Dear Friends,
Hope that everyone had a pleasant day on Tuesday. The weather was picture perfect here in the Berkshires. I spent most of my day doing yard work. The flower beds got de-weeded, the lawn got cut, and weed whacking was done too.
While I was doing my thing, Linda was at her Tuesday Mah Jongg session. She wasn’t too lucky this week.
We had a nice and quiet supper. I grilled a piece of healthy red meat. Some vegetables and a sweet potato made for a wonderful meal.
After supper, I left Linda sorting through a weeks worth of mail, and writing out bills as I headed off to bed to watch the Red Sox. I tried making room in my man cave, but I couldn’t get near the couch or television. I did struggle to watch television while lying in bed, and dozed quite often, but I did see the Red Sox win the game.
Social Calendar – I am playing golf at 8:56 AM this morning, but I am not sure if I am going to play all 18 holes. I don’t want to get too tired for the Pasta fundraiser which I am working at. My services are required at 3:15 PM. The Fund Raiser is for a former student who is running for the Berkshire County Sheriff position. He is going against a retired politician. My former student worked his way up the Pittsfield police force, and I think that he is the most qualified for the job.
Linda is going to be dealing with the restoration people and the insurance company during the day. In the evening, she will be hooking up with a knitting group which meets every Wednesday at Panera Bread at 6 PM. This might change if her other set of friends decides to play Mah Jongg.
The weather dropped considerably overnight and I would bet that some people have their heat turned on. Our weather guy said that it will be 68 degrees by noon, and only 72 by 5 PM. In just a few short day we will be back to hot and humid, and reaching the 90 degree mark.
I can’t believe that we can’t solve the oil spill crisis. Over the weekend, former presidents Clinton suggested to use explosives, and blow the thing up. Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea, except BP would be losing money by doing so.
I just got through looking at the CNN web page. You could get very depressed looking at all the stuff going on in the world. As an example, at a VA hospital, hundreds of vets could have picked up HIV from something that went on in the particular hospital. How could this happen in this day and age with all the safeguards that we have?
Well this all goes back to people taking care of their own family, and dealing with the situation that has come about in their lives. As I see my son in North Tewskbury and his wife raise their son, they don’t have time to get in conflicts. They both go off to work each day after spending some morning time with their child, the child goes to day care, and they come homed tired, and spend a few precious hours with their child. They don’t have time or energy to get involved in internal strife or strife outside of the home. If every family in the United States did this, we wouldn’t have all the crazy situations which make the news each day.
In Kansas, with my other son and his family, mom stays home and takes care of two children while dad goes off to work. They too are exhausted by days end, and they too lack the energy to get in conflict in or outside of the home.
The family is what made this nation great. As the family unit has evolved or sometimes lost its structure over the years, the problems began. If we get people back on track, maybe we can return to what we once had.
Have a great Wednesday!
Don’t let the bumps in the road get you down.
Life is good! Get out and enjoy it. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Hello on Tuesday Morning
Dear Friends,
The Queen has come back home for her Monday to Monday Cape Cod adventure. The three amigos, who roomed together for the week, arrived earlier than had planned. They shopped their way of off the Cape, but they were rushed due to storms which they tried to beat as they exited the Cape.
I went to bed around 10 AM as Linda was reading the 165 messages which had accumulated on the computer. She read all of my daily bog messages first. She actually got upset because I used one of my favorite phrases that “Separation is good” a bit too much. She said that a person reading my e-mails might get the impression that a divorce for the Curley’s is on the horizon. She must have forgotten my other which I use frequently; “It is too difficult to train a new one.” Most of our close friends know that it is a temporary separation that it is good for both partners.
I actually missed her after about four days, but I am not sure if the reverse is true!
I spent most of Monday doing things around the house. I watched some World Cup soccer in the afternoon before I headed off to two UNICO meetings at the Italian American Club. Actually a third meeting did take place, but I am not a member of the Charity Board.
I imagine that Linda is going to sleep a little later before she goes off to her Tuesday Mah Jongg session. Wednesday she will be on the telephone with our insurance company getting things moving with respect to getting our house back to normal. The insurance company is starting to come out with a low ball estimate for repairing the damages. Let the battle begin!
Politics – Well the old “Byrd” finally passed away at 92 years old. To be in the Senate for 50 years is quite an accomplishment. I am not a proponent of term limits which many of my e-mails readers are. I don’t see why a person can’t be a professional politician if they do a good job for the people whom they represent. If the constituents think other wise, then they can vote the person out of office. If the politician makes a few bucks during his term of office, I also think that this is no big deal as long as it is done legally.
I also see that the right to bear arms has not been taken away which was a Supreme Court decision. I am not sure if the court’s decision will affect places like Chicago who have declared a ban on hand guns.
In this whacky society which we have right now, maybe this was a good decision. It has become like the Wild West out there not only in our larger cities, but even in our local communities. I watch the Albany, New York news channels (since we in Pittsfield are in that market), and a Boston new channel every day. The shootings, stabbings, and assaults seemed to happen and to be reported on a daily basis. Not everyone has been brought up being taught the Ten Commandments, especially the one about “Thow shall not kill!”
Sports – The Red Sox and the Yankees had the day off on Monday. The Sox host Tampa Bay tonight at 7 PM so you know what I will be doing.
Our neighbors across the street are getting very close to departing from their house. The movers were filling up a large moving van yesterday, and it is parked outside of their house right now. I am guessing that I will be saying “Goodbye” to them at some point either today or tomorrow. It is just another phase of life that some of us go through. Living and dieing in the family home doesn’t happen too often anymore. We go from the large house, to the smaller house, to the condo (sometimes), to the nursing home before we meet our Maker!
Supper – I am thinking grilled food for supper this evening. I do miss cooking for someone other than me. This is why I had that impromptu cookout on Saturday night.
As a matter of fact, the only night that I ate outside the home, when Linda was on her Cape Cod trip, was Sunday at the Irish American Golf Club Tournament. Linda on the other hand ate out every night with her girlfriends.
Well, it is back to being quiet in the morning. No starting the washing machine and drier at 5 AM. I now have someone to bug. I now have some one to create work for.
I did notice that the weeds in the flower beds need to be dealt with too. Now that is a quiet activity which I am not excited about doing.
Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The Queen has come back home for her Monday to Monday Cape Cod adventure. The three amigos, who roomed together for the week, arrived earlier than had planned. They shopped their way of off the Cape, but they were rushed due to storms which they tried to beat as they exited the Cape.
I went to bed around 10 AM as Linda was reading the 165 messages which had accumulated on the computer. She read all of my daily bog messages first. She actually got upset because I used one of my favorite phrases that “Separation is good” a bit too much. She said that a person reading my e-mails might get the impression that a divorce for the Curley’s is on the horizon. She must have forgotten my other which I use frequently; “It is too difficult to train a new one.” Most of our close friends know that it is a temporary separation that it is good for both partners.
I actually missed her after about four days, but I am not sure if the reverse is true!
I spent most of Monday doing things around the house. I watched some World Cup soccer in the afternoon before I headed off to two UNICO meetings at the Italian American Club. Actually a third meeting did take place, but I am not a member of the Charity Board.
I imagine that Linda is going to sleep a little later before she goes off to her Tuesday Mah Jongg session. Wednesday she will be on the telephone with our insurance company getting things moving with respect to getting our house back to normal. The insurance company is starting to come out with a low ball estimate for repairing the damages. Let the battle begin!
Politics – Well the old “Byrd” finally passed away at 92 years old. To be in the Senate for 50 years is quite an accomplishment. I am not a proponent of term limits which many of my e-mails readers are. I don’t see why a person can’t be a professional politician if they do a good job for the people whom they represent. If the constituents think other wise, then they can vote the person out of office. If the politician makes a few bucks during his term of office, I also think that this is no big deal as long as it is done legally.
I also see that the right to bear arms has not been taken away which was a Supreme Court decision. I am not sure if the court’s decision will affect places like Chicago who have declared a ban on hand guns.
In this whacky society which we have right now, maybe this was a good decision. It has become like the Wild West out there not only in our larger cities, but even in our local communities. I watch the Albany, New York news channels (since we in Pittsfield are in that market), and a Boston new channel every day. The shootings, stabbings, and assaults seemed to happen and to be reported on a daily basis. Not everyone has been brought up being taught the Ten Commandments, especially the one about “Thow shall not kill!”
Sports – The Red Sox and the Yankees had the day off on Monday. The Sox host Tampa Bay tonight at 7 PM so you know what I will be doing.
Our neighbors across the street are getting very close to departing from their house. The movers were filling up a large moving van yesterday, and it is parked outside of their house right now. I am guessing that I will be saying “Goodbye” to them at some point either today or tomorrow. It is just another phase of life that some of us go through. Living and dieing in the family home doesn’t happen too often anymore. We go from the large house, to the smaller house, to the condo (sometimes), to the nursing home before we meet our Maker!
Supper – I am thinking grilled food for supper this evening. I do miss cooking for someone other than me. This is why I had that impromptu cookout on Saturday night.
As a matter of fact, the only night that I ate outside the home, when Linda was on her Cape Cod trip, was Sunday at the Irish American Golf Club Tournament. Linda on the other hand ate out every night with her girlfriends.
Well, it is back to being quiet in the morning. No starting the washing machine and drier at 5 AM. I now have someone to bug. I now have some one to create work for.
I did notice that the weeds in the flower beds need to be dealt with too. Now that is a quiet activity which I am not excited about doing.
Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, June 28, 2010
Hello on Monday
Dear Friends,
Max got rescued from his portable crib a little after 8 AM. After some play time, breakfast, and more play time, Kyla and I alternated getting ready for our separate adventures. We both left the home at 10:30 AM. Kyla dropped off Max at my sister’s home, while I headed off to the Skyline Country Club.
I assume things went well for Max and Kyla before their day ended in the Berkshires.
My day went very well. My three golfing buddies and I came in second place in the Captain and Crew tournament. While second place wins you no prizes in this tournament, my buddies and I went home with raffle prizes.
Another good thing about playing Captain and Crew is that everyone contributes during the 18 holes at some point. Somebody might make a difficult putt; another person might hit the longest drive; or someone might hit a great chip shot; etc., and this is what happened during the whole round. On a few holes, we just couldn’t put it all together, and that is why we didn’t come in first place.
The most important thing is that we had fun!
Social Calendar – I have some golf committee stuff to do during the day with a UNICO brother. This evening I am attending a Golf Committee meeting and a UNICO board meeting at the Italian American Club.
Linda and her two roommates will be shopping and eating their way from the Cape Cod to Pittsfield. This will take all day to accomplish, and I will probably be in bed by the time Linda finally comes home.
Sports – I did come home in time to catch the last few innings of the Red Sox game. I didn’t see the Yankee’s come from behind win.
The Yankees are playing like World Series winners. The Red Sox have starting players who are injured, but the substitutes seem to be holding their own.
News – Another camping disaster, but this time in Michigan. I would check the weather forecast before I head off for a camping adventure. I would go to a campground where tornadoes usually don’t happen. Maybe you never know when a disaster can strike which goes back to my philosophy that life is a “crap shoot!” You have to live your life the best you can with the hand that you are dealt.
How about the poor child who was walking with her mother in New York, A branch falls from a tree and strikes and kills the child. It was freak accident that you couldn’t prepare for.
Well, I am all out of whack today, and my biological clock doesn’t know what time it is.
I went to bed to early after Sunday’s golf.
Have a great week at work or play.
A long weekend is on the horizon.
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad
Max got rescued from his portable crib a little after 8 AM. After some play time, breakfast, and more play time, Kyla and I alternated getting ready for our separate adventures. We both left the home at 10:30 AM. Kyla dropped off Max at my sister’s home, while I headed off to the Skyline Country Club.
I assume things went well for Max and Kyla before their day ended in the Berkshires.
My day went very well. My three golfing buddies and I came in second place in the Captain and Crew tournament. While second place wins you no prizes in this tournament, my buddies and I went home with raffle prizes.
Another good thing about playing Captain and Crew is that everyone contributes during the 18 holes at some point. Somebody might make a difficult putt; another person might hit the longest drive; or someone might hit a great chip shot; etc., and this is what happened during the whole round. On a few holes, we just couldn’t put it all together, and that is why we didn’t come in first place.
The most important thing is that we had fun!
Social Calendar – I have some golf committee stuff to do during the day with a UNICO brother. This evening I am attending a Golf Committee meeting and a UNICO board meeting at the Italian American Club.
Linda and her two roommates will be shopping and eating their way from the Cape Cod to Pittsfield. This will take all day to accomplish, and I will probably be in bed by the time Linda finally comes home.
Sports – I did come home in time to catch the last few innings of the Red Sox game. I didn’t see the Yankee’s come from behind win.
The Yankees are playing like World Series winners. The Red Sox have starting players who are injured, but the substitutes seem to be holding their own.
News – Another camping disaster, but this time in Michigan. I would check the weather forecast before I head off for a camping adventure. I would go to a campground where tornadoes usually don’t happen. Maybe you never know when a disaster can strike which goes back to my philosophy that life is a “crap shoot!” You have to live your life the best you can with the hand that you are dealt.
How about the poor child who was walking with her mother in New York, A branch falls from a tree and strikes and kills the child. It was freak accident that you couldn’t prepare for.
Well, I am all out of whack today, and my biological clock doesn’t know what time it is.
I went to bed to early after Sunday’s golf.
Have a great week at work or play.
A long weekend is on the horizon.
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Hello on Sunday Morning
Dear Friends,
Since I have been alone since last Monday, I decided to have one of those impromptu cookouts. It actually was a cook in because of the weather. I wanted to invite more people, but I would have needed another set of hands to pull off the event. Everything turned out wonderful. I grilled vegetables first. The vegetable which I selected were Portobelllo mushrooms, asparagus, Vidalia onions, green and yellow zucchini, red & green peppers, and for some extra color cubanelle’s (yellow peppers).
After the vegetables were cooked, I grilled chicken legs, thighs, and a couple of boneless chicken breasts for people who don’t like to play with chicken bones.
The neighbors grilled some skewers which consisted of turkey kielbasa, shrimp, and pineapple. The evening started with these wonderful appetizers.
The highlight of the meal was the homemade blueberry pie. Judie Culver, who in a different life was a home economics teacher, made the pie. Everyone at the dinner table raved about how good the pie was. Of course, we all had a dollop of vanilla ice cream with the pie. I told her that the pie was so good that she could make a fortune if she sold her recipe to a commercial company.
The party consisted of 7 adults, and our grandchild Max. Max loved the blueberry pie too. I wish I had a camera. The pictures would have been great.
We did invite another couple who live on our street, but their grandchild was running a temperature, and they were going to take her to the hospital. Oh Darn!
Speaking of Max and his mom, they didn’t go directly to our house when they arrived in Pittsfiled. They went to the Target Store at the Berkshire Mall. Kyla purchased a 12 foot by 15 foot tent for their Fourth of July camping adventure. They are going to a dog friendly campground with a bunch of their friends over the holiday weekend. I think that she might be going back again to Target to purchase a canopy.
I can’t wait for the all the pictures that they will be taking during this Holiday trip.
Sports – I did watch the World Cup American Soccer team go down to defeat in overtime. I didn’t see the Red Sox game, but they were victorious. The negative was that the Red sox pitcher injured his knee. This wouldn’t have happened if they were playing an American League team because the pitcher never comes to bat. The American League allows a designated hitter.
Today is our Irish American Club Golf Tournament. My foursome is going to arrive at 11 AM. Some of group will be hitting a bucket of balls before lunch and we will tee off time at noon time.
While I am at Golf, Kyla will be attending a 11:30 AM Bridal Brunch. One of Kevin’s friends is getting married soon. His friend’s mom and the mother of the bride to be are putting on the shower. It will take place a groom’s family home in Pittsfield.
Since children aren’t allowed to attend the shower, my sister has graciously volunteered to baby sit Max. She will do so in her own home.
The sad thing is that I won’t even be around when Kyla and Max depart for North Tewksbury since we have a sit down roast beef dinner at 6 PM after the last foursome comes in.
News – A 66 year old woman from India gave birth to triplets. They showed this woman, who looked old, and her triplets. When they interviewed her husband he said that he wanted to have children to manage their farm after they are gone. They needed help from a fertility clinic for this to happen.
My thought is that this couple is too old to be raising children. Just having one child would be difficult for a 66 year old woman to bring up.
Can you imagine that 20 years from now, she will be 86 years old with three 20 year old children? My dad is 86 right now, and he is experiencing his own physical challenges never mind keeping tabs on three children.
After the week long baby sitting gig that Linda and I had a couple of weeks ago we too realized that child rearing is a young person’s game. I never made it past 10 PM each night while we were in charge. Chasing around an 11 month old can be quite exhausting, and I am only 63!
There is the usual mayhem throughout the world, but I was wondering where all these people come from to protest these summits of our world leaders. Why do these protests have to become violent? I want to know who the protesters are. I want the protesters to explain how they can beget change through violence. The host country has to spend so much money security wise, could they have a summit without telling the world where they are having it?
The supposed bobcat in our back yard was not a bobcat. It was a tiger stripped house cat. Kyla and Max actually had the cat come up to them while sitting on a bench on our deck. The cat loved them so much that he came to the screen door while I was watching the World Cup soccer match. The cat wanted Max and Kyla to come out and play. The cat was in our yard hovering and hiding in the bushes hoping to nab a bird. I don’t know why these stray cats want to come live with us.
Well, I don’t have a great amount of quiet time before Max wakes up.
It is so quiet and peaceful right now.
If I can read one of our two Sunday newspapers that would be great.
Have a great Sunday!
I know that mine will be super.
P.S. Linda did call on Saturday from a beach at Cape Cod. The number of women went from three to fourteen. I asked Linda when she was coming home. She said that they were coming home late Monday. She said that the weather was beach like all week so that they didn’t do any shopping. They were going shop and eat their way off of the Cape, and it will take all day long to do so. I will most likely be in bed when she arrives home from her trip.
Since I have been alone since last Monday, I decided to have one of those impromptu cookouts. It actually was a cook in because of the weather. I wanted to invite more people, but I would have needed another set of hands to pull off the event. Everything turned out wonderful. I grilled vegetables first. The vegetable which I selected were Portobelllo mushrooms, asparagus, Vidalia onions, green and yellow zucchini, red & green peppers, and for some extra color cubanelle’s (yellow peppers).
After the vegetables were cooked, I grilled chicken legs, thighs, and a couple of boneless chicken breasts for people who don’t like to play with chicken bones.
The neighbors grilled some skewers which consisted of turkey kielbasa, shrimp, and pineapple. The evening started with these wonderful appetizers.
The highlight of the meal was the homemade blueberry pie. Judie Culver, who in a different life was a home economics teacher, made the pie. Everyone at the dinner table raved about how good the pie was. Of course, we all had a dollop of vanilla ice cream with the pie. I told her that the pie was so good that she could make a fortune if she sold her recipe to a commercial company.
The party consisted of 7 adults, and our grandchild Max. Max loved the blueberry pie too. I wish I had a camera. The pictures would have been great.
We did invite another couple who live on our street, but their grandchild was running a temperature, and they were going to take her to the hospital. Oh Darn!
Speaking of Max and his mom, they didn’t go directly to our house when they arrived in Pittsfiled. They went to the Target Store at the Berkshire Mall. Kyla purchased a 12 foot by 15 foot tent for their Fourth of July camping adventure. They are going to a dog friendly campground with a bunch of their friends over the holiday weekend. I think that she might be going back again to Target to purchase a canopy.
I can’t wait for the all the pictures that they will be taking during this Holiday trip.
Sports – I did watch the World Cup American Soccer team go down to defeat in overtime. I didn’t see the Red Sox game, but they were victorious. The negative was that the Red sox pitcher injured his knee. This wouldn’t have happened if they were playing an American League team because the pitcher never comes to bat. The American League allows a designated hitter.
Today is our Irish American Club Golf Tournament. My foursome is going to arrive at 11 AM. Some of group will be hitting a bucket of balls before lunch and we will tee off time at noon time.
While I am at Golf, Kyla will be attending a 11:30 AM Bridal Brunch. One of Kevin’s friends is getting married soon. His friend’s mom and the mother of the bride to be are putting on the shower. It will take place a groom’s family home in Pittsfield.
Since children aren’t allowed to attend the shower, my sister has graciously volunteered to baby sit Max. She will do so in her own home.
The sad thing is that I won’t even be around when Kyla and Max depart for North Tewksbury since we have a sit down roast beef dinner at 6 PM after the last foursome comes in.
News – A 66 year old woman from India gave birth to triplets. They showed this woman, who looked old, and her triplets. When they interviewed her husband he said that he wanted to have children to manage their farm after they are gone. They needed help from a fertility clinic for this to happen.
My thought is that this couple is too old to be raising children. Just having one child would be difficult for a 66 year old woman to bring up.
Can you imagine that 20 years from now, she will be 86 years old with three 20 year old children? My dad is 86 right now, and he is experiencing his own physical challenges never mind keeping tabs on three children.
After the week long baby sitting gig that Linda and I had a couple of weeks ago we too realized that child rearing is a young person’s game. I never made it past 10 PM each night while we were in charge. Chasing around an 11 month old can be quite exhausting, and I am only 63!
There is the usual mayhem throughout the world, but I was wondering where all these people come from to protest these summits of our world leaders. Why do these protests have to become violent? I want to know who the protesters are. I want the protesters to explain how they can beget change through violence. The host country has to spend so much money security wise, could they have a summit without telling the world where they are having it?
The supposed bobcat in our back yard was not a bobcat. It was a tiger stripped house cat. Kyla and Max actually had the cat come up to them while sitting on a bench on our deck. The cat loved them so much that he came to the screen door while I was watching the World Cup soccer match. The cat wanted Max and Kyla to come out and play. The cat was in our yard hovering and hiding in the bushes hoping to nab a bird. I don’t know why these stray cats want to come live with us.
Well, I don’t have a great amount of quiet time before Max wakes up.
It is so quiet and peaceful right now.
If I can read one of our two Sunday newspapers that would be great.
Have a great Sunday!
I know that mine will be super.
P.S. Linda did call on Saturday from a beach at Cape Cod. The number of women went from three to fourteen. I asked Linda when she was coming home. She said that they were coming home late Monday. She said that the weather was beach like all week so that they didn’t do any shopping. They were going shop and eat their way off of the Cape, and it will take all day long to do so. I will most likely be in bed when she arrives home from her trip.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Hello on Saturday Morning
Dear Friends,
It was another quiet day for me in the Berkshires.
The Radio program went okay, but my friend outtalked me.
I watched a little World Cup Soccer before heading off to the 6 PM UNICO prayer service for a deceased past president of the organization.
My first activity today is to prepare for the arrival of Kyla and Max. There really isn’t much to prepare for. The house is in turmoil, and bare wood is exposed in the first floor entry way, and laundry room. I have to look for some children’s toys, but the cellar, where we stored a box of toys, is in turmoil too.
They should be arriving in Pittsfield around supper time. I am going to cook some chicken and vegetables on the grill.
The United States soccer team does play today. I will be watching the game for sure. It is a “do or die” situation. If they lose, they go home.
I tried watching the Red Sox last night, but the game didn’t start until 10:15 PM. They were losing when I put the radio in sleep mode. They eventually did lose the game. They are on earlier today so maybe I will be able to watch the game.
I have to call my sister to see how the car ride for Mom went yesterday. I am hoping that there were no complications, and that she enjoyed getting out of the nursing home.
My sister has volunteered to take of Max while Kyla is at the Bridal shower brunch on Sunday morning. I will be at the Skyline Country Club playing in the Irish American Club golf tournament. I will be at the golf course about the same time as Kyla attends the brunch.
Observation – I see that a trailer truck in California got stopped for a traffic violation. There was a particular odor coming from the truck. Low and behold they discovered $45 million dollars worth of drugs. This got me thinking who is purchasing and using these drugs? First of all, I have just about enough money to afford a 30 pack of Budlight! I know what the negative effects of alcohol can do to a body if a person uses alcohol in access. I have no desire to try cocaine, or the legal in Massachusetts (in personal use amounts) marijuana.
I can still see that guy who I shared a room with (for a brief time) during one of my hospital stays. This guy was going through a drug withdrawal, and he was trying to trick the nurses into giving him pain medication. The guy looked like crap. His girlfriend tried to calm him down as he berated the nurses because they didn’t give him pain meds. He finally got up and left the hospital, and said that he was going to the streets to get pain medication.
He didn’t look like he had a cent to his name. Where was he going to get money to purchase a fix? He was probably like the people who broke into my son’s car in Kansas. These people break into our homes, cars, etc., and steal our possessions, and sell them for just about what it costs to get the drugs which they are hooked on.
What a way to live?
Maybe if people got a job (even it was a menial one), and worked all day, they would be too tired to think about a life of drug dependency.
Well, I have to prepare the house for an almost one year old.
I have to make a grocery run, select the vegetables which Kyla likes grilled.
I did try to invite a friend whose wife is on a business trip, but he was visiting his parents who have a home on Cape Cod.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
It was another quiet day for me in the Berkshires.
The Radio program went okay, but my friend outtalked me.
I watched a little World Cup Soccer before heading off to the 6 PM UNICO prayer service for a deceased past president of the organization.
My first activity today is to prepare for the arrival of Kyla and Max. There really isn’t much to prepare for. The house is in turmoil, and bare wood is exposed in the first floor entry way, and laundry room. I have to look for some children’s toys, but the cellar, where we stored a box of toys, is in turmoil too.
They should be arriving in Pittsfield around supper time. I am going to cook some chicken and vegetables on the grill.
The United States soccer team does play today. I will be watching the game for sure. It is a “do or die” situation. If they lose, they go home.
I tried watching the Red Sox last night, but the game didn’t start until 10:15 PM. They were losing when I put the radio in sleep mode. They eventually did lose the game. They are on earlier today so maybe I will be able to watch the game.
I have to call my sister to see how the car ride for Mom went yesterday. I am hoping that there were no complications, and that she enjoyed getting out of the nursing home.
My sister has volunteered to take of Max while Kyla is at the Bridal shower brunch on Sunday morning. I will be at the Skyline Country Club playing in the Irish American Club golf tournament. I will be at the golf course about the same time as Kyla attends the brunch.
Observation – I see that a trailer truck in California got stopped for a traffic violation. There was a particular odor coming from the truck. Low and behold they discovered $45 million dollars worth of drugs. This got me thinking who is purchasing and using these drugs? First of all, I have just about enough money to afford a 30 pack of Budlight! I know what the negative effects of alcohol can do to a body if a person uses alcohol in access. I have no desire to try cocaine, or the legal in Massachusetts (in personal use amounts) marijuana.
I can still see that guy who I shared a room with (for a brief time) during one of my hospital stays. This guy was going through a drug withdrawal, and he was trying to trick the nurses into giving him pain medication. The guy looked like crap. His girlfriend tried to calm him down as he berated the nurses because they didn’t give him pain meds. He finally got up and left the hospital, and said that he was going to the streets to get pain medication.
He didn’t look like he had a cent to his name. Where was he going to get money to purchase a fix? He was probably like the people who broke into my son’s car in Kansas. These people break into our homes, cars, etc., and steal our possessions, and sell them for just about what it costs to get the drugs which they are hooked on.
What a way to live?
Maybe if people got a job (even it was a menial one), and worked all day, they would be too tired to think about a life of drug dependency.
Well, I have to prepare the house for an almost one year old.
I have to make a grocery run, select the vegetables which Kyla likes grilled.
I did try to invite a friend whose wife is on a business trip, but he was visiting his parents who have a home on Cape Cod.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, June 25, 2010
Hello on Friday Morning
Dear Friends,
Yesterday was a slug day once again. I finished one book, and started another. I gave the lawn a trim in between the morning World Cup soccer, and the afternoon rounds. Yes, I did see Italy get knocked out of the tournament. I wouldn’t want to show my face in Italy if I was a member of this World Cup soccer team.
The special UNICO meeting at our new President’s home went well.
When I arrived home, I fell asleep watching the Red Sox game. The last thing that I remember was that they were leading when I entered the arms of Morpheus. I just found out it was a 5 hour + battle which ended in the 10th inning. The Sox did win the high scoring contest.
Social Calendar – My Irish Sister City President and I will be on WBRK (1340 AM on your radio dial) at 10 AM today. Since neither of us is at a loss of words, the hour long program will fly right by.
After the radio program, my friend and I have to do some UNICO stuff related to our August Golf Tournament.
This evening we have a UNICO Prayer service for a deceased member at 6 PM.
My sister and father are going to take Mom for a ride in my dad’s car this morning. They will be doing this when I am on the radio.
A Massachusetts town made national news by passing out condoms to elementary school students.
I did chat with Linda yesterday. More of her girl friends were arriving at the Cape on Thursday. The weather has been very good at the Cape.
The humidity has departed our area. Berkshire County didn’t get any of those violent storm which hit parts of the Northeast!
So far my bird feeder has not been visited by any bears. I am still battling the squirrels, and chipmunks that eat most of my sunflower seeds.
While in my screened in room on the deck the other day, I thought that I saw a Bobcat. This was in the early evening. I was reading a book, and not watching television. I watched the Bobcat go into a set of bushes next to a flower bed. A squirrel was at the bird feeder, and he bolted from my deck to a nearby tree. The squirrel knew that danger was on the horizon. I waited for something to happen, but I think that the bobcat went under a fence into a neighbor’s yard.
The bobcat could have been after my little bunny friend who lives under my storage shed.
Observation – I hope that the City of Pittsfield repaints the lines on our roads. A good number of people seem to drive their cars over the lines. If a road has a severe curve, people seem to be driving in my lane.
Another thing that scares me is people who drive cars with the top of their heads just above the steering wheel. Some people are just short, but other people recline their seats to that position. I don’t know how these people can see in all directions. Maybe some people are hiding from the police. Others might be thinking that they are wannabee race car drivers. Whatever it is, I think that it is dangerous.
Have a great weekend!
Get out and enjoy the sunshine!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Yesterday was a slug day once again. I finished one book, and started another. I gave the lawn a trim in between the morning World Cup soccer, and the afternoon rounds. Yes, I did see Italy get knocked out of the tournament. I wouldn’t want to show my face in Italy if I was a member of this World Cup soccer team.
The special UNICO meeting at our new President’s home went well.
When I arrived home, I fell asleep watching the Red Sox game. The last thing that I remember was that they were leading when I entered the arms of Morpheus. I just found out it was a 5 hour + battle which ended in the 10th inning. The Sox did win the high scoring contest.
Social Calendar – My Irish Sister City President and I will be on WBRK (1340 AM on your radio dial) at 10 AM today. Since neither of us is at a loss of words, the hour long program will fly right by.
After the radio program, my friend and I have to do some UNICO stuff related to our August Golf Tournament.
This evening we have a UNICO Prayer service for a deceased member at 6 PM.
My sister and father are going to take Mom for a ride in my dad’s car this morning. They will be doing this when I am on the radio.
A Massachusetts town made national news by passing out condoms to elementary school students.
I did chat with Linda yesterday. More of her girl friends were arriving at the Cape on Thursday. The weather has been very good at the Cape.
The humidity has departed our area. Berkshire County didn’t get any of those violent storm which hit parts of the Northeast!
So far my bird feeder has not been visited by any bears. I am still battling the squirrels, and chipmunks that eat most of my sunflower seeds.
While in my screened in room on the deck the other day, I thought that I saw a Bobcat. This was in the early evening. I was reading a book, and not watching television. I watched the Bobcat go into a set of bushes next to a flower bed. A squirrel was at the bird feeder, and he bolted from my deck to a nearby tree. The squirrel knew that danger was on the horizon. I waited for something to happen, but I think that the bobcat went under a fence into a neighbor’s yard.
The bobcat could have been after my little bunny friend who lives under my storage shed.
Observation – I hope that the City of Pittsfield repaints the lines on our roads. A good number of people seem to drive their cars over the lines. If a road has a severe curve, people seem to be driving in my lane.
Another thing that scares me is people who drive cars with the top of their heads just above the steering wheel. Some people are just short, but other people recline their seats to that position. I don’t know how these people can see in all directions. Maybe some people are hiding from the police. Others might be thinking that they are wannabee race car drivers. Whatever it is, I think that it is dangerous.
Have a great weekend!
Get out and enjoy the sunshine!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Hello on Thursday Morning
Dear Friends,
I enjoyed a slug like day on Wednesday after the Family meeting at the nursing home.
The meeting went well. What my sister, my dad, and I found out was that Mom is getting out of her room. The staff does take her to Mass on Monday, the occasional rosary, outdoors to get fresh air, enjoying entertainment at the nursing home, etc. We were under the impression that she sits in her wheel chair, and stays in her room all day long.
I watched part of World Cup soccer game that the Americans eventually won. I did some errands, and watched the afternoon soccer games also. I started a new book which Linda got me for Father’s Day.
I did have my chicken Novena before settling down to watch the Red Sox do battle. Yes, I saw the Red Sox go into the ninth inning with a one run lead, only to get beat. A pinch hitter came up with one man on base. He hits a home run off of the Red Sox closer, Jonathan Papplebon. Game over!
I have a bunch of chores to do throughout the day before I go to a special UNICO meeting at 6 PM at the new President’s home.
Speaking of UNICO, an elderly past President of UNICO passed away. We have a wake service at 6 PM on Friday night. The mild mannered person was a Spanish and Italian teacher at Pittsfield High School.
The weatherman says that we are going to get a little thunderstorm before noontime. It is humid right now. It seems like we are in a pattern of a day of nice weather, and then a front passes on through. I just wanted to return to low humidity, and nice weather for the Sunday Irish American Golf Tournament. Right now, the Sunday forecast is looking pretty good!
Well, it is Thursday, I am starting to miss someone to bug!
It appears to be the same old, same old throughout our nation and the world. The usual disorder and mayhem just continues to roll on. The oil in the gulf is still leaking, one General replaces the other General in the Afghan conflict, wakes and funeral for fallen soldiers seem to be the norm, people are being shot in the tough sections of cities and towns, natural disasters destroy homes, and some people die from the storms, etc.
Maybe if everyone was happy in their own little world, we wouldn’t have so many conflicts.
Observation – I was watching a segment on television on whether to take vitamins or not. The basic gist of the article was to eat vegetables and fruits along with the main portion of the meal, and throw away the vitamins. I also didn’t realize that the FDA doesn’t regulate vitamins. I didn’t realize that you can overdose on vitamins because consuming too much of them could be toxic. If you get outdoors for several hours per day, you might not need Vitamin D.
The article did say that there were certain vitamins that a pregnant woman should take.
During the article, they also focused on a family supper. I got to thinking about how many families really sit down to family meals during a 7 day period. Even though we have created hectic schedules for ourselves, and our family, we should make time to sit down together for family meals as often as possible.
It takes a very short amount of time to fire up the grill, and to cook any type of red meat, fish, or poultry, or vegetables.
Well, I have to get to my first chore!
Have a great Thursday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I enjoyed a slug like day on Wednesday after the Family meeting at the nursing home.
The meeting went well. What my sister, my dad, and I found out was that Mom is getting out of her room. The staff does take her to Mass on Monday, the occasional rosary, outdoors to get fresh air, enjoying entertainment at the nursing home, etc. We were under the impression that she sits in her wheel chair, and stays in her room all day long.
I watched part of World Cup soccer game that the Americans eventually won. I did some errands, and watched the afternoon soccer games also. I started a new book which Linda got me for Father’s Day.
I did have my chicken Novena before settling down to watch the Red Sox do battle. Yes, I saw the Red Sox go into the ninth inning with a one run lead, only to get beat. A pinch hitter came up with one man on base. He hits a home run off of the Red Sox closer, Jonathan Papplebon. Game over!
I have a bunch of chores to do throughout the day before I go to a special UNICO meeting at 6 PM at the new President’s home.
Speaking of UNICO, an elderly past President of UNICO passed away. We have a wake service at 6 PM on Friday night. The mild mannered person was a Spanish and Italian teacher at Pittsfield High School.
The weatherman says that we are going to get a little thunderstorm before noontime. It is humid right now. It seems like we are in a pattern of a day of nice weather, and then a front passes on through. I just wanted to return to low humidity, and nice weather for the Sunday Irish American Golf Tournament. Right now, the Sunday forecast is looking pretty good!
Well, it is Thursday, I am starting to miss someone to bug!
It appears to be the same old, same old throughout our nation and the world. The usual disorder and mayhem just continues to roll on. The oil in the gulf is still leaking, one General replaces the other General in the Afghan conflict, wakes and funeral for fallen soldiers seem to be the norm, people are being shot in the tough sections of cities and towns, natural disasters destroy homes, and some people die from the storms, etc.
Maybe if everyone was happy in their own little world, we wouldn’t have so many conflicts.
Observation – I was watching a segment on television on whether to take vitamins or not. The basic gist of the article was to eat vegetables and fruits along with the main portion of the meal, and throw away the vitamins. I also didn’t realize that the FDA doesn’t regulate vitamins. I didn’t realize that you can overdose on vitamins because consuming too much of them could be toxic. If you get outdoors for several hours per day, you might not need Vitamin D.
The article did say that there were certain vitamins that a pregnant woman should take.
During the article, they also focused on a family supper. I got to thinking about how many families really sit down to family meals during a 7 day period. Even though we have created hectic schedules for ourselves, and our family, we should make time to sit down together for family meals as often as possible.
It takes a very short amount of time to fire up the grill, and to cook any type of red meat, fish, or poultry, or vegetables.
Well, I have to get to my first chore!
Have a great Thursday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Hello on Wednesday Morning
Dear Friends,
I accomplished my out door tasks of weeding the flower beds, weed whacking, cutting the lawn, and disposing of the grass clippings. I relaxed during the afternoon by watching a little World Cup Soccer. I skipped my afternoon nap, and this caused me not to make it through the Red Sox game. The Sox lost the game in Colorado.
The restoration guy did show up, and took out all the fans and dehumidifiers. I won’t have to listen to the noise created by those fans. The next step is for the insurance company to tell us what they are allowing for the repairs. Linda will then choose what kind of floor replacement she wants put in.
Linda called to tell me that her and her girlfriends are having a fun time at the Cape. I didn’t tell her that I was enjoying the separation. I think that she was enjoying me not bugging her.
The only appointment that I have today is the 11 AM family meeting at the nursing home where my mother resides.
My strained wrist aches a little this morning. I don’t want to go back to the course for another few days.
It should be okay for the Irish American Club Tournament on Sunday. I have my foursome all set as of yesterday – Curley, Culver, Cote, and Marinaro. It sounds like the name of a law firm. There is still plenty of room for anyone else to sign up. If you show up as a single, they will hook you up with someone else. You don’t have to be Irish to play, or to enjoy the day.
Kyla and Max will be visiting me this weekend. Kyla is attending a shower for the woman who is marrying one of Kevin’s high school classmates. Linda did get invited to the shower, but she will miss it because of her Cape Cod adventure. Kyla will be taking the gift which Linda has purchased and wrapped for the Bridal Shower.
The shower takes place while I am at the golf tournament. My sister has volunteered to baby sit Max while Kyla is at the shower.
Observation 1 – I have decided that weeding is like raking leaves. I like the results when the task is done, but I really dislike doing the actual weeding or raking of leaves. I am trying to think back to my younger years, if I actually enjoying weeding and raking leaves. I think that I always despised the tasks!
It also carries over to things like cleaning closets, and changing from one season to another. You feel good when the job is over, but it was painful doing it.
Planting flowers fits into this category too. Selecting the flowers, pots, potting soil, etc. takes a lot of work, but looking at the flowers as they grow throughout the summer (and keeping them alive) is the best part.
Observation 2 – It is so sad to see the news reporting of another soldier losing his life (on a daily basis) in Afghanistan. Some of my Vietnam War buddies have told me that they think that the Afghanistan conflict is turning into a similar conflict. The Russians already realized that years ago when they saw that it was a no win situation. They just packed up and went back to Russia instead of losing more men in the battle.
Observation 3 – The U.S. General who was quoted in the Rolling Stone magazine will most likely be fired today by the President today. What a way to end a career!
When you are in the military, you do what your President asks of you! You keep those comments, thoughts, etc., private, or express yourself behind closed doors.
Observation 4 – A couple of local bars got themselves in trouble because of fights. Alcohol contributes to some violent acts. The fights often end up with the participants using guns and knives. Why can’t people just go out these places and watch some sports, listen to some music, etc., and just be mellow? When I talk about me going to a Pub with my Irish Sister friends, we don’t engage in violent activities like the ones reported in our local newspapers.
My father never was one to go out to the bars. He came home from working in the local paper mills so tired that he had no desire to go out to the bars.
I am not saying that the bars should be closed, but wouldn’t it be nice if those people who are affected by alcohol in a negative way just stay home.
My pot roast cooked in the crock pot turned out wonderful. The unhealthy red meat was so tender that I didn’t need a knife to cut it. I have enough for another meal.
Today I am going to cook some chicken leg quarters. I should take the skin off to make it healthier, but I am not going to do so. I am going to cook the chicken on the grill. I might grill a few vegetables. At least the vegetables will be the healthy part of the meal.
Separation – So far, I am enjoying the separation, and I know that Linda is too. This might sound a bit harsh, but it doesn’t seem natural for a married couple to be together 24 hours a day. We both need our space to do what want to do.
This was never an issue when we were both working. We would put in a full day of teaching, and usually come home whipped. We would have supper; deal with our children in some form or another like going to one of their sporting contests, come home and pretty much go to bed. I couldn’t make it past 9 PM when I was working. Linda would make it to 11 PM before she went to bed. The waking hours together was minimal so that we didn’t require separation.
If you haven’t retired yet, heed my words of wisdom!
Well, I am going to start a load of clothes, and it is not even 6 AM. I love it!
Have a great Wednesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I accomplished my out door tasks of weeding the flower beds, weed whacking, cutting the lawn, and disposing of the grass clippings. I relaxed during the afternoon by watching a little World Cup Soccer. I skipped my afternoon nap, and this caused me not to make it through the Red Sox game. The Sox lost the game in Colorado.
The restoration guy did show up, and took out all the fans and dehumidifiers. I won’t have to listen to the noise created by those fans. The next step is for the insurance company to tell us what they are allowing for the repairs. Linda will then choose what kind of floor replacement she wants put in.
Linda called to tell me that her and her girlfriends are having a fun time at the Cape. I didn’t tell her that I was enjoying the separation. I think that she was enjoying me not bugging her.
The only appointment that I have today is the 11 AM family meeting at the nursing home where my mother resides.
My strained wrist aches a little this morning. I don’t want to go back to the course for another few days.
It should be okay for the Irish American Club Tournament on Sunday. I have my foursome all set as of yesterday – Curley, Culver, Cote, and Marinaro. It sounds like the name of a law firm. There is still plenty of room for anyone else to sign up. If you show up as a single, they will hook you up with someone else. You don’t have to be Irish to play, or to enjoy the day.
Kyla and Max will be visiting me this weekend. Kyla is attending a shower for the woman who is marrying one of Kevin’s high school classmates. Linda did get invited to the shower, but she will miss it because of her Cape Cod adventure. Kyla will be taking the gift which Linda has purchased and wrapped for the Bridal Shower.
The shower takes place while I am at the golf tournament. My sister has volunteered to baby sit Max while Kyla is at the shower.
Observation 1 – I have decided that weeding is like raking leaves. I like the results when the task is done, but I really dislike doing the actual weeding or raking of leaves. I am trying to think back to my younger years, if I actually enjoying weeding and raking leaves. I think that I always despised the tasks!
It also carries over to things like cleaning closets, and changing from one season to another. You feel good when the job is over, but it was painful doing it.
Planting flowers fits into this category too. Selecting the flowers, pots, potting soil, etc. takes a lot of work, but looking at the flowers as they grow throughout the summer (and keeping them alive) is the best part.
Observation 2 – It is so sad to see the news reporting of another soldier losing his life (on a daily basis) in Afghanistan. Some of my Vietnam War buddies have told me that they think that the Afghanistan conflict is turning into a similar conflict. The Russians already realized that years ago when they saw that it was a no win situation. They just packed up and went back to Russia instead of losing more men in the battle.
Observation 3 – The U.S. General who was quoted in the Rolling Stone magazine will most likely be fired today by the President today. What a way to end a career!
When you are in the military, you do what your President asks of you! You keep those comments, thoughts, etc., private, or express yourself behind closed doors.
Observation 4 – A couple of local bars got themselves in trouble because of fights. Alcohol contributes to some violent acts. The fights often end up with the participants using guns and knives. Why can’t people just go out these places and watch some sports, listen to some music, etc., and just be mellow? When I talk about me going to a Pub with my Irish Sister friends, we don’t engage in violent activities like the ones reported in our local newspapers.
My father never was one to go out to the bars. He came home from working in the local paper mills so tired that he had no desire to go out to the bars.
I am not saying that the bars should be closed, but wouldn’t it be nice if those people who are affected by alcohol in a negative way just stay home.
My pot roast cooked in the crock pot turned out wonderful. The unhealthy red meat was so tender that I didn’t need a knife to cut it. I have enough for another meal.
Today I am going to cook some chicken leg quarters. I should take the skin off to make it healthier, but I am not going to do so. I am going to cook the chicken on the grill. I might grill a few vegetables. At least the vegetables will be the healthy part of the meal.
Separation – So far, I am enjoying the separation, and I know that Linda is too. This might sound a bit harsh, but it doesn’t seem natural for a married couple to be together 24 hours a day. We both need our space to do what want to do.
This was never an issue when we were both working. We would put in a full day of teaching, and usually come home whipped. We would have supper; deal with our children in some form or another like going to one of their sporting contests, come home and pretty much go to bed. I couldn’t make it past 9 PM when I was working. Linda would make it to 11 PM before she went to bed. The waking hours together was minimal so that we didn’t require separation.
If you haven’t retired yet, heed my words of wisdom!
Well, I am going to start a load of clothes, and it is not even 6 AM. I love it!
Have a great Wednesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Hello on Tuesday Morning
Dear Friends,
I made it through only 8 holes of golf on Monday. I strained my wrist a little, and was having trouble gripping the club. I said goodbye to my buddies, and went home after the ninth hole. I put a little ice on the strained wrist, and it is almost back to normal this morning.
I did have a chance to say goodbye to Linda as one of her girl friends arrived to pick her up for the Cape Cod adventure!
Linda did call around 4:30 PM and said that the three of them arrived on Cape Cod and they were all settled in. The other friends were arrived and departing at different times throughout the week.
I spent most to of the day relaxing in the screened in room on the deck since I was told to keep the windows in the house closed while the fans and dehumidifiers are going. One of the workers tested the moisture content in the basement, and said that it was “bone dry.” The first floor still has high levels of moisture which have to be reduced before any restoration takes place. Of course, we have to wait until Linda comes home to do the replacement of floors.
Today, I am going to do a little weeding in the flower beds if all goes well. The restoration guy is coming back to check moisture levels again today.
Tomorrow we have a family meeting with the staff at 11 AM at the nursing home to discuss how things are going with Mom.
I have my Red Sox to keep me entertained this evening. Yesterday was a travel day so I spent most of my time reading instead of watching sporting contests. I did watch a little of the World Cup. I wouldn’t imagine that many Americans are watching it since most people are working when the games are being played.
The Oil spill continues on its path of destruction. Will they ever solve the problem?
Observation -- I was thinking about how busy we are going to be this summer. We are going to Fourth of July Cookouts, marching in the Parade on July 5, and a James Taylor Concert in the evening at Tanglewood, a wedding in Falmouth on the 10th of July, a 10th year anniversary for a couple whom we know on July 17,We have a trip planned for Kansas right after mid July. We have a birthday bash for our grandson in North Tewksbury at the end of July. There is the Ethnic Fair on August 8, and a few days later the UNICO Golf tournament. We have baseball game / picnic planned for our Irish Sister Group of friends and family at Wahconah Park, we are going south for a week with two other couples at the end of August, and the beat goes on. Are we retired or what?
Well, I can get to some noisy chores because no one is home but me.
Have a great Tuesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I made it through only 8 holes of golf on Monday. I strained my wrist a little, and was having trouble gripping the club. I said goodbye to my buddies, and went home after the ninth hole. I put a little ice on the strained wrist, and it is almost back to normal this morning.
I did have a chance to say goodbye to Linda as one of her girl friends arrived to pick her up for the Cape Cod adventure!
Linda did call around 4:30 PM and said that the three of them arrived on Cape Cod and they were all settled in. The other friends were arrived and departing at different times throughout the week.
I spent most to of the day relaxing in the screened in room on the deck since I was told to keep the windows in the house closed while the fans and dehumidifiers are going. One of the workers tested the moisture content in the basement, and said that it was “bone dry.” The first floor still has high levels of moisture which have to be reduced before any restoration takes place. Of course, we have to wait until Linda comes home to do the replacement of floors.
Today, I am going to do a little weeding in the flower beds if all goes well. The restoration guy is coming back to check moisture levels again today.
Tomorrow we have a family meeting with the staff at 11 AM at the nursing home to discuss how things are going with Mom.
I have my Red Sox to keep me entertained this evening. Yesterday was a travel day so I spent most of my time reading instead of watching sporting contests. I did watch a little of the World Cup. I wouldn’t imagine that many Americans are watching it since most people are working when the games are being played.
The Oil spill continues on its path of destruction. Will they ever solve the problem?
Observation -- I was thinking about how busy we are going to be this summer. We are going to Fourth of July Cookouts, marching in the Parade on July 5, and a James Taylor Concert in the evening at Tanglewood, a wedding in Falmouth on the 10th of July, a 10th year anniversary for a couple whom we know on July 17,We have a trip planned for Kansas right after mid July. We have a birthday bash for our grandson in North Tewksbury at the end of July. There is the Ethnic Fair on August 8, and a few days later the UNICO Golf tournament. We have baseball game / picnic planned for our Irish Sister Group of friends and family at Wahconah Park, we are going south for a week with two other couples at the end of August, and the beat goes on. Are we retired or what?
Well, I can get to some noisy chores because no one is home but me.
Have a great Tuesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, June 21, 2010
Hello on Monday Morning
Dear Friends,
Linda is all packed for her trip. The travel bag weighs a mere 45 pounds. She said that she has to pack a large bag since she will be there a whole week. She said that the other ladies pack a lot of stuff too.
The day went as planned until I woke up from my nap. Linda told me that we were having an impromptu cookout at our house with another couple. We invited the next door neighbor and his family, but he was going off to watch golf at a friend’s home.
Linda and I were waiting for our friend’s to arrive when we received a telephone call from another friend who invited us to a cookout at their place. We packed up the food, which were going to serve the first couple, and headed off to West Stockbridge. There were three couples and the daughter of the host couple. We had a combination of hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage patties, steak, bokchoy (made by the host), green beans, and watermelon. The hostess made a strawberry rhubarb pie that was delicious for dessert. We had a wonderful time. There was much food, fun and merriment before we called it a night!
Linda will be departing for the Cape while I am playing golf with two other guys. We couldn’t find a fourth to play with so it will be just the three of us.
Kevin called to wish me a Happy Father’s Day. He said that they were having fun at the Saturday and Sunday fish concerts in Saratoga. Kevin and Kyla were heading into the 8:30 PM concert when he called.
Mike also wished me a Happy Father’s Day by way of the internet. He put on two videos of our granddaughter Isabelle who swims like a fish, They have an above ground pool in their back yard! We will visit them during mid July!
I did go to bed a happy man since my Red Sox won during the Sunday night broadcast of the game on ESPN.
There are a few quiet chores which I must attend to before selecting my wardrobe for golf.
I think that the restoration people will be removing their fans and dehumidifiers if the moisture numbers are good.
Have a great week at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Linda is all packed for her trip. The travel bag weighs a mere 45 pounds. She said that she has to pack a large bag since she will be there a whole week. She said that the other ladies pack a lot of stuff too.
The day went as planned until I woke up from my nap. Linda told me that we were having an impromptu cookout at our house with another couple. We invited the next door neighbor and his family, but he was going off to watch golf at a friend’s home.
Linda and I were waiting for our friend’s to arrive when we received a telephone call from another friend who invited us to a cookout at their place. We packed up the food, which were going to serve the first couple, and headed off to West Stockbridge. There were three couples and the daughter of the host couple. We had a combination of hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage patties, steak, bokchoy (made by the host), green beans, and watermelon. The hostess made a strawberry rhubarb pie that was delicious for dessert. We had a wonderful time. There was much food, fun and merriment before we called it a night!
Linda will be departing for the Cape while I am playing golf with two other guys. We couldn’t find a fourth to play with so it will be just the three of us.
Kevin called to wish me a Happy Father’s Day. He said that they were having fun at the Saturday and Sunday fish concerts in Saratoga. Kevin and Kyla were heading into the 8:30 PM concert when he called.
Mike also wished me a Happy Father’s Day by way of the internet. He put on two videos of our granddaughter Isabelle who swims like a fish, They have an above ground pool in their back yard! We will visit them during mid July!
I did go to bed a happy man since my Red Sox won during the Sunday night broadcast of the game on ESPN.
There are a few quiet chores which I must attend to before selecting my wardrobe for golf.
I think that the restoration people will be removing their fans and dehumidifiers if the moisture numbers are good.
Have a great week at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Hello again on Sunday
Dear Friends,
I forgot to say “Happy Father’s Day” to all the Dad’s out there in Cyber space. For us who were fortunate to have great fathers who raised us: “Thank you” so much!
For us who were fortunate to have children who are now father’s, continue on the tradition of what fathers do with respect to child rearing.
The seemingly small things that dad’s do have a big influence in the lives of their children and future generations. Our son, who lives in Kansas, took his family on a little camping vacation with a two year old daughter and a month and one half old son. Mike probably doesn’t remember, but we took him on a camping trip to Maurice’s Campground in Wellfleet (town on Cape Cod). We had a Starcraft pop up tent camper at the time. Mike slept in a portable crib which fit perfectly in the camper. He was one year old at the time.
A few years later, we went camping with both Kevin and Michael. We were taking a walk on an old logging trail, and I threw a piece of stale gum in the woods. They made me go into a brush pile, and pick up the gum. The schools just taught a lesson on littering, and I was the first litterer whom they caught.
Another thing that we always did was fly kites when we went on Cape Cod vacations. Both of our sons still fly kites. Michael was teaching Isabelle how to fly one when we last visited. Kevin will be teaching Max how to fly one soon. I still own the kite that we purchased at Dr. Gravity’s kite shop on Cape Cod. I think Mike still has his original one too. Kevin use to fly one of those two handed kites. He was a master at it, and always drew a crowd as he made some acrobatic moves. Kevin’s kite took quite a beating because his was plastic. While visiting in North Tewskbury the other day, I noticed Kevin has a new kite too.
We made sure that our children learned how to swim at an early age. They were in the YMCA pool before they were a year old. Michael, Kevin, and me all have our Scuba Certifications (Danielle does too). I would imagine that the grandchildren will get certified when they are old enough to do so.
I am also thankful that my father is still with us at 86 years old. As you see, I picked up the “gift of gab” from my father.
Have a great Father’s Day, and remember what dads do for us throughout the whole year. The Curley Lad
I forgot to say “Happy Father’s Day” to all the Dad’s out there in Cyber space. For us who were fortunate to have great fathers who raised us: “Thank you” so much!
For us who were fortunate to have children who are now father’s, continue on the tradition of what fathers do with respect to child rearing.
The seemingly small things that dad’s do have a big influence in the lives of their children and future generations. Our son, who lives in Kansas, took his family on a little camping vacation with a two year old daughter and a month and one half old son. Mike probably doesn’t remember, but we took him on a camping trip to Maurice’s Campground in Wellfleet (town on Cape Cod). We had a Starcraft pop up tent camper at the time. Mike slept in a portable crib which fit perfectly in the camper. He was one year old at the time.
A few years later, we went camping with both Kevin and Michael. We were taking a walk on an old logging trail, and I threw a piece of stale gum in the woods. They made me go into a brush pile, and pick up the gum. The schools just taught a lesson on littering, and I was the first litterer whom they caught.
Another thing that we always did was fly kites when we went on Cape Cod vacations. Both of our sons still fly kites. Michael was teaching Isabelle how to fly one when we last visited. Kevin will be teaching Max how to fly one soon. I still own the kite that we purchased at Dr. Gravity’s kite shop on Cape Cod. I think Mike still has his original one too. Kevin use to fly one of those two handed kites. He was a master at it, and always drew a crowd as he made some acrobatic moves. Kevin’s kite took quite a beating because his was plastic. While visiting in North Tewskbury the other day, I noticed Kevin has a new kite too.
We made sure that our children learned how to swim at an early age. They were in the YMCA pool before they were a year old. Michael, Kevin, and me all have our Scuba Certifications (Danielle does too). I would imagine that the grandchildren will get certified when they are old enough to do so.
I am also thankful that my father is still with us at 86 years old. As you see, I picked up the “gift of gab” from my father.
Have a great Father’s Day, and remember what dads do for us throughout the whole year. The Curley Lad
Hello on Sunday morning
Dear Friends,
We had a pleasant day on Saturday. We did go off to the “99 Restaurant” with dear old dad. While we were waiting for my sister to arrive, the waitress spilled drinks on the side of the table next to Tom and Linda. It was all cleaned up by the time my sister walked in. The meal was good, but the waitress was too efficient, and she stopped by to many times to see if everything was okay. She also was in a rush to pick up plates as soon as somebody finished their meal.
We went our separate ways after the lunch. Linda and I did a few errands together until I got bored, and stressed that I wanted to watch the Red Sox and golf. She rested for a while before heading off to use some Macy’s coupons. She arrived home just about the time that the Red Sox pulled the game out in the bottom of the ninth with men on first and second with two men out. Pedroia hit a game winning single.
I cooked us a burger on the grill for supper.
Since my man cave is unavailable for use, I watched the sporting contests in the screened in room on the deck.
Golf kept my interest too. Tiger Woods ended the round in third place which means that people will be watching the final round today. He was starting to look like the Tiger Woods of old. He did overcome a big deficit to get to a third place spot in the tournament.
Social Calendar – Linda planned on having this day free. She has to do her final packing for her Cape Cod adventure with her girl friends. The girlfriends aren’t all arriving on the same day. Some ladies aren’t staying as long as Linda and two other roommates. Linda leaves on Monday, and won’t return until next Monday. Oh, I will really miss her!
The Turmoil – Rooms and carpets are still drying out. The jet engine sounding fans are still on high. I might shut them off for a while so that I can read the two Sunday papers in total peace and quiet. I would read the newspapers in the screened in room, but there is a little rain falling right now, and it is a little cool to sit out there.
Linda asked the guy if they could put the reconstruction on hold since she will be away. The head guy said that it was no problem at all. You wouldn’t want a color blind person selecting new flooring material, or selecting new paint colors for any walls.
Observation – The stores were packed when we went off to Home Depot and Walmart after lunch with dad. I told Linda that is why I like to go early when the stores are open and usually empty. After making our purchases in Home Depot, Linda went into Walmart while I put the Home Depot purchases in the car. She came out of Walmart before I could meet up with her. Maybe she is finally realizing that the “Early bird gets the worm.” Will she change the time that she will go to the stores, probably not in my life time!
Everyone’s biological clocks / rhythms are pretty much set at birth, and you can’t mess with genetics.
Well, I have to get to the newspaper reading, and really enjoy this slug like day. I might go off to Lee and cut my father’s postage size lawn, and see what ever else needs to be done in Lee. Linda will be able to read the newspapers without me bugging her.
The flower beds are also full of weeds since I haven’t touched them in two weeks, but I might save that job until next week.
Have a great Sunday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
We had a pleasant day on Saturday. We did go off to the “99 Restaurant” with dear old dad. While we were waiting for my sister to arrive, the waitress spilled drinks on the side of the table next to Tom and Linda. It was all cleaned up by the time my sister walked in. The meal was good, but the waitress was too efficient, and she stopped by to many times to see if everything was okay. She also was in a rush to pick up plates as soon as somebody finished their meal.
We went our separate ways after the lunch. Linda and I did a few errands together until I got bored, and stressed that I wanted to watch the Red Sox and golf. She rested for a while before heading off to use some Macy’s coupons. She arrived home just about the time that the Red Sox pulled the game out in the bottom of the ninth with men on first and second with two men out. Pedroia hit a game winning single.
I cooked us a burger on the grill for supper.
Since my man cave is unavailable for use, I watched the sporting contests in the screened in room on the deck.
Golf kept my interest too. Tiger Woods ended the round in third place which means that people will be watching the final round today. He was starting to look like the Tiger Woods of old. He did overcome a big deficit to get to a third place spot in the tournament.
Social Calendar – Linda planned on having this day free. She has to do her final packing for her Cape Cod adventure with her girl friends. The girlfriends aren’t all arriving on the same day. Some ladies aren’t staying as long as Linda and two other roommates. Linda leaves on Monday, and won’t return until next Monday. Oh, I will really miss her!
The Turmoil – Rooms and carpets are still drying out. The jet engine sounding fans are still on high. I might shut them off for a while so that I can read the two Sunday papers in total peace and quiet. I would read the newspapers in the screened in room, but there is a little rain falling right now, and it is a little cool to sit out there.
Linda asked the guy if they could put the reconstruction on hold since she will be away. The head guy said that it was no problem at all. You wouldn’t want a color blind person selecting new flooring material, or selecting new paint colors for any walls.
Observation – The stores were packed when we went off to Home Depot and Walmart after lunch with dad. I told Linda that is why I like to go early when the stores are open and usually empty. After making our purchases in Home Depot, Linda went into Walmart while I put the Home Depot purchases in the car. She came out of Walmart before I could meet up with her. Maybe she is finally realizing that the “Early bird gets the worm.” Will she change the time that she will go to the stores, probably not in my life time!
Everyone’s biological clocks / rhythms are pretty much set at birth, and you can’t mess with genetics.
Well, I have to get to the newspaper reading, and really enjoy this slug like day. I might go off to Lee and cut my father’s postage size lawn, and see what ever else needs to be done in Lee. Linda will be able to read the newspapers without me bugging her.
The flower beds are also full of weeds since I haven’t touched them in two weeks, but I might save that job until next week.
Have a great Sunday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Hello on Saturday Morning
Dear Friends,
Golf went okay on Friday. I just barely broke 100. My team which I was assigned to played okay. We only had to pay two dollars instead of three. Did I contribute to the team during the course of the round? Maybe on one hole! I had missed putts on several holes which could have won the hole for us. My chipping was the only bright spot of my game.
While at the 19th hole yesterday, I was chatting with one of the guys in our foursome. He just closed up his house in Florida, and has been back in the Berkshires for two weeks. He said that it was so cool yesterday (in his mind) that he turned his heat back on. When we teed off at 8:30 AM we were all in shorts and short sleeve shirts. It got warmer and warmer as we finished up the round of golf.
We won’t be playing next Friday because they have a weekend tournament which will tie up the course from Friday through Sunday.
Linda had a body maintenance procedure which went well. When she came home she continued on with drying some old photo graphs which happened to be in a water damaged card box. The photos are all spread out on the bed and floors in one of the bedrooms. I did a batch the day before. When I looked in the garage yesterday, I found another small box of wet pictures. Oh Darn!
I was guilt ridden as I didn’t attend two stags, and didn’t volunteer cooking to help my UNICO brothers and sisters with the Relay for Life event at Onota Lake on Friday night. Instead, we went out with two other couples to the Italian Buffet night at my golf course. We arrived home in time for me to watch the second half of the Red Sox game. The Red Sox are creeping closer to first place in their division.
The Boston Bruins and the Celtics let us down, but we have another Boston team for us New Englanders to cheer about. In September it will be the Patriots who I will be talking about. Just think of all the cities in the United States who have sports teams who don’t seem to have a clue of how to put a winning team on the field of play.
Today my sister organized a little Father’s Day gathering at the “99 Restaurant” for our father. The celebration takes place at noon.
Linda and I would normally be hosting a party on my deck, but since our house is in turmoil, and the first floor toilet isn’t working, and the carpeting has been peeled back to let the drying fans do their work, it would be impossible for us to have a cookout.
We had to have this celebration a day before Father’s Day because my brother-in-laws family is having a family function on Father’s Day for his dad.
The restoration workers won’t be back here until Monday morning. I have a golf date at 9 AM, and Linda is being picked up for her week long adventure on Cape Cod.
This evening we did get invited to attend a lobster fest at a friend’s home, but we decided to take a pass (as of last night). We were figuring that after a lunch at the “99 Restaurant” that we would not be hungry for a Lobster dinner. Maybe our attitude will change as the day progresses.
Well, I have to do some chores, and they could be noisy ones since the jet engine fans are roaring as I type this e-mail.
Have a great weekend since summer has finally arrived.
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad
Golf went okay on Friday. I just barely broke 100. My team which I was assigned to played okay. We only had to pay two dollars instead of three. Did I contribute to the team during the course of the round? Maybe on one hole! I had missed putts on several holes which could have won the hole for us. My chipping was the only bright spot of my game.
While at the 19th hole yesterday, I was chatting with one of the guys in our foursome. He just closed up his house in Florida, and has been back in the Berkshires for two weeks. He said that it was so cool yesterday (in his mind) that he turned his heat back on. When we teed off at 8:30 AM we were all in shorts and short sleeve shirts. It got warmer and warmer as we finished up the round of golf.
We won’t be playing next Friday because they have a weekend tournament which will tie up the course from Friday through Sunday.
Linda had a body maintenance procedure which went well. When she came home she continued on with drying some old photo graphs which happened to be in a water damaged card box. The photos are all spread out on the bed and floors in one of the bedrooms. I did a batch the day before. When I looked in the garage yesterday, I found another small box of wet pictures. Oh Darn!
I was guilt ridden as I didn’t attend two stags, and didn’t volunteer cooking to help my UNICO brothers and sisters with the Relay for Life event at Onota Lake on Friday night. Instead, we went out with two other couples to the Italian Buffet night at my golf course. We arrived home in time for me to watch the second half of the Red Sox game. The Red Sox are creeping closer to first place in their division.
The Boston Bruins and the Celtics let us down, but we have another Boston team for us New Englanders to cheer about. In September it will be the Patriots who I will be talking about. Just think of all the cities in the United States who have sports teams who don’t seem to have a clue of how to put a winning team on the field of play.
Today my sister organized a little Father’s Day gathering at the “99 Restaurant” for our father. The celebration takes place at noon.
Linda and I would normally be hosting a party on my deck, but since our house is in turmoil, and the first floor toilet isn’t working, and the carpeting has been peeled back to let the drying fans do their work, it would be impossible for us to have a cookout.
We had to have this celebration a day before Father’s Day because my brother-in-laws family is having a family function on Father’s Day for his dad.
The restoration workers won’t be back here until Monday morning. I have a golf date at 9 AM, and Linda is being picked up for her week long adventure on Cape Cod.
This evening we did get invited to attend a lobster fest at a friend’s home, but we decided to take a pass (as of last night). We were figuring that after a lunch at the “99 Restaurant” that we would not be hungry for a Lobster dinner. Maybe our attitude will change as the day progresses.
Well, I have to do some chores, and they could be noisy ones since the jet engine fans are roaring as I type this e-mail.
Have a great weekend since summer has finally arrived.
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad
Friday, June 18, 2010
Hello on Friday Morning
Dear Friends,
The workers were feverishly removing the debris, ripping up linoleum floors, opening up carpeted areas, and drying carpets, removing padding beneath some carpeted areas. The washing machine, dryer, and toilet in the laundry room are now sitting in the garage, and the jet engine type fans are still going. Luckily there is no structural damage because the water wasn’t dripping for a long time. I guess it is just a bump in the road of home ownership! The guy in charge of everything said that hot water tank failure, burst hoses on washing machines, and chimney fires keep him in business.
Well, the Celtics couldn’t win the big one, but they did come close. The Red Sox won their game, so I went to bed semi happy last night.
The Third Thursday went very well. Linda handled money as I cooked Irish Bangers. I did require a little break toward the end. We sold all 20 pounds of the Irish Bangers, and we also ran out of Irish Whiskey Cake. Everyone who did sign up to work did show up. The 50 / 50 winner was one of our workers. I hope that the Public doesn’t think that the raffle was fixed. We don’t do the July and August Third Thursday’s. There was some talk about doing them this year since we were so successful last evening. We do have the Ethnic Fair on August 8, 2010.
The closing off North Street made for a great crowd also. I hope that the local newspaper has a good article about the Third Thursday.
After cleaning up, most of us ended up at Patrick’s Pub. There was much food, fun, and merriment before our night was over. Linda and I left the Pub a little before midnight, and just about the time that the Celtic Game finally ended.
Social Calendar – Linda has a couple of body maintenance procedures while I tee off with the seniors today at 8:30 AM. I think that we are going back to the Berkshire Hills for supper this evening. It is Italian Buffet night! We missed it last year, and some friends said that it was wonderful.
The dog sitting this weekend is not going to take place. There are too many exposed areas, and the dogs could get some slivers, or step on staples, and nails.
Well, I have to empty the car which is full of stuff which was needed for the Third Thursday. I have to do this just to get the golf clubs in there.
Have a great weekend!
Summer like weather is starting today.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The workers were feverishly removing the debris, ripping up linoleum floors, opening up carpeted areas, and drying carpets, removing padding beneath some carpeted areas. The washing machine, dryer, and toilet in the laundry room are now sitting in the garage, and the jet engine type fans are still going. Luckily there is no structural damage because the water wasn’t dripping for a long time. I guess it is just a bump in the road of home ownership! The guy in charge of everything said that hot water tank failure, burst hoses on washing machines, and chimney fires keep him in business.
Well, the Celtics couldn’t win the big one, but they did come close. The Red Sox won their game, so I went to bed semi happy last night.
The Third Thursday went very well. Linda handled money as I cooked Irish Bangers. I did require a little break toward the end. We sold all 20 pounds of the Irish Bangers, and we also ran out of Irish Whiskey Cake. Everyone who did sign up to work did show up. The 50 / 50 winner was one of our workers. I hope that the Public doesn’t think that the raffle was fixed. We don’t do the July and August Third Thursday’s. There was some talk about doing them this year since we were so successful last evening. We do have the Ethnic Fair on August 8, 2010.
The closing off North Street made for a great crowd also. I hope that the local newspaper has a good article about the Third Thursday.
After cleaning up, most of us ended up at Patrick’s Pub. There was much food, fun, and merriment before our night was over. Linda and I left the Pub a little before midnight, and just about the time that the Celtic Game finally ended.
Social Calendar – Linda has a couple of body maintenance procedures while I tee off with the seniors today at 8:30 AM. I think that we are going back to the Berkshire Hills for supper this evening. It is Italian Buffet night! We missed it last year, and some friends said that it was wonderful.
The dog sitting this weekend is not going to take place. There are too many exposed areas, and the dogs could get some slivers, or step on staples, and nails.
Well, I have to empty the car which is full of stuff which was needed for the Third Thursday. I have to do this just to get the golf clubs in there.
Have a great weekend!
Summer like weather is starting today.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Hello on Friday Morning
Dear Friends,
The workers were feverishly removing the debris, ripping up linoleum floors, opening up carpeted areas, and drying carpets, removing padding beneath some carpeted areas. The washing machine, dryer, and toilet in the laundry room are now sitting in the garage, and the jet engine type fans are still going. Luckily there is no structural damage because the water wasn’t dripping for a long time. I guess it is just a bump in the road of home ownership! The guy in charge of everything said that hot water tank failure, burst hoses on washing machines, and chimney fires keep him in business.
Well, the Celtics couldn’t win the big one, but they did come close. The Red Sox won their game, so I went to bed semi happy last night.
The Third Thursday went very well. Linda handled money as I cooked Irish Bangers. I did require a little break toward the end. We sold all 20 pounds of the Irish Bangers, and we also ran out of Irish Whiskey Cake. Everyone who did sign up to work did show up. The 50 / 50 winner was one of our workers. I hope that the Public doesn’t think that the raffle was fixed. We don’t do the July and August Third Thursday’s. There was some talk about doing them this year since we were so successful last evening. We do have the Ethnic Fair on August 8, 2010.
The closing off North Street made for a great crowd also. I hope that the local newspaper has a good article about the Third Thursday.
After cleaning up, most of us ended up at Patrick’s Pub. There was much food, fun, and merriment before our night was over. Linda and I left the Pub a little before midnight, and just about the time that the Celtic Game finally ended.
Social Calendar – Linda has a couple of body maintenance procedures while I tee off with the seniors today at 8:30 AM. I think that we are going back to the Berkshire Hills for supper this evening. It is Italian Buffet night! We missed it last year, and some friends said that it was wonderful.
The dog sitting this weekend is not going to take place. There are too many exposed areas, and the dogs could get some slivers, or step on staples, and nails.
Well, I have to empty the car which is full of stuff which was needed for the Third Thursday. I have to do this just to get the golf clubs in there.
Have a great weekend!
Summer like weather is starting today.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The workers were feverishly removing the debris, ripping up linoleum floors, opening up carpeted areas, and drying carpets, removing padding beneath some carpeted areas. The washing machine, dryer, and toilet in the laundry room are now sitting in the garage, and the jet engine type fans are still going. Luckily there is no structural damage because the water wasn’t dripping for a long time. I guess it is just a bump in the road of home ownership! The guy in charge of everything said that hot water tank failure, burst hoses on washing machines, and chimney fires keep him in business.
Well, the Celtics couldn’t win the big one, but they did come close. The Red Sox won their game, so I went to bed semi happy last night.
The Third Thursday went very well. Linda handled money as I cooked Irish Bangers. I did require a little break toward the end. We sold all 20 pounds of the Irish Bangers, and we also ran out of Irish Whiskey Cake. Everyone who did sign up to work did show up. The 50 / 50 winner was one of our workers. I hope that the Public doesn’t think that the raffle was fixed. We don’t do the July and August Third Thursday’s. There was some talk about doing them this year since we were so successful last evening. We do have the Ethnic Fair on August 8, 2010.
The closing off North Street made for a great crowd also. I hope that the local newspaper has a good article about the Third Thursday.
After cleaning up, most of us ended up at Patrick’s Pub. There was much food, fun, and merriment before our night was over. Linda and I left the Pub a little before midnight, and just about the time that the Celtic Game finally ended.
Social Calendar – Linda has a couple of body maintenance procedures while I tee off with the seniors today at 8:30 AM. I think that we are going back to the Berkshire Hills for supper this evening. It is Italian Buffet night! We missed it last year, and some friends said that it was wonderful.
The dog sitting this weekend is not going to take place. There are too many exposed areas, and the dogs could get some slivers, or step on staples, and nails.
Well, I have to empty the car which is full of stuff which was needed for the Third Thursday. I have to do this just to get the golf clubs in there.
Have a great weekend!
Summer like weather is starting today.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Hello on Thursday Morning
Dear Friends,
The day went from joy to sadness in a heartbeat when the washing machine hose burst and started a flow of misery. When Linda woke me from my afternoon nap telling me that there was a problem with the washing machine, my immediate thought was: “What was the big deal?” As I descended the stairs to the first floor, and I was greeted with at least two inches of water, and I knew that there was a problem!
Linda had been washing multiple sets of her clothes. She was on her final load of white clothes. She even put in some bleach. It is then when the hose burst. Linda was on the second floor wrapping some shower gifts in the spare bedroom when the nightmare occurred.
After Linda made the call to Liberty Mutual, a man from a restoration company was there within 30 minutes. The restoration company is based out of my home town of Lee. Within one hour there were two company trucks with fans, dehumidifiers, and personnel removing fallen ceiling tiles, items in cardboard boxes which were completely soaked. The wet stuff was removed to the garage. A third guy arrived, who acted like the general of the operation, directed the other workers.
The restoration crew is coming back at 9 AM this morning. At some point today, they will be lifting up a portion of the linoleum floors, and carpeting to assess whether flooring items have to be replaced or not.
The first person who came to the house said that washing machine hoses should be replaced every 5 years. He gave me a 10% off coupon, and I bought replacement hoses at Home Depot. He suggested the braided hoses were the best ones to purchase instead of the rubber ones. I decide to replace both hoses. The guy replaced them for me, and checked to see if the washing machine was working properly, which it was. The guy had to keep the hoses as evidence of the cause of the water damage.
The commercial sized fans and dehumidifiers have been on all night in the basement and on the first floor where the damage has occurred.
There will be no party at the Curley’s this weekend. Oh Darn!
Social Calendar – The Third Thursday is the only thing on the Curley agenda for today. We both might need an escape from the current confusion in our house.
Weather – The morning rain will be giving way to sunshine. Having rain on a Third Thursday event would be a total disaster. Temperatures in the low 70’s will make tonight’s event a pleasant one. The summer like weather starts on Friday, and goes through next week!
Sports – I have my Red Sox starting at 6 PM this evening, and the Celtic’s playing the final game in the Championship series starting at 9 PM. I will listen to the Sox on a portable radio while at the Third Thursday, and watch the Celtics at Patrick’s Pub if everything goes well.
Observation – I received a late night e-mail from our son Michael in Kansas. They were on a day trip to St. Louis, MO. While at a park, and in broad daylight, and no more than 100 feet from their Suburban, thieves broke into their vehicle. The thieves took anything that was electronic including both of their I pods which were in a backpack in the vehicle. They couldn’t even call the police. Mike is estimating about $1000 worth of stuff was stolen. It appeared to have been a trying day for at least two of the Curley family members on Wednesday. Let us hope that nothing happened of a negative nature for Kevin, Kyla, and Max in North Tewksbury.
Well, have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The day went from joy to sadness in a heartbeat when the washing machine hose burst and started a flow of misery. When Linda woke me from my afternoon nap telling me that there was a problem with the washing machine, my immediate thought was: “What was the big deal?” As I descended the stairs to the first floor, and I was greeted with at least two inches of water, and I knew that there was a problem!
Linda had been washing multiple sets of her clothes. She was on her final load of white clothes. She even put in some bleach. It is then when the hose burst. Linda was on the second floor wrapping some shower gifts in the spare bedroom when the nightmare occurred.
After Linda made the call to Liberty Mutual, a man from a restoration company was there within 30 minutes. The restoration company is based out of my home town of Lee. Within one hour there were two company trucks with fans, dehumidifiers, and personnel removing fallen ceiling tiles, items in cardboard boxes which were completely soaked. The wet stuff was removed to the garage. A third guy arrived, who acted like the general of the operation, directed the other workers.
The restoration crew is coming back at 9 AM this morning. At some point today, they will be lifting up a portion of the linoleum floors, and carpeting to assess whether flooring items have to be replaced or not.
The first person who came to the house said that washing machine hoses should be replaced every 5 years. He gave me a 10% off coupon, and I bought replacement hoses at Home Depot. He suggested the braided hoses were the best ones to purchase instead of the rubber ones. I decide to replace both hoses. The guy replaced them for me, and checked to see if the washing machine was working properly, which it was. The guy had to keep the hoses as evidence of the cause of the water damage.
The commercial sized fans and dehumidifiers have been on all night in the basement and on the first floor where the damage has occurred.
There will be no party at the Curley’s this weekend. Oh Darn!
Social Calendar – The Third Thursday is the only thing on the Curley agenda for today. We both might need an escape from the current confusion in our house.
Weather – The morning rain will be giving way to sunshine. Having rain on a Third Thursday event would be a total disaster. Temperatures in the low 70’s will make tonight’s event a pleasant one. The summer like weather starts on Friday, and goes through next week!
Sports – I have my Red Sox starting at 6 PM this evening, and the Celtic’s playing the final game in the Championship series starting at 9 PM. I will listen to the Sox on a portable radio while at the Third Thursday, and watch the Celtics at Patrick’s Pub if everything goes well.
Observation – I received a late night e-mail from our son Michael in Kansas. They were on a day trip to St. Louis, MO. While at a park, and in broad daylight, and no more than 100 feet from their Suburban, thieves broke into their vehicle. The thieves took anything that was electronic including both of their I pods which were in a backpack in the vehicle. They couldn’t even call the police. Mike is estimating about $1000 worth of stuff was stolen. It appeared to have been a trying day for at least two of the Curley family members on Wednesday. Let us hope that nothing happened of a negative nature for Kevin, Kyla, and Max in North Tewksbury.
Well, have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Hello on Wednesday evening
Dear Friends,
The baby sitting adventure has come to an end. I said “Goodbye” to a smiling grandchild as I left North Tewksbury this morning a little after 9 AM. The adventure began on June 6, ended for Linda on June 13, and continued for me until this morning which is June 16, 2010.
Yes, we did have coordinated meals while I was in North Tewksbury. Monday night we had a crock pot pork loin dinner. I lathered the pork with a stone ground mustard, coated the bottom of the crock pot with some white wine, put in some onions carrots and potatoes. Kevin left his restaurant early, and we all ate together.
On Tuesday, I found a whole split up chicken in the freezer, and decided that grilling it would be a good thing. I decided not to cook any carbs. Kyla picked up some Portobello mushrooms, Vidalia Onions, and Asparagus on the way home form work. I grilled them before cooking the chicken. When Kevin found out what I was cooking, he left the restaurant early. This night we put Max to bed before sitting down to supper. Kyla picked up a half of a pie for dessert. We treated it like her birthday cake since Tuesday she turned another year older.
It is difficult to believe that I am 30 years older than Kevin and Kyla. Maybe that is why I feel a little tired at the end of the day after taking care of a ninth month old who has started to crawl.
I couldn’t send my morning e-mails because Kevin’s computer is sick, and Kyla goes off to work by either 6 AM or 7:15 AM depending one whether she needs to go to work early.
When I arrived home, I immediately cut my overgrown lawn, and went for a 2 PM nap.
Speaking of lawn cutting, I finished my lawn, and was enjoying a beverage. I was going to cut my neighbor’s lawn when all of a sudden I heard the roar of an unaccustomed mower. Our neighbor hired a lawn service to cut his lawn.
I was in the middle of a deep sleep when Linda came into the bedroom in crisis mode. The washing machine sprung a leak in one of the two hoses going into the machine. Before Linda noticed it, a small load of her clothes went through a complete cycle, and a couple inches of water ended up in the laundry room floor and the first floor entry way linoleum floor. The water also found its way down into the cellar and into the finished off basement. Ceiling tiles are falling from a portion of the family room as I type this e-mail. The finished off basement is wet again. The storage room is wet. Water is dripping from the joists to items on shelves in the storage room. Two restoration guys just arrived.
The adjuster is saying that the damage is more than what the eye can see. He thinks that water might have been dripping for a while, and following the joists for days. This is going to be a major project. A lot of water damage has taken place. Floors will have to be replaced.
Any weekend events which we were planning are in real jeopardy. Oh Darn!
I am going to work the Third Thursday. I have the Irish Bangers in my possession. The Gormalley Lad and I will be setting up around 3 PM. The streets will be closed off at 3:30 PM. The event goes from 5 PM until 8 PM. I will see what the status of things are around our home before continuing onto Patrick’s Pub after cleaning up after the Third Thursday. I might need to escape our home since drying fans will be going 24/7 for days. Don’t forget if my readers are local, stop in at our booth which will be located right in front of Pasko Gift and Frame on North Street. We will be offering Irish Bangers, and Irish Whiskey Cake. Stop by and say “Hello” to me and all my Irish Sister City Brothers and Sisters.
Well, my “Man Cave” is out of bounds for several days to start off with, and then a construction crew will be starting repairs when things dry out. This is not good!
The repairs could last well into the summer! I might have to modify my “Life is Good” statement for a while.
Social Calendar – Linda is off to Mazzeo’s with a set of girlfriends who all had their children the same time that we had ours. I was going to have a Chicken Novena, but I am not sure if I am in the mood for making any kind of food.
Well, I have to sign a few papers. The action is fast and furious. Our garage is filling up with wet items.
Talk to you in the morning. The Curley Lad
The baby sitting adventure has come to an end. I said “Goodbye” to a smiling grandchild as I left North Tewksbury this morning a little after 9 AM. The adventure began on June 6, ended for Linda on June 13, and continued for me until this morning which is June 16, 2010.
Yes, we did have coordinated meals while I was in North Tewksbury. Monday night we had a crock pot pork loin dinner. I lathered the pork with a stone ground mustard, coated the bottom of the crock pot with some white wine, put in some onions carrots and potatoes. Kevin left his restaurant early, and we all ate together.
On Tuesday, I found a whole split up chicken in the freezer, and decided that grilling it would be a good thing. I decided not to cook any carbs. Kyla picked up some Portobello mushrooms, Vidalia Onions, and Asparagus on the way home form work. I grilled them before cooking the chicken. When Kevin found out what I was cooking, he left the restaurant early. This night we put Max to bed before sitting down to supper. Kyla picked up a half of a pie for dessert. We treated it like her birthday cake since Tuesday she turned another year older.
It is difficult to believe that I am 30 years older than Kevin and Kyla. Maybe that is why I feel a little tired at the end of the day after taking care of a ninth month old who has started to crawl.
I couldn’t send my morning e-mails because Kevin’s computer is sick, and Kyla goes off to work by either 6 AM or 7:15 AM depending one whether she needs to go to work early.
When I arrived home, I immediately cut my overgrown lawn, and went for a 2 PM nap.
Speaking of lawn cutting, I finished my lawn, and was enjoying a beverage. I was going to cut my neighbor’s lawn when all of a sudden I heard the roar of an unaccustomed mower. Our neighbor hired a lawn service to cut his lawn.
I was in the middle of a deep sleep when Linda came into the bedroom in crisis mode. The washing machine sprung a leak in one of the two hoses going into the machine. Before Linda noticed it, a small load of her clothes went through a complete cycle, and a couple inches of water ended up in the laundry room floor and the first floor entry way linoleum floor. The water also found its way down into the cellar and into the finished off basement. Ceiling tiles are falling from a portion of the family room as I type this e-mail. The finished off basement is wet again. The storage room is wet. Water is dripping from the joists to items on shelves in the storage room. Two restoration guys just arrived.
The adjuster is saying that the damage is more than what the eye can see. He thinks that water might have been dripping for a while, and following the joists for days. This is going to be a major project. A lot of water damage has taken place. Floors will have to be replaced.
Any weekend events which we were planning are in real jeopardy. Oh Darn!
I am going to work the Third Thursday. I have the Irish Bangers in my possession. The Gormalley Lad and I will be setting up around 3 PM. The streets will be closed off at 3:30 PM. The event goes from 5 PM until 8 PM. I will see what the status of things are around our home before continuing onto Patrick’s Pub after cleaning up after the Third Thursday. I might need to escape our home since drying fans will be going 24/7 for days. Don’t forget if my readers are local, stop in at our booth which will be located right in front of Pasko Gift and Frame on North Street. We will be offering Irish Bangers, and Irish Whiskey Cake. Stop by and say “Hello” to me and all my Irish Sister City Brothers and Sisters.
Well, my “Man Cave” is out of bounds for several days to start off with, and then a construction crew will be starting repairs when things dry out. This is not good!
The repairs could last well into the summer! I might have to modify my “Life is Good” statement for a while.
Social Calendar – Linda is off to Mazzeo’s with a set of girlfriends who all had their children the same time that we had ours. I was going to have a Chicken Novena, but I am not sure if I am in the mood for making any kind of food.
Well, I have to sign a few papers. The action is fast and furious. Our garage is filling up with wet items.
Talk to you in the morning. The Curley Lad
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hello on Monday Morning
Dear Friends,
Sunday was a cloudy day weather wise, but not a drop of rain fell in Pittsfield. My lawn never did dry out so I wasn’t able to cut it. The weeds in the flower beds need attention too.
We are going to finally see the sun along with some clouds in the Berkshires as temperatures rise to near 80 degrees today. My grass will finally dry out, but I won’t be home to cut it today. Oh Darn!
Too bad that I didn’t have one of those wives who could run a lawn mower, and was strong like an Ox, and could deal with bags of grass clippings.
I will be returning Max to North Tewksbury just about the time he would normally be going down for his mid morning nap. Linda will not be joining me for the ride to Tewksbury. She has her Monday afternoon golf, Tuesday Mah Jongg session as well as a body maintenance procedure which she can’t change.
I might be staying at Kevin and Kyla’s on Tuesday to baby sit for Max since Kevin will not be having his normal Tuesday day off. Also, Kyla has to go back to work on Tuesday. The Phish Concert in Hershey, PA didn’t start until 7 PM on Sunday night. I think that Kevin and Kyla stayed in PA after the concert. They have at least a 7 hour drive to get back to North Tewksbury assuming that here are no traffic delays.
I hope they make it back before their son goes to bed this evening. They both haven’t seen their son in over a week. Of course, Max has had the best baby sitters in the world while they were busy.
Sports – The Red Sox couldn’t complete a sweep against the Phillies.
I did go to be a happy man because the Celtics beat the Lakers in a playoff game last evening in Boston. It was a hard fought and close battle. The Celtics lead the Championship series by a 3 games to 2 games margin. They are heading of to California as they get ready to do battle with the Lakers on their home court. If a game seven is needed, it too will take place in California.
Our Irish Sister City group is gearing up for another Third Thursday which take place this week, I am picking up 20 pounds of Irish Bangers on Wednesday at Guido’s Market. If any of my readers are free this Thursday, you are welcome to stop in and try some Irish Bangers, and Irish Whiskey Cake for a nominal fee. We will be selling our food right in front of Pasko’s Gift and Frame on North Street (diagonally across from the YMCA). We will have an Irish Band playing next to our booth. The band is called “Dublin Porter.” Also, you won’t have to worry about being run over by cars since they will be closing sections of North Street down. It will be open to foot traffic only!
Observation – As we age, we slowly begin to shrink. Linda’s has noticed it in her body already. She was washing some baby clothes the other day, and she couldn’t reach the bottom of the washing machine, and grab some baby socks. We will have to keep a step stool in the laundry room if I am not around when she washes clothes.
You might be thinking that we should get some front loading machines when our current machines expire. Not! We have washed clothes in front loading Maytag machines when visiting relatives. You have to have long arms like basketball players to reach in side the washing machine or dryer to get the clothes. They oughtt to design washing machines and dryers made specifically for senior citizens who aren’t as nimble as they were when they were in their 30’s. I suppose if we were rich, we could hire someone to wash and dry our clothes.
Well, I have to pack a duffel bag with some clothes. I also have to gather up all the baby stuff which is going back to Tewksbury.
Linda is a little nervous that I am going to North Tewksbury without her. She thinks that I need a co-pilot. She also said that if I do have to make a restroom stop on the Mass Pike to take Max with me, and not leave him in the car. Would I ever do such a thing?
How about the two adults who got arrested this past weekend for leaving two children in the car in the parking lot of a Casino while they went off to gamble? The children were left unattended for a whole hour before the authorities located the parents and had the parents arrested.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Sunday was a cloudy day weather wise, but not a drop of rain fell in Pittsfield. My lawn never did dry out so I wasn’t able to cut it. The weeds in the flower beds need attention too.
We are going to finally see the sun along with some clouds in the Berkshires as temperatures rise to near 80 degrees today. My grass will finally dry out, but I won’t be home to cut it today. Oh Darn!
Too bad that I didn’t have one of those wives who could run a lawn mower, and was strong like an Ox, and could deal with bags of grass clippings.
I will be returning Max to North Tewksbury just about the time he would normally be going down for his mid morning nap. Linda will not be joining me for the ride to Tewksbury. She has her Monday afternoon golf, Tuesday Mah Jongg session as well as a body maintenance procedure which she can’t change.
I might be staying at Kevin and Kyla’s on Tuesday to baby sit for Max since Kevin will not be having his normal Tuesday day off. Also, Kyla has to go back to work on Tuesday. The Phish Concert in Hershey, PA didn’t start until 7 PM on Sunday night. I think that Kevin and Kyla stayed in PA after the concert. They have at least a 7 hour drive to get back to North Tewksbury assuming that here are no traffic delays.
I hope they make it back before their son goes to bed this evening. They both haven’t seen their son in over a week. Of course, Max has had the best baby sitters in the world while they were busy.
Sports – The Red Sox couldn’t complete a sweep against the Phillies.
I did go to be a happy man because the Celtics beat the Lakers in a playoff game last evening in Boston. It was a hard fought and close battle. The Celtics lead the Championship series by a 3 games to 2 games margin. They are heading of to California as they get ready to do battle with the Lakers on their home court. If a game seven is needed, it too will take place in California.
Our Irish Sister City group is gearing up for another Third Thursday which take place this week, I am picking up 20 pounds of Irish Bangers on Wednesday at Guido’s Market. If any of my readers are free this Thursday, you are welcome to stop in and try some Irish Bangers, and Irish Whiskey Cake for a nominal fee. We will be selling our food right in front of Pasko’s Gift and Frame on North Street (diagonally across from the YMCA). We will have an Irish Band playing next to our booth. The band is called “Dublin Porter.” Also, you won’t have to worry about being run over by cars since they will be closing sections of North Street down. It will be open to foot traffic only!
Observation – As we age, we slowly begin to shrink. Linda’s has noticed it in her body already. She was washing some baby clothes the other day, and she couldn’t reach the bottom of the washing machine, and grab some baby socks. We will have to keep a step stool in the laundry room if I am not around when she washes clothes.
You might be thinking that we should get some front loading machines when our current machines expire. Not! We have washed clothes in front loading Maytag machines when visiting relatives. You have to have long arms like basketball players to reach in side the washing machine or dryer to get the clothes. They oughtt to design washing machines and dryers made specifically for senior citizens who aren’t as nimble as they were when they were in their 30’s. I suppose if we were rich, we could hire someone to wash and dry our clothes.
Well, I have to pack a duffel bag with some clothes. I also have to gather up all the baby stuff which is going back to Tewksbury.
Linda is a little nervous that I am going to North Tewksbury without her. She thinks that I need a co-pilot. She also said that if I do have to make a restroom stop on the Mass Pike to take Max with me, and not leave him in the car. Would I ever do such a thing?
How about the two adults who got arrested this past weekend for leaving two children in the car in the parking lot of a Casino while they went off to gamble? The children were left unattended for a whole hour before the authorities located the parents and had the parents arrested.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Hello on Sunday Morning
Dear Friends,
It was so dark, dreary, and rainy in the Berkshires on Saturday that I felt bad for people having graduation parties, June brides hoping for a sunny day, and me planning on taking Max for a ride in his stroller.
My lawn keeps on growing quite nicely, but I will be making only a couple of passes before I will have to empty the grass clipping bags when I am able to cut the lawn. Our flowers our growing great too, and this is happening without me having to give them a drink.
Max and I took a morning nap on Saturday. We were watching a children’s program called “Yo Gabba, Gabba”. The program was on falling asleep which I proceeded to do around 10 AM. I had Max in my arms at the time.
Yesterday’s cookout was a “cook in” except that the meat and potatoes were cooked on a grill by the host. As I suspected, there were some people who had a deep aversion to eating lamb. The host cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, and kielbasa to accommodate their tastes. The lamb was cooked to perfection. I say this because some pieces were cooked rare, which I prefer, and other pieces were cooked through. Fresh yellow beans from a local farmer’s market, a tomato and mozzarella platter along with some delicious mixture of olives.
Most of us were quite stuffed, but we all found room for a piece of cheese cake. This was a great tasting Cheese Cake Charlie’s Cheese cake which the hosts purchased at Cosco’s. The cheese cake was wonderful, and of medium texture. The hostess said that the cheese cake freezes well, and it tasted like it just came from the bakery.
Oops! I almost forgot to mention that we did have appetizers which included a cheese platter, some potato skins, basic chips and dips. One family brought some home made crab cakes. I would never order them in a restaurant because they normally contain more filling than crab. Well, these crab cakes were the best that I had ever tasted.
Well, another set of friends got to experience how good natured our grandson from North Tewksbury really is. As grandparents, of course we always think that he is just the perfect child. Well, these people got to see Max in action, and they now believe every word that I have been saying all week. Linda fed him before we sat down for the main meal. When we all finally sat down (close to 7 PM), Max dined with us right through dessert. His dessert was Graham Crackers. He never cried, whimpered at all, or made any gesture to get out of his booster chair. Like I said before, the workers at the day care which he goes to in North Tewksbury asked Kevin and Kyla if Max is always that good? The answer was a big “Yes!”
Even some of the females at the party said that they would have a whole litter of babies if they were all had the temperament of our grandchild.
Sports – I did watch the USA team tie the team from England in World Cup Soccer. I also caught bits and pieces of the Red Sox beating up on the Phillies in a rain drenched Fenway Park. I have the Sox and Celtics to keep me entertained today.
Social Calendar – Linda and a girlfriend are going off to Country Curtains for their 75 % off sale which starts at noon. I believe that they are going to do breakfast before going to the sale. This means that I will be in charge of taking care of Max for multiple hours today.
Nothing exciting has been happening on the political front. The oil spill continues. People in the Gulf region want BP to clean up the mess faster.
This is why I always say that family and friends should occupy most of your waking hours. Enjoying every moment that you have on earth, and not sweating the little stuff should be everyone’s top priority. Life is Good!
Have a great Sunday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
It was so dark, dreary, and rainy in the Berkshires on Saturday that I felt bad for people having graduation parties, June brides hoping for a sunny day, and me planning on taking Max for a ride in his stroller.
My lawn keeps on growing quite nicely, but I will be making only a couple of passes before I will have to empty the grass clipping bags when I am able to cut the lawn. Our flowers our growing great too, and this is happening without me having to give them a drink.
Max and I took a morning nap on Saturday. We were watching a children’s program called “Yo Gabba, Gabba”. The program was on falling asleep which I proceeded to do around 10 AM. I had Max in my arms at the time.
Yesterday’s cookout was a “cook in” except that the meat and potatoes were cooked on a grill by the host. As I suspected, there were some people who had a deep aversion to eating lamb. The host cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, and kielbasa to accommodate their tastes. The lamb was cooked to perfection. I say this because some pieces were cooked rare, which I prefer, and other pieces were cooked through. Fresh yellow beans from a local farmer’s market, a tomato and mozzarella platter along with some delicious mixture of olives.
Most of us were quite stuffed, but we all found room for a piece of cheese cake. This was a great tasting Cheese Cake Charlie’s Cheese cake which the hosts purchased at Cosco’s. The cheese cake was wonderful, and of medium texture. The hostess said that the cheese cake freezes well, and it tasted like it just came from the bakery.
Oops! I almost forgot to mention that we did have appetizers which included a cheese platter, some potato skins, basic chips and dips. One family brought some home made crab cakes. I would never order them in a restaurant because they normally contain more filling than crab. Well, these crab cakes were the best that I had ever tasted.
Well, another set of friends got to experience how good natured our grandson from North Tewksbury really is. As grandparents, of course we always think that he is just the perfect child. Well, these people got to see Max in action, and they now believe every word that I have been saying all week. Linda fed him before we sat down for the main meal. When we all finally sat down (close to 7 PM), Max dined with us right through dessert. His dessert was Graham Crackers. He never cried, whimpered at all, or made any gesture to get out of his booster chair. Like I said before, the workers at the day care which he goes to in North Tewksbury asked Kevin and Kyla if Max is always that good? The answer was a big “Yes!”
Even some of the females at the party said that they would have a whole litter of babies if they were all had the temperament of our grandchild.
Sports – I did watch the USA team tie the team from England in World Cup Soccer. I also caught bits and pieces of the Red Sox beating up on the Phillies in a rain drenched Fenway Park. I have the Sox and Celtics to keep me entertained today.
Social Calendar – Linda and a girlfriend are going off to Country Curtains for their 75 % off sale which starts at noon. I believe that they are going to do breakfast before going to the sale. This means that I will be in charge of taking care of Max for multiple hours today.
Nothing exciting has been happening on the political front. The oil spill continues. People in the Gulf region want BP to clean up the mess faster.
This is why I always say that family and friends should occupy most of your waking hours. Enjoying every moment that you have on earth, and not sweating the little stuff should be everyone’s top priority. Life is Good!
Have a great Sunday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Hello on Saturday Morning
Dear Friends,
Another day with Max went very well. Of course, I wouldn’t know about the 5.5 hours which Linda took care of him while I was chasing around a little white ball at Berkshire Hills Country Club.
Yes, I took care of Max when he first woke up, but then Max and I had to wake Linda before I left the house for golf.
. I did notice that Linda was a bit more relaxed when I walked in the door. Prior practice when we had our two boys most likely helped out.
I once again just barely broke 100, but the team that I was assigned to didn’t win. My Lee High Wildcat friend and I played with the senior who shot 12 pars the week before. Well, he was off of his game this week. Could it be that the Wildcats are a bad influence no matter which team that we are assigned to?
The pizza party went very well. The two containers of anchovies which I brought were a big hit. Of course, only three other friends would even touch the epicurean delights.
I came home, and said “Hi” to Max and went off for my nap. Linda kept Max up for a little while before putting him to bed for his afternoon nap. We both woke up from our naps at the same time.
We did decide to go out to the Shamrock Restaurant and Pub for supper last evening with our Dalton friends. We went early, and walked right in and sat right down. If we went at our usual 6:30 PM eating time, we would have had to wait.
Max was so good once again. Everyone in the place wanted to give him a hug. Max even started touching the waitress’ derriere when she came over to take our order. We went right home after supper, and got in our pajamas. I watched the Red Sox go on to victory. I went to bed right after the game.
My quiet time is in the morning. Linda’s quiet time is when after Max and I go to bed at night.
Max and I will really try and be quiet this morning so that Linda can get some extra sleeping time.
I already know that I will require an afternoon nap.
Social Calendar – I have to cut the lawn and weed whack today after the dew laden lawn dries out.
This evening we are going to a cookout with several other couples. I think Lamb might be the meat for the evening. I think that the only time that I have lamb is when I get invited to a cookout at this friends’ house. I did hear mention of some kind of fish being grilled also for those people who have an aversion to eating lamb.
Linda chatted with our daughter-in-law yesterday. She returned fro her conference in Colorado, and she said that she was getting her car greased and oiled for their trip to Hershey, PA. This is where the musical band “Phish” will be performing. She said that they were departing early today for PA.
I do love the fact that Kevin’s birthday is on the 13th of June, their anniversary is on the 14th of June, and Kyla’s birthday is on the 15th of June. As my memory starts to fade, I think it will be easy to still remember these important dates.
I still haven’t firmed up the return of Max to their home in North Tewksbury. The departure date is set for Monday, but I am nor sure about whether I am going to remain in Tewksbury for an extra day.
Observation – As our baby sitting gig is coming to a close, I was thinking about all the little ones who are born into this world. As I see our sons and their families interact with one another, I can se that our grandkids will have a good start when they are old enough to attend pre-school, and school in general. I have said this before, but I really see a need of children being born into two person households. Yes, I know some people are trying to function as single Moms, and I do praise them for their efforts, but from what I observe, a father figure is so important. I don’t want to offend the “same couple” families who are lucky enough to raise children. A report on lesbian couples that came out this week, said that the children being raised in this type of relationship end up very well adjusted. I guess if someone got offended by me referring to a father figure then maybe I should have said just having two sets of hands to help with child rearing is so important.
When I was teaching, some of my students ended up getting pregnant before they even finished high school. Some of these students came from parents who had them when they were teenagers too. I thought that people are supposed to learn from their mistakes or the mistakes of others.
Have a great Saturday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Another day with Max went very well. Of course, I wouldn’t know about the 5.5 hours which Linda took care of him while I was chasing around a little white ball at Berkshire Hills Country Club.
Yes, I took care of Max when he first woke up, but then Max and I had to wake Linda before I left the house for golf.
. I did notice that Linda was a bit more relaxed when I walked in the door. Prior practice when we had our two boys most likely helped out.
I once again just barely broke 100, but the team that I was assigned to didn’t win. My Lee High Wildcat friend and I played with the senior who shot 12 pars the week before. Well, he was off of his game this week. Could it be that the Wildcats are a bad influence no matter which team that we are assigned to?
The pizza party went very well. The two containers of anchovies which I brought were a big hit. Of course, only three other friends would even touch the epicurean delights.
I came home, and said “Hi” to Max and went off for my nap. Linda kept Max up for a little while before putting him to bed for his afternoon nap. We both woke up from our naps at the same time.
We did decide to go out to the Shamrock Restaurant and Pub for supper last evening with our Dalton friends. We went early, and walked right in and sat right down. If we went at our usual 6:30 PM eating time, we would have had to wait.
Max was so good once again. Everyone in the place wanted to give him a hug. Max even started touching the waitress’ derriere when she came over to take our order. We went right home after supper, and got in our pajamas. I watched the Red Sox go on to victory. I went to bed right after the game.
My quiet time is in the morning. Linda’s quiet time is when after Max and I go to bed at night.
Max and I will really try and be quiet this morning so that Linda can get some extra sleeping time.
I already know that I will require an afternoon nap.
Social Calendar – I have to cut the lawn and weed whack today after the dew laden lawn dries out.
This evening we are going to a cookout with several other couples. I think Lamb might be the meat for the evening. I think that the only time that I have lamb is when I get invited to a cookout at this friends’ house. I did hear mention of some kind of fish being grilled also for those people who have an aversion to eating lamb.
Linda chatted with our daughter-in-law yesterday. She returned fro her conference in Colorado, and she said that she was getting her car greased and oiled for their trip to Hershey, PA. This is where the musical band “Phish” will be performing. She said that they were departing early today for PA.
I do love the fact that Kevin’s birthday is on the 13th of June, their anniversary is on the 14th of June, and Kyla’s birthday is on the 15th of June. As my memory starts to fade, I think it will be easy to still remember these important dates.
I still haven’t firmed up the return of Max to their home in North Tewksbury. The departure date is set for Monday, but I am nor sure about whether I am going to remain in Tewksbury for an extra day.
Observation – As our baby sitting gig is coming to a close, I was thinking about all the little ones who are born into this world. As I see our sons and their families interact with one another, I can se that our grandkids will have a good start when they are old enough to attend pre-school, and school in general. I have said this before, but I really see a need of children being born into two person households. Yes, I know some people are trying to function as single Moms, and I do praise them for their efforts, but from what I observe, a father figure is so important. I don’t want to offend the “same couple” families who are lucky enough to raise children. A report on lesbian couples that came out this week, said that the children being raised in this type of relationship end up very well adjusted. I guess if someone got offended by me referring to a father figure then maybe I should have said just having two sets of hands to help with child rearing is so important.
When I was teaching, some of my students ended up getting pregnant before they even finished high school. Some of these students came from parents who had them when they were teenagers too. I thought that people are supposed to learn from their mistakes or the mistakes of others.
Have a great Saturday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, June 11, 2010
Hello on Friday Morning
Dear Friends,
We had another pleasant day with our grandson yesterday. A male friend stopped over just about the time Max was finishing up supper. When you are home alone with a 9 month old, it is nice to have some adult company. Max was not afraid to go to my friend. It is another example where Max prefers males over females except when it comes to feeding times and changing diapers.
I am not sure how Linda’s Shakespeare function went because I was in bed watching the Red Sox lose in the bottom of the ninth inning. I switched over to the Celtic game, but I must admit I didn’t stay up to watch them go on to win the game. The Celtic bench players played an integral role in them winning the game.
Well, I am teeing off with the seniors at 8:30 AM this morning. I think that we are having a pizza party after golf. I have a couple of small containers of anchovies to put some on the slices of pizza which I consume. I have one other friend who brings anchovies like I do. I can’t wait! My friend lives in a complex where Mr. Roland, the guy whose name is on the cans of Anchovies, has a summer home.
I was just going to make the comment that we were going out for supper with another couple which we do on Friday night, but then I forgot that we have the grandchild with us. We can still take him out, but it does require a bit more work. What about Max’s bedtime. We have a routine giving him a bottle at 7 PM, and chill time until 7:30 PM which is when I put him to bed.
I usually come home after golf and take a nap before we decide to go out. The lawn is in desperate need of a trim which I couldn’t get done because of the several consecutive days of rain and cool weather. Maybe Max’s afternoon nap will coincide with my nap.
We are finally going to have a day where the sun will be out for most of it. The weekend is going to be okay and warmer, but there is a chance of a thunderstorm each afternoon.
Our Saturday evening is all set. We got invited to a cookout. I do have to figure out which baby accoutrements that we have to take with us. We have been functioning all week with a booster chair, and a portable crib as well as toys.
Our baby sitting adventure doesn’t end until Monday. I am not sure if I will make the drop off alone or with Linda. If I do go alone, I was thinking of staying in North Tewksbury until Wednesday Morning. I was thinking of doing this only if Kevin has Tuesday off. With him not working on Monday, he might have to skip his day off this coming week. I wanted to do this so that if Kevin had things to do around their house, me being there and taking care of Max would free him up to do so. The only sure thing is that Max will be sleeping in his own bed on Monday night.
Observation -- When my friend was visiting last night, he said that Linda and I are so lucky to have our grandson within driving distance of our home. Our friend and his wife have to get on an airplane and fly to Atlanta to see their grandchild. They do have a daughter who just got married a year ago, and maybe when they start a family they will be living locally. They live locally for the time being.
Things sure have really changed over the years. When I was a kid growing, I had 5 cousins growing up within 25 paces of the Curley family home in Lee. We all grew up together, and went to the same schools together. This doesn’t happen so much anymore. The whole neighborhood was made up of friends whose grandparents emigrated from the same town in Sicily. We were all interconnected in some form or another. Very few of the original bunch of friends who I grew up with stayed in the neighborhood. I guess they call it a Mobile Society!
Well, it is early, but I am enjoying the peace and quiet before Max wakes up. I will turn him over to Linda at 8 AM if not before.
Have a great weekend!
Mine will be off to a great start within a couple of hours.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
We had another pleasant day with our grandson yesterday. A male friend stopped over just about the time Max was finishing up supper. When you are home alone with a 9 month old, it is nice to have some adult company. Max was not afraid to go to my friend. It is another example where Max prefers males over females except when it comes to feeding times and changing diapers.
I am not sure how Linda’s Shakespeare function went because I was in bed watching the Red Sox lose in the bottom of the ninth inning. I switched over to the Celtic game, but I must admit I didn’t stay up to watch them go on to win the game. The Celtic bench players played an integral role in them winning the game.
Well, I am teeing off with the seniors at 8:30 AM this morning. I think that we are having a pizza party after golf. I have a couple of small containers of anchovies to put some on the slices of pizza which I consume. I have one other friend who brings anchovies like I do. I can’t wait! My friend lives in a complex where Mr. Roland, the guy whose name is on the cans of Anchovies, has a summer home.
I was just going to make the comment that we were going out for supper with another couple which we do on Friday night, but then I forgot that we have the grandchild with us. We can still take him out, but it does require a bit more work. What about Max’s bedtime. We have a routine giving him a bottle at 7 PM, and chill time until 7:30 PM which is when I put him to bed.
I usually come home after golf and take a nap before we decide to go out. The lawn is in desperate need of a trim which I couldn’t get done because of the several consecutive days of rain and cool weather. Maybe Max’s afternoon nap will coincide with my nap.
We are finally going to have a day where the sun will be out for most of it. The weekend is going to be okay and warmer, but there is a chance of a thunderstorm each afternoon.
Our Saturday evening is all set. We got invited to a cookout. I do have to figure out which baby accoutrements that we have to take with us. We have been functioning all week with a booster chair, and a portable crib as well as toys.
Our baby sitting adventure doesn’t end until Monday. I am not sure if I will make the drop off alone or with Linda. If I do go alone, I was thinking of staying in North Tewksbury until Wednesday Morning. I was thinking of doing this only if Kevin has Tuesday off. With him not working on Monday, he might have to skip his day off this coming week. I wanted to do this so that if Kevin had things to do around their house, me being there and taking care of Max would free him up to do so. The only sure thing is that Max will be sleeping in his own bed on Monday night.
Observation -- When my friend was visiting last night, he said that Linda and I are so lucky to have our grandson within driving distance of our home. Our friend and his wife have to get on an airplane and fly to Atlanta to see their grandchild. They do have a daughter who just got married a year ago, and maybe when they start a family they will be living locally. They live locally for the time being.
Things sure have really changed over the years. When I was a kid growing, I had 5 cousins growing up within 25 paces of the Curley family home in Lee. We all grew up together, and went to the same schools together. This doesn’t happen so much anymore. The whole neighborhood was made up of friends whose grandparents emigrated from the same town in Sicily. We were all interconnected in some form or another. Very few of the original bunch of friends who I grew up with stayed in the neighborhood. I guess they call it a Mobile Society!
Well, it is early, but I am enjoying the peace and quiet before Max wakes up. I will turn him over to Linda at 8 AM if not before.
Have a great weekend!
Mine will be off to a great start within a couple of hours.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Hello on Thursday Morning
Dear Friends,
I almost turned the heat on yesterday. It never made it to 60 degrees here in the Berkshires. The rain moved in early than had been predicted. Essentially it was a dark and dreary day. I never got a chance to give the lawn a trim. I stayed in my Pajamas until Max took an afternoon nap.
Our grandson woke up with a big smile once again. He did have a little sluggish period during the middle of the day. He felt a little warm which was verified by my sister who stopped by to drop off a bouncy type of toy. Max skipped lunch and fell asleep in my arms around 2 PM as Linda went off to get some children’s liquid pain medication (not Tylenol). When he woke up from his afternoon nap, he was back to his usual self.
Max has been crawling, but when I made a comment about Max’s crawl being a lot like a slither rather than a crawl, Linda said our oldest son Michael started off that way too.
Today is the grand opening of Shakespeare and Company 2010 Season. Since a friend advertises in their play booklet, she is allowed four passes to the donor gala event. We have been going to this event for the past few years. I love the complimentary wine and beer cocktail hour along with a great variety of appetizers. Linda will represent the family since I will be watching Max. This doesn’t sound as bad as it seems. The last few years, us males have been enjoying the Cocktail hour (6 PM to 8 PM), but skipping the play while our wives stay for the play. It wouldn’t be bad if I missed a few cocktail hours, but I will miss all the socializing.
If I didn’t go to the Shakespeare event, I would be helping out with a Pasta Fund Raiser for Big Brothers and Big Sisters at the Italian American Club.
We are in for another day of cool weather with the possibility of seeing the sun poking through the clouds. I hope that we do get a summer like weather soon.
Observation – The oil spill continues. There is a good deal of blaming President Obama for the mess in the Gulf like they did when President Bush was trying to solve the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
As I watching one of those Nick Jr. programs with Max yesterday, the theme was on blaming someone else when you do something wrong. This is a BP problem, and there is no one else to blame. Bring in the best minds in the world and solve the darn problem. If that is what has been done, then stop blaming our leader!
A few of the above out of town e-mail recipients will be busy this weekend. One of two sons will be getting married. The weather might even cooperate by the time the weekend arrives.
Congratulations to the proud parents and to their son who has determined that he has found his soul mate. Marriage to the right person is a wonderful thing!
Congratulations to another male who realizes that “Man cannot live on bread alone!”
I fell asleep during the Red Sox game. The roar of the crowd as a Cleveland batter hit a Grand Slam woke me up, and I went to bed. It was 11 to 0 when I shut off the television.
Afghanistan – How and why would a suicide bomber blow himself up in the middle of a wedding and kill 40 people in this war torn region? The hate that these crazies have must have been programmed in him / her since birth. If this was done in the name of some religious beliefs, then get rid of the religion or rethink its tenets!
Well, I have some quiet chores to take care of.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I almost turned the heat on yesterday. It never made it to 60 degrees here in the Berkshires. The rain moved in early than had been predicted. Essentially it was a dark and dreary day. I never got a chance to give the lawn a trim. I stayed in my Pajamas until Max took an afternoon nap.
Our grandson woke up with a big smile once again. He did have a little sluggish period during the middle of the day. He felt a little warm which was verified by my sister who stopped by to drop off a bouncy type of toy. Max skipped lunch and fell asleep in my arms around 2 PM as Linda went off to get some children’s liquid pain medication (not Tylenol). When he woke up from his afternoon nap, he was back to his usual self.
Max has been crawling, but when I made a comment about Max’s crawl being a lot like a slither rather than a crawl, Linda said our oldest son Michael started off that way too.
Today is the grand opening of Shakespeare and Company 2010 Season. Since a friend advertises in their play booklet, she is allowed four passes to the donor gala event. We have been going to this event for the past few years. I love the complimentary wine and beer cocktail hour along with a great variety of appetizers. Linda will represent the family since I will be watching Max. This doesn’t sound as bad as it seems. The last few years, us males have been enjoying the Cocktail hour (6 PM to 8 PM), but skipping the play while our wives stay for the play. It wouldn’t be bad if I missed a few cocktail hours, but I will miss all the socializing.
If I didn’t go to the Shakespeare event, I would be helping out with a Pasta Fund Raiser for Big Brothers and Big Sisters at the Italian American Club.
We are in for another day of cool weather with the possibility of seeing the sun poking through the clouds. I hope that we do get a summer like weather soon.
Observation – The oil spill continues. There is a good deal of blaming President Obama for the mess in the Gulf like they did when President Bush was trying to solve the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
As I watching one of those Nick Jr. programs with Max yesterday, the theme was on blaming someone else when you do something wrong. This is a BP problem, and there is no one else to blame. Bring in the best minds in the world and solve the darn problem. If that is what has been done, then stop blaming our leader!
A few of the above out of town e-mail recipients will be busy this weekend. One of two sons will be getting married. The weather might even cooperate by the time the weekend arrives.
Congratulations to the proud parents and to their son who has determined that he has found his soul mate. Marriage to the right person is a wonderful thing!
Congratulations to another male who realizes that “Man cannot live on bread alone!”
I fell asleep during the Red Sox game. The roar of the crowd as a Cleveland batter hit a Grand Slam woke me up, and I went to bed. It was 11 to 0 when I shut off the television.
Afghanistan – How and why would a suicide bomber blow himself up in the middle of a wedding and kill 40 people in this war torn region? The hate that these crazies have must have been programmed in him / her since birth. If this was done in the name of some religious beliefs, then get rid of the religion or rethink its tenets!
Well, I have some quiet chores to take care of.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Hello on Wednesday Morning
ear Friends,
We had another pleasant day babysitting for our grandchild.
Max had a two hour morning nap, didn’t eat well for lunch (with me in charge), and he had a late afternoon nap in which Linda had to wake him up for supper. Linda said that he was a chow hound for supper, but I missed seeing it because I was at my Irish Sister City Meeting.
I am so glad that I didn’t go to the Pub after my meeting. Linda was putting on his pajamas as I walked in the door from my meeting. Max’s eyes lit up, and he was so glad to see his grandpa. He squirmed so much that Linda struggled to get his pajamas on.
Max has been enjoying see the various creatures at my bird feeder attached to our deck. I am betting that his parents might be hanging a bird feeder soon at their house in North Tewksbury so that he can watch all the creatures like his cousins do in Kansas. Maybe grandpa will find an appropriate spot to hang one during our next visit.
Kyla was doing well at her conference in Colorado, but she really misses her son. She knows that he is in good hands with Linda and I being in charge. The question is will Max remember who his parents are? Just kidding!
Our son Kevin called a couple of times to check on Max, and to tell me how his day (Tuesday is his day off) was going with respect to projects around the house. While he was outside doing yard work, he saw a sprinkler system guy working at another house. He asked the guy to come over and look at his sprinkler system which wasn’t working correctly. This guy was the same one who put in the original system in the house in 2002. The guy spent several hours repairing broken pipes, damaged sprinkler heads, and got the system working the way it is supposed to work. Kevin told me what the guy did, and what he paid for the job, and I told Kevin that it was worth it. There is no way that he could have fixed the problem on his own. Don’t go to their house at 5:30 AM because you might get an unwanted shower.
Kevin called a second time to say that he carried on the Curley tradition of using an electric hedge trimmer, and cutting the cord. He just went out to Home Depot on Tuesday and bought a hedge trimmer. Within the blink of an eye, he cut the extension cord. I had given Kevin the extension cord a couple of years ago, and it was already taped where I cut the cord.
My trimmer has to be replaced, and I am leaning toward a gasoline propelled one. I am so tired of cutting extension cords!
I was a bit tired when I went to bed. I managed to watch the Red Sox win their game, but I failed to make it through the Celtic game. Good thing that I didn’t stay up because the Celtics lost the game to the Lakers at home. Oh Darn!
We are both free today to take care of Max. I can’t play golf because my course has a Jimmy Fund Tournament booked in for most of the day. This is okay because our lawn needs a trim, and it is nice to have another set of hands to help take care of our grandchild.
Rain is predicted to fall toward evening.
It is 40 degrees right now, and we have another day of 60 degree weather. I had so hoped to purchase a small blow up pool, or to take Max to the pool at my golf course. We don’t get back to the 80’s until the weekend, and by that time we might be heading east again.
I am up early because I have to do the minutes of the Irish Sister Meeting which took place last evening. The hour long meeting went very well, but now my work begins.
My dad’s ”day surgery” was postponed until next Friday.
My sister called me to say that she was babysitting for one of her grandchildren in New York State, and to inform me about our father’s situation.
Well, I have to get to the Irish Sister City Minutes.
Have a great Wednesday.
You know what Linda and I will be doing.
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad
We had another pleasant day babysitting for our grandchild.
Max had a two hour morning nap, didn’t eat well for lunch (with me in charge), and he had a late afternoon nap in which Linda had to wake him up for supper. Linda said that he was a chow hound for supper, but I missed seeing it because I was at my Irish Sister City Meeting.
I am so glad that I didn’t go to the Pub after my meeting. Linda was putting on his pajamas as I walked in the door from my meeting. Max’s eyes lit up, and he was so glad to see his grandpa. He squirmed so much that Linda struggled to get his pajamas on.
Max has been enjoying see the various creatures at my bird feeder attached to our deck. I am betting that his parents might be hanging a bird feeder soon at their house in North Tewksbury so that he can watch all the creatures like his cousins do in Kansas. Maybe grandpa will find an appropriate spot to hang one during our next visit.
Kyla was doing well at her conference in Colorado, but she really misses her son. She knows that he is in good hands with Linda and I being in charge. The question is will Max remember who his parents are? Just kidding!
Our son Kevin called a couple of times to check on Max, and to tell me how his day (Tuesday is his day off) was going with respect to projects around the house. While he was outside doing yard work, he saw a sprinkler system guy working at another house. He asked the guy to come over and look at his sprinkler system which wasn’t working correctly. This guy was the same one who put in the original system in the house in 2002. The guy spent several hours repairing broken pipes, damaged sprinkler heads, and got the system working the way it is supposed to work. Kevin told me what the guy did, and what he paid for the job, and I told Kevin that it was worth it. There is no way that he could have fixed the problem on his own. Don’t go to their house at 5:30 AM because you might get an unwanted shower.
Kevin called a second time to say that he carried on the Curley tradition of using an electric hedge trimmer, and cutting the cord. He just went out to Home Depot on Tuesday and bought a hedge trimmer. Within the blink of an eye, he cut the extension cord. I had given Kevin the extension cord a couple of years ago, and it was already taped where I cut the cord.
My trimmer has to be replaced, and I am leaning toward a gasoline propelled one. I am so tired of cutting extension cords!
I was a bit tired when I went to bed. I managed to watch the Red Sox win their game, but I failed to make it through the Celtic game. Good thing that I didn’t stay up because the Celtics lost the game to the Lakers at home. Oh Darn!
We are both free today to take care of Max. I can’t play golf because my course has a Jimmy Fund Tournament booked in for most of the day. This is okay because our lawn needs a trim, and it is nice to have another set of hands to help take care of our grandchild.
Rain is predicted to fall toward evening.
It is 40 degrees right now, and we have another day of 60 degree weather. I had so hoped to purchase a small blow up pool, or to take Max to the pool at my golf course. We don’t get back to the 80’s until the weekend, and by that time we might be heading east again.
I am up early because I have to do the minutes of the Irish Sister Meeting which took place last evening. The hour long meeting went very well, but now my work begins.
My dad’s ”day surgery” was postponed until next Friday.
My sister called me to say that she was babysitting for one of her grandchildren in New York State, and to inform me about our father’s situation.
Well, I have to get to the Irish Sister City Minutes.
Have a great Wednesday.
You know what Linda and I will be doing.
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Hello on Tuesday Morning
Dear Friends,
Well, my comment about feeding our grandson McDonalds’ Happy meals drew quite a stir from parents and friends. I try and tell people it was just an aberration, and we used the fast food (and unhealthy that it is) just to calm the child down for the journey home. It is not something that we would do every day of the week. It was like “emergency road assistance.”
Speaking of food, Max has been eating and processing his food quite well. I like Max’s smile when I rescue him from the portable crib in the morning. Changing the fully loaded diaper takes away some of the initial joy!
One of my golfing buddies, who is approaching 70 years old, told me that he had never changed a diaper since his children were born. He also said that he never changed a grandchild’s diaper either. This attitude is really old school!
Max took an early afternoon nap, and I did too. Good thing that Linda was home because when Max woke up, I was still out like a light.
The first full day with Max went well. Linda did leave the house a little after 3 PM to play golf with a bunch of friends. She returned home a little after 7 PM, and I couldn’t wait for her to come home. I have such a deep appreciation of motherhood, and I really see how much effort is involved to raise a child. Max was so good during the hours that Linda was on her golfing adventure.
The fact that Max is crawling puts a whole new dimension on childcare. He is attracted to the dials and buttons on our exposed cable box, and surround system box. I can see Kevin and Kyla putting locking devices on cabinet doors in their kitchen very soon.
About 5 minutes after Linda walked in the door, Max got a bath. After a bottle and some chill down time Max was ready for bed.
I went into my man cave to watch the Red Sox, but I couldn’t make it past 10 PM.
Linda has her usual 11:30 AM to 4 PM Mah Jongg Session today so you know what I will be doing. We have a 6 PM Irish Sister City Meeting so you know what Linda will be doing. There was some talk about Sister City Members possibly going out after the meeting to a Pub, but I think that I will come straight home and assist with putting Max to bed (and maybe me too).
I do have the Red Sox and the Celtics to watch the evening. I am not sure if I can make it through the Celtic game since it doesn’t start until 9 PM.
We have another sunny, but cool day in store for today.
My sister is taking dear old dad for day surgery to Mass General today. Hopefully the procedure will eliminate the face pain which he is experiencing.
I felt like a stranger at Retro Fitness this morning (4:30 AM) since I haven’t been there in a while. The regulars were there as usual.
We did get an e-mail from one parent, and call from the other on Monday. They both miss Max very much, but the dad was able to do some stuff around the house without interruption. Max’s Dad has the day off today so he will be able to do a good deal of things both outside and inside the house.
I don’t have time to continue this e-mail because I have several quiet chores to do before Max wakes up.
Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Well, my comment about feeding our grandson McDonalds’ Happy meals drew quite a stir from parents and friends. I try and tell people it was just an aberration, and we used the fast food (and unhealthy that it is) just to calm the child down for the journey home. It is not something that we would do every day of the week. It was like “emergency road assistance.”
Speaking of food, Max has been eating and processing his food quite well. I like Max’s smile when I rescue him from the portable crib in the morning. Changing the fully loaded diaper takes away some of the initial joy!
One of my golfing buddies, who is approaching 70 years old, told me that he had never changed a diaper since his children were born. He also said that he never changed a grandchild’s diaper either. This attitude is really old school!
Max took an early afternoon nap, and I did too. Good thing that Linda was home because when Max woke up, I was still out like a light.
The first full day with Max went well. Linda did leave the house a little after 3 PM to play golf with a bunch of friends. She returned home a little after 7 PM, and I couldn’t wait for her to come home. I have such a deep appreciation of motherhood, and I really see how much effort is involved to raise a child. Max was so good during the hours that Linda was on her golfing adventure.
The fact that Max is crawling puts a whole new dimension on childcare. He is attracted to the dials and buttons on our exposed cable box, and surround system box. I can see Kevin and Kyla putting locking devices on cabinet doors in their kitchen very soon.
About 5 minutes after Linda walked in the door, Max got a bath. After a bottle and some chill down time Max was ready for bed.
I went into my man cave to watch the Red Sox, but I couldn’t make it past 10 PM.
Linda has her usual 11:30 AM to 4 PM Mah Jongg Session today so you know what I will be doing. We have a 6 PM Irish Sister City Meeting so you know what Linda will be doing. There was some talk about Sister City Members possibly going out after the meeting to a Pub, but I think that I will come straight home and assist with putting Max to bed (and maybe me too).
I do have the Red Sox and the Celtics to watch the evening. I am not sure if I can make it through the Celtic game since it doesn’t start until 9 PM.
We have another sunny, but cool day in store for today.
My sister is taking dear old dad for day surgery to Mass General today. Hopefully the procedure will eliminate the face pain which he is experiencing.
I felt like a stranger at Retro Fitness this morning (4:30 AM) since I haven’t been there in a while. The regulars were there as usual.
We did get an e-mail from one parent, and call from the other on Monday. They both miss Max very much, but the dad was able to do some stuff around the house without interruption. Max’s Dad has the day off today so he will be able to do a good deal of things both outside and inside the house.
I don’t have time to continue this e-mail because I have several quiet chores to do before Max wakes up.
Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hello on Monday Morning
Dear Friends,
We left North Tewksbury on Sunday around noontime. It is Linda, Max, and I for a whole week. Kevin is home alone with the two dogs, and one cat. Their other cat is among the missing. This cat has been gone for a couple weeks now, and there is not much hope for him to return. This loss has made Kevin and Kyla very sad.
The 2.5 hour ride from east to west on the Mass Pike went okay. We did have to make a food stop on the Mass Pike because the bottle of formula, which we gave Max just before we left, wasn’t enough to keep him fueled for the trip back to Pittsfield.
We corrupted our Grandchild at the rest stop by feeding him two Happy Meals. Linda purchased a chicken nuggets happy meal, and a hamburger one. We did take off the coating on the chicken nuggets before we broke it up into manageable pieces. Well, Max was a chow hound and he pretty much ate both the chicken and hamburger along with some salt laden French fries. He washed down the meal with apple juice, which he also loved (it was the sugar). This was his first McDonald’s experience!
We stopped in at the nursing home to visit dear old Mom, but she was in bed, and didn’t have her hearing aide in. We didn’t stay long because when we arrived at the nursing home, it was right in the middle of Max’s nap time. When we reached our home, we decided it was too late for him to nap.
He adjusted to the surroundings with relative ease.
He was a chow hound for supper once again. Linda made him a delicious meal which he gobbled right up. When his 7:30 PM bed time arrived, he was so exhausted that he went down without a whimper. I have the morning shift since I am an early riser. Normally he gets up around 7 AM unless I rescue him before that time.
Linda has golf today at 3:30 PM so you know what I will be doing while she is gone.
We do have two other grandchildren who are also doing well in Kansas. Isabelle is adjusting quite well to her new brother. We all know at times it could be stressful since Mommy needs to devote a good deal of time with the newborn. Good thing there are two people to help raise the children. According to the last e-mail from Danielle, Michael and Isabelle slept in a tent in the backyard. Danielle said it was “too cute” to watch Dad and his daughter go through the camping experience. Danielle was up sending us an e-mail to us around 11 PM, and she noticed the flashlights were out in the tent. We will find out how the experience went by way of an e-mail today. Wait until the birds start chirping at their bird feeders at the crack of dawn.
Camping in our back yard might be a little scary with all the creatures that frequent our yard.
Speaking of our yard, the Dill eating bandit returned while we were in North Tewksbury. He ate the replacement plant which I planted on Friday. We will have to wait until we use the indoor Aerogarden in the fall when we grow the Herbs for all of our crock pot recipes. For some reason, the creature left the new parsley plant alone. I shouldn’t say that until I check out the herb pot after sending this e-mail.
I went to bed a semi happy man last evening. The Red Sox lost an extra inning game, but the Celtics came back from the mauling which they received at the hands of the Lakers the other day. The sports nation was convinced that the Lakers were going to beat up the Celtics for second time since the Lakers haven’t lost a home playoff game for years. Well, my Celtics took it to them, and won the game. They return to Boston for the next three games of this final series starting on Tuesday. I can’t wait!
The temperatures fell like a rock yesterday after the front moved through. The local forecasters are calling for sunny, but fall like weather for a good portion of the week. When Linda goes golfing during the mid afternoon, it will be in the low 70’s with 10 to 20 mile per hour winds. Hold on to your hats or visors!
Observation – Do you think that Kevin and Kyla will miss their child since he will be with us for a whole week? They can enjoy a couple days of not changing diapers, trying to do house projects without interruptions before the longing to hold their child finally hits them. They do know that Max is in capable hands, and that we are better than any childcare facility no matter how good that the facility is.
Max is like the energy bunny right now except he is not walking yet. He squirms when you try and change diaper. He crawls toward anything that looks interesting. When you put him on a bed or the couch, he would crawl right off and hit the floor if you are not watching him.
I guess I forgot what it was like when our two boys were at that age. I do remember both of them leaping out of their cribs, and crawling down the stairs of our first house. I think one of our boys did it on his first birthday.
Danielle said that Isabelle has moved from her crib to a bed to make room for he brother, Gabriel.
Well, I have to get ready for our day to start. I hope that the local newspaper arrives soon so that I can read it before Max does wake up.
Have a great week at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
We left North Tewksbury on Sunday around noontime. It is Linda, Max, and I for a whole week. Kevin is home alone with the two dogs, and one cat. Their other cat is among the missing. This cat has been gone for a couple weeks now, and there is not much hope for him to return. This loss has made Kevin and Kyla very sad.
The 2.5 hour ride from east to west on the Mass Pike went okay. We did have to make a food stop on the Mass Pike because the bottle of formula, which we gave Max just before we left, wasn’t enough to keep him fueled for the trip back to Pittsfield.
We corrupted our Grandchild at the rest stop by feeding him two Happy Meals. Linda purchased a chicken nuggets happy meal, and a hamburger one. We did take off the coating on the chicken nuggets before we broke it up into manageable pieces. Well, Max was a chow hound and he pretty much ate both the chicken and hamburger along with some salt laden French fries. He washed down the meal with apple juice, which he also loved (it was the sugar). This was his first McDonald’s experience!
We stopped in at the nursing home to visit dear old Mom, but she was in bed, and didn’t have her hearing aide in. We didn’t stay long because when we arrived at the nursing home, it was right in the middle of Max’s nap time. When we reached our home, we decided it was too late for him to nap.
He adjusted to the surroundings with relative ease.
He was a chow hound for supper once again. Linda made him a delicious meal which he gobbled right up. When his 7:30 PM bed time arrived, he was so exhausted that he went down without a whimper. I have the morning shift since I am an early riser. Normally he gets up around 7 AM unless I rescue him before that time.
Linda has golf today at 3:30 PM so you know what I will be doing while she is gone.
We do have two other grandchildren who are also doing well in Kansas. Isabelle is adjusting quite well to her new brother. We all know at times it could be stressful since Mommy needs to devote a good deal of time with the newborn. Good thing there are two people to help raise the children. According to the last e-mail from Danielle, Michael and Isabelle slept in a tent in the backyard. Danielle said it was “too cute” to watch Dad and his daughter go through the camping experience. Danielle was up sending us an e-mail to us around 11 PM, and she noticed the flashlights were out in the tent. We will find out how the experience went by way of an e-mail today. Wait until the birds start chirping at their bird feeders at the crack of dawn.
Camping in our back yard might be a little scary with all the creatures that frequent our yard.
Speaking of our yard, the Dill eating bandit returned while we were in North Tewksbury. He ate the replacement plant which I planted on Friday. We will have to wait until we use the indoor Aerogarden in the fall when we grow the Herbs for all of our crock pot recipes. For some reason, the creature left the new parsley plant alone. I shouldn’t say that until I check out the herb pot after sending this e-mail.
I went to bed a semi happy man last evening. The Red Sox lost an extra inning game, but the Celtics came back from the mauling which they received at the hands of the Lakers the other day. The sports nation was convinced that the Lakers were going to beat up the Celtics for second time since the Lakers haven’t lost a home playoff game for years. Well, my Celtics took it to them, and won the game. They return to Boston for the next three games of this final series starting on Tuesday. I can’t wait!
The temperatures fell like a rock yesterday after the front moved through. The local forecasters are calling for sunny, but fall like weather for a good portion of the week. When Linda goes golfing during the mid afternoon, it will be in the low 70’s with 10 to 20 mile per hour winds. Hold on to your hats or visors!
Observation – Do you think that Kevin and Kyla will miss their child since he will be with us for a whole week? They can enjoy a couple days of not changing diapers, trying to do house projects without interruptions before the longing to hold their child finally hits them. They do know that Max is in capable hands, and that we are better than any childcare facility no matter how good that the facility is.
Max is like the energy bunny right now except he is not walking yet. He squirms when you try and change diaper. He crawls toward anything that looks interesting. When you put him on a bed or the couch, he would crawl right off and hit the floor if you are not watching him.
I guess I forgot what it was like when our two boys were at that age. I do remember both of them leaping out of their cribs, and crawling down the stairs of our first house. I think one of our boys did it on his first birthday.
Danielle said that Isabelle has moved from her crib to a bed to make room for he brother, Gabriel.
Well, I have to get ready for our day to start. I hope that the local newspaper arrives soon so that I can read it before Max does wake up.
Have a great week at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Hello on Sunday Morning
Dear Friends,
It is a dark and dreary day in North Tewksbury. Yes, it is daylight, and yes I am the only one up right now.
We had a pleasant day on Saturday. We arrived a little before noon.
Max still hasn’t lost the urge to be picked up by Grandpa. I am so happy!
We visited for about 30 minutes before Linda and Kyla went off to the Burlington Mall. Kyla was looking for a few items to take on her week long conference in Boulder, Colorado. Kyla’s whole workplace was going to one of those what I call “Touchy / Feely” conferences.
I was in charge of Max while they were gone. I almost blew my brains out blowing bubbles for Max to keep him entertained. Max has finally started to crawl. Kevin also taught him how to wave, and say “Hi.”
Kevin had to go into the restaurant for a few hours, but he came home during the mid afternoon. We finally hung one of those swinging chairs from the rafters in the area where the previous owners had a hot tub. Visualize a roofed in structure with a railing with spindles enclosing the structure. The hour long project went very well, and it was amazing how father and son worked together. We had every adult in the house test the holding power including the big man Franny. All chains and bolts, etc., are guaranteed to hold weights up to 750 pounds according the hardware which we bought at Home Depot.
The Brodeur’s stopped by after Jerry went through a dialysis session. He had a few issues during this past week with some ports in his body, but everything is working fine. They visited us just about the time that Kyla’s Crock Pot Beef Strogonoff was ready. Kevin and I had two bowls of the Strogonoff. It appears that our daughter-in-law is well on her way to being a Domestic Goddess.
The Brodeur’s had eaten before they came to visit because Jerry was very hungry after his dialysis session. They were invited to join us for supper, but you never know how the Brodeur lad is going to feel after going through dialysis. He usually comes out exhausted.
Kyla has a 9:30 AM flight to Colorado so that means it will just be Kevin, Max, Linda and I today. I am going off to purchase the Boston Globe as soon as everyone is up.
Kevin and I have some projects around the house to take care, one of which is to fix the squeaking guest bathroom door (WD-40) that woke up Linda when I used the facilities at 5 AM.
We aren’t sure whether we are leaving today or Monday morning for the Berkshires, As I was sitting here this morning, I was thinking that maybe I should take Linda back to Pittsfield, and come back and stay here in North Tewksbury to do the babysitting. I don’t think that it is going to happen, and I didn’t run this by Linda. These are just some random thoughts from the Curley Lad.
I did get a chance to watch the Red Sox do battle against the hapless Baltimore Orioles. A new manager for two games has not made any difference.
The Celtics play the Lakers at 8:30 PM tonight. I am not sure where I will be watching the game. It could be in my “Man Cave” in Pittsfield.
The remaining cat in Kevin and Kyla’ home is a pretty good hunter. If you ever come to visit you will see mice, moles, and an occasional chipmunk which the cat has captured and killed. Sometimes she deposits the dead rodents on the deck. All the creatures are so happy to be away from the concrete jungle in East Boston.
I think that Kevin is starting to realize that taking care of the outside of the house which includes the lawn, and all the flower beds, and the various trees, and vegetation in general requires a good deal of man hours to maintain. He wanted to do all this stuff by himself. As things started to grow, things have changed. He is realizing that there are not enough hours in the day to maintain the beautiful yard that he has. I would help out with the yard work, if we lived closer (for a nominal fee / beer). Things are growing faster than he can keep up.
Observation – I still continue to drive Linda crazy, but of course it is unintentional. When we left Pittsfield, I was driving the car wearing a sleeveless shirt. We were in the car for 30 seconds, and Linda couldn’t stand the smell of my deodorant. It was giving her a headache. I had to pull over and put on shirt over my sleeveless shirt to cover up the odor from the deodorant. She is the one who bought me the deodorant!
Last night I put on a summer weight pajamas. Linda asked me if they were old ones, or packed away some where for months (which they were). She said I smelled musty. I had to take off those musty pajamas before I went to bed. As I am starting to lose my sense of smell, I think that Linda’s is getting better.
Well, I think that I might sneak off now and get the Boston Globe.
Is that a quiet activity?
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
It is a dark and dreary day in North Tewksbury. Yes, it is daylight, and yes I am the only one up right now.
We had a pleasant day on Saturday. We arrived a little before noon.
Max still hasn’t lost the urge to be picked up by Grandpa. I am so happy!
We visited for about 30 minutes before Linda and Kyla went off to the Burlington Mall. Kyla was looking for a few items to take on her week long conference in Boulder, Colorado. Kyla’s whole workplace was going to one of those what I call “Touchy / Feely” conferences.
I was in charge of Max while they were gone. I almost blew my brains out blowing bubbles for Max to keep him entertained. Max has finally started to crawl. Kevin also taught him how to wave, and say “Hi.”
Kevin had to go into the restaurant for a few hours, but he came home during the mid afternoon. We finally hung one of those swinging chairs from the rafters in the area where the previous owners had a hot tub. Visualize a roofed in structure with a railing with spindles enclosing the structure. The hour long project went very well, and it was amazing how father and son worked together. We had every adult in the house test the holding power including the big man Franny. All chains and bolts, etc., are guaranteed to hold weights up to 750 pounds according the hardware which we bought at Home Depot.
The Brodeur’s stopped by after Jerry went through a dialysis session. He had a few issues during this past week with some ports in his body, but everything is working fine. They visited us just about the time that Kyla’s Crock Pot Beef Strogonoff was ready. Kevin and I had two bowls of the Strogonoff. It appears that our daughter-in-law is well on her way to being a Domestic Goddess.
The Brodeur’s had eaten before they came to visit because Jerry was very hungry after his dialysis session. They were invited to join us for supper, but you never know how the Brodeur lad is going to feel after going through dialysis. He usually comes out exhausted.
Kyla has a 9:30 AM flight to Colorado so that means it will just be Kevin, Max, Linda and I today. I am going off to purchase the Boston Globe as soon as everyone is up.
Kevin and I have some projects around the house to take care, one of which is to fix the squeaking guest bathroom door (WD-40) that woke up Linda when I used the facilities at 5 AM.
We aren’t sure whether we are leaving today or Monday morning for the Berkshires, As I was sitting here this morning, I was thinking that maybe I should take Linda back to Pittsfield, and come back and stay here in North Tewksbury to do the babysitting. I don’t think that it is going to happen, and I didn’t run this by Linda. These are just some random thoughts from the Curley Lad.
I did get a chance to watch the Red Sox do battle against the hapless Baltimore Orioles. A new manager for two games has not made any difference.
The Celtics play the Lakers at 8:30 PM tonight. I am not sure where I will be watching the game. It could be in my “Man Cave” in Pittsfield.
The remaining cat in Kevin and Kyla’ home is a pretty good hunter. If you ever come to visit you will see mice, moles, and an occasional chipmunk which the cat has captured and killed. Sometimes she deposits the dead rodents on the deck. All the creatures are so happy to be away from the concrete jungle in East Boston.
I think that Kevin is starting to realize that taking care of the outside of the house which includes the lawn, and all the flower beds, and the various trees, and vegetation in general requires a good deal of man hours to maintain. He wanted to do all this stuff by himself. As things started to grow, things have changed. He is realizing that there are not enough hours in the day to maintain the beautiful yard that he has. I would help out with the yard work, if we lived closer (for a nominal fee / beer). Things are growing faster than he can keep up.
Observation – I still continue to drive Linda crazy, but of course it is unintentional. When we left Pittsfield, I was driving the car wearing a sleeveless shirt. We were in the car for 30 seconds, and Linda couldn’t stand the smell of my deodorant. It was giving her a headache. I had to pull over and put on shirt over my sleeveless shirt to cover up the odor from the deodorant. She is the one who bought me the deodorant!
Last night I put on a summer weight pajamas. Linda asked me if they were old ones, or packed away some where for months (which they were). She said I smelled musty. I had to take off those musty pajamas before I went to bed. As I am starting to lose my sense of smell, I think that Linda’s is getting better.
Well, I think that I might sneak off now and get the Boston Globe.
Is that a quiet activity?
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Hello on Saturday Morning
Dear Friends,
The Curley’s had another pleasant day on Friday.
My golf went okay, and I did dip a little below the 100 mark for a golf score, but the team that I was assigned to didn’t fair that well. The weather was beautiful, and it still beats working!
Linda’s appointment went well!
The power washer guys were attacking the rest of the house when Linda came home. They were still there a little after 1 PM when I arrived home from golf. Yes, I did take an afternoon nap. The power washing was completed while I was sleeping.
The UNICO installation of officers at Cranwell went very well. There were only two of us wearing a black tux. No one told us that we could have worn a sport coat and a tie.
I did garner an award which was commensurate with my ability to speak publicly. You can see the gift the next time that you come to the Curley home.
My high school friend, neighbor, and fellow Unican also was awarded a set of glasses with his name etched on them for all of his efforts at those pasta dinners which we volunteer at.
The food at the installation was magnificent. You had to be there to appreciate everything from the appetizers, the main meal, and the dessert. During the meal we were served either White or Red wine.
In a few short hours, we are heading to North Tewksbury to bond with our son’s family. After spending the weekend, we will be taking Max back to the Berkshires. We will be baby sitting him for over a week while Kyla goes out of town on work related business. Kevin normally drops Max off at Day Care in the morning, but he can’t leave his restaurant for the pick up at 6 PM, which Kyla does every day. We aren’t sure when we will return Max to Tewksbury because Kevin and Kyla have plans for the following weekend.
Sports – I missed the Red Sox game because of the installation. They beat up on the Baltimore Orioles. The firing of their coach before the game didn’t make any difference. The Orioles are terrible no matter who is coaching them.
From a Red Sox perspective, their pitcher, Bucholtz, is leading the majors in wins. Before the season started, there was talk of trading him. Good thing that they didn’t trade him. Both he and Lester are the two best pitchers on the Red Sox. Every time the other pitchers take the mound, there is no guarantee that the Sox will win the game.
As I sit in the family room typing this e-mail, I can hear the rain falling. We are in for a wet weekend in the Northeast. Seeing our grandson will brighten our day no matter what the weather is doing. I don’t mind the rain because I was going to water all the flowers in our yard before going on our adventure, but Mother Nature is doing it for me.
I did replace the Herbs that some creature ate the other day. I hope that they didn’t eat the new ones last night!
I see where John Wooden, the former coach of the UCLA basketball team passed away. He almost made it to 100 years old. I bring his name up not only because of his coaching talent, but also because a cousin of the Curley family was a pen pal with John Wooden. The elderly cousin, who is now deceased, Margaret Curley Drake, used to correspond by way of hand written letters (this was before computers). I would bet some collectors would like to get their hands on some of these correspondences. I am not sure if she or her family kept the letters.
Well, I have to gather some of the stuff which we are taking to Tewksbury. I am going to take some form of meat that we have in the freezer. The last time we took a beef tenderloin, and I cut them into steaks, and grilled them. I am leaning towards taking some form of pork, or maybe a Turkey Breast. Whatever we decide, I am going to grill it whether it rains or not.
I hope that the weather doesn’t dampen all the graduation parties, weddings, and cookouts which people are having this weekend in the Northeast.
I have to read the local newspaper, and get to work, but quietly!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The Curley’s had another pleasant day on Friday.
My golf went okay, and I did dip a little below the 100 mark for a golf score, but the team that I was assigned to didn’t fair that well. The weather was beautiful, and it still beats working!
Linda’s appointment went well!
The power washer guys were attacking the rest of the house when Linda came home. They were still there a little after 1 PM when I arrived home from golf. Yes, I did take an afternoon nap. The power washing was completed while I was sleeping.
The UNICO installation of officers at Cranwell went very well. There were only two of us wearing a black tux. No one told us that we could have worn a sport coat and a tie.
I did garner an award which was commensurate with my ability to speak publicly. You can see the gift the next time that you come to the Curley home.
My high school friend, neighbor, and fellow Unican also was awarded a set of glasses with his name etched on them for all of his efforts at those pasta dinners which we volunteer at.
The food at the installation was magnificent. You had to be there to appreciate everything from the appetizers, the main meal, and the dessert. During the meal we were served either White or Red wine.
In a few short hours, we are heading to North Tewksbury to bond with our son’s family. After spending the weekend, we will be taking Max back to the Berkshires. We will be baby sitting him for over a week while Kyla goes out of town on work related business. Kevin normally drops Max off at Day Care in the morning, but he can’t leave his restaurant for the pick up at 6 PM, which Kyla does every day. We aren’t sure when we will return Max to Tewksbury because Kevin and Kyla have plans for the following weekend.
Sports – I missed the Red Sox game because of the installation. They beat up on the Baltimore Orioles. The firing of their coach before the game didn’t make any difference. The Orioles are terrible no matter who is coaching them.
From a Red Sox perspective, their pitcher, Bucholtz, is leading the majors in wins. Before the season started, there was talk of trading him. Good thing that they didn’t trade him. Both he and Lester are the two best pitchers on the Red Sox. Every time the other pitchers take the mound, there is no guarantee that the Sox will win the game.
As I sit in the family room typing this e-mail, I can hear the rain falling. We are in for a wet weekend in the Northeast. Seeing our grandson will brighten our day no matter what the weather is doing. I don’t mind the rain because I was going to water all the flowers in our yard before going on our adventure, but Mother Nature is doing it for me.
I did replace the Herbs that some creature ate the other day. I hope that they didn’t eat the new ones last night!
I see where John Wooden, the former coach of the UCLA basketball team passed away. He almost made it to 100 years old. I bring his name up not only because of his coaching talent, but also because a cousin of the Curley family was a pen pal with John Wooden. The elderly cousin, who is now deceased, Margaret Curley Drake, used to correspond by way of hand written letters (this was before computers). I would bet some collectors would like to get their hands on some of these correspondences. I am not sure if she or her family kept the letters.
Well, I have to gather some of the stuff which we are taking to Tewksbury. I am going to take some form of meat that we have in the freezer. The last time we took a beef tenderloin, and I cut them into steaks, and grilled them. I am leaning towards taking some form of pork, or maybe a Turkey Breast. Whatever we decide, I am going to grill it whether it rains or not.
I hope that the weather doesn’t dampen all the graduation parties, weddings, and cookouts which people are having this weekend in the Northeast.
I have to read the local newspaper, and get to work, but quietly!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
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