Hello on the Fourth of July

Dear Friends,

Another day went exactly as planned.

My day started off with me taking Linda’s 1996 Neon to get it inspected. The beauty passed for another year even though the transmission skips like anything, and engine knocks a little when it is cold. The electrical gauges work occasionally, and as luck would have it, they worked yesterday. This was after a couple weeks of not working. When I say electrical gauges, I am talking about speedometer, gas gauge, hot or cold engine indicator, mileage gauges. This means that you don’t know how fast you are going or whether you have enough gas to make where you want to go. Do you think that we should be looking for a replacement for the Neon?
Some people replace their cars every couple of years, but we take care of ours until they don’t work anymore. Both of our cars are paid for which is a positive but they both are on their last legs. My Subaru Legacy is our traveling car, but that is a 2000 year model, and we purchased that car as a used car with 40,000 miles. As you see, Linda and I are not into new or fancy cars

I came home and switched cars, and headed off to dear old dad’s home in Lee. I weed whacked his postage size lawn in the front and back. I completed this task just about the time he arrived home from his morning session with his buddies at the McDonald’s in Lee. I installed an air conditioner in his bedroom, and swept a couple of floors before I sat down and chatted with Dad. I have to return soon because he wants the windows in the enclosed porch cleaned.
Dad said the face pain is still bothering him after the day surgery in Mass General Hospital in Boston of a couple of weeks ago. A nurse called from the surgeon’s office saying that the face pain could last for two months before it eventually goes away. My father said that he sometimes wakes up in the middle of night with a shooting face pain. I hope that the pain goes away soon!

I left Lee and went off to the nursing home to visit Mom. I was there when they brought her lunch. She ate very well when I was there, and this after she was telling me that the food was awful. Another family friend, who is in the nursing home, told my dad that they nursing home personnel was trying to poison her by way of the food which they serve. Being in that nursing home all day plays tricks with some of the minds of the patients. Like I said before, I walk into that nursing home very happy and upbeat, but I leave semi depressed.

When I arrived home Linda was in the kitchen just finishing up making the potato salad. She also prepared the bacon and hamburger meat which goes into the Calico Bean concoction. She put the bean concoction in the crock pot after we arrived home from a cookout which we were invited to. She did this just before she went to bed. If you were in our house right now, the good smells would trigger the hunger pangs!

Speaking of the cookout, it was wonderful. The hosts grilled steak and Mahai Mahai . Both of these dishes were cooked to perfection. We had a healthy garden salad and fresh green beans from the Farmer’s Market which the hostess purchased on Saturday morning. The hostess’s Mom cooked a chocolate pie that was so delicious; I don’t think that there were any leftovers.
Well, we were invited to return to this house today for another cookout, but as previously mentioned we are going to a Fourth of July Cookout which we have been attending for years. This one will have a different set of friends and it will conclude with illegal fireworks (in Massachusetts) when it gets dark.
We also got invited to my sister’s home for a cookout which we will be unable to attend. Dad was invited, but he told me yesterday that he wasn’t going because of his face pain. I told him to get in his own car, and make an appearance, and leave when he wants to leave. If my sister doesn’t go to Lee, and bring him to the cookout, I have a feeling that he won’t show up. Oh Darn!

Kevin reported from his first day of camping with his family. The air mattress leaked, and he woke up at 6:30 AM. There wasn’t much joy to start his day!
I was wondering if this was the same air mattress which we slept on when they lived in East Boston. That mattress leaked too!
I want to know how their 11th month old did with his first day of camping. I would bet Kevin and Kyla were thinking that it would have been nice to have Grandma and Grandpa around to help out, especially since we have all the camping gear for such an adventure. It would have been better for their family to wake up to Grandpa cooking bacon, eggs, home fries, and coffee instead of being woken up by a leaky air mattress.

The usual turmoil around the world took place on Saturday.
I did like the article of the Egyptian farmer who’s had a cow which delivered a two headed calf. The farmer called it a “devine miracle”, but I think it was caused by some kind of pollution in the area where the calf was born.

A man setting off fireworks lost part of his limbs. These stories are intended to frighten people from using fireworks, but it never stops people from shooting them off.

If we weren’t going to picnics today, we could have gone to the ballpark where a semi professional baseball team plays their home games in Pittsfield. There are fireworks after the game.
If we had tickets to the James Taylor Concert at Tanglewood this evening, they too end the evening with fireworks.

I have to dig out my shirt that I am wearing for Pittsfield’s Fourth of July Parade on Monday. Our UNICO marching unit is located in the middle of the parade.

Well, I am going to read the two Sunday newspapers, and water the flowers all around the house. I might even put a sprinkler on the lawn in the front and back of the house since today is the beginning of the HHH (Hazy Hot and Humid) weather. We are supposed to be in the high 80’s today, and the low 90’s on Parade day.

Have a great Fourth of July no matter which way you celebrate it!
You know that Linda and I are in for a fun day.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad