seeking re-election, are getting a little nervous because of what happened in Massachusetts this past week. Every new elected politician says that they are going to change things when they get elected. Unless the power structure gets changed in Washington, it will be same old, same old!



Have to go and get that first cup of coffee.

Have a great Sunday.

Hope that your team wins if you are a football fan.

There might be some pre Olympic stuff on if you don’t like football. Linda watched ice-skating for most of the afternoon on Saturday. I tried to be the loving husband and sit through the ice-skating, but I just couldn’t do it. I had to leave the room. For me ice-skating is like watching a Chick Flick!



Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Hello on Saturday Morning

Dear Friends,



Our Friday went okay, but there was one bump in the road.



The mini protest, with respect to our Health Insurance, went okay. There were reporters from two local newspapers. There were about 25 of us men and women from various city departments involved in the protest. I even made my own sign to hold.

Linda was supposed to join us when she got through with a body maintenance procedure. Well, this didn’t happen!

While heading to the protest, Linda heard a loud “Pop” coming from the Neon. She said that she lost power, and said that the brakes seemed to be not working normally. She called AAA, and had her car towed to our favorite repair shop. I left the protest just about the same time that the tow truck arrived to pick her and the Neon up. I drove to the repair shop and picked Linda up.

She originally wanted to go from the protest to the grocery store to pick up a few items. We had to go directly home because my car was still full of my ice-fishing gear, and there would have been no room for the groceries.

Once we arrived home, we decided to postpone the trip to the grocery, and just chill until supper time.



We went off to the Shamrock for supper. It was just Linda and I. While having a beverage at the bar, I sat next to a lady (in her mid forties) who wanted to talk. She had to tell me about getting her F 150 truck hung up on a guide wire on a telephone pole. She had to tell me every detail. Luckily, the hostess came to us, and said that our table was ready.

After supper we went directly home, put on our sleep wear, and watched some previously recorded programs.



Speaking of the Shamrock, a couple of local people got arrested for breaking into the office of the Shamrock Motel which is next door to the Shamrock Restaurant. The man and woman team left footprints in the snow. The police obtained a search warrant, and found the stolen items in their apartment. The couple is currently residing in the Berkshire County House of Correction.



I was going to go ice-fishing today, but I can’t leave Linda without a car. The repair shop guys didn’t get a chance to look at the Neon on Friday since they were so busy with booked in appointments.



This evening, we are off to a comedy show at the Crowne Plaza. A friend, who is out of town for the weekend, gave us her tickets. The company that the friend works for distributed some free tickets to its employees.



We had another friend pass away on Friday night. This means that on Sunday we will be going from a memorial service at the Temple, to a wake service at a local funeral home. The memorial service starts at 11 AM. The wake at the funeral home goes from 2 PM until 5 PM.

The person who died on Friday night was a member of the Irish American Club. There will be an honor guard of Irish American Club and Irish Sister City Members (which both Linda and I are members of) at 9:45 AM on Monday morning. A Mass will follow at 10 AM. I am guessing that there will be a reception after the interment. Monday might be a long day!



Not trying to be selfish, but these deaths are cutting into my ice-fishing time, and me watching NFL playoff games. I think that the football watching will be okay since the first playoff game has a 3 PM broadcast time on Sunday.



Since I can’t go ice-fishing, I decided that I am going off to Retro Fitness this morning. I will be there when the doors open at the weekend starting time of 6 AM.



Have a great weekend.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Friday, January 22, 2010

Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,



My ice-fishing adventure on Thursday didn’t have a good start. Just before heading out the door at 6:30 AM, I checked the bait which I purchased the day before, and half of the minnows were dead. It was semi my fault. When I came home from purchasing the bait on Wednesday afternoon, I decided to change the water in the bait bucket. I used the cold water from the kitchen sink. Well, it must have been the Pittsfield water which reeked havoc on my bait. If Pittsfield water can kill fish, can you imagine what it is doing to our bodies?

There are some positives of me spending the day on Pontoosuc Lake. I did arrive in time to see the sun come over the horizon. The cloudless skies and the bright sun did allow me to get a good facial sun tan. Did I catch and fish? No, but I did get at least five flags. The fish must have been too small to swallow the minnows. The flags going up did force me to get out of my chair, and tend to them.

I wanted to drive my car on the ice, but I decided to haul my sled out from the parking lot instead. The ice was plenty thick to hold my car or the multiple trucks, and SUV’s that were on the ice. My fear was not the thickness of the ice, but that I might bottom out since my car is so low to the ground. I did that a couple of years ago, and had to be pushed out, and off the ice by three other fisherman.



Linda did enjoy her day alone. She prepared a crock pot soup which we had for supper. It was wonderful once again. It was a beef / vegetable soup.



I was all set to go ice-fishing again today, but we are going to be involved in a protest at 12:45 PM. A bunch of us retired teachers are going to march outside the Teacher Union Office in Pittsfield. The protest is about the midyear changes in our health insurance which we will be experiencing on February 1, 2010. The rates are set on a yearly basis, and they remain from July of one year to July of the following year. Our health care providers were experiencing a deficit, so us retirees, and current teachers have to make up the short fall. I thought that when I left teaching, my protesting days were over.



I don’t know what is on our social agenda after the protest. Hopefully it will be a quiet evening. We would go to the movies, but I don’t like what we have to choose from right now. There is an action one which I would like to see with Mel Gibson starring in it, but I think that it starts on Sunday.



Politics / News – Tiger was sighted at a Clinic where he will be treated for sex addiction. If I was his Psychiatrist, I would tell him not to waist his money. The diagnosis would be “Incurable.” Get a divorce, pay alimony, child support, and get back to work. If he needs to have a woman before, during, and after golf, there would be no headlines because he would be single.

I see that Edwards finally admitted that his transgression, while his wife was dealing with breast cancer, resulted in the birth of a child. The two year old girl finally knows who her daddy is!

Sanford on the other hand, finally realized that he really hurt his family and political life by his transgression. I hope that he has a wonderful life with his Argentinean woman and her children.



If these guys went ice fishing with me, they would pretty much pass out from the 8 hours of fresh air on the ice. I fell asleep trying to watch the Boston Bruins hockey game which started at 7 PM. The roar of the crowd woke me up at 9:30 PM. I went to bed. Of course, I don’t want to be up this early, and I will most likely need a nap.

I think that I will hit the gym at 4:30 AM, and when I arrive back home, I will go back to bed for a couple of hours. Being retired means being flexible.



Linda and I will be going to the Temple together on Sunday for 11 AM service for the mother of one of our teacher colleagues. The deceased woman was in her early 90’s like my mother.

This is a different Temple, a block away from the other one which Linda went to this past Sunday. I think this one is where the parishioners are called Orthodox Jews. The wife of our teacher friend plays Mah Jongg in that second group which I often refer to in my daily blog.



Weather – As I was enjoying the sun on the frozen pond yesterday, and listening to the radio, I was reminded how lucky we are to live in this part of the country. We are pretty much disasters free of things like mudslides in California, or Tornado warning in the places where our Berkshires friends residing in Ocala, Florida (yesterday). Damaging earthquakes, like we have seen in Haiti don’t occur that much in the Northeast. The seismologists keep warning us that we could have a major earthquake in the Northeast, but I hope that it happens when we are long gone from this earth.



Have a great weekend.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,



Hope that you had a great Wednesday. Linda and I had an enjoyable one but today is “Separation” day.



I am going ice-fishing by myself, but today it will be at Pontoosuc Lake. I will be using my Pike ready tip ups.



I picked up bait yesterday afternoon so that I can leave the house as early as I want to. Since my bait is medium size, I should be able to get multiple flags.

If I do catch fish(s), I will take a picture of them unless it is a world record. Yeah Right! At this point of the season, just getting a flag will be exciting.



I am also psyched because Linda made me a hat from wool from the Sheep & Wool Festival which we attended in the fall. It is the first hat that I own that can fit over my wild hair without popping off of my head when I move around. It matches my Irish knit sweaters. My only fear is getting fish blood on it! When I wear a new article of clothing, I have a habit of getting it dirty the first time that I wear it.

The temperature for today will hit at least 32 degrees, and it will be sunny. I feel a sun tan coming on.



Linda is really psyched because I will be gone for the whole day.

She is also happy because her car is in good working order. She finally has heat. Two brand new tires were put on the car because one had a bubble in it, and the other was worn a bit. The new tires were put on the rear, and the rear tires were transferred to the front. Her electronics problem of all the gauges working sporadically was also fixed. The couple of hundred dollars to repair the car sure beats car payments.

The heat problem was the thermostat. The repair guy said that the old thermostat came apart in three pieces.



We did have pulled pork sandwiches for lunch yesterday from Tuesday’s left over pork. Supper was not a crock pot one. Some three cheese raviolis from a place at the eastern end of the State are what we had for supper.

Linda is going to make either a soup or beef stew in the crock pot today.



Politics – The Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts dominated the news locally and nationally. He is the first Republican in Ted Kennedy’s spot since 1972. Berkshire County did vote by a 2 to 1 margin for Martha Coakley. She needed a 3 to 1 margin throughout the State if she had any chance of winning.



Observation -- I did get a couple of comments from yesterday’s “Observation” about the age at which I retired. My auto mechanic’s friend described yesterday was only 58 years old when he passed away. On June 30 2010, it will be 6 full years of retirement for the Curley Lad. Have I beaten the odds so far?

So let me think of my friends who didn’t have a long retirement if they had one at all: Math Teacher –retired at 64, died at 68, Auto Mechanics died at 58 and never had one day of retirement. Math Teacher – Retired at 57, died at 58, Science Teacher – died while still teaching of a brain tumor at age 58. Phys Ed teacher – Retired for a couple years, died at 63.

When I first started teaching, some old time teachers told me retire as soon as you can financially do so. I am so glad that I took their advice!

If I died on the ice today (which I don’t plan on doing), I would have a smile on my face.



Have a great day at work or play.

I will be having fun while playing. Linda will be enjoying her day as long as the opening and closing of the garage door doesn’t wake her up.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Hello on Wednesday Morning

Dear Friends,



Well, the people in Massachusetts have spoken, and a Republican will represent Massachusetts for the next two years. I do agree with all the experts that the vote was against President Obama, health care, and the Democrats in general. I am ready to move on, and let us see how many campaign promises that Scott Brown can fulfill.



Our Tuesday didn’t go as planned, but it still was a pleasant one. I left the house a little before 7 AM to cast my Democratic vote. I was the first one to cast a vote at the polling station for our particular Ward. The side roads were a little slick due to the day long snow showers.

I went from voting to Retro Fitness. There were more distractions at 7:30 AM when I began my workout.



Linda’s session of Mah Jongg didn’t materialize because they couldn’t get at least four of her six friends to play. She was content to lounge around in her sweats until it was time for a body maintenance procedure, and to cast her vote.

Since I lost the urge to go ice-fishing, I was her designated driver.



I never did any rug shampooing. There were enough little projects around the house to keep me going.



The crock pot roast pork for supper was wonderful. We turned it into a pork dinner with a sweet potato and vegetables. The left over pork will used for pulled pork sandwiches today.

One of Linda’s Mah Jongg friends got a crock pot for Christmas from one of her girlfriends. She called Linda yesterday for a Crock Pot consult. The lady was going to cook a beef pot roast according to a recipe in her instruction manual. Now Linda is a consultant on crock pots and knitting.

Linda trims the herbs from our Aero Garden on a daily basis. All of our foods always have a hint of fresh herbs too.

Another Mah Jong friend got an Aero Garden for Hanukkah. Add Aero Gardens to Linda’s consultant list!



Linda even helped an elderly lady while voting yesterday. The lady wrote on the ballot “Democrat” instead of filling in the oval next to the candidate’s name. Linda explained that the ballot would be rejected, and showed her how to cast a vote.



We dropped the Neon off at 3:30 PM. The repair shop people took a quick look at the car, and said that they were going to replace the thermostat, and replace a couple of tires today. Even though the Neon is a 1996 version, the car only has around 70,000 miles of wear. Since both cars are paid for, we are really going to try and make them last for as long as possible.



Observation – While at a party over the weekend, a friend said that I was too young when I retired from teaching. Yes, 57 years old was a bit young when compared the social security figures which would like us to keep working past 65 years old. The more a person works, the less the government has to pay out in social security benefits. We teachers in Massachusetts can’t collect a teacher pension, and full social security (Reagonomics ruling in 1985). He called it double dipping. Federal workers can’t collect a pension and get full social security either. You wonder why I vote Democratic.

Getting back to the point of retiring too early, when my father retired from the paper mill, he too retired at age 62 instead of waiting until age 65. He decided back then that it wasn’t worth the few bucks more per month to keep working until 65. I guess I must have learned from him.

Another thing that I learned is that the stress of the job can take years off of your life. If you have a job that doesn’t bring on stressful situations, then work forever. A couple of years before I retired, an auto mechanics teacher, who was my ice-fishing mentor, got sick in May. We buried him on the last day of school. He never enjoyed one day of retirement even though he was preparing for it during the school year that he died.

Another teacher (same age as me) from the mathematics department, which is where I worked, retired with me in June of 2004. He died one year and one month after he retired. He rolled over in bed one morning and he never woke up. He died of a heart attack. He had other health issues, and for the past 8 or 10 years of his career had colitis which is often brought on by stress.

Linda and I love retirement. Now that grandchildren have arrived, our retirement has even more meaning. Over the past week or so we were asked to baby sit for the East Boston grandchild Max. Do you seriously think that we said that we were not available?

As a matter of fact, Linda was checking on affordable flights to Kansas yesterday to see our other grandchild, Isabelle, before her brother is born in mid May.



Of course, you also should stay working if you know that you and your partner can’t be together 24 / 7. In this situation, you have to learn the Curley “separation” technique. I think I learned that from my parents too. My mother loved it when my father went golfing several times per week. Linda has the same attitude about me and golf. Ice-fishing is the separation device during the winter. One of my friends is a little less active than me during his retirement. His wife creates projects for him to keep him busy. If he went ice-fishing with me, the projects could be postponed.

Just being together yesterday, Linda was talking about me stripping the wall paper in the first floor bathroom. I left the house to do a few errands just to avoid the conversation.



I was going to go ice-fishing today, but I just remembered that I can’t go until Linda’s car is fixed. I can’t leave her stuck in the house with no car unless she wants to go ice-fishing with me. Yeah Right! There are no portable toilets when I go ice fishing.





Linda is going to fire up the crock pot again this morning. She was talking about making a hearty soup. I can’t wait.



Have a great Wednesday.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,



Our Martin Luther King Day went as planned.

Today is back to work or play for my readers and the Curley’s.



Today is Election Day in Massachusetts. This special election was created so that the people of Massachusetts can vote for a person who can fill Ted Kennedy’s spot. It is the Democratic candidate, Martha Coakley versus the Republican Candidate, Mr. Brown. The pollsters have Brown ahead at the moment, but the race is too close to call. If the Democratic voters come out in force, like Linda and I, we can keep the seat Democratic. Yesterday, the Brown supporters were engaged in a rally at our Park Square, and outside the American Legion where Martha was giving a campaign speech. When the television reporters interviewed the people carrying the Brown signs, it was reported that this rally was made up of people from neighboring New York State. Some of the people in the Nation dislike the President so much and the programs that he is trying to get passed like health care reform, that they will do anything including crossing state lines to get their point across.



Linda is the only one socially engaged today. She has her normal Tuesday Mah Jongg session.



I am totally free, but I am considering my options. I could do a little ice-fishing, but I am not sure if I want to fish during a day of snow showers. I could start a house project of shampooing the rugs in the house, but I require supervision for this project. I could just sit on my butt all day, while Linda is doing her thing, and savor another book which I started yesterday. Decisions, decisions, what am I going to do?

Of course, I could go and visit Mom in the nursing. That would for sure pick up my spirits! Even the priest who says Mass at the nursing home, and who is our UNICO Chaplin said that he missed me yesterday. He says Mass on Monday’s at the nursing home.



I have the crock pot fired up with a pork roast. I am not sure if it will be pulled pork sandwiches, or a pork dinner with all the fixings. I lathered up the roast with a store bought barbecue sauce. I added a quarter cup of water, and it will be done in 10 hours or less. I took the roast out of the freezer last night, but it wasn’t completely thawed this morning, but that is perfectly okay.



Observation – I was thinking, as I was playing with food when I first woke up, of how people function when they do wake up. I wake up energized, and raring to go. I need 30 seconds to wake up, and get moving. I start thinking of things that I am going to do before I even have my first cup of coffee of the day. On the other hand, there are the people who want to be left alone. They like to move slowly, pour that first cup of coffee, and read the newspaper, and don’t like anyone to talk to them or ask them questions for 30 minutes to an hour. I think that I live with a person like that.

It is like the turtle versus the hare story. I am not convinced that the rabbit really wins the race. It is a matter of the hare getting along with the turtle.

What kind of morning person are you?



Creatures in my yard – When I went out to do a little snow removal on Monday morning; I saw this set of tracks that went from the front of our yard through to the back of the yard. At a first look, I thought that they were dog tracks. Upon further inspection, I realized that they were not dog tracks, but deer tracks. It appeared that a doe and a couple of her fawns were looking for food in our neighborhood. Some tracks were right in front of the bushes in front of our house. They must have tried nibbling on some of the branches. We are talking about these deer entering our neighborhood. There are houses everywhere. There is a woodsy area behind the house across the street. Maybe they were pushed by some coyotes. The tracks went through our back yard, and diagonally across our neighbors, and through the yards of houses on the neighboring streets. I need to get one of those cameras which you attach to trees to verify my observation. Motion sets off these cameras during the time when it is dark.

So now I can add to the list of creatures who visit the Curley’s – We have bears, raccoons, squirrels (red and gray), chipmunks, birds, moles, field mice, feral cats, an occasional hawk, and now deer. I was named after St. Francis of Assisi who was fond of all of God’s creatures.



Have a great Tuesday.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Monday, January 18, 2010

Hello on Martin Luther King Day

Dear Friends,



We didn’t get much more than an inch of snow here in Pittsfield. The prognosticators had trouble getting it right.



The memorial service at the Temple, which Linda attended, went well. Many tears were shed for the deceased man. The Mah Jongg lady who lost her husband to Alzheimer’s disease really appreciated that her Mah Jongg friends were present for the service. A reception followed the service.



My monthly ITAM meeting went well too. I skipped the reception after the meeting, and went straight home to watch the end of the first NFL playoff game, and eventually the 4:30 PM playoff game.



If you are a fan of professional football, I hope the teams which you were rooting for won their games. I was so happy to see the Dallas Cowboys lose their game to Minnesota. I would bet Danielle, and all her friends and relatives from Minnesota were very happy with the results. My brother-in-law didn’t go to bed a happy man since his Cowboys lost the game. He has been a Cowboy fan for most of his life!

I was also glad to see the Jets knock off the San Diego Chargers in the second game. A week ago, Teddy Bruschi, a former Patriot football player and now sports annalist, said the New York Jets were one of those teams which he thought could make it to the Super Bowl. The Jets have to get by the Colts next week, and they will be in the Super Bowl.



Observation – The pictures from Haiti are definitely heart wrenching, but…... The reports got me thinking of what would we do if the earthquake hit Pittsfield? Do Linda and I have an emergency survival kit of food, water, and basic supplies so that we could survive for several days until help arrived? We don’t have a specific bucket or two, but I think that we do have enough stuff to get us through a crisis. This is assuming that our house didn’t come tumbling down, and I could get at the supplies. Trying to stay warm with the electricity, and heat getting knocked out might be a problem if the quake hit in the winter time. The snow could be used to keep the food in the freezer cold for a few days. I have a gas grill to cook food. I have my tailgating grill too. I have plenty of beverages, and some would keep me happy for a while. I do have hunting and fishing equipment so that I could capture food when my freezer food was gone. The only problem with shooting or catching food is that I don’t shoot well, and you know my record for ice-fishing isn’t too great.

I guess that surviving a major disaster wouldn’t be much fun at all!



It is a legal holiday and a good number of people have the day off. No, Linda and I are not totally free.

The other set of Mah Jongg ladies are doing lunch, and playi Mah Jongg. One of the ladies volunteered to have the session at her house after they have lunch. It appears that they might be going to Panera Bread for their lunch.



Going to Retro Fitness during the mid morning, and attending a 6 PM UNICO membership meeting are my two activities for the day. I do have a few more chapters of my book, “The Scarpetta Factor” to finish.



I am glad that I removed the mechanical Christmas deer and the mini patio trees when the weather was nice on Saturday. I had to use a pry bar to get the staked in decorations out of the frozen ground. Do you think I could have damaged a wire or two?



Last evening we ordered Domino’s Pizza. After seeing all those commercials of how the company was attempting to improve their pizza making, we decided to give their pizzas a try. Well, it turns out that their pizzas haven’t improved too much. We needed some Alka Seltzer to settle our stomachs. Our son from East Boston makes the best pizza. He makes his own dough, and he uses fresh ingredients. I wished that we lived closer to him and his restaurant. Even though he is closed on Sunday, a left over pizza from Saturday would still be better than a fresh Domino one.



Well, I have a few quiet chores like emptying the dishwasher, etc., and then I will read the local newspaper. I should be quiet enough so that the Queen can sleep for as long as she desires.

Have a great Martin Luther King Day.

I have a feeling it will be another fun day for both Linda and I.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Hello on Sunday Morning

Dear Friends,



I opened the door at Retro Fitness on Saturday morning. There were no distractions for this weekend starting time of 6 AM. Only the full figured women were at the gym with me and a couple of those muscle bound guys.



When I cam home from the gym, I parked the car in the driveway instead of opening and closing the garage door. Linda appreciated my gesture so much that she slept until 9:30 AM.



While she was reading the newspaper, I decided to bring my returnable bottle and cans back to the supermarket where I purchased the beverages. $11 worth of bottles and cans took a while to process.



I decided that I should stop and see Mom in the nursing home. She appeared to be in good spirits. The only negative was that her hearing aid wasn’t working properly. Trying to make conversation was a real challenge. My sister said that she would deal with the hearing aid on another day.

My father showed up during the second hour of my 2 hour visit.

I was so mentally exhausted when I left the place that I need to take a nap when I arrived back home. I would have never lasted during the house party if I didn’t take that nap.



Linda was off bonding with a girlfriend when I was at the nursing home.



The house party went very well. There was much, food, fun, and merriment. We were permitted to watch football, and converse at the same time.

I was hoping for an upset, but it didn’t happen in either of the two games.



I will be missing the 1 PM game today because I will be at an officers’ meeting at the ITAM. Linda, who is also an officer, will be missing the ITAM meeting because she will be at the Temple (and reception) for a memorial service for the deceased husband of one of her Tuesday Mah Jongg friends. If I wasn’t going to the ITAM meeting, I would be at the Temple with her.



I am going to go directly from the ITAM to my friend’s house to watch the 4 PM football game. If the game isn’t a competitive one, I will leave at half time.



The weather people are predicting rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow accumulating from 1 to 3 inches. It all starts during the mid afternoon. I am hoping the rain gets rid of the salt on my car. I was going to wash the car yesterday, but with the not so nice weather which was predicted, I thought that the car cleaning would be a waste.



Politics – While at the house party, the conversation did revert to the bankers’ bonuses, local politics, and who will be getting Ted Kennedy’s seat in congress. We diehard Democrats want to keep Ted’s seat Democratic. The voting takes place on Tuesday. The race is too close to call right now. Getting people out to vote will be another problem. Most of us have been getting those recorded messages on our answering machines. I will be glad when the election is over.



Well, I have to select my gym wardrobe.

I hope that my workout will be distraction free like it was on Saturday morning.

Have a great Sunday!

Talk to you soon, The Curley Lad

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Hello on Saturday Morning

Dear Friends,



I had another fishless day at Laurel Lake in Lee. I did get some suggestions and helpful hints from my avid readers. Deep water is not necessarily a solution for catching fish. One of my friends used to cut a hole, and look down it. He looked for a particular color weed that he knew the fish liked to swim, and feed in. If he didn’t see that particular weed, and would keep drilling holes until he found the magic weed.

Another reader asked if I changed to monofilament line. I now have five tip ups set for Northern Pike fishing, and another five set for trout, and salmon fishing.

On Friday, no one was getting any flags. For some reason, the fish just weren’t biting.



I did meeting an interesting character yesterday who visited and chatted with us, but wasn’t ice fishing. He was one of us baby boomers with all kinds of aches and pains, and he even had a limp. He was an ex-marine baby boomer who needs knee and hip replacements. He has heard those stories of people getting infections when those replacements are being done so he refuses to have any type of surgery. At one point he unbuttoned his shirt, and showed us a large tattoo across his chest which said: “Do not resuscitate!”



Not all the people whom I went to high school with were at the top of their class in academics. They did turn out okay because if they weren’t college bound, or they even quit high school, they always could get a job in the paper mills. The sad thing now is there is very little opportunity for that type of kid anymore because those good paying manufacturing jobs have been outsourced to foreign countries.



Well, I did have salmon last evening even if I didn’t catch it myself. We went out with another couple to a restaurant in Lee called “Salmon Run”. Isn’t the name quite appropriate with respect to my ice-fishing adventure?



Social Calendar – I am going to retro fitness in a little while. I am going to take a break from ice-fishing today. I will get a fresh start next week.



We are off to a dinner party this evening. It is a three couple affair I think. Of course, there are two NFL playoff games starting about the same time which we will sit down to appetizers. Also, the hostess of the party is a stickler for shutting off the television, and communicating with one another. Yeah right! What ever happened to guys in one room and girls in another (particularly the kitchen making meals)? Guys have the ability, to eat, talk, and watch football. Sometimes even we males can multitask.



I think that our next free day isn’t until Wednesday.

Sunday - Memorial Service at the Temple for Linda and ITAM monthly meeting for me.

Monday - Mah Jongg for Linda, and UNICO membership meeting for me.

Tuesday - Mah Jongg for Linda and ice-fishing for me.



Weather – In the Berkshires, we are in a winter storm watch for Sunday evening through Monday. The storm depends upon the track. It looks like a wintry mix is coming our way.



Observation – Even if the fish aren’t biting, I always seem to meeting interesting people. I went to my car to put away my chair, and a total stranger came up to me asking where the bait shops are located in Berkshire County. He was from a Massachusetts town forty miles east of us. He was planning on going to a couple of Berkshire County lakes over the Martin Luther King Weekend. He too wanted to catch a few Trout and Salmon. I told him that if he sees my on a Lake or Pond, don’t put his tip ups in next to me. I have no clue how to catch these illusive fish. The super market is the best place to get those fish. I did direct him to the couple of bait shops that I know about in Pittsfield.

Also, as I chat with fisherman, the conversation always seems to lean to body parts that don’t seem to be working right. Is this a sign that we are getting old?



Well, I have to get on my gym clothes and head out the door to Retro Fitness. Hopefully the 6 AM start on the weekend will have fewer distractions than they did the last time that I went to the gym. I was minding my own business on the treadmill when a thirty something jumped on a stair like device next to me. She was in a skin tight black outfit that looked like it was painted on her body, not that I was looking. I never see any of these distractions at the 4:30 AM starting time Monday through Friday.



Have a great Martin Luther King Holiday.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Friday, January 15, 2010

Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends



Linda had fun with her girlfriends doing lunch and a movie. After the movie, which Linda said that I would have hated (good move Franny), the ladies continued on to do a little recreational shopping. Of course, they needed more food after the shopping.

Linda said that I can eat leftovers while the woman continued partying. Oh Joy!



I came home tired and fishless once again. Some of my Lee Goombas joined me on the ice. They too went home fishless.

The weather was nice, and I did get to read a little of another book called “The Scarpetta Factor”, and I even picked up a little sun tan.



The highlight of the day for me was when a female worker from the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Game (not a game warden) went around to every group of fisherman, and interviewed us. No we are not going to be in some kind of newsletter or the Massachusetts Wildlife magazine. She asked us questions like, “How was the fishing?” “Did you catch and release any fish?” How was your overall experience?” “How many fish have you caught this season?” “What kind of fish are you trying to catch?” “What kind of bait are you using?” She didn’t ask us if we had a license or not. The woman is going to write a report from the notes she was taking. She was going to several lakes to gather data for the report. She didn’t take down the names of any of us.



Well, I am going back to the frozen pond in Lee again this morning. I am going to give it another try for at least half of the day. We will probably hook up with some friends this evening. There is an Irish function this evening at the Elks Club where Linda and I could use those Irish Dance lessons which we took several years ago, but Linda has been having a good deal of trouble with one of her knees. She keeps on postponing arthroscopic surgery, but it is inevitable if she wants to be pain free.

The fresh air that I have been getting from being on the ice all day doesn’t allow me to stay up much past supper time. Am I turning into a boring old man?



Observation – Some of my ice-fishing buddies are experiencing some hearing loss too. It is difficult to carry on a conversation until I find out which ear is their good ear. If I get to this point in my life, I am going to look into hearing aides. Is this another joy of getting old? My Lee friend spent his whole life working in a paper mill. The sounds coming from the paper making machines took place 24/7. If you had an eight hour shift, they was no way that you could escape the noise. Now people working in noisy factories wear ear protection devices. Good thing that I only worked a couple summers in the paper mills.



Speaking of paper mills, the ones in Lee have all shut down. These paper mills providing a good standard of living for many families in Lee including the one which I grew up in, since my father was a paper maker. Where have all these good jobs gone especially for the kids who aren’t college bound students? There is so little left in communities like ours to keep our children and grandchildren from leaving town.



The aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti has been dominating the news. I don’t think that I would do well with the death and destruction if I was part of the volunteer efforts. I often turn away from the news reports as they reporters describe what the survivors are going through. I can’t imagine trying to just breathe with the smell of rotting corpses.



On a happier note, the temperature should hit the upper 30’s today. I am going to dress lightly for my ice fishing adventure today, but keep an extra coat in the car just in case the forecast doesn’t come out to be as predicted.



Well, I have to make a lunch for ice-fishing, and select my wardrobe for the day.

Have a great weekend.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,



It was a long and exhausting day on Wednesday putting away the internal Christmas decorations (and working with Linda). I guess that I never realized how much stuff that Linda put out for Christmas.

I did let her read the local newspaper, and have one cup of coffee before the work began.

My first task didn’t involve her. I had to put away all the Christmas mugs, and glasses, and return the normal cups and glasses back into the cupboards. For the rest of the day, I was at her beck and call.

Taking down Christmas decorations just doesn’t mean returning things to a previous state because we had to put up seasonal decorations too. Christmas is over, but we now have winter wreaths and decorations. Pretty soon it will be Valentines Day decorations, and then St. Patrick’s Day, then Spring decorations, etc., Linda makes sure that our house changes with the seasons or the particular holiday.



When we know that we are going to be busy, we usually fire up the crock pot in the morning. Last night, we micro wave defrosted a boneless pork roast, and cooked it in the oven. Add a sweet potato, and broccoli, and we had a great meal.



I was so tired that after supper. I tried to watch an on demand CSI show with her, and I fell asleep 10 minutes into the program. She said that I was snoring so loudly that she had to turn up the volume on the television. She took my snoring only so long, and then told me to go to bed. This is why I am up so early. I am all slept out.



Well, one of my e-mail recipients did come to my rescue with respect to me going to the movies to see a semi chick flick. Linda will be doing lunch and a movie with some girlfriends while I am on the frozen pond today.

My car is all packed with my ice-fishing gear, and I am just waiting for a little daylight. I have to pack a lunch, put on my ice-fishing clothes, and head out the door. I can’t wait!

Remember – Separation is good!



My car did get fixed yesterday, and it appears to be running like a top. I had to make an appointment for the Neon because Linda has no heat in her car. It is probably is a matter of replacing a thermostat, but there are other things which need to be looked at too.



Politics / News – The earthquake in Haiti seems to be dominating the news, and deflecting the flack that our President has been receiving.

At the local level, the people in Pittsfield are all upset because our mayor appointed a former mayor of a nearby city as a consultant. The former mayor will be paid $5000 per month for three months. His job is to help the public works department run better, and more efficiently. We already have a high paid public works director. If our current director can’t do his job properly, then find a new person who can do the job!



I finally tried out one of the gifts “as seen on television”, and the product works great. I have these two hand held sharpeners one for knives, and another for scissors. If you come to our house, there will never be a dull knife or pair of scissors. I might keep the sharpeners in my car, and sharpen the knives and scissors for some of our friends. This doesn’t apply to the Brodeurs. The Broduer Lad has this top of the line electric, grinder / sharpener, etc. There is never a dull knife in their house.

The rest of our friends often have dull knives. They sometimes ask me to cut lemons and limes when we get invited to a party, and I am afraid of cutting one of my fingers off.

I am really impressed with the scissor sharpener. Scissors have a tendency to dull quickly, but not any more at the Curley’s home!



Local Weather – Sun and 32 degrees sounds like a heat wave when you are involved in a sport like ice-fishing. The temperatures in the 30’s for a week straight also sounds great.



Observation – My car is so full of road salt. I want to go the car wash, but as soon as I clean the car, and exit the place, the car just gets more salt on it. I can almost feel the salt eating away at vital parts of both of our cars. Between the salt and the pot holes our cars in the Northeast are doomed to rust and decay.

What also bugs me about the road salt is that you can be dressed in the nicest clothes, and just brush up against you car, and your clothes get white stains. Don’t wear black in the winter time in the Northeast, or don’t dress up!



Well, I have to make myself a lunch, and a thermos of coffee for my adventure.

Have a great day at work or play.

Maybe it will be my day to catch the big fish!

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Hello on Wednesday Morning

Dear Friends,



Another day went as planned for Linda and me.



Linda’s Tuesday Mah Jongg session went very well. Yesterday’s, session took place at a home of a friend who lives at the water’s edge on Cheshire Lake. All six players attended this session. Next week they are having a “going away party” for one player who leaves the Berkshires for several months, and heads off to warmer climates.



I did my errands including an unplanned appointment to pick up a new sleep apnea device. My other one was getting tired. The new one worked okay last evening as I used it for the first time.



After dropping my Subaru off at the repair shop near 5 PM on Tuesday, Linda and I headed off to Matt Reilly’s for an early bird (4 PM to 6 PM) special of fish and chips. We had to eat early because of that 6 PM Irish Sister City Meeting. The early bird special was buy one meal at the original price, and get the second meal 50 % off. It turned out that we couldn’t afford to purchase a piece of fish at the grocery store, and cook it ourselves.



At this time yesterday, I was at Retro Fitness. I decided to change the time which I go to the gym. I am going to go to the gym when Linda wakes up so that she can have her cup of coffee, and read the local newspaper in total peace and quiet. This won’t happen every day. Thursday, I will be heading out the door for an ice-fishing adventure at 6:30 AM. I will be going alone to Laurel Lake in Lee. I am guessing that the lake will have a good deal of ice-fishermen since the temperature will be 32 degrees or above.



We have one more of cool weather before we go above freezing. It is a balmy 8 degrees right now, and we are in for another day in the 20’s. The Northeast will be one of the cooler spots today in the nation as the other parts of the country start to get out of their unusual deep freeze. The local weather guy is predicting a week of weather in the mid thirties.

Speaking of the deep freeze, a friend of a friend went to Key West for two weeks during the Holiday season. She had two days of beach weather. She should have stayed right here in the Berkshires.



The Irish Sister City meeting went well. It was over in less than an hour. Clerk / Recording Secretary Curley has already sent out the minutes of the meeting.



Every time that we go to a meeting, we (mostly me) pick up more dates to fill up our social calendar. My UNICO brothers and Sisters will be working three pasta dinners, and two polenta dinners as fundraisers for other organizations. The community knows that we Italians can put on the best fund raising meals in the city.



After the Irish Sister meeting, we added even more events to our social calendar. The Irish events tend to be more Pub like (drinking), and music oriented except for a couple of corned beef and cabbage dinners during St. Patrick’s Day time frame. We also have at least one Irish Sister City guest coming from Ballina, Ireland to Pittsfield from March 8, 2010 through March 15, 2010. If anyone wants to march with her on March 13, 2010 in Albany, New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade, we are looking for marchers.

On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on a Wednesday, Linda and I will be attending the second annual corned beef and cabbage dinner at the Italian American Club. Last year, the Curley’s reserved two tables—one was for our friends, and the other was for Linda’s Tuesday Mah Jongg ladies and their significant others. You know that Italians don’t just cook corned beef and cabbage. Last year they had chicken and pasta as well as a whole loaf Irish Soda Bread at each table. This dinner is a buffet which means you can go back for seconds.

Of course, I am torn between another St. Patrick’s Day Dinner at St. Mark’s Parish Hall which is being put on by the Parish Priest who was a former student of mine, and who is member of UNICO.

Don’t you just love conflicts when they are the Approach / Approach type?



Social Calendar – Today we attack the Christmas Decorations inside the house.

Also, Linda has already mentally planned to go to a matinee. If any girlfriends are free to go with her, please volunteer to accompany her. It is a semi chick flick. If Linda had her way, she would go to the movies every single day of the week.



News / Politics– I see that the Magician, David Copperfield, was performing a little magic with a woman who is charging him with sexual assault. This little magic trick didn’t work out as planned.

I also see where Sarah Palin will have her own segment on the Fox News Channel. She is such a hot item, that she is going to be the Keynote Speaker at the Wine and Liquor Wholesaler Convention in Las Vegas. Do you think that her exposure will make her a prime Republican candidate for the next Presidential election?

Speaking of Sarah Palin, the lady at Retro Fitness with the Sarah Palin hairdo was there yesterday. I always do a double take when I see this woman because she could be Sarah Palin’s double. What scares me is that she uses the heavy weight devices at Retro Fitness. She weighs about 115 pounds compared to the overweight Curley Lad, not that I have been looking.



I watched the Today Show for a while before doing my errands on Tuesday. The host was attacking the bankers and their bonuses. I thought that it was kind of ironic, when the host is making millions of dollars per year for what he does on a daily basis. Maybe the host should be attacking the high paid athletes, and entertainers instead of people who have a more positive influence on our economy.



Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and select my gym clothes.

When the Queen wakes up, I am out the door to Retro Fitness.

Have a great Wednesday.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,



In a little over an hour, I will be heading off to Retro Fitness. I decided to return to the earlier time since there are fewer distractions. This doesn’t bode well for Linda’s sleeping as I open and close the garage door. No, I am not going to park the car outside in the driveway. Getting into a cold care with frosted windows is very appealing especially if it snows on the night that I decide to leave it outside.



Yesterday turned into a very pleasant day. I was at Walmart poking in the ice-fishing gear department just before picking up those artificial logs for our fireplace when Linda called. Linda talked her girlfriend, and they made arrangements (with their husbands) to see a noontime showing of the Sherlock Holmes movie. The movie had a lot of action compared to the Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce black and white Sherlock Holmes movies that were on television when we baby boomers were growing up. I can see where film makers would have to create more action in a movie to attract the younger generation. The movie was very good, and it ended so that a sequel must be on the horizon.

The fun and merriment did continue right across the street form the theater in downtown Pittsfield. We went to a Japanese restaurant which has south county roots, but decided to be part of the Pittsfield downtown revival. The food was very good, and the movie had ended so that we were still in time for their lunch time menu.



Today, Linda has her usual Mah Iongg session from 11:30 AM until 4:30 PM. I was all set to go ice-fishing while she was doing her thing, but the weather is not ideal for me.

The weather channel says that we are starting off around 22 degrees, and the temperatures will be heading for the teens by noon and beyond. There will also be a 10 to 20 mile an hour wind.

I would have to go to a place where I can sit in my car while waiting for a flag to go up, or I would have to find a lake where I can drive my car on the ice.

I think that I can find enough chores to do around the house to keep me busy today.



We are out together this evening. We have an Irish Sister City meeting at 6 PM at the Pittsfield Public Library. I have to drop off my car at the local repair shop by 5 PM today since they have to finish what they started to repair on my Subaru last week.



There is some great ice-fishing weather coming up for several days’ right into the weekend. The nice weather starts to tomorrow, but I won’t have my car to haul my gear. The Queen thought that Wednesday would be a good time to deal with removing most of the internal Christmas decorations since we have one less car in our garage. The bucket brigade will begin on Wednesday after Linda gets through reading the local newspaper, and after she has one cup of coffee.



Observation – I met two friends yesterday who are nearing retirement age. Both friends had operations before Christmas. Both friends had to spend time staying home recovering from their operations. One has been back to work for a couple of weeks, and the other is going back to work at the end of January. Being in a semi retired state has changed their attitude about work. The one who went back to work does not love what he has been doing for years. The other friend, who hasn’t gone back to work, has started him thinking about his retirement options even more than before. The freedom to do what you want, and when you want to do it, is starting to look mighty attractive for both of these gentlemen.

Of course, my observation doesn’t apply to my readers who haven’t spent much time in the work force. These guys are in the 30 + years of working at a particular job.

You will know when it is time to retire! Linda and I did, and this is why we are currently enjoying life to the fullest during our retirement years. We love going to a noontime matinee. We love the flexibility of baby sitting a grandchild in Boston when the need arises. The ability to get on an airplane to visit our other grandchild in Kansas a couple times a year during non holiday (school vacation time which we were locked into) is another plus. If I want to go ice-fishing, I don’t have to wait until the weekend. To have the ability to play golf during the week sure beats playing golf on the usual busy weekends.



Well, I have to end this e-mail, and get to the gym.

Have a great Tuesday,

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Monday, January 11, 2010

Hello on Monday Morning

Dear Friends,



I hope that everyone had a great weekend. The Curley’s had one until Linda caught a stomach bug on the last day of our weekend adventure.

On the other hand, I feel great, and I hope that she doesn’t pass on whatever she has.



I am the only one who is socially engaged today. I have a UNICO Board Meeting at the Italian American Club at 6 PM. I do have to run a couple of errands, one of which is to pick up some of those Duraflame Logs for our fire place.



I am still in a state of mourning because of my Patriots losing their playoff game at home yesterday. Good thing that I didn’t have a bunch of people over for a Patriot Party. There wouldn’t have been much joy at the party at all.

The Boston Celtics did win their game as the Patriots were losing their contest.



Politics – When there isn’t much news to report, the media has to create their own news. Some old comments from Henry Reid ended up in a book that he wrote. His unkind words about the President caused a stir, not only with our leader, but the African American community. An apology was accepted, but is it good enough?



News – Besides the usual stuff, the scientists are trying to figure out why it is so cold in many parts of the United States as well as in Europe, and Asia. They claim that global warming is still taking place, but it is really difficult for the average person to accept this claim as we wear turtle necks and wool sweaters. Our friends in Florida are getting daily reminders of what they would be experiencing if they stayed in the Northeast like the Curley’s.



We got our electric bill! Those weeks of having the Christmas lights on both inside and outside the house ended up being quite expensive. I didn’t take the lights off of the bushes yet, or remove the lighted deer in the front of the house. The deer are frozen into the ground. It is too bad that I couldn’t leave the lights in the bushes up all year long? Some friends tried that a few years ago, but the bushes just kept on growing. The strings of lights stretched and snapped, and eventually had to be replaced.

Our Christmas decorations in the house are still up. We are in no hurry to take them down.



As I was ice-fishing on Saturday with a bunch of guys, it brought back some fond memories. The host of the derby, Todd Brodeur, said that the last time that he went ice-fishing, was when I took him and our sons at one of the lakes in the Berkshires. I think that he was in the 8 to 10 year old range. Now he is married, and expecting their first child (a boy) during May.

If Linda is feeling better today, I might drop in a couple of tip ups, and postpone the errands until another day.



Observation – Some of my baby boomer friends are experiencing some hearing loss. I have to remember which ear is their good ear when speaking to them. My right ear gives me a little problem, but some of my friends seem to have a bit more of a hearing loss.

Sometimes the hearing loss bug me. As an example, at the Polenta dinner last week, one of the kitchen workers who was in charge of coordinating table reservations couldn’t hear pretty much anything as we tried to communicate with him in the kitchen. I almost told him that he needs a hearing aid.

Another guy on our assembly line, of us plating the dishes, also didn’t hear well. This guy and I were the last ones in line putting the sausages on the plate. Conversation didn’t go well.

Is this part of what the Golden Years are supposed to be about?



Some of our friends and their family members went to see the Avatar movie. Their enjoyment of the movie was a bit less than what Linda and I experienced. Their restaurant experience was the best part of their adventure. No matter whether we liked or disliked the movie, we all contributed to the profits for the people who made the movie.

Linda and I still have to squeeze in the Sherlock Holmes movie sometime this week.



Well, have a great week at work or play.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Hello on Sunday

Dear Friends,



We had a fun, but busy weekend!



Our busyness began with a ride east to the Brodeur’s from Tewksbury on Friday. We arrived a little after 1 PM. After having as light lunch, and socializing for an hour or so, we headed to East Boston for our baby sitting gig for our grandchild Max. Max spends most of his waking hours smiling, and observing his surroundings, and just being the best possible baby that you can imagine.

Kevin and Kyla did go out for the evening, and they returned around midnight.

The 20 minute drive north on Route 93 to get to the Brodeur’s in North Tewksbury was without stress. There aren’t many cars on the highways at that time of the night. My head never hit the pillow until 1 AM.



After a few hours of sleep, I gathered my gear, and headed to Windham, New Hampshire for the start of the Saturday friends ice-fishing derby. It took a little while to find a bait shop that was open, sold bait, and sold a one day license (for me). As a matter of fact, I was the only person on the ice with a fishing license.

Eventually, there were ten of us partying on the small pond. Small perch and some scrawny pickerel are what people caught for most of the day. No, the Curley Lad didn’t win the derby. We had great food, and there was much merriment until we packed up and left the ice at 3:15 PM. My auger and extra tip ups came in handy. It was cool and windy, but we had one of those patio fireplaces going full tilt on the ice to take the chill out.

While I was doing my thing with the men on the ice, other family and friends were inside Todd and Anitra’s home on the lake staying warm next to their wood stove. Since our son Kevin was working all day long at “Dough”, Kyla and Max decided to join the festivities inside the New Hampshire home. After we got off of the ice, Todd and I joined the people by the wood stove. It wasn’t long before most of us returned to Jerry & Ginny’s. After spending all day on the ice, I didn’t last long after supper.



During the middle of the night at the Brodeur’s, Linda got some kind of stomach illness. She wasn’t doing well as we departed from the Brodeur’s for Pittsfield at 10:15 AM. She still isn’t doing well. I am in my “Man Cave” trying to cheer on the Patriots, but they look awful, and are currently losing by 20 points. It will take a miracle if they are going to win this game. The loss of their star receiver is very evident.



We have one of those busy weeks coming up from tomorrow through the following Monday. I am going to try and get in a couple days of ice-fishing depending on the weather.



Well, I am going to read the old local newspapers, and put on some sleep wear. I have a feeling that my head will be hitting the pillow early this evening.

Have to go and check on Linda.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad