Dear Friends,
Linda and I worked our butts off from 8 AM until 4 PM. I took care of setting up every outdoor decoration that we planned to put out including the deck. While I was doing my thing, Linda was working in the house. She removed all the fall decorations and replaced them with the winter wreaths. She did notice that she is shrinking. When she went to hang certain wreaths, and Christmas items, she had to get a step stool where in years past she didn’t need one.
I have the front and the back on these dusk to dawn timers, but set for 8 hours. They worked to perfection last evening. I had Linda go out and check my lighted decorations and she said that I did a great job. I didn’t put lights in every bush in the front of the house so that means that I shouldn’t have a electrical problem like I have had in the past. Linda has to finish what she started on another day. I have to dig out the Christmas linen buckets and locate the Christmas pillows. She could put out more decorations in our house, but since neither of our sons will be here fro Christmas, she is really trying to cut back. Yeah Right!
By the time that we decided to quit working our bodies were going into paralysis mode. I though that a good night’s rest would make the aches and pains go away, but I am hurting more right now then I did yesterday afternoon. It is like the second day of high school football practice after taking the summer off. All the dormant muscles in your body start to ache after the first day of calisthenics. My back is aching again today, I think that I will just chill and read a book while Linda is at her Tuesday Mah Jongg session.
In anticipation of being tired at the end of the day, I put a boneless beef pot roast in the crock pot. I used a slow cooker McCormick beef flavor packet which had all the spices you need to put in. Some potatoes, carrots, and some onions made for a wonderful meal. I even baked one of those Pillsbury breads in the oven so that we could sop up those good juices formed during the cooking process.
Politics – The Wiki leaks has sure gotten the United States in a good deal of trouble. This is another example where computers do serve a useful purpose, but it could get you in a whole bunch of trouble. This is why Linda won’t let me get on Facebook. It was one thing for my daily blog people to respond to my comments, but when the world has access to my thoughts, ramblings, Liberal ideas, etc., I could be a marked man.
Weather – The rains move on in later today, and they will fall during the day on Wednesday. They are talking about us getting 1 to 3 inches of rain. After the front moves through, we will have several days with highs in the 30’s. I called up a 10 day forecast, and we could possibly get snow a week from this Thursday. Of course, it is too early for that forecast to be accurate.
Last night our cars ended up in the driveway. Both bays of our two car garage are filled with buckets of fall and Christmas stuff. My first project of the day is to make the garage totally functional. I don’t want our cars outside during rain, sleet, or snow.
Observation -- Are all of my readers prepared for an all snow event? Of course, the Curley’s are completely prepared!
If the rain over the next few days was snow, three inches of rain would translate into almost three feet of snow. I know some of you hate this thought, but Linda and I would love to be snowed in. If the electricity ever went off for a day or so, would you be able to survive? This happened many years ago when our children were small. It was like we were camping during winter time. I have all kind of grills, and an extra gas tanks, a freezer full of meat, beverages. The only heat source would be our fireplace which can burn wood or fake logs.
I was wondering if any of my readers have a home emergency kit just in case we have a natural disaster. We don’t have an official one like our government recommends, but we have enough stuff to survive for at least a week or so. I do hope that we don’t have to go through an emergency like the people in the hill towns who were caught in that Ice Storm that we had a while back. They did have to survive for over a week before they got their electricity back on. I had friends who had to survive that crisis, and they said that it was pure hell. One friend had their own well, and when the electricity got knocked out, they had no running water in their home. A wood stove kept them warm, but they had to use their town hall facilities for bathrooms, taking a shower, etc. This was the same storm where every town except for Pittsfield got damage from the ice storm.
Well, I have to finish my morning routine, and get to work in the garage. I might have to wait until Linda directs me as to what Christmas buckets have to be taken down from the three shelves in our garage. Every year I hope that we can decrease the number of buckets (35 to 40 buckets) that we have in the garage, but it never seems to happen.
Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Hello on Monday Morning
Dear Friends,
The adventure in North Tewksbury ended around 10 AM on Sunday. We said our “Goodbyes” to Kevin and his family, and went off to the Brodeur’s to pick up a chair that they picked up for us at the Home Goods in North Tewksbury. Our Home Goods, like many across the Northeast, seem to have one of a pair of furniture items which we would like to have as a matching set. After multiple telephone calls, Linda found a match to the chair which we purchased at our local Home Goods store.
The ride home had little bumps in the road. As we exited Route 495 onto the Massachusetts Turnpike, the traffic was back up for several exits. The stop and go traffic was not fun.
When we arrived back at our home, we emptied the car quickly, and headed off to a birthday party for my niece’s son who turned two years old. My sister decided to host the party at her house. We arrived an hour or so later than the starting time of 1 PM, but we didn’t miss the blowing out of the candles, and the eating of the birthday cake. My sister knows how to throw a party. I did a head count at one point, and I counted over 30 people which included adults and children. I am betting that my sister was happy when the final person exited her house.
Well it is kind of strange that I am waking up to a house where I have to be quiet, but only for Linda, and not our grandchild. We actually have to conserve our energy for the next few days before I (maybe Linda too) go back to North Tewksbury to pick up Max. We will be baby sitting Max from December 5 through December 12 at our home in the Berkshires. The last time that Max was here was when we had the house in a mess with respect to renovations.
As we left our son’s house yesterday morning, they were planning on going off and getting their first Christmas tree for the house which they purchased last March. They did pick out their first tree, and Kevin has already posted a picture on Facebook. The tree is a mere 11 feet tall. Kevin and Kyla did have some lights from last year’s tree, but when you go from a 6 foot tree, which they put up in their former East Boston apartment, to an 11 foot tree, you might need some more lights, and decorations. Linda and I might help with some kid like decorations some of which were handmade by Kevin when he was a child.
Speaking of decorations, Kevin and Kyla’s neighbors were working feverishly on Sunday to outdo the Curley’s from North Tewksbury. I guess that I did unintentionally set off a battle by helping Kevin putting up a few lights on some bushes next to Kevin’s front door on Saturday. Now Kevin is thinking about putting up more lights on more bushes which he has beyond the front door. The lights which we bought at Home Depot were all sold out by 4 PM on Sunday. This could be a real problem since he would want matching lights. Could Kevin and Kyla’s home end up like the one in the Chevy Chase Christmas movie? The neighbor across the street not only put up those 4 huge deer with spotlights on each one, but he added a Nativity crèche too. I will have Linda try and take some pictures of the Christmas Decorations of Kevin’s street when we go back on Friday. We might stay over on Friday night so that she can take pictures when all the decorations on the street are all it up.
This morning, I will be setting up outdoor lights at our home. I have to move both cars out of the garage, and do a lot of reshuffling of the multiple labeled buckets. While I am doing my thing, Linda has to go through stuff which we pulled out of the closest when we put away the air conditioner. This is the room which Max will be sleeping in.
I am guessing that I will need at least two days to complete the decorations. I just remembered that I have to set up decorations on the deck too so that Linda will be able to see not only the birds, but lighted decorations too.
Some people on our street have their decorations lit up, but the Curley’s will be using colored lights which will make our house stand out. I also purchased some lighted deer at the end of the season to replace the deer which we had when our children were small.
Well, I have to grab a cup of coffee, read the local newspaper, and put on some work clothes.
I have too much to do, and so little time to do so.
I am hoping that the weather cooperates too.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The adventure in North Tewksbury ended around 10 AM on Sunday. We said our “Goodbyes” to Kevin and his family, and went off to the Brodeur’s to pick up a chair that they picked up for us at the Home Goods in North Tewksbury. Our Home Goods, like many across the Northeast, seem to have one of a pair of furniture items which we would like to have as a matching set. After multiple telephone calls, Linda found a match to the chair which we purchased at our local Home Goods store.
The ride home had little bumps in the road. As we exited Route 495 onto the Massachusetts Turnpike, the traffic was back up for several exits. The stop and go traffic was not fun.
When we arrived back at our home, we emptied the car quickly, and headed off to a birthday party for my niece’s son who turned two years old. My sister decided to host the party at her house. We arrived an hour or so later than the starting time of 1 PM, but we didn’t miss the blowing out of the candles, and the eating of the birthday cake. My sister knows how to throw a party. I did a head count at one point, and I counted over 30 people which included adults and children. I am betting that my sister was happy when the final person exited her house.
Well it is kind of strange that I am waking up to a house where I have to be quiet, but only for Linda, and not our grandchild. We actually have to conserve our energy for the next few days before I (maybe Linda too) go back to North Tewksbury to pick up Max. We will be baby sitting Max from December 5 through December 12 at our home in the Berkshires. The last time that Max was here was when we had the house in a mess with respect to renovations.
As we left our son’s house yesterday morning, they were planning on going off and getting their first Christmas tree for the house which they purchased last March. They did pick out their first tree, and Kevin has already posted a picture on Facebook. The tree is a mere 11 feet tall. Kevin and Kyla did have some lights from last year’s tree, but when you go from a 6 foot tree, which they put up in their former East Boston apartment, to an 11 foot tree, you might need some more lights, and decorations. Linda and I might help with some kid like decorations some of which were handmade by Kevin when he was a child.
Speaking of decorations, Kevin and Kyla’s neighbors were working feverishly on Sunday to outdo the Curley’s from North Tewksbury. I guess that I did unintentionally set off a battle by helping Kevin putting up a few lights on some bushes next to Kevin’s front door on Saturday. Now Kevin is thinking about putting up more lights on more bushes which he has beyond the front door. The lights which we bought at Home Depot were all sold out by 4 PM on Sunday. This could be a real problem since he would want matching lights. Could Kevin and Kyla’s home end up like the one in the Chevy Chase Christmas movie? The neighbor across the street not only put up those 4 huge deer with spotlights on each one, but he added a Nativity crèche too. I will have Linda try and take some pictures of the Christmas Decorations of Kevin’s street when we go back on Friday. We might stay over on Friday night so that she can take pictures when all the decorations on the street are all it up.
This morning, I will be setting up outdoor lights at our home. I have to move both cars out of the garage, and do a lot of reshuffling of the multiple labeled buckets. While I am doing my thing, Linda has to go through stuff which we pulled out of the closest when we put away the air conditioner. This is the room which Max will be sleeping in.
I am guessing that I will need at least two days to complete the decorations. I just remembered that I have to set up decorations on the deck too so that Linda will be able to see not only the birds, but lighted decorations too.
Some people on our street have their decorations lit up, but the Curley’s will be using colored lights which will make our house stand out. I also purchased some lighted deer at the end of the season to replace the deer which we had when our children were small.
Well, I have to grab a cup of coffee, read the local newspaper, and put on some work clothes.
I have too much to do, and so little time to do so.
I am hoping that the weather cooperates too.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
Dear Friends,
Our Wednesday went exactly as planned. Of course, I was the first one up at our
son's house. I was expecting Max to wake up at 6:30 AM, but it didn't happen. He
startred crying for a little while at 5:10 AM, but I think that it was the wind
which woke him up. Kevin brouight him into their bed, but Max proceed to crawl
all over Kyla's head. Well, that didn't last to long so Kevin put him back in
his crib. Max never woke up until 8 AM. Linda got up a little after 7 AM
figuring that I would need help taking care of Max. Not!
Kyla got up before Linda and headed off to her place of work in downtown Boston.
Kevin slept until 8:40 before he woke up, took a shower, and grabbed a quick cup
of coffee. Kevin and I took Max to day care, and I was introduced to the daycare
workers so that I now have the right to pick up Max from daycare.
Linda and I then headed to the Brodeur's for a little chopping and dicing. Linda
whipped up a batch of stuffed mushrooms. Ginny cooked the vegetables in between
taking care of her grandchild Owen. Jerry started helping out with the chopping
and dicing, but he wasn't feeling that great so he stopped and went to lay down.
This was okay becuase it meant less people in the kitchen banging into one
another.
When Linda and I services were no longer required, Linda and I went back to our
son's place. Linda made me a quick sndwich, and I headed off for my afternoon
nap. I love my afternoon nap!
Around 4 PM, we received a telephone call that the party started at the
Brodeur's. The Yesue's provided the drinks and appetizers before the ham dinner.
Peggy Yesue brought this big honker of a machine that make Margarita's,
smoothies, etc. It took up a large section of the Brodeur's counter top. She
made strawberry margarita's. The food which they provided were chicken legs
cooked on the Brodeur grill, creamed salmon with crackers, and stuffed dates. By
the time we sat down for the spiral ham dinner which included beans and
coleslaw, I think we had about ten people around the table. Kyla had to take Max
home before dinner was served so that he could go to bed, so Linda made up a
plate for. We brought the plate home as the party ended. Kevin didn't make the
party because he was working at his restaurant until he closed it up around 8:30
PM.
I think the plan for today is for Linda and me to head off to the Brodeur's a
little before 11 AM. I have to cut up lemons and limes. Linda is going to cook
the stuff mushrooms. The turnips, squash are all done (I peeled these two items
too), and just have to be heated up. Jerry usually does the mashed potatoes. I
peeled and cut up 10 pounds a potatoes, and put them in a pot of cold water when
I completed that task on Wednesday. Ginny puts the turkey in the oven at 6 AM
after she makes the stuffing. I would be there to help her, but I have been
assigned the task of taking care of Max when he is done sleeping. Also, we used
to stay at the Brodeur's in past years, but every bedroom is being used. Peggy
and Albert are sleeping in one bed. Their son Vincent is in another bed, and
Todd Brodeur, Anitra, and their child Owen are sleeping in Todd's old bedroom. I
am trying to figure out how and where 18 of us will be situated around the
dinner table including Max in his booster chair.
Kyla's dad, Michael Piercey, is coming from Boston, but going directly to Kevina
and Kyla's place first, and then they are all heading off to the Brodeur's. We
might have to bring Kyla's artichoke dip to the party since we are going before
they do.
Jerry's 90 year old dad will be driving to the Brodeur's. He lives in an
assisted living pace in Tewksbury. Some broeur relatives, and Ginny's Aunt
Jeanette will be attending also. Aunt Jeannette used to drive, but I think that
she stopped because she used to forget how to get back home from where ever she
was driving to.
My dad will be dinning with his wife at the nursing home. My sister did invite
him to join her table of 14 people, but he declined the offer. I don't think
that he could mange well with two toddlers running around in the house which is
perfectly normal except for people who are 87 (Dad), and 94 (Mom).
Politics -- We can't discuss politics at the dinner table at the Brodeur's. We
have a couple of staunch Republicans at the table, and we don't want any
bickering or heated discussions. I already got myself in trouble at last night's
dinner table, and we weren't even discussing politics. I have many black and
blue marks on one of my legs from Linda kicking me. I can't even tell you what I
said because I don't want to get myself in trouble in this e-mail.
Sports -- When we arrived back at Kevin and Kyla's place, I was allowed to watch
a little sports. I watched the Celtic come from behind to win their game.
Like I said yesterday, I am going to have Kevin record the Patriot football game
which starts at 1 PM. I don't want any more black and blue marks on my leg
anymore.
One of our UNICO members passed away on Tuesday. I will miss the Friday wake,
and the Saturday morning funeral. I always used to ask this guy how he was doing
because he had heart problems for years, and then developed prostate cancer. I
am pretty sure that he was in his upper 70's, His family will not be enjoying
Thanksgiving at his family's dinner table.
Black Friday - I think that we might go off shopping on Friday, but not at
midnight or 3 AM like some of the places around here have been advertising.
Well, I hear Max on the baby monitor.
I am on the morning shift.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever you are spending it. If you haven't been
invited anywhere, invite yourself to a friend's home.
One of our friends invited a couple to his dinner table because the couple's son
lives on the west coast with his family, and just couldn't afford to be with his
parents in the Berkshires.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our Wednesday went exactly as planned. Of course, I was the first one up at our
son's house. I was expecting Max to wake up at 6:30 AM, but it didn't happen. He
startred crying for a little while at 5:10 AM, but I think that it was the wind
which woke him up. Kevin brouight him into their bed, but Max proceed to crawl
all over Kyla's head. Well, that didn't last to long so Kevin put him back in
his crib. Max never woke up until 8 AM. Linda got up a little after 7 AM
figuring that I would need help taking care of Max. Not!
Kyla got up before Linda and headed off to her place of work in downtown Boston.
Kevin slept until 8:40 before he woke up, took a shower, and grabbed a quick cup
of coffee. Kevin and I took Max to day care, and I was introduced to the daycare
workers so that I now have the right to pick up Max from daycare.
Linda and I then headed to the Brodeur's for a little chopping and dicing. Linda
whipped up a batch of stuffed mushrooms. Ginny cooked the vegetables in between
taking care of her grandchild Owen. Jerry started helping out with the chopping
and dicing, but he wasn't feeling that great so he stopped and went to lay down.
This was okay becuase it meant less people in the kitchen banging into one
another.
When Linda and I services were no longer required, Linda and I went back to our
son's place. Linda made me a quick sndwich, and I headed off for my afternoon
nap. I love my afternoon nap!
Around 4 PM, we received a telephone call that the party started at the
Brodeur's. The Yesue's provided the drinks and appetizers before the ham dinner.
Peggy Yesue brought this big honker of a machine that make Margarita's,
smoothies, etc. It took up a large section of the Brodeur's counter top. She
made strawberry margarita's. The food which they provided were chicken legs
cooked on the Brodeur grill, creamed salmon with crackers, and stuffed dates. By
the time we sat down for the spiral ham dinner which included beans and
coleslaw, I think we had about ten people around the table. Kyla had to take Max
home before dinner was served so that he could go to bed, so Linda made up a
plate for. We brought the plate home as the party ended. Kevin didn't make the
party because he was working at his restaurant until he closed it up around 8:30
PM.
I think the plan for today is for Linda and me to head off to the Brodeur's a
little before 11 AM. I have to cut up lemons and limes. Linda is going to cook
the stuff mushrooms. The turnips, squash are all done (I peeled these two items
too), and just have to be heated up. Jerry usually does the mashed potatoes. I
peeled and cut up 10 pounds a potatoes, and put them in a pot of cold water when
I completed that task on Wednesday. Ginny puts the turkey in the oven at 6 AM
after she makes the stuffing. I would be there to help her, but I have been
assigned the task of taking care of Max when he is done sleeping. Also, we used
to stay at the Brodeur's in past years, but every bedroom is being used. Peggy
and Albert are sleeping in one bed. Their son Vincent is in another bed, and
Todd Brodeur, Anitra, and their child Owen are sleeping in Todd's old bedroom. I
am trying to figure out how and where 18 of us will be situated around the
dinner table including Max in his booster chair.
Kyla's dad, Michael Piercey, is coming from Boston, but going directly to Kevina
and Kyla's place first, and then they are all heading off to the Brodeur's. We
might have to bring Kyla's artichoke dip to the party since we are going before
they do.
Jerry's 90 year old dad will be driving to the Brodeur's. He lives in an
assisted living pace in Tewksbury. Some broeur relatives, and Ginny's Aunt
Jeanette will be attending also. Aunt Jeannette used to drive, but I think that
she stopped because she used to forget how to get back home from where ever she
was driving to.
My dad will be dinning with his wife at the nursing home. My sister did invite
him to join her table of 14 people, but he declined the offer. I don't think
that he could mange well with two toddlers running around in the house which is
perfectly normal except for people who are 87 (Dad), and 94 (Mom).
Politics -- We can't discuss politics at the dinner table at the Brodeur's. We
have a couple of staunch Republicans at the table, and we don't want any
bickering or heated discussions. I already got myself in trouble at last night's
dinner table, and we weren't even discussing politics. I have many black and
blue marks on one of my legs from Linda kicking me. I can't even tell you what I
said because I don't want to get myself in trouble in this e-mail.
Sports -- When we arrived back at Kevin and Kyla's place, I was allowed to watch
a little sports. I watched the Celtic come from behind to win their game.
Like I said yesterday, I am going to have Kevin record the Patriot football game
which starts at 1 PM. I don't want any more black and blue marks on my leg
anymore.
One of our UNICO members passed away on Tuesday. I will miss the Friday wake,
and the Saturday morning funeral. I always used to ask this guy how he was doing
because he had heart problems for years, and then developed prostate cancer. I
am pretty sure that he was in his upper 70's, His family will not be enjoying
Thanksgiving at his family's dinner table.
Black Friday - I think that we might go off shopping on Friday, but not at
midnight or 3 AM like some of the places around here have been advertising.
Well, I hear Max on the baby monitor.
I am on the morning shift.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever you are spending it. If you haven't been
invited anywhere, invite yourself to a friend's home.
One of our friends invited a couple to his dinner table because the couple's son
lives on the west coast with his family, and just couldn't afford to be with his
parents in the Berkshires.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Hello on Wednesday
Dear Friends,
It was a pleasant and easy drive east on the Massachusetts Turnpike on Tuesday.
As we were leaving Pittsfield, we received a telephone call from from our son
who asked if we could go directly to his restaurant in East Boston because he
had to go into work, and he took his son with him. We arrived at "Dough" around
12:30 pm. Max was in a booster chair just about ready to have lunch. Kevin
whipped up a sandwich for us, and the three of us dined together while Kevin and
his crew worked the lunch crowd. After lunch, we headed back to Kevin and Kyla's
house. I unloaded the car, and we put Max down for an afternoon nap. Grandpa
took an afternoon nap too. While Max and I were sleeping. Linda went one street
over to visit the Brodeur's. Max fell asleep after I did, but he didn't wake up
until 5 PM.
Kevin came home early from work, and the three of us bonded, played, and chased
Max around. We fed Max first around 6 PM before we ordered some Chinese take out
food. It was okay, but I still like our Chinese food in Pittsfield. Kyla did
arrive home later than usual. She was working with a client all day long whose
business needs some help. I can't elaborate on who and what the client is asking
her firm to do.
Kevin and Kyla are going off to work today. I am going off to the day care
center with Kevin a little after 9 AM today to introduce myself so that I can
pick up Max at the day care center later on today. I am then going back and pick
up Linda, and go off to the Brodeur's to help with some chopping and dicing in
preparation for Thanksgiving Day dinner. Ginny told Linda yesterday that she
doesn't want to see me at the crack of dawn in her kitchen.
Jerry changed his dialysis schedule and went on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. I
hope that he will feel good enough to help out with the grunt work this morning.
If he can't manage, Ginny, Linda and I will get things done. Also, I forgot that
Ginny babysits her grandchild Monday through Friday so that there might be a few
interruptions.
Max started crying at 5:10 AM this morning. I think that the howling wind woke
him up. I am the only one up right now, but I would think that max will be
waking up soon. He usually wakes up around 6:30 AM every morning. I was given
specific instructions to not go and get him when he first starts stirring. Max's
walking is getting better. He is definitely a bundle of energy. This is actually
a practice run for when Linda and I will have him from December 5 through
December 12. There was some conversation last night about Kyla leaving for the
conference a few days earlier than the 5th of December.
Max still prefers to go to Grandpa over Grandma. He loves his daddy too. When
Kyla walked in last night, Max was still up. I thought that he would go running
to his Mom. Not! I could see that Kyla needed a hug from Max, but she had to go
to him to get it. Oh Darn!
Kevin said that the Gormalley's stopped in one Saturday a few weeks ago at his
restaurant while they were on the way to a wedding in the area. I tell people
from the Berkshires who are heading to the airport or doing some sightseeing in
the Boston area to stop in and grab some food at his restaurant. You can get
there by the "T" if you don't want to drive. Kevin has a website for the
restaurant, and driving directions too (I think). If you are staying at any
airport Hotel, he delivers the food there too.
Kevin told us last night that he has to make stuffing as one of his tasks today.
Some woman is making her own turkey dinner at home, but likes the stuffing which
Kevin makes at the restaurant. As I said in a previous e-mail, both Kevin and
Linda make a great Turkey sandwich (which includes the stuffing) with the left
overs from the Thanksgiving Day Turkey.
Well, I have to grab a second cup of coffee, and watch the morning news until
Max finally wants me to rescue him.
I am trying to figure out when I should take a nap today.
I heard a report that 40 million people will be on the roads today. I am so glad
that Linda and I won't be part of the 40 million. Daycare is less than a mile
form their home, and the Brodeur's are one street over from Kevin and Kyla's
place.
Have a safe and happy holiday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
It was a pleasant and easy drive east on the Massachusetts Turnpike on Tuesday.
As we were leaving Pittsfield, we received a telephone call from from our son
who asked if we could go directly to his restaurant in East Boston because he
had to go into work, and he took his son with him. We arrived at "Dough" around
12:30 pm. Max was in a booster chair just about ready to have lunch. Kevin
whipped up a sandwich for us, and the three of us dined together while Kevin and
his crew worked the lunch crowd. After lunch, we headed back to Kevin and Kyla's
house. I unloaded the car, and we put Max down for an afternoon nap. Grandpa
took an afternoon nap too. While Max and I were sleeping. Linda went one street
over to visit the Brodeur's. Max fell asleep after I did, but he didn't wake up
until 5 PM.
Kevin came home early from work, and the three of us bonded, played, and chased
Max around. We fed Max first around 6 PM before we ordered some Chinese take out
food. It was okay, but I still like our Chinese food in Pittsfield. Kyla did
arrive home later than usual. She was working with a client all day long whose
business needs some help. I can't elaborate on who and what the client is asking
her firm to do.
Kevin and Kyla are going off to work today. I am going off to the day care
center with Kevin a little after 9 AM today to introduce myself so that I can
pick up Max at the day care center later on today. I am then going back and pick
up Linda, and go off to the Brodeur's to help with some chopping and dicing in
preparation for Thanksgiving Day dinner. Ginny told Linda yesterday that she
doesn't want to see me at the crack of dawn in her kitchen.
Jerry changed his dialysis schedule and went on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. I
hope that he will feel good enough to help out with the grunt work this morning.
If he can't manage, Ginny, Linda and I will get things done. Also, I forgot that
Ginny babysits her grandchild Monday through Friday so that there might be a few
interruptions.
Max started crying at 5:10 AM this morning. I think that the howling wind woke
him up. I am the only one up right now, but I would think that max will be
waking up soon. He usually wakes up around 6:30 AM every morning. I was given
specific instructions to not go and get him when he first starts stirring. Max's
walking is getting better. He is definitely a bundle of energy. This is actually
a practice run for when Linda and I will have him from December 5 through
December 12. There was some conversation last night about Kyla leaving for the
conference a few days earlier than the 5th of December.
Max still prefers to go to Grandpa over Grandma. He loves his daddy too. When
Kyla walked in last night, Max was still up. I thought that he would go running
to his Mom. Not! I could see that Kyla needed a hug from Max, but she had to go
to him to get it. Oh Darn!
Kevin said that the Gormalley's stopped in one Saturday a few weeks ago at his
restaurant while they were on the way to a wedding in the area. I tell people
from the Berkshires who are heading to the airport or doing some sightseeing in
the Boston area to stop in and grab some food at his restaurant. You can get
there by the "T" if you don't want to drive. Kevin has a website for the
restaurant, and driving directions too (I think). If you are staying at any
airport Hotel, he delivers the food there too.
Kevin told us last night that he has to make stuffing as one of his tasks today.
Some woman is making her own turkey dinner at home, but likes the stuffing which
Kevin makes at the restaurant. As I said in a previous e-mail, both Kevin and
Linda make a great Turkey sandwich (which includes the stuffing) with the left
overs from the Thanksgiving Day Turkey.
Well, I have to grab a second cup of coffee, and watch the morning news until
Max finally wants me to rescue him.
I am trying to figure out when I should take a nap today.
I heard a report that 40 million people will be on the roads today. I am so glad
that Linda and I won't be part of the 40 million. Daycare is less than a mile
form their home, and the Brodeur's are one street over from Kevin and Kyla's
place.
Have a safe and happy holiday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Hello on Tuesday Morning
Dear Friends,
I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I was tired fighting trying to get back to sleep.
Our Monday went as planned. Linda never left the house. Actually, she woke up not feeling great. I am guessing the multiple Cosmopolitans from our Sunday afternoon gathering caused some fo the problem. Every once in a while, our bodies send us messages that you can’t do things the way that you did them when you were in your 20’s or 30’s. Me on the other hand felt great!
I left the house to pick up some baking supplies. When Linda rallied a little bit, she decided to make some of her Thanksgiving cookies. She sent me out to purchase two items, and I couldn’t even get that straight. I had to get a package of chopped walnuts, and some canned pumpkin. I see the canned pumpkin on a corner isle, and I see a “Sale” sign. I purchase a thirty once can of the pumpkin thinking that it was a good deal. The can had some kind of strange name on it. When I brought the can home, I read the back of the can. It says: “Made in China”. Linda wanted to gag when I told her what the label said. I returned the can, and got an American can under the “Libby” brand label. I did the mixing for this double batch of cookies, and it wasn’t easy. Linda baked them and then put a glaze on them after they were cooled. She bundled up several dozen of them in batches of one dozen each. We will bring some for Kevin and Kyla, and for the Brodeur’s. These cookies are always a big hit. This is another recipe that we hesitate to give out. An elderly Italian lady from the ITAM gave Linda the recipe several years ago. The cookies get rave reviews for everyone who tastes them.
Linda also spent time wrapping a few surprise gifts for people. Of course, our grandson might get a pre Christmas gift just because he is our grandson.
Sports -- I did watch the Celtics easily roll over their latest victim last night. I did see where the Minnesota Vikings fired their coach. I think Brett might not be far behind him. I can still see the cute pictures of Mike and Danielle’s two cherubs in a picture which Danielle sent over the internet a few weeks ago as they were dressed in Minnesota Viking gear (Danielle grew up in Minnesota). She might want to get them some New England Patriot outfits before this season is over.
Another coach and quarterback might have their jobs in jeopardy in Tennessee.
The Dream Team which makes up the Miami Heat professional basketball team looks more like a nightmare than a pleasant dream. The promise of Lebron James bringing multiple championships to Miami doesn’t seem to be working out. Maybe he should have stayed in Cleveland. His current coach is in jeopardy of losing his job too.
I already have gotten the evil eye from Linda about being civil on Thanksgiving Day, and not talking about the Patriots who will be playing their game about the same time that the 18 of us will be sitting down to dinner at the Brodeur’s. Good thing that all of us have the ability to record the game, and watch it at our leisure.
Ginny has promised that at least one turkey leg of their 24 pound turkey has my name on it.
Speaking of Turkey, I saw one of my Irish Sister City friends in the supermarket parking lot in my travels on Monday. She had a small turkey in her grocery cart. She said that she was going to her sons’ home at the eastern end of the State for Thanksgiving dinner. She bought the small turkey for her and her daughter because she wants to have the good odors of a turkey cooking in her own house. These were my sentiments exactly which I have expressed in a previous e-mail.
Today is travel day for Linda and I. We will be staying at our son’s home which is one street over from the Brodeur’s. Linda and I have changed our mind about coming home the day after Thanksgiving. Yesterday, we were talking about staying in Tewksbury right through the weekend. We might even participate in some Black Friday shopping which we didn’t even do last year. This means that we will bond with my son’s family today and with Ginny and Jerry on Wednesday and Thursday. The rest of the weekend we will keep our options open.
Since I am up so darn early today, I am going to go off to Retro Fitness with the 4:30 AM crowd. I am guessing that I will be taking an afternoon nap in Tewksbury when Max goes down for his nap.
Last night I went off to a place a mile or so up the road to pick up a pizza. This was the first one that we ever ordered from this place called “Pazzo’s.” Linda told the person who answered the telephone that this was out first time ordering a pizza from them. She told them to cook the pizza a little crispy. The pizza was very good, and we will order from them again. When I went to pick the pizza up, I saw a big Hobart mixer like the one Kevin has at his restaurant in East Boston. This place makes their own dough like Kevin does. Of course, the pizza our son makes is bit better than this pizza place. He has more interesting varieties, and toppings which can go on his pizzas.
Well, I have to send a few more e-mails, and I have to put on my work out clothes.
Have a great Tuesday, and Holiday in general.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I was tired fighting trying to get back to sleep.
Our Monday went as planned. Linda never left the house. Actually, she woke up not feeling great. I am guessing the multiple Cosmopolitans from our Sunday afternoon gathering caused some fo the problem. Every once in a while, our bodies send us messages that you can’t do things the way that you did them when you were in your 20’s or 30’s. Me on the other hand felt great!
I left the house to pick up some baking supplies. When Linda rallied a little bit, she decided to make some of her Thanksgiving cookies. She sent me out to purchase two items, and I couldn’t even get that straight. I had to get a package of chopped walnuts, and some canned pumpkin. I see the canned pumpkin on a corner isle, and I see a “Sale” sign. I purchase a thirty once can of the pumpkin thinking that it was a good deal. The can had some kind of strange name on it. When I brought the can home, I read the back of the can. It says: “Made in China”. Linda wanted to gag when I told her what the label said. I returned the can, and got an American can under the “Libby” brand label. I did the mixing for this double batch of cookies, and it wasn’t easy. Linda baked them and then put a glaze on them after they were cooled. She bundled up several dozen of them in batches of one dozen each. We will bring some for Kevin and Kyla, and for the Brodeur’s. These cookies are always a big hit. This is another recipe that we hesitate to give out. An elderly Italian lady from the ITAM gave Linda the recipe several years ago. The cookies get rave reviews for everyone who tastes them.
Linda also spent time wrapping a few surprise gifts for people. Of course, our grandson might get a pre Christmas gift just because he is our grandson.
Sports -- I did watch the Celtics easily roll over their latest victim last night. I did see where the Minnesota Vikings fired their coach. I think Brett might not be far behind him. I can still see the cute pictures of Mike and Danielle’s two cherubs in a picture which Danielle sent over the internet a few weeks ago as they were dressed in Minnesota Viking gear (Danielle grew up in Minnesota). She might want to get them some New England Patriot outfits before this season is over.
Another coach and quarterback might have their jobs in jeopardy in Tennessee.
The Dream Team which makes up the Miami Heat professional basketball team looks more like a nightmare than a pleasant dream. The promise of Lebron James bringing multiple championships to Miami doesn’t seem to be working out. Maybe he should have stayed in Cleveland. His current coach is in jeopardy of losing his job too.
I already have gotten the evil eye from Linda about being civil on Thanksgiving Day, and not talking about the Patriots who will be playing their game about the same time that the 18 of us will be sitting down to dinner at the Brodeur’s. Good thing that all of us have the ability to record the game, and watch it at our leisure.
Ginny has promised that at least one turkey leg of their 24 pound turkey has my name on it.
Speaking of Turkey, I saw one of my Irish Sister City friends in the supermarket parking lot in my travels on Monday. She had a small turkey in her grocery cart. She said that she was going to her sons’ home at the eastern end of the State for Thanksgiving dinner. She bought the small turkey for her and her daughter because she wants to have the good odors of a turkey cooking in her own house. These were my sentiments exactly which I have expressed in a previous e-mail.
Today is travel day for Linda and I. We will be staying at our son’s home which is one street over from the Brodeur’s. Linda and I have changed our mind about coming home the day after Thanksgiving. Yesterday, we were talking about staying in Tewksbury right through the weekend. We might even participate in some Black Friday shopping which we didn’t even do last year. This means that we will bond with my son’s family today and with Ginny and Jerry on Wednesday and Thursday. The rest of the weekend we will keep our options open.
Since I am up so darn early today, I am going to go off to Retro Fitness with the 4:30 AM crowd. I am guessing that I will be taking an afternoon nap in Tewksbury when Max goes down for his nap.
Last night I went off to a place a mile or so up the road to pick up a pizza. This was the first one that we ever ordered from this place called “Pazzo’s.” Linda told the person who answered the telephone that this was out first time ordering a pizza from them. She told them to cook the pizza a little crispy. The pizza was very good, and we will order from them again. When I went to pick the pizza up, I saw a big Hobart mixer like the one Kevin has at his restaurant in East Boston. This place makes their own dough like Kevin does. Of course, the pizza our son makes is bit better than this pizza place. He has more interesting varieties, and toppings which can go on his pizzas.
Well, I have to send a few more e-mails, and I have to put on my work out clothes.
Have a great Tuesday, and Holiday in general.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, November 22, 2010
Hello on Monday Morning
Dear Friends,
Linda went off with her girlfriend as scheduled at 9 AM. They did do breakfast, hit the Crafts Fair, and did some more recreational shopping at the Lee Outlets. I did some puttering around the house before an impromptu gathering of our godchild, her boyfriend, her parents and our Dalton friends. I did have all intentions of sitting on my butt with a male friend or too, and watch the Patriot game, but that never materialized.
Linda’s girl friend just happened to have a tray of chicken wings in her refrigerator, so her husband brought them to the gathering. I heated up the wings, Linda put out some chips and dip, I made the drinks, and we partied for a couple of hours. I missed most of the first half or the game socializing; accidentally broke a bottle of Vodka on our bar floor when I grabbed a container of cranberry juice which was behind the Vodka, cleaned up the mess somewhat while bartending. After a couple hours of socializing, our guests left, and my Dalton friend and I were the only ones left in my man cave, and we watched the fourth quarter of the Patriot Game alone.
The Patriots just barely escaped with a win when they intercepted the ball with 58 seconds left in the game.
Our godchild and her boyfriend did seem like a happy as a couple. The important thing is that they both are enjoying the direction in which they are heading at the current time. Our godchild is going to the University of Montana in Missoula, which is where our son Kevin graduated from. Our course, Linda whips out two albums of our visits to the University of Montana, and to the various places where Kevin took us to in Montana. We baby boomers all agreed that the younger generation takes pictures, but doesn’t have the patience or desire to make prints, and create photo albums like Linda has always done. Those albums were a big hit during the couple hours which we socialized. Oops, I almost forgot to tell you why our godchild is going to the University. She wants to be a nurse who goes on helicopters or airplanes on those rescue missions, or to transport patients from the place of an accident to the hospital, or being with a medical team which is with a patient who is being transferred from one hospital to another hospital. She already has a four year degree in the hospitality area, but that didn’t seem to be her niche in life. When you are young, you have to follow your dream, and find something that you can do for the rest of your life.
Observation -- This is the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Texas. Most of us baby boomers know exactly where we were when we heard the news. I remember that I was in the office area of Lee High School. I still remember seeing a female physical education teacher (Linda Jo Moran at the time) in tears as the news reports were coming into the school. There were no televisions in my high school at the time. Someone must have picked up the sad news on the radio. We all went home to our black and white televisions and stayed glued to the television through the whole ordeal.
By the time that I entered college in the middle 60’s, the books were coming out about the assignation. I remember reading the “Warren Commission” book / report. And writing paper after paper discussing why, and who killed President Kennedy, and whether it was a plot or not, etc. This was a sad period in the lives of us baby boomers. Shortly after graduating from College in 1968, the War in Vietnam was starting to heat up as well as the protests on College Campuses, and throughout the nation. I really trusted our government that we were fighting in Vietnam to stop Communism, but I was in the minority.
You would think that we would have learned from the Vietnam War, but we just seem to continue believing that killing each other, and building bigger and better methods to do so, are the best way to resolve conflicts. We mix in a little religion, and cultural differences and people in their own countries can’t get along. Today I see where North Korea is flexing its muscle with respect to weapons of mass destruction, but yet they can’t even get along with their brother and sisters for South Korea.
As we spend time with family and friends for the Thanksgiving Holiday, it reminds me that the average person just wants access to the American dream. I believe that the average person wants a place to call home, to start a family, and to surround themselves with family and friends. The only fighting that I want to do on Thanksgiving is to make sure at least one of the Turkey legs ends up on my plate. If all the peoples of the world spent more time with their families and their friends, people wouldn’t even think about killing another human being.
Have to go and finish my morning routine.
I also have to do a little packing for our trip to the Eastern part of the State.
I did have some thoughts about putting up some outside Christmas decorations, but I might wait until after Thanksgiving.
Have a great couple of days until all of you celebrate Thanksgiving.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Linda went off with her girlfriend as scheduled at 9 AM. They did do breakfast, hit the Crafts Fair, and did some more recreational shopping at the Lee Outlets. I did some puttering around the house before an impromptu gathering of our godchild, her boyfriend, her parents and our Dalton friends. I did have all intentions of sitting on my butt with a male friend or too, and watch the Patriot game, but that never materialized.
Linda’s girl friend just happened to have a tray of chicken wings in her refrigerator, so her husband brought them to the gathering. I heated up the wings, Linda put out some chips and dip, I made the drinks, and we partied for a couple of hours. I missed most of the first half or the game socializing; accidentally broke a bottle of Vodka on our bar floor when I grabbed a container of cranberry juice which was behind the Vodka, cleaned up the mess somewhat while bartending. After a couple hours of socializing, our guests left, and my Dalton friend and I were the only ones left in my man cave, and we watched the fourth quarter of the Patriot Game alone.
The Patriots just barely escaped with a win when they intercepted the ball with 58 seconds left in the game.
Our godchild and her boyfriend did seem like a happy as a couple. The important thing is that they both are enjoying the direction in which they are heading at the current time. Our godchild is going to the University of Montana in Missoula, which is where our son Kevin graduated from. Our course, Linda whips out two albums of our visits to the University of Montana, and to the various places where Kevin took us to in Montana. We baby boomers all agreed that the younger generation takes pictures, but doesn’t have the patience or desire to make prints, and create photo albums like Linda has always done. Those albums were a big hit during the couple hours which we socialized. Oops, I almost forgot to tell you why our godchild is going to the University. She wants to be a nurse who goes on helicopters or airplanes on those rescue missions, or to transport patients from the place of an accident to the hospital, or being with a medical team which is with a patient who is being transferred from one hospital to another hospital. She already has a four year degree in the hospitality area, but that didn’t seem to be her niche in life. When you are young, you have to follow your dream, and find something that you can do for the rest of your life.
Observation -- This is the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Texas. Most of us baby boomers know exactly where we were when we heard the news. I remember that I was in the office area of Lee High School. I still remember seeing a female physical education teacher (Linda Jo Moran at the time) in tears as the news reports were coming into the school. There were no televisions in my high school at the time. Someone must have picked up the sad news on the radio. We all went home to our black and white televisions and stayed glued to the television through the whole ordeal.
By the time that I entered college in the middle 60’s, the books were coming out about the assignation. I remember reading the “Warren Commission” book / report. And writing paper after paper discussing why, and who killed President Kennedy, and whether it was a plot or not, etc. This was a sad period in the lives of us baby boomers. Shortly after graduating from College in 1968, the War in Vietnam was starting to heat up as well as the protests on College Campuses, and throughout the nation. I really trusted our government that we were fighting in Vietnam to stop Communism, but I was in the minority.
You would think that we would have learned from the Vietnam War, but we just seem to continue believing that killing each other, and building bigger and better methods to do so, are the best way to resolve conflicts. We mix in a little religion, and cultural differences and people in their own countries can’t get along. Today I see where North Korea is flexing its muscle with respect to weapons of mass destruction, but yet they can’t even get along with their brother and sisters for South Korea.
As we spend time with family and friends for the Thanksgiving Holiday, it reminds me that the average person just wants access to the American dream. I believe that the average person wants a place to call home, to start a family, and to surround themselves with family and friends. The only fighting that I want to do on Thanksgiving is to make sure at least one of the Turkey legs ends up on my plate. If all the peoples of the world spent more time with their families and their friends, people wouldn’t even think about killing another human being.
Have to go and finish my morning routine.
I also have to do a little packing for our trip to the Eastern part of the State.
I did have some thoughts about putting up some outside Christmas decorations, but I might wait until after Thanksgiving.
Have a great couple of days until all of you celebrate Thanksgiving.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Hello on Sunday
Dear Friends,
What the Lord giveth, the Casino taketh, but we did have fun during our day long adventure. We had a semi full bus as we left the Polish Falcon Nest, as they call it at 7 AM. The bus was so comfortable, and the seats had plenty of leg room. The bus was pulled over in the Springfield, Massachusetts area for an inspection. We had originally thought that the driver was getting a ticket for speeding. Of course, the smokers on the bus went out for a quick smoke until the inspection was over. It takes a couple of hours to get to the Foxwoods Casino located in Connecticut.
Before we got off the bus, a representative from the Casino starts from the back of the bus, and goes to the front of the bus giving us our meal, keno, and raffle ticket coupons. The bus driver also gives us specific instructions that everyone has to be on the bus no later than 4:30 PM. At 4:30 PM, one person form our bus was not there. A couple people volunteered to go looking for her, several of us called her on her cell, but she did not respond. She had to leave a hot slot machine, and cash a whole bunch of tickets. She got stuck in a long line, and she had never used one of those ticket redeeming machines before. The bus was just about ready to pull out, and the lady and her two friends, who went looking for her, came running to the bus. If they had missed the bus, a friend would have to drive back from Pittsfield, and pick them up.
I am always amazed as I watch people of all shapes, sizes, nationalities, people using canes, walkers, motorized wheel chairs, etc., at the Casino hoping that they can leave a winner. The only sure thing about a Casino is that you get food for your food coupon when you take one of these Casino Bus Trips. Our friends who talked us into going have been to Foxwoods many times, and they prefer to eat at the Hard Rock Café instead of at the endless Buffet. There were 8 of us who had a wonderful meal at the Hard Rock Café. Our waitress did separate checks for each couple or individuals which was unusual. The waitress also told us a story that I thought that you would enjoy. After we had the main meal, the waitress came around with a tray of desserts trying to entice us into spending beyond the value of our food coupon. A couple people from our group did get dessert, but Linda and I were full. The waitress said that one late evening when she was working, and bunch of 30 something’s came into the Cafe, and stole this tray of all of the desserts. They went running out of the Café with the tray of desserts as they were eating while running. The tray did have real desserts on it but there was some kind of lacquer on them to preserve them, and keep them looking fresh. I wonder if any of the thieves got sick from eating these desserts!
On the way home we watched the newest version of the Karate Kid. Due to some technical problems, the movie didn’t start as we departed from the Casino. The best part of the movie started when we arrived back at the Polish Falcon Hall. They had a couple pizzas waiting for us when we arrived there. Well, most of us on the bus wanted to see how the movie ended. Visualize a bus load of people in front of a huge screen television in the members’ bar of the Polish Falcon Nest hooting, hollering, and cheering for the Karate Kid to beat the bad guy, and take home the trophy. This was a fitting end to a great day!
Linda was luckier than me at the slots. What ever amount of money she won, I lost.
I must say that we did have a good time on the bus to and from the Casino. One of our friends purchased some Munchkins and a box of coffee at Dunkin Doughnuts. Most of us skipped the cream and sugar, and put some Bailey’s Irish Cream in our coffee. This was not a bad way to start the trip at 7 AM in the morning. Linda and I don’t eat doughnuts, so Linda packed a couple of bagels with some maple flavored cream cheese.
Social Calendar for Sunday – Linda and a friend are off to breakfast and another Crafts Fair in my home town of Lee. The Crafts Fair takes place at the Catholic Elementary School which I graduated from: St. Mary’s from 9 AM until 3 PM.
I have to do some chores, squeeze in a power nap, and watch the 4:15 PM Patriot Game. I also have to do a load of clothes, and start thinking about what to pack for our multiple day Thanksgiving Day adventure in North Tewksbury.
My “Time” magazine came in the mail yesterday. There is a great article on the traditional form of marriage (and marriage in general), and why it is more important for men. I already knew that marriage adds five more years to the life of the average male compared to his single male counterpart. Women can do okay without a male partner which I already knew. There was a good deal of statistics in the article. One of them which really jumped out at me was about kids born to unmarried mothers. Blacks had the highest average of 72% of births outside of marriage, 53 % were Hispanic, and 29 % Whites.
The largest groups of people who get married nowadays are people who are well educated, and have a little higher form of wealth / income. Of course there were articles about divorce, and which decades had the highest divorce rate. All the stats were discussed in the article went from 1960 to 2010.
Read the article if you want some more facts and figures.
Sports – I fell asleep watching the Boston Bruins game last evening. Good thing that I did because they lost the game in a “Shoot Out”. Oh Darn!
Have a great Sunday.
I am going to read the local newspaper and the Boston Globe before getting to some chores.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
What the Lord giveth, the Casino taketh, but we did have fun during our day long adventure. We had a semi full bus as we left the Polish Falcon Nest, as they call it at 7 AM. The bus was so comfortable, and the seats had plenty of leg room. The bus was pulled over in the Springfield, Massachusetts area for an inspection. We had originally thought that the driver was getting a ticket for speeding. Of course, the smokers on the bus went out for a quick smoke until the inspection was over. It takes a couple of hours to get to the Foxwoods Casino located in Connecticut.
Before we got off the bus, a representative from the Casino starts from the back of the bus, and goes to the front of the bus giving us our meal, keno, and raffle ticket coupons. The bus driver also gives us specific instructions that everyone has to be on the bus no later than 4:30 PM. At 4:30 PM, one person form our bus was not there. A couple people volunteered to go looking for her, several of us called her on her cell, but she did not respond. She had to leave a hot slot machine, and cash a whole bunch of tickets. She got stuck in a long line, and she had never used one of those ticket redeeming machines before. The bus was just about ready to pull out, and the lady and her two friends, who went looking for her, came running to the bus. If they had missed the bus, a friend would have to drive back from Pittsfield, and pick them up.
I am always amazed as I watch people of all shapes, sizes, nationalities, people using canes, walkers, motorized wheel chairs, etc., at the Casino hoping that they can leave a winner. The only sure thing about a Casino is that you get food for your food coupon when you take one of these Casino Bus Trips. Our friends who talked us into going have been to Foxwoods many times, and they prefer to eat at the Hard Rock Café instead of at the endless Buffet. There were 8 of us who had a wonderful meal at the Hard Rock Café. Our waitress did separate checks for each couple or individuals which was unusual. The waitress also told us a story that I thought that you would enjoy. After we had the main meal, the waitress came around with a tray of desserts trying to entice us into spending beyond the value of our food coupon. A couple people from our group did get dessert, but Linda and I were full. The waitress said that one late evening when she was working, and bunch of 30 something’s came into the Cafe, and stole this tray of all of the desserts. They went running out of the Café with the tray of desserts as they were eating while running. The tray did have real desserts on it but there was some kind of lacquer on them to preserve them, and keep them looking fresh. I wonder if any of the thieves got sick from eating these desserts!
On the way home we watched the newest version of the Karate Kid. Due to some technical problems, the movie didn’t start as we departed from the Casino. The best part of the movie started when we arrived back at the Polish Falcon Hall. They had a couple pizzas waiting for us when we arrived there. Well, most of us on the bus wanted to see how the movie ended. Visualize a bus load of people in front of a huge screen television in the members’ bar of the Polish Falcon Nest hooting, hollering, and cheering for the Karate Kid to beat the bad guy, and take home the trophy. This was a fitting end to a great day!
Linda was luckier than me at the slots. What ever amount of money she won, I lost.
I must say that we did have a good time on the bus to and from the Casino. One of our friends purchased some Munchkins and a box of coffee at Dunkin Doughnuts. Most of us skipped the cream and sugar, and put some Bailey’s Irish Cream in our coffee. This was not a bad way to start the trip at 7 AM in the morning. Linda and I don’t eat doughnuts, so Linda packed a couple of bagels with some maple flavored cream cheese.
Social Calendar for Sunday – Linda and a friend are off to breakfast and another Crafts Fair in my home town of Lee. The Crafts Fair takes place at the Catholic Elementary School which I graduated from: St. Mary’s from 9 AM until 3 PM.
I have to do some chores, squeeze in a power nap, and watch the 4:15 PM Patriot Game. I also have to do a load of clothes, and start thinking about what to pack for our multiple day Thanksgiving Day adventure in North Tewksbury.
My “Time” magazine came in the mail yesterday. There is a great article on the traditional form of marriage (and marriage in general), and why it is more important for men. I already knew that marriage adds five more years to the life of the average male compared to his single male counterpart. Women can do okay without a male partner which I already knew. There was a good deal of statistics in the article. One of them which really jumped out at me was about kids born to unmarried mothers. Blacks had the highest average of 72% of births outside of marriage, 53 % were Hispanic, and 29 % Whites.
The largest groups of people who get married nowadays are people who are well educated, and have a little higher form of wealth / income. Of course there were articles about divorce, and which decades had the highest divorce rate. All the stats were discussed in the article went from 1960 to 2010.
Read the article if you want some more facts and figures.
Sports – I fell asleep watching the Boston Bruins game last evening. Good thing that I did because they lost the game in a “Shoot Out”. Oh Darn!
Have a great Sunday.
I am going to read the local newspaper and the Boston Globe before getting to some chores.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
Another day went as planned.
Linda even squeezed in a body maintenance procedure before she came home to work on restoring living room and dinning room back to normal. The first floor is almost completely done except for us to hang a few family pictures. Linda attacked three drawers in the hutch, and two more drawers in a living room desk. It is amazing the things that you can find in these drawers. One drawer had old health insurance cards, store cards for which the store has gone out of business. Some of the expiration dates were from 2008. I got so tired watching her go through the drawers that I took and afternoon nap. She then went into the basement, and put random things from the hutch into strategic locations in our storage room. She was so exhausted as a couple stopped by to pick her up, and go to go out for dinner at the Rainbow Restaurant.
This was the first time that she had gone to this restaurant since new owners took it over. They have a price fix meal for about $20 which includes a soup or salad, a main meal, and dessert. I had heard that this place serves some great aged steaks. I asked Linda which type of food which each person ate . I couldn’t believe it when Linda told me that the male chose baked stuffed shrimp. If I was there, he and I would have had some form of good old red meat.
My UNICO Hall of Fame meeting went well. We had thinly sliced roast pork with all the fixings which was okay. For dessert they had two trays of cookies located in the front and the back of the restaurant. The weird thing that they did was come around and serve fresh hot bread one slice at a time. Italians like our bread. Everyone at our table had the bread lady hopping. I think that it would have been much easier if they just put a basket of bread on each table.
I woke up early today. I was like a kid waking up because I was so excited about today’s adventure. Linda and I are going on a trip to the Foxwood’s Casino in Connecticut by way of a bus. The bus trip was sponsored by the Polish Falcon Club. Some of our Irish Sister City friends belong to this Polish Club, and asked if we wanted to join them. We said “Yes”! Of course, you get a certificate for a buffet at the Casino, and $15 coupons for betting anything at the Casino. Linda told me that I have to pace myself since we are working with limited funds, and we will be there for almost 8 hours.
Our group of Polish (and Irish) friends said that they usually sit in the back of the bus because they get rowdy, bring food and beverages for the trip to and from the Casino. Linda and I will be sitting with the rowdy bunch of people. When we return back to the Polish Falcon Hall, we are having a pizza party too. I might have to take a nap on bus on the way home.
I did come home last evening to watch the Celtics go down to defeat on their home court. I am glad that I wasn’t home to see them play for most of the game. The Post Game show reporters said that they played awful. The Celtics’ next game is right before the Patriot Game (which starts at 4:15 PM) on Sunday. I still haven’t made a decision as to whether or not to have a Patriot party because Linda and I haven’t resolved the issue of seeing our godchild and her boyfriend who are in town for a very short time. Her Mom said that they have no desire to watch the Patriot Game. Oh Darn!
I guess I had it wrong about the Dancing with the Stars contest. The contest is still going on, but Linda’s person in the pool has been knocked out of the running by Sarah Palin’s daughter.
Observation -- I did see where an F-22 Pilot on a training mission out of his air base in Alaska crashed. It started off as a rescue mission, but now they are trying to recovery the body of the pilot. They found the ejection seat.
Our friends always asked us about our son and his wife who both were A-10 Thunderbolt pilots with respect to us being concerned. The first concern which Linda and I had was when our son survived a single engine aircraft crash in his Junior year while he was at the Air Force Academy. To get a telephone call from his commanding officer saying that your son survived the crash and he would be in the hospital for several days with compressed / fractured vertebrae wasn’t exactly a pleasant telephone call. To also find out that he survived combat missions in Kosvo with missiles coming at him and his lead pilot after the fact as well as his wife flying combat missions in Iraq was a bit unnerving.
Our son said that he is going to return to flying for the Air Force when he gets through with this military academic stuff he has been doing for the past couple of years. You know from previous e-mails that Danielle gave up her military career to be a stay at home mom.
The whole point of the above information is to tell you that it is so good that we have people in our military doing very risky tasks so that America still is one of the safest places to live in the world. Sometimes a person can get hurt or die for this country even before a combat situation arises. Thank God that we have some people who chose the Military as their life’s occupation. Thank God that we have people who served even for a limited amount of time. For Linda and I Veteran’s Day is every day of the year.
The temperatures are in the middle 20’s as I end this e-mail. The weather prognosticators said that the computer models are in conflict with one another with respect to getting snow or rain next week. Linda and I are ready for some snowfall.
Well, I have to select my wardrobe for the Casino, and decide what type of food and beverages that we should bring on the bus.
Have a great Saturday.
The Curley’s will be having one for sure.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Another day went as planned.
Linda even squeezed in a body maintenance procedure before she came home to work on restoring living room and dinning room back to normal. The first floor is almost completely done except for us to hang a few family pictures. Linda attacked three drawers in the hutch, and two more drawers in a living room desk. It is amazing the things that you can find in these drawers. One drawer had old health insurance cards, store cards for which the store has gone out of business. Some of the expiration dates were from 2008. I got so tired watching her go through the drawers that I took and afternoon nap. She then went into the basement, and put random things from the hutch into strategic locations in our storage room. She was so exhausted as a couple stopped by to pick her up, and go to go out for dinner at the Rainbow Restaurant.
This was the first time that she had gone to this restaurant since new owners took it over. They have a price fix meal for about $20 which includes a soup or salad, a main meal, and dessert. I had heard that this place serves some great aged steaks. I asked Linda which type of food which each person ate . I couldn’t believe it when Linda told me that the male chose baked stuffed shrimp. If I was there, he and I would have had some form of good old red meat.
My UNICO Hall of Fame meeting went well. We had thinly sliced roast pork with all the fixings which was okay. For dessert they had two trays of cookies located in the front and the back of the restaurant. The weird thing that they did was come around and serve fresh hot bread one slice at a time. Italians like our bread. Everyone at our table had the bread lady hopping. I think that it would have been much easier if they just put a basket of bread on each table.
I woke up early today. I was like a kid waking up because I was so excited about today’s adventure. Linda and I are going on a trip to the Foxwood’s Casino in Connecticut by way of a bus. The bus trip was sponsored by the Polish Falcon Club. Some of our Irish Sister City friends belong to this Polish Club, and asked if we wanted to join them. We said “Yes”! Of course, you get a certificate for a buffet at the Casino, and $15 coupons for betting anything at the Casino. Linda told me that I have to pace myself since we are working with limited funds, and we will be there for almost 8 hours.
Our group of Polish (and Irish) friends said that they usually sit in the back of the bus because they get rowdy, bring food and beverages for the trip to and from the Casino. Linda and I will be sitting with the rowdy bunch of people. When we return back to the Polish Falcon Hall, we are having a pizza party too. I might have to take a nap on bus on the way home.
I did come home last evening to watch the Celtics go down to defeat on their home court. I am glad that I wasn’t home to see them play for most of the game. The Post Game show reporters said that they played awful. The Celtics’ next game is right before the Patriot Game (which starts at 4:15 PM) on Sunday. I still haven’t made a decision as to whether or not to have a Patriot party because Linda and I haven’t resolved the issue of seeing our godchild and her boyfriend who are in town for a very short time. Her Mom said that they have no desire to watch the Patriot Game. Oh Darn!
I guess I had it wrong about the Dancing with the Stars contest. The contest is still going on, but Linda’s person in the pool has been knocked out of the running by Sarah Palin’s daughter.
Observation -- I did see where an F-22 Pilot on a training mission out of his air base in Alaska crashed. It started off as a rescue mission, but now they are trying to recovery the body of the pilot. They found the ejection seat.
Our friends always asked us about our son and his wife who both were A-10 Thunderbolt pilots with respect to us being concerned. The first concern which Linda and I had was when our son survived a single engine aircraft crash in his Junior year while he was at the Air Force Academy. To get a telephone call from his commanding officer saying that your son survived the crash and he would be in the hospital for several days with compressed / fractured vertebrae wasn’t exactly a pleasant telephone call. To also find out that he survived combat missions in Kosvo with missiles coming at him and his lead pilot after the fact as well as his wife flying combat missions in Iraq was a bit unnerving.
Our son said that he is going to return to flying for the Air Force when he gets through with this military academic stuff he has been doing for the past couple of years. You know from previous e-mails that Danielle gave up her military career to be a stay at home mom.
The whole point of the above information is to tell you that it is so good that we have people in our military doing very risky tasks so that America still is one of the safest places to live in the world. Sometimes a person can get hurt or die for this country even before a combat situation arises. Thank God that we have some people who chose the Military as their life’s occupation. Thank God that we have people who served even for a limited amount of time. For Linda and I Veteran’s Day is every day of the year.
The temperatures are in the middle 20’s as I end this e-mail. The weather prognosticators said that the computer models are in conflict with one another with respect to getting snow or rain next week. Linda and I are ready for some snowfall.
Well, I have to select my wardrobe for the Casino, and decide what type of food and beverages that we should bring on the bus.
Have a great Saturday.
The Curley’s will be having one for sure.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, November 19, 2010
Hello on Friday
Dear Friends,
Another day went almost as planned.
We received a telephone a little after 8 AM on Thursday (while Linda was still sleeping). The delivery guys for our basic Maytag washer and dryer asked if they come earlier than scheduled. We said: “Okay”. Once again the Home Depot delivery guys were very efficient and professional. They carefully removed the old washer and dryer (and took them away), and installed the new ones in less than 20 minutes. Linda and I love the new machines, and they did most of the things that our old machines did. We both did some loads of clothes on Thursday, and they worked fine.
If any one needs a washer and dryer, the $500 price which we paid for both of them (not separately) was very reasonable. They do want you to purchase new hoses, dryer hose kit, and the electrical cord for the dryer which does add a few bucks to the $500 price tag.
We really didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars for the more expense machines since there are only two adults in our household. I get so confused when I use peoples machines in the homes of friends and relatives because their machines have so many options. For us baby boomers,”less is more.”
If I was a contractor building houses, and washers and dryers were part of the deal, I would install these machines in the home in a heartbeat.
Note – One of the installers said that the washer and dryer should not touch one another. He went to replace a washer and dryer in the home of an elderly gentleman. When the installer tried to take out the washer and dryer, they were welded together. During an electrical storm, the washer and dryer fused together. The installer said that he had to do some extra work getting them apart.
After the installers did their job, Linda went off to her Red Hat breakfast. She then continued on to some stores for which she had some coupons that she couldn’t pass up.
She did have to go to Home Depot to return the hoses to the washing machine. We told the installer that our current braided hoses were a couple months old, so he gave us the new ones back, and said that we could return them. Also, if you ever do get a washing machine installed by Home Depot, they use braided hoses for the hot and cold water lines.
While Linda was doing her thing, I put together a stand (some assembly retired). It went okay until I had to get on the floor, and I had trouble getting up off the floor. As a matter of fact, my back is hurting a little today. I better get back to Retro Fitness soon.
We never did finish returning the two newly carpeted rooms back to normal. By the time Linda returned home from her adventures, she was tired. We should finish the task today.
We did get invited to go to Patrick’s Pub last evening. They had that Irish Band playing there last night. Linda chose to watch reruns, while I watched the Bruins while trying to read a new book. It is the latest James Patterson book called “Cross Fire.”
Social Calendar – I have a UNICO Baseball / Softball Hall of Fame dinner / membership meeting at 6 PM at Zuchinni’s Restaurant. Linda is trying to get a girlfriend to go to the movies, do supper etc.
I see where the Congress might try and raise the Social Security retirement age to 69 for people born after 1960. The way my body is reacting to the aging process might be a real strain on this age group. I can see the post 1960 age group going to work in walkers, and canes, or motorized wheel chairs.
I don’t think that enough people realize that social security is not supposed to be your retirement plan. You better have some money put aside to help get you through your retirement years, or keep on working until you die.
An elderly gentleman wrote a Letter to the Editor in our local newspaper. He said that he has been voting for the Democratic ticket since Herbert Hoover. He said that he would do it all over again. Now this is a man after my own heart!
In his letter, he said that he was proud that Massachusetts voted against Nixon’s Presidency, and that Massachusetts voted for McGovern even though most States voted against him. He said that he was so upset that people like Limbaugh does everything he can to tear down the Democrats. When we Democrats tear down the Republicans, we do have just cause. Weapons of Mass Destruction come to my mind first.
One of my friends was wondering why I have been so psyched for the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. I treat Thanksgiving like the playoffs in professional football, and Christmas like the Super Bowl. Don’t you love it how the Curley Lad can link food and sports together?
We might not get out of the 30’s today in the Berkshires. It is back to a turtleneck and sweaters for the next few days.
Well, I have to get dressed and head of to the Post Office. I am mailing a package off to the woman who had Sarah Palin’s daughter in the “Dancing with the Stars” contest. The people who lose the pool have to send a gift to the winner. This pool involves people from a knitting group which Linda belongs to. If Sarah Palin’s daughter had lost the contest, Linda would have won the pool because her person was the runner up. Oh Darn!
Have great weekend.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Another day went almost as planned.
We received a telephone a little after 8 AM on Thursday (while Linda was still sleeping). The delivery guys for our basic Maytag washer and dryer asked if they come earlier than scheduled. We said: “Okay”. Once again the Home Depot delivery guys were very efficient and professional. They carefully removed the old washer and dryer (and took them away), and installed the new ones in less than 20 minutes. Linda and I love the new machines, and they did most of the things that our old machines did. We both did some loads of clothes on Thursday, and they worked fine.
If any one needs a washer and dryer, the $500 price which we paid for both of them (not separately) was very reasonable. They do want you to purchase new hoses, dryer hose kit, and the electrical cord for the dryer which does add a few bucks to the $500 price tag.
We really didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars for the more expense machines since there are only two adults in our household. I get so confused when I use peoples machines in the homes of friends and relatives because their machines have so many options. For us baby boomers,”less is more.”
If I was a contractor building houses, and washers and dryers were part of the deal, I would install these machines in the home in a heartbeat.
Note – One of the installers said that the washer and dryer should not touch one another. He went to replace a washer and dryer in the home of an elderly gentleman. When the installer tried to take out the washer and dryer, they were welded together. During an electrical storm, the washer and dryer fused together. The installer said that he had to do some extra work getting them apart.
After the installers did their job, Linda went off to her Red Hat breakfast. She then continued on to some stores for which she had some coupons that she couldn’t pass up.
She did have to go to Home Depot to return the hoses to the washing machine. We told the installer that our current braided hoses were a couple months old, so he gave us the new ones back, and said that we could return them. Also, if you ever do get a washing machine installed by Home Depot, they use braided hoses for the hot and cold water lines.
While Linda was doing her thing, I put together a stand (some assembly retired). It went okay until I had to get on the floor, and I had trouble getting up off the floor. As a matter of fact, my back is hurting a little today. I better get back to Retro Fitness soon.
We never did finish returning the two newly carpeted rooms back to normal. By the time Linda returned home from her adventures, she was tired. We should finish the task today.
We did get invited to go to Patrick’s Pub last evening. They had that Irish Band playing there last night. Linda chose to watch reruns, while I watched the Bruins while trying to read a new book. It is the latest James Patterson book called “Cross Fire.”
Social Calendar – I have a UNICO Baseball / Softball Hall of Fame dinner / membership meeting at 6 PM at Zuchinni’s Restaurant. Linda is trying to get a girlfriend to go to the movies, do supper etc.
I see where the Congress might try and raise the Social Security retirement age to 69 for people born after 1960. The way my body is reacting to the aging process might be a real strain on this age group. I can see the post 1960 age group going to work in walkers, and canes, or motorized wheel chairs.
I don’t think that enough people realize that social security is not supposed to be your retirement plan. You better have some money put aside to help get you through your retirement years, or keep on working until you die.
An elderly gentleman wrote a Letter to the Editor in our local newspaper. He said that he has been voting for the Democratic ticket since Herbert Hoover. He said that he would do it all over again. Now this is a man after my own heart!
In his letter, he said that he was proud that Massachusetts voted against Nixon’s Presidency, and that Massachusetts voted for McGovern even though most States voted against him. He said that he was so upset that people like Limbaugh does everything he can to tear down the Democrats. When we Democrats tear down the Republicans, we do have just cause. Weapons of Mass Destruction come to my mind first.
One of my friends was wondering why I have been so psyched for the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. I treat Thanksgiving like the playoffs in professional football, and Christmas like the Super Bowl. Don’t you love it how the Curley Lad can link food and sports together?
We might not get out of the 30’s today in the Berkshires. It is back to a turtleneck and sweaters for the next few days.
Well, I have to get dressed and head of to the Post Office. I am mailing a package off to the woman who had Sarah Palin’s daughter in the “Dancing with the Stars” contest. The people who lose the pool have to send a gift to the winner. This pool involves people from a knitting group which Linda belongs to. If Sarah Palin’s daughter had lost the contest, Linda would have won the pool because her person was the runner up. Oh Darn!
Have great weekend.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Hello on Thursday
Dear Friends,
The carpet guys showed up earlier than planned, and went right to work moving the large items. The three workers were of Spanish decent. The boss spoke the best English, with a little accent. They arrived with the new pad, and new carpet in an extended cab white van. It took them about three hours to complete the job which began with the removal of the old carpet, and old pad. The company which must have a contract with Home Depot is called American Carpet. A representative from the company called just about the time that they finished the job to make sure we were satisfied with their work. They did a great job. Linda is happy with the carpet since it now goes with the color of our walls.
When I highlighted their nationality, I wasn’t trying to make fun of them. They reminded Linda and I of our immigrant grandparents who came to the United State with no money in their pockets, but were willing to do the jobs that no one else wanted to do.
As soon as the carpet guys left, Linda and I tried to return everything back to normal. Did we finish the task? No! We have more stuff to do today. I have to put together a piece of furniture. You know, it is one of those items which says: “Some assembly required!” Linda read some reviews on how easy it was to assemble. Some people said that they really struggled to put the object together. Oh Darn!
It is probably good that Linda won’t be in the house as I do the assembly.
She is off to a 9:30 AM breakfast with her Red Hat (I think) group of Pittsfield High School Retirees.
The washer and drier are being delivered today around 10:30 AM. I will be here when the delivery takes place.
I see where Linda wasn’t the only one who didn’t think that Sarah Palin’s daughter should have won the Dancing with the Stars contest on Tuesday night. A guy from Wisconsin was so upset that he took out his shotgun, and shot his television set. His wife called the cops because of his violent outburst. He will probably not spend a day in jail because he is trying to work around his bi-polar disorder.
Linda’s knitting group went well on Wednesday night except the teachers weren’t there because it was the night where they had Parent / Teachers conferences. There was a retired teacher in her knitting group who Linda and I have known since when our two sons were small. The ladies were discussing Thanksgiving Dinner and what they do for Thanksgiving. This former teacher said that her daughters and their husbands don’t cook. They dine out most of the time. She told the group that she is going to cook turkey the night before Thanksgiving. She is going to slice up the turkey, and warm it up in her microwave oven on Thanksgiving Day.
Isn’t this a sad story? I just love being in a home whether it is ours or at a friend’s home where you can smell the turkey cooking in the oven. Microwaved turkey is fine for leftovers, but I wouldn’t serve that type of turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
Can you guess the heritage of this woman (who Linda and I do like)?
I finished another book as I watched the Boston Bruins, and the Boston Celtics win their respective games.
I can’t wait for Sunday’s 4:15 PM game against the Colts. I was thinking of having another Patriot Party, but this time a “guys only one” (even though one of the wives does like professional football). I haven’t sent out invitations because another friend and her boyfriend are arriving in the Berkshires today. They live out west, Montana to be exact. I wouldn’t like to have a guys only party, and miss seeing our godchild who doesn’t comeback east that often. I will have to wait until it gets closer to game day to say that the party is a go!
Well, I am going to get dressed and get to work, and try and assemble that cabinet.
Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The carpet guys showed up earlier than planned, and went right to work moving the large items. The three workers were of Spanish decent. The boss spoke the best English, with a little accent. They arrived with the new pad, and new carpet in an extended cab white van. It took them about three hours to complete the job which began with the removal of the old carpet, and old pad. The company which must have a contract with Home Depot is called American Carpet. A representative from the company called just about the time that they finished the job to make sure we were satisfied with their work. They did a great job. Linda is happy with the carpet since it now goes with the color of our walls.
When I highlighted their nationality, I wasn’t trying to make fun of them. They reminded Linda and I of our immigrant grandparents who came to the United State with no money in their pockets, but were willing to do the jobs that no one else wanted to do.
As soon as the carpet guys left, Linda and I tried to return everything back to normal. Did we finish the task? No! We have more stuff to do today. I have to put together a piece of furniture. You know, it is one of those items which says: “Some assembly required!” Linda read some reviews on how easy it was to assemble. Some people said that they really struggled to put the object together. Oh Darn!
It is probably good that Linda won’t be in the house as I do the assembly.
She is off to a 9:30 AM breakfast with her Red Hat (I think) group of Pittsfield High School Retirees.
The washer and drier are being delivered today around 10:30 AM. I will be here when the delivery takes place.
I see where Linda wasn’t the only one who didn’t think that Sarah Palin’s daughter should have won the Dancing with the Stars contest on Tuesday night. A guy from Wisconsin was so upset that he took out his shotgun, and shot his television set. His wife called the cops because of his violent outburst. He will probably not spend a day in jail because he is trying to work around his bi-polar disorder.
Linda’s knitting group went well on Wednesday night except the teachers weren’t there because it was the night where they had Parent / Teachers conferences. There was a retired teacher in her knitting group who Linda and I have known since when our two sons were small. The ladies were discussing Thanksgiving Dinner and what they do for Thanksgiving. This former teacher said that her daughters and their husbands don’t cook. They dine out most of the time. She told the group that she is going to cook turkey the night before Thanksgiving. She is going to slice up the turkey, and warm it up in her microwave oven on Thanksgiving Day.
Isn’t this a sad story? I just love being in a home whether it is ours or at a friend’s home where you can smell the turkey cooking in the oven. Microwaved turkey is fine for leftovers, but I wouldn’t serve that type of turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
Can you guess the heritage of this woman (who Linda and I do like)?
I finished another book as I watched the Boston Bruins, and the Boston Celtics win their respective games.
I can’t wait for Sunday’s 4:15 PM game against the Colts. I was thinking of having another Patriot Party, but this time a “guys only one” (even though one of the wives does like professional football). I haven’t sent out invitations because another friend and her boyfriend are arriving in the Berkshires today. They live out west, Montana to be exact. I wouldn’t like to have a guys only party, and miss seeing our godchild who doesn’t comeback east that often. I will have to wait until it gets closer to game day to say that the party is a go!
Well, I am going to get dressed and get to work, and try and assemble that cabinet.
Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Hello on Wednesday
Dear Friends,
I was the first one who left the house on Tuesday. I went off to visit dear old mom in the nursing home. She was in good spirits. I stayed with her through lunch. She ate well, and she did not need any help except for me opening those pint milk containers.
When I returned home, the Tuesday Majh Jongg group was in the middle of their games.
I am up a bit early because when I was taking a nap, and the Ladies were doing their thing, we received a telephone call. The carpet installation guys asked if they could come today instead of on Thursday. We said yes! As soon as the Mah jongg ladies left, we went to work emptying the hutch, and moving stuff from the living room and dinning room. Some stuff went to the garage, some stuff went into the screened in room on the deck. Emptying the stuff was time consuming. I guess we didn’t realize how many glasses which we accumulated over the years. We worked for 2.5 hours before we went off to supper at Bennigan’s at the Berkshire Mall. We also went off to Pier One, and Home Goods in search of cabinets to replace the cheap ones which we currently have. When we arrived home, Linda started washing all the glasses which were in the hutch. We have glassware covering every surface area of the counter tops, and the stove. The table in the kitchen is full of stuff too.
By the time that we went to bed our bodies required a good deal of pain medication. We do have a little work to do before the carpet guys arrive today at noon.
Speaking of Bennigan’s, there were so few people in the restaurant when we got there at 7 PM that you could almost count them on one hand. We had a one of their signature sandwiches which were okay, but typical Pub food.
It is raining pretty hard right now with a strong winds too. We are supposed to reach the 55 degree mark after the front goes through sometime this morning.
Things are relatively quiet on the political front as our representatives get ready to head home for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The Democrats are still reeling from their losses in the November 2, 2010 election throughout the nation. The Democrats are blaming Pelosi for all their losses. Why are people afraid of strong women in Politics? Is it still a man’s world in the political arena?
How about Charlie Rangel from the Bronx being found guilty of a little corruption? The system does work.
My Time magazine had a huge article on Marijuana. Some people say decriminalize it, and grow it and sell it like they do alcohol. The drug dealers don’t want this to happen. Linda and I never got into smoking marijuana even though were in college during the late 60’s. I am not convinced that it is harmless like some people contend. I have had students who came to school in a fog everyday, and they seemed to be in a constant fog. Marijuana became the main focus in their lives. We were always told that it was a gateway drug to other drugs. There are certain jobs which require random drug testing, and these jobs have a direct impact on us innocent people. Would you want to be on an airplane, train, or on the roads with people who drive these vehicles high on marijuana?
Linda was watching Dancing with the Stars. The person who she had in a pool got kicked off the program. Her person did better than Sarah Palin’s daughter, but Palin’s daughter moved on. Could Dancing With the Stars be fixed, or could it have Political overtones?
I did get a little response from my Turnips comment in yesterday’s blog. A few more friends do like turnips besides the Curley and Brodeur Lads.
Well, I have to move some lamps, and some more small furniture items, the printer, telephone answering machine, etc. When the carpets do get installed, we will then start returning the two rooms back to normal. Some of the stuff we will be throwing out. By the time we stop working this evening, we will require another dose of pain medication.
Have a great Wednesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I was the first one who left the house on Tuesday. I went off to visit dear old mom in the nursing home. She was in good spirits. I stayed with her through lunch. She ate well, and she did not need any help except for me opening those pint milk containers.
When I returned home, the Tuesday Majh Jongg group was in the middle of their games.
I am up a bit early because when I was taking a nap, and the Ladies were doing their thing, we received a telephone call. The carpet installation guys asked if they could come today instead of on Thursday. We said yes! As soon as the Mah jongg ladies left, we went to work emptying the hutch, and moving stuff from the living room and dinning room. Some stuff went to the garage, some stuff went into the screened in room on the deck. Emptying the stuff was time consuming. I guess we didn’t realize how many glasses which we accumulated over the years. We worked for 2.5 hours before we went off to supper at Bennigan’s at the Berkshire Mall. We also went off to Pier One, and Home Goods in search of cabinets to replace the cheap ones which we currently have. When we arrived home, Linda started washing all the glasses which were in the hutch. We have glassware covering every surface area of the counter tops, and the stove. The table in the kitchen is full of stuff too.
By the time that we went to bed our bodies required a good deal of pain medication. We do have a little work to do before the carpet guys arrive today at noon.
Speaking of Bennigan’s, there were so few people in the restaurant when we got there at 7 PM that you could almost count them on one hand. We had a one of their signature sandwiches which were okay, but typical Pub food.
It is raining pretty hard right now with a strong winds too. We are supposed to reach the 55 degree mark after the front goes through sometime this morning.
Things are relatively quiet on the political front as our representatives get ready to head home for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The Democrats are still reeling from their losses in the November 2, 2010 election throughout the nation. The Democrats are blaming Pelosi for all their losses. Why are people afraid of strong women in Politics? Is it still a man’s world in the political arena?
How about Charlie Rangel from the Bronx being found guilty of a little corruption? The system does work.
My Time magazine had a huge article on Marijuana. Some people say decriminalize it, and grow it and sell it like they do alcohol. The drug dealers don’t want this to happen. Linda and I never got into smoking marijuana even though were in college during the late 60’s. I am not convinced that it is harmless like some people contend. I have had students who came to school in a fog everyday, and they seemed to be in a constant fog. Marijuana became the main focus in their lives. We were always told that it was a gateway drug to other drugs. There are certain jobs which require random drug testing, and these jobs have a direct impact on us innocent people. Would you want to be on an airplane, train, or on the roads with people who drive these vehicles high on marijuana?
Linda was watching Dancing with the Stars. The person who she had in a pool got kicked off the program. Her person did better than Sarah Palin’s daughter, but Palin’s daughter moved on. Could Dancing With the Stars be fixed, or could it have Political overtones?
I did get a little response from my Turnips comment in yesterday’s blog. A few more friends do like turnips besides the Curley and Brodeur Lads.
Well, I have to move some lamps, and some more small furniture items, the printer, telephone answering machine, etc. When the carpets do get installed, we will then start returning the two rooms back to normal. Some of the stuff we will be throwing out. By the time we stop working this evening, we will require another dose of pain medication.
Have a great Wednesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Hello on Tuesday
Dear Friends,
The horse that no one wants to claim which I mentioned yesterday in my daily blog was most likely abandoned by its owner. Horses cost the owner hundreds of dollars to maintain. The owner probably just couldn’t afford to take care of the horse. A friend said that the abandoning horses happen more often than you can imagine.
Our Monday went as planned. I was the first one who left the house. I loaded up my Subaru with bags of clothes, and dropped them off at our local Goodwill place. I also had to go to another Goodwill place and drop off a couple of old chairs.
Linda puttered around the house while I was on the road. Shortly after I arrived home, she went out to do errands. She did stop home for about 5 minutes, and I helped her unload some grocery items, and some stuff from Walmart. She left again, but I am not sure where she went because left the house at 5 PM, and headed off to my UNICO Board meeting.
My friend, who I picked up for the Board meeting, told me a cute story of something that happened in his house. After my friend and I worked the Special Olympics Pasta Dinner on Sunday, he decided to take home some left over concoction of butter, olive oil, and garlic which was made for the white pasta which we served. My friend had all intentions of making a little white pasta for his daughter and himself for supper. My friend put the concoction on his kitchen counter top. His 2 year old granddaughter slid a kitchen chair over to the counter, and took the bowl thinking that it was something to eat. She takes the bowl into the family room, and realizes that it is not some that you would just eat. His granddaughter soon realized that it wasn’t something that she liked, and she proceeded to spill and grind the concoction into a couple year old fabric couch. My friend’s wife is coming home today from a conference which she has been attending in Cincinnati. On Monday, my friend tried getting the stain and garlic smell out of the family room couch. He tried all kinds of stain removers, and the couch and the family room still smells like garlic. He asked all the Italians at the UNICO Board Meeting if any of them knew how to get the stain and the smell out. Their response was for my friend to hire a professional cleaning company. My friend does have some form of a steam cleaning device. He said that he would try it this morning before he has to pick up his wife at the airport today.
We will have a damp and dreary day here in the Berkshires with the heavy rain falling this evening.
Linda is hosting Mah Jongg for her Tuesday group of ladies. They will be arriving at 11:30 AM.
I am going to take an afternoon nap while they are playing Mah Jongg.
My first task of the day is to start removing the glasses from the hutch in preparation for the installation of carpets on Thursday. The removal of small tables, and chairs, lamps and other decorations have to be done on Wednesday since the ladies play Mah Jongg in one of the two rooms which will be carpeted on Thursday.
I think that we might have an evening when we have no commitments for change.
Observation – After seeing all the advertisements for Whole Turkeys in the 5 grocery fliers which come to our house pretty much every week, I started thinking about Thanksgiving Day Dinner. Linda and I have been going to the Brodeur’s for years now to celebrate Thanksgiving. I can’t remember when we had a Thanksgiving Day Dinner at our home. I think that I might talk Linda into cooking a 10 or 12 pound bird when we get back home from the Brodeur’s. Linda enjoys making Turkey sandwiches using Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a little mayo. Kevin makes a similar sandwich for his customers at the restaurant, or when he does a little catering around Thanksgiving.
I was also thinking about the vegetable that I eat only once per year. I think Jerry Brodeur, me, and maybe his dad are the only ones who eat this smelly vegetable (Turnips). If we had Thanksgiving at our house, my father would expect turnips to be on the menu.
If a person was a vegetarian, there would be enough food at any Thanksgiving Day Dinner that would be meat free.
I can still see that Norman Rockwell painting where the dad is bringing the cooked Turkey to the dinner table as all the dinner guests eyes like up in anticipation.
Ginny Brodeur saves the Turkey legs for me. Linda doesn’t want me gnawing on the Turkey Leg while at the dinner table. I consume them for an evening snack. She wants me to eat slowly and daintily instead of me eating like a cave man. I am also restricted to the amount of food which I can put on my plate. I think that I am going to eat at the kids table this year.
Well, I have to stop talking about Thanksgiving Day Dinner. I am getting hungry just thinking about what a great day that it always is for me.
The Patriots are playing the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day at 1 PM. This means I will have great food, and a great football game to watch. I truly will be a happy man when I go to bed after the Thanksgiving Day festivities.
Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The horse that no one wants to claim which I mentioned yesterday in my daily blog was most likely abandoned by its owner. Horses cost the owner hundreds of dollars to maintain. The owner probably just couldn’t afford to take care of the horse. A friend said that the abandoning horses happen more often than you can imagine.
Our Monday went as planned. I was the first one who left the house. I loaded up my Subaru with bags of clothes, and dropped them off at our local Goodwill place. I also had to go to another Goodwill place and drop off a couple of old chairs.
Linda puttered around the house while I was on the road. Shortly after I arrived home, she went out to do errands. She did stop home for about 5 minutes, and I helped her unload some grocery items, and some stuff from Walmart. She left again, but I am not sure where she went because left the house at 5 PM, and headed off to my UNICO Board meeting.
My friend, who I picked up for the Board meeting, told me a cute story of something that happened in his house. After my friend and I worked the Special Olympics Pasta Dinner on Sunday, he decided to take home some left over concoction of butter, olive oil, and garlic which was made for the white pasta which we served. My friend had all intentions of making a little white pasta for his daughter and himself for supper. My friend put the concoction on his kitchen counter top. His 2 year old granddaughter slid a kitchen chair over to the counter, and took the bowl thinking that it was something to eat. She takes the bowl into the family room, and realizes that it is not some that you would just eat. His granddaughter soon realized that it wasn’t something that she liked, and she proceeded to spill and grind the concoction into a couple year old fabric couch. My friend’s wife is coming home today from a conference which she has been attending in Cincinnati. On Monday, my friend tried getting the stain and garlic smell out of the family room couch. He tried all kinds of stain removers, and the couch and the family room still smells like garlic. He asked all the Italians at the UNICO Board Meeting if any of them knew how to get the stain and the smell out. Their response was for my friend to hire a professional cleaning company. My friend does have some form of a steam cleaning device. He said that he would try it this morning before he has to pick up his wife at the airport today.
We will have a damp and dreary day here in the Berkshires with the heavy rain falling this evening.
Linda is hosting Mah Jongg for her Tuesday group of ladies. They will be arriving at 11:30 AM.
I am going to take an afternoon nap while they are playing Mah Jongg.
My first task of the day is to start removing the glasses from the hutch in preparation for the installation of carpets on Thursday. The removal of small tables, and chairs, lamps and other decorations have to be done on Wednesday since the ladies play Mah Jongg in one of the two rooms which will be carpeted on Thursday.
I think that we might have an evening when we have no commitments for change.
Observation – After seeing all the advertisements for Whole Turkeys in the 5 grocery fliers which come to our house pretty much every week, I started thinking about Thanksgiving Day Dinner. Linda and I have been going to the Brodeur’s for years now to celebrate Thanksgiving. I can’t remember when we had a Thanksgiving Day Dinner at our home. I think that I might talk Linda into cooking a 10 or 12 pound bird when we get back home from the Brodeur’s. Linda enjoys making Turkey sandwiches using Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a little mayo. Kevin makes a similar sandwich for his customers at the restaurant, or when he does a little catering around Thanksgiving.
I was also thinking about the vegetable that I eat only once per year. I think Jerry Brodeur, me, and maybe his dad are the only ones who eat this smelly vegetable (Turnips). If we had Thanksgiving at our house, my father would expect turnips to be on the menu.
If a person was a vegetarian, there would be enough food at any Thanksgiving Day Dinner that would be meat free.
I can still see that Norman Rockwell painting where the dad is bringing the cooked Turkey to the dinner table as all the dinner guests eyes like up in anticipation.
Ginny Brodeur saves the Turkey legs for me. Linda doesn’t want me gnawing on the Turkey Leg while at the dinner table. I consume them for an evening snack. She wants me to eat slowly and daintily instead of me eating like a cave man. I am also restricted to the amount of food which I can put on my plate. I think that I am going to eat at the kids table this year.
Well, I have to stop talking about Thanksgiving Day Dinner. I am getting hungry just thinking about what a great day that it always is for me.
The Patriots are playing the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day at 1 PM. This means I will have great food, and a great football game to watch. I truly will be a happy man when I go to bed after the Thanksgiving Day festivities.
Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, November 15, 2010
Hello on Monday Morning
Dear Friends,
Another day went as planned.
The Special Olympics Awards / Dinner/ Dance went well at the Masonic Temple yesterday. We had some new UNICO brothers and one UNICO Sister involved with preparing the pasta dinner for a little over 100 adults and children with special needs. Our services were over by the 2 PM hour. One of the two female organizers of the even, who used to do everything by themselves, gave all of us a hug as we exited the Masonic Lodge. UNICO will be helping out with this event for many years to come.
Linda had an okay day reading the newspapers in peace and quiet for a while, but she got busy making telephone calls trying to locate a mate to a chair that she fell in love with at Home Goods. She located the mate in Tewksbury. Kevin and Kyla were tied up with a birthday part for a friend’s child so we enlisted the help of the Brodeur’s who also live in Tewksbury. The Brodeur’s said that they would pick up the chair for us which we will get it when we go to Thanksgiving at the Brodeur’s.
Linda turned into a Domestic Goddess for supper last evening. She whipped up a Chicken Picatta supper. She knew that when I came downstairs after an afternoon nap, that I didn’t want to leave the house. I just wanted to sit on my butt and watch some NFL football.
Well, I did go to bed a happy man because the Patriot’s did win the Sunday night football game against the home town Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots looked pretty awesome, and recovered quite nicely after their lack luster performance from the week before.
Social Calendar – I am the only one socially engaged this evening. I have a UNICO Board Meeting at 6 PM. Even though Linda may not be booked into anything officially her first task to today will be to give me a Holiday haircut, moustache trim, and do a little work on my eyebrows which sometimes turns into a unibrow.
She is hosting Mah Jongg on Tuesday.
In preparation of the carpet installation on Thursday, we do have to move some items. One of the big items is to deal with the hutch which has multiple glasses, platters, tablecloths, bowls, etc. It is like cleaning the closets which we were engaged with last week.
Observation – I always check out the lost and found in our local newspaper each day. I have been following a found item for the past few weeks. A person in a small town right outside the town which I grew I was brought up in found a horse. The person who found the horse has put an ad in the newspaper since October 23, 2010, but no one has claimed the horse. It is one thing losing a camera, or a piece of jewelry, but not claiming a missing horse seems kind of weird.
I also checked the “What’s doing” portion of the local newspaper each day. For the past few days, there has been and advertisement for a new help group. There is a SLAA program here in Pittsfield. All you have to do is call a particular number, and sign up for the 12 Step Program which will help you with you Sex Love Addiction. I didn’t realize that we had a problem like that in Berkshire County. Could this be a problem created by people who have too much free time on their hands? If these people worked in the kitchen with my fellow UNICAN’s like we did on Sunday, they wouldn’t have the time or energy for a Sex Addiction problem.
Well, I have to feed the birds, and wait for Linda to get into her hair cutting mood.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Another day went as planned.
The Special Olympics Awards / Dinner/ Dance went well at the Masonic Temple yesterday. We had some new UNICO brothers and one UNICO Sister involved with preparing the pasta dinner for a little over 100 adults and children with special needs. Our services were over by the 2 PM hour. One of the two female organizers of the even, who used to do everything by themselves, gave all of us a hug as we exited the Masonic Lodge. UNICO will be helping out with this event for many years to come.
Linda had an okay day reading the newspapers in peace and quiet for a while, but she got busy making telephone calls trying to locate a mate to a chair that she fell in love with at Home Goods. She located the mate in Tewksbury. Kevin and Kyla were tied up with a birthday part for a friend’s child so we enlisted the help of the Brodeur’s who also live in Tewksbury. The Brodeur’s said that they would pick up the chair for us which we will get it when we go to Thanksgiving at the Brodeur’s.
Linda turned into a Domestic Goddess for supper last evening. She whipped up a Chicken Picatta supper. She knew that when I came downstairs after an afternoon nap, that I didn’t want to leave the house. I just wanted to sit on my butt and watch some NFL football.
Well, I did go to bed a happy man because the Patriot’s did win the Sunday night football game against the home town Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots looked pretty awesome, and recovered quite nicely after their lack luster performance from the week before.
Social Calendar – I am the only one socially engaged this evening. I have a UNICO Board Meeting at 6 PM. Even though Linda may not be booked into anything officially her first task to today will be to give me a Holiday haircut, moustache trim, and do a little work on my eyebrows which sometimes turns into a unibrow.
She is hosting Mah Jongg on Tuesday.
In preparation of the carpet installation on Thursday, we do have to move some items. One of the big items is to deal with the hutch which has multiple glasses, platters, tablecloths, bowls, etc. It is like cleaning the closets which we were engaged with last week.
Observation – I always check out the lost and found in our local newspaper each day. I have been following a found item for the past few weeks. A person in a small town right outside the town which I grew I was brought up in found a horse. The person who found the horse has put an ad in the newspaper since October 23, 2010, but no one has claimed the horse. It is one thing losing a camera, or a piece of jewelry, but not claiming a missing horse seems kind of weird.
I also checked the “What’s doing” portion of the local newspaper each day. For the past few days, there has been and advertisement for a new help group. There is a SLAA program here in Pittsfield. All you have to do is call a particular number, and sign up for the 12 Step Program which will help you with you Sex Love Addiction. I didn’t realize that we had a problem like that in Berkshire County. Could this be a problem created by people who have too much free time on their hands? If these people worked in the kitchen with my fellow UNICAN’s like we did on Sunday, they wouldn’t have the time or energy for a Sex Addiction problem.
Well, I have to feed the birds, and wait for Linda to get into her hair cutting mood.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Hello on Sunday Morning
Dear Friends,
Another day went as planned.
Linda did her Crafts Fair thing with her girlfriend from 9 AM until 3:30 PM. I had to call her after she dropped off her friend because she won some kind of gift at a Chinese Auction at the first Cfrafts’ Fair that they went to.
I dropped off my friend and waited until his appointment was over before I went off to do my errands. I took a power nap after doing my errands.
Linda came home with a car full of treasures, and I helped her bring the stuff into the house before we went off to do a little recreational shopping at Marshalls.
It was date night for supper. We used one of those radio auction coupons at a place in Lenox called the Heritage Tavern. Of course, we saw several people at the restaurant whom we knew.
One of the people who we chatted with was the brother-in-law of the friend who fell out of a Tree stand a few weeks ago. He said that his sister was going crazing trying to care for her husband who had broken a leg in three places, and broken his clavicle as well. He can’t even use crutches. He sits in a wheel chair, but his wife has to push him where he wants to go. He doesn’t like to read, and he is a fidget and tinkers with things, and he likes to fix things, etc. He is going completely bonkers every waking moment, and his wife is not enjoying herself at all.
While we were at Marshalls, it was like we were Christmas shopping for me. We purchased a pair of slippers among other items. You might think that this slipper purchase was no big deal, but it was in my mind. I have really tried to wear those slippers which you can slip on without bending over. Every time I go up and down stairs, at least one slipper falls off. Linda has this fear of me falling down, and breaking something so that she will have to be the care giver like the woman in the above paragraph. She also has the fear that I would possibly fall while carrying grandchildren up and down those stairs. Well my new slippers are like moccasins. My heel is completely enclosed, and the slippers stay on my feet. I wore them for the first time last night when I went into my Man Cave to watch some sporting contests. They stayed on my feet until I went to bed. My other slippers used to fall off even when I sat in a lounge chair. Well, this doesn’t happen anymore. Men are such simple creatures to make happy.
My Boston Bruins are in a losing streak, but my Boston Celtics won again on the road even though it took them one overtime period to win the game.
Linda was so excited when I reminded her that I was going to be out of the house around 9:30 AM until about 2:30 PM working that Special Olympics Dinner Dance today at the Masonic Temple / Lodge in Pittsfield. She is so excited that she can read the local newspaper and the Boston Globe in total peace and quiet.
I am betting that she will be getting a telephone call from her girlfriend wanting to use some Macy’s and J.C. Penny coupons at the Berkshire Mall this afternoon.
After working the Pasta Dinner, I am coming home for a nap so that I can stay up and watch Sunday Night Football which doesn’t start until 8:30 PM.
Well, I have to do some quiet chores and grab a second cup of coffee.
Have a great Sunday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Another day went as planned.
Linda did her Crafts Fair thing with her girlfriend from 9 AM until 3:30 PM. I had to call her after she dropped off her friend because she won some kind of gift at a Chinese Auction at the first Cfrafts’ Fair that they went to.
I dropped off my friend and waited until his appointment was over before I went off to do my errands. I took a power nap after doing my errands.
Linda came home with a car full of treasures, and I helped her bring the stuff into the house before we went off to do a little recreational shopping at Marshalls.
It was date night for supper. We used one of those radio auction coupons at a place in Lenox called the Heritage Tavern. Of course, we saw several people at the restaurant whom we knew.
One of the people who we chatted with was the brother-in-law of the friend who fell out of a Tree stand a few weeks ago. He said that his sister was going crazing trying to care for her husband who had broken a leg in three places, and broken his clavicle as well. He can’t even use crutches. He sits in a wheel chair, but his wife has to push him where he wants to go. He doesn’t like to read, and he is a fidget and tinkers with things, and he likes to fix things, etc. He is going completely bonkers every waking moment, and his wife is not enjoying herself at all.
While we were at Marshalls, it was like we were Christmas shopping for me. We purchased a pair of slippers among other items. You might think that this slipper purchase was no big deal, but it was in my mind. I have really tried to wear those slippers which you can slip on without bending over. Every time I go up and down stairs, at least one slipper falls off. Linda has this fear of me falling down, and breaking something so that she will have to be the care giver like the woman in the above paragraph. She also has the fear that I would possibly fall while carrying grandchildren up and down those stairs. Well my new slippers are like moccasins. My heel is completely enclosed, and the slippers stay on my feet. I wore them for the first time last night when I went into my Man Cave to watch some sporting contests. They stayed on my feet until I went to bed. My other slippers used to fall off even when I sat in a lounge chair. Well, this doesn’t happen anymore. Men are such simple creatures to make happy.
My Boston Bruins are in a losing streak, but my Boston Celtics won again on the road even though it took them one overtime period to win the game.
Linda was so excited when I reminded her that I was going to be out of the house around 9:30 AM until about 2:30 PM working that Special Olympics Dinner Dance today at the Masonic Temple / Lodge in Pittsfield. She is so excited that she can read the local newspaper and the Boston Globe in total peace and quiet.
I am betting that she will be getting a telephone call from her girlfriend wanting to use some Macy’s and J.C. Penny coupons at the Berkshire Mall this afternoon.
After working the Pasta Dinner, I am coming home for a nap so that I can stay up and watch Sunday Night Football which doesn’t start until 8:30 PM.
Well, I have to do some quiet chores and grab a second cup of coffee.
Have a great Sunday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hello on Saturday Morning
Dear Friends,
We had another beautiful day in the Berkshires on Friday. The cold mornings, and the day warming up to the high 50’s continues today. We might even hit 60 degrees before this day is over.
While we are enjoying this great weather in the Northeast, Danielle’s parents, who live in Minnesota, are in a winter storm watch. A good portion of Minnesota will get several inches of snow. I am not sure what is going to happen in the Northeast as the precipitation moves from west to east. Our temperatures should be high enough that we will be getting rain next week, and not snow.
We finally took out the air conditioners in the last two bedrooms. You might think that this is such an easy task. Not! Visualize both closets, where I store the air conditioners, full of plastic buckets of clothes, shoes, pocket books, etc. I helped Linda as she sorted through every bucket. There were many clothing items which we are taking to “Goodwill” or to the “Salvation Army” drop off points next week. The sorting and thinning out of all the stuff in the closets isn’t even done yet, but the two air conditioners are now put away. I was so exhausted by 2 PM that I needed a nap. Linda was exhausted too, but even a hot shower didn’t make her aches and pains go away.
We went to the Shamrock with another couple for supper last evening. We were home by 8 PM. I put on my sleep wear, and headed into my “Man Cave” with all intentions of reading a book, and watching television with the volume turned down low. I proceeded to fall asleep.
Social Calendar – Linda is leaving the house today at 8:45 AM. She is picking up a friend, and they are going to go to as many Crafts Fairs as they can make it to. The biggest one takes place in Pittsfield, but there a smaller ones in many of the surrounding Berkshire towns. Linda will most likely come home exhausted, but the exhaustion will be from doing things that she likes to do. Cleaning out closets is not one of those fun activities.
I am going to take a friend to and from a doctor’s appointment, but I will be running some errands in between me assisting my friend.
The feathered and furry creatures must know that the winter is coming because they have been devouring my sunflower seed in the four bird feeders that I have in strategic locations throughout the back yard.
I have a coupon for Tractor Supply, which I can use when I purchase my seed. If I spend $25 or more, I have a ten dollar off coupon. I need to purchase some suction cup bird feeders because the ones which I have are getting very tired. Some of them have turned yellow and are cracked. They are supposed to be clear so that I can see the birds which are at the birdfeeder. Not!
I think that I am the only one engaged on Sunday. UNICO is preparing a noontime pasta dinner at the Masonic Temple in Pittsfield. We are preparing food for a noontime Special Olympics Dinner Dance. The special needs people really appreciate our efforts. The two female organizers use to prepare all the food by themselves as well as setting up for the awards, securing a D.J., setting up a dessert table, etc. They asked UNICO if they could help them out a few years ago, and we have been doing the food preparation every since. We don’t have to purchase any food because they two organizers go out and get donations from the community. Our commitment goes from about 9:30 AM to a little after 2 PM. The Masonic Lodge lets us use all their pots and pans and dishes, but we are required to clean all the utensils and the kitchen before we leave.
Sports – My Patriots play at 8:30 PM on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Most people are thinking that the Steelers are going to beat the Patriots because the Patriots looked so awful last weekend. I am hoping that last week’s loss was just an aberration. If I am going to be able to stay up and watch the game, I will need an afternoon nap for sure.
How about the Winning Power Ball ticket being purchased at a Porn Shop in Michigan? The winning ticket was worth 128.6 million dollars. Many times when a winning ticket is purchased at a particular store, people go to that store to purchase future lottery tickets believing that the store is a lucky one. This Porn Shop owner could be very busy this weekend.
A friend of ours was telling Linda how they have been dealing with her aging parents. Her 86 year old mother and father lived in a small ranch, but they weren’t taking care of themselves that well. They couldn’t get their garbage cans out to the street. They weren’t eating well. They weren’t taking care of their house. They couldn’t take care of their property. Our friend and her husband decided that it was time to make a move. They got the parents into an assisted living place in the Berkshires. They took them to the assisted living place with her parents’ sort of kicking and dragging their feet. The parents were resisting the move.
Well, the other day their daughter calls them to ask how things are going. The mother answers the telephone and says that she can’t talk too long because it was time for another activity scheduled at the assisted living place. The daughter told her parents that they would clean up her parents’ ranch, and do some interior painting if her parents decide to return home. Well, the clean up of the ranch is for getting the parents’ home ready to be sold.
The above story is exactly what my father needs. He needs to be out of his own home which he thinks that he can manage. He needs to be in a setting where he can interact with people. The other day, he told me that he feels like a widower. On Christmas Day, it will be two full years that my mother has not been home, and my father has been coming home to an empty house. Maybe it is time for my sister and me to get my father out of his house. I hate to have my father sell his house to pay for the assisted living, but he is really struggling mentally besides the fact that his legs can just about hold him up.
Observation – I went to our Resource Recovery plant the other day to drop off some grass clippings. It is called a Resource Recovery plant because they burn the garbage from surrounding communities, and sell the energy produced from the burning of the garbage. After disposing of the clippings in a particular bin, the attendant gives me a paper saying that they are having a food drive. This coming Monday, if you drop of a bag of non perishable food items, the workers will provide either breakfast or lunch at the Resource Recovery Plant. Do you think that eating food at a place where garbage is taken to is a good idea? It is good to see that the workers want to do something good for the community, but serving food might not be the best idea for the reward of donating food. Maybe they could give us Pittsfield Residents a certificate for dropping off an item which they charge us a fee for. I might go just to drop off something, and get a free breakfast on Monday.
Well, I have to finish my morning routine, and make sure that Linda get up for her adventure today.
I did straighten out two shelves in the garage on Friday.
I still have my work bench to attack this morning after Linda leaves the house.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
We had another beautiful day in the Berkshires on Friday. The cold mornings, and the day warming up to the high 50’s continues today. We might even hit 60 degrees before this day is over.
While we are enjoying this great weather in the Northeast, Danielle’s parents, who live in Minnesota, are in a winter storm watch. A good portion of Minnesota will get several inches of snow. I am not sure what is going to happen in the Northeast as the precipitation moves from west to east. Our temperatures should be high enough that we will be getting rain next week, and not snow.
We finally took out the air conditioners in the last two bedrooms. You might think that this is such an easy task. Not! Visualize both closets, where I store the air conditioners, full of plastic buckets of clothes, shoes, pocket books, etc. I helped Linda as she sorted through every bucket. There were many clothing items which we are taking to “Goodwill” or to the “Salvation Army” drop off points next week. The sorting and thinning out of all the stuff in the closets isn’t even done yet, but the two air conditioners are now put away. I was so exhausted by 2 PM that I needed a nap. Linda was exhausted too, but even a hot shower didn’t make her aches and pains go away.
We went to the Shamrock with another couple for supper last evening. We were home by 8 PM. I put on my sleep wear, and headed into my “Man Cave” with all intentions of reading a book, and watching television with the volume turned down low. I proceeded to fall asleep.
Social Calendar – Linda is leaving the house today at 8:45 AM. She is picking up a friend, and they are going to go to as many Crafts Fairs as they can make it to. The biggest one takes place in Pittsfield, but there a smaller ones in many of the surrounding Berkshire towns. Linda will most likely come home exhausted, but the exhaustion will be from doing things that she likes to do. Cleaning out closets is not one of those fun activities.
I am going to take a friend to and from a doctor’s appointment, but I will be running some errands in between me assisting my friend.
The feathered and furry creatures must know that the winter is coming because they have been devouring my sunflower seed in the four bird feeders that I have in strategic locations throughout the back yard.
I have a coupon for Tractor Supply, which I can use when I purchase my seed. If I spend $25 or more, I have a ten dollar off coupon. I need to purchase some suction cup bird feeders because the ones which I have are getting very tired. Some of them have turned yellow and are cracked. They are supposed to be clear so that I can see the birds which are at the birdfeeder. Not!
I think that I am the only one engaged on Sunday. UNICO is preparing a noontime pasta dinner at the Masonic Temple in Pittsfield. We are preparing food for a noontime Special Olympics Dinner Dance. The special needs people really appreciate our efforts. The two female organizers use to prepare all the food by themselves as well as setting up for the awards, securing a D.J., setting up a dessert table, etc. They asked UNICO if they could help them out a few years ago, and we have been doing the food preparation every since. We don’t have to purchase any food because they two organizers go out and get donations from the community. Our commitment goes from about 9:30 AM to a little after 2 PM. The Masonic Lodge lets us use all their pots and pans and dishes, but we are required to clean all the utensils and the kitchen before we leave.
Sports – My Patriots play at 8:30 PM on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Most people are thinking that the Steelers are going to beat the Patriots because the Patriots looked so awful last weekend. I am hoping that last week’s loss was just an aberration. If I am going to be able to stay up and watch the game, I will need an afternoon nap for sure.
How about the Winning Power Ball ticket being purchased at a Porn Shop in Michigan? The winning ticket was worth 128.6 million dollars. Many times when a winning ticket is purchased at a particular store, people go to that store to purchase future lottery tickets believing that the store is a lucky one. This Porn Shop owner could be very busy this weekend.
A friend of ours was telling Linda how they have been dealing with her aging parents. Her 86 year old mother and father lived in a small ranch, but they weren’t taking care of themselves that well. They couldn’t get their garbage cans out to the street. They weren’t eating well. They weren’t taking care of their house. They couldn’t take care of their property. Our friend and her husband decided that it was time to make a move. They got the parents into an assisted living place in the Berkshires. They took them to the assisted living place with her parents’ sort of kicking and dragging their feet. The parents were resisting the move.
Well, the other day their daughter calls them to ask how things are going. The mother answers the telephone and says that she can’t talk too long because it was time for another activity scheduled at the assisted living place. The daughter told her parents that they would clean up her parents’ ranch, and do some interior painting if her parents decide to return home. Well, the clean up of the ranch is for getting the parents’ home ready to be sold.
The above story is exactly what my father needs. He needs to be out of his own home which he thinks that he can manage. He needs to be in a setting where he can interact with people. The other day, he told me that he feels like a widower. On Christmas Day, it will be two full years that my mother has not been home, and my father has been coming home to an empty house. Maybe it is time for my sister and me to get my father out of his house. I hate to have my father sell his house to pay for the assisted living, but he is really struggling mentally besides the fact that his legs can just about hold him up.
Observation – I went to our Resource Recovery plant the other day to drop off some grass clippings. It is called a Resource Recovery plant because they burn the garbage from surrounding communities, and sell the energy produced from the burning of the garbage. After disposing of the clippings in a particular bin, the attendant gives me a paper saying that they are having a food drive. This coming Monday, if you drop of a bag of non perishable food items, the workers will provide either breakfast or lunch at the Resource Recovery Plant. Do you think that eating food at a place where garbage is taken to is a good idea? It is good to see that the workers want to do something good for the community, but serving food might not be the best idea for the reward of donating food. Maybe they could give us Pittsfield Residents a certificate for dropping off an item which they charge us a fee for. I might go just to drop off something, and get a free breakfast on Monday.
Well, I have to finish my morning routine, and make sure that Linda get up for her adventure today.
I did straighten out two shelves in the garage on Friday.
I still have my work bench to attack this morning after Linda leaves the house.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, November 12, 2010
Hello on Friday Morning
Dear Friends,
We went from the middle 20’s to the middle 50’s yesterday. We might hit the 60’s by Saturday. This weather doesn’t bode well for my desire of having a snow covered winter and Christmas. I was out in shirt sleeves yesterday afternoon washing my car. I have one of those faucets that you don’t have to shut off even in the winter time. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know where the shut off valve is inside the house.
While I was taking a nap yesterday, Linda went into the guest bathroom which I use. I told her that my clear shower curtain was like the “Shroud of Turin”. She thought that I was exaggerating until she saw it. She said that the shower curtain was “disgusting”. Of course she had a back up shower curtain. I usually use old shower curtains as drop cloths for painting projects. She claimed that it was so gross that she wanted it thrown out.
The shower / bath wasn’t up to her pristine standards too. She got on her hands and knees and worked on that while I was napping. She now wants me to clean the shower / bath after taking a shower and while I am naked in the bathtub. Can’t these chemicals that I use harm vital organs? I guess men don’t seem dust and dirt and bathroom scum like females do. When we were both working she paid a lady to come in every two weeks to do some cleaning which included both bathrooms. I would have to get a second job for that to happen!
She also wants me to stop using bar soap. I haven’t mastered using the body wash stuff. I put some in my hands, and don’t know what to do with it. There are blotches of body wash on the floor of the tub from the last time I tried using body wash. She suggested that I use those fluffing things that women have in their showers, and apply the body wash to it. Maybe I need a partner in the shower with me!
I was glad to hear from a friend that things happen in other people’s lives which you could get a good laugh from. My friend has been driving his car with a seat bag indicator light on. His significant other has been telling my friend that the light being on was no big deal so my friend just kept on driving his car. While my friend was backing out of the parking lot from his place of work, the seat bag went off, and hit him square in his face. My friend said that at first that he was scared and wondered what the heck happened? Did someone hit him or did he back into someone with a lot of force. I guess sometimes friends don’t give good advice.
I went off to the golf course yesterday to fill out a football pool. There were several golfers at the course waiting for the frost to burn off. Our pro shop has now closed. While heading back to my car I ran in my senior friend who normally puts out the golf carts, and who plays with us on Friday. I stopped to chat with him and asked how his athletic grandchildren were doing. Of course, he told me a story. He loves to talk like I do. His granddaughter plays soccer for Pittsfield High School. Her team lost a heart breaker in a Western Mass Playoff game on Wednesday, but that is not what we talked about the most. The teachers in Pittsfield are on a “Work to Rule” form of action because of a lack of a contract. Pittsfield High School had a fan bus for the playoff game, but teachers, who normally chaperone, were not doing so because of the Work to Rule action which includes not participating in extra curricular activities. My friend said that his daughter, who is the mom of the soccer player, and the LaCrosse coach acted as chaperones on the bus. Well, one of the students on the bus was drunk. The Mom kept the student on the bus as everyone left the bus and headed for the game. The Mom wanted to see her daughter play so she reads the inebriated student the riot act, tries to sober him up somewhat, and takes him into the game, and sits next to him for the whole game. The student who was drunk is a LaCrosse player. We do have rules about alcohol and sports as well as the course of action when students violate those rules. I would love to see if this incident gets dealt with in the proper manner, or if it gets covered up by the principal. It is the same old situation where we have rules in place, but we need people in positions of authority to enforce the rules.
Hope that your Veteran’s Day went very well. Danielle said that they had a well attended Parade in Kansas. She packed up her two children, and went to the parade. She probably should have been marching in the Parade since she is a Veteran of Foreign Wars.
They had so many veteran stories on the airwaves all day long. I enjoyed one segment on television where a veteran has volunteered to take disabled veterans scuba diving. He is teaching some of the disabled veterans into being Dive Masters who eventually can be instructors for other disabled veterans. It is so heart wrenching to see someone try and swim with a arm or leg missing..
Linda made it through her body maintenance procedure, and making several stops before coming home and getting ready for her evening book club meeting. One of the stops was brought upon by some comments of some people who have seen our house after the renovations were done. Some friends made a comment about the finished off laundry room which has an old washer and drier in it. The friends were saying that if you have everything in the room brand new from the toilet to the vanity as well as freshly painted walls, why do you still have your noticeably old appliances in there? We are having a new set delivered next week. Isn’t it wonderful to have so many close friends?
Her book club dinner meeting went well last evening. They discussed another book which Linda didn’t love, and couldn’t really get into it. This is why I love my murder mystery books. In the books that I read, someone gets killed, and the hero goes after the person who committed the crime. Of course, there are twists and turns along the way like any book.
The host of her book club meeting chooses the book. If was in a book club, I would go to the Sunday newspaper, and choose a book right out of the 10 best selling books that I see listed. This group usually chooses some weird book that you might have heard of, but just reading the cover would turn you off. This doesn’t sound like fun to me except for the food portion of the gathering.
Social Calendar – I don’t see anything listed, but we always seem to do something.
I never did any garage work yesterday. Since the forecast is for the day is to warm up, I am going to move the cars to the driveway and work on the shelves, and my work bench. This activity doesn’t involve Linda so that she can stay in her sleepwear for as long as she wants. I know that she said something about seeing a chick flick or going to a play with a girlfriend who is often out of town, but I think that friend is out of town for the weekend.
I didn’t go to Retro Fitness today. I strained my back doing something at the gym a couple of days ago. I get a twinge when I get out of bed. I feel okay right now, but I am sitting down, and not doing things.
Have a great weekend.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
We went from the middle 20’s to the middle 50’s yesterday. We might hit the 60’s by Saturday. This weather doesn’t bode well for my desire of having a snow covered winter and Christmas. I was out in shirt sleeves yesterday afternoon washing my car. I have one of those faucets that you don’t have to shut off even in the winter time. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know where the shut off valve is inside the house.
While I was taking a nap yesterday, Linda went into the guest bathroom which I use. I told her that my clear shower curtain was like the “Shroud of Turin”. She thought that I was exaggerating until she saw it. She said that the shower curtain was “disgusting”. Of course she had a back up shower curtain. I usually use old shower curtains as drop cloths for painting projects. She claimed that it was so gross that she wanted it thrown out.
The shower / bath wasn’t up to her pristine standards too. She got on her hands and knees and worked on that while I was napping. She now wants me to clean the shower / bath after taking a shower and while I am naked in the bathtub. Can’t these chemicals that I use harm vital organs? I guess men don’t seem dust and dirt and bathroom scum like females do. When we were both working she paid a lady to come in every two weeks to do some cleaning which included both bathrooms. I would have to get a second job for that to happen!
She also wants me to stop using bar soap. I haven’t mastered using the body wash stuff. I put some in my hands, and don’t know what to do with it. There are blotches of body wash on the floor of the tub from the last time I tried using body wash. She suggested that I use those fluffing things that women have in their showers, and apply the body wash to it. Maybe I need a partner in the shower with me!
I was glad to hear from a friend that things happen in other people’s lives which you could get a good laugh from. My friend has been driving his car with a seat bag indicator light on. His significant other has been telling my friend that the light being on was no big deal so my friend just kept on driving his car. While my friend was backing out of the parking lot from his place of work, the seat bag went off, and hit him square in his face. My friend said that at first that he was scared and wondered what the heck happened? Did someone hit him or did he back into someone with a lot of force. I guess sometimes friends don’t give good advice.
I went off to the golf course yesterday to fill out a football pool. There were several golfers at the course waiting for the frost to burn off. Our pro shop has now closed. While heading back to my car I ran in my senior friend who normally puts out the golf carts, and who plays with us on Friday. I stopped to chat with him and asked how his athletic grandchildren were doing. Of course, he told me a story. He loves to talk like I do. His granddaughter plays soccer for Pittsfield High School. Her team lost a heart breaker in a Western Mass Playoff game on Wednesday, but that is not what we talked about the most. The teachers in Pittsfield are on a “Work to Rule” form of action because of a lack of a contract. Pittsfield High School had a fan bus for the playoff game, but teachers, who normally chaperone, were not doing so because of the Work to Rule action which includes not participating in extra curricular activities. My friend said that his daughter, who is the mom of the soccer player, and the LaCrosse coach acted as chaperones on the bus. Well, one of the students on the bus was drunk. The Mom kept the student on the bus as everyone left the bus and headed for the game. The Mom wanted to see her daughter play so she reads the inebriated student the riot act, tries to sober him up somewhat, and takes him into the game, and sits next to him for the whole game. The student who was drunk is a LaCrosse player. We do have rules about alcohol and sports as well as the course of action when students violate those rules. I would love to see if this incident gets dealt with in the proper manner, or if it gets covered up by the principal. It is the same old situation where we have rules in place, but we need people in positions of authority to enforce the rules.
Hope that your Veteran’s Day went very well. Danielle said that they had a well attended Parade in Kansas. She packed up her two children, and went to the parade. She probably should have been marching in the Parade since she is a Veteran of Foreign Wars.
They had so many veteran stories on the airwaves all day long. I enjoyed one segment on television where a veteran has volunteered to take disabled veterans scuba diving. He is teaching some of the disabled veterans into being Dive Masters who eventually can be instructors for other disabled veterans. It is so heart wrenching to see someone try and swim with a arm or leg missing..
Linda made it through her body maintenance procedure, and making several stops before coming home and getting ready for her evening book club meeting. One of the stops was brought upon by some comments of some people who have seen our house after the renovations were done. Some friends made a comment about the finished off laundry room which has an old washer and drier in it. The friends were saying that if you have everything in the room brand new from the toilet to the vanity as well as freshly painted walls, why do you still have your noticeably old appliances in there? We are having a new set delivered next week. Isn’t it wonderful to have so many close friends?
Her book club dinner meeting went well last evening. They discussed another book which Linda didn’t love, and couldn’t really get into it. This is why I love my murder mystery books. In the books that I read, someone gets killed, and the hero goes after the person who committed the crime. Of course, there are twists and turns along the way like any book.
The host of her book club meeting chooses the book. If was in a book club, I would go to the Sunday newspaper, and choose a book right out of the 10 best selling books that I see listed. This group usually chooses some weird book that you might have heard of, but just reading the cover would turn you off. This doesn’t sound like fun to me except for the food portion of the gathering.
Social Calendar – I don’t see anything listed, but we always seem to do something.
I never did any garage work yesterday. Since the forecast is for the day is to warm up, I am going to move the cars to the driveway and work on the shelves, and my work bench. This activity doesn’t involve Linda so that she can stay in her sleepwear for as long as she wants. I know that she said something about seeing a chick flick or going to a play with a girlfriend who is often out of town, but I think that friend is out of town for the weekend.
I didn’t go to Retro Fitness today. I strained my back doing something at the gym a couple of days ago. I get a twinge when I get out of bed. I feel okay right now, but I am sitting down, and not doing things.
Have a great weekend.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Hello on Veteran's Day
Dear Friends,
Wednesday was a quiet day for the Curley’s. I did complete the clean up my “Man Cave”. Linda spent most of her day doing load after load of her clothes.
I did squeeze in an afternoon nap so that I could watch the Boston Bruins Hockey game while Linda was at Panera Bread with her knitting group which meets a 6 PM, and socializes for a couple of hours.
My Bruins entered the third and final period of the game behind by a 4 to 2 scores against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They scored 5 goals and won by a 7 to 4 margin. The game was played in Pittsburgh.
Speaking of Pittsburgh, my friend said that he did not drive from Pittsfield to Pittsburgh to see the Bruce Springsteen concert. That would have been a 12 hour drive from the Berkshires. He went by commercial airlines.
I just got back from Retro Fitness. The grunter was there as well as the usual 4:30 AM crowd.
Social Calendar – Linda has a body maintenance procedure and her monthly book club dinner meeting at a friend’s home tonight. I am not socially engaged, but I have a garage that is out of control. The shelves are a mess. My workbench look like it has been hit by a tornado. This means that I have enough to keep me busy. The Bruins are playing again tonight so I will get my dose of watching sports.
I do have to fill out a football pool and drop it off, and make a run to our Resource Recovery plant to drop off some grass clippings.
Weather – We are in a pattern of day time highs in the 50’s, and night time lows in the high 20’s and low 30’s. During this stretch of multi day weather reports, the forecasters said that we will be having abundant sunshine.
Linda and I were so excited yesterday when we were asked to baby sit our North Tewksbury grandchild. Max will be with us from December 5 through December 12. He will be attending two children’s Christmas Parties, one at the ITAM, and another at the Italian American Club. We are also taking him to an adult party if it is okay with the host. The last time that he was here, our house was in turmoil.
It looks like now that we won’t be able to visit our Kansas grandchildren for a while. Linda is still looking for some bargains flights at weird hours to help make a trip to Kansas workout financially.
Next Thursday, the carpet guys are booked in to do the living room, and dinning room. We are so happy that the rooms will be done before Max arrives.
We also have to find some time to decorate for Christmas, and childproof the house somewhat. Linda said that she is mentally set to do less decorating since neither son or their families will be with us for Christmas. She said that I only have to put lights on the bushes closest to the front door. This will be a time saver for me. Last year put up a real tree since both sons and their families were with us. We haven’t decided what we are going to do this year.
I washed another electrical device in my gym shorts the other day. I went to use some ear buds at the gym since they have televisions attached to some devices like the tread mill. The ear buds came out very clean in the washing machine, but only one ear piece worked. Luckily, I buy the cheap ear buds.
Food – We ate leftovers from the Tuesday night meeting / party on Wednesday. There are more to keep me happy today. I did forget to mention that one person from the Tuesday night crowd brought Vodka, and Tequila Jello Shooters. A couple of the seniors at the party had no clue what they were. I still have 6 left to help keep me happy.
Veteran’s Day – Another year has gone by, and it is time to give thanks to all the men and women who fought in the multitude of wars and conflicts. I first would like to thank my Uncles, one of whom is buried in Arlington National Cemetery; my Marine brother who died of a service connected disability from the Vietnam era; a cousin who I grew up with in Lee who is a Vietnam Vet; our son Michael who is currently in his 15th year in the military as an A -10 Pilot; his wife who flew missions in A 10 Thunderbolt in Iraq before she decided to be a “Stay at Home” mom at least until her children get a little older, my nephew who is on disability from the Marine Corps. I also have so many Baby Boomer friends, some of whom never made it out of Vietnam. Even though I have no military experience, I realize that the good life that Linda and I are enjoying right now is because of the sacrifices which these men and women have made, and continue to make.
Pittsfield still does have a Veteran’s Day Parade, but it is not attended and viewed by the large numbers of people who used to be lined up on the streets when I was growing up.
The latest generation thinks that wars are only on video games. They don’t realize that real wars are not a game. When you get killed in a video game, you can reset the machine and start over. In a real war, dead is dead!
Have a great Veteran’s Day.
It is perfectly okay for all of us to shed a few tears on this very solemn day.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday was a quiet day for the Curley’s. I did complete the clean up my “Man Cave”. Linda spent most of her day doing load after load of her clothes.
I did squeeze in an afternoon nap so that I could watch the Boston Bruins Hockey game while Linda was at Panera Bread with her knitting group which meets a 6 PM, and socializes for a couple of hours.
My Bruins entered the third and final period of the game behind by a 4 to 2 scores against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They scored 5 goals and won by a 7 to 4 margin. The game was played in Pittsburgh.
Speaking of Pittsburgh, my friend said that he did not drive from Pittsfield to Pittsburgh to see the Bruce Springsteen concert. That would have been a 12 hour drive from the Berkshires. He went by commercial airlines.
I just got back from Retro Fitness. The grunter was there as well as the usual 4:30 AM crowd.
Social Calendar – Linda has a body maintenance procedure and her monthly book club dinner meeting at a friend’s home tonight. I am not socially engaged, but I have a garage that is out of control. The shelves are a mess. My workbench look like it has been hit by a tornado. This means that I have enough to keep me busy. The Bruins are playing again tonight so I will get my dose of watching sports.
I do have to fill out a football pool and drop it off, and make a run to our Resource Recovery plant to drop off some grass clippings.
Weather – We are in a pattern of day time highs in the 50’s, and night time lows in the high 20’s and low 30’s. During this stretch of multi day weather reports, the forecasters said that we will be having abundant sunshine.
Linda and I were so excited yesterday when we were asked to baby sit our North Tewksbury grandchild. Max will be with us from December 5 through December 12. He will be attending two children’s Christmas Parties, one at the ITAM, and another at the Italian American Club. We are also taking him to an adult party if it is okay with the host. The last time that he was here, our house was in turmoil.
It looks like now that we won’t be able to visit our Kansas grandchildren for a while. Linda is still looking for some bargains flights at weird hours to help make a trip to Kansas workout financially.
Next Thursday, the carpet guys are booked in to do the living room, and dinning room. We are so happy that the rooms will be done before Max arrives.
We also have to find some time to decorate for Christmas, and childproof the house somewhat. Linda said that she is mentally set to do less decorating since neither son or their families will be with us for Christmas. She said that I only have to put lights on the bushes closest to the front door. This will be a time saver for me. Last year put up a real tree since both sons and their families were with us. We haven’t decided what we are going to do this year.
I washed another electrical device in my gym shorts the other day. I went to use some ear buds at the gym since they have televisions attached to some devices like the tread mill. The ear buds came out very clean in the washing machine, but only one ear piece worked. Luckily, I buy the cheap ear buds.
Food – We ate leftovers from the Tuesday night meeting / party on Wednesday. There are more to keep me happy today. I did forget to mention that one person from the Tuesday night crowd brought Vodka, and Tequila Jello Shooters. A couple of the seniors at the party had no clue what they were. I still have 6 left to help keep me happy.
Veteran’s Day – Another year has gone by, and it is time to give thanks to all the men and women who fought in the multitude of wars and conflicts. I first would like to thank my Uncles, one of whom is buried in Arlington National Cemetery; my Marine brother who died of a service connected disability from the Vietnam era; a cousin who I grew up with in Lee who is a Vietnam Vet; our son Michael who is currently in his 15th year in the military as an A -10 Pilot; his wife who flew missions in A 10 Thunderbolt in Iraq before she decided to be a “Stay at Home” mom at least until her children get a little older, my nephew who is on disability from the Marine Corps. I also have so many Baby Boomer friends, some of whom never made it out of Vietnam. Even though I have no military experience, I realize that the good life that Linda and I are enjoying right now is because of the sacrifices which these men and women have made, and continue to make.
Pittsfield still does have a Veteran’s Day Parade, but it is not attended and viewed by the large numbers of people who used to be lined up on the streets when I was growing up.
The latest generation thinks that wars are only on video games. They don’t realize that real wars are not a game. When you get killed in a video game, you can reset the machine and start over. In a real war, dead is dead!
Have a great Veteran’s Day.
It is perfectly okay for all of us to shed a few tears on this very solemn day.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Hello on Wednesday
Dear Friends,
Linda had fun playing Mah Jongg with her Tuesday group of women.
My dentist had a cancellation, and asked if I wanted to come in on Tuesday at 2:30 PM for my routine dentist checkup. I decided to get it done instead of waiting until the middle of next week. I couldn’t believe it when the dentist said that I had no cavities. There was a negative because he pointed out that I have the beginnings of periodontal disease. He said that I had to stop the bad stuff from happening by flossing and using mouth wash after every teeth brushing.
The Annual Pittsfield Irish Sister City meeting went very well last evening. There much food, fun, and merriment before the evening ended. Our last three guests left at 10:15 PM. Clean up really easy because we used plastic utensils, plastic cups, and paper plates. Every one took home their dishes which had very little food left in them. We had quite a good selection of food including some great homemade desserts. We started off with a delicious anti pasto dish, and dish of all kinds of olives, and spicing stuffed peppers. We had two types of chicken wings with one being of the spicy variety. There was pot roast with carrots, and potatoes, scalloped potatoes, meat balls, Kapusta, and a tossed salad. No one left this party hungry!
Were there any negatives? The only one which I could think of is people not responding whether they were going to come to the dinner meeting or not. We have about 20 members if I remember correctly. When someone hosts a party, like the Curley’s did last evening, it is so difficult to plan for, and take care of the details. Every one of the members had been sent several reminder e-mails, and only two people had said that they weren’t coming. A senior citizen member, who doesn’t own a computer, made it to the meeting, and brought a dessert. She actually dropped the dessert off at our house in the morning because she wasn’t sure if she could make the meeting because her 71 year old sister, had a stroke, massive heart attack, and was in a coma, and the family was just waiting for a telephone call that their sister had departed from this earth.
The officer who ran the meeting kept it short, and kept it focused, and kept discussion to a minimum.
Social Calendar – I think that Linda just wants to chill today. I am pretty sure that neither of us have anything booked in except for Linda’s Knitting group which meets at Panera Bread each Wednesday at 6 PM. I have some clean up in the basement to take care of. I am going to take an afternoon nap for sure today.
Observation -- Sometimes I babble a good deal in my daily blog, but some of my readers often think some of my suggestions are pretty good. One of the guest’s at the meeting was telling me that he had forgotten that he had one of those Food Saver Seal-A-Meal devices hidden away in some cabinet or storage closet in his home. He took it out for the first time the other day, and started using it. I did tell him that there are little tricks that I have learned over the years when using the device. Walmart has all the replacement bags and rolls for the Food Saver Machine.
A few years ago, I talked about crock pots so much that some people went out and bought them, while others resurrected them from some nook and cranny in their home.
At one point last night, we started talking about Fondues which was big in the 70’s. I remember doing fondues for our children. Our oldest son liked the cheese fondues. We also did the meat ones as well as the chocolate fondues too.
I can see a fondue party at the Curley’s one of these days. We have three fondue pots which were heated by a sterno, and we don’t own one of the new electric non stick ones.
Linda played some records last evening because one of our guests is a huge Bruce Sprinsteen (his mom was Italian) fan. This guest drove last week to Pittsburgh to a Bruce Sprinsteen Concert. This friend has whole bunches of albums like the Curley’s, and our Dalton friend. The Sister City friend has a soon to be 21 year old son. When his son saw his father’s collection of records, he asked his father what these round vinyl things were?
Doesn’t it make all of us baby boomers feel really old?
Eventually, I can see Linda and me in a nursing home with our record player, and boxes of albums, and listening to the Beatles, James Taylor, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Abba, Foreigner, etc. Can’t you visualize all the patients who are in the nursing home hearing the music coming from the Curley room, and stopping by to do a little reminiscing, and partying? Maybe medicinal Marijuana will be legal then, and we can have a grand old time. I will see if I can use the ovens in the nursing home and make some marijuana brownies. This could be a good thing instead of the nursing home dispensing drugs to keep us patients quiet and happy.
Well, I have to finish my morning routine, and clean up my Man Cave.
I hope no one calls so that Linda can sleep as late as she wants too. She worked very hard last evening trying to coordinate everything as I tended to peoples’ beverages needs.
Have a great Wednesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Linda had fun playing Mah Jongg with her Tuesday group of women.
My dentist had a cancellation, and asked if I wanted to come in on Tuesday at 2:30 PM for my routine dentist checkup. I decided to get it done instead of waiting until the middle of next week. I couldn’t believe it when the dentist said that I had no cavities. There was a negative because he pointed out that I have the beginnings of periodontal disease. He said that I had to stop the bad stuff from happening by flossing and using mouth wash after every teeth brushing.
The Annual Pittsfield Irish Sister City meeting went very well last evening. There much food, fun, and merriment before the evening ended. Our last three guests left at 10:15 PM. Clean up really easy because we used plastic utensils, plastic cups, and paper plates. Every one took home their dishes which had very little food left in them. We had quite a good selection of food including some great homemade desserts. We started off with a delicious anti pasto dish, and dish of all kinds of olives, and spicing stuffed peppers. We had two types of chicken wings with one being of the spicy variety. There was pot roast with carrots, and potatoes, scalloped potatoes, meat balls, Kapusta, and a tossed salad. No one left this party hungry!
Were there any negatives? The only one which I could think of is people not responding whether they were going to come to the dinner meeting or not. We have about 20 members if I remember correctly. When someone hosts a party, like the Curley’s did last evening, it is so difficult to plan for, and take care of the details. Every one of the members had been sent several reminder e-mails, and only two people had said that they weren’t coming. A senior citizen member, who doesn’t own a computer, made it to the meeting, and brought a dessert. She actually dropped the dessert off at our house in the morning because she wasn’t sure if she could make the meeting because her 71 year old sister, had a stroke, massive heart attack, and was in a coma, and the family was just waiting for a telephone call that their sister had departed from this earth.
The officer who ran the meeting kept it short, and kept it focused, and kept discussion to a minimum.
Social Calendar – I think that Linda just wants to chill today. I am pretty sure that neither of us have anything booked in except for Linda’s Knitting group which meets at Panera Bread each Wednesday at 6 PM. I have some clean up in the basement to take care of. I am going to take an afternoon nap for sure today.
Observation -- Sometimes I babble a good deal in my daily blog, but some of my readers often think some of my suggestions are pretty good. One of the guest’s at the meeting was telling me that he had forgotten that he had one of those Food Saver Seal-A-Meal devices hidden away in some cabinet or storage closet in his home. He took it out for the first time the other day, and started using it. I did tell him that there are little tricks that I have learned over the years when using the device. Walmart has all the replacement bags and rolls for the Food Saver Machine.
A few years ago, I talked about crock pots so much that some people went out and bought them, while others resurrected them from some nook and cranny in their home.
At one point last night, we started talking about Fondues which was big in the 70’s. I remember doing fondues for our children. Our oldest son liked the cheese fondues. We also did the meat ones as well as the chocolate fondues too.
I can see a fondue party at the Curley’s one of these days. We have three fondue pots which were heated by a sterno, and we don’t own one of the new electric non stick ones.
Linda played some records last evening because one of our guests is a huge Bruce Sprinsteen (his mom was Italian) fan. This guest drove last week to Pittsburgh to a Bruce Sprinsteen Concert. This friend has whole bunches of albums like the Curley’s, and our Dalton friend. The Sister City friend has a soon to be 21 year old son. When his son saw his father’s collection of records, he asked his father what these round vinyl things were?
Doesn’t it make all of us baby boomers feel really old?
Eventually, I can see Linda and me in a nursing home with our record player, and boxes of albums, and listening to the Beatles, James Taylor, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Abba, Foreigner, etc. Can’t you visualize all the patients who are in the nursing home hearing the music coming from the Curley room, and stopping by to do a little reminiscing, and partying? Maybe medicinal Marijuana will be legal then, and we can have a grand old time. I will see if I can use the ovens in the nursing home and make some marijuana brownies. This could be a good thing instead of the nursing home dispensing drugs to keep us patients quiet and happy.
Well, I have to finish my morning routine, and clean up my Man Cave.
I hope no one calls so that Linda can sleep as late as she wants too. She worked very hard last evening trying to coordinate everything as I tended to peoples’ beverages needs.
Have a great Wednesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, November 8, 2010
Hello on Monday
Dear Friends,
My bio-rhythm is out of whack because of the daylight changing of the clocks. Since I am up so early, I might as well go off to Retro Fitness with the 4:30 AM crowd.
Well, I had yesterday all messed up with respect to what was going on at my sister’s place. My sister wasn’t having a birthday party for one of her grandchildren; it was a birthday party for my dad on his actual birth date. We had a very nice sit down roast beef supper with all the fixings. My sister made a Swedish Apple pie for dessert which was the highlight of the meal.
Since Linda and I brought a birthday present for Malakai, we eventually said that he could open his present. Since Malakai is into anything that has to do with “Elmo” from Sesamie Street, the gift was so appropriate. Linda found this cute Elmo Hoodie, and it fit Malakai to perfection. The birthday present also included an Elmo Christmas CD which I know that Malakai is going a watch multiple times.
I was really impressed how my niece’s son is really doing so well in his verbal skills, and how well he interacts with people, and how good and smart he is in general for a soon to be 2 year old. Missy is doing a great job as a single Mom who does share parenting with Malakai’s dad.
When the party ended, I dropped Linda off home, and drove my dad back to Lee. His going home to an empty house is really starting to get to him. He should be in a nursing home too, but that would mean selling his home, and using the proceeds to pay for the nursing home until the money is exhausted. We started a little too late to put his house in an irrevocable trust. We have a few more years to go for the trust to kick in so that the nursing home can’t make dad sell the family home. Oh Darn!
The Boston teams took quite a hit over the weekend. The Bruins lost on Saturday, the Patriots lost on Sunday (including their kicker), but the Celtics won last evening. Yes, I watched all three games. The Patriots lost in an most ugly fashion.
Linda had fun at her not crowded Fiber Festival. Of course, this first time event at the Eastern States Exposition grounds can’t compare to the Sheep & Wool Festival in New York State.
Our weather forecast has the words wet snow in the forecast for today. Linda’s Kia is a four wheel drive, not just an all wheel drive. In the past (driving the Neon), she has been afraid to drive when snow is falling or when snow is on the ground. Right now, she feels like she is “Queen of the Road” when she is driving the KIA.
I do have to clean the driver’s side floor mat. She said that she can still smell the “Ode de Dog” from when I drove the car with dog poop on my sneakers.
Our social calendar today involves getting set for Tuesday’s Irish Sister City Annual dinner meeting. The potluck affair starts at 6 PM. We could have 15 to 20 people if our guests bring their significant others. Taking care of details and the clean up is the most difficult part of hosting such a gathering. We usually have a great selection of food including dessert. There will be much food, fun, and merriment before this night is over.
I know that Linda has a bunch of errands to take care of, but she will do these during the mid morning.
Observation – I was reading my Time magazine yesterday while watching the football games. There was an article on the illusive mushrooms called the “Truffles”. I guess that I didn’t realize how precious and expensive they really are. The article said that they sell for $195 dollars per ounce. I knew that they went from dogs to pigs to find these epicurean delights in a certain region in Italy. The ones grown naturally bring the highest price. Commercially produced ones can’t compare to the ones found in nature. There is the problem. All the chemicals which we spray on crops eventually leaches into the regions where these grow naturally, and mother nature is not producing them like she did in the past. Just think if the Marijuana growers changed to growing truffles how much better off the whole country would be, and they would make more money too.
Politics – I can’t wait until the newly elected candidates start working in January. I want them to experience how difficult to affect change really is. Let us see if they can fulfill their campaign promises quickly like our President thought he could. The Republican leasdrs are already talking about giving our wealthiest citizens a tax break. They also want to dismantle the President’s Health Care initiative. I still contend that the Democrats have our best interests in mind as we baby boomers age.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
My bio-rhythm is out of whack because of the daylight changing of the clocks. Since I am up so early, I might as well go off to Retro Fitness with the 4:30 AM crowd.
Well, I had yesterday all messed up with respect to what was going on at my sister’s place. My sister wasn’t having a birthday party for one of her grandchildren; it was a birthday party for my dad on his actual birth date. We had a very nice sit down roast beef supper with all the fixings. My sister made a Swedish Apple pie for dessert which was the highlight of the meal.
Since Linda and I brought a birthday present for Malakai, we eventually said that he could open his present. Since Malakai is into anything that has to do with “Elmo” from Sesamie Street, the gift was so appropriate. Linda found this cute Elmo Hoodie, and it fit Malakai to perfection. The birthday present also included an Elmo Christmas CD which I know that Malakai is going a watch multiple times.
I was really impressed how my niece’s son is really doing so well in his verbal skills, and how well he interacts with people, and how good and smart he is in general for a soon to be 2 year old. Missy is doing a great job as a single Mom who does share parenting with Malakai’s dad.
When the party ended, I dropped Linda off home, and drove my dad back to Lee. His going home to an empty house is really starting to get to him. He should be in a nursing home too, but that would mean selling his home, and using the proceeds to pay for the nursing home until the money is exhausted. We started a little too late to put his house in an irrevocable trust. We have a few more years to go for the trust to kick in so that the nursing home can’t make dad sell the family home. Oh Darn!
The Boston teams took quite a hit over the weekend. The Bruins lost on Saturday, the Patriots lost on Sunday (including their kicker), but the Celtics won last evening. Yes, I watched all three games. The Patriots lost in an most ugly fashion.
Linda had fun at her not crowded Fiber Festival. Of course, this first time event at the Eastern States Exposition grounds can’t compare to the Sheep & Wool Festival in New York State.
Our weather forecast has the words wet snow in the forecast for today. Linda’s Kia is a four wheel drive, not just an all wheel drive. In the past (driving the Neon), she has been afraid to drive when snow is falling or when snow is on the ground. Right now, she feels like she is “Queen of the Road” when she is driving the KIA.
I do have to clean the driver’s side floor mat. She said that she can still smell the “Ode de Dog” from when I drove the car with dog poop on my sneakers.
Our social calendar today involves getting set for Tuesday’s Irish Sister City Annual dinner meeting. The potluck affair starts at 6 PM. We could have 15 to 20 people if our guests bring their significant others. Taking care of details and the clean up is the most difficult part of hosting such a gathering. We usually have a great selection of food including dessert. There will be much food, fun, and merriment before this night is over.
I know that Linda has a bunch of errands to take care of, but she will do these during the mid morning.
Observation – I was reading my Time magazine yesterday while watching the football games. There was an article on the illusive mushrooms called the “Truffles”. I guess that I didn’t realize how precious and expensive they really are. The article said that they sell for $195 dollars per ounce. I knew that they went from dogs to pigs to find these epicurean delights in a certain region in Italy. The ones grown naturally bring the highest price. Commercially produced ones can’t compare to the ones found in nature. There is the problem. All the chemicals which we spray on crops eventually leaches into the regions where these grow naturally, and mother nature is not producing them like she did in the past. Just think if the Marijuana growers changed to growing truffles how much better off the whole country would be, and they would make more money too.
Politics – I can’t wait until the newly elected candidates start working in January. I want them to experience how difficult to affect change really is. Let us see if they can fulfill their campaign promises quickly like our President thought he could. The Republican leasdrs are already talking about giving our wealthiest citizens a tax break. They also want to dismantle the President’s Health Care initiative. I still contend that the Democrats have our best interests in mind as we baby boomers age.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
