Hello on Tuesday

Dear Friends,

My aching back gave me a little trouble on President's Day. I tried using a heating pad, and sitting in a lounge chair while catching up on some magazine reading, but if I moved a certain way, I felt a twinge in my lower back. Lying flat in bed was the best solution.

Linda and I did leave the house about the same time last evening. She went out to do a little recreational shopping, and have supper with a girlfriend.

I picked up a neighbor, who is a UNICO member, and we headed off to our membership meeting which was at Jimmy's Restaurant. This is a moderate priced Italian restaurant which is normally closed on Monday, but opened up just for our organization. Yes, the owner and I are on a first named basis. He is one of these guys who gives back to the community when called upon to do so.

The food at our dinner meeting was wonderful. The meat was a fork tender and thinly sliced pot roast with green beans and mashed potatoes with a delicious brown gravy. We had pasta, and salad before the main meal was served. We had a homemade marble cake with chocolate frosting for dessert.

Every time we have a board meeting or a membership meeting there is always news of extra events that we picked up. I had to add two more to our social calendar when I arrived home last evening.

The first event which I had to add is a March 31, 2011 UNICO celebrity bar tending event at the Heritage Tavern in Lenox. I worked a 45 minute shift last year, and I will most likely be asked to work the event this year. I am also hoping that I can bring in a table full of friends for this Thursday night. The bar tender tips, and a percentage of a person's food bill go towards the UNICO general fund.

The second event is on May 15, 2011 at Berkshire Hills for the wife of one of our own members. She is one of us baby boomers who has been battling Alzheimer's disease for the past four or five years. She is in a really bad state right now.

My friend that I went to the meeting with is Chairperson of our UNICO Charity Board. The requests for real help just keep on coming in. Our $10,000 Charity Board budget has been used up as of last night's meeting. We have to do some fundraisers for ourselves wto keep pace with the requests.

Speaking of requests, my services in the kitchen and on the floor of the ITAM Fundraiser this weekend are needed. This is for a lady who played a big role in Pittsfield's Relay for Life who is now fighting for her own life. Her cancer returned, and her days on this earth are numbered right now. She has a child.
Our UNICO person in charge of the food preparation wants me to be there around 9 AM on Sunday. He is making the sauce from scratch, and it will require some chopping and dicing of special ingredients which he puts in his sauce. I still will be working the buffet table for the most part. UNICO is serving food from 1 to 4 PM. A group from the Jimmy Fund takes over from 4 to 9 PM. There will be a live band, and all kinds of raffles. I really hope that our community comes out in huge numbers.

I had originally planned to enter an ice fishing derby on Pontoosuc Lake for a former Irish American Club member who died of cancer. The Tom Wren memorial tournament starts at 6 AM and goes until 2 PM. I thought that UNICO was serving food at 4:30 PM which meant that I could go to the derby and to the fundraiser. Not!

Linda has her Tuesday Mah Jongg session today. I would go ice fishing, but I need to take care of my back. I have to be pain free by Sunday. My plan for today is to sit on my butt, and read a book on my I Pad.

It is a cool 6 degrees right now with the weather person saying that we should reach the low to middle 20's for a high today.
We might have another winter storm brewing for Friday. It is too early to tell the I pact right now.

Wednesday is going to be a picture perfect day to go ice fishing, but I am taking Linda to a doctor's appointment. The doctor's office is calling us today to tell us when she needs to report.

Wednesday night is Linda's knitting group gathering at Panera Bread.

We have the WolfeTones Concert on Thursday night at Wahconah.

As you see, " the no moss growing under the feet" of the Curley's continues to be a way of life for Linda and me.

I didn't see anything that jumped out at me in the news except for oil prices going up because of the middle east conflicts. Higher gasoline prices, and higher prices for food will really take a toll on the average American.
There was an article in USA Today which said that the rich are getting more comfortable to spending their money on high priced ticket items. As the rich get richer, the rest of us get poorer. I think that I have heard this line before!

Have a great Tuesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad