Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,

Another day went as planned with a few changes.

I was the first one who left the house once again. I drove directly to Lee. I fired up my father's snow blower, woke him up when I started the machine, and cleaned up the driveway. He had a neighbor with a plow do his driveway after the storm, but there was room for improvement.

After the snow blowing, I left to see Mom in the nursing home while Dad went off to do his morning routine (get a couple newspapers, and socialize with some of the locals).
Mom and her roommate seemed to be in good spirits. Her 95 year old roommate can use a walker to get around, but if she does go back home, she will need elder service care.
My Mom was happy to see me. Her dementia had me repeating things over and over again, but all of us family members don't mind the repetition.

After some leftover beef stew we headed off to the grocery store. I wish that I could have stayed home because I thought the trip would be short. I started meeting all kind of friends in the store, and began long conversations with them. I found out that a guy who I taught with in the Math Department had two stents put in arteries next to his heart. He is a year or so younger than me. Now visualize a guy who is in relatively good shape. He and some friends are always going hiking all over the Berkshire Hills. On one hike, he tells his friend that he has to take a break because he was having trouble grasping for air. He goes to the doctor, and he finds out that the arteries have 98% blockage. He is lucky that he made it back from that hike.

While in the supermarket, Linda gets a call from a girlfriend who wants Linda to go with her to the Lee Outlets to return a couple of items.
This meant that Linda would miss her Wednesday night knitting group, but being with her friend was more important. The friend's husband has been out of town and won't return until Friday. I think that the woman needed a friend to bond with.

While the women were doing their thing, I went of to a celebrity bartending event at the East Side Café. The event went from 6 to 9 PM. The celebrity bartenders were all of the members of the Pittsfield City Council. I was there from 6 to 9 PM. When I left, the party was still going on. The fundraiser was for a guy who has colon cancer. As of yesterday, the guys colon has pretty much been removed. The guy is still in the hospital. The current prognosis is good, but who really knows.
My philosophy that "Life is a crapshoot" seems to come true on a daily basis. Enjoy your family and friends each day, and don't sweat the little stuff.

Our son called last night saying that they will be leaving Tewksbury no later than 8 AM. Max should be with us close to noon if all goes well. I still have to do a little child proofing of our house before he arrives. We are mentally set for the toddler to tire us out each day from Thursday through Sunday.
I almost forgot that we have to deal with the two dogs also. We will cover all the couches in the house so that the dogs can rest comfortably. Where the dogs will be sleeping is another issue. Frankie Beans likes to sleep in bed with their owners. He is more like a child who needs a lot of hugs.

Max will be attending his first New Year's Eve Party for an hour or so before we put him in a portable crib. The party starts around the 6 PM Hour.

Only one couple has seen Max walking and doing his toddler routine. The other couples will experience the joy of having a toddler observing and touching everything.

News -- There isn't much going on nationally that peaked my interest. It is good that Congress is on its Holiday recess.
Locally, an electric blanket started a house fire in Pittsfield. No one got hurt, and the fire department put out the fire quickly. I am guessing that some lawyer read the article, and he has already started formulating a lawsuit.


Sports -- The Celtics not only lost their game, but lost one of their stars to a leg injury. All of us fans are hoping that it is muscle pull, ankle sprain which were the initial indications.

Well, I have to finish my morning routine.
You know what Linda and I will be doing.
Have a great day.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad